Volume 4 - CH 7

Chapter 7 – Port City of Bergamo and the Merchant Guild

Nine days after the storm passed, the port city of Bergamo, east of Palermo, came into view, even though we were two days behind schedule due to the storm.

“Everyone, may we discuss our plans for the coming days?”

“”””””””Yes.”””””””””

“Then, first of all, my idea is to take a couple of days in the port city. I would like to make arrangements to go to Barletta, the capital of Palermo, and sell pepper to a large store. Do you, Girasole, have any plans or objectives?”

“We don’t have any particular plans in Bergamo, so we’ll go with Wataru-san. Of course, we will escort you. So, are we going to Barletta in a shared carriage?”

“I hadn’t thought about carriages. A shared carriage would be fine, but it would be difficult to use the ship summoning, so if we can borrow a carriage, would it be better to do so?”

“That is right; it would be more convenient for Wataru-san to rent a carriage than to use a shared carriage. We can also be the coachman, so if you can rent a carriage, it will be fine.”

“Thank you very much. I will think about renting a carriage. At that time, I would be grateful for your help.”

“Alright.”

“Master, are you going to leave the ship in the harbor?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes. Shall we sail out before leaving for Barletta and meet up outside the city after repatriating? It would be useless to keep the ship anchored in the city all the time.”

“I understand.”

“Oh, what about lodging? Do you want to stay on the ship or stay at an inn since it’s your first time in the city?”

“Well, what should we do? The ship is more than enough, but it would be nice to stay on land after a long time.”

After some discussion, we decided to stay at the inn, take a shower and have a meal on the ship. The shower was decided upon by all the women, and the meal was decided upon at the request of Carla-san and Claretta-san.

“What should we do about Rimu? On the southern continent, the security situation is not very safe, so I asked him to hide in the bag.”

“There’s no chance of being targeted, but I hear it’s a safe country, and since we’re here, why don’t we just go on as usual?”

“I understand. If something happens, I will be counting on you.”

“Yes, we can handle most things.”

“Thank you very much. We are leaving for Bergamo. We will be there very soon, so please be prepared.”

Each of us packed our luggage and prepared to disembark.

At any rate, the boat trip with Girasole has come to an end… There were many wonderful sights. However, there was not a single lucky break.

I was with six big-breasted beauties for almost 20 days…

After entering the harbor and paying two silver coins per day for anchoring, I paid six silver coins for three days anyway. It was expensive. I asked why the price was so different from the Southern City of the Latina Kingdom, even though they are on the same continent.

I was told that even in the Southern City, if you went there for business, they would take about two silver coins. I registered with the merchant guild in Southern City, and since I was living there, I guess it was registered as my home base. I didn’t know that.

I could understand why it was so expensive. They say that the port will be in a state of flat shape unless the price is set high because many ships come to the port… It makes sense after all this time; maybe it was the same in the southern continent.

“Fufu, it’s been a long time since I’ve been on land. I wonder if I was still nervous when I was at sea? It’s kind of a relief.”

“Ara? Alessia seemed a lot more relaxed.”

” You think so? Well, Ilma, that’s good because that’s how I feel.”

“Ufufu, that’s right.”

“Alessia-san, I’m going to the merchant guild now; what do you want to do?”

“Well, it would be more convenient if we stayed in the same place, so I’ll go with you. After that, you will accompany us to the adventurers’ guild.”

“Yes, I understand.”

We headed for the merchant guild that we had been told about when we arrived at the port. But I reflexively replied that I would go with them to the adventurers’ guild… I might have made a mistake.

Even now, walking down the street, we stand out. There were eight incredibly beautiful women, and among them, one dull man with slime on his head.

If I went to the adventurers’ guild in this condition, I feel I would definitely get into trouble. I should definitely not be alone.

I enter the merchant guild and head for the reception counter. Everyone is beautiful, but I can’t help but line up at the counter with the fox-eared lady.

I guess I like fox ears, after all. I have been to many guilds before, but it seemed like there was always a fox-eared lady at the counter. I wonder if they all like fox ears.

“Thank you for waiting; how can I help you today?”

“Yes, my name is Wataru, and I am from the Kingdom of Latina. I would like to know if there are any reputable stores in this city that sell groceries and if you could point me in the direction of a good place to stay.”

