I’ve Been Reincarnated as a Tentacle Slime~ I Want to Live a Comfortable, Secure Life and Do Whatever I Want~ - Chapter 79

[Cruz POV]

“――――Given the state of the village, the other side will likely misunderstand on their own and assume it involves a lord. However, I’m concerned about how well they will be able to detect the materials from the dungeon.”

Michael explains how the merchant is perceiving the village.

“Mika, why not say the dungeon materials were sourced from Spada’s dungeon?”

“Huh?”

“Huh? …Don’t tell me I didn’t mention the dungeon…?”

(Crap, did I fail to pass on that info…? That’s pretty important… I really screwed that up…)

“No, it’s possible I was the one who didn’t hear it…”

“No, I don’t recall saying it either.”

“Even so, the person who was by Father’s side should have reported it.”

(Ahh… Such a stickler…)

“Y-Yeah, it’s also kind of my fault… Don’t be too harsh, okay?”

“Yes.”

He doesn’t seem mad, but… I hope it’s fine…

“Alright, let’s get back to the topic.”

I push the conversation back on track to get them to let it go.

“Yes, then let’s also pretend the dungeon materials were obtained in the city of Spada. However, from our side――――”

–

“Also, let’s coat the surface of the bronze armor with iron using the iron sword we consumed. If someone of high rank wears bronze armor, it might raise suspicion.”

(The plating might come off…? …Forget I said anything.)

Mika creates a decorative bronze plate mail and applies iron plating. After that, he uses dyes drawn from monsters with blue and yellow gems to color it.

Wearing the armor, I make my way to the room the merchant is in.

“I’ll be backing you up, so carry yourself with confidence.”

“Yeah, I may ask questions using high-frequency communication, so I’m counting on you.”

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

[Alfred POV]

I am guided inside the walls and look around.

(Inside the walls――――it’s probably still under development; there are no facilities at all. I can see a few houses scattered on the east side…)

More striking is the even taller wall and a huge fortress at the end of the stone path. They must’ve used most of their labor on those. You rarely see something this massive. It feels like a stronghold for the front lines.

The soldiers are probably living inside the fortress.

I am led to a room inside the fortress, where the current village chief is apparently going to meet me.

A heavy stone table and two sets of tanned-leather sofas are present in the room.

(These sofas are made with fire ox hide. Also――――)

The table and room are adorned with fine decorations. To lavish this much on a reception room, the village chief must hold a status worthy of it. It’s almost the same as the rooms used by the merchant guild to entertain top clients.

I remained standing and waited for the village chief. Sitting before someone of a higher status would leave a bad impression.

There’s no way someone who owns a room like this isn’t a person of high status.

–

After a short while, a man in ornately decorated iron plate armor appeared, followed by a man and woman in bronze plate armor and an ordinary-looking old man.

“Did I keep you waiting? Standing and talking is tiresome—please, have a seat.”

The man clad in iron armor gestures for me to sit.

“Thank you very much.”

After waiting for him to sit, I also took a seat.

The man in iron armor and the old man sit on the sofa, while the man and woman in bronze armor stand behind them.

That suggests the hierarchy is probably: man in iron armor > old man > bronze-armored man and woman.

“Such formalities aren’t necessary—I’m not interested in them. If we have a similar meeting in the future, please remain seated.”

“No need to analyze the meaning, take the words at face value. If you’re not seated, we will take it as a sign of disobedience.”

The bronze-armored man offers that clarification. If he’s spelling it out like this, I should obey.

Someone who wears dungeon-derived iron armor is likely a commander. Maybe a general type with a warrior’s temperament. If so, it’s not strange for him to dislike formal manners.

“I understand. I’ll do so.”

“Very well. My name is Cruz. Now, what brings you here?”

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

[Cruz POV]

[Good job, Mika. I’ve got no clue about the etiquette here, so I’m glad you covered for me before I messed up.]

[Leave it to me, Father. The way you speak is perfectly confident, please keep it just like that.]

[Alright, I got it.]

Good, better end this quickly before I mess anything else up.

“My name is Alfred. I came to see if I could trade some plant seeds. I apologize, but I have no food to offer…”

“Food isn’t a concern. What kind of seeds are we talking about?”

Aside from vegetables, food is already plentiful in the village. Well, normally the supplies would go to the towns, it’s unlikely this outpost gets much.

