“……I can hardly believe a Sage would decide to move here the moment she arrived. And resigning from the Tower on top of that — are you certain?”
Sarmat asked Eris with a surprised expression.
She nodded without a moment’s hesitation.
“It’s fine. I joined the White Tower because I wanted to do cutting-edge research. I can do far better work here.”
“But resigning from the Tower means losing the Sage title as well.”
“I have no particular attachment to it. The authority was convenient, but I won’t be at a loss without it.”
Eris said it with a remarkably breezy expression.
She genuinely had no reservations about leaving the Sage title behind.
Whether to call it decisiveness or something else, I wasn’t sure.
She truly had no interest in anything but magical research, deep down.
I loved golem research myself, so I could understand the feeling — to a degree.
“Is that so.”
“Why not stay in this town yourself, Sarmat? A city still under development — that’s a treasure trove for a merchant.”
“Well, that may be — but I can hardly make a snap decision the way you can, Sage.”
Sarmat scratched the back of his head and gave a wry smile.
But his expression was relaxed, and the town had clearly made a favorable impression.
……This was a good moment to raise something.
“Sarmat — I have a proposition for you.”
“What sort?”
“I’d like to buy your experience and skill as a merchant. I need someone to negotiate a trade on our behalf and secure the best possible terms.”
The moment I said it, Sarmat’s expression shifted.
He looked back at me with a sharp, appraising eye.
“What trade? I can’t give you an answer without knowing the details.”
“We want to purchase a large magic stone from the Elves of this Great Forest. Talks have already progressed to a point, but none of us have any experience in commerce. As things stand, we’d have no choice but to accept whatever price they name.”
“Is this the magic stone for improving Makina?”
“Yes.”
Eris nodded to herself as I answered.
She directed a look at Sarmat that carried a hint of expectation.
Finding himself gently pressured from that direction, Sarmat let out a resigned shrug.
“I suppose I have no choice……Though naturally I’ll need compensation.”
“Of course. This town started as a self-sufficient settlement and doesn’t have much in the way of money, so payment in goods would be ideal if possible.”
“How about a golem?”
“Hmm……golems of this quality would actually be difficult to handle. The sale would need to be tightly restricted, and moving them would take considerable time……”
Sarmat folded his arms and rumbled to himself.
Apparently, my golems were so rare that they were paradoxically awkward to deal with.
In that case — should I produce a budget version for export?
Imperial weapons sold to other nations were usually older models, so the principle was the same.
Then Makina spoke.
“……What about preferential trading rights with this city?”
“Now that is appealing. A city in the heart of the Great Forest — there must be no shortage of exceptional materials.”
“Then let me show you some samples. Please follow me.”
We left the room and made our way to the warehouse attached to the research institute.
This was where every material gathered in the area was stored.
Accordingly it was enormous — a heavy stone structure that looked almost like a fortress.
The doors, built large enough for transport golems to pass through, were imposing in their own right.
“Quite a size! Materials are kept inside?”
“Yes.”
Makina slowly pushed the doors open.
Light poured into the dim interior and illuminated the stored materials.
Monster hides and fangs, ores from the mountain, lumber — all of it.
A diversity of materials sorted onto shelves and stored in quantity.
Sarmat’s eyes grew wider and wider at the sight.
“What quantity — and what quality……!! If I could move stock like this, my trading house would……!!”
He went from shelf to shelf picking up materials for examination, eyes gleaming.
I pressed further.
“We also have weapons and equipment developed at the research institute, if you’d like to see.”
“Yes — please!”
We moved to the armory deeper within the warehouse.
This was where the weapons supplied to the golems were kept.
Stepping inside, a mass of spears and swords immediately came into view.
“This is quite something……What a quantity!”
“Three hundred of each — spears and swords. Mass-produced using golems, so quality is moderate, but——”
“What’s the material?”
“Steel for the main body, with mithril used only in the blade.”
Sarmat nodded with evident satisfaction.
Even by the eye of a first-rate merchant, the quality apparently cleared a respectable bar.
“At that standard — three gold coins per spear, easily. How much of this can you produce?”
“With materials available……maybe three hundred a month?”
“Five hundred is achievable while maintaining normal operations.”
Makina quietly revised my estimate upward.
Huh — the workshop had expanded that far already.
With more Demeter-types added and further improvements made, it made sense.
Sarmat’s expression tightened visibly at hearing it.
“Five hundred……of this quality?”
“Yes.”
“…………I accept your proposition. And I’ll see to opening a branch of my firm in this city as well.”
He said it and extended his hand slowly.
I took it and shook it firmly.