The date was November 8th.
It had been five days since Oliver, a merchant in the town of Ismar, had made his promise.
Laozi, accompanied by Anne and carrying a small bundle, visited Oliver’s shop.
"Welcome back! Thank you for coming to see us again."
Oliver was in the shop and came forward to greet Laozi.
"And who might this be?" Oliver asked, noticing Anne.
"She is an automata serving my master, just as I do," Laozi replied.
His wording was carefully chosen to be interpreted in two ways. Did he mean she served the master "just as he did," or that she was an "automata" just as he was? In reality, both were true.
However, Oliver’s reaction was exactly what one would expect from an ordinary human. He had firmly assumed Laozi was human.
"Wha—! You’re saying this lady is an automata!?"
Oliver was so taken aback his reaction bordered on theatrical.
Then again, perhaps this was a normal reaction in this remote frontier town.
"...I’ve never seen anything like it. Are automata truly so... human? No, she looks exactly like a person..."
Ordinary automata were never this advanced, but Laozi saw no reason to elaborate.
"My master is a first-class magi engineer, you see," he said, leaving it at that. To call him a "Magi Craft Meister" would have made him too easy to identify.
"I see, I see. Your... Oh, come to think of it, I haven't asked your name yet. If you wouldn't mind? My name is Oliver, as you already know."
"Pardon my rudeness. Please call me 'Roushi.' This girl is 'Anne.'"
"Lord Roushi and Lady Anne, then. I look forward to working with you."
Oliver bowed, and they finally moved toward the business at hand.
"Now then, were you able to secure the katsuobushi you promised the other day?"
"Yes, of course. I managed to get my hands on five pieces this time."
"Oho, that is excellent. In that case, this item I brought should prove quite useful."
Laozi pointed to the small bundle Anne was holding.
"And what might that be?"
"A tool necessary for using katsuobushi in cooking."
Oliver bit at the bait instantly.
"Truly? That is wonderful news! Would you be willing to show it to me?"
"Of course. That is why I brought it."
"Then please, come this way to the back!"
Just like before, Oliver led Laozi into the kitchen. Anne followed, carrying the bundle.
Laozi placed the object from the bundle onto the kitchen table.
"What on earth is this?"
It was a rectangular box. Laozi silently removed the lid. It had a small opening with a blade peeking through.
"It is a katsuobushi shaver."
"Eh? This is it!?"
"Yes. Since my master said katsuobushi should be shaved with a tool like this, he made it on short notice. Do you still have the remains of the piece from the other day?"
Based on Jin’s knowledge, Laojun had instructed the Smiths on Hourai Island to manufacture the device.
"Y-yes. I have it right here."
Laozi had him prepare the katsuobushi so he could demonstrate the tool.
"This is how you adjust the protrusion of the blade."
Laozi lifted the plane section where the blade was mounted. He held it up to his eyes to check the blade's height and made a gesture as if tapping the block.
"When you want more of the blade to come out, you tap the head of the blade. A wooden mallet is best for this."
"I see, so you don't damage the steel."
"Exactly. And when you want to retract the blade, you tap this part—the head of the block."
"Is that how it works!"
It was exactly like a Japanese-style plane, but Oliver was seeing it for the first time and was visibly impressed.
"I have already adjusted the blade depth, so let’s try shaving a piece... Generally, you shave by pushing like this, but pulling is also fine."
Laozi took a clean cloth, dampened it slightly, and wiped the surface of the katsuobushi.
"If you dampen it just a little, it shaves better without turning into powder. But over-wetting it is strictly forbidden."
Having finished his explanation, Laozi began to shave.
The katsuobushi was shaved down with a rhythmic, pleasant shaka-shaka sound.
"You must be careful not to shave your fingers as the piece gets smaller."
He stopped and opened the drawer on the side of the box.
"Ooh...! Look at how thin they are!"
Inside the drawer was a pile of bonito flakes, shaved so thin they were nearly translucent.
"These are called bonito flakes. If you sell these in small portions, you can lower the unit price and make them more accessible."
Oliver’s expression shifted. He likely thought Laozi intended to buy back the katsuobushi to sell it as bonito flakes himself.
However, Laozi’s next words turned that suspicion into pure joy.
"How much would you be willing to pay for this katsuobushi shaver?"
"...Eh?"
Oliver understood the words, but he was so caught off guard by the intention behind them that he was momentarily flustered.
"We are not merchants. While we can create things like this, we have no connections to sell them. So, I thought it only natural to work through someone promising... Is that a problem?"
"I... I see."
Intuitively grasping the magnitude of the opportunity, Oliver reached out and took Laozi’s hand.
"Are you truly willing to sell this tool to me?"
"Indeed. I do not lie."
For a few seconds, Oliver's face went blank as his mind raced through calculations. But he was a merchant through and through, and a smile quickly returned to his face.
"How about 50,000 Toll?"
He had already realized how useful bonito dashi was for egg and vegetable dishes. He had confirmed its quality with his own tongue.
Now, he could sell it in a form that customers could purchase with ease. For Oliver, this was a dream proposal.
That said, he had a limit. 50,000 Toll was very close to the absolute maximum he could afford right now.
He said "close to" because he had left himself a tiny bit of breathing room to add more if Laozi was dissatisfied. However, his caution proved unnecessary.
"Yes, that will be fine," Laozi accepted the offer without hesitation.
"T-that is wonderful. I... I will go prepare the money at once!"
As Oliver scrambled to get ready, Laozi spoke up to calm him.
"Wait. If that is the case, I would like to purchase two more pieces of katsuobushi from that amount."
They had established a price of 400 Toll per piece previously. Laozi proposed buying two pieces and receiving the difference of 49,200 Toll.
"A-ah, I understand!"
Still a bit shaken, Oliver retreated to the back and soon returned clutching a bag of gold coins. A man who appeared to be a guard followed close behind him.
"Thank you for waiting. This is a guard I employ. Since this is a significant amount of money, I had him come along just in case. Please do not take offense."
Laozi nodded graciously.
"Not at all. One can never be too careful about who might wander in from the street."
"I appreciate your understanding."
Oliver counted out 4 gold coins and 92 silver coins and handed them over. Laozi accepted them and placed them in a drawstring pouch, which he handed to Anne.
He then took the two pieces of katsuobushi and had Anne carry those as well.
"Now then."
With the transaction complete, Oliver spoke up again, his tone shifting to something more serious.
"Lord Roushi, I know this is presumptuous of me, but would you listen to a request?"
Since Laozi’s entire purpose for providing the shaver was to establish a connection, he welcomed the opening.
"Of course. What is it?"
"Do you happen to know any other magi engineers? You mentioned that your own master is one as well."
"That is correct."
At that, Oliver stood up and bowed deeply.
"I beg of you! Please introduce me to a freelance magi engineer!"