Chapter 132 – Chapter 132 ― The Story Hidden From You (3)
Episode 132 ― The story hidden from you (3)
Seated with Grunent are the treasurer, the corrections officer, and Baron Grave.
“There are other humans besides Mr. Grünent… That human… Silver. His Majesty’s guest… Is it?”
Seeing two humans sitting in the conference room, the Count stuttered and asked,
“Hmm. It is the advisor of the superior. I am from Arteala.”
“Ah. Is this the envoy who brought the wheat last time!”
A count who puts his guard down at once.
Roan hid a laugh.
This reaction is probably similar to the reaction of a human seeing a demon for the first time minus fear.
“I heard that you did smuggling with Merde and Arteala in the past. Before the war, there was a lot of trade that alone made Dos rich.”
“Yes. It was.”
The count, seated before he knew it, affirmed the emperor’s words.
“Recovering trade with Merde will not be easy for the time being. But Arteala trades with Perielle and Kihan.”
After Roan finished speaking, Grunent and Baron Grave added explanations.
“If you trade through Arteala, they won’t be retaliated against by Merde. Merde is currently in a truce with us, and there is no reason to attack them anymore.”
“If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to secure enough of Merde’s stuff as well.”
Objects change relationships between people.
It is not for nothing that North Korea is cracking down on watching South Korean videos.
In the old days, even Korea cracked down on foreign goods. When a foreign culture enters Korea, it becomes known how closed the regime was at the time.
This is a fact that I learned while listening to the story that my older brother, who was in a high position, used to smuggle when he drank.
Demons freely use human objects,
When a human touches something exported from the country of demons.
Wouldn’t the distance of mind be reduced that much?
“It won’t be a bad story for you. There are many advantages of trading with humans. In particular, it can attract investment in places where there are many resources but have yet to start mining them.”
“Yes… After a while, I guess.”
Roan said to the earl whose voice was fading as if he was deep in thought.
“Ironically, the opportunity you created for Evirgio will be difficult to come to Northern Baengnyeong. There is very little land suitable for farming in Bukbaekryeong. But there are plenty of other ways. I’d like to talk to them and outline a trade plan before returning to Dos.”
As the Count nodded while listening to the Emperor’s words, Grunent and Baron Grave held out the documents as if they had waited.
Plans to establish a branch of GDI Sangyo.
A list of goods and resources that people want in Arteala, Perielle, and Kihan that can be obtained or developed in Northern Baekryung.
An educational plan for demons who want to operate not only the GDI corps, but also corps in other Northern Baengnyeong port cities.
And even a plan to send humans skilled in trade and fishing from Basel.
When I see the reports suddenly piling up in front of my eyes, my eyes roll.
The Count seems to be strong against what is written on paper, probably because he is also a wizard.
The Count, who grasped the contents at a speed enough to impress everyone sitting there, participated wholeheartedly in his own way.
“I have selected items that will be popular with the demons among the items of humans, especially those that can be reliably brought from Arteala.”
When Grünent puts out a list,
The Count read the long list in an instant.
“Hmm. Most of them are expensive items, but unfortunately, they are difficult to mass-produce with our demon technology!”
“Yes. Particularly, Arteala’s magic tools are famous.”
“Hmm. So, are you planning to handle all of this at GDI?”
To the wary Count’s question, Baron Grave answered with a straight seated posture.
“Our primary objective is to establish a branch of GDI Trading Company in Tos. Count. We prioritize returning as much profit as possible to His Majesty, but if His Majesty approves, how about giving Northern Territory exclusive rights to handle some items?”
“Of course, I will pay the port facility fee and tax separately, Count.”
At first, the baron, who showed an incomprehensible reaction, saying, ‘How can all the profits go to the emperor’s name?’
“Hmm…”
The count’s expression is not bad.
In any case, the actual coordination was the job of the officials of Northern Baekryung, including the secretary of the count.
It is enough for the count to point out the direction that Northern Baekryung will go in the future.
The words are simple, but
If a state-run business association enters the territory, it will be entangled in things that are never easy, such as clashes with the existing business association in Bukbaekryung, tribal issues due to human dispatch, and resource redistribution issues.
Since it is GDI Sanghoe and Schikwiena who understand that it is difficult to make a decision at once,
Today, the goal is to convey the future direction of development that Roan wants to expect from Northern Baengnyeong.
“Certainly, the more human contact there is, the higher the importance of DOS, aha!”
The Count twitched his tail proudly.
“The children I created will shine again after a long time!”
“Children… What?”
Grünent asked with a tilt, and Shykwiena smiled and answered instead.
“The facilities invented by the Count are the pride of Dos Port.”
“Oh, is it the Count who made those great things himself?”
Baron Grave burst into admiration.
Ah. Right. He came directly from Dos Port when he brought wheat from Arteala.
When people who recognized the things he created appeared, the Count’s shoulders, which Pride placed on his magic, went up even more.
“I thought it was a breakwater, but it was moving on the sea and approaching me! It takes time to bring the boat into the unfamiliar shallow waters, but it doesn’t have to be, just unload your luggage from the railing and it will load and carry it to the wharf.”
I heard a brief explanation as a report, but it was the first time I had a detailed experience.
Roan was also listening to the baron.
“It took a full day to load wheat from Arteala. No matter how big his wharf is, he doesn’t have enough space for a merchant ship like that. There is a limit to the weight of wheat that people can carry. But there was no such time wasted.”
