Slave Merchant: Derick Walker

Coulon is the most prosperous city in Coulon County. At its heart stands Count Coulomb's castle, and from that center the commercial streets spread outward in every direction like the branches of a tree.

Coulon itself is a little smaller than Tellibai, but that is only because Tellibai has an outer district beyond the walls where the lower classes live, in addition to the inner citadel reserved for the wealthy. Coulon has its share of commoners who might be called the lower class, of course — yet their numbers are far fewer than in other cities or villages. Simply living in Coulon means you can at least put food on the table.

Our carriage headed for the inn district on Coulon's eastern side. Packed tight with high-end inns, it is the one place every merchant who visits the city has in common. Every inn in Coulon boasts a large lot where carriages can be parked, and the horses are stabled on the premises. Naturally, that service is folded into the lodging fee, which makes a stay quite expensive — but I am no longer so destitute that I need to pinch those particular coins.

"First things first. We sell the slaves."

The primary reason I had come to this city was to sell slaves, so I went looking for the slave exchange at once. It sat in the city center, close to the count's castle. Because the slave trade itself is an industry under strict legal restriction, most exchanges are planted at the heart of power like this — it makes them easier to regulate. I was subjected to an inspection far more rigorous than the one at the city gates before I was allowed inside.

"It's enormous. Easily twice the size of the Hillis Slave Market where I used to be."

Luna, accompanying me as an attendant, murmured as she took in the exchange. Not only were more slaves traded here, but the facility housed a variety of slave-training programs as well. Hillis Slave Market in Tellibai had training facilities of its own, but this place seemed more specialized. I sought out a transaction manager to conduct the sale.

Count Coulomb, with a territorial war on the horizon, would need combat slaves. Ideally I would have liked to sell them to him directly, but I had no acquaintance with the man whatsoever. A private deal with Count Coulomb was out of the question. So I chose the next best option: the slave exchange. If I sold the slaves here, the exchange would act as middleman and sell them on to the count. Think of it as a wholesale market in the real world.

If I were famous enough to warrant a private audience with Count Coulomb, or if I already knew him, I might have dealt with him face to face. I could have pocketed a much fatter margin. A shame.

A middle-aged man in a fedora appeared before me. He removed his hat with impeccable courtesy and bowed. The crisp, unwrinkled suit told me at a glance that he was a salesman — dressed much like one back in the real world.

"Good day to you. I am Main Loop, transaction manager at the Koros Slave Exchange."

"Derick Walker. I've come from Tellibai. This is my attendant, Miss Luna."

Main Loop led me into a room furnished with a table and chairs. I sat across from him at a finely carved hardwood table. His eyes were as clear and transparent as glass, and from them I could feel the seasoned inner steel unique to a merchant. Extracting a fat profit from this man was not going to be easy.

"I understand you've brought combat slaves. Excellent timing. Count Coulomb has been purchasing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠combat slaves in bulk of late."

Main Loop made no attempt to conceal information that could put him at a disadvantage. Did he assume that anyone who had brought this many combat slaves would already know? If that was his calculation, he was operating on a higher level than I'd given him credit for.

"Would that have anything to do with the rumored tensions with Ernest Fief?"

When I tossed the question out casually, he nodded without hesitation. Then, true to his profession, he launched into a stream of merchant's chatter.

"His Lordship appears to have a territorial war in mind. The dispute over the Mythril Mine has spiraled toward catastrophe. It must be a terrible headache for him. Folk like us little people can just pick up whatever coins fall to the floor and call it a day — but if this affair deepens, either Count Coulomb or Count Ernest is going to take a serious wound."

A territorial war is exactly what it sounds like: a war between fiefs. It takes a rather different shape from a war between nations. Territorial wars are fought by the fiefs' own armies, and they generally end with the victor demanding reparations from the loser.

What distinguishes them from wars between nations is an unspoken pact: combat takes place only in the borderlands where the two territories meet, or on neutral ground, and neither side invades the other's land. For that reason, territorial wars are also called limited wars.

This is the minimum safeguard against the exhaustion of national power and the mutual destruction of the fiefs. If these rules are broken, the royal army intervenes directly.

The Solari World setting materials go into considerable detail on territorial wars. The primary reason so many nations permit them is to keep the nobility in check. By tacitly allowing local lords who have seized power in the provinces to compete with one another, they prevent any single noble from expanding without limit.

That said, if the fighting degenerated into endless wars of attrition, national power would wither. So territorial wars have unspoken rules — and the local lords keep those rules themselves, because breaking them gives other lords a pretext to attack.

To put it bluntly, from a commoner's point of view, a territorial war isn't much of a concern. Even if the master changes, not much changes for a peasant. Plenty of lords raise taxes or issue conscription orders for a territorial war, of course — but at least you don't have to worry about your hometown being burned to the ground. The ones with real worries are the nobles. Those who have much also have much to lose.

"Count Coulomb is quite literally sweeping up every combat slave he can find. It would seem His Lordship considers himself at a disadvantage."

Rather than forcibly conscripting his own people, Count Coulomb had chosen to replenish his forces by purchasing combat slaves and hiring mercenaries.

This is something that appears in the original work as well. Conscripting the populace is one of a lord's rights, and many fiefs do exactly that for a territorial war. But it is an option with considerable risk. Forcibly conscripting people who should be engaged in economic activity means that even a victory inflicts severe economic damage. And if you lose, the astronomical reparations bankrupt the fief's economy entirely, leaving you with no future. Restless public sentiment is a bonus.

That is why a conscription order has to be weighed against a number of factors. Count Coulomb had judged that, for now, hiring slaves and mercenaries was the better course. He would raise taxes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to cover the shortfall in funds. That was his decision.

