Volume 3 Chapter 135: Even in Another World It’s Busy near the End of the Year (1/2)

Now that I’ve finally gotten back to town, there’s a mountain of things I want to do and have to do.

First, let’s drop by the store and get a report on what happened when I wasn’t around.

“Welcome back, Boss.” [Carm]

“Carm-san?” [Ryouma]

When I went to the store after 5 days of absence, Carm-san welcomed me.

Considering he was standing by the employee entrance, could he have been waiting for me all this time?

“I had an idea of when the guild training would come to an end.” [Carm]

As expected, he wasn’t waiting all this time.

“I’ve been watching them.” [Carm]

“Them?” [Ryouma]

When I glanced to the side, I saw some unfamiliar women carrying luggages.

“The new employees?” [Ryouma]

“Yes. A few days ago I implemented the condition of ‘Employ More People Only When It’s Busy’.” [Carm]

“I see.” [Ryouma]

So they’re working part-time here.

“I have several reports to give, so please wait at the office.” [Carm]

Several? That’s rare.

He usually just gave me a summarized report. I wonder if something happened.

I waited at the office just as he told me to. When he came, he was carrying a lot more documents than usual.

“Shall be begin with the earnings call as usual?” [Carm]

“Please.” [Ryouma]

This part we’re already used to.

There wasn’t anything strange on the report.

Our revenue hasn’t increased, but there didn’t seem to be any problems, so next.

A list of supplies to replenish. No problem. Permission granted.

The report from the branch store at Renauph. No problems.

Most things were taken care of by Carm-san, and my job was generally just to double-check and grant permission. The work I have to do now is way easier compared to before.

As we gradually wrapped up the work to be done, we eventually got to do the last document of our usual routine.

“Thank you very much. There are also some people who have contacted you. First… There has been some movement among the slums and the government office that you were concerned about.” [Carm]

“What happened?” [Ryouma]

“The government office compromised on some parts, so the situation in the slum has finally calmed down.” [Carm]

“I see.” [Ryouma]

While relieved to hear that, I asked for more details. It turns out that the government office investigated some of the open areas the homeless people were illegally staying at and acknowledged some of them to be suitable for living.

“The general policy of the government office won’t change, but by showing that they have no intentions of taking a firm stance, the slum people are now able to calm down. People responding to the government office’s employment offers have also started appearing.

Although there are still many of them wary of the government office, at least, the relationship is finally beginning to be mended.” [Carm]

There are still problems, but with this, things should finally calm down…

Maybe I should go to that teahouse again. He did say he was there five times a week.

“What’s next?” [Ryouma]

“An invitation from Serge-sama of the Morgan Company.” [Carm]

He was inviting me to greet the Jamil family.

Just as Roche-san said a few days ago, this is the season for merchants to make profit. During this time of the year, merchants would get a lot of orders from valued clients, and since the nobles will be busy come the end of the year, the merchants also use this time to greet the various noble houses.

Especially in Serge-san’s case, as he knows many noble families. If he doesn’t start now, who knows when he’ll be able to finish. In fact, it seems he’s already greeted a number of people. As such, he wants to invite me to meet at the residence of the duke’s family next month and greet them together.

“Will you be going?” [Carm]

“Can I go? …I mean I would love to go, but…” [Ryouma]

“I understand your worries. Our business might be going well, but we are still novices at this. And there is no end to the merchants that seek profit and want to keep up an acquaintance with the duke’s family. As such, it must be difficult for the duke to spare time for novices such ourselves.” [Carm]

”But,” Carm-san added. “That was only true if your situation were normal, Boss.”

“The duke’s family has already taken a liking to you. As long as you ask for it, I’m sure they’ll give you the time of day. If they’re willing to meet you, then nothing could be better.

It’s also common to take someone along when going to greet a noble, so you shouldn’t stand out even if you do accompany Serge-sama. You might be mistaken for a servant, however, but… That’s that.”

Greeting a family is standard procedure, so maybe I should take him up on his offer, but in that case…

“I’ll be needing a formal set of clothes and a gift, right?” [Ryouma]

“Yes. I’ve already searched for tailors and clothes shops that sell ready made clothes. I’ve summarized these stores already, so please wait for a moment.” [Carm]

As expected, he sure works fast.

“The problem then is what gift to bring. Store-owners generally gift their own products, but…” [Carm]

“Our store only has deodorizing liquids…” [Ryouma]

“I can prepare something safe like liquor if needed, but I was thinking that perhaps you could find something more unique.” [Carm]

“That would probably be best.” [Ryouma]

We decided to split the work and look for a suitable gift.

“Also… Please take a look at this list.” [Carm]

“These are… Medicine. All of them.” [Ryouma]

“It’s from Grisiera-sama, the guild master of the merchant guild. The medicine in that list are sold higher than the normal price, so if you have some stock or could make some, the guild would like to negation with you for them. They’re also in season.” [Carm]

“…So demand has gone up from the side of the nobles, huh.” [Ryouma]

“The people carrying them on their person just to be safe have increased.” [Carm]

All of the sudden, the whole world is moving…

“This is the last one. Tigger-sama from the Tigger’s Arms Store has completed a prototype. And has left behind a message asking you to visit his store when you have the time.” [Carm]

Oh, right. I did ask him to see if he could make adventuring equipment with slimes as the material. So he completed it, huh.

“Alright. I’ll drop by in the near future.” [Ryouma]

“And that concludes my report.” [Carm]

“Thank you very much.” [Ryouma]

I thanked Carm-san for reporting to me, then I went and made a list of jobs.

Perhaps because the year is gradually approaching its end, the amount of work to be done has increased. If I don’t write everything down, I won’t be at ease.

Let’s start with the priority. Naturally, this would be the matter relating to the duke’s family. I should order my clothes first before thinking about the gift. Next on the list would be Tigger-san’s store, and then the Affinity Diagnosis from the tamer guild. Timewise, I think I’ll set this to tomorrow.

When I get back, I’ll have to check the mines, replenish the feed of the slimes and rimel birds, and I also want to experiment with the bloody slimes, but… I don’t have to rush that one. I should rest a bit and find a better place for the mushroom cultivation experiment… As expected, it’s really going to be busy.

After writing down all the work I thought of and confirming that I hadn’t overlooked anything, I started working on the list starting with the top.

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