Everything New Feels Strange to Everyone
“There’s a simple way...”
“Even though my eyesight is fading and I can barely see, I’m no stranger to the ways of the world. If there’s such a method, I’d love to hear it.”
“I didn’t mean to offend you, Count Pepper. Please, set aside your anger.”
“Haha, anger? Not at all. It’s just... for years—no, long before my eyes failed—I’ve been wrestling with this problem. To hear it can be solved without much trouble piques my interest.”
Though a gentle smile played on his lips, Count Pepper’s micro-expressions betrayed a flicker of quiet rage.
Count Pepper was not one to cling to his title or appearance. According to the intel from Cache and Rachel, he was a rare noble who mingled freely with commoners without looking down on them.
‘But when it comes to business, if he feels insulted, he crushes them without mercy. That’s how seriously he takes his work.’
Back when Count Pepper was still a baron, a nearby earl had publicly mocked Pepper Territory as a lowly noble house that made money through trade. That earl didn’t survive three winters before his house crumbled.
Even with his clouded eyes that could scarcely see, the venom in his heart remained unchanged! No matter the mild smile, he was not to be underestimated.
“Haha, let me get right to it. Rather than just explain, it’s better to show you. So I brought this along.”
Smooth—
“Ah? This is...?”
When I handed over the item I’d prepared in advance, it was not the near-blind Count Pepper but his daughter, Marien, who let out a startled voice.
“Lady, if you could place a bit on the Count’s palm. He can smell it or even taste it.”
Tap— Tap—
Marien lightly traced letters on Count Pepper’s palm before sprinkling the sample I’d given her onto it.
“Hmm...”
Count Pepper cautiously tasted what was on his hand, tilting his head in confusion rather than surprise.
“This... isn’t it just pepper mixed with salt?”
“Exactly. The official name of the product is Pepper-Flavored Salt.”
“Pepper-flavored salt...? Why on earth would anyone...?”
It wasn’t surprising to see Count Pepper and the lady make such faces.
From what I’d learned, this isekai world didn’t have absurdly expensive pepper prices or wars over spices like medieval Earth. But the development and application of seasonings and spices lagged far behind, and knowledge of them was equally underdeveloped.
So even just mixing pepper and salt had them this shocked.
“Didn’t I tell you? There’s a very simple way to solve Count Pepper’s problem. I hear that in Pepper Territory, matching the unit cost is a bigger issue than sourcing materials right now.”
“Hmm, true. But I still don’t understand. How is this odd mix of salt and pepper a solution...?”
Count Pepper still hadn’t grasped my intent. Time for a little enlightenment.
“You’ve lost your old clients and are now sourcing spices and seasonings from new suppliers at higher prices, right? Decades ago, when your father was still alive, no one paid much attention to that business model.”
“Yes. My father pioneered trade routes in the East Continent, and I built distribution channels to sell the imported spices and seasonings to families in the West and North Continents.”
I nodded lightly, arms crossed, as Count Pepper spoke.
“Yes, I know that very well. But now other West Continent families are doing the same. You’ve lost your old routes, signed pricier contracts with new ones, and consumers pay more—a vicious cycle.”
“Hmm... If you have something to say, be direct.”
“Haha, of course. I recommend taking the spices and seasonings you sell at Pepper House and mixing them like this pepper and salt before selling. Mix them in proper ratios, portion them out, and you lower production costs dramatically.”
“Hmm...”
Count Pepper let out a deep sigh, lost in thought, while he and the count’s lady traced letters on each other’s palms as if exchanging secret signals.
After scribbling busily on each other’s palms, Count Pepper’s mouth opened again with a soft exclamation.
“Mixing salt and pepper... It’s novel, I’ll give you that. But honestly, I doubt there’d be demand. It’s just salt and pepper mixed together, after all.”
“Haha, ‘just’... Want to bet? On how much market impact selling mixed salt and pepper will have? If I were only after money, I’d sell it myself and show you the results.”
“Hmm...”
The first time is unfamiliar to everyone.
