Chapter 492

Meeting with the Eight Seats – Silk Trade
The discussion that originally brought us here was now concluded.
From this point on, we were moving on to topics that had come up after our arrival.
The first of these was the silk trade.

“As the Isle of the Eight Gods, we’d like to purchase some of the McFarlane Dukedom’s spider silk. Is that possible?”

The proposal came from the old man of the Fire Seat.
Being in charge of technology, he seems to have a keen eye for new materials.

“In terms of possibility, I believe it is possible. However, all spider silk trade is handled by the Vardmoi Trade Guild, so you’ll need to discuss it with Priscilla.”

“Is that so? Then, Lady Priscilla, would trade be possible?”

“If appropriate compensation is prepared, I see no reason why not. However, given that the Isle of the Eight Gods and the McFarlane Dukedom use different currencies, you’ll need to offer something to bridge that gap.”

That’s right—the currency here on the Isle of the Eight Gods is entirely different from what we use on the continent where the McFarlane Dukedom lies.
The materials used for the coins themselves differ, so conducting large-scale transactions in cash would be tricky.
Small exchanges are fine, but considering that silk is a luxury fabric, we’re talking about significant amounts of money.
Draining either nation of their currency reserves would be problematic, so bartering would be the ideal option.

“Compensation, hmm… Would silk from our islands suffice?”

“That depends on the quality, but I wouldn’t object to that in principle. However, spider silk is an exceptionally expensive product, and since Lady Lily is the only known producer, I suspect your islands may not have enough silk to trade in the quantities you desire.”

“Hmm, you may be right. It’s not like we can suddenly increase production from our silkworms. We still need to secure enough silk for our own islands… Trading silk for silk alone won’t get me the volume I want.”

Technically, I could increase spider silk production by supplying more mana stones.
So, giving spider silk to the Isle of the Eight Gods isn’t difficult.
The real issue is the limited number of mana stones available for purchase from the Adventurers’ Guild, as well as the ongoing high demand for spider silk within the McFarlane Dukedom itself.

Apparently, I’m the only reliable large-scale producer of spider silk.
While some people harvest it from wild silk spiders, the quality and quantity are unreliable, so merchants prefer to deal with the Vardmoi Trade Guild, where both are guaranteed.
In short, there’s basically no surplus spider silk available because I’m handling almost all of the supply myself.

As for Mana Spider Silk, it’s even rarer.
Ever since I started producing it in reasonable quantities, it’s become a product that, while expensive, can actually be purchased, driving the market price higher.
Before that, it was so unattainable that everyone simply gave up on acquiring it.

“Hmm… Fire Seat, shall I lend you a hand?”

“What is it, Earth Seat? You’ve got something useful, do you?”

“Lady Priscilla, how about we export one of the medicinal products unique to the Isle of the Eight Gods? Would that satisfy you?”

“Medicine? What kind of medicine?”

“Our islands’ pride—the Regeneration Support Elixir. If taken before healing magic is applied, it dramatically enhances recovery. Depending on the healer’s skill, it could even save someone on the brink of death.”

That sounds like an incredible potion…
But is it really okay to offer something that powerful?
Isn’t that dangerous?

“…… We’ll need to verify the effects first. Also, if it’s a medicinal product, we’ll have to coordinate with the Medical Guild.”

“That level of caution is entirely appropriate. I look forward to hearing your favorable decision.”

A powerful healing potion, huh…
If they start exporting something like that, wouldn’t invaders come here trying to seize control of the Isle of the Eight Gods?
Is this really going to be okay?

What do you think about this chapter?