"Buhihit. In that case, the slaves I've brought should fetch a proper price."

When I said that, Main Loop let out a peculiar little laugh. Then, in the most innocent tone imaginable, he opened his mouth.

"At the Koros Slave Exchange, we always handle slaves at a reasonable price. Shall we begin negotiations?"

Main Loop was, as expected, a heavyweight. Regrettably, it was my complete defeat. The decisive factor, I suspect, was that I have no skills related to commerce.

After being thoroughly worked over by that silver tongue of his, I sold the slaves for far less than I had hoped. Main Loop knew perfectly well that he held the advantage. I had no choice but to sell the slaves I had brought.

Of course, I didn't take a loss. The expected profit simply shrank — I still made an enormous amount of money. Even after subtracting every expense incurred on the journey here, the return was more than one and a half times my investment. And once I offloaded the bandits' plunder I had been gifted along the way, the profits exceeded even that.

I returned to the inn with a pouch stuffed full of platinum coins jingling in my hand.

"Welcome home~♥"

Sera, who had been waiting at the inn in her maid outfit, dropped into a respectful dogeza, forehead to the floor. I quite like that greeting — the way she lowers herself to the absolute bottom. It makes it unmistakably clear that she is my property.

"Now that you have sold the slaves, what do you intend to do next?"

Luna seemed curious about my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠next move. In the original, Jin joins Coulon's territorial army here and fights in the war — but I had no such intention. All Jin gains from fighting in the territorial war is experience points and a paltry sum of money. I have more than enough ways to make money, so there ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is no need whatsoever to participate. For the time being, I planned to focus on other things: exploring dungeons and recruiting companions.

"First we establish a base here and explore the nearby dungeons."

"Dungeons?"

The word piqued Sera's interest. There are quite a few decent dungeons near Coulon. Several are already known to the public, and there are a few hidden dungeons as well. I know which ones have generous rewards.

The hidden dungeons are places that must be explored for a fast clear. The exploration experience is significantly higher than in regular dungeons, and the monsters that appear are of a higher caliber, so the experience efficiency is excellent. Of course, hidden dungeons are harder than regular ones — but as with any dungeon, they are easy if you know the strategy. For someone like me who knows the walkthrough, a hidden dungeon is an irrational product: low risk, high return.

"Luna, I intend to find you a pair of dual blades. And if I can get equipment for Sera as well, all the better."

"Equipment for me? I don't really use weapons."

Sera held up her two hands as she said this. As she said, Sera is a martial artist who fights with her bare fists. Moreover, her ability, Wild Hunter, takes effect when she isn't equipped with a weapon. Sera's ability hasn't been unlocked yet, but giving her a weapon wouldn't be a good choice for the future anyway.

Weapons and equipment, however, are not the same thing. Strictly speaking, a weapon is a subset of equipment. Unfortunately, there isn't a nearby dungeon that rewards gear suited to a martial artist — but I would get some for Sera later.

"Not weapons. Equipment. I could buy something decent enough from a shop, but that wouldn't satisfy me. It'll take some time, but when something worthwhile turns up, I'll give it to you."

"Thank you!"

Sera's tail shot straight up in delight as she threw herself at me. A rather improper display, but from a cute Sera, it was more than welcome. I rather like this pet-like side of her.

Luna watched Sera nestle into my arms without a hint of reservation. I reached out to her as well. Luna settled into my embrace just as warmly as Sera had. This is the one moment my ample belly is actually an asset.

Dungeon exploration requires thorough preparation. That is true in the real world, and it is true in Solari World as well. One of Solari World's distinctive features is that potions are expensive. On top of that, a considerable number of potions are not instant-use the way they are in other RPGs, which makes conserving health and mana during combat a tricky business.

One of the reasons I died so often when I first played Solari World was poor health management. In that respect, it is oddly similar to reality. In the real world, too, almost no potions are instant-use.

Fortunately, I was overflowing with money now, so stocking high-grade potions was no strain. In addition to potions, I purchased various medicines, food, and a lantern. The lantern is an item sold at magic tool shops for one silver; its lifespan is several hundred hours. It has an on-off function like a regular flashlight in the real world, which makes it convenient. I could illuminate things with my own magic, but inside a dungeon you always have to conserve health and mana, so I bought one.

While preparing for dungeon exploration, I also looked at houses. There are quite a few dungeons near Coulon, and clearing them would take a fair amount of time. I could stay at an inn the whole while, but buying a house would be more comfortable. As befits the most developed city in Coulon Territory, housing prices were astronomical — but not so astronomical that I, who had just hit the jackpot on a slave deal, couldn't pay.

I bought a respectable house on the outskirts of the city. A brick house with a small yard. A charming, handsome little place, like the house described in the opening of The Little Prince. There were no geraniums blooming in the windows, no doves playing on the roof, and the bricks weren't pink — but it was a house that cost a few hundred thousand francs.

The moment I paid and received the deed, a new notification window appeared before my eyes. Apparently, acquiring a house had made it a checkpoint. When I first arrived in this world, I had been told that without a checkpoint set, I couldn't return to my original world.

So that means I can go back now?

I strongly willed myself to return to reality. Suddenly my vision flickered, and the space around me grew hazy. The blurred world soon recovered its original colors, and I stood in a new world of perfect form. It was my studio apartment — a place all too familiar.

A tidy reward came with it. I initiated Worldline Transfer back to Solari World. The world crumpled, and I was able to move. Once a checkpoint is set, it seems subsequent transfers are easy.

"Hmm. In that case, perhaps I'll put the dungeon exploration on hold. Come to think of it, I have hunter training waiting for me in the real world."

I had spent quite a long time in the fantasy world. I found myself missing reality.