01x03 - Port Town and Sweet Temptation

[bunniefuu]

That's a huge town!

That is Pazzio.

Does the king live here or what?

It's a town where nobles

and merchants live, not the king.

I didn't know such a big town

could exist without a king.

Don't you have to hide your face?

My face?

People from Pasloe might be here too.

I'm worried that they might recognize you.

Oh, that's all?

If you were there for centuries,

there must be stories about you.

There are.

"Holo takes the form of a beautiful girl."

"She appears to be in her mid-teens

and has flowing hair, wolf ears,

and a tail with a white tip."

"Her color is a beautiful dark brown."

"In exchange for keeping

her existence a secret,

she promises to make the village's

next wheat harvest abundant."

They know your appearance in detail!

Nobody will notice.

They have forgotten about me, after all.

I see.

-Hey

-Huh?

Even if they saw me,

they wouldn't recognize me, right?

I can only hope so.

I'm sure it'll be okay.

ORIGINAL STORY BY ISUNA HASEKURA

There are so many delicious foods!

Those are good apples.

Right? They look so delicious, don't they?

Yeah.

That reminds me

an acquaintance of mine

invested in apples.

They bet more than half

of their fortune on them.

By now,

their fortune might even surpass mine.

I should've done it too.

R Right That's too bad.

But it's quite risky.

-If it were me, I would focus on shipping.

-Shipping?

Merchants enter a contract with

each other and chip in to rent a ship.

The amount of cargo you can load

depends on how much money you chipped in

-What's wrong?

-Apples

Huh?

I want to eat apples.

Oh, you do?

Here, buy as many as you want.

Why did you use

the whole silver coin on apples?

You're the one who said

to buy as many as I wanted.

You'd better earn your keep.

You pretended not to notice on purpose,

didn't you?

It feels good to know

exactly what someone is thinking.

Well then, let me try one too

Ouch!

They're mine!

They came from my money!

I am Holo the Wisewolf.

I can earn this much in an instant.

Then please do so.

That silver coin was supposed to

pay for dinner and our inn.

Apples are the devil's fruit.

They entice me

with their sweet temptation.

Can't a wisewolf overcome such temptation?

You lose many things through greed,

but it's not like you gain anything

through abstinence.

That's the Milone Trading Company

where I'll sell the pelts.

I feel like we passed by

a bigger building on our way here.

This is the third largest building.

It's a branch of a large trading company

that's headquartered in the far south.

So in order to compete with locals

as an outsider,

they buy at a higher price.

And

Because they have branches

all over the place,

they get a hold of

more information, right?

And since they're

an international business,

they are quick to notice

changes in currency rates.

E Exactly.

I'm hoping to verify the information

from that kid named Zheren.

Welcome to Milone Trading Company.

There are so many workers.

The great northern expedition

is coming up soon,

so we're swamped with cargo

going to and from Ruvinheigen.

If it's profitable, I'd love to join too.

Don't we all.

So, what brings you here today?

You guys bought wheat from me before,

but today I wanted to sell pelts.

Of course! We'd love to.

This way, please.

Thank you very much for

using our trading company.

You are Kraft Lorentz, am I right?

It's Lawrence.

I'm honored that you

remember my name from three years ago.

Oh, I apologize for the mistake.

I heard that you wanted to

sell pelts today?

That's right.

I have a total of

70 high quality marten pelts.

These pelts look great.

This year, we're getting lots of crops

and not so many marten pelts.

The farmers are too busy harvesting.

Despite that,

I've acquired this many pelts.

That's incredible.

You've done business with us before, so

how about 132 silver Trenni coins?

It's rare to find pelts

that are of this quality.

And I'm looking forward to building

a good relationship

with this trading company.

We feel the same way.

Well then,

in view of our future partnership,

what do you say about

140 silver Trenni coins?

That sounds good

One moment, please.

What is it?

I don't know the market price.

Is that a good deal?

It's good.

So, do you agree with this price?

140 silver Trenni coins?

Did I hear you correctly?

Yes, it is 140 silver Trenni coins.

I thought you were a skilled merchant

Or are you a skilled merchant and hence,

are pretending not to notice?

If that's the case,

you are one dangerous fellow.

I'm terribly sorry.

Is there something that I missed?

Master, stop playing tricks with this man.

That wasn't my intention.

Go ahead and tell him.

Yes, Master.

Try smelling it, please.

What do you think?

It has a scent of fruit?

-Huh?

-Indeed.

