Episode 65: Unjust Transaction (2)
“This trade is invalid.”
Anyway, this is invalid.
As Bikir spoke in the imperial language, the merchants flinched.
It is natural to be surprised when a stranger suddenly speaks to you in a familiar language.
It is even more so if you have been exchanging profanities and obscenities right before.
“uh… … Do you speak the imperial language?”
“Did you hear what we just said?”
“Oh, there could be a misunderstanding.”
“We will explain. This, these words are just… … ”
All those who had had a vulgar conversation about the skin color and s*x of the Balak natives a while ago notice it.
That’s also true, because if you’re wrongly caught by the impatient warriors of Balak, you can’t even dig a bone.
Bikir asked with a nonchalant expression.
“You mean insulting Balak’s warriors based on their skin color and s*xually harassing women?”
“omg! That, that!”
Merchants are perplexed.
Bikir continued with an expressionless face.
“It’s not that important right now.”
Yes. The merchants were surprised that Vikir knew how to speak the imperial language, and they didn’t even think about what Vikir said.
invalidity. to cancel the transaction itself.
Coincidentally, all the goods brought by the merchants were sold and piled up in one place, so the natives of Balak simply returned them to the merchants.
Merchants also have to return forest products piled up in carts as they are.
Hearing Vikir’s words, Iyen felt something and made all transactions stop.
Then, even the merchants around them made a face as if they were dumbfounded.
“No, what are they doing right now?”
“You don’t trade? Why do you want to buy and lose money?”
“We don’t come every day, so how… … .”
Merchants rushed to protest.
Bikir dismissed it briefly.
“Loss? Well, who will lose if the trade fails?”
At those words, Ayen made a puzzled expression.
She creeps up to Bikir and whispers.
“hey. There are many people in Balak who are looking forward to the day those merchants come.”
It was as it was said.
Among the natives of Balak, we could see a crying girl, an anxious woman stamping her feet, and middle-aged men and old people with sad faces.
Merchants who do not know when they will come again, and the goods they share, such as glass beads, potatoes, corn, and harmonica, are coveted.
Iyen was controlling the transaction as Bikir said, so everyone couldn’t say it, but they looked at each other with regret.
but.
“It’s a good attitude to take care of the villagers, but you need to take care of the other person first.”
Bikir’s advice follows.
“… … ?”
Ayen turned his head after hearing Bikir’s words. and.
“… … !”
Soon, Iyan’s expression was colored with surprise.
The expression of Balak’s people was to the point of deep regret, but the expression of the merchants on the other side was literally dead.
Extreme nervousness makes the hands and feet of the merchants tremble.
Bikir said briefly.
“Your stuff is all short-lived.”
Most of their trade items were vegetables or grains.
Most of these are damaged