That Was Fast, Thanks
“Would bathing in the hot spring every day actually heal wounds or pain?” MacBerry asked.
“I don’t know about that,” I replied. “That’s just from the knights’ reports. But the fatigue recovery effect is real.”
“So you mean people can enjoy the hot springs, enjoy the food, pick out souvenirs, share those souvenirs and stories with others, and make it into a town everyone wants to visit?”
You’re quick on the uptake, Grandmother.
I also explained that from Eminira and the capital, there would be three to five carriage trips daily to the new town, each escorted by adventurer guards.
“The new town plans are still a bit down the road, so for now, I just want to focus on making the exhibition a success.”
I asked them to distribute flyers to each village, inviting merchants to come to the town’s New Year briefing, and requested that the Merchants' Guild handle securing lodging. The lodging cost for two people per room and a parking space for their wagon would be covered by our house.
“How about holding that exhibition in Eminira too?” the old lady guildmaster suggested. “And you should announce the participant recruitment to all the people in the domain.”
“Why’s that?”
“If you’re using it to promote the new town, it’s better to do it in both cities. And everyone in the domain should have a fair chance to participate.”
As expected of a seasoned merchant—sharp and practical—but the scale might get too big.
I told her I’d discuss it with the lord and get back with a decision soon.
“The Adventurers’ Guild’s job at the exhibition is just to transport participants, right?”
“No,” I said. “We’ll also need you to handle participant registration and security. It’s going to be crowded.”
“What’s this ‘special application form’ you mentioned?” someone asked.
“It’s a form where participants write which category they want to enter, how many people, which town they’re from, and if they want transport. That way, we have all the info we need beforehand.”
“To prevent double registrations or confusion,” I added, “we’ll use a special stamped seal.”
“You mean like the one the Westland Company uses?”
“Yes, but we’ll prepare a unique stamp just for the exhibition.”
“So, applicants write two identical forms, we check for errors, stamp both, each keeps one copy, and then we compile the data and report it to the lord—like that?”
The old guildmaster’s understanding speed is a blessing.
“Exactly. That stamped copy becomes their participation certificate when they bring it to the exhibition.”
“Ha! Well thought out, and efficient too. It also keeps us from handling things carelessly. This benefits us as well—alright, the Merchants' Guild will cooperate.”
“We’ll need to secure venues and set dates quickly,” I said. “Please also handle the lodging arrangements.” Then I turned to the Adventurers’ Guild.
“We’ll cooperate too,” MacBerry said. “Anything urgent we should start on?”
“Yes. Please loan Time-Stopping Magic Bags to the villages that want to bring their own ingredients. We’ll cover the bag fees, but since they could be targeted by bandits, we’d like the villages to pay for E-rank or higher adventurer escorts.”
“So you want us to propose how much the villages should pay for that escort service, right?”
“Yes, I’d like to explain that at the village briefing.”
We continued exchanging questions and answers until everyone seemed satisfied, and then the meeting wrapped up.
Grandfather and Grandmother hadn’t said a word through the whole thing—was that a good sign, I wonder?
When we left the Westland estate, someone called out, “MacBerry, wait up,”—it was old lady Navia.
“Come with me for a bit,” she said, leading him to the Merchants' Guild.
Well, I had a feeling this was coming.
“What’s with that boy?” she said once they sat down. “He talks like a grown-up and proposes plans that benefit all three parties involved.”
“You didn’t even toss a single sarcastic comment, and even gave him advice—that’s the real shocker,” MacBerry teased.
“Quit joking around. You’ve talked to that kid a few times yourself, haven’t you?”
“Come on, Grandmother, with what Westland Company’s been producing lately, you already know the answer. Why ask me?”
“I know, I know—but it still amazes me how that kid handles everything himself at that age.”
“Well, the ice cream and those pancake things—‘dorayaki,’ was it?—they were damn good. I’d eat those again.”
“Yeah. Even if other dishes don’t reach that level, if there are plenty of tasty foods and sweets, and the hot springs ease fatigue and pain, that’ll definitely be a place people want to visit.”
“With adventurer escorts making travel safe, folks from both the capital and Eminira will be eager to go.”
“This territory’s gonna get a whole lot livelier from here on out.”
“Looks like your retirement just got delayed again, Grandmother.”
“Heh, I’ll just make the youngsters do the work while I sit back and enjoy the show.”
What do you think about this chapter?
