Episode 545 Saving the Earl’s Family (3)
If you’ve bought trust with your words, now it’s time to buy your heart with your actions.
Ray rummaged through his pockets and then pulled out a small leather pouch.
“This is a down payment.”
“Can I just give the clerk a down payment?”
“It’s the first employee worth celebrating, so this is fine.”
Contrary to what I just said, when I handed him the pouch, the man accepted it and immediately put it in his bosom.
Looking at his actions, I guessed how poor he must have been.
“I told you earlier that you have a wife and children, right? I have no work today, so let’s spend time with our families.”
Did you think you were doing too much for yourself?
The man looked at Ray with a slightly stiff face.
“…what do you want from me?”
Ray shrugged at that.
In fact, there is not much you want.
If he had excellent abilities, he would have liked to entrust the newly established guild, as he had ordered Hafman to do, but he knew that the job would be difficult with the current ability of the company, so he could be satisfied if he worked as a clerk.
It’s just that I don’t seem to have a personality that betrays trust, so I want to give grace in advance.
Ray gave him two.
The first was pride and the second was money.
It is like giving all the most desperate things to the poor.
He didn’t stop there, he said quietly.
“I will be busy in the future. If you want to trust and entrust the work, you have to trust my people first.”
The man’s hardened expression softened.
I have never been treated like this in my life.
Although it is a relationship between an employer and an employee, he did not hesitate to sit on the ground for himself.
Seeing how he didn’t mind even though he was wearing muddy clothes made me think that he was a really trustworthy person.
While moving from town to town, he has received a lot of contempt.
Thinking of that made my heart thump even with his little good intentions.
The man moved his lips as if he was speechless, then spoke quietly.
“…The introduction is late. My name is Zahas.”
* * *
Ray, who was able to find one clerk, returned to Count Sylvester’s house immediately.
He, who did not come back until late at night when he crawled out recklessly, called the count’s family as soon as he returned for some reason.
Count Sylvester and Gide Silveria, who were called out bewilderedly, were sitting inside the office.
Ray moved busily as if he was searching for something, and soon sat down across from them.
They sit together and don’t say anything.
Feeling a bit frustrated, Silveria opened her mouth first.
“So what happened this time? You said you made a caravan, so why are you still here?”
Even though it was clearly sarcastic, Ray responded softly so that she could understand.
“I can make it, but I have to take care of the management. Where do you go to eat raw?”
“….”
Her answer, including the Count and Gide, fell silent for a moment at the response that was more radical than her own.
Was the saint originally this talkative?
Ray opened the estate ledger and some books handed over from Count Sylvester.
When I put them on the table one by one, the fairly large table was all covered with books.
He went through each one with his finger and explained it to the Count and others.
“Count Sylvester’s family owns land from the mountain range across the border to the border of the Rosest Territory right under the Royal Capital Territory. Moreover, it is not an unexplored land, but it is a reclaimed land where the local people farmed with blood and sweat. Agriculture has developed, so as a lord, you should help the local people. As soon as you build a top, focus your money on fertilizer. It would be good to sign a contract with the nearby merchants and buy the grains cultivated by the territories at a low price.”
As she spoke without breathing, Count Sylvester couldn’t come to his senses.
“But there won’t be any troupes trying to sign a contract with the newly formed troupe.”
“In that case, you should show your dignity as a lord. All of this land belongs to the count, so if you put a little pressure on it, won’t it take care of itself?”
That is, intimidation.
Ray continued talking.
“I toured the nearby villages a few times, but the blacksmith’s ate. Invite skilled blacksmiths to your territory. Since ancient times, adventurers are always infested with good blacksmiths.”
Unlike mercenaries, adventurers do not hesitate to invest in their swords and armor.
When such people start to gather, an adventurer’s guild will naturally be formed, which means that they can do business with adventurers.
Silveria, who had been quietly listening to Ray, objected.
“But everything you said is only possible if the top is made properly.”
He nodded at her words.
“Of course it is. So I’ll try to go up tomorrow as soon as the sun rises.”
“You can’t make a grand corps by selling your feet.”
“I know. Don’t worry about me, I’m getting ready. You will be busy soon.”
What makes you so confident?
Everyone in the audience was puzzled by his words that his expression did not die for a moment and that he should rather worry about them.
* * *
The next morning.
Ray got up early and headed to the village.
Then Zahas approached, as if he had been waiting for him since when.
“Thanks to you, I had a good time with my family yesterday.”
