82 - I Became a Guy Who Got Caught Up in the Summoning of a Hero

**Cultural Exchange...?** Eldren, who was intently watching the painting come to life, looked at me with a surprised expression and asked if I knew what it was once the painting was complete. I nodded and responded. "It seems like you're referring to the seed of Mencia?" "Mencia?" "It's a tree that bears a fruit roughly the size of a thumb joint. The fruit itself is unpleasant to eat, but the seed is quite fragrant and is often brewed in water to make a type of 'tea'." "Do you happen to have any with you?" Eldren nodded at my question. Then, she turned to a man standing behind her and gave him an instruction. "Could you please fetch the Mencia seeds from the carriage?" "However..." "Our primary objective here is the trade of medicines. It would be appropriate to confirm the item desired by such an important guest in the transaction, wouldn't you agree?" "Yes, ma'am. I'll be right back." With that, the man quickly exited the reception room. It seems there’s more to this story. "Is there something urgent going on?" "Uh... there is one transaction with a tight schedule." "What kind of transaction?" "We are to stop by the Valcen duchy to purchase the finest wine there. It usually becomes available around this time, but if we're late, we might not get any. If we miss out, we'll have to buy through intermediaries at a great loss, since the noble repeat customers usually scoop it up." "If you're dealing with alcoholic beverages, wouldn't the ones from our estate suffice? What do you think?" "We'd love to purchase them, but it's a spirit we’re encountering for the first time, so we couldn't make a hasty decision. We intended to buy and taste it first, but there were no selling points available today..." Eldren trailed off, and then looked at Ariana, who was waiting inside, and spoke. "Ariana, could you please convey the message to bring the various wines we set aside for the festival?" "Understood, my lord." Ariana respectfully exited the reception room, and watching me give instructions to her, Eldren asked her question. "Do you usually speak formally to your attendants?" "I prefer to be respectful to everyone. It's simply a means of showing respect for the other person. I refrain from doing so with slaves, as advised, but treating them as people can foster trust effectively." "You're quite different from most." "Well, you could say I'm a bit unconventional. Anyway, what kind of medicine are you looking for?" "We face the same challenges as other regions. Being located in the south doesn’t exempt us from the demon’s curse." I guessed it was about stamina enhancers. In that case, this might be a fortunate turn. "If it's that, I have some great products." "What kind...?" "If you’re seeking a stamina enhancer, we also have a wine infused with such properties. It was actually going to be part of our festival lineup—given away in small quantities to couples rather than as part of a general tasting event... As it's a unique product, it might cause inns to overflow, and some other things may happen..." I let the sentence hang, leaving the rest to her imagination. When I glanced back at Eldren, her cheeks were slightly flushed. Yes, I suppose she imagined it. "We have a sufficient supply of both the medicine and the wine. The key, however, is the price. Do you know how much the so-called 'Blessing of the Gods' stamina enhancer currently sells for?" "We did our research. Moreover, we don’t just need the Blessing of the Gods. As I mentioned earlier, herbs are rare in our southern regions. We have many poisonous plants, and I've heard that venomous insects are often used as medicinal ingredients, so we'd like to pay in a mix of those and money if possible." "Alright, let's negotiate a deal. How much do you need?" Eldren deliberated for a moment. Glancing back at the man who seemed to have advised her before coming here, she whispered to him. After a brief pause, Eldren seemed to reach a conclusion and spoke up. "We're planning to defer our wine purchase from Valcen and spend all our funds here. For the Blessing of the Gods, how about 12 gold coins per bottle?" Twelve gold coins—acceptable. I knew the market price for the Blessing of the Gods, or the stamina enhancer, ranged between 10 to 15 gold coins. In bubble situations, it could go as high as 20 gold coins, or so I heard. However, with the influx of goods into the Ingrad territory, the general market price was expected to drop. Nonetheless, the demand for stamina enhancers kept their prices stable due to their unique attributes. Here, we operated under the 'Ingrad Pharmacy'—a national institution that controlled quantity and stabilized market prices. In a region like the south, where supply is scarce, prices could skyrocket. Given my profit-oriented stance, this was a favorable negotiation, and I inquired about the quantity. "How much do you need?" "It's a million bill note in the imperial currency of Terracan." A familiar form of currency. For such a large transaction, this is what you’d expect. Shortly after, two bills, each worth a hundred thousand, were placed on the table. "We'll need 10,000 bottles of the Blessing of the Gods." The Sandstorm Trading Company—just how massive is this group? I wondered, smiling slyly and nodding as I replied. "I’ll provide an extra 1,000 bottles as a goodwill gesture. Now, shall we discuss the next item?" 