Eugenie came to the auberge with her parents. Earl Simpson is a tall, slender man with slicked back silver hair. He seems a gentle and mild-mannered gentleman, but he also has a strong core. He is a well-respected noble with a reputation for managing his estates reliably. Mrs. Simpson is also a modest and kind lady. If anything, Eugenie resembles her father.
Earl Simpson seemed a little tired, perhaps because he had just returned from the Capital. Eugenie has specifically requested it, so I’m going to treat them to bird’s nest soup tonight.
Once again, the miraculous soup has proven its effectiveness tonight. Earl Simpson’s voice became louder with delight.
“I heard about this from Eugie but this is really amazing. It’s like energy is welling up from deep within my body.”
His wife is fidgeting too. She’s been told that her skin has become firmer and her hair has become smoother, so she probably wants to see for herself. She seems to be desperately trying to suppress the urge to look in the mirror.
There are no other customers today, so I think it’s okay to violate the etiquette a little.
“Madam, there are flower petals on your shoulders…… Please take them off yourself.”
I unfolded the large full-length mirror and stood next to Mrs. Simpson.
The season is late winter and the flowers have not yet bloomed. Even Mrs. Simpson would have known that there were no flower petals on her shoulder.
Well, it’s a bit of a neat trick.
Madam pretended to clean her shoulders and checked her appearance.
“Thank you so much, Cedie-kun.”
Mrs. Simpson’s cheeks flushed as she examined herself. She must have been satisfied. Earl Simpson seemed pleased as well.
“Gandalcia is a really interesting place. It’s no wonder that Eugie spends all her free time here.”
“I told you right, Father. This is a truly mysterious island!”
“Yeah. There’s also your beloved Cedie here too, isn’t it?”
“Father! Don’t say such delicate topics here.”
Eugenie is a little upset, but I could understand the feeling.
Why do adults make fun of kids like that?
It is making things awkward, so I wish they’d stop. Still, the dinner went smoothly, and we were able to eat the main dish without leaving any leftovers.
The restaurant is doing well, but I still have a lot to worry about. It’s about those bottled goods.
Because of Alexei-oniisan, I could no longer do business with the merchants in the Dantes Territory. Today, Emma wrote to me to tell me that she was officially unable to do business with me. Apparently, Alexei-oniisan also hindered the merchant’s side.
Dawsill and Cawsill have become accustomed to their work, and they want to make a lot of bottled goods. They are both hard workers. However, if I can’t find a sales partner, we would end up with a surplus of stock. Then I won’t be able to pay their salaries.
Sigh.
I must have had a dazed face as Earl Simpson called out to me with concern.
“Cedie-kun, you seem to be in trouble. Well, I’ve heard the gist of it from my daughter.”
“-Uh, I’m sorry that you heard such disgrace.”
I had told Eugenie about my conflict with Alexei-oniisan. Earl Simpson must have heard of my predicament from Eugenie.
“Can you show me your bottled goods?”
It was a sudden offer, but the faint hope that maybe Earl Simpson would buy it tickled my heart. I’d like to have my inventory sold out as much as possible and reward the hard work of the Dawsill and the others.
There are bottled goods in the restaurant’s kitchen so I immediately brought them and laid them out on the table.
Chestnuts in syrup, duck confit, apple and pear compote, sardines in oil, pineapple in syrup, pickled vegetables. Now that I’m looking at it, the variety has increased quite a bit. Well, it’s good to have a repertoire.
“I can’t believe this is a preserved food. What is this anyway?”
Earl Simpson looks pensive at the bottled pineapple.
“It is pineapple preserved in syrup. Would you like to have a taste?”
“Hmm, okay, let me try it.”
The meal is almost done and it’s time for dessert. I asked Lynn to serve it on a dessert plate.
“Delicious! This would be perfect for an adventure. Cedie, give me three of them.”
“Eugie!”
Mrs. Simpson is scolding the frolicsome Eugenie. I guess Mrs. Simpson isn’t too happy about her going out everywhere on Gian.
I’ll just give it to her secretly later……
“This tomboy’s snack aside, these bottled items are pretty good. I’ll introduce you to the merchants in the Simpson territory. Well, I’m pretty sure they’d be happy to buy these even without my recommendation though.”
“Thank you very much!”
Earl Simpson wrote me a letter of introduction on the spot.
Mio delivered the letter to the merchant afterwards.
Mio was upset and has been down because she had taken the spy job. She wanted to be of some help to me. It seems that she also cut ties with Alexei-oniisan. She doesn’t seem to have anywhere to go, so I decided to let her stay on this island for a while. Now she helps out at the auberge and the food processing plant and is also an assistant to Nowald-sensei. Since she is a former adventurer, she is also good at exploring caves.
Everyone is happy that Mio is working hard. It should be fine this way for a while.
✲✲✲
Somehow, the deal worked out, and we ended up shipping 500 bottles to a merchant in the Polymer town. The wholesale price is 200~500 crown coins, so for the time being, I’ve secured the salary of Cawsill and Dawsill.
I’ll aim to continue expanding our sales channels in this manner.
However, there are still problems. It’s the means of transportation.
The shipment will be to the Polymer port which is further down the road from Lebon. It’s quickest to transport it by boat, but Lulu’s boat is too small for it. It would be possible to divide it into two parts, but it would take a lot of time and effort, and it would take a lot of work for her.
Dawsill is also worried about this.
“If we could at least have a wagon, we could transport it.”
A wagon huh…….
Speaking of horses, I could go to Paul-oniisan. Maybe I should ask him for help in this. However, even the cheapest horse is still worth at least a million crown coins. I can’t afford that now.
I wonder if I can at least buy a donkey. Though it is not as strong as a horse, donkeys are strong too. Many merchants let donkeys pull carts, and they are often seen on the main road.
Alright, it’s decided.
I’ll find some free time and talk to Paul-oniisan about it.
With that decision made, I planted grass in the fields. It’s a bit premature, but I’ll need it once I get my hands on a horse or a donkey.
“A donkey? I’m looking forward to it! Char will take care of it well!”
Char watered the fields while engrossed in excitement.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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