第１４６７堀：会議その７ 商売は売れて困っている感じ (Part1)
Chapter 1467: Meeting Part 7 – Business is Booming, and That’s a Problem
Side: Ratz
“...I underestimated the human appetite. Furthermore, with logistics secured via the Gates, demand has surged far beyond our initial projections.”
Hearing Kaya’s words, I could only offer a bitter smile.
I had sat down with the older brothers and the diplomatic team to hash out the numbers, and we had ramped up agricultural and livestock production based on those estimates—yet we were still being easily outpaced.
Well, it’s true; if you aren’t careful, items like curry roux sell out in the blink of an eye.
The managers at every Super Ratz location are constantly agonizing over how much stock they should order.
That said, increasing production isn’t simple.
Before we can do that, we need to hire more people. However, since the formation of the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance, wars have dwindled significantly. With the alliance making the movement of goods so easy, we’re in a situation where the more we produce, the more we sell.
The basic labor force—the people needed to work the fields and manufacture goods—has become an incredibly precious commodity.
We had been purchasing a steady stream of people from slave traders for Weed, but thanks to this boom, the number of available people to purchase has dwindled.
As a former slave myself, it’s a complicated feeling—I don’t know whether to be happy or sad.
“Hmm, that’s a headache-inducing problem. Let’s table that for later... Next, this is...”
“Indeed. Let’s hear from Ratz, who handles the sales side of things.”
Right, of course.
The Blacksmith District handles sales too, but they’re also involved in weapon development and act as a wholesaler, so their position is a bit different from mine.
With that, I stood up to begin my report.
“Yes. I will now provide the report from the Commercial District. As you can tell from the Agricultural District’s report, demand is expanding. Not only are sales at the shops in the Commercial District up, but the influx of merchants and direct trade with other nations has caused indirect revenue to climb as well. Thanks to these ‘happy screams’ of success, we’ve received a mountain of requests to open shops in the Weed Mall we built when the Alliance was formed. People are waiting to rent space everywhere in the Commercial District, not just in the prime locations. The question of whether we should expand has become a major issue.”
Exactly. Sales are going well, but for the merchants, this is a market they are desperate to enter.
It’s only natural that merchants from the outside want to own shops here, and that desire is accelerating at an alarming rate.
“So the Weed Mall is already full?”
“Yes. Within a month of opening, there wasn’t a single vacant shop left.”
“It feels like just yesterday we were all preparing for the grand opening.”
“It does. However, reality is harsh. Or perhaps I should say, it’s happier than we expected? Well, to summarize, sales are exceeding our initial plans, so as far as the management of the Commercial District is concerned, we have achieved our objective.”
I stated this, but deep down, I felt conflicted.
Honestly, even if the goal was achieved, the fact that new problems are arising makes the achievement feel somewhat hollow.
The older brothers seemed to feel the same way...
“You’ve certainly hit your targets and operations are running smoothly, but... these requests could turn into complaints. How are you handling that?”
“It’s already happening. There have been disputes between merchants, and some are even trying to offer bribes to the Weed Commercial Management Association.”
“...Bribes, huh. I suppose that’s standard in other countries, but...”
Seraria muttered this with a troubled expression.
I figured I should continue.
“Yes. It isn’t permitted here in Weed. If we only give preferential treatment to those with money, new businesses won’t have a chance to grow. That said, there are many who struggle when money is dangled right in front of them...”
“Well, money is necessary to live. Especially if you’re going to survive here in Weed, it’s even more critical. These things are difficult...”
Agil added to my point.
Indeed, in Weed, where the monetary system is the foundation of life, you can’t do anything without money.
That’s precisely why we post job openings for odd jobs within Weed at the Adventurer’s Guild so anyone can earn money easily, but bribery is far simpler and pays significantly better.
The trade-off is that your reputation within Weed plummets, but...
People still want the money.
“Bribery is a tough issue everywhere. We can’t just raise salaries, so perhaps we should build a system where specific merchants can’t be favored during the application process.”
“True. If they can’t produce results even after taking a bribe, there’s no point in taking it.”
“Yes. We’ve been handling it that way, so we refuse bribes for shop openings, but people still offer them for favors in strange, minor ways.”
“What do you mean by ‘strange ways’?”
“Just things to get into our good graces. Sometimes there’s cash tucked into a gift, and once that happens, it’s impossible to return it.”
“Haa... banning gifts is... impossible, isn’t it?”
It is impossible.
If we did that, we wouldn’t be able to receive gifts either.
“If the gifts are frequent, do you pay attention to them?”
“Yes. Well, like Eris and Kaya said, let’s discuss this another day.”
I sat back down, having conveyed that there are no immediate operational issues.
Though, the list of things to discuss later is piling up.
We have to keep a sharp eye out for any suspicious activity regarding these purchases due to the Great Overflow, and the Dark Guild might try to use this to replenish their supplies.
Oh, did they cause a ruckus just to increase that burden?
No, the benefits are too thin for that.
As I was thinking this, the meeting moved to the next person.
“Alright, let’s hear about the Blacksmith District and the operation of the Super Public Bath. Narjia-san, are you ready?”
“Yes, I am.”
Narjia-san floated up from her seat.
She is the chieftain of the Fairy race and their representative here in Weed.
Ah, wait, it felt like she had mostly handed the reins over to Covil.
Regardless, Narjia-san is also conducting magic research, but her management of weapon production in the Blacksmith District is the priority here.
After all, Zargis is the one coordinating the magic research.
“Well then, first regarding the operation of the Super Public Bath in the Commercial District: the number of users is on an upward trend as tourism increases. Fortunately, we have the Bath Guardians, so there have been few troubles regarding etiquette, and no major problems have occurred.”
“Bath Guardians?”
For some reason, the older brother tilted his head.
“You know, the people who teach others how to use the baths.”
“Ah. Wait, isn’t calling them ‘Guardians’ a bit of an exaggeration?”
“Ahaha, I understand the sentiment, but it’s surprisingly important. If the baths get dirty, other customers have a bad experience, and the employees alone can’t teach every single customer the proper way to bathe. You understand that, right?”