The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 165

Chapter 165: The Water Transport Guild and Three Kinds of Dishes

Three men were seated in the reception room.

Since it wasn’t a particularly large industry, even if they weren’t all close friends, they were at least acquaintances.

The well-dressed man, clad in clothes made with an abundance of fabric so fine he could be mistaken for a nobleman, was Rainer, the head of a major trading company in the port city of Elban.

The short man with a stern expression, looking obstinately sullen, was Heinz, the guild master of the Soarasonne Water Transport Guild, who held the water rights to the Lacray Canal.

The man with a turban on his head and a full beard was Renato, a merchant from Romana who owned several large ocean-going vessels in Elban.

Each man held a position with considerable knowledge, experience, and connections regarding water transport.

The matter at hand was a meeting to discuss the founding of a water transport guild in the Enkar region, but Renato suspected that none of them, himself included, were particularly enthusiastic about it.

In logistics, the most profitable items are jewelry, followed by works of art, then practical goods processed from minerals or materials found only in that specific land. Foodstuffs harvested from a rural breadbasket were not considered particularly profitable commodities.

The reason such a group had gathered despite this was largely because these were not ordinary times.

Due to the potato blight that began last summer, the price of food had been steadily soaring. It was the height of summer now, so there was still some leeway, but to this day, potatoes were not growing properly, and a gloomy atmosphere enveloped society as a whole, with the fear that this winter could be even more bleak than the last.

When this happens, the overall economy stagnates, and people become reluctant to buy luxury goods like jewelry and art. If it is in a merchant’s blood to move goods from right to left, adding value, then right now, the blood in their entire bodies was stagnant and on the verge of spoiling.

While they were honestly desperate for any work they could get, it was a different story when it came to signing a contract with the lord of the land and establishing a water transport guild.

Once you get involved in a public works project, you can’t just pull out because the economy has recovered.

Nobles place great importance on face, and the act of a commoner causing a noble to lose face is something that the entire aristocratic society will not forgive.

It would be unbearable to get too deeply involved in a noble’s business only to find your trading company treated like a low-ranking vassal before you know it.

The secret to success as a merchant could be said to lie in not getting too deeply involved with the nobility, maintaining a certain distance as a company or guild.

In the case of this summons, the proper course of action would be to say that they lacked the power to participate in the establishment of the water transport guild, but would be willing to trade goods until the famine subsided.

—I’ve also heard a story about some fool from some trading company getting into a dispute with the lord of the Enkar region. It would be a problem if they tried to take advantage of our situation.

On the way from the highway to the castle, it was clear that this region was doing very well economically. The faces of the people on the road were healthy, and their expressions were relaxed. The wheat harvest was already over, and the fields were covered in green crops.

Food was what was most in demand right now. It could be sold for many times its price in normal times.

The three men were shown into the reception room of the lord’s mansion, determined to maneuver things to their advantage, but the first thing they all did upon entering was to stare at the window.

At first, they had only thought the storm shutters were wide open because they could see through to the other side, but when Rainer let out a questioning “Hmm?”, they realized that was not the case.

Glass was fitted into the window. However, it was not the familiar type of round, blown glass joined with lead, but a single, large, flat sheet of glass.

—I’ve never seen anything like that.

They wanted to get a closer look, and preferably touch it, but they couldn’t possibly act as if they were appraising a nobleman’s residence, so they settled down on the sofa.

After waiting for about ten minutes, a young woman dressed in a navy blue one-piece dress appeared.

They had heard that the lord of the Enkar region was the new wife of the Oldrand family, so they started to rise, thinking this must be Melfina von Oldrand, but she stopped them with a gesture of her hand.

“My name is Marie, and I am the lord’s chief secretary. It seems it will be a little while longer before the lord arrives, and she asks that you please have some light refreshments while you wait.”

Being made to wait after being summoned by a noble was a common tactic to establish authority. Renato knew that waiting was part of a merchant’s job, and while he didn’t know what Rainer was thinking inwardly, he wore a smiling expression.

Only Heinz, the guild master of Soarasonne’s water transport guild, did not hide his perpetually sullen expression.

As soon as the woman who called herself the secretary left the room, a young man who could still be called a boy entered, followed by two maids pushing carts.

