The Cursed Forest Where I Was Exiled Had Somehow Been Designated As A Sanctuary. - Awakened to the Purification skill, I, Surrounded By Divine Dragons And Great Spirits, Become The King of A Nation - Episode 27

The negotiation will take place in a room at Zess’s house.

In the spacious house, there are rooms that are not used for daily living. One of those rooms was designated as a reception room, and the Starlords were invited in.

Inside the room, Zess and Larrado are sitting, and across the table are Star Lord and his aide.

“Oh, thank you very much for your kind attention.”

When Flora places tea in front of them, Star-Lord breaks into a gentle smile.

He took a sip of tea and leaned forward.

“Once again, I would like to express my gratitude for providing this opportunity. To be direct, we, the Silk Trading Company, wish to establish trade with this village. We are a new trading company. Our scale and history cannot be compared to those of the larger trading companies. However, we have established trade routes across the continent, and we believe we can certainly be of assistance.”

“A country on the continent… ‘Trade Route…'”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Star-Lord smiled broadly at Zess’s muttering.

――Silk Trading Company.

Although it was just established fifteen years ago, the trading company is expanding its influence at an abnormal speed.

The strength, without a doubt, is the skill “Trade Route” of the guild master, Star Lord.

That ability is something that any merchant would envy.

“My ‘Trade Route’ is a skill that opens the way to places where trade has been established. The ability to trade with the Larrado who live in the Great Tree Forest is solely due to this skill. You are surely aware of its usefulness, Lord Larrado.”

“Of course. It’s thanks to the Silk Guild that we’ve been able to trade with the outside world.”

At Star-Lord’s words, who never fails to wear a cheerful smile, Larrado also nods vigorously.

Listening to that exchange, Zess felt a sense of discomfort.

I’m not lying… but it’s not the whole truth either…

In the original plan, we intended to just have a brief discussion about the trade goods and then sign a contract with the Silk Trading Company.

However, while listening to the story, Zess changed his mind.

So far, we have only been promoting our own interests and haven’t been discussing the benefits for the trading company.

On the contrary, Zess found it strange that they were trying to manipulate him using Larrado.

It’s as if they want to finalize the contract before getting too deeply involved. It reminds me of the salesman who barged into the store in my previous life.

Feeling nostalgic, Zess slowly opened his mouth.

“I understand the story. Indeed, it seems we don’t have any particular disadvantages.”

“Well then――”

“However, there are still things I haven’t heard about regarding the trade agreement.”

“What is that…?”

With a sudden shift from a bright expression, Zess firmly addressed the bewildered Star-Lord.

“The benefits your side would gain from trading with us… to put it another way, Star-Lord’s intentions. I would like to hear about that.”

Star-Lord’s eyes widen as he stares back intently into Zess’s eyes.

As the tension began to fill the room, causing Larrado and the others to fluster, Star-Lord shrugged slightly.

“Really, to let a business partner say something like that… I still have a long way to go.”

Star-Lord takes a deep breath, sips his tea, and says something with a somewhat refreshing tone.

“Well then, let me explain our objective.”

◆　◆　◆

“—The monopoly on the resources of the Great Forest, is it?”

In response to Zess’s rumination, Star-Lord nodded.

“Currently, no trading company on the continent has succeeded in ensuring a stable supply of the resources sleeping in the Great Forest Sea. This is only natural, as the risks do not match the returns.”

The Great Tree Sea is a land abandoned by all the countries of the continent due to its danger.

However, because of that, the resources sleeping in the Great Forest Sea are truly inexhaustible.

In a slightly heated voice, Star-Lord continued.

“However, this place is different. Thanks to the blessing of the Great Spirit, it is a land where monsters do not approach—if we have this village, we can steadily gather the resources of the Great Tree Forest. And if it is us, we can monopolize those abundant resources and distribute them throughout the entire continent.”

“With the resources of the Great Forest, you want to increase the Silk Guild’s influence on the continent— is that correct?”

“Hahaha, it seems like Lord Zess has seen through us. But that’s correct. …This is our entire aim. What do you think?”

Star-Lord gives a wry smile, palms facing Zess.

Zess also softened his expression towards him, who had revealed everything candidly.

“Mr. Larrado”

“Y-yes!”

At Zess’s call, Larrad takes out a parchment.

There, our requests regarding the trade organized by the Larrado are recorded.

Star-Lord, relieved that the negotiations had begun, had the parchment handed to his aide while casting a curious glance at Zess.

◆　◆　◆

“Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, how was it?”

Star-Lord, having finished the first meeting, is greeted by his subordinates.

“Yeah, well, so far it seems to be going well. It seems that they also wanted to keep the existence of this village a secret, just like we did. …However, we need to reassess our perception of this village.”

“Recognition, is it?”

At the bewildered expression of his subordinate, Star-Lord let out a deep sigh and looked up.

“I unconsciously looked down on this village. Just like when we were trading with Lord Larrado’s Dwarven village. I thought of them as a pitiful group, barely surviving by huddling together in an isolated, forsaken place. And I believed that we, the Silk Trading Company, were the only group capable of extending a helping hand to them, and that they would never reject our offer.”

However, Star-Lord firmly interrupts.

“Look at this village. Well-maintained, lively, not afraid of tomorrow. It doesn’t differ from the outside world, and in fact, it seems even happier.”

Star-Lord looks around the village, exuding a sense of defeat as he speaks.

“It was truly a misunderstanding. They don’t need our power at all. Even without us, they can survive. Lord Zess must have seen through our true nature. It feels like we were told, ‘We can live without trading with you.’ And that’s probably true. We must never misjudge them again.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Yeah. Please do that.”

Star-Lord gently smiles back at his subordinate’s words.

And then, I captured a glimpse of Zess in the distance, surrounded by many people, with a somewhat shy smile on his face.

Above his head, there is also the figure of Yggdrasil.

As if looking at something dazzling, Star-Lord squinted his eyes.

“……The monopoly on the resources of the Great Tree Sea doesn’t matter to me anymore. The fact that we were the first to establish trade with him should bring significant benefits to our trading company.”

Star-Lord. That position, and even the profession, is [Guild Master].

The man, destined to be so from birth, felt his heart race for the first time in a long while and secretly smiled.