Summary
The auction for Lucas’s scales ended successfully, and the guests from other countries have already returned home.
What a relief.
Apparently, the scales sold for far more than anyone expected.
On top of that, we sold Zumya scales to those who couldn’t get any dragon scales, and it seems our house is about to receive an absurd amount of money.
That said, most of it will be used for rebuilding the knights’ quarters and the employees’ dormitories, as well as for the new town project, so there won’t be that much left in our hands.
At first, the plan was only to rebuild the knights’ quarters, but now it looks like the dormitories will be built as well.
When I asked if there wouldn’t be a shortage of building materials due to the Westland territory’s construction boom, they said they’d be purchasing from other territories.
Seems we have to be considerate of everyone. What a headache—thank you for your hard work, Father.
At least this means the exhibition budget should be safe now.
Also, Brother Gerald and Young Lady Diana’s engagement has been formally approved within both families.
The public announcement will take place next autumn or later, since preparations will take time, and Brother Gerald and Young Lady Diana will be starting at the academy this spring—they’ll need time to adjust to their new environment.
As for me, I’ve continued to hole up in my room, preparing presentation materials for the family regarding the exhibition.
But I’ve been thinking desperately—I really, really want a copy machine.
Doing everything by hand just takes too long, and my wrist might give out.
For the briefing session with the village chiefs, I’ll ask the person who makes the town gazette to help create printed booklets.
After dinner, once the whole family gathered in the sitting room, I began my presentation about the exhibition.
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Exhibition
Purpose:
To discover and promote new products and dishes to be sold in the new town.
By focusing on the concept of “Only available here,” we’ll encourage tourists to shop enthusiastically and increase overall sales.
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① Souvenir Division
Food Section:
Price range: 3 iron coins – 1 copper coin (approx. 300–1,000 yen)
Craft Section:
Price range: up to 7 copper coins (approx. 7,000 yen)
Rules:
Prices must stay within the set range.
The price at the exhibition will become the official sales price in the new town.
Products using local specialties are strongly encouraged.
Even villages may participate in category ② as well.
For food items, products that keep for about two weeks are preferred.
Rewards:
Villages whose products are selected will receive 2 gold coins per approved item.
(Items that differ only in flavor, color, or pattern will count as one product.)
Selected products will be supplied and sold through the Westland Trading Company’s Specialty Shop in the new town.
Direct delivery by the village → 5% of sales goes to the trading company
If the trading company handles pickup → 10% of sales goes to the trading company
Sales elsewhere are prohibited for 2 years. After 2 years, if the village ends the supply contract, outside sales will be allowed.
Selection will be conducted by the lord’s family and the Westland Trading Company.
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② Culinary Division
Restaurant Section:
Each establishment must create 2 or more new dishes (sold exclusively in the new town).
Food Stall Section:
Each stall must create 1 or more new dishes (sold exclusively in the new town).
Rules:
New dishes will be cooked and sold at the exhibition stalls.
The price set at the exhibition will become the selling price in the new town.
Restaurants in the new town may sell their full menus, including the new dishes.
Rewards:
Top 3 restaurants/stalls (by popularity vote): 1 year of free rent for their building or stall.
Their names and rankings (Champion / Runner-up / 3rd Place) will be displayed for one year on the new town square signboard.
4th to 8th place: 6 months of free rent for their building or stall.
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Venue Details:
Souvenir Division → Held at the capital’s central square
Culinary Division → Held at the capital’s open-air market
Stall and booth locations will be decided by lottery.
Applications:
Submit the exhibition application form to either the Commercial Guild or Adventurers’ Guild by the end of March.
Transportation:
Shuttle service (with adventurer escorts) will be available from the towns of Eins, Sechs, Neun, Zwei, and Zehn (requires reservation).
Facilities Provided by the Lord’s Estate:
Tents for stalls
Cooking tables
Two double-burner stoves
Plates, cups, forks, and spoons for customers
Participants Must Bring:
Ingredients, knives, pots, and other cooking tools.
Lodging:
For participants from outside the capital, the lord’s side will provide accommodation (2 twin rooms per stall).
Any additional rooms must be arranged individually.
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“… And that’s the overall outline of the exhibition.”
The handout I distributed contained just that much—one sheet of coarse straw paper summarizing everything.
Even just for my family here, I needed five copies, and I’d need three more for Grandfather, Grandmother, and Raziel—eight copies total.
Writing that many by hand was already my limit.
Father frowned as he looked over the paper.
“I’m amazed you managed to think all this up in such a short time.”
Brother Chris nodded.
“If people lower prices just to rank higher, they’ll end up stuck with that as their permanent price in the new town. So they can’t set anything unreasonable.”
“I tried to make it easy for villages to participate, but not too easy. They’ll still have to put in effort if they’re serious about joining,” I explained.
“And why is the price cap higher for crafts?”
“Because some people will want them as keepsakes. A little luxury is fine—but expensive items will naturally sell in smaller quantities,” I said.
“So cheap goods make up for it in volume, and expensive ones in quality over quantity,” Father summarized.
Brother Chris then asked, “About that rule saying villages can stop supplying after two years—does that mean they can just withdraw?”
“Yes. If a village gets other offers and wants to stop, that’s fine. I don’t think it’s right for the lord to bind them too tightly,” I replied.
I added that if the exhibition went well, we could hold it again every three or five years.
“In that case, we’ll need to get both the Merchants’ Guild and Adventurers’ Guild involved,” Father said.
“Both sides stand to profit from it, so I doubt they’ll refuse,” Brother Gerald said.
I told them I wanted to return to the capital soon to prepare the year-end announcements for the village meetings, which would be held in one of the five towns.
Father looked reluctant to let me go, but my brothers said, “Hardt will be busy managing the exhibition anyway,” so he relented, and I was allowed to head back to Westland.
Brother Gerald will return to Westland by the end of the year, once he’s finished preparing for the academy.
What do you think about this chapter?
