Striving For The Luxury Liner – Vol 9 Chapter 24

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Chapter 24 – Lucca and Talent Recruitment

I visited the completed orphanage, and as a result of my imagination, I ordered an orphanage that resembled a fortress… I would like to say out loud that this is not what I intended.

Back at the Merchant’s Guild, my taste was questioned, and the members, except for me, ordered the interior design. I thought I was playing it safe, but it seems I overdid it.

I stayed inside for a while, making excuses, when a voice approached me. Apparently, the order had been given.

“Wataru-san, I heard that the items we ordered will be delivered in four days. I’ll have them set up for you, so can you give me the key?”

I did as Alessia-san asked and took out the key.

“I understand. I should also give you the keys to the staff dormitory and the warehouse, right?”

“Yes, please.”

“Then let’s go back to the Lutto.”

We returned to the Lutto with my mood slightly lowered.

“Wataru-san, it’s four days from now; what should we do until then?”

“Yes, you’re right. The orphanage is ready, and the people can live with the furniture I bought in Southern City and the furniture that will be delivered in four days. Shall we go and buy slaves? We need slaves for the orphanage and the Castle, so we need to buy a large number of slaves.”

“Well, Lucca is the place to buy slaves. I know some people there, and if I tell them, they can get slaves for you. Shall we go?”

Mauro-san’s reliability is amazing. I’m sorry I thought he might be a bit of a pain.

“That would be very helpful. If there are more slaves, we’ll need a ferry. The orphanage is almost finished, and we will present the Castle to the Marquis of Lucca. If he agrees, he will speak to the Crown Prince, who will also provide security for the orphanage.”

“Hmm? If that’s the case, wait a bit for the departure. The Marquis will be on board, and the number of people on board will increase due to the escort and other things. If we don’t sign the contract for the ship’s goods first, it might be difficult. It will take time because there are so many, so we can’t leave today.”

They went over the goods on the Castle in great detail. There must be quite a few. If I told them that it would be too much trouble, they would be seriously offended.

“You are right. Then let’s go back to the Merchant’s Guild, shall we? I have to go with you, don’t I?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s Wataru who makes the contract, so it’s useless without you. If you create a trading company, you won’t have to go all the way out there and make a contract at the trading company.”

“Is it easy to set up a trading company?”

“Hmm, at least you should have a Merchant’s Guild rank of D. Or should I say E? And the minimum requirements are that you have a shop, even if it’s a rented house, and that you have at least the minimum amount of money.”

“Even a small store with an E-rank is fine. However, there is a screening process, and it takes time to register. In Wataru-san’s case, the disadvantages may be greater. I think the number of meetings and other social gatherings among trading companies will increase. Especially with Wataru-san, I think you will be invited to meetings more often to make a connection.”

As expected from Camille-san, she worked for a Merchant’s Guild until 4 months ago. And it’s a hassle to socialize with other trading companies.

“Ah, I’m not going to start a trading company. Let’s just make a contract.”

After preparing the actual goods needed for the contract and those too big to take out, with a written outline of what they are, we returned to the Merchant’s Guild. The gatekeeper also looks worried.

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Wataru? Have you forgotten something?”

“No, it’s not that I forgot something, but I remembered that I wanted to sign some contracts, so I came back.”

I said that and stepped back. The rest is up to Camille-san, Mauro-san, and Donatella-san. I had signed the contract and asked for a slightly lower fee, so there would be no problem.

So I do as I’m told and sign the contract. I sign contracts for everything from food recipes to entertainment, room decorations, and brand-name clothing and accessories, each in detail.

I think it could be more general, but when there are three merchants in one place, they don’t overlook the smallest details. I repeated the contract so many times that I lost track of the shape of the screws and even the tools.

I heard that they left out contracts for things they didn’t understand, but if they had signed contracts up to that point, they wouldn’t have been able to finish by the end of the day. It was exhausting. I finished all the contracts, and when I went out, it was already dark.

