In a World Filled with Deserts, an Old Man with Electronic Money

"I see, so you have a few magic boxes."

"Yeah."

I couldn't let Mr. Taranto know about "online shopping," so I went out of my way to replace white sugar, honey, and alcohol with magic boxes.

Well, let's check it out at the warehouse.

We and Mr. Taranto moved to the Garcia Chamber of Commerce warehouse, where we removed large quantities of white sugar, honey and liquor from the magic box.

"Hehe, is that alcohol... it's strong in alcohol. I can sell this."

Sake includes shochu, whiskey, and vodka in large capsules and pet bottles.

Anyway, I mainly prepared products with high alcohol content.

I also prepared luxury wines and whiskeys in luxurious boxes, but I don't know if they will sell.

Taranto, who tasted it, had a look on his face that he would like to taste any of them.

"Where did this come from?

"It's a secret supplier."

Even if you lie poorly about another country, you'll soon find out that the Garcia Chamber of Commerce has the ability to gather information.

I dared to fool the supplier.

All you have to do is understand that I'm the only one who can buy it.

"There's a plan to extract money from the kingdom's royalties and nobles, so it's half as good as it should be."

"Thank you very much. By the way, I heard a rumor that desert elves were gathering south, that the far south sea was resurrecting, and so on."

That's the Garcia Chamber of Commerce.

Have you already grasped the resurgence of the Far South Sea and the trends of the desert elves to some extent?

By waving the story to me, I am saying that I am involved in it as a 'transformer'.

"Well, I haven't actually seen it with my own eyes. It's just...."

"Just?"

"If that were true, it would soon be well known to many. As for the Garcia Chamber of Commerce, should we deal with it at that time? For now, we will have to do more to slow down the Shipland invasion by the Kingdom of Bart."

Someday we'll know, but it's best to keep the existence of the "South West Tribal Union" as hidden as possible.

Because I think so, I offer white sugar and so on cheaply.

And it's in the interest of both.

Mr. Taranto would have noticed that, and he wouldn't have said anything more.

Anyway, now, we need to take immediate action against the Burt kingdom, rather than taking action against the South West Tribal Union.

"... you don't have to count that many, but do you have anything luxurious? I love royalty and nobility. An expensive item that only I have. Show it to others and make it your authority. I'll give you as much money as I can."

A luxury.

You can take money from nobles and royalties, too.

"Yes, there is. On board."

Why don't we go back to the ship and shop online again?

"The 'Transformer' gave us more money to buy, so we can do more. Now, let's raise the value of the grain a little bit."

The King will be ordering the local nobles to stockpile food for a future Shipland invasion.

Therefore, we will increase the amount of grain purchased and release the stockpile.

Not only the kingdom of Bart, but also the nations of this world, have no grasp of the kingdom of the aristocracy dotted in the desert.

The state ordered me to "help myself" and "stockpile food", and I agreed, but I can't grasp the details.

Is it still better just to reply "It's okay"?

Only one soldier can be deployed, and if they say, "I can't afford it," that's it.

In the great dessert, which is mostly desert, it is above all important to protect their lives, and it is true that most aristocracy cannot afford to wage war at the behest of kings.

Not to mention the Bart kingdom's aristocrats, the Counts of Shipland, who have no idea what it is. That's why the King is trying to take down Shipland and help himself.

"Now, shall we begin the battle of merchants?"

The Garcian Chamber of Commerce, which purchased large quantities of goods from me, poured them into the Kingdom of Bart in large quantities at half price.

The kingdom did not loosen the purse strings, but nobles with territory and golden robes bought these items, reducing the stock of divine goods.

The Garcia Chamber of Commerce also allowed food to be exchanged, so the nobles also released large quantities of grain that they had stockpiled for use as food for the armies.

"I've sucked up a lot, so it should have been considerably less useful in battle in the armies."

Equivalent?

"Even so, the king is a capable aristocrat. You had better not be rude to them. It won't get caught, so it's a waste of effort."

I see.