“Understood. The Filippo Trading Company is of medium size but has a good reputation for honest business. I will provide you with a map. As for the inn, may I ask what your budget is?”

Huh? I introduced myself, but she didn’t give me her name… It’s the first failure of the self-introduction strategy; I’m frankly shocked.

I asked the members of Girasole what they would like for the grade, and they replied that they would leave it up to me.

“I don’t want it to be too expensive, but I would like to stay in an upper-middle-class inn, safe and with good food, please.”

“Very well. If so, the Celis Inn is a good place to go. Here is a map of the Filippo Trading Company and the Celis Inn. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Oh, I am planning to go to Barletta soon and would like to rent a carriage. Where can I rent a carriage?”

“If it’s to Barletta, there are shared-ride carriages available on a regular basis. The price is reasonable, but you want to rent a carriage?”

“Yes, we have a lot of people and a lot of luggage, so I think it would be better to rent a carriage.”

“Very well. You can also rent a carriage from the merchant guild. The cost is three silver coins per day and a deposit of 2 gold coins. The deposit will be returned with the return of the carriage. The carriages can be returned to any of the guilds, so you can return them in Barletta.”

“Is it possible to rent two carriages? Also, I don’t know when I will be leaving. When should I apply?”

“Yes, you can rent two carriages. If there are no carriages available, we can accept applications on the day of the departure, but it would be better to confirm the day before the departure. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No, thank you very much.”

I feel like I’m being treated differently from other merchant guilds. Why is that? Is this normal in this country? Oh, maybe this is the normal treatment for F-rank members.

Up until now, I could go to a special island, and maybe I was treated well in the southern continent because I bought a lot and took some precious spider silk and other things with me. But this time, it’s only F-rank guild cards, so maybe it’s only natural that there’s a difference in treatment.

In retrospect, the women were the center of attention in the merchant guilds as well. Let’s get out of here. We left the merchant guild and headed for the adventurers’ guild.

Once inside the adventurers’ guild, the women were the center of attention. I had to get rid of their attention. Huh? They are so focused on the women that they don’t even pay attention to me.

The members of Girasole don’t mind the attention and head for the counter. I followed them stealthily, trying to keep my presence as low as possible.

While the members of Girasole were talking at the counter, I stayed out of their line of sight. When the conversation is over, I head for the exit of the adventurers’ guild. Oh, it looks like I’m going home in peace this time.

Ah, five rough-looking adventurers are standing in front of the exit. I smell a template, and I hope I’m mistaken.

“Hey, ladies, I haven’t seen you around here before. We’ll introduce you to some good-paying jobs. Let’s take the job together.”

“No, we have our own schedule. We’ll take it another time.”

Oh, Alessia-san, you’re so cool. She looks about 30% more sharp than usual. Is she in adventurer mode?

“Oh, just leave those plans aside; we’re the C-rank party, and we’re the ones who invited you, so shut up and follow us.”

It was a complete template; it’s not me who’s getting tangled up, though; it’s the members of Girasole, but… what’s going to happen?

“What a bother, look at this.”

Oh, Alessia-san showed her guild card, and the rough men’s faces got pale. That’s right, Girasole is an A-rank party.

“E-excuse us.”

The bad guys ran away… It looks like the vice general’s sealed box*. The ladies got a lot of attention, but I didn’t get any murderous intent from them. Maybe no one noticed me. I was able to leave the adventurers’ guild in peace. [T/n: I’m sorry, I can’t understand this one.]

“I thought Wataru-san was going to drive them away in a cool way, but it’s too bad.”

“Ilma-san, don’t say reckless things out of the blue. If I get hit by those strong-looking people, I’ll die.”

“Oh, is that so? But you can’t stand by and watch as the women get into trouble, can you?”

“Eh, you mean you want me to stand in front of them and tell them not to mess with the women? I can only see an even more pathetic future… where I get beaten up and have to be rescued by all of you.”

“Ufufu, it’s too bad I would have nursed you gently if that had happened.”

“…I’ll try my best next time.”

If Ilma-san is going to nurse me gently, I think I can endure at least one punch. There is also the barrier.

“Master, don’t let Ilma-san deceive you. Even if you try your best, you will recover with heal, and that will be the end.”