“Ugh, that was hard. There’s nothing left to do, right?”

“Yes, I don’t think it will be a problem.”

I can’t think of anything to do either, Camille-san; I’m sure it’ll be fine.

“Then let’s get back to the open sea quickly. I’m tired and want to get a massage.”

We returned to the Lutto at a fast pace and set sail for the open sea. I call the food storage boat, have a quick dinner, and then summon the Castle once we’re out at sea.

“Master, if you appoint me as the staff, I’ll give you a massage.”

“Oh, great. Please take care of me.”

I go to the spa and immediately appoint Ines to the staff and get a massage. Well, my fatigue is mental, not physical, but a relaxing massage and a good night’s sleep will help me recover from my mental fatigue.

“Phew, Ines, thank you. I feel much better.”

“Fufu, I’m glad to hear that. You looked incredibly tired. Was it that hard?”

“Well, it was mentally hard because I had to do the same thing over and over again, and there was no end in sight. I’m not good at that kind of work.”

“I like being physically active too, so it’s not hard to understand.”

I don’t even like being physically active that much. Would I sound like an old man if I said that I like exercising in bed?

I go back to my room and relax, watching Rimu’s training. Since he can fly around freely these days, it must be more of a fun game than a training session. I wonder if it’s safe to fly outside now. I had forbidden him to fly outside because it would be a disaster if he accidentally fell into the sea.

When I threw a piece of candy to the flying Rimu, he skillfully changed direction and caught the candy. This is his favorite training… or game? …That’s it.

“Master, you’re going to open the Castle soon, right? So you won’t be using this room as much?”

Felicia says, a little disappointed.

“Ah, now that you mention it, yes. It will take some time, but I’m sure it will be open within a few months. Well, we have the Chris, and if push comes to shove, we can always buy a similar luxury liner.”

“Fufu, if you buy a ship of that class, you’ll have to do more charity work, won’t you?”

“Haha, that’s right. It’s a hassle, so let’s enjoy the Castle as much as possible while we’re here. Shall we take a bath in the Jacuzzi on the balcony for the first time in a while?”

“Yes.”

Felicia answers, and Rimu, who had heard my words, jumps up and agrees.

“Master, can I have a beer too?”

“Yes, that’s okay. But you were drunk the other day. So you have to take it easy today.”

“I understand.”

Ines starts to prepare the bath while humming a song. Well, when I think of it, warm water will be poured, so I’m mainly preparing for alcohol.

We enter the Jacuzzi and take a relaxing bath in the warm water with a light drink. I’ve been taking a lot of indoor baths lately, so it feels good to take one outside and feel fresh and relaxed. But I never thought I would be able to do what is described on the back of the magazine.

And then there were the baths with wads of bills, right? Since there are no bills, a bath of platinum coins… platinum coins are impossible. A bath of gold coins would be possible. A bath of gold coins sounds good, but it sounds painful.

After I get out of the Jacuzzi and put Rimu to bed, I exercise in bed and go to sleep.

………………

“Wataru-san, we will be arriving in Lucca soon. Shall we continue boarding on the Castle?”

I think about what to do with Alessia-san’s words. Going suddenly is out of the question.　

“Ah, if we went there suddenly, there would be a commotion, so we’ll enter Lucca on the Lutto. I think it will take some time to invite the Marquis and the others, so let’s ask them first.”

“I understand. You will not see the Marquis as Mage-sama, will you?”

“I told the Marquis on my last visit that the Mage would not be able to come and meet him, but I wonder if I should ask Marina-san to stand in for him again and meet him at least once.”

“If it is possible to meet him that way, it would deflect some of the suspicion from Wataru-san.”

“That’s right. Since these people don’t know the magician’s voice, I think it would be okay to use an appropriate voice, but it would be less confusing if they were unified with the Southern City, so I think we can work it out if we just take a video of the greeting and separate immediately.”

