Because I know the market price to a certain degree, we should be able to manage somehow.
There isn’t any guarantee that those will sell either, but even if they don’t particularly sell, I will have achieved Klaus’ request once we open the bazaar.
“This is… You have my thanks for this wonderful array of items.” (Klaus)
“By the way, are father’s conditions fulfilled properly, I wonder?” (Wendelin)
“Yes. That’s without a doubt.” (Klaus)
20% of the sales profit will be paid as tax.
This was our obligation on this bazaar.
In other words, if we don’t make profits, it won’t be necessary to pay any tax.
At the start it seems that Kurt demanded for 30% of the sales to be paid.
It would have been better to not undertake this after all, I ended up regretting it slightly.
Since he won’t go to take taxes from the merchant group, who travels the mountain trail with 3 months for a round trip, at all, I guess Kurt showed a ridiculous greed once he heard we would do business here.
Of course he retracted it after Klaus’ persuasion.
“Though he isn’t even able to calculate the taxes anyway…” (Erwin)
Given that he treated Erw as hoodlum not long ago, he definitely hated Kurt.
Not being able to read kanji and even unable to calculate, he regarded Kurt as idiot and an existence below that of a child with his only forte being sarcasm.
“We concluded the negotiations safely there. I have returned from advertising the bazaar in the territory just now.” (Elise)
I guess that’s why everybody, taking their families along, began to gradually gather from within the territory.
“Isn’t that too many people?” (Ina)
“Except those working on something urgent, everybody should come here. Once they finish their work, those people will probably come as well.” (Klaus)
Klaus answers the surprised Ina.
Almost everybody has never bought any goods from people other than the merchant group.
Everyone, holding the money they collected until today, has sparkling eyes while arriving over here.
“I wonder if all of them have money?” (Wendelin)
“It’s not like they have nothing.” (Klaus)
Because they have a life of buying nothing but the appointed amount of salt and small amounts of luxury grocery goods by selling stuff like wheat, medicinal plants and unique animal materials, they have a small income compared to people in the outlying areas, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have any savings either.
They arrange bartering with the fellow fief’s inhabitants and are self-sufficient on food.
Also, they occasionally buy agricultural equipment and such from blacksmiths and basic living ware from craftsmen at least .
There wasn’t any need to have a lot of money in their lives.
“Selling the wheat they didn’t need for eating of taxes, they have steadily saved money for years as well.” (Klaus)
“I see.” (Luise)
“It’s such rural area here.” (Klaus)
Klaus explained the financial standing of the fief’s population to Luise.
“Well then, let’s begin soon, shall we?” (Klaus)
As it was at last the start of the bazaar, everyone is buying the goods as if jumping at them.
At first, in the beginning, the men collect several jars filled with salt and buy them. One by one they carry them to their houses.
Since not everything can be procured within the territory, they earnestly consider making emergency reserves for the worst case.
“That much isn’t cheap.” (Luise)
Currently salt costs 5 cents per kilo in Breitburg.
In Japanese yen it’s around 500 yen. The market price here doesn’t change for a while.
In the capital one kilo costs around 8~10 cents because it’s located inland.
It seems the previous merchant group sold the salt at 8 cent per kilo to the fief’s population.
Is that expensive?
Is it cheap?
Though I was uncertain about the conclusion, they completely exceed their budget if you consider the labour of transportation.
I am able to agree with the situation of the merchant group receiving financial backing from Margrave Breithilde.
By the way, we are selling one kilo at 5 cents.
In Breitburg it was the price of standard salt. (T/N: You said that 8 lines ago, we aren’t that forgetful…; E: I don’t know, this is a long-ass chapter…)
For me, by transferring to the coast with teleportation and refine salt with magic there, the costs are close to free-of-charge.
The profit ratio was terribly high.
In fact it would be fine to sell it even cheaper, but since Kurt will be annoying if we do this, I lowered the profit ratio of the other merchandise and sold them as cheap as possible.
“Wendelin-sama, what’s this white thing?”
“It’s sugar.” (Wendelin)
“Isn’t sugar black!?”
“It’s because it was purified.” (Wendelin)
I refined sugar using wildly growing sugar canes in the southern Savage Lands as ingredient at occasion.
I ended up refining it until it became as pure white as I was used from my previous life.
“You don’t know? Pure white sugar is a high-class item!”