Kamisama Shop de Cheat no Kaori

Chapter 187. The Bumpy Family And The Devil’s Contract

“Nice to meet you, Messara-sama. I am Lotton Magua from the Adale Trading Company. I have long heard of your esteemed name. I am truly delighted to have this opportunity to meet you.”

Lotton, the merchant armed with the rare monocle, greets Messara in a place that’s still uncommon in this world—the nation’s Fair Trade Office.

The grand stone building is frequently used in Sebites, a city-state with a bustling trade economy, for medium to large transactions.

The low service fees are said to be one of its most attractive features. Lotton had confirmed these details with me beforehand.

While Lotton and Dodol Messara shake hands, I read the contract document for the third time. If there’s a mistake here, everything will be ruined.

There are three sheets of paper. One is the document for Dodol borrowing 1 billion yen from the Adale Trading Company. To secure a quick decision, the price was reduced by another 50 million yen.

This transaction has one major stipulation: “The mirror cannot be used as collateral.” Dodol tilted his head, but when I cheerfully said, “If you sell the mirror, it won’t be a problem,” he nodded in understanding.

He was surprised to hear there were 300 mirrors, but when I explained they were discovered by chance, the Fair Trade Office staff accepted it without issue.

The second sheet is the document for me lending 1 billion yen to the Adale Trading Company. The interest rate is slightly higher than the first document. There are no special terms or tricks here.

The last one is the mirror transfer certificate between Dodol and me. The mirror will be delivered simultaneously as I sign the second document with the Adale Trading Company. After looking over all three documents, Dodol finally understood the flow of the transaction.

Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say that, after confirming with the Fair Trade Office staff that there was no wrongdoing or hidden tricks, he accepted the transaction. He was also reassured when the staff explained that it’s common not to use the transaction items as collateral, and he nodded solemnly.

I started bringing in the mirrors that I had prepared in advance, unloading them at the Fair Trade Office. All of them were transported from the slums. This time, I had Hag and Yalarai as guards, so there were no issues.

I hired a large number of people this time. The four people who helped last time, along with Gilo and Clary, each took care of two new workers.

I paid each of the six 2,000 yen and gave the remaining twelve 1,200 yen each. Labor costs amounted to 12,000 yen and 14,400 yen. Plus the cost of the mirrors at 1,926,000 yen. Totaling 1,952,400 yen.

Remaining balance: 42,751,868 yen.

The six who already understood the fragility of the mirrors carefully taught the new workers how to handle them, loading them onto the cart Lotton had lent us. As expected, Lotton also provided thick blankets to prevent the mirrors from breaking.

In three trips with the large cart, everything was delivered without any breakage. I owe Lotton thanks for that.

The mirrors, now neatly arranged, were a magnificent sight. Although they weren’t required to, the Fair Trade Office staff, ordered by Dodol, checked each mirror for any issues.

Perhaps they saw it as an opportunity to touch luxury mirrors. It was a bit amusing to see each of them peering into the mirrors, looking disappointed with their own faces.

And then, the contract signing. We all signed the documents. The Fair Trade Office staff checked that all the conditions were met and stamped the documents with the official seal. Of course, all copies were kept.

“Congratulations, Messara-sama. The mirrors are now yours.”

“Oh, oh… so this is it…”

“Those of noble rank will surely crave these splendid mirrors.”

“Yes, yes, indeed.”

Dodol nodded with satisfaction. I hope they sell well. The three of us shook hands, and each returned to our respective paths.

◆

A few days later. The Clothing Guild has officially purchased a corner of the slums and is rapidly constructing a large-scale production facility. This world has lax safety standards, and the building is rising quickly.

At first, the slum dwellers strongly opposed it, but they were promised priority employment during construction and after the factory’s completion, so now they are actively cooperating.

I’ve also heard that people from the Eastern Slums have started moving in.

Once the factory is complete, the construction of dormitory-style apartments is also planned. Recently, the atmosphere in the Western Slums has begun to brighten.

Along with that, the scale of the soup kitchens has been reduced. Now, the focus is on serving those who absolutely cannot find work. However, we’ve also made it so that people who join the local community group, managed by Depass, can receive meals too.

At first, the slum dwellers disliked the idea of being bound by rules, but once they realized that following some basic discipline made it easier to get a job, the number of members gradually increased.

After the factory’s completion, there was still much to be done. Fortunately, the mass production of sewing machines has been successful, and the Clothing Guild has been steadily increasing the number of machines beyond the two initially prepared.

The unit price for each machine is high, so it will be a while before profits are made, but T-shirts and Y-shirts have already started showing signs of becoming big hits. The T-shirts are priced at 5,000 yen, and the Y-shirts at 7,000 yen, which is a bit bold, but still far cheaper than second-hand clothes available in regular circulation.

The T-shirt prices ended up higher than expected because I insisted on using fabric that stretches and contracts. The weaving process is special, and the fabric itself is a bit more expensive.

But still, everything is new. As predicted, the T-shirts are popular with common folk, and the Y-shirts are favored by merchants. Currently, the supply of products is far from meeting demand.

When I asked Felicia, the Guild Leader (with large breasts), she mentioned that several trading companies have already inquired about large bulk orders. It seems the merchants’ faces were quite amusing when they realized the same clothes could sell.

Other trading companies, lacking sewing machines, can only watch enviously. When they heard that 100 pieces of clothing could be made in just a week, they turned pale with shock.

That was… well, unfortunate for them. Of course, the details about the sewing machines are a secret, but building a factory in the slums and rapidly mass-producing ready-made clothes has attracted a lot of attention. Many spies have gathered to gather information. I’ve asked Yalarai, my guard, not to engage with them unless they make a move.

However, if they try something physically, that’s a different matter. Apparently, there have been two idiots who tried to start a fire, and they are now hiding in fear, unable to leave their beds. What did you do, Yalarai…? Given that, I’ve increased security. With this in place, we should be fine even if we leave for a while.

While helping out with the Clothing Guild, I’ve been having Gilo and Clary assist me in working on something else… simultaneously.

Thanks to that, I’ve been so busy that it feels like my head is spinning. …Well, it’s still better than my time in Japan. After all, I can sleep at least four hours a day. By the way, here’s my current balance. Unexpectedly, small expenses have been adding up.

Remaining balance: 42,319,018 yen.

And one morning, as usual, Lotton Magua from the Adale Trading Company, with his monocle, came to visit.

But he wasn’t smiling. I thought, “Could it be?” as I greeted him and approached. Had something gone wrong?

As a cold sweat ran down my back, Lotton gave me a malicious grin.

“Dodol Messara has gone bankrupt.”