“It’s inconvenient, but we don’t know where the connection will be, so it’s better to organize it. The possibility of Southern Count-sama coming to this ship is not zero. There is a small chance, but if the Marquis gets involved with the messenger who came here the other day, things might get very strange.”

In my case, if I think it’s okay, I’ll be reprimanded, so I have to implement the countermeasures that come to my mind.

“Yes, let’s do what we can. Marina-san, can you do it again?”

“I understand.”

She nodded her head. As usual, she doesn’t talk much except about Slime and work.

“Then, after we leave the open sea and get a little closer to Lucca, we will anchor the ship with the ramp down. We’ll take the Marquis and the others up there if they want to meet us.”

After disguising the Castle as a wooden ship and deciding what to do, we changed to the Lutto and headed for Lucca.

“Speaking of which, Camille-san. Is there anything else you need besides what you ordered in the city of Cagliari? Wouldn’t it be faster if you bought it in Lucca?”

“No, I’ve already placed most of the orders, so I think it would be better to have them live and then order what we’re missing.”

“I see. In that case, when we arrive in Lucca, shall Camille-san, Mauro-san, and Donatella-san gather the slaves, and we request a meeting with the Marquis? Oh, and when the Marquis comes to the Castle, Camille-san and the others will be the representatives to greet the Marquis, so please make preparations for that as well.”

“I understand. Except for the meeting with Marina-san dressed as Mage-sama, everything is ready, so there is no problem.”

Oh, I knew they were excellent people. As for me, I’m just a random person who thinks ahead and gets nervous when things turn out differently than I expected. Even though the mage’s story came out of the blue, they are not upset at all. I admire that.

After arriving at the port of Lucca, the three merchants, Ilma-san and Carla-san as escorts, went to the Merchants’ Guild to discuss the slaves.

I’ll ask Alessia-san and Dorothea-san to tell the Marquis that we’ll invite him to the Castle when he has time. It’s too much trouble to go to him, so I’d be grateful if he’d accept the invitation.

After a while, Alessia-san and the others returned first.

“Alessia-san, Dorothea-san, thank you for your hard work. How are things going?”

“I’m back. They said that even though it was Mage-sama’s ship, they couldn’t let Marquis-sama suddenly board a strange ship. They want to make sure that some knights and officials are on board first.”

…I guess it’s a natural thing to ask. I would have preferred to do it once, but I guess it can’t be helped.

“I understand. I don’t mind inviting them first, but when would you agree?”

“They said If we can invite them first, then tomorrow or the day after tomorrow would be fine. Isn’t that fine if it’s up to you, Wataru-san?”

“Hmm, tomorrow then, please. Let’s get this out of the way as soon as possible.”

“I understand. I’ll tell them again.”

The merchants returned in place of Alessia-san and Dorothea-san, who had gone out.

“Welcome back, everyone. How was it?”

“I’m back, Wataru-san. Thanks to Mauro-san, the interview went smoothly.”

“I have a large network of contacts. You can rely on me.”

“Haha, I’m counting on you. Could you tell me more about it?”

I wonder if I should learn from Mauro-san’s self-promotion. People say that Japanese people are not attractive enough, but it is a bit embarrassing to be as blatantly attractive as Mauro-san.

“Yes, we were looking for staff for both the orphanage and the Castle. Ten men and women to look after the orphans. Five men who can teach. Ten skilled guards. Ten men to cook at the Castle and the orphanage. Five employees who can do the math. We asked for them. I don’t think we have enough people, but it’s a start. I asked for someone who is well-behaved and not intimidating, so I’ve asked them to go to the royal capital to look for someone, so it will take some time. If not, we will gather as many people as we can in Lucca who are close to that.”

A total of 40 people. That’s still not a lot. An orphanage of this size would need more people to take care of them. Well, we’ll just have to keep collecting. Let’s do our best.

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