“Uhuhu, as expected, the baron recognizes the value of my invention.”
The Count seemed very satisfied.
Her tail moved slowly from side to side, and I heard a small gurgling sound in her throat.
“It would be an honor if you give me the opportunity to see the Count’s other inventions sometime during my stay in Dos.”
“I should give that much to the person who will educate the people of Dos.”
The extremely normal speech coming out of the earl’s mouth is so surprising.
No matter how broken-hearted you are, you can’t rise to the position of the great lord without doing politics to this extent.
Baron Grave plans to help establish a branch of the GDI Company in Dos and educate the demons. And she plans to return to Arte Allah after a long business trip and start trading with us in earnest.
“As expected, it is dissatisfying that only resources can be exported from the territory.”
When the count grumbled, the corrections officer spoke softly as if to soothe him.
“It’s still the case here in Basel as well as in Baekryung. Even with the same ingredients, there are things we can produce better results, and there are things that humans are better at. But little by little you just have to absorb their skills. Count.”
She has been working with humans for several months already.
If you think about the atmosphere in the castle where humans were first seen as sex slaves or food, now it’s a great leap forward.
At first, it was mainly to teach the skills of the demons to humans, but now they are passing on the skills of humans who had a specific job to the demons who want to learn. A branch where physical characteristics do not dominate, such as pharmacy, commerce, or accounting technology.
Now, the correctional officer has become generous enough to accept a human with skills as a teacher of the demons.
“That’s why the Count must tell you well. I’ll pass it on to the secretary of Northern Baekryung, but it’s not easy to calm the resistance of the demons and get them to accept humans at first.”
“Hmm. All right. Correction Officer!”
Shek Vie still shuddered when she thought of the trolls who fought against the emperor in the past. She is punished by being imprisoned in her castle for the rest of her life and works at a laundry with humans.
If only His Majesty hadn’t been generous at that time.
There would have been no cases where humans were working all over Basel and demons and humans were mixing and learning skills from each other like now.
This sight that the people of the capital have gradually become accustomed to. There will be a day when the human figure will be seen little by little in other big cities.
‘I don’t hate it because I’m getting used to it.’
Humans are dexterous and cunning. If that kind of opponent is an enemy, it’s a headache, but it’s an advantage when it’s a colleague who works together.
In the end, the meeting that was so heated that even the secretary in DOS was connected with the magic ball was over.
While everyone was half exhausted and stretched out on a chair, the Count muttered tiredly, looking at the emperor, who was briskly alone.
“Awesome… Your majesty.”
“You should exercise too.”
“… I have to read books and do research at that time. I am a wizard. Your majesty.”
“It can also require stamina.”
It was a common nagging that wizards hear.
The Count put on a tired expression, sighed in the line of rudeness, and smiled.
“Honestly, this is the first time I’ve had this much conversation with a human since the old days with the pirates. You are tired.”
“… It wasn’t a conversation, it was an interrogation.”
“Ugh. Did I want to talk?”
The Count smiled and answered.
Shek Viena, who knows the truth of the content, feels the presence of shivering next to her.
“Anyway, there are so many humans in the castle, and there are also people who do high-level jobs that go in and out of the small meeting room. I had heard that there were many humans in Basel’s Imperial Castle, but I didn’t expect it to be this much. Ahaha.”
“How are you?”
There were Grünent and the Baron next to him, but Roan didn’t care and asked the Count’s opinion.
Grünent and Baron Grave are people who work with the demons as much as Diobe.
I have seen people who are more rude and dangerous than the Count.
What they felt was more curiosity than threat. It’s the impression of the high-ranking aristocrat among the demons, and the highest lord among them.
“Hmm…”
The Count, who was choosing words, replied with a broad smile.
“Nothing!”
The baron opened his eyes wide, but he let out a sigh of relief when he saw that Roan and Grunent’s faces were not distorted.
Seeing that Roan seemed to be waiting for a more specific impression, the Count added an additional word.
“The humans I’ve seen are either impatient to take my life, so they end up being stabbed, or they curse me and die. That was about it.”
The Count, who casually put the fearsome words into his mouth, looked at Grunent and the Baron with narrow eyes.
These were the eyes the count used when looking at something he was interested in.
“But I also felt it from Helen… When you actually work, there is no special difference from us demons! Of course, there will be a sense of intimacy because my body is shaped like a human!”
“I’m glad you feel that way, Count.”
Grünent smiled brightly.
“Honestly, I can’t guarantee what other demons will think! Mr. Grunent. Doss was originally a smuggling port. You might be more familiar with humans than the other cities of Evirzio, but will it be different here in Basel?”
“That’s why we desperately need the Count’s protection for our company. Please take good care of me.”
At the same time, Grunent whispered a sales note.
“What I’ve decided to do, will you do it with a bit more care?”
“Ah, if Grünent-sama says so, ahaha☆ I should help!”
… It seems like a bad boss’s fixed line, like doing something that shouldn’t be done if you fall for something that pokes you in the dark.
The Count smiled as he remembered the right to experiment, while Roan’s face darkened slightly.
“Then, let’s end the meeting with this. Good thing. Because I can see the conclusion come before I go.”
“Eh? Your Majesty, where are you going? Haven’t all of my important experiments been finished yet?”
To the Count’s question, which looked bewildered, Roan answered in a casual tone, as if going to the next town for a walk.
“Hmm. I’m going to Laju tomorrow.”
