The very essence of being a merchant, according to Ka-Lu, was being someone who could bring about a positive-sum game where both they and their transactional partner benefited. That was why he had dreamed of becoming a merchant from a young age. However, he had since been forced to accept it was because he still held on to this naive worldview that he remained a dime-a-dozen peddler with no prospects.
To become big enough to do business across the continent, one had to play the zero-sum game and pursue only one’s own interests. Forget skirting the law, one would at times have to completely step over it, sometimes even ensure the profits they made were less than the losses suffered by the other side. This was what all merchants, even those who weren’t particularly talented at it, learned after a few years.
However, Ka-Lu had never incorporated this worldview. In his book, the thanks he received when visiting villages no one else did counted as profits too. He made enough to live on, and that was enough for him. He was aware he was just being lackadaisical, so he had unconsciously snapped when characterized as some virtuous philanthropist.
“Nah, I think someone actually is, lately,” said Se-Raai, his smile deepening. “I’m just the owner of a tiny store near the slums. There has to be some other metric being used here. Otherwise, we would never have been chosen.”
He was largely on the same page as Ka-Lu. Though he had a store in the capital, he was the furthest one could get from being successful, as he bought nearly expired foodstuffs at a slightly higher price and sold them cheap to the poor. There was no way for him to grow with his meager earnings, and if he hadn’t had the connections his parents had left him, his store would have gone belly-up ages ago. This was why, despite his stunning looks, he had never come close to having a wife and child. He simply couldn’t afford it.
The way Se-Raai interpreted the situation was that the heavens, or someone, at least, was watching and had chosen him and Ka-Lu with intention. It might have been going too far to call what they were doing “good deeds,” but they were at least merchants who had shown a dedication to helping others while proving they could sustain themselves. What was being looked at probably wasn’t the value of the deals made, but their ability to make sure everyone walked away happy, though admittedly, this did sound almost too good-natured to be used in selection criteria.
“Did you just brag that you’re a great person with a straight face?”
“Ha ha ha. Joking aside, this is an incredible opportunity.”
“That I wholeheartedly agree with. I never dreamed I would ever get a commission from His Grace himself.”
“We’ve both gotta make the most of it, then.”
“R-Right.”
Se-Raai was still smiling, but there was a serious glint in his eyes that intimidated Ka-Lu a little. Though they had only become acquainted recently, Ka-Lu acknowledged Se-Raai as a very capable merchant. He never approached a negotiating table without already having the conclusion he wanted in mind, and the adroitness with which he arrived there was eye-opening each time. The smart thing to do, then, was to learn from him. Ka-Lu didn’t care that Se-Raai was younger. He was more skilled, and that fact alone was enough to seek his tutelage.
Besides, Se-Raai was right. Someone who failed to take advantage of such a big opportunity when it was handed to them on a silver platter, regardless of whether they sought ideals or pure profit, was all bluster and not a merchant. If they had a particular idea of the kind of merchant they wanted to become, this was the moment to take action toward getting there. Conversely, if what they had been doing so far had been working for them, the most foolish thing to do now was become overwhelmed by the opportunity and lose sight of who they were.
Taking the lesson from the younger Se-Raai to heart, Ka-Lu psyched himself up for the several large deals that he had scheduled today. And before he knew it, he blurted out, “You think I can get a floating island of my own? Just a small one.”
“Now that’s reaching high,” said Se-Raai, his surprise quickly turning into understanding. “But I suppose I can see the appeal it has for you.”
A traveling peddler would be able to stock up as much as he wanted and visit even the most remote villages at the end of the most treacherous paths. His low profit margin could be made up for in quantity, and he could lift all villages out of poverty. This was the ideal merchant that he had dreamed of becoming ever since he had been a child.
“Never mind. I spoke without thinking.”
Every floating island was outfitted with a staggering list of new and long-lost technomagicka, which made them so invaluable that every country only got one. Countries much larger than Daltaria had asked, but at present, Emelia was the only exception to the rule. Even if Ka-Lu managed to take full advantage of this opportunity and became an extremely successful merchant with a reach that spanned the continent, in the eyes of the ruling class, he would still be “just” a merchant. Realistically, chances of him receiving his own floating island were nil.
Even if he was visited by a miracle and it actually happened, the maintenance costs alone would cripple him. Even the tiny magic stones that nobles used in their everyday lives were ridiculously pricey, let alone those big enough for countries to use as a part of battle tactics. Keeping an island floating...was going to require a lot more effort than feeding a horse.
Ka-Lu couldn’t forget his dream, but he also had no choice but to admit how unrealistic it was. No one could laugh at his objectivity as weakness. Therefore, instead of agreeing with his objectivity or laughing at him, Se-Raai said, “Hey, there’s no reason for you to give up either. Keep at it. If you’re striving for a floating island, then I want my own teleport gate.”
“That...would be cool.”
If someone with a personal floating island joined hands with someone with a personal teleport gate, it would actually become realistic to set up a massive logistics network, including even villages too small to install teleport gates. They could make it so that everyone’s background was something they could simply laugh about, no matter where they were born and how lucky or unlucky their circumstances were. Never again would someone work from morning to night, day in and day out, without a single joy in their lives, and still have to watch their friends, their parents, or their siblings die. Se-Raai and Ka-Lu—they would be able to make all this happen on their own will and with their own strength, instead of endlessly waiting for someone else to do it.
Such a dream was more than worthy of being pursued. There was no time to waste dwelling on how impossible it was at present. Every day, things that had been impossible even for merchants so successful as to leave their names in history were being brought into the realm of possibility. Floating islands and teleportation gates were no longer mere fiction and actually existed in real life. The establishment of the Panhuman League, the restoration of the Floating Continent without a single casualty, the killing of Country Eater and consequent unsealing of the west—all these had been considered impossible, and yet they had come to pass.
If Se-Raai and Ka-Lu wanted miracles of their own, however, they had to at least first do everything in their power. The man with the power to grant all wishes, Sol, was naturally not an expert in everything. Getting him to realize what would constitute a miracle in the merchant world would require Se-Raai and Ka-Lu at least becoming recognized as experts in their field and obtaining the right to have his ear. But that wasn’t a bad goal to set as a merchant. And since they were shooting for the stars, they weren’t going to let concerns like maintenance costs hinder them.
All they were doing now was running full tilt toward this dream that had been born inside their hearts. It didn’t matter whether it came true or not. The fact that it was there and was something that they could aim for was meaningful in and of itself. There was no knowing at present what would become of that dream. However, it wouldn’t take long for the pair to become famous for making the most of the unprecedented opportunity presented by Reconquista Oeste and joining Sol in his Country in the Sky as his designated brokers.