The first cart held plates of food, while the one behind it carried a small keg of ale and mugs.

“My name is Ed, the lord’s head chef. It is but simple country cooking, but I have prepared some light refreshments and hope you will enjoy them.”

One of the maids poured ale for the three men and placed a mug in front of each of them. The boy named Ed placed one of the large platters from the cart in the middle of the table.

“The lord sends her word that this goes very well with ale, so please do try some. Ah, please just pick them up with your hands.”

Urged on in a cheerful tone, the three men stared intently at what was on the plate.

It appeared to be a thin, oval-shaped something. It was piled high.

It was a food they had never seen before. They couldn’t even imagine what it would taste like.

It is bad manners to ask a cook what a dish is before tasting it. Just as he was about to reach out, thinking they surely wouldn’t serve poison, Heinz reached out a moment sooner and put one in his mouth.

Startled by the crunching sound, Heinz himself, the one who had eaten it, seemed shocked. He hurriedly brought the ale to his lips, and his eyes widened even further with a gasp.

“Lord Heinz, how is it?”

“Hmph…”

The stern-faced man snorted, then grabbed another handful… a larger one than before, and put it in his mouth. He chewed with a crunching sound and washed it down with more ale.

“…You, my apologies, but another ale, please.”

“Yes, sir!”

Fearing he would finish the whole plate by himself at this rate, Rainer and Renato reached out.
To the touch, it was hard and thin, and seemed as though it would crumble easily if they applied any force. Bringing it closer to his mouth, Renato smelled a fragrant aroma, and the smell of oil.
As a wealthy merchant, Renato had enjoyed his fair share of delicacies, but this was a complete unknown.

“Here goes!” he thought, and tossing it into his mouth, he chewed. Indeed, it crumbled easily in his mouth with a crunch.

The light texture and saltiness breaking apart in his mouth was interesting, but it sapped the moisture from his mouth. Following Heinz’s example, he tilted his mug of ale, and the wide-eyed expression he made was likely identical to the one Heinz had made just moments before.

The first thing that hit him was a vivid bitterness. But it was by no means an unpleasant taste; immediately after the shock, a refreshing, fruit-like aftertaste followed.

There was no off-flavor, no unpleasant acidity, no hint of mold. It was as clear as spring water.

“What is this ale!?”

“The lord’s brewery was just completed the other day, so this is freshly made ale! It’s delicious, isn’t it?”

“The lord’s… brewery…? Does that mean this ale can be purchased?”

“It’s drunk normally in the Enkar region, so of course you can purchase it.”

By the time he finished his conversation with the boy who answered questions with a constant smile, he realized the plate had been emptied by Rainer and Heinz. The two shrewd men had apparently been listening intently to the conversation between Renato and the boy while enjoying the unfamiliar dish and the vivid ale.

He felt like clicking his tongue, but the boy named Ed quickly cleared the plate, and next, a small bowl accompanied by a small spoon was placed in front of each of the three men.

“This also goes well with ale, so please try it.”

“Oh…”

This, too, was a dish he had never seen before. He could see that it contained cucumber, a summer vegetable, and egg, but the whole thing was a chaotic paste, with something like a black powder sprinkled on top.

Taking a spoonful, he immediately recognized the black substance as pepper. After the strong taste of the spice, a sticky texture with a salty and sour kick assaulted him.

He felt an overwhelming urge to drink ale and reached for his mug, but it was already empty.

“My apologies, but could I have another glass as well?”

“Yes, sir! The lord said she would like you to try various kinds if you wish, so please, have as much as you like!”

“Wait a minute… there are different kinds of ale?”

“Yes, this keg is the most standard one. The lord has made various other ales as well. When this keg is empty, I will bring the next one.”

Renato swallowed hard with a gulp.

—What in the world is going on in this domain?

A land untouched by the gloomy atmosphere of this famine, a window fitted with a flat sheet of glass of a clarity he had never seen before, and a dish and ale that he, a prominent merchant, was tasting for the first time.

Ale was a commoner’s drink. It was a commonplace thing that a craftsman’s wife would make in her kitchen, and apart from the ale sold by well-known breweries or temples, it wasn’t particularly tasty.

If he were to believe the words “I would like you to try various kinds,” it meant there were at least three or more types of ale of this level.