But the world we live in is surrounded by countless innovations created for the first time at every moment.
“People who use spices and seasonings are foodies, mostly with deep pockets. Pepper-flavored salt might feel strange and awkward at first, but once it catches on, it’ll be impossible to keep in stock.”
As Edison said, necessity is the mother of invention. The desire for something simpler, tastier, will easily pry open wallets. Appetite is humanity’s primal, unstoppable urge.
Count Pepper must find pepper-flavored salt absurdly simplistic. But inventions aren’t always grandiose.
The eraser-tipped pencil, one of history’s simplest yet revolutionary inventions, came in 1858 from a poor aspiring American artist. Pencils mass-produced from 1662, natural rubber erasers from 1770. For 88 years, no one thought to combine them. So it’s no wonder no one in this isekai thought to mix pepper and salt.
“Pepper-flavored salt is just an example. You could expand to spicy salt with chili powder, garlic salt with minced garlic, herb salts, and more variations. Still think it’s ‘just’ nothing special?”
“If even this explanation doesn’t convince you, then I must have misjudged—”
“No, no, Count Gold! I was the fool.”
Seeing Count Pepper bow his head urgently despite his failing sight, it seemed he’d finally grasped the value of my proposal.
“For generations, we’ve sold spices and seasonings as pure imports—never once thought to mix and sell them!”
“Glad you get it now. Of course, it’s not quite as simple as I made it sound. Mixing existing spices might seem straightforward, but ratios drastically change the flavor, so precision matters.”
“What you’ve shared is more than enough. I’ll figure out the ratios—”
“I can give you ratios for top sellers: pepper, chili, herb, even salt with red wine and butter notes. It’s not hard.”
“Wha—no...”
At my casual remark, Count Pepper’s eyes widened again, and the lady hurriedly scribbled on his palm.
“Count Gold. Tell me now—what do you want? You invite a stranger like me and share this; there must be something.”
But Count Pepper gestured to stop her and fixed his unseeing eyes on me intently.
“Our house comes from merchants. Crudely put, we’re traders. And I know a trader’s truth: no deal gives without taking. So, what do you want, Count Gold?”
Behind his frost-clouded eyes, I felt his resolve. If he was laying it bare, it was time for me to reveal my hand.
“I’m looking for magic stones. From Lancaster Duchy.”
“Northern magic stones... Hmm, so the black mages reached even here?”
True to his merchant roots, Count Pepper grasped my intent after a brief pause. I nodded firmly at his suddenly serious question.
“Yes. I hear Pepper Territory receives a fixed monthly supply from Lancaster Duchy.”
“Hmm...”
Count Pepper closed his milky eyes, deep in thought. Moments later, they opened.
“I’ll sell three northern magic stones.”
“Father!”
The count’s lady shouted, but he raised a hand to silence her.
“Not to boast, but Pepper Territory is vast. We produce our own spices where possible. That means we need plenty of magic stones to defend it.”
I knew what he meant. Magic stones were mana-storing rocks—batteries, basically. Regular ones could be recharged by mages or priests. But northern ones held far purer, stronger mana—irreplaceable once depleted, a fatal flaw.
Yet everyone craved them because their power dwarfed dungeon stones.
‘Three right out of the gate... A smooth start.’
Minimum two to three per house. But when the tide comes, row hard. With Count Pepper’s door cracked open, I had to push for more.
“I’m a man of honor. Three stones at 2,000 gold each—your purchase price.”
“Generous. Thank you.”
Of course it was. That’s why I offered the seasoning recipes—to prime him.
The appetizer was done. Time for the main course.
“But three... Far short of what I need. Honestly, I require 36.”
“36... Whew, that’s too many. More than three is...”
“You know I’m a doctor, right?”
“Pardon? Well, yes, of course...?”
Count Pepper looked baffled, unsure where I was going. And I, gazing at him with the deepest compassion—as if I’d waited for this moment—opened my mouth.
“Your eyes. If I cured them, how many more would you sell?”