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TL: ALT
Chapter 19 – Fake
Wataru purchased a mountain to cultivate medicinal herbs, but many challenges lie ahead.
One major issue is who will actually cultivate the herbs.
Since Toru, his grandfather, managed cultivation without trouble, anyone with fieldwork experience should be able to grow the herbs without problems.
The land is said to be fairly fertile, and the herbs are not particularly difficult to grow.
However, clearing the land and creating fields will require considerable manpower or machinery.
Should he borrow Aire’s strength just for that purpose, or hire people who can operate tractors?
Considering this, the required labor is substantial.
Furthermore, as the business grows, he will absolutely need reliable collaborators who can keep secrets about the medicinal herbs strictly confidential.
If the herbs or their cultivation methods were stolen, or the manufacturing process for the potion compromised, it would be a massive loss.
While the herbs require resolving the magic power issue, if the land where they’re cultivated happens to have magic power, it would be disastrous.
“Reliable collaborators who won’t ask questions and will just get the job done… That’s tough.”
“Should we purchase slaves and bring them here?”
“That’s one option, but if they’re going to live here long term, local people are more flexible and better suited.”
Mariel’s suggestion didn’t receive an immediate response from Wataru.
Mass-producing accessories with transformation grants and having the workers live in Osaka would probably be the right choice for maintaining strict secrecy.
However, if the operation expanded further, that approach would likely become unsustainable.
In times like these, tapping into his old connections was another option.
However, it was another matter entirely whether his old friends were truly tight-lipped and could keep secrets.
Many people might be fine as friends, but they weren’t suited for work involving so many secrets.
He’d rather seek out reliable business partners from the start than prioritize friendship recklessly, only to be betrayed and left heartbroken later.
“Asking Grandpa to commute all the way to Izumisano City is a bit much, though…”
“Ultimately, I think it comes down to who you can trust, Master.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll think about it.”
At the very least, he could trust his grandparents and Mariel and the others more than anyone else.
Even if information leaked, he could accept it as his own fault for not being thorough enough.
But how much could he really trust anyone else?
Should he bind them with a contract and pay them generously?
He knew he had to decide soon, but he couldn’t make up his mind immediately.
◯◯◯
Wataru had become very busy lately, so he often consolidated his errands and handled them all at once.
That day, after arriving in the other world and moving back through the gate, he took care of business in both the royal capital and the ancient city. It was a heartfelt effort to reduce travel time, however slight.
Winter was approaching, and people’s clothing on the streets had changed dramatically from what he’d seen in the summer.
Heavier coats and cloaks were common, likely because many were leaving town.
Some were equipped with bulky armor, greatswords, longbows, or metal staffs—clearly caravan guards or adventurers.
In this other world, especially, even the summer temperatures were cooler than in Japan.
Winter promised to be even colder.
Wataru had already brought a coat, but Mariel and Aire wore thin sweaters.
In this world, there was no need to hide ears or tails, nor was there a need for transformation accessories to make them invisible.
Seeing them look so natural and unburdened was a pleasure for Wataru, too.
“Master! We sold a lot of baking powder!”
“Yeah. It seems it was more popular than expected with the ‘Vocal’ customers, too.”
“…………”
“What’s wrong, Mariel?”
“No, it’s just… I think Professor Maurice was one of the people in line buying it.”
“Really? He’s a pretty big shot, isn’t he? Would he go out and buy it himself?”
“Normally, it’s unthinkable. I wondered if he just had to have it right away or if he was incognito, but it was probably just my imagination.”
“Don’t say shocking things like that.”
“Sorry.”
All the baking powder packed into the large mountaineering backpack and shoulder bag was purchased.
It seemed their stock was running low, and they insisted we hurry the next shipment. That was an unexpected hitch.
Honestly, I’m stumped.
This means I’ll have to come back to the capital soon.
That said, I haven’t been struggling to make money lately.
Today alone, I earned twenty gold coins.
It’s priced significantly cheaper per unit than sugar, but even so, that’s roughly twenty million yen converted.
After doing this job for so long, my sense of money has changed.
It doesn’t shock me as much as it used to, even now.
Last time, Vocal looked like they were about to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu Temple, but this time, they looked relieved that the stock could be replenished.
That must mean it’s profitable, and they’re making good money.
We called out to them from the back entrance, and they thanked us and gave us souvenirs.