The forests are abundant in

ripe fruits this year.

These pelts were taken from martens

that ran about such forests.

They ate so much good food

that they even exude a sweet aroma.

You're right!

These martens were so robust,

it took two grown men to skin them,

and even then,

it was a difficult process.

Try pulling it.

Harder.

How is it?

It's as resilient as a beast

and as warm

as the rays of sunlight during spring.

It perfectly repels raindrops

and even has a wonderful aroma.

Imagine being surrounded by clothes

made from smelly marten pelts

and then coming across clothing made from

these pelts, that give off

a sweet fragrance.

They will no doubt sell

even at exorbitant prices.

Now,

how much will you buy these for?

Well then

How about 200 silver Trenni coins?

How about three silver coins per pelt?

In other words, 210 coins.

Master, are there other companies around?

That's fine!

Please sell them for 210 coins.

You heard him, Master.

All right

Wine is the best!

You're not going to drink? It's on me.

Were you a merchant before?

What?

Did that hurt your pride or something?

A clever merchant who came to

the village one time used that tactic.

I didn't think up of it myself.

But I didn't even notice

I held them a few times since I got them,

but I never noticed a fruity aroma.

That was from the apples I bought.

You mean you

I don't want to say that it's his fault

for falling for it but

I'm sure he'll be impressed with my trick.

I'm sure he will.

A person who gets mad

about being duped is no good.

You prove your maturity

when you're impressed.

Anyway, did you do

what you were supposed to do?

Somewhat But it didn't seem

like he had any information about a nation

who is about to mint new silver coins.

It didn't seem like Milone Trading Company

was hiding anything either.

Well, no matter what kind of

trickery is involved with Zheren's offer,

I don't care as long as I can gain

something without any loss.

To our reunion!

This is good alcohol.

Which means, you must have made

a big profit with your pelts.

You could say that.

That's great!

The more you profit, the bigger cut I get.

More importantly

You want to sell information about

a silver coin

that's about to raise its silver content

in exchange for

a cut of the money I will make.

-Is that right?

-Yes.

Is that information true?

This is something

I deduced based on information I heard

at the mine I was at.

So I'm pretty sure it's reliable.

But you know

nothing is definite in business.

I thought so.

If you told me you were definitely sure,

I was going to decline.

That would be too good to be true.

So, how much do you want?

Right

Ten silver Trenni coins

for the information.

On top of that, 10% of your profits.

That's pretty low.

Honestly,

in the event that you suffer a loss,

I won't be able to do anything for you.

So, I'll only ask for 10%, but in return,

I can only compensate you

with ten silver Trenni coins

which you paid for the information.

I see.

The settlement date

will be three days

before next year's spring fair.

My guess is that

the revaluation

will happen within this year.

Half a year from now, huh?

That sounds good.

Well then, let's go to the notary

and sign an official contract tomorrow.

Got it.

To our profit.

To our profit.

Silver Falam coin!

Nope. That's a fake silver Malines coin.

That's this one!

That's a silver

Mitzfing's holy birthday coin.

You'll memorize them as you use them.

Let's continue when we're not drunk.

No! I want to try again.

Fine. Make sure you listen.

Silver Trenni coin,

silver Filling coin, silver Ireid coin,

silver Lute coin,

fake silver Malines coin,

silver Falam coin,

silver King Landbard the Bald coin,

silver Mitzfing Cathedral coin,

fake silver Mitzfing Cathedral coin,

silver Saint Mitzfing coin.

-Silver Mitzfing's holy birthday coin

-That's enough.

I'm going to sleep.

Good choice.

First of all, why are there so many types?

New nations rise and fall all the time,

and authorities from different regions

and the church unnecessarily

mint new coins.

Plus, people keep making

counterfeit coins.

The silver Lute coin

was originally called

the fake silver Trenni coin and

This will be very useful.

Thank you very much!

Please go and make lots of money!

Stay beautiful, Miss!

-He was loud until the very end.

-See you in half a year!

So, what is the silver coin in question?

This one. The silver Trenni coin.

It's known as

a pretty reliable coin in this region.

Reliable?

Yeah. There are hundreds

of different currencies,

and their gold and silver

content percentage keeps changing.

The face value of currencies

is more than the actual value

of the silver and gold that's inside.

So if it's not reliable,

it's not used for business.

I see. So, did you find out anything?

I can't say I "found out" anything,

but I have a few guesses.

I want to eat that.

Huh?

So, what did you realize?

If it's the silver Trenni coin,

his story is plausible.

