Chapter 316 Too Much Is Not Good
Sara had one of the Grandchester knights assigned as her bodyguard and rushed to the Sophia Merchant Guild with Durandal. The deadline for the agreement with the Commerce Guild was approaching, so she quickly switched places with the golem version of herself.
Meanwhile, the golem that had been Sophia transformed into Sara's appearance. After finishing the tasks she was doing as Sophia up to a good stopping point, she returned to Maiden's Tower with Durandal with the waiting knight.
Sophia arrived at the Commerce Guild a little late, accompanied by her bodyguard Daniel. As they headed to the reception, a guild staff member was already waiting for Sophia.
They were led into a large conference room where many merchants were already waiting.
"I'm sorry. I'm a bit late."
"It's fine. Preparing as a woman takes time. We understand that much."
Kojimo replied with a hint of sarcasm, gesturing to a female guild staff member who was working like a maid, and had her guide Sophia to an empty seat.
"Sophia Merchant Guild Master, please take this seat. Would you like something to drink?"
"Then, could you brew this tea for me? It's my new product."
Sophia took out a cute pouch from a small bag she was holding and handed it to the guild staff member.
"I'll give you the leftover tea leaves. It's a blend that helps with tired eyes and shoulder pain. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it later."
"Thank you. I'll try it with the other staff."
"Looking forward to it."
Sophia smiled brightly.
However, even such a cheerful exchange looked annoying to the other merchants. It was only natural. All of them were merchants involved in the wheat trade.
"I want to get straight to the point. I've heard that the Sophia Merchant Guild has bought up all the wheat from the Grandchester territory. Is that true?"
Sophia tilted her head, looking puzzled.
"Why are you asking something you all already know? Such a preface is a waste of time."
"What did you say!"
"I'm just following the price announced by Grandchester. What's the problem with that?"
"In Grandchester, there are traditional allocations for each merchant guild. To just take everything for yourself like that!"
The man who had been shouting at Sophia was a merchant from the capital who had bought the most wheat from Grandchester and had given plenty of bribes to Kojimo.
"Oh, how strange. I'm negotiating directly with Sir Robert to buy the wheat. Even if you mention tradition, I haven't heard anything from the Grandchester family's son..."
"Nobles and merchants have different perspectives. Even if you're a newcomer, you're still a merchant, so you should follow the Commerce Guild's policies!"
The man slammed his hand on the table and stood up, looking a bit unsteady, as if his blood pressure had risen.
"Oh dear, aren't you feeling well? Getting too excited isn't good for your health."
"Whose fault do you think it is!"
"It seems like there are issues with your lifestyle habits, so it's probably your fault. Oh, our merchant guild also offers herbal tea for those kinds of problems. Please do give it a try."
Sophia smiled elegantly. Sara could feel Daniel trying hard to hold back his laughter from behind.
"You──!"
"Atoll Merchant Guild Master, I also have the name Sophia. Since I am representing the Merchant Guild here, please call me 'Guild Master Sophia.' Your comments have been quite rude. What do the others think?"
"Y-yeah, since you are the representative of the Merchant Guild, we should treat you with respect..."
The merchants who were prompted to respond had no choice but to agree with Sophia's point.
"Also, I was curious about your statement. Didn't you mention the 'Commerce Guild's policy'?"
"I said it, so what!"
"That can be interpreted as the Commerce Guild having a written policy on wheat trading. I would very much like to see it. Guild Manager Kojimo, what do you think?"
Kojimo flinched when he was called out. This was equivalent to Sophia saying, "Show me the evidence of collusion."
"Such a thing does not exist."
"Is that so? Then, wouldn't it be understandable that I, as a newcomer, do not know the traditional wheat trading policy of the Grandchester territory?"
"U-um..."
"If you need to make changes, please let me know in writing. Of course, everyone here is aware of this, so I would also like you to sign to show that you all agree with this policy. And of course, Merchant guild master Atoll, you will be the first to sign, right?"
Sophia asked a guild staff member nearby to prepare paper and a pen for the documents.
