Orc Harem Vol 4 Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Suddenly Butterfly Effect

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Three days passed while we prepared various things in order to do color printing.

Today was the day I was going to meet with Zacharic.

I wonder what kind of business he had that he was summoning me like this.

While thinking such thing, I visited the main store of Zacharic Company that was magnificent like usual and I then I was showed into Zacharic’s office.

I was alone today. Tita was busy with the tasks related with the color printing, while Kururu was doing my request to create the preliminary design and prototype for the color printing machine.

「Long time no see, Zacharic-san.」

「Ork-dono, I must say……how astonishing. I’ve heard about the big role that you played at Forland Kingdom.」

「How embarrassing that you know about that.」

We shook hand.

We were business partner who gave profit to each other.

We showed each other the proper respect because of that.

Zacharic acted as an old noble gentleman rather than a businessman.

……Even so, perhaps I had acted too flashily at Forland Kingdom.

I had at least tried to hide my involvement there, but such thing would be meaningless against the information network of someone at Zacharic’s level.

He knew that I was a royalty, even so his attitude hadn’t changed at all. He must have considered my wish to spend my time here not as royalty but as merchant.

As expected from a first class merchant, he was able to make such consideration.

「First allow me to apologize. I had tried to stop the guild from pushing the task of the festival’s publicity to Ork Company due to the few number of employees in your place, but I failed to control the leaders there.」

「No, I’m already thankful that Zacharic-san was going that far for me.」

「I can’t help you openly in this, but I shall accommodate your conveniences as much as I can.」

「There is no need for that. I have already finished sending all the invitation letters. I also have the prospect to finish the posters in time too.」

「I can’t believe it, such thing……you shouldn’t be able to make use of the major printing shops. Their schedules are already packed full until years ahead. Even for the letters, you should need quite a lot personnel with proper skill in order to take care of it.」

Printing magic, Ork style. If it was in black and white, I could print a single page within several seconds exactly like the image in my mind.

After that it was my office workers who got working desperately taking care of all the processes to send the letters to everywhere.

I had increased their pay a lot to take care of this work, but the work itself was simple so there was no need to look for anyone too skillful for it. It didn’t take too much time to finish that job.

By the way, the work of writing the invitation letter couldn’t be entrusted to anybody else. Obviously, because the receivers of those invitation letters were all big shots, even a small miss wouldn’t be forgiven. Even just bad handwriting could make the receiver feel insulted and it would develop into a serious matter. This job wasn’t something that could be taken care of just by increasing the number of manpower.

Well, that was why those old men in the guild thought that this task would be impossible for me.

「My Ork Company has various trump cards that are unique to us.」

「Well well, but, please come tell me anytime if there is something that’s troubling you. It will be a great loss for my Zacharic Company too if something happen to you.」

「Yes, I will be careful. Is that the reason why you call me here?」

「No, I have another matter that I want to discuss with you. ……Please look at this list. Do you notice anything from it?」

What he handed to me was a list of the commodities that entered the harbor.

The source of this information was from the customs. Everything that entered into the harbor was checked in order to put tariff on them or to prevent anything dangerous from being brought in.

That was why the harbor customs had the information of all the commodities that were brought in here.

「It’s problematic that a single company is able to take a look at this.」

Naturally this wasn’t something that a company could be allowed to see.

This information would become too advantageous business wise for a company. After all through this it was possible to learn what other rival companies purchased beforehand.

If that information was used appropriately, that company would be able to take the initiative against other company as much as they wanted.

「I know, even us in Zacharic Company is unable to see this list all the time. I have this with me this time because the feudal lord consulted me.」

And now he wanted to borrow my knowledge in regard to that consultation huh.

Or rather, as expected from Zacharic Company. Even the feudal lord relied on them.

Surely it wasn’t simply because of the company’s scale, but also because of Zacharic’s own personality.

He was the ideal merchant. The reason wasn’t because he was good in earning money, but because of his sincerity. He understood that such trait would bring him the most profit. Many merchants would simply leap at the profit before their eyes.

「If these are all the commodities that entered into the harbor……the number is too small.」

「Yes, actually this phenomenon is caused by our business.」

「Sugar huh.」

「Yes, exactly. Until now sugar is the star of the trade between continents. It’s easy to preserve, it’s not bulky, the demand for it is big, and it can be sold with high price. It would become an immense profit for anyone who could procure it skillfully. It’s an extremely attractive commodity.」

It was easy to preserve, it wasn’t bulky, it could be sold expensively. Those factors were especially important for trade that required long sea voyage.

