Though visitors continued to arrive from early spring onward, Zabuton’s children set off on their journeys as they always did.
Kuro’s children didn't head out to find partners this year, either.
Perhaps they had enough members to find mates within the pack now, or maybe their numbers had simply reached a point where that was permissible...
I thought they would start breeding right away, but some of them didn't get pregnant this year.
To think they could regulate their own population—they truly were impressive.
As I was pondering this, a portion of Kuro’s offspring left as a pack.
About thirty of them, I’d guess.
I didn't know what they were after, but the atmosphere suggested they wouldn't be back for a while.
I just hoped they wouldn't get injured.
One way or another, summer passed and autumn arrived. Before I knew it, the day came for us to participate in the "barter market"—our formal trade mission with Howlin Village.
Naturally, I intended to go myself, but those around me stopped me.
They argued that if the leader showed up right away, the other side would take advantage of us.
Is that really how these things work?
Regardless, I was eventually persuaded that the person at the top shouldn't move about so lightly.
After an intense Rock-Paper-Scissors Tournament, Tia was chosen to go as my proxy.
(I hadn't actually needed to introduce the concept of Rock-Paper-Scissors, as it already existed here. However, every race had different hand signs, ways of throwing them, and chants, which often led to disputes. Thus, I had everyone unify under the version I knew.)
The other members included five Lizardmen, including Daga.
Initially, I planned to send all the Lizardmen, but I reduced the number because they had to watch over the eggs.
Apparently, they were due to hatch soon.
To make up for the fewer Lizardmen, ten High Elves joined the mission.
This was decided by drawing straws.
In total, sixteen members would be traveling while hauling the cargo.
The plan was for ten days of travel, arriving the day before the market to stay in the other village for two nights, and then ten days to return.
That was the plan, at least, until it was suddenly changed.
Draim the dragon happened to drop by at the perfect time and offered to handle the transport in exchange for a single barrel of wine.
Since the first day he arrived, Draim had been coming by frequently to eat my cooking, drink sake, and vent his frustrations.
The pattern usually involved his butler coming to pick him up the next day.
I couldn't help but wonder if he’d mistaken this village for a tavern.
While it was a bit of a nuisance, he strictly brought high-quality souvenirs every time, so it was hard to refuse him.
In fact, from a profit standpoint, it seemed we were making quite a bit from his visits.
I wasn't well-versed in gems or armaments, but the fact that Lu and Tia never complained was proof enough.
Then again, since a banquet started whenever Draim arrived, they might have just been tolerating him as an excuse to drink...
Since it was a proposal from Draim, I decided to accept it.
He said he would not only provide a round trip but would also stay with them during their time there.
When I asked why he wanted the wine so badly, he admitted that after boasting about our wine to other dragons, they had brought up some of his past embarrassments and threatened him into bringing them some.
I guess dragons have their own set of troubles.
At any rate, with Draim acting as transport, the travel time was almost entirely eliminated.
If I were to believe Draim, he could reach the village in less than an hour, even while flying carefully with the cargo.
In fact, he told me the most time-consuming part would be the task of loading everything onto his back.
I see.
So, I spent the ten days we would have used for travel on preparing the cargo instead.
I prepared uniform wooden crates and packed the goods intended for exchange inside.
Since Draim was transporting them, I was happy that we could take a larger volume than originally planned.
The departing members remained the same.
We had several meetings beforehand to discuss the value of our crops and what the village needed in return.
I didn't mind the idea of trading, but it would be a problem if our goods were unfairly undervalued.
Since there were many things we wouldn't know until the team arrived, the final calls were left to Tia's judgment on the ground.
That wasn't a problem.
I just wanted to avoid any unnecessary conflict.
I made sure to give her a clear list of the things I wanted.
The items we sent for exchange were fruits like apples, pears, persimmons, and mandarins.
Grains included wheat, barley, soybeans, rice, and corn.
After that were hardy crops that could withstand transport, like carrots and daikons.
I figured tomatoes and strawberries would be a bit too delicate.
Since this was our first time participating, I included as many varieties as possible.
Aside from crops, we sent about ten barrels of wine and a small amount of seasonings.
Ten barrels might have been overkill, but I told them they could drink whatever was left over there, so I figured Draim would do his best to finish it.
I just hoped he wouldn't drink too much and have an accident on the way back.
Howlin Village
"...Are they really coming from the Village of the Great Tree?"
"They should be. We were very clear about the date."
"Even so, they haven't entered the mountain passes yet... Hm?"
"What is it?"
"What is that?"
"That?"
"Look, up there."
"Which one?"
"That thing flying in the sky."
"............A dragon? Wait? It's heading right for us..."
After seeing Tia and the others off, my life continued as usual.
Tending the fields, playing with Kuro and the others.
Additionally, I handled consultations from the villagers.
Though I called them consultations, they were mostly requests regarding village infrastructure.
"I want this kind of facility." "I want a waterway here." "Let's grow more of this crop next time." "Can we drink some wine?"
I spent my days listening to requests like those.
Of course, I didn't forget to look after Lu as her belly grew larger.
Regarding the birth, it seemed there wasn't much to worry about.
Several of the High Elves and High Ogres had assisted with births before and possessed the necessary knowledge.
Everyone told me I didn't need to fret.
I chose to ignore the silent consensus that I should be "striving harder" in the bedroom rather than fretting.
Tia and the others returned right on schedule.
Since there was still cargo on Draim's back, I thought for a moment they hadn't been able to trade anything, but I was mistaken.
"We managed to trade everything," Tia reported, while Daga handled the task of unloading Draim's back.
"The village's crops were all well-received. At first, the people wouldn't really come near us—perhaps because they were wary of me, the High Elves, or the Lizardmen—but once we tried the 'tastings' you suggested, Husband, people started gathering. All the exchanges were settled by the middle of the market."
I had suggested the tastings before Tia left.
I didn't want to trick anyone; I wanted them to know the quality of our crops before they committed to a trade.
The tastings probably consisted mainly of the fruits that could be eaten raw.
I'm just glad they were a hit.
"There wasn't any wine left..."
Beneath that success, it seemed Draim had grown gloomier every time a barrel of wine was traded away.
He was still acting a bit sulky now.
"Tia. Let's make tonight's dinner a report meeting. Draim, I'll serve wine at the table tonight."
"As expected of the Village Head. You certainly know how to show appreciation."
I had gotten his hopes up, after all.
Still, to think that all ten barrels of wine—which I’d worried were too many—would be traded away...