I finally got to see him smile.
Ray nodded.
“That’s great.”
“What are you going to do today?”
“It’s simple. I will buy grain there first.”
Zahas’ expression slightly changed at the word grain.
“Ugh. A little unexpected. Why do you want to buy grain?”
“Grain is the basis of all trades. In order for the top to grow, trading grain is the fastest way.”
After he had spoken so much, Zahas couldn’t speak any more.
In the first place, he was not the owner of the upper ranks.
I followed him with my mouth shut, and after talking a few times, he lowered the price and bought grain in bulk.
“How much did you buy?”
“First of all, I bought fifty seats.”
“Five fifty seats!”
Fifty seats equaled the grain reserves of the upper class.
Zahas, who did not know that he would invest all his money in grain, did not shut up.
One thing that surprised me was that this was just the beginning.
He bought grain and quickly moved somewhere.
There is no hesitation in walking, as if the path has been decided.
The place he arrived at was a smithy lined with discarded weapons.
Is the business not doing well?
Only a lot of bent and broken weapons are abandoned.
The blacksmith, who seemed to be the owner, also did not pay attention to the arrival of guests, as if he had no intention of doing business.
Ray approached the junk arms, inspected them carefully, and nodded.
“This should be enough.”
What will happen?
Maybe I can live with this too.
Zahas, who was worried inside, dissuaded him in a low voice.
“I don’t think this is the case. look at that crooked sword How can a sword bend like that? It’s not a sword… Mmm. Garbage, so to speak.”
The condition of the sword was not as good as he asserted.
The fact that it hasn’t rusted is enough to thank.
Hana Ray shook his head.
“That’s why it’s good.”
“…”
When Zahas frowned a little, unable to understand his mental world, Ray approached the blacksmith instead of answering.
“How much are these swords?”
The blacksmith, who looked fussy even at first glance, glanced at him once and let out a snort.
“Thirty fairy tales.”
No matter how trashy it may be, thirty iron swords are fairy tales.
Ray asked curiously at the amount that was much cheaper than he thought.
“Do you think it would be better to melt the iron and make it into a new sword?”
Usually, a normally made sword could cost more than five silver coins.
Hana blacksmith was silent.
Do you have no intention of making a sword?
If that’s not the case, is it hurting my pride to even recreate this garbage?
I’ve heard that blacksmiths have pride and stubbornness, so they sometimes don’t remelt waste products, but this is the first time I’ve seen them myself.
‘I don’t think I’m proud of myself at the point of selling junk in the first place.’
Truly headstrong blacksmiths don’t sell anything they don’t approve of.
Ray took all the discarded weapons he had made and put them down.
“I will buy all of this. And I want to borrow some forges.”
At that, the muscular blacksmith, who had shown no interest until now, twitched his eyebrows.
It must have been that he wanted to rent a forge.
“…Did you just say in front of the blacksmith that you want to rent a forge?”
What can’t be done?
When it came to his hands, the Dwarves were also willing to open their smithies.
Not to mention, if it was a smithy that made scraps like this, it wouldn’t be a pity to borrow it.
“If it doesn’t work, I’ll go somewhere else.”
As he spoke, he tossed the leather pouch on the table.
Then, the pocket opened and a yellow gold coin was sneaked out.
The blacksmith, who had just been about to shout at the bewitching figure of the gold coin, suddenly closed his mouth.
“There is nothing that can’t be done. Use as much as you like. ha ha ha.”
He smiles like a merchant and sneaks out of his seat.
He seemed to have no self-respect to the point of doubting whether the author was indeed a blacksmith.
Entering the forge, Ray closed his eyes and enjoyed the smell of the old brazier.
“Hiya, it tastes like this too.”
I don’t know what the hell it tastes like, but it was clear that someone who didn’t know would treat me like a madman.
Zahas asked anxiously.
“Have you ever touched a Danju sword?”
It is questionable whether he has any experience in blacksmithing, even though he looks young.
Instead of answering Zahas, Ray skillfully lit the fire in the furnace.
As he prepared to melt the scrap weapons, Ray used to blow the bellows and light the fire in the furnace.
After adding a few more pieces of firewood and repeating the bellows, the smithy was filled with hot heat.
Even Zahas, who was just watching, sweat dripped from his body like rain.
Ray, who started to use blacksmithing as if it were his first limb, had the appearance of a craftsman.
Are you ready soon?
Ray rubbed his hands together and smiled.
“This must taste like something I’ve been working on for a long time.”
