Chapter 189 The Man Who Came to the Holy City to Pitch a Sale
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Nwaaaaah! I’m! So! Bu! Syyyyy!”
Is there anyone in this Holy City Ragnarond¹ more swamped than I am right now…?! I doubt there’s a soul more occupied than Egard, the Guildmaster of the Ludo merchant guild²…!
The Ludo merchant guild ranks among the five largest in the Holy City. Being the head of such a guild means that my busy schedule is a sign of how much gold I am making… but still.
Lately, the work has been too much…! It is all because the Ludo merchant guild is now the main contact for the Kelname merchant guild⁴—a group with close ties to Council Member Lambdaine of the Shital Republic³…!
Only a few months ago, the Kelname merchant guild started selling strange crops. People said they made a deal with someone called the Magic Labyrinth King⁶ in the deep Demon Forest⁵. This let them get crops grown there.
At first, no one believed the story. Most thought a Republic merchant was just trying to add a ‘special point’ to their goods… that was the common view.
However, things have changed. It is now clear that Council Member Lambdaine really gets Demon Forest crops from this ‘Magic Labyrinth King.’ People even say he cared so much about the deal that he sent two granddaughters to the King.
Now, the Demon Forest crops from the Kelname merchant guild are famous even in the Kingdom and the Empire. This is mostly because the crops are truly high quality.
Also, my Ludo merchant guild stocked these items long before the Magic Labyrinth King was known by other countries.
Now that ‘Demon Forest’ is a famous name, some fruits are sold for very high prices.
The rich people… especially the fifteen noble houses, always want rare things, new tastes, and fresh fun.
Peaches and melons are favorites for everyone. Selling those fruits from Council Member Lambdaine, and fruit wines too, has given me a huge chance to make money.
In the Holy City, I am the only one trading with Council Member Lambdaine. And Council Member Lambdaine is the only one trading with the Magic Labyrinth King. So, I am the only one selling Demon Forest crops in the Holy City.
Because of that, I am busy every dayyyy…! From early morning, I go up the mountain to meet nobles! After lunch, I run back to the guild office at the bottom to do the old work! In between, I have meetings with other guilds and see business partners!
Some days, I am called to a noble’s house for dinner, so I have to climb the mountain again! Because of this, I have not held my three beautiful wives for a long time…!
In the Holy City, if you are not a noble, the number of wives you can have depends on your pay. With my current pay, I could have more wives, but I am too busy to care for them anyway.
(But… making money is still the best…! The more gold I have, the more I feel sure of myself and relaxed! More than anything, it shows my talent and makes me happy…)
The Ludo merchant guild has many servants. Truly, some staff are good enough that I could give them some of my tasks. If I shared the work, my own load would be lighter.
But! This great business chance, this busy feeling you can only have right now…! I-I love it…! The busier I am, the more I feel like I have done something great!
Yes. I am the kind of man who likes being busy too much.
Also, this is a ‘bonus time’ where the more I work, the more I earn. I will not let anyone else take this work…!
”He… hehehehehehehe…!”
”Master Egard is acting weird again…”
”If he doesn’t give work to the staff, no one will learn anything…”
* * *
I was very busy today too. I finished lunch with a noble and just came back to the Ludo merchant guild office. When I went into my room, my secretary Maera came to me at once.
”Ah, Maera. Even if you don’t say it, I will be done by dinner—”
”A man wants to see you, Master Egard,” Maera said.
”…Hm?” Egard asked.
Maera knows I am busy. So she always says what she needs fast, but she is often so short that I don’t know what she means.
”What was that?” Egard asked.
”A man has been waiting since morning to meet Master Egard. He says he has something he wants you to buy,” Maera said.
”Ah, one of those,” Egard said.
They come sometimes—people who try to take my time for nothing. Probably a merchant from another land. In the Holy City, they can only trade through guilds, so they go to the big ones first.
”No, of course. Send him away. …Wait. Why did you make him wait since morning? And why did you even tell me about this man?” Egard asked.
I felt a strange feeling as I said the words.
Maera is very good at her job; she knows I don’t see every foreign merchant. Usually, she would send them away and never tell me.
But she kept a visitor from the morning until I came back. There was a reason for sure.
”Yes. The man has a letter of introduction from Council Member Lambdaine-sama of the Republic…” Maera said.
”Say that first next time!” Egard shouted.
The way she tells me things is all wrong! Is she doing it to watch me get mad?!
”Will you see him?” Maera asked.
”Of course I will!” Egard replied.
”But if you do, the guild meeting after this will…” Maera said.
”Send someone else! Seeing this merchant is more important now!” Egard said.
I gave orders and went to the meeting room. A man and a fairy were inside.
(A foreigner…? A fairy is a rare sight…) Egard thought.
He had a face not often seen here. But Council Member Lambdaine-dono would not give a letter to me for just any person.
”Hello. I am Egard, the Guildmaster of the Ludo merchant guild. I kept you waiting a long time; I am sorry for being rude,” Egard said.
”Ah, no. I came here suddenly… I am Vulcain. This is Ami,” Vulcain said.
”Call me Ami-chan! Nice to meet you~” Ami said.
Vulcain…? I think in the old words of the Kingdom, ‘Baru’ meant lightning…? Maybe he is from the Kingdom of Emmeld.
