Chapter 398

Distribution Journey Complete
The long journey of distributing the Kiblinki Saltas has finally come to an end, and we've returned to Vardmoi.
Along the way, we signed contracts with the territories that hadn’t yet done so with the Saltas Company, but since precedents had already been set elsewhere, those went smoothly too.
Things going smoothly is always a good thing.

So, after returning to Vardmoi, we took a night to rest, and then everyone gathered once more at the Marquis Vardmoi’s estate.
It was time to wrap up and review the results of this journey.
As soon as the Marquis gave his opening address, he began summarizing the achievements of our journey.
He said we may have gone a bit overboard, but overall, we did more than enough.

“With the Kiblinki Saltas pushing agricultural development and expanding the frontier settlements, tax revenue will increase. On top of that, the yield per field should go up as well. We won’t know the results until next year, but let’s keep an eye on things for now.”

“Yes. By the way, what should we do about the Saltas Company?”

“No, that’s your company, Lily. You should do as you see fit… ah, though if you act too freely and clash with others, that would be a problem too. What kind of operations are you planning?”

“Well, first, I’d like to secure vegetables for the Kiblinki Saltas to eat. I plan to purchase produce from regions with abundant harvests and transport it to the places where the Kiblinki Saltas are stationed. After that, now that I’m back, I want to resume delivering clothing and such to the Juneb orphanage.”

“Vegetable procurement, hmm. I’d like you to hold off on that. I’ll make a bulk purchase on my end. Please allocate a portion of that as payment for the Kiblinki Saltas scattered across the regions. Support for the Juneb orphanage is up to you.”

So the vegetable procurement got taken off my hands.
Apparently, it’s a precaution to prevent me from raising local market prices too much or gaining excessive influence.
I don’t particularly want to become a powerful figure anyway, so I’ll leave vegetable procurement to Marquis Vardmoi.
He’s sure to handle it well.

As for support for the orphanage, I have free rein, so I’ll start by producing a large batch of clothing and delivering it.
I’ll also send a letter to Viscount Juneb and ask for a cost estimate for repairing the orphanage.
I’m not too worried about the price, but I also don’t want any corners cut, so I’ll ask him to introduce a contractor with enough status to maintain noble dignity.
They can withdraw the funds from my account at the Trade Guild, so it’s not a difficult matter.
Now then… what about teachers for educating the children?

“Education for the children, is it? I do know tutors for nobles, but whether there are any teachers willing to educate commoners—orphans, no less—I’m not sure.”

“So even you find this difficult, Marquis Vardmoi?”

“Well, you see, tutors for nobles don’t just teach academics—they also instruct on how to live and think as nobility. Because of that, many of them are former members of noble families, even if they’re commoners now. Whether such individuals are suitable to teach at an orphanage… that’s questionable.”

“Yeah, I’m not looking for someone to teach how to be noble, after all.”

“Alizée, what about connections through the Trade Guild?”

“There are some, but most of those people are already running private schools. Whether they’d be willing to leave Vardmoi—a place that’s easy to live in and provides a good income—is uncertain.”

Hmm… it looks like finding someone quickly won’t be easy.
It’s urgent to get education going, but rushing it isn’t going to help either.
I guess I’ll have to take my time with this as well.

Anyway, the big job of autumn is now complete.
There are still plenty of tasks left, like arranging the magic vehicles for the Saltas Company and organizing personnel, but for now, I think I’ll take a break.
I’d like to go somewhere to unwind...
… But the northern part of the old kingdom is at war, so that’s a no-go.

What do you think about this chapter?