Papeck-san’s company is in an area in the direction of the town center, 5 minutes from the Adventurers Guild.
「………… So huge.」
The building of the Papeck Company sat right before my eyes. It is a building that doesn’t lose to the Adventurers Guild in size.
Papeck-san, he wasn’t just some old peddler?
「Now then, Takumi-sama. Please come in.」
Leaving the wagon to an employee, Papeck-san guided me into the company building.
Although this was a talk I had with Papeck-san at a later time, I wondered, “why is the president of a large company peddling at Bohd Village, a small village at the border?”. Papeck-san said that it’s because he doesn’t want to forget the feeling he had when he first started out as a merchant. It seems that because it’s relatively safe up to Bohd Village as long as he isn’t being reckless, the company tolerates it.
Led to an extravagant parlour, I sat uncomfortably on the sofa.
As a middle aged salaryman without connections to many extravagant furnishing and works of arts, I was feeling self conscious of how I was lower-middle class.
The door made a sound as it opened, and in came Papeck-san and one more person, a man in his prime.
「My apologies for the wait. Takumi-sama, this is our head clerk, Thomas.」
「My name is Thomas. Takumi-sama, I look forward to working with you in the future.」
「Eh, y-yes, please bear with me.」
As a 15 year old juvenile suddenly being greeted very courteously by the head clerk, I ended up acting strangely.
「Let us now proceed with the trade of potions.」
「Y-yes, I will take it out right away.」
While pretending to take it out of my bag, I took out 100 pieces of each type of basic potion. Thomas-san stored them in what was likely a magic bag as he counted them.
「I have accurately confirmed 100 basic heal potions, 100 basic stamina potions, and 100 basic mana potions. Therefore, here is the payment of 70 gold coins. Please confirm.」
Pretending to put the bag of gold coins as it was into my bag, I stored it in my Item Box.
「Oh? Is it alright for you to not check?」
Thomas-san, seemingly surprised, asked but I’ve decided on my answer.
「It’s because I see no reason for such a large and prominent company to cheat a young greenhorn such as myself of money.」
「Not at all, it is only natural to check what you receive so, Takumi-sama, please check and receive the money agreed upon next time.」
I see, if there was a discrepancy with the amount because of a mistake, it might become an issue for the Papeck Company’s credibility.
「I understand. I will do so next time.」
「And with that, the trade has successfully come to a close. This is off-topic but may I hear your plans from here on, Takumi-sama?」
At the end of the potion trade, Papeck-san asked me about my plans for the future.
I wonder, what to do? The vicinity is different from Bohd Village so getting a fixed amount of medicinal plants for potions would be difficult, and can potion bottles be bought?
「Because I more or less came to this town to search for books related to magic about alchemy and the like in the library, maybe to the library first? After that, while accepting requests at the Adventurers Guild so that my guild card doesn’t expire, I will try to do things that I wasn’t able to in Bohd Village.」
「Takumi-sama, your armor, those are made out of Huge Armored Boar materials, correct? The design has been refined from what Bobon-dono had created. This is most likely a joint project with Takumi-sama. Since Takumi-sama is an alchemist who can make potions, you are likely a craftsman that can make excellent armor as well. Therefore, would it be possible for the Papeck Company to sell the things that you’ve made? For example, the magic device in the well at Bohd Village.」
Uwaa, the hand pump had been found out. It must have been inspected before I realized it.
Haaa, it can’t be helped if it’s come to this.
「What is installed in the well is not a magic device. That is a device that doesn’t need magic power called a hand pump.」
「What!!」
「I don’t mind letting the Papeck Company sell that, but please return a part of the proceeds to Bohd Village. Also, since I taught Bobon-san how to make the hand pump, I think it would be better to learn from Bobon-san who made it without using magic.」
「Thomas! Send a blacksmith to Bobon-dono’s workshop in Bohd Village! Don’t forget the contract either! With Takumi-sama’s consent too!」
「Certainly. I will make preparations immediately.」
Papeck-san immediately gave instructions, and Thomas-san left the room.
「Takumi-sama might not realize this but water is particularly important to this town, other towns, and villages. Aside from nobility with money and wealthy merchants who have magic items that produce water, even procuring water for drinking is heavy labor for ordinary people. Now if they had that device, just how many people would be freed from that heavy labor. Wouldn’t they have valuable time from that time freed?」
That having been said, if the spread of the hand pump is for the good of the people in this world, then I concede. But there is one thing I will not yield on.
「Papeck-san, I am fine with spreading the hand pump. However, please conceal the parts about me.」
「Let’s see, I think that will be fine.」
With Papeck-san’s understanding, he will proceed with the production behind closed doors, my name not being revealed. Because there would be imitations as soon as the technical hurdles of the hand pump are crossed, the plan is that a large number of the product will be made at the start so by the time the other companies enter the market, if one were to say hand pump, it would already be associated with the image of the Papeck Company.
「Although the truth is that I would like to continue dealing in potions as well, there is a balance between the Pharmacists Guild and the Magicians Guild, therefore let’s not be greedier.」
Leaving Papeck Company, I headed for the inn that Papeck-san had referred to.
「…… it really does stink.」
The townscape is clean so cleaning might be thorough; There’s no fallen garbage, but even though I think it’s better than medieval Europe, the smell of fecal matter is terrible.
Papeck-san told me that the town’s clean up is a slum countermeasure by paying poor people.
Nobility and wealthy merchants have purifying magic devices for dealing with sewage.
A sewage system runs underneath Volton, and they say that priests would periodically purify the area where sewage accumulates. When I asked Papeck-san “Using magic devices?”, he said that there were relatively a lot of purifying magic devices among the magic devices found, however, because it basically relies on excavations in dungeons and ancient ruins, it is too expensive to buy for the sake of cleaning the town’s sewage.
Although, if it’s at the level of purifying magic device, it’d be impossible with just a bit of studying but if I can raise my skill level then I think I can make it. I think that it’s correct to say that there are definitely issues with unfettered flow of money to priests that could be called an exploitation. Because the only ones who can use purifying magic are the priests of the church.
This depends on what kind of person the Lord of Volton is, but it would be better to consult with Papeck-san about this matter.
In the meantime, I’ve arrived at the inn Papeck-san told me about.
「Let’s see, Golden Wheat Pavilion. It’s this.」
I wonder if it’s a grade in between luxury inns and cheap hotels, it has a nice feel to it. I went into the Golden Wheat Pavilion.
***