I purchased mango at the capital, but that kind of item wasn’t really attractive as business. Even if you made a lot of effort to transport it, but if you met some kind of trouble on the way and arrived later than scheduled, the mango would rot and couldn’t be sold.

You would also need to quickly find a buyer for it. There was also a risk of the mango getting crushed in the middle of transport because of its softness. Mango was packed into a crate in order to prevent that, but that made it bulky and reduced the amount you could transport. Mango was only something that was transported as an extra for sugar.

「……I see, because the main commodity is gone, trade between continents is becoming quite unprofitable compared to before.」

Thanks to the threat of monster in the sea of this world, the ration of ship sinking was incomparable compared to the world of my previous life.

Even then people still did trade between continents because the profit from sugar was immense and worth all the risks.

If sugar was circulated cheaply, that premise would crumble.

「Exactly. Then, do you know why that become a problem?」

「The commerce city collect vast amount of import tax from this trade between continent. That’s why this city can lower other form of tax and the business here becomes lively. The social welfare and infrastructure here are also substantial……if the trade is gone just from this much, it will be impossible to maintain the current cheap tax and infrastructure. In addition, it’s problematic that the merchandises of other continent that are brought here as extra of sugar until now will also stop coming. This city will lose the income from the tourists who come here and drop their money here for that.」

「Yes, the lord is at his wits’ end and he said that at this rate he would forbid the creation of sugar within his territory.」

From the perspective of the feudal lord, that was the correct decision.

After all the situation would go back to normal if the sugar stopped being sold cheaply.

Although…….

「Isn’t it something trivial for Zacharic Company? Even if we are forbidden to sell sugar here, there won’t be any problem if Zacharic Company and Ork Company simply move our headquarter from this city to another territory won’t it?」

The profit from sugar had the worth that could justify moving the company’s headquarters.

「It’s exactly as you say, but there will bring various harmful effects with it. This isn’t just a problem about money.」

「Certainly, that must be the case for Zacharic Company.」

A big company having a headquarters in this city was a form of brand.

Besides, the laws in this city were advantageous for company, as to be expected from a city that boasted itself as a commerce city.

There was no city where a company could do business as freely as here.

「Has Zacharic Company made a plan of what they are going to do?」

「Yes, we will make the price of our sugar to be the same as the sugar that enter the harbor. The sales amount of sugar will decrease until more than half with that, but the profit ratio will jump by several times. We will be able to profit enough from it.」

「That’s a very realistic approach. But, it’s not amusing. Right now sugar is circulating with cheap price. That’s exactly why there is a culture that is starting to grown because of that. I don’t want to stop that flow.」

Because we sold sugar for cheap, the city became overflowing with sugary taste to a noticeable degree. Sweets was changing from the pastime of noble and rich people to something common.

That was why various sweets that people came up with their ingenuity were appearing one after another.

Thanks to that my women and I also became able to eat delicious and wonderful sweets.

And then people from other cities and countries would also come here for that. The city would be able to become even livelier than before.

「I agree. Culture isn’t something that can be produced intentionally. That’s exactly why I want to treasure this budding culture. But, the reality haven’t change that there won’t be any other option at this rate.」

I closed my eyes and racked my brain.

What should be done to solve the problem without changing the current situation of selling sugar with cheap price?

The profit from trade became not worth it was the root of the problem.

But, was that really true?

Certainly sugar was the star of the trade.

But, there were a lot of other things that were as charming as sugar from the other side of the sea.

In fact, the prices of all the other things that were carried as extra of sugar would jump so sharply that they wouldn’t even appear in the market. In other words there was enough variety of products that were in demand.

Then there were two methods that should be taken.

「Let’s investigate the market demand and share the result to other companies. Among the items that are brought here as extra for sugar, there should be something with especially steep increase in price that can become the replacement of sugar to be the pillar of the trade. Like silk for example, its market price is fiercely climbing up……and then one more thing. We should push for a plan to reduce the risk. As expected, the trade right now is too risky that it’s no different from gambling. We should improve that. Let’s make a system so that no company won’t go bankrupt just because their ship sink.」

「I want to hear more about the latter.」

「As you know, you can obtain vast amount of profit if your trade succeed, but you will go bankrupt if your ship sink. That’s why it’s a gambling. Everyone is looking at it like that.」

「Yes. That’s true.」

「Why is a big company like Zacharic Company is also doing that kind of gambling?」

A large company wouldn’t go into gambling.

But, in reality Zacharic Company and other big companies also possessed many ships of their own and did sea trade proactively.

Zacharic Company’s top product, coffee came from this intercontinental trade.

