Greeting Rounds (2)
Next was Ayla’s shop.
I explained that we had her handle uniforms, gaucho pants, adjustable metal fittings for shoulder bags, underwear, and scarf rings.
She blushed. "Underwear?"
"Sorry, I don’t know the details. You’ll have to ask Ayla.”
"Understood."
"Young Master Reinhardt, the orders for uniforms and suits incorporating gaucho pants are overwhelming, it’s almost a happy scream. The scarf rings are selling well too," she said, almost bouncing with excitement.
Was she too busy and losing her mind?
"Thanks for returning Sally to Ayns Village the other day. That really helped.”
"Not at all. You’ve helped us so much, Young Master Reinhardt. It’s the least I could do.”
I introduced Rosa and asked her to learn about the items Ayla’s shop handled. Rosa went to a separate room with one of the shop staff.
"Is Sally back?"
"Yes, shall I call her?"
"Please."
"Sally, thank you for guiding me in the village the other day."
"Not at all, thank you for coming to the village."
"It’s about Pine paper. If I ask for a large amount, would that be possible?"
"Pine paper?"
"Yes. I want all the stock in the village sent to the manor, and also tell me how many sheets can be supplied monthly."
"Um… how much would you need?"
"As much as possible. We need to expand Pine cultivation urgently."
"Why?"
I handed a bite-sized cocotte fry in a Pine paper cup from my magic bag.
"This container is Pine?"
"Yes. It’s slow to absorb oil, so we plan to use it for street food in the new city."
"This is the number one cocotte fry. May I eat it?"
"Go ahead."
She cried a little while saying, "It’s delicious."
"What’s wrong? Did I say something weird?"
"No, I’m just happy there’s a use for Pine."
"Since there will be a lot of fried food in the new city, we’ll need a lot of Pine paper," I said.
"I’ll write to the village immediately."
"There should also be an official request from our house."
Next was Howl’s woodworking workshop.
He was working on desktop calendars. It seemed calendars using jet-black lacquer and Rainbow Fish scales from Lux Village had arrived. I was looking forward to seeing them for the first time.
Howl brought several finished pieces.
"You lacquered the numbers jet-black and used Rainbow Fish scales for the numbers? They look luxurious. And the back decorations—flowers, plants, animals—are all excellent."
"I didn’t expect them to turn out this elaborate. I want to continue collaborating with Lax Village," Howl said.
All the finished calendars were to be delivered.
Next was the paper wholesaler.
"What brings you here today?"
I showed him the Pine paper.
"Pine paper, huh?"
As expected from a paper wholesaler, he recognized it immediately.
"I want to buy all of it available now and also take over future deliveries from Ayns Village."
"What do you mean?"
I handed him a bite-sized cocotte fry in a Pine paper cup from my magic bag.
"The number one cocotte fry. Using Pine paper, right?"
Everyone recognized the cocotte fry at a glance.
"It’s slow to absorb oil.”
"You’ll use it in the new city?"
"Yes. I don’t think it will be very profitable, but could you handle it?"
"Doesn’t the guild manage it?"
"We’re short-handed. Could you help?"
"Of course. I’ll gladly cooperate."
I also mentioned wanting to make a three-dimensional box by doubling the Pine, instead of using paper cups or flat boxes.
"Takeout for fried food and street-eating?"
He guessed the purpose correctly.
"Then we’ll make the boxes. We’ll make something you like."
"It’s low-margin, high-volume. Is that okay?"
"Sure."
"Alright, show me a sample when it’s ready."
I left the Pine paper with him.
Next, we went to the orphanage.
I went to see Leon and Mike, and Shawn was also waiting.
"Shawn, is work okay?"
"Today’s my day off. Leon contacted me, so I was teaching him while waiting."
Leon presented twelve drawings. His expression was different from last time—he seemed confident.
The first drawing was a vibrant bird, and all twelve were different. Some perched on trees, some viewed from the front, some flying.
"Leon must be good with animals."
"I like drawing them.”
"Then could you draw cats and dogs too?"
"Why?"
"The recipients like cats and dogs."
"Understood."
"Can you show mine too?"
Shawn’s were landscapes. They seemed to be locations across the domain during all four seasons.
"Have you visited these places in the domain?"
"Yes. I drew while looking at older sketches."
"Matching them to the seasons for a calendar works nicely."
"Mike managed well even with the difficulty of two-color printing.”
"I got lots of practice paper from straw sheets, so it worked out.”
"All three of you, please continue your efforts."
After greeting the Adventurers’ Guild and the Merchants’ Guild, the rounds ended.
Rosa, being the daughter of a large guild, wasn’t fazed at all despite the heavy schedule—what a capable person.
Good, good.
The next day, Rosa visited villages to handle requests and discuss items under development. She was taking notes furiously.
It was a good chance for me to review and organize things as well.
The more I spoke, the clearer it became that I was overextending myself.
At this rate, a life of moderate work and leisure would slip further away.
Product development will continue, but Rosa will have to work hard so I can reduce my own workload.
What do you think about this chapter?