—This paste-like food, too, I don’t know what it is, but it’s delicious.

The balance of saltiness and acidity was good, and with one bite, a whole mug of ale disappeared. He had thought pepper was for masking the smell of meat that was no longer fresh, but who knew it could be used like this.

This discovery alone made the trip to the Enkar region today worthwhile.

The three of them finished the small keg, and with the next keg, Ed announced he would be back with the third dish and left the room.

“…This ale is also extremely delicious.”

“Indeed.”

Rainer nodded in agreement with Renato, who had spoken his thoughts aloud.

“The two dishes were also, while not ornate, very delicious. Did you figure out what they were made of?”

“I could only tell that the first dish was likely cooked in oil, and that the second dish used cucumbers that had been rubbed with egg and salt. It’s clear it wasn’t meat, so the ingredients must be vegetables grown around here. Lord Heinz, since you reside in Soarasonne, would you happen to know?”

“What, you two didn’t know what that was?”

The sullen man snorted as if to mock them.

“It’s something you two have definitely eaten before. Being served something like that, there’s no way I could bring myself to go against the lord of this land. I’ll be the first to speak up for the establishment of this guild. You two weren’t keen on it anyway, were you?”

“Oh… But if you put it that way, it makes it difficult for me to back down so easily.”

“So, Lord Heinz, you believe those two dishes hold that much value. The dishes, yes, but this ale alone is something I would very much like to get into distribution.”

Delicious ale is an extremely valuable commodity, so much so that owning a villa near a temple that brews famous ale has become a status symbol for nobles.

But ale, in general, does not keep well. And the Enkar region is at the northern tip of the Kingdom of Francesca, separated from the neighboring country by a deep forest with no highways.

“Even if a waterway were built, it might be manageable as far as Elban, but beyond that would be quite difficult.”

“What a shame. However, if it’s manageable as far as Elban, then we can just have Lord Heinz transport it for us.”

“Indeed.”

The fact that they laughed, “Hahaha,” might have been due to slight intoxication. Heinz, as usual, did not join their circle and continued to gulp down his ale.

“You two seem to think you’re completely out of the running for the guild bid, but I bet you’ll change your tune when the next dish arrives.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you think she intentionally served it in three separate dishes, and in a way that makes the original ingredients unrecognizable? It’s simple. She’s testing us. Don’t forget that the maid over there is listening to this conversation.”

Being told “over there,” he pointed to where a maid remained by the cart.

For the wealthy and the nobility, servants were like air. Even though he had been aware of the maid’s presence before Heinz mentioned it, he hadn’t paid her any mind.

“Whether we have an eye for the value of things, whether we have the spirit to get on board with a business venture, whether we are trustworthy individuals—that girl will report everything to the lord. Because it’s a bidding process, you seem to think we are the ones choosing, but don’t forget that the right to choose a business partner belongs not only to us, but to the lord as well.”

“…”

He exchanged a look with Rainer, but he couldn’t believe that the benefit of getting involved with this domain and the major undertaking of launching a water transport guild was as great as Heinz claimed.

However, Renato’s intuition as a merchant who managed his trading company as a major shipowner told him that backing out of the bid now might not be a wise move.

—The famine will eventually end. To take on a job that is firmly tied to the nobility, dealing in agricultural products and ale that doesn’t keep well is a high risk.

That’s how it should be.

“Thank you for waiting. Please have the third dish. This one is hot, so please use a fork. This red sauce and the white sauce both go well with it, so please enjoy it with whichever you prefer.”

A large platter was once again placed before the three men who had naturally fallen silent.

Faced with it, Rainer and Renato were left speechless. Oblivious to them, Heinz confidently speared a piece with his fork, dipped it in the bright red sauce, and popped it into his mouth.

“Hoph! Hot!”

He cried out, gulped down his ale, and let out a huge breath.

“I never thought I’d be able to eat a dish made with such a lavish amount of potatoes in times like these! More than any fancy cuisine, this is filled with the lord’s spirit of hospitality!”

“Thank you very much!”

At that exchange, the maid also smiled brightly.

On the platter, unlike the previous dishes, the shape of the main ingredient was instantly recognizable.

It was a dish made with cooked potatoes, skin and all.