“It was a great place to begin with, but it’s gotten even better.”
“Well, both the father and son seem so dedicated to their research. They’re becoming quite well-known, even in the capital now.”
“If only they had sugar and coffee, too…”
“Master, that would make it a coffee shop, not a snack bar!”
“Oh, I think that would be fine, but I suppose there’s some reason I’m unaware of.”
It was just a short walk from Vocal’s shop to the capital’s main square.
A short way down an alley from there was the gate leading to the ancient ruins.
Though Wataru and the others chatted and laughed as they walked, the area was bustling with people undeterred by the biting cold.
Among the crowd, one spot drew an especially large gathering around a man hawking his wares.
It was a form of street vending known as “koujouri” or “tankabai” — a trade in which the seller uses verbal tricks to grab customers’ attention and sell items at inflated prices.
[T/N: Koujouri refers to a sales method in which the seller talks skillfully to attract customers by entertainingly or exaggeratedly praising their goods, like a showman or a carnival barker. It’s all about presentation and persuasion through words. Tankabai, on the other hand, is a lively, quick-talking street vendor who uses humor, wit, and rhythm to sell goods — kind of like an auctioneer or a stand-up comedian at a market stall. It's more energetic and showy than koujouri.]His spirited calls entertain both buyers and passersby.
“Come on, everyone! Gather round and take a look! Wasting time here means losing a moment, but missing out means regretting a lifetime! This is the white sugar that nobles are scrambling to buy all over the capital!”
“Huh, they sell this here, too?”
Has my influence reached even this corner of the capital?
I’m curious about the sales pitch he uses, so I decided to take a look.
The salesman is large-built and likely some sort of beastman. His human traits are so pronounced that it’s hard to tell his species.
A pair of perky, round ears peek out, suggesting that he might be a bear type.
The man continued his sales pitch in a deep, resonant voice that matched his size.
“This comes straight from the Welcome Trading Company! Even Lord Moye of the national court—flying high like a bird these days—rushed to buy it all up! In Southern Ship Town, the local magistrate got his hands on this white sugar and made his triumphant return to the royal capital. All the top officials in this country are craving it so badly that they’d give their right arm for a taste! Sweet, exquisite, luxurious white sugar! Today, you can get one bag for just one gold coin! You think that’s expensive? No, no—this is your chance to enjoy the same flavor as the nobles. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime indulgence! It’s a burst of sweetness—a violent explosion of flavor in your mouth! If you miss this, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life!
The surrounding crowd murmured about the price yet seemed intrigued.
Amidst this, Wataru and the others stared at the sugar in stunned silence.
The white sugar was oddly yellowish—far too colored.
Still, to those who only knew the dark, impure local sugar, this must have seemed white.
“Hey, look at that.”
“It’s fake.”
“Indeed.”
In response to Wataru’s brief question, Aire and Cloche nodded with equal brevity and certainty.
Their excellent eyesight and sense of smell confirmed that it was undoubtedly fake.
This ruled out any possibility of a misunderstanding.
Not a single person in the surrounding crowd seemed to doubt it.
They simply didn’t know what the real thing looked like.
Was that the expensive sugar favored by the nobility? Worth buying just to see?
For a lifetime memory?
Hold on, hold on.
One gold coin was an amount that Wataru could easily earn back, but for the average person, it was a much larger sum.
Wataru decided to pose as a customer and try to gather information.
“Hey, did you really buy this from the Welcome Trading Company?”
“Oh, absolutely! Just look at how white this sugar is! They did a meticulous job removing every last impurity! It’s like pearls, right!?”
“I seem to recall hearing that Welcome Trading Company only sells to the nobility, not to individuals…”
I tried to apply pressure, implying that I knew about white sugar.
If he quietly closed up shop and retreated, that would be fine.
But street vendors, who rely on their bravado to sell, don’t back down easily.
“Oh! You’re quick on the uptake, young man! Actually, I’m the one supplying that Welcome Trading Company. I was appointed the official supplier to Lord Moye with this very sugar. When you hear ‘official supplier Wataru,’ that’s me!”
“…………”
Even Wataru was rendered speechless by the street vendor’s bold declaration.
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He was talking to the real deal! 😄 Thanks.
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It’s like trying to sell a counterfeit painting in front of the own author (who made it once and knows who has it)…
Poor thing…
Thanks for the update.
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