'Thank you for the smooth transaction!' Eldren gazed at me with surprise at my words, when suddenly, the door opened to reveal an attendant carrying an assortment of wine bottles. The attendant entered, excluding my personal collection and the imperial rum, carrying a total of 18 different liquors. They carefully placed the bottles on the table, respectfully bowed, and exited the room. "We decided to design each bottle uniquely for external sales. How do you find it?" "...It's quite exquisite..." Despite being a masterpiece crafted by artisans, Eldren seemed intrigued, admiring the bottles of diverse colors. "The colors of the liquor are intriguing...?" "It's because the liquor is brewed by fermenting herbs, which lends the colors from the herbs themselves." Pointing at one of the vividly colored bottles, I continued. "This is the aphrodisiac liquor." The bottle had an artful design of a couple seemingly entwined in a nude embrace. Eldren examined it calmly and asked me. "How did you come up with such glasswork?" "I didn’t do much. I just made the request, and they crafted it beautifully on their own." I refrained from mentioning that giving them some of the liquor as compensation actually motivated them to focus even more on the design. Eldren admired the bottles, turning them into objects of art, and asked. "What is the value of this bottle?" "Instead of discussing prices, let's first have a simple tasting of the other liquors." "Can we just open them?" "Liquors are meant to be enjoyed. Let's not hesitate and have a sip." As I distributed the glasses—the merchants from the Sandstorm Trading Company were curiously examining them. The glasses weren't shaped like wine glasses, but rather like small, round barrels, which seemed novel yet fascinating to them. "The shape of these glasses..." "You don't need to savor the color and aroma. Once you taste it, you'll understand." I first opened and poured some of the vitality liquor, known for recovery, sharing a modest amount. The merchants' expressions hinted that they saw this minimal pour coming, but this was a classic case of knowing only one side of the story. The liquor from our estate was remarkably potent. Several experiments revealed that this was due to mana. When mana was introduced, fermentation stopped at an alcohol content of 19 degrees. Liquors without mana infusions managed to ferment up to 41 degrees. Mana truly deserved praise, but recalling the struggles I went through to figure this out still made me shudder. I poured a small amount for everyone, and upon seeing me pour some for myself, Seria and Ariana, who had come in with the attendants, gave me a knowing look. It seemed they preferred I didn't partake. Thinking that if I went outside feeling a bit tipsy after the tasting, they'd bombard me with nagging comments, I discreetly set down my glass. "Aren’t you drinking with us?" "Oh, my stomach’s not been well lately. Please, enjoy the tasting among yourselves. By the way... the liquor is quite strong." A few merchants made sure I heard them say. "How strong can northern liquor be..." "True, the liquor around here is usually quite bland." With that, they poured the liquor into their mouths. Eldren, who was the first to taste it, frowned deeply as she painstakingly swallowed, trying not to make it too obvious. She managed not to make sounds typical of older men tasting strong liquor, but the other merchants uttered the expected reactions. "Whoa... What the—?" "This isn't a distilled spirit, so what...?" Seeing their confused expressions, I explained. "As I mentioned, the liquor from our estate is quite strong. That's why you can't drink too much at once. Since it's your first time, I poured only as much as you might handle, no matter how good you think you are at drinking." I then glanced at those who had disregarded northern liquor, ensuring my message was clear. Embarrassed, they awkwardly turned their heads, coughing and peering into their glasses, while Eldren, sounding impressed, spoke up. "The taste... It's sweet enough to seem mild, but it’s not. And this aroma... how did you infuse it?" "It hasn’t been added separately. During the brewing process, the liquor is aged in oak casks, a fact you’ll learn from trading with us. The liquor you just tasted has been aged for at least a year." "Oh wow... A whole year..." In this world, there’s a lack of proper storage technology for liquor. Aging requires facilities, but thanks to Hara, we were able to operate such facilities as standard. This was a considerable merit, and observing the merchants’ serious faces eager to taste the next, I poured out small samples of the rest of the 17 varieties. While some with low tolerance grew noticeably tipsy, Eldren, appearing quite resistant to alcohol, looked at me unwaveringly and stated. "We’d like to purchase the liquor. As many kinds as possible. This is all the available funds we have." As she placed a bundle of a thousand large-denomination notes on the table, I realized this deal promised considerable profit.