「That’s, because we have many ships. We have already taken into account that one in ten ships will sink. Our income will be in the black as long as the rest of ships return safely. We are also doing this trade because we judge that statistically speaking we will definitely profit.」

「Right. But, only big company like Zacharic can have that kind of thinking. Other companies can only have one or two ships at most. If that ship sinks then they will go bankrupt. It makes them timid in doing trade. The hurdle is too high. We should lower that hurdle.」

What Zacharic mentioned just now was only an example, but only a big company could be permitted to have a conception that it was fine for one of ten ships to sink. Medium and small scale company would collapse if they got hit by that ten percent chance of bad luck.

「And you are saying that this insurance can resolve that?」

「Yes, that’s right. For example, let’s gather ten companies that only have one or two ships each. And then say that one of the ships of those companies sink. If that happens the loss will be divided between the ten companies to cover for it.」

「Fumu, but then they will be hit by the loss of other company.」

「But, they will be covered up in case it’s their ship that sink. ……The essential point of this way of thinking is that they can take the challenge without any risk of bankruptcy. In other words the way of thinking of big companies that they just need to profit on the whole can also be done by the small and medium companies. The trade will stop being a gamble in that case.」

Everyone would be able to tolerate the risk of one among ten ships sinking. They would be able to participate in the trade proactively.

That was the merit of insurance.

「……That’s an interesting way of thinking.」

「Of course, this is just the basic idea. If we’re going to practice it for real, we will need to put up various rules for it. The companies will shoulder collective responsibility, so a company that doesn’t have sufficient knowledge, experience, and also skill, and their ship clearly look like it will sink easily cannot be allowed to join the group. This system will need strict inspection and standard. Besides about the insurance, how much the value should be? Or in what form the insurance should be given? Everything has to be clear. But, this method is possible.」

「What’s your basis for that?」

「I told you right? This is a method so that the medium and small companies can follow the way of the big companies of focusing on profiting on the whole. If your company has been successful following that way of thinking all this time, then this should be possible.」

「Fumu, that’s logical.」

「This insurance method, once you think further about it, someone smart like you should be able to turn it into a business too. If you act as the manager of this system, I believe that you will be able to profit quite much from it. After all this insurance can be applied on other thing than just ship.」

Insurance company had extremely big market even at the world of my previous life.

If it was a man of Zacharic’s capability, he would be able to produce as much money as he wanted from it.

「It’s a wonderful idea. If the small and medium companies all become proactive in trade from this, not only the trade volume will increase, various kinds of commodities will be brought to this commercial city and the market will be vitalized even more. If my company act as the manager of this insurance, it will become an immense profit.」

「Please do your best.」

「Is it okay for you to tell me this kind of idea?」

「Either way the manager will need vast amount of money……and more than that, they will need great trust from others in order to do this business, so it’s impossible for Ork Company to do it. Or rather, this business is impossible to be done except by Zacharic Company. I love this city. If the market here become livelier from this, Ork Company will also be able to gather benefit from it.」

Zacharic stared fixedly at my face with an impressed expression.

「You are really……. I really want to have you now. What do you think about marrying with my daughter? Won’t you become my son-in-law?」

What!? Woman got offered to this me without me really needing to do anything.

Calm down, don’t just jump at the offer, there was something important that had to be checked first.

「If your daughter’s beauty is equal to Tita then」

「……T-that’s……aa, I’m sorry, no matter how I try to exaggerate it, if you ask me whether my daughter has that kind of beauty……」

「Then, I decline.」

The standard to become my harem member was extremely strict.

After all I was aiming to have the greatest harem in the world!

I was a mister orc who was fussy with taste.

「You are really……it’s too bad but, it can’t be helped. I’ll immediately create a draft for this insurance system and also listing the merchandises with market price that is currently climbing up. I’ll be able to reassure the lord with this.」

「I’m counting on you.」

「But, my daughter is also quite a beauty you know? She can’t rival Miss Tita at your place, but that doesn’t mean she is ugly.」

「I won’t compromise in this.」

「But, if you are looking for a beauty at that level, the only girl who come to mind is Princess Rurine Forland who is rumored to be a famously beautiful princess. Or perhaps this generation’s sword priestess who is said to have exceptional beauty even among the divine steel clan that consists of only good looking people.」

「Hahahaha」

I couldn’t possible say that those two were already in my harem.

But, the loveliness of those two was famous huh. They were really that lovely, so no wonder it even became a rumor.

No, wait a second. If Zacharic knew about Rurine and Kururu, then perhaps he also knew about other beauties?

