Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Silk Bargains and Divine Dreams
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The troll merchant, standing 2 meters tall with a flat, expressionless mask-like face, pulled something from a bag woven of thin wooden vines.
"Thinking of trading for this?"
What the troll had taken out was an iron scrap.
Iron scraps could be melted down for use in farming tools or weapons, serving as primitive currency akin to salt or silk—and such scraps would later evolve into actual metal coins.
'Iron is always in short supply.'
The Lizardman merchant believed iron scraps always held trade value in their own right.
Having selected the trade goods, next came the quantity.
"First off, the silk I have is just about this much visible. How many iron scraps can you offer?"
"You see it?"
The troll showed the inside of his bag. It was filled with iron scraps.
"I'll give it all. The silk is just that excellent."
"Oh."
The Lizardman merchant exclaimed in admiration and nodded.
Anyone watching would think the deal was as good as done.
At that moment, a human merchant approached and poked the Lizardman merchant in the side.
"Hey."
"Hm?"
"You were supposed to trade the silk with me. So why are you going with someone else now?"
"...Uh?"
The Lizardman merchant seemed flustered.
The human merchant addressed the troll merchant.
"Sorry, but I need to talk to this friend first."
The troll merchant was somewhat displeased at the interruption but nodded agreeably.
"Very well. Do so. Better any issues arise before the trade than after."
The human merchant glanced briefly at the troll.
He didn't seem to recognize who he was—at least, it appeared true that he hailed from the west.
In contrast, the Lizardman merchant from Rakrak's Black Scale Tribe recognized the human.
"A pleasure to meet you... Lord of Autocity...?"
The Lizardman merchant trailed off uncertainly. He had identified Hwikyung from the pair of deer antlers sprouting from his forehead, but the lord's plain attire was hardly befitting a tribal representative.
"Who I am isn't important right now. You're seriously thinking of trading that much silk for just a basket of iron scraps?"
"Yes, but..."
"You think that's a fair deal?"
"Hm..."
As a merchant himself, the Lizardman took some pride in his calculations, and this touched a nerve.
"I came with Rakrak, and we transported it by cart, so bringing the silk wasn't too hard. I've made similar deals with nearby tribes, but this troll merchant is offering more iron scraps than I expected."
Hwikyung sighed.
"And? Does that troll know that?"
"Pardon?"
"That troll said he's never seen silk like this before. Might be a lie in my opinion, but I know it's high-value goods. He doesn't know exactly where it came from. Even granting the silk's worth, your effort in transporting it justifies asking for more."
"Meaning..."
"If he doesn't know much about Black Scale Tribe silk, tell him it came from far away. Say it was a real hassle to haul here."
This was an era without concepts of middlemen distribution or mandatory origin labeling.
The Lizardman merchant said anxiously,
"But that would be... a lie, wouldn't it?"
Hwikyung furrowed his brow between his eyes.
'Damn their honesty! Who feeds you if you won't lie?'
Since becoming lord of Autocity, Hwikyung had increased exchanges with Rakrak's Black Scale Tribe, meeting many Lizardmen beyond those he already knew from the city.
And in meeting so many Lizardmen, their racial traits became apparent.
They were generally honest.
'Not that they never lie, but if they can avoid it, they do.'
Hwikyung particularly sensed this tendency more strongly in Rakrak's Black Scale Tribe, attributing it to their confidence—and he didn't see it as a bad thing.
The problem lay in merchant dealings.
'They're all con artists anyway!'
Hwikyung even wondered if the existence of the Blue Insect God required humans precisely because of such traits.
"To begin with, Black Scale Tribe silk comes from the northeastern peninsula, right? Even if it was easy to bring, the effort was real. You should get paid for that."
"That's true, but..."
"And there's the most important fact."
The Lizardman merchant was growing interested in Hwikyung's merchant lesson.
"What is it?"
"The quality of the iron scraps."
"Ah."
"Iron scraps may all look the same, but if they're full of impurities, they're soft and weak."
"But it's hard to judge by looks alone. Unless you're a warrior like Sairan, you can't really test by bending them."
"Use the 'scale.' Compare the weight against good-quality scraps of the same size—if there's a big difference, they're impure. At least the troll merchant will know the truth, so press him on that to squeeze out more."
Thanks to Hwikyung, the Lizardman merchant now knew the names and uses of the intriguing mechanical devices scattered around the market.
"Thank you, Hwikyung."
Hwikyung smiled and sent the Lizardman merchant on his way, thinking to himself,
'If you suckers get fleeced, it puts me in a tough spot.'
On the day Hwikyung became lord of Autocity, he had a dream.
It was truly a strange one.
The dreams Hwikyung usually had were of fleeing from masked pursuers or endlessly scooping fluffy rice cooked in a rich broth of vegetables and pork belly—so this felt all the more odd.
Hwikyung was alone in the empty Autocity.
It wouldn't be so weird at night, but with the sun high in the sky, not a soul was in sight. Peering into homes revealed no one.