Eh? That’s not true, right? I look at Ilma-san, and she’s just smiling… bewitchingly… I don’t know what’s going on, but there’s a dangerous scent in the air. I can see a future of being toyed with.

…Ilma-san toying with me; that’s awfully exciting if you put it into words. Well, when I calm down, there is not a single good thing that could happen. It’s more likely that I’ll just get a bad time.

“Master?”

“Thank you, Felicia. I’ll stay hidden after all.”

“Yes, that would be the right thing to do, but I don’t think it’s right to have it declared, is it?”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

That’s true, too. I used to try my best to look good and show off a little. Lately, they’ve seen through me to my true nature, so I don’t hide it anymore, you know.

I don’t have to go out of my way to advertise my miserable ways, so I’m going to tighten up a little more and hide the uncool parts.

“Well, now that everything is fine, let’s head for the inn.”

Following the map, we arrive at the Celis inn.

“Excuse me; we have nine people and a familiar slime. Can we stay here?”

“Welcome; we have single, double, and four-person rooms; how would you like them allocated?”

“The three of us will be in a four-person room, please.”

“We’ll take two four-person rooms.”

“Okay. How many nights will you be staying?”

“Three nights for now.”

“Very well, a four-person room will cost four silver coins per night, so that makes 12 silver coins per night and 36 silver coins in total for three nights.”

“Wataru-san, we’ll pay for the room.”

“No, I’ll pay since you’re going to be my escort.”

“But since we asked you to bring us here, we’d at least like to pay for our accommodations.”

“Eh, but it’s too pathetic to be protected and then have you pay for lodging.”

In the end, neither party would budge, and it was decided that we would each pay for our own portion. We settled into our room and relaxed until dinner.

Well, I’m going to take the rest of the day off. Tomorrow, we will go to Filippo Trading Company and negotiate with them to see if we can wholesale the pepper and sell it. I wonder how much and at what price we should wholesale?

I know that the merchant guild offered me three platinum and 60 gold coins for one rubber boat. But Camille-san said it would be more expensive to sell it if we brought it to the store.

I guess I should add the cost of shipping it here, but I’m not sure… I’ve never been in this kind of business. Let’s set it at four platinum gold coins, adding the cost of transportation and the higher price… 40 gold coins seems like a rip-off, don’t you think?

“Ines, Felicia, do you know the cost of shipping and how much more expensive it is to ship to a trading company than to a merchant guild?”

“I only know that I once escorted a merchant when I was an adventurer, so I don’t know all the details. Does Felicia know?”

“I left my village for the first time when I became a slave, so… I don’t know about that.”

“I heard that pepper is an easy commodity to sell, so if I work hard, I should be able to get by, right?”

Well, it’s my first try, so I’ll do my best to somehow get a wholesale price that exceeds three platinum and 60 gold coins.　

After chatting and playing with Rimu for a while to kill some time, we met up with Girasole for dinner. Hmm, to be honest, it’s good, but the food is similar to that in Southern City, so there are no surprises.

We’re traveling by ship, so all we get are port cities. I guess I’ll continue to eat at restaurants where the specialty is fresh seafood.　

I like seafood, but I get bored with the same kind of menu. I’d like to try something like a lobster… Oh yeah, I wanted to try the giant crab monster in Southern City. I forgot about that.

I wonder what it tastes like; Girasole would know. I’ll ask them.

“Everyone, I remember hearing about a big crab monster in the Southern City. Have you ever tried it?”

“Giant crabs? Oh, big crab, huh? Of course, I have. The meat is plump and tasty. But what’s wrong all of a sudden?”

“Is that so? Thank you very much, Alessia-san. I was thinking of trying it and eating it when I get stronger in Southern City. I forgot about it and just now remembered.”

“I’ll treat you to it when we return to the Southern City if that’s the case. We can easily defeat them.”

“Really? I’m sorry to be so forward, but please do.”

“Fufu, alright.”

“Wataru-san, can you make a nice dish with the big crab?”

“Well, I’ve never had the big crab, so I can’t say for sure, but… other than boiling and baking… I can make crab-cream croquettes, I think. I haven’t made croquettes since I’ve been here. I’ll treat you next time, Carla-san.”

“Yes, I’m looking forward to it.”

After briefly deciding on tomorrow’s plans, I returned to my room to rest.