Chapter 302

Connie Trees
With Duke McFarlane Household's approval, the acquisition of the Connie trees proceeded smoothly.
All that was required was for Young lady Conniette to accept the payment and issue the documentation.
The payment itself went off without a hitch.
I always carry my Trade Guild card with me, and Marquis Vardmoi was quick to arrange the necessary funds.

The issue lay with Young lady Conniette, who, being unused to handling such a significant sum of money, was understandably flustered.
It reminded me of when I had just started out as a merchant.

"Young lady Conniette, both Marquis Vardmoi’s payment and Lady Lily’s payment have been verified without issue."

"Understood. Still, I envy how both of you can so casually produce such a large sum."

"Even for me, producing this amount on short notice is not easy. This was a special exception due to the urgency of the situation."

"Likewise, I can’t always afford to spend this much. I went along this time because I wanted to eat Connies."

Marquis Vardmoi gave me a deadpan look in response to my reasoning.
What? I wasn’t wrong!

"Right, I forgot. You’re the kind of glutton who arranges regular high-speed refrigerated magic carriages just to eat fresh seafood."

"What’s wrong with that? Thanks to me, even ordinary households in Vardmoi can now enjoy fish! You eat it too, don’t you, Marquis?"

"Well, yes. But when the Trade Guild requested ‘permission for high-speed refrigerated carriages to buy fish regularly,’ I couldn’t believe my ears."

Oh, so he did approve it.
Well, since the roads belong to Marquis Vardmoi, that makes sense.

Watching us banter, Young lady Conniette chuckled.
At least the tension seemed to be easing.

"Alright, it seems things are settling down now."

"Huh?"

"You appeared nervous, Young lady Conniette, so I thought it best to help you relax."

"I see. Despite being a marquis and his personal merchant, you both seemed quite approachable."

"I’ve gotten used to dealing with Lily. As long as she observes basic courtesies, I don’t mind an informal approach. It often leads to interesting ideas."

While his words weren’t entirely flattering, they were true, so I let it slide.
Anyway, it was time to move on to signing the contract regarding the profits.

"Now, I’ll briefly explain the contract. Young lady Conniette, shall we proceed?"

"Yes, please."

"Through this acquisition, all Connie fruit harvested from the Connie trees will belong to Marquis Vardmoi and myself. The distribution will be 50:50. Is this acceptable?"

"Yes, though I find it curious that a merchant is treated as equal to a marquis."

Marquis Vardmoi dismissed Young lady Conniette’s concern with a confident smile.

"For my household, this is merely a supplementary income. It’s more beneficial to give Lily a larger share to expand the distribution network. After all, she funded the rapid-freezing storage units."

Well, that’s true.
While Marquis Vardmoi could leverage his social circle to promote the product, he preferred me to take the lead in marketing it. I didn’t mind, so I agreed.

"Now then, as for the terms: The compensation for the labor involved in harvesting, transporting, sorting, freezing, and delivering the Connie fruit, as well as maintaining the trees, will be paid directly to the residents of the Galette County in cash. If residents request compensation in kind, it will be discussed case by case."

"I see no issues with that. I truly appreciate how you’ve not only purchased the Connie trees but also created employment for our residents."

"Regarding wages, we’ll let the administrative team finalize the details. I’m not an expert on fair rates, so I’ll leave it to those better suited for the task. Now, back to the contract. Until dedicated refrigerated transport vehicles are completed, the Trade Guild will provide temporary transportation. I, Lily, will handle the payments to the Guild until then."

Refrigerated transport vehicles aren’t cheap, but we need high-quality ones to prevent the goods from spoiling.
Reducing product loss is worth the expense.

"Understood. However, this contract seems to overwhelmingly favor my Galette County. Are you sure about this?"

"There’s no issue. I’ll take it from here," said Marquis Vardmoi.

Up to this point, it had been my domain, but from here on, it concerned the interaction between territories.

"First, regarding the contract payment: all funds will go to Young lady Conniette personally. Not a single Rubis will reach the Galette Household."

"In other words, this money is to be used as some form of investment?"

"Exactly. The funds are intended for infrastructure projects in the Galette territory."

"Infrastructure… Ah, road construction!"

Young lady Conniette is sharp—only eleven years old and already so perceptive. Thinking back to when I was her age… I’d rather not.

"That’s correct. Proper roads are essential for refrigerated transport vehicles. Are the Connie trees located in Galette’s capital?"

"No, they’re in a village further towards the mountains. I oversee it, and it’s colloquially known as ‘Connie Village.’"

"Then, construct a road from Connie Village to the main highway. From there, connect to the Vardmoi route. Will the funds suffice?"

"Well… maybe. We’ve never undertaken such a large-scale project before, so I’m not sure."

"If you run out, come borrow more. Since the McFarlane Household granted us the freedom to act as we see fit, we’ll do just that."

Marquis Vardmoi’s smirk had a certain ominous edge.
Do you have to be this shrewd to lead a noble household?
It reaffirmed that I could never be a noble.

What do you think about this chapter?