Oh?

This is a silver Filling coin.

The purity of its silver is impressive,

so it's popular on the market.

It's basically

the silver Trenni coin's rival.

I guess currencies

represent a nation's power,

no matter what era you live in.

When your market is dominated

by another nation's currency,

your economy goes under their control

and the result is the same

as losing in w*r.

So, you're saying it's possible that

they will raise the purity

of their silver coin

to take down their rival?

So, contrary to your opinion,

Zheren might not be lying.

-Well, it's not like my ears are perfect.

-What?

What? Did you think I'd get mad?

Yes.

I might get mad at the fact that

you thought that.

Where are you going?

The bridge.

I know a cambist who runs a stand there.

Technically, you can't really tell

when the purity of a coin changes.

Despite that,

the popularity of currencies fluctuates

because people are responsive

to the changes in silver and gold.

They view even the smallest difference

as a large difference.

So before there is a big change

among the currencies,

there is always some kind of indication.

You don't have to memorize this now.

I'll explain in detail

over the next month or so.

Basically,

when they want to change the purity

of a coin drastically, they first

start out with a slight change

to heighten everyone's expectations

and test the waters.

Is that right?

Th That's about right.

Weiz, long time no see.

Lawrence!

It's a pleasure to meet you.

-What is your name?

-My name is Holo.

Holo? What a lovely name!

Hey, you.

Would you like to work at my shop?

And eventually, marry me.

A cambist is someone who

deals with all sorts of currencies, right?

I don't know much about that.

Don't worry! I'll teach you.

We can take our time

Weiz, I have something to ask you.

What do you want?

Can you show me a recently minted

silver Trenni coin?

From the newest to oldest.

Nothing has changed.

Even people who handle them all day

like us haven't noticed anything.

How about we melt them and check?

Don't be ridiculous! We can't do that.

Can I take a look too?

Can you tell?

Go ahead!

How naughty of you.

You are so beautiful, I can't help it.

Well then, just sit back and watch.

That's impossible.

Well, I've heard that some cambists

with decades of experience

can tell the difference in purity

just by hearing the sound.

But that's just a legend.

So? Can you tell?

I have no clue.

That can't be helped!

Forget about those coins.

How about dinner

What an interesting guy.

He loves women more than anything.

So, did the purity of the silver coin

increase or decrease?

If you're trying to use

a leading question, I'm impressed.

I saw your ears move.

I can't let my guard down, can I?

What surprised me was the fact that

you didn't say anything.

Well, that was my way of saying thank you.

A thank you?

You felt jealous earlier, didn't you?

So I'm thanking you.

Don't be embarrassed.

Males are all jealous fools, after all.

And females are fools who enjoy that.

We are all a bunch of fools.

So, how were the silver coins?

It was barely noticeable,

but the newer coins sounded duller.

Duller?

Which means the purity is decreasing.

Does that mean Zheren was lying?

When the silver or gold content increases,

it's easy to make a profit.

You buy up the old coins

and exchange them after the revaluation.

But it's not easy to make a profit

just by knowing that

the metal content will decrease.

If anything, I guess you can buy out

the coins while their value is down,

but you need funds on-hand for that.

And I can't imagine making a profit

with that in just half a year.

I don't get it.

How was Zheren planning to

make a profit with this?

I bet you were duped.

Duped?

You mean, duped of ten silver coins?

No.

If the silver Trenni coin depreciates,

that kid will return

your ten silver coins.

But all he suffers is making zero profit.

On the other hand, if the value rises,

he gets 10% of your profit.

He started a business

with no startup capital.

Even if it makes no profit,

he won't suffer any loss.

So that's what it is?

Humans are so intelligent.

Unbelievable

I fell for such a basic trick

The only thing is

Is it common for

the purity of a coin to decrease?

No. Normally,

they maintain the same purity

with the utmost care.

But right at this timing, a transaction

concerning the purity of a coin popped up?

Is this a coincidence?

In order to catch prey,

sometimes we climb trees too.

For a different perspective.

The forest looks different

from atop a tree.

A different perspective?

What if that kid

is not the one who is scheming something?

In that case, that kid

doesn't have to receive a profit

directly from the person he deceives.

For example, he may have proposed

this strange business deal to you

because someone paid him.

I see! Now I know

how to make a profit by buying out

depreciating silver coins.

You had an epiphany, huh?

Let's go!

Where?

Milone Trading Company.

Next time, "The Dreamy Merchant

and Moonlit Farewell."