How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending - Chapter 61.2
Sir Johannes hesitated for a moment, as if it were awkward to continue speaking. Growing impatient, Gehardt stamped his foot and urged him on.
“Ah, honestly. Why are you being so frustrating? What exactly is wrong with the way he spoke?”
“……It sounded as though, if we were to meet with the nobles and make a request, a considerable amount of bribes would be required.”
“…….”
Bribes. The unexpected information caught me off guard.
Of course, in any era, high officials tended to be corrupt to some degree. Thinking of it that way, it was not entirely shocking. Rather, the fact that there was at least some possible method was a relief.
The real headache was deciding what kind of bribe to prepare. The funds we had brought were strictly meant for purchasing trade goods. They were already tight, and we had no leeway to spend them on bribes for lobbying.
There were some goods loaded onto the fleet. However, even if they were expensive luxury items in the Rubyere Empire, it was doubtful whether high-ranking officials here would spare them a glance.
Ashurana was a city so prosperous that rare goods lay about casually just from a brief look around the shopping district. In a place like this, it seemed unlikely that anything we possessed would have any effect as a bribe for nobles at the very top.
“……We cannot simply give up and return to Rubyere. Let us try whatever we can.”
Having decided to make the effort somehow, we thanked the shop owner and left the store.
❖ ❖ ❖
After returning to the fleet, I agonized over the problem and then, belatedly, thought to summon the Market Price Scale. I needed to see whether any of the items we had brought were considered valuable in this land.
[♡Sending the Market Price Scale measurement results♡] Product name: Lumarian Root Place of origin: Lumarian Valley, central northern Rubyere Empire User visited regions: Hezekia Grand Duchy, Port of Belforte in the Rubyere Empire capital, Port of Kalhaven at the southern edge of the Northern Continent, Port of Ashurana in the Sarr Empire capital Market price information: Port of Belforte approximately 12 gold per bundle dried Market price information: Port of Ashurana approximately 15 gold per bundle Market price information: (……)
However, after checking even one of the goods we had transported, I ended up feeling only disappointment. The price was so poor that I wondered why we had even brought it.
The situation was not much different for the other items.
Product name: Belforte Wine Bellanotte 781 Place of origin: Southeastern hillside vineyards of Belforte, Rubyere Empire Market price information: Port of Belforte approximately 12 gold per bottle Market price information: Port of Ashurana approximately 17 gold per bottle Market price information: (……)
Product name: (……)
The profits were negligible at best, and there were even items that would have to be sold at a loss.
Given the nature of the Market Price Scale, which only allowed price checks for places one had personally visited, it was natural that I could only use it now. Still, I could not help feeling regret. Of all the things the system had given me, the Market Price Scale was the only one that seemed truly useful, and even it was only half functional. Was there no way to improve its performance?
Next, for several days, we wandered all around Ashurana, observing the general atmosphere.
We went through the shopping district, asking around to see if there were any suitable items we could afford. But nothing caught our eye. There was no way the nobles of Ashurana would take an interest in goods we could obtain here.
‘This is not getting us anywhere.’
As time passed without any results, I groaned, clutching my head, and searched my memory.
I recalled once more the point in the original story, about a decade after this time, when Sarr and Rubyere first began direct trade using Hezekia Port as their base.
The Sarr Empire had found all Rubyere products unappealing, and on the Rubyere side, they had no choice but to pay massive amounts of gold and silver coins to purchase Sarr goods instead of trading merchandise. If that was the case……
“In the end, it seems we have no choice but to prepare the bribes in gold coins.”
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