Chapter 835 – Funding and Prototype Alcohol
Many people can’t calculate so don’t let your children go shopping alone.
That’s what Miyo told me when she returned to Big Tree Village.
Fumu.
Come to think of it, aside from restaurants, products in retail stores rarely have price tags on them.
Shopping is a matter of bargaining with the seller.
Speaking of which, yeah, that’s right, but…..
I’m sure I’ve done my fair share of shopping but I don’t remember doing much bargaining.
「They are too afraid to bargain with someone with an escort.」
I see.
So, are the escorts meant for that aspect as well?
「No, hiring escorts only proves one’s financial capability and social standing. Well, if the quality of escort is not high enough, they might even take advantage of you.」
How’s Gulf and Daga?
「They should be good. If they aren’t, Loo-sama and the others would have replaced them already.」
I see.
So that’s why Loo and the others asked me to bring escorts.
「By the way, I heard that you paid a lot to the Goroun Company and the Dalfon Company to make alcohol.」
Yeah, it was Loo’s idea.
「Thanks to them, the breweries in Shashaato City are in an uproar.」
Really?
「Yeah. They say they’re going to surpass what the nobles are making.」
Sounds like a soon to be problem.
「If there’s competition, it can be concluded that it’s a healthy market. If they have complaint, they just need to make alcohol that won’t lose to others.」
True.
However, not everyone can afford to make sake, right?
「That’s right. However, that doesn’t mean that the nobles will remain silent.」
What are they currently doing?
「They were trying to raise funds to make good alcohol to compete with them.」
……this is exactly what Donovan would love to hear.
「Right. That’s why they were asking Shashaato City’s governor, Ifrus-sama, to help fund their projects.」
Did he?
「I stopped it. If we’re going to fund anything, we’re only going to fund something that involves village chief. By the way, we’re already planning to put collars on some nobles.」
Collars……
Are they thinking of doing something bad?
「No no. We’re just going to remind them when they made a move that will be detrimental to us.」
Won’t Governor Ifrus receive a lot of complaints then?
「It’s alright. Governor Ifrus isn’t even interested in getting on board. The nobles’ that are asking for funding from Shashaato City’s treasury itself after all.」
Can’t Governor Ifrus fund them using his personal money?
「Though Governor Ifrus is not poor, he is not rich either. He refuses all large donations.」
Ah, an exemplary noble.
「No. He accepts socializing bribes. However, only up to the acceptable amount. If he doesn’t receive any, he will be frowned upon.」
Fumu.
So that’s how it is.
「That’s how it is. So, what will you do? Do you want to fund them too?」
Will Miyo investigate the other party before providing funds?
「Of course.」
Alright.
How much do you need?
「Around 20000 silver coins.」
Twenty thousand?
Why not gold?
「If anyone was to lend a noble who’s in trouble of funds, you can’t give him gold coins.」
Why?
「If word got out that they had exchanged gold coins, debt collectors will come to their door.」
Ah, since they are borrowing funds, they’ll have to make it look like they borrowed from various sources.
「Yes」
Then, isn’t the risk of being scammed too high?
We don’t want them to just walk away after we’ve provided the funds, right?
「That is inevitable and there are indeed people like that.」
It looks like you’ve already taken it into account.
「I do. As a countermeasure, I will ask Randan-sam and Glatts-sama’s help. If they have the guts to run away while making enemy of the minister of internal affairs and minister of military affairs of the kingdom, they will not be in financial difficulties.」
I see.
Understood.
Twenty thousand silver coins.
Where should I take them?
「To Shashaato City. Also, please make your escorts stand out as much as possible. The angels would be perfect for it.」
Angels?
Won’t they get in trouble?
「If they did, they could just kick it with force, right? They’re the angels after all. Also, we can let it be known that the source of the funds can ask the angels to escort him.」
I see.
I’ll ask them then.
「Thank you very much.」
-0-
After my talk with Miyo, it was already around time for dinner.
A small glass was placed in front of me.
It was a new kind of alcohol that Donovan and the other elder dwarves had made from flowers and grasses……
It’s an alcohol but more of a nutritional drink.
It has no sweetness and the aroma is bad.
As for the taste, bad too.
Not something that I would like to drink regularly.
「Umu. I knew it.」
You knew it……
I don’t mind you having trial and error but please don’t make me try an alcohol that you already judge as bad.
「That’s not it. We were just wondering if village chief could come up with a use for this alcohol since we can’t think of any.」
Cooking is usually where bad alcohol is being used but this has a strong pungent smell.
The aroma will probably go away a little after heating but there is a high possibility that it will interfere with cooking.
It is also difficult to use it in baking cakes for the same reason.
The only thing I can think of is to mix it with some strong flavored drink.
「Mou. It can’t be helped then. We can only drink this little by little after eating.」
Can’t you just let it age? Maybe it will be better.
「The odds are low.」
Then, I guess we can only drink it.
Yeah, I’ll help out a little.
「Really? Given the taste, it will not go well with food.」
Since you know, that means the sooner we finish it, the better, right?
「Ahaha. That’s right.」
Leave the alcohol with the oni maids.
They will be served to us at meals.
「Understood. We’ll do better next time.」
Do it moderately.
The civil servant girls were already lamenting because you took more crops than they expected.
「Those are going to be good alcohol. Just let them drink them and they’ll feel better.」
Let’s hope so.
-0-
Dinner.
The demon king was interested in the prototype alcohol I was drinking so I gave it to him, and he was at a loss for a reaction.
It’s okay to say it’s bad.
Donovan himself admitted it was bad.
「No, I mean, that’s, you know……」
?
「This tastes like the alcohol used in the ceremonies in Demon King’s Kingdom.」
Really?
「I drank it myself during my inauguration as the demon king. The manufacturing method was kept strictly secret. However, because it was kept strictly confidential, no one knows how to make it anymore. I just drank a little bit of the preserved so I can’t say that it’s exactly the same……」
He wanted to take the prototype alcohol back and have it examined.
And if it’s the same as the alcohol used in the ceremonies, they’ll buy it.
I appreciate the offer but I’m willing to give it to you for free.
「No, I can’t take it for free. The alcohol we had saved was running low and is in danger of disappearing completely.」
Even if you say that.
Donovan would be furious if anyone had to pay for this bad alcohol.
「It’s a ceremonial drink so the taste doesn’t really matter……」
That would put Donovan in a bad mood.
Well, how about just buying the manufacturing process?
Once you get the ingredients, you can make it yourself.
Of course, only if it turned out to be the same alcohol.
Also, I’ll talk to Donovan for you.
「Please. You’re a lifesaver.」
The demon king ate happily.
He took the remaining prototype alcohol and left.
Then, after seeing the demon king off, the oni maids said a few words.
「It was actually mixed in with the dinner.」
Isn’t it a bit too late to say that now?
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