「Do you know of other beauties, beauties who can rival those two!?」

「What? You seem to be really interested with this tidbit……let’s see, I don’t know of any other beauty than them in this continent. Perhaps there are beauties like them if it’s at another continent. After all if there are three such beauties in this continent, then another continent should also have another three like them at the very least I think?」

「That’s it!」

I was using informants to investigate famous beautiful women and girls.

There were many rumors that were exaggerated or outright fake, so I even took the trouble to develop camera and made the informants sent me pictures but……even then I couldn’t find any good result. There was no beautiful girl or woman at the level of Tita and the others.

I expected that it would be rough going from here on. But, it was just as Zacharic said. If it was at another continent then perhaps there would be beautiful girls or women that I hadn’t seen yet.

Ah, no, speaking of another continent, there wasn’t even any need to investigate, I already knew a beauty from there who rivaled Tita. Furthermore she was really sexy, seductive, and sultry……but, sadly it was impossible for her to become my woman.

「About the talk just now, I’m thinking to cross to another continent for some time. If I can find wonderful commodity that can replace sugar, not simply filling up the gap with the existing commodities, surely the market will become even livelier. I already have a prospect for it.」

「What could it be?」

「Spice.」

「Hou, spice huh. Ork Brand menchi katsu, that food is really delicious.」

「The spice that is used for that……actually my claim that it is using my birthplace’s spice is a lie. I procured it by chance when I crossed the sea. Until now I never need spice in that much amount, so I wasn’t fixated with quantity, but if I’m going to do trade with it, I’ll need to find a base with considerable production capacity……or perhaps I’ll buy a land, hire people, and set up a plantation.」

「Hahaha, I see. No wonder the industrial spies cannot find anything about this no matter how hard they work.」

The mixed spice that was used for Ork Brand’s menchi katsu was the combination of eight type of spices. Two of them were something close to pepper and red pepper that I obtained from overseas……now my childhood friends were raising them.

This type of spice couldn’t be grown if not at an environment with high temperature and humidity, so it was hopeless to try to grow it in our continent that had cold temperature.

My childhood friends could grow it at our village because of my bullshit act of setting up ritual magic on the ground to absorb mana and change the climate. As expected I couldn’t possibly publish such technique.

「That’s really interesting. If you end up establishing a plantation, I want you to allow me to participate in that endeavor……that aromatic spice with sharp taste that is used in Ork Brand’s menchi katsu, that thing can create a mountain of fortunes.」

I know.

Pepper was sold with extremely high price in Middle Age and early modern period of Europe.

It was mainly used to erase the bad smell of meat. Meat would be enveloped with smell in the era where the preservation technique of meat was still immature, while the nobles and rich people wished for food that wasn’t smelly. They had the sense of value that was how food of nobility should be.

There was the magic powder that granted their wish. That was pepper.

The situation here wasn’t any different……or rather, people and spies who came asking me about the mixed spice numbered as many as the stars in the skies.

「That’s why I’m going.」

In order to meet the beautiful girls and women that I still haven’t seen at the other side of the sea!

Let’s also go meet her using this chance. If it was her, she should know a lot of things with the position that she had.

「I’ll be waiting in anticipation. Even so you are really bad, Ork-dono. I never thought that you actually have a private ship.」

「I have no such thing.」

「Then, how did you cross the sea?」

「I ran on the sea.」

Right now in my village……the orc village, my childhood friends were growing spices since extremely spicy curry became a boom there. But to obtain the seeds, I crossed the sea personally to collect them.

At that time I was going by running on the sea.

「Hahaha, you’re joking.」

「It’s surprisingly easy. Well, I’ll prepare a ship for this time because the luggage will be a lot.」

「Let’s set that aside for now. I will lend you a ship. You won’t be able to find a ship that you can just borrow as you please even if you search around.」

He suggested that wasn’t because of good will, but in order to learn the route to procure pepper.

He was going to lend me a ship despite the risk of one in ten ships sinking after all, so it was only natural that he was seeking that much benefit.

「No, I’m just going to modify a carriage for this.」

「I don’t understand what you are saying.」

The newest type of Orc Car was amphibious. Though as expected even then it wasn’t made with the expectation of long voyage on sea.

That was why I’d have to modify it a little.

「And so, it looks like I’ll become busy. It’s time for me to leave.」

「Will you be fine with the festival preparation?」

「I’ll finish that matter in two days.」

For some reason Zacharic turned expressionless for a moment.

Surely he must be tired.

Now then, let’s go home.

It should be the first time for both Tita and Kururu to go overseas.

An overseas travel for the first time. Surely they would be happy with this.

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