Chapter 242 The Merchant Guild Master Is Busy Again Today
The main store of the Sophia Merchant Guild was bustling with an astonishing number of people.
This was something that was expected, of course. The main store of the Sophia Merchant Guild has a large garden, which was set up like a garden party, always providing drinks and food in a buffet style.
In front of the gate, an employee was asking customers about their purpose for visiting. They efficiently handled customers who wanted to look around the store, those looking for specific products, and those who had appointments or hoped to meet with Sophia.
By doing this, most of the casual visitors could be filtered out. There were some who shamelessly came just to eat and drink at the buffet, but that wasn't a big problem. It was more of a concern for the new Sophia Merchant Guild to make visitors feel 'ignored after coming all this way.'
Sophia entered the main store through the back gate and headed to her office. Immediately, No. 28, who was holding a stack of documents, approached her. It had completely become like a secretary.
"I'm sorry, I was supposed to come earlier."
"All meetings are scheduled for the afternoon, so there's no problem. The buffet is the same as usual, but it seems many customers are requesting cider and Elma brandy."
"It's impossible to serve that at the buffet. At least not at this stage."
"Understood."
"Hmm. Since there's a limit to the supply of Elma liquor, I guess I'll go buy some from the Harrington territory where wine is in surplus."
"About that Count Harrington, we've received a request to see him individually."
"Well, is that so? Where is Count Harrington staying?"
"It's a cottage near the hunting ground, but he said that if it's after tomorrow, he wouldn't mind coming to the main store himself."
"I feel bad asking that of the Count's family."
"I'm sorry to say this, but since Count Harrington is single, it might not look good for Lady Sophia to visit the cottage."
"Oh, he's single?"
"Count Harrington is currently 32 years old, but he has never been married."
"That's rare for a noble."
"I don't know the reason."
'Still, it's surprising how much this golem cares about appearances. Honestly, their growth is a bit scary.'
"It doesn't matter what the reason is. More importantly, if it's fine for after tomorrow, could you ask if he's interested in seeing the cider and Elma brandy production site?"
"Are you going to reveal the secrets of production to Count Harrington?"
"It's not something we can keep secret for long. Plus, just seeing it doesn't mean he can make it right away."
"Then, could you write a letter like that? I'll have an employee who can ride a horse take it and get a reply."
"Okay."
Sophia quickly wrote the letter and handed it to Number 28.
"Hmm. I still think brandy should be made from wine. And honestly, I'm in the mood for sparkling wine rather than cider. I do want to try making ale and whiskey, but Grandchester is all about wheat. I think there are places that make it from wheat, but I still believe it's malted barley. If I change direction a bit, corn could work too... hmm."
"Should I have Magi learn the current content?"
"Once things are a bit more organized, I'll talk about it, so it's fine for now."
"Understood."
At that moment, one of the employees rushed in.
"Lady Sophia, it's terrible! The transport carriage was attacked by bandits!"
"Bandits?"
"Yes. However, since they were carrying a lot of textbooks, the bandits only stole the cash from the coachman and the horses before leaving."
"Are the coachman and employees okay?"
"It seems they were slashed, but they didn't resist much, so their injuries are minor."
"That's good to hear. By the way, did the bandits leave the textbooks behind?"
"It seems they thought it was a Sophia Merchant Guild cart and expected to find valuable goods."
"So they were disappointed. Those textbooks must have been on their way from the printing house to the academy, right?"
"Yes. Even though it's the capital, there are still some areas with poor security."
"I see. I guess we'll have to add escorts for future transports..."
"Lady Sophia, if possible, please assign a strong golem. Just thinking about what could happen while transporting the large Spieluhr makes my stomach hurt..."
'Oh, this kid seems to have a weak stomach too. Maybe I should get some medicine from Amelia later.'
"I feel like we need to negotiate whether it's okay to bring golems into other territories. Wouldn't human escorts be better?"
"Do you think we can find reliable escorts quickly? Just thinking about the costs makes my stomach..."
"Even if the goods are stolen, don't worry, I won't tell you to 'pay me back.'."
'I can create golems that can disguise themselves as humans, but I'd prefer to avoid mass production if possible.'
"Maybe I should talk to Marquis Grandchester about improving the roads. If we can't transport goods without going through dangerous areas, we need to either fix another route or improve safety in those areas. This time we got lucky with just minor injuries, but it might not be the same next time."
"But will the lord take care of it?"
"A lord who knows there are problems with local industry distribution and does nothing should be labeled as incompetent. At least I don't think Marquis Grandchester is that kind of lord. In the long run, it benefits the territory and leads to stable income for us."
"I see."
"Anyway, send some money to the injured employee and give them paid leave. The Sophia Merchant Guild will cover all medical expenses. This applies not just to this incident but to any injuries or illnesses that happen during work or commuting. Also, make sure there's a proper environment for them to return to work once they recover."
"Is it really necessary to go that far?"
"Of course! They got injured while working for us."
"But isn't it too much to pay them even while they're on leave?"
"If they suddenly can't work due to an injury, it will be hard for them to make ends meet. What if they push themselves to come to work while injured and make it worse?"
"Ah... I see?"
In Sarasa's view, this was normal, but it seemed to be unusual in this world. Well, since there isn't a social system like in her previous life, all the costs fall on the Sophia Merchant Guild. However, she believes that employee welfare should not be neglected, as it correlates with loyalty to the merchant guild.
"Umm. If people find out about this, it seems like a lot of people will want to work at the Sophia Merchant Guild."
"I think it's a good thing since I plan to make the merchant guild bigger, right?"
"Not everyone is on our side. What if valuable manufacturing methods get stolen!?"
"Stealing my eyes for a crime?"
Sophia smiled brightly and murmured in a cheerful tone.
"If that becomes known, I think they'll regret being alive."
At that moment, a chill ran down the employee's spine.
However, ignoring the employee's fear, Sophia calmly handled the afternoon meeting schedule and, in between, visited the sales floor and buffet area to talk with customers. Thanks to these appearances, Spieluhr was selling so well that more production was needed, and buyers for cider and Elma brandy were already secured for the next 4 years.
Surprisingly, Robert's romance novel was selling a lot to "women." It seems that the "a bit extreme" descriptions were popular among women who had free time while their husbands and sons were at the hunting competition. It had secretly become a topic of gossip at tea parties, and many servants were coming to buy it on behalf of their employers.
Additionally, Robert's book was published in a paperback version, separate from the luxurious editions aimed at nobles. This version was priced so that commoners could afford it if they tried, so many servants would buy one for themselves while running errands for their masters.
'I never thought my father's book would be so popular with women. I wonder if I should read it too.'
Thinking that Rebecca would probably oppose her, Sara, in Sophia's form, decided to read it secretly.
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