He looked about my age, but… well. I wondered what he wanted to sell.
”I will be quick: what is your business? I do not have much free time…” Egard said.
I tried to test him. A man who hears that from me would not try to play games.
Vulcain gave me a paper.
”Is this… Council Member Lambdaine-dono’s letter?” Egard asked.
”Yes. Please read it first…” Vulcain said.
I read the letter and saw something interesting. It said the man had already done well in the Republic.
Also, he was sure his goods would be a hit in the Holy City. He likely wanted to get the Rona currency⁸ of the Holy City. This is common for successful merchants from outside.
Rona currency is not used much across the continent. But since it is the only money for the Holy City, it is worth a lot.
You can only get some things in the Holy City. Even kings from other lands need Rona currency to buy Secret Treasure Orbs⁷ or sugar, or to get healing sorcery⁹.
It is one of the three big currencies, and every land wants some. That is the Holy City’s Rona currency.
”I see, this is Lambdaine-dono’s letter. So… Master Vulcain, what do you want to sell me?” Egard asked.
It was a letter from Council Member Lambdaine-dono. To be nice to him, I could trade once. If we trade again, it depends on the goods.
But now, nothing is better than Demon Forest crops. No matter what he had, I thought we would only trade once.
”I have two main things. First, let me tell you about this ‘rubber’,” Vulcain said.
Hm…? What was that… something was in the cloth…?
”To put it simply, this is for men to use so they do not have children,” Vulcain said.
Vulcain took out a small statue of a man’s part and showed how to use the ‘rubber.’ He showed it was very stretchy and soft.
”……! Oh… this is… it is very different from the old ways…” Egard said.
Usually, men used parts from animals. They were put on like this ‘rubber.’ But they smelled bad and felt like nothing, and were hard to use. So no one used them.
Women used a special liquid, but no one knew if it worked. It was also hard to use, so few people did.
So, most people just tried to finish outside. But that did not always work and women got pregnant often.
I have done that too. Even when I tried to be careful, some would leak inside.
”It works very well. And there is one more thing… I want to sell these ‘vigor stimulants’ too,” Vulcain said.
There are other kinds of vigor stimulants. Most are made from animal blood or roots. But Vulcain said these were much better than the old ones.
”As a test, I will give you ten of the ‘rubber’ and ten ‘vigor stimulants.’ If you like them, we can talk about a real deal… how is that?” Vulcain asked.
”I see. I cannot say if I will sell them without trying them first,” Egard said.
Since Council Member Lambdaine-dono gave a letter, the drinks were likely not poison. Hmm… I have not sold things for ‘adults’ before. but looking at them now, I wanted to try them.
It was a good excuse; tonight, I would see my three wives for the first time in a while. I could test the ‘rubber’ and the ‘vigor stimulants’ myself.
If they were not good, I could just stop the deal. Testing them myself was the fastest way.
And so, I took the samples from the man named Vulcain.
—
Summary:
Egard, the Guildmaster of the Ludo merchant guild in the Holy City, is reaping massive profits thanks to his exclusive trade of Demon Forest produce. A foreign merchant named Vulcain, accompanied by a fairy, arrives with an introduction from Council Member Lambdaine-sama to pitch a new business venture. Vulcain introduces two revolutionary products: a highly elastic ‘rubber’ contraceptive and a potent vigor stimulant. Intrigued and seeking an excuse to see his three wives, Egard accepts the samples to personally test their commercial viability.
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Character Insight:
Egard is a quintessential workaholic who finds psychological fulfillment in being ‘too busy,’ viewing his packed schedule as a direct metric of his personal success and talent. Despite his status and wealth, he remains pragmatically open to new business—especially when backed by political heavyweights like Council Member Lambdaine-sama. His decision to test the ‘adult’ products himself shows a mix of professional due diligence and a repressed desire to enjoy his personal life, which his self-imposed workload usually prevents him from doing.
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Behind the Scene:
This chapter serves as a major payoff for a conversation held over 100 chapters ago (Chapter 71), showing the author’s commitment to long-term world-building. It transitions the story’s focus toward the economic impact of ‘modern’ products being introduced into a fantasy setting, specifically within the strict social and religious hierarchies of the Holy City.
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T/L:
Notes:
• Egard – Guildmaster of the Ludo merchant guild in the Holy City Ragnarond. He has three beautiful wives. He is incredibly busy due to his exclusive connection with Lambdaine and the trade of Demon Forest produce. He is a self-proclaimed workaholic who gets drunk on his own busyness. Middle aged man.
• Lambdaine – A powerful Councilor of the Shital Republic and a successful merchant who built his fortune from nothing. He is the grandfather of Iris and Aris.
• Maera – Egard’s secretary. Known for being competent but so direct that she sometimes confuses her boss with her brevity.
• Vulcain – Mc’s other name.
• Ami – A palm-sized fairy-like being from a world separate from both Earth and the isekai realm. She has light blue hair tied in a ponytail, mischievous blue eyes, and tiny wings that flutter behind her. Her outfit consists of a provocative high-cut leotard and a short jacket that looks like a miniskirt from the back, leaving her legs bare. Despite her playful appearance, she is actively searching for a contractor who can protect her from dangerous pursuers in exchange for the powers she offers.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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