More importantly, in a place without any crops to grow, seeds are a blessing.

“Yes, I’ve brought a good amount of potatoes, tubers that grow underground and tomatoes, fruiting vegetables that grow in the highlands. I thought they’d suit this climate… though they haven’t been mass-produced before…”

(Oh, potatoes and tomatoes! They’re not in this village, but they existed in the towns. Maybe I can find other crops from Central/South America or Asia if I check the cities. I’ll ask just to be sure if I’ve got the cultivation right.)

“I see, potatoes, those are quite helpful. If I remember correctly, you plant the seed tuber with the sprouting side facing up, right?”

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

[Alfred POV]

Beyond the fortress, I could see large fields. They’d been plowed, but no crops were growing, which made me think they might be low on seeds.

As expected, the reaction wasn’t bad. But most of the seeds I brought are the kind only upper-class merchants or nobles involved in domestic affairs would even recognize. I have some common seeds, but maybe I should’ve brought more.

“I see, potatoes, those are quite helpful. If I remember correctly, you plant the seed tuber with the sprouting side facing up, right?”

(He knows about potatoes and even how to grow them. Given the circumstances so far, and that only nobles should know this, it’s practically certain he has a noble background.)

“Yes, according to what I heard. Storing them in a cool, dark location should keep them fresh.”

“Hm? ‘Should’?”

I only heard how to grow these vegetables when I bought the seeds. I’ve never actually seen them cultivated.

(Should I be honest here…? Yeah, better to be. The general probably knows more. Pretending to know would just backfire.)

“Apologies, these vegetables are unfamiliar to me… I only heard the method when I bought the seeds. I’ve never even seen them being grown.”

(From how he’s spoken so far, he doesn’t seem like the type to silence people just for knowing too much. If I can win the general over, I’ll profit. If he dislikes formality, honesty should go over well.)

“I see. Just give me the info you heard. I want to know how to grow them and what to watch out for.”

“Of course. Let’s begin with the potatoes―――”

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

[Cruz POV]

(As I thought, they seem the same as regular potatoes and tomatoes. Potatoes especially will be helpful. With some selective breeding, yields could go way up. Well, not surprising considering the poor strains in this world…)

If I remember right, Michael’s idea was to say we want to buy, but say we don’t have much of the currency he’s asking for.

If the other party is willing to barter for the goods we offer, that’s ideal. Best case is if he wants many items and we can get actual money for them.

“Well then, Alfred. I’d like to buy the seeds you brought.”

“Thank you very much. For all the seeds and seed potatoes together, would five silver coins be acceptable?”

[I can’t tell if that’s expensive or cheap. Mika, do you know?]

[No, I don’t. How about tossing the question to Legos?]

That’s true. Good point.

“Legos, what do you think?”

“Let’s see… Considering it includes new varieties, I’d say it’s on the cheaper side?”

“Indeed. I reduced the price to commemorate this meeting with Lord Cruz.”

“I see. Then I would love to say deal—―― but unfortunately, we’re low on silver coins at the moment.”

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

[Alfred POV]

“Is that so? Then it’s no problem if it’s in the form of a loan.”

That way, it also gives me a reason to come back here again.

Originally, I thought it would be okay to take a loss on this deal as long as I built connections. The seed prices are basically wholesale anyway.

What’s with that old man calling it “a bit cheap”? It’s flat-out cheap!

I lowered my opinion of the old man by one notch. I don’t even know his position, but as long as General Cruz remembers me, it’s fine.

“That’s kind of you, but may I make a proposal from my side?”

“Yes. Please, go ahead.”

I wonder what it is. If it’s some kind of privilege, that’d be good. But if it’s just the right to trade in this village, dealing only with villagers probably isn’t that profitable. Maybe with soldiers, it could be worthwhile…?

“I have some items I want to sell. If there’s anything you like, Alfred, you can buy those, and with that money, I’ll buy your goods. Of course, this is at my request. I hope to learn from this as well.”

Bartering, huh… I’m not fond of such primitive methods. But fine, in return, I’ll make sure they remember my name.

“Certainly, as long as it’s something I can handle, I’ll accept.”

“Then perhaps it’s better if you sample the taste of the alcohol and food first?”

The female soldier left the room. She’s probably bringing food supplies.

(Well, if it’s on par with a typical village, that should be enough, right?)

Chapter length 3967 characters.