'This is weird. Where'd everyone go?'
Hwikyung thought he should check the salt mine depths, the inner palace, and the ramparts.
Climbing the ramparts and looking out, he spotted where the missing citizens were.
The city folk were lined up outside the walls, glaring at Hwikyung with angry expressions.
For some reason, he understood why.
'It's because an unworthy nobody like me became lord.'
This time, Hwikyung headed to the inner palace.
The inner palace, where the lord and his family resided and the four families' retainers worked, was also empty.
But heading to the grand hall where the lord conversed with citizens and retainers, he unexpectedly found people there.
His father Hwiser and his four brothers.
Hwiser and the four brothers glared at Hwikyung just like the folk outside the walls.
'Still, the lord's seat is empty. That's my place.'
Finally, Hwikyung walked deep into the salt mine.
It was pitch black, impossible to see ahead. The moment he thought he needed a torch, fireflies appeared, illuminating the way.
Hwikyung followed the fireflies to the end, discovering a man facing the wall in the mine's deepest chamber before turning around.
Hwikyung didn't recognize him at all.
"Who are you?"
The man, whose face couldn't be made out, seemed unaware of Hwikyung behind him and slightly raised his index finger. A single firefly landed on it.
Hwikyung could guess who this was.
"You must be the Blue Insect God."
Hwikyung bowed in the most respectful manner he knew.
"Forgive my lack of manners. I grew up rough..."
Whether Hwikyung spoke or not, the man just stared fascinated at the firefly.
"I've received much help from those who follow the Blue Insect God. But this is just the beginning. I blunder ahead recklessly, and in the end, I may not be of much use to you."
The man now opened his palm, and the fireflies danced into it before vanishing.
Hwikyung sensed a reason for the Blue Insect God ignoring his words.
He was denying them.
"You don't think so?"
All the fireflies were gone.
Only darkness remained.
"But I lack the power or ability for that."
Prostrated in the unseen darkness, Hwikyung addressed the god.
"...No one is helping me."
After uttering those words, Hwikyung felt light brightening behind him.
Turning, he saw someone holding a torch.
"What are you doing here?"
It was Sairan Muel.
"Get up."
Sairan grabbed Hwikyung's wrist and pulled him to his feet.
Sairan raised the torch high and led the way out of the dark salt mine.
"I was looking for you. Why come all the way to such depths?"
"Well, I don't... really know."
"Life has its moments like that."
Hwikyung nodded.
"By the way, Sairan, guess who I saw?"
"Who did you see?"
"Who I saw was..."
And then Hwikyung awoke from the dream.
Not having slept in a proper bed, he had dozed off slumped in the lord's chair in the inner palace.
At first, Hwikyung dismissed it as just another absurd dream like his usual ones, but as time passed, he realized it wasn't.
'So... the Blue Insect God means not to worry because Sairan is there... no, because the Black Scale Tribe Lizardmen are there?'
Grasping the intent, Hwikyung truly felt his mental burden lift.
Just the Blue Insect God's backing alone wouldn't have been strong conviction.
But Rakrak and his tribe were real.
The Black Scale Tribe had proven their strength by driving out the Cropped-Ear Tribe.
'God, without those guys, I'm penniless anyway. No need for a revelation...'
Hwikyung pondered, then nodded.
'...Come to think of it, I could profit through faith too?'
Autocity was in chaos now.
The succession struggle had killed and wounded many.
The lord had changed, and the four families' heads didn't fully accept Hwikyung.
Merchants came and went, but the vibrancy hadn't returned to former levels.
This turmoil needed stabilization.
'Believing in the Blue Insect God brings peace of mind. Even if that peace comes from Rakrak's Black Scale Tribe in reality. ...What if I sell things like Srarak pendants and claim they offer the god's protection?'
Hwikyung sank into thought in his seat.
Looking down from afar, Seong-un was a bit flustered.
'I hoped to inspire faith-spreading through some感動...'
Seong-un nodded.
'But if the goal is achieved, it doesn't matter.'
Now Seong-un could draw faith resources from both races and exert influence over them.
'Now I can really start synergizing.'
As Hwikyung patrolled the market to protect naive Lizardmen from being swindled, he spotted an unusual race.
They resembled humans but were taller with pointed ears.
Their hair was generally light and vibrant, eyes large—making it clear they were another species.
"...Elves?"
Trolls were rare in Autocity, but elves were even rarer.
Sturdy troll tribes existed on the continent, with merchants reaching Autocity, but elf tribes lay across the wasteland on the northeastern continental north coast from Autocity's perspective.
A large caravan must have crossed the wasteland, as nearly a dozen elves were setting up a grand stall in the market.
Just then, another Lizardman merchant holding a silk bundle was negotiating with an elf, and Hwikyung overheard.
"Fine silk! Top quality."
"We said iron scraps, right? How many?"
The elf merchant nodded at the Lizardman merchant's words.
Then he pulled a fist-sized pouch from a large box.
"Hm, will this do?"