With the new year, the stagnant logistics gradually returned to normal, and horse-drawn carriages began to visit the old capital again.
Most of the goods carried by the carriages were food.
Although the people of the old capital each store their own food, there is a limit to the basement, and calculations can be wrong. However, the majority are those who don’t have enough provisions to get through the winter in the first place.
Every year, grain merchants build small warehouses around the city and bring in wheat and other products with the new year in mind, targeting those very customers. Some merchants rely on merchants from distant cities to make purchases, but this is rare.
If successful, it’s huge. If they can obtain sufficient working capital before the beginning of spring, their business for the year will be much easier. However, if they fail, it will interfere with spring purchases, and, in the first place, they won’t be able to get the goods.
This year, the Eisenschmidt Company was supposed to be a rare example of success.
“What are we going to do with this?”
Ignaz asked his brother-in-law, Kamil, with an expression that was somewhere between anger and tears.
What was brought into the company’s warehouse was a huge number of rice bags.
“We have no choice but to do something about it.”
Kamil sighed as he looked at the parchment document and its copy.
Three times the amount of bags that were supposed to arrive from the Holy Kingdom’s Kurvaldia Company were piled up in front of him. No, the amount ordered was correct. The problem was the quantity.
“I heard that there was a great harvest of rice in the Holy Kingdom…”
“But I didn’t expect the price to plummet to a third…”
According to reports from the field, the Holy Kingdom had a record-breaking rice harvest, granaries were overflowing, and the rats that ate it were as fat as cats. This may be an exaggeration, but the fact that they were able to purchase three times the expected amount may not be entirely a lie.
“Do you think we can sell this much?”
“We have no choice but to sell it somehow. We have to empty this warehouse by spring.”
“But, you know…”
There is almost no custom of eating rice in the old capital.
There was a time when a certain eel bento was popular, and rice was seen a little then, but recently even that seems to have disappeared.
They thought that one-third of this amount could be sold off due to the food shortage in winter, but this amount is daunting. Conversely, if it sells out, they can make a huge profit, but they can’t think of a way to do it.
As merchants, they have no intention of throwing away the goods, but even if they try to come up with a way to sell them, they have no idea what to do.
“What’s wrong, you two? You look so gloomy from the beginning of the year.”
The person who casually entered the warehouse was Gernot, the tax collector.
He is a man who is a member of the Old Capital Council and is not very well-liked because of the strictness of his tax collection. Ignaz and Kamil had heard rumors that he had recently become a little more personable, but they couldn’t believe it.
Human nature doesn’t change that quickly.
“Ah, Gernot-san. You’re working hard from the beginning of the year. But, I don’t appreciate you just walking into the warehouse.”
Ignaz’s mild reproach was ignored, and the tax collector took a handkerchief from his chest and began to wipe his monocle.
“If you don’t want people to enter without permission, you should have someone stand guard at the front. I called out three times at the entrance of the company. Still, no one came out. If someone had collapsed inside, it would have been quite a disaster. I was just worried and stepped inside.”
It’s sarcasm. Gernot is hated because he speaks like this.
The tax collector is contracted by the Old Capital Council to collect taxes. Since he can pocket any extra amount he collects, many are quite ruthless in their collection.
Gernot is known as the foremost among them.
It’s now a matter of trading insults. Ignaz stepped forward to protect Kamil and retorted in a fighting tone.
“That’s very kind of you. As you can see, we are both fine, so please leave. We’ll talk about taxes another day.”
“We can talk about taxes later. It’s not like you can pay them even if I asked you to right now. I came here today to make my New Year’s greetings, so please don’t be so stiff.”
“We have no reason to be greeted by you. You know what they say, ‘The poor have no leisure’? Now, if you’ve confirmed that we’re both safe, please leave quickly. The exit is that way.”
However, Gernot didn’t even glance at the entrance and exit Ignaz pointed to, and instead stared at the mountain of piled up rice bags.
“…Is there anything else you need?”
“Rice from the Holy Kingdom. And Sasanishiki rice at that. You’ve procured something quite rare.”
Translator’s Note
Sasanishiki is a popular variety of rice in Japan known for its light and fluffy texture.
They’ve been spotted. It’s no wonder. The same kind of bags are piled up all the way to the wall. It would be unreasonable to ask him not to find them.
Will this also affect the tax assessment? If the large amount of rice they purchased backfires and the tax is added on top, they will suffer a big loss instead of making a profit.
“Do you know about rice?”
“My hometown is in the southern part of the Empire, almost bordering the Holy Kingdom. When I was a child, I ate not only pasta but also rice sometimes. The risotto was delicious.”
Then, maybe he knows some delicious recipes.
A faint hope flickered in Ignaz’s heart and disappeared. What was he thinking, getting carried away? His opponent is a cold-blooded tax collector. He would never do anything that would benefit them.
“That must be nostalgic for you. How about it? Would you like a bag?”
He said it as a joke, but Gernot’s expression instantly clouded over.
“Ignaz-san, I believe you know that I am a tax collector. And I am proud of my work. If it were to be said that I received favors from a taxpayer, it could be seen as a bribe by those who don’t know any better. I will accept your kindness only. But…”
“But?”
“Can you sell this much rice in the old capital?”
He hit a sore spot. As a tax collector who deals with various introductions, he probably has some knowledge of products.
“Why are you worried about that?”
Kamil interjected from behind Ignaz. He used to be nicknamed “Cowardly Kamil,” but recently that nickname has faded away.
“That’s for tax purposes, of course, you two. If such a large amount of goods cannot be sold, there will be various problems. If I can’t collect taxes from the Eisenschmidt Company, it will be very troublesome for me as a tax collector.”
“That’s true, but…”
Taxes, after all. He thought about spitting on him, but Ignaz held back. Nothing will come of fighting here. More importantly, the priority now is what to do with the rice.
“I have a plan.”
“It’s not very comforting to hear a tax collector having a plan for a taxpayer. Are you going to make us a part of some evil scheme?”
He intended to be sarcastic, but Gernot didn’t seem to care.
“There is a tavern called Nobu. Let’s ask for their help.”
“We know that tavern too…”
In the first place, Ignaz and Kamil decided to buy rice because they ate Kaisendon at that tavern. Of course, they wanted that tavern to buy some bags, but the amount they have now is huge.
It’s not an amount that a single tavern can use up.
“No matter how much the tavern’s regulars eat, I don’t think they can handle this much, Gernot-san.”
He thought it was foolish to expect anything, and when he replied, Gernot’s monocle gleamed suspiciously.
“The eel bento that uses rice also originated there. If we can just create a fad, we might be able to manage somehow.”