"Right now, please write down that policy and have everyone sign it. If you say you 'can't,' then please stop bothering me about this matter."
Sara thrust the paper and pen she received from the guild staff at Kojimo.
"I'm sorry. I will give up on forcing you to follow our policy."
But Merchant guild master Atoll, was not silent.
"Guild Manager! What nonsense are you saying? Merchants have an unspoken agreement. Why should we have to buy wheat at any price they set?"
"Because that is how market competition works. It is only natural that the one who values the wheat more buys it."
Sophia calmly responded to Atoll's statement with a cool expression.
"Y-you... you know exactly what you're doing, don't you?"
"Well, I don't think I'm handling any transactions beyond my ability, but it might look different to others. If what everyone here wants to say is just this, then I will take my leave. I have no intention of enduring any more of Atoll's rudeness."
As Sophia quietly stood up, Daniel offered his hand to support her, when another merchant raised his voice loudly.
"Wait, please, Merchant Guild Master Sophia!"
"What is it, Merchant Guild Master Ratia?"
"Please, sell us the wheat! We already have a buyer lined up. If we don't deliver by the deadline, our guild will have to pay a huge penalty."
"That's your problem, isn't it?"
"You're right. But the real issue is not just the penalty; it's that our guild will be seen as unable to prepare the wheat by the deadline. If we lose our credibility, our guild won't survive."
"Of course, I understand, as I am a merchant too. But didn't you take on that risk when you joined the agreement? Sir Robert patiently waited after announcing the wheat price until the deadline. In fact, he even considered that the paperwork might not be ready in time and waited about 5 more days. But in the end, only a small merchant guild bid for a small amount of wheat, and no one here bid for the Grandchester wheat."
"That is..."
In reality, the agreement was truly a tradition in the Grandchester region. For decades, or maybe even over a hundred years, merchants had been discussing the wheat bidding prices, and it had become an established practice.
However, in recent years, Kojimo had gone too far. Even though they were colluding, wheat had been traded at prices slightly higher than the announced amount until now. But in the last few years, it had become noticeable that merchant guilds were not participating in the initial bids.
As a result, Grandchester had to lower the public price of wheat and hold another auction because they couldn't keep holding onto wheat that no one was buying. This way, the merchants got the wheat at unfairly low prices.
"If this keeps happening, even the bureaucrats will get frustrated. Sir Robert must feel very annoyed that the wheat, which the villagers worked hard to produce, is being bought at unfairly low prices because of the merchants' selfish plans. That's why I bought all the remaining wheat at a price that is 1 Dal higher than the public price."
The room fell completely silent. They realized they had gone too far.
"Still, we must secure the wheat. We will accept the price from the Sophia Merchant Guild. Please, let us have it."
"Ratia Merchant Guild Master, you know that merchants shouldn't casually talk about 'prices' among themselves..."
Sophia looked troubled.
"But the Sophia Merchant Guild can't keep holding onto the wheat forever!"
"That's true, but I have the right to choose my buyers."
"Does that mean we don't meet your standards?"
"How should I evaluate a merchant guild that participated in such obvious collusion?"
"That's just how things have been done traditionally. If we force ourselves out of the collusion, it will affect our other businesses."
'If I back out, will the other merchants pressure me?'
"Got it. In that case, let's negotiate individually at the Sophia Merchant Guild. Of course, this applies to others as well. However, I think it will be difficult to respond if you just show up unexpectedly, so we will only meet with those who have made an appointment in advance. If you request a meeting, the employees of the merchant guild will adjust the schedule."
Then, Sophia quietly stood up. As she walked to the door of the room, she suddenly turned back to the participants.
"I almost forgot to mention. It would be better if you don't try to collude, okay? If you hit someone with money, you should be aware that you might get hit back with money as well."
After saying this, she turned her back on the merchants, opened the door, and left with Daniel as her guard.
Author: According to Sara's logic, Sara could also get hit with money.
Sara: If I get hit, can I breathe fire?
Author: No, because the title of the novel would change.
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