As a good politician, some aristocrats refrain from wasting luxury and properly stockpile food and goods in case of accidents or famine.

"Oh, yeah." Crystal Glass "? That's popular. So drinking alcohol is popular among aristocrats and rich people."

Although the crystal glass was sold by the supplier, it was worth tens of thousands of idols from the thousands sold in "online shopping."

Though part of his strategy against the Kingdom of Bart, Lord Taranto seems to be making more money than expected because it can be sold to fly in hundreds of thousands to millions of Idols.

"Also, very cheap alcohol is very popular."

"Is that it?

Only alcohol.

In other words, it is commercial ethanol.

It is not methanol so there is no harm in drinking it, but it is only alcohol so there is no taste or smell at all.

However, it seems to be selling very well.

"Taxes on alcohol have increased dramatically in King's Land and the Territories directly under its jurisdiction. It's all about preparing for war."

When the price of alcohol rose proportionately, it was said that in the Kingdom of Bart, the sales of alcohol decreased and the breweries began to crush.

"So we started buying alcohol from us and selling it with colors, flavors and aromas."

Exactly the way the earth used to go… I think we've come to the production of artificial liquor that can be made cheaply.

I think many people say that fakes taste... but most people don't really understand the taste of alcohol.

Because if it's that easy to understand, there's no fake.

"Mix a small amount of fruit juice or mix with sugar or honey. Do you think there is more to offset the cost of higher taxes? They say it's popular because it can be served cheaply even in a tavern. Ah, the nobles say," Noble us don't drink such cheap wine! They're selling more and more expensive alcohol. "

What I'm doing is pretty horrible, but if the Kingdom of Burt were to crash Shipland, the existence of the "South West Tribal Union" would soon be known.

Because of the king, he'll be next to Old Town.

The Southwestern Tribal Union is not ready yet, and the coordination between the tribes is inconsistent.

All I want is time, and to do so I will not hesitate to use these horrible hands.

"Even so, are you here every week and are you based nearby now?

Yeah, well...

So far, I've been transporting loads to Shipland every week in "Base Transfer", but it looks like Mr. Taranto was suspicious.

There's a limit to concealing it, and I didn't think I'd divulge it to the Kingdom of Burt, so I left the answers out properly.

"Speaking of which, isn't the kingdom of Bart short of spirits?

Because the consumables were flowing to Shipland and us in large quantities.

I convert the god coins I get into Idolk, so the amount of god coins in circulation decreases.

Deflation is going on.

But there is a verse that the Kingdom of Bart does not realize.

Because the Garcia Chamber of Commerce has become more active, so customs revenues have increased.

The Royal Army will be strengthened, but on the contrary, the power of the nobles will not be greatly reduced.

Overall, the Kingdom of Bart's combat power was declining.

Because compared to the noble territories that are supposed to be properly followed, such as the direct jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Burt, it is only about 20% of the total.

"Distance from the desert hinders the emergence of a centralized state."

"That's what it is. The King may be furious if he mobilizes his armies."

There are aspects such as the difficulty of unified command of the Marquises, but no matter how rich the Shipland is economically, if it can be attacked by a large army, it won't be much fun.

If the numbers are combat power, and if the Royal Army has more hordes than the numbers, then the Shipland invasion will not succeed.

"If the nobles can send out soldiers or only a few, the king can do nothing."

"What are the possibilities of punishment?

"In the end, things will get worse in the same place."

Sending troops to the Oasis with punishment will exhaust the Royal Army and consume water and supplies stockpiles.

The Shipland invasion is getting further and further away.

"Even if we take down the oasis and turn it into a direct territory, there is still a distance between the oases. It takes time to govern."

For that effort, it is increasingly impossible to have an expulsion.

"Therefore, Lord Transformer's strategy was more effective than you thought. Tie the army's feet with gold without using soldiers. Are you sure you don't want to make any sacrifices? Ah, I'd love to keep the product from now on."

I want the kingdom of Burt to be quiet.

I will continue to wholesale the product to Mr. Taranto at a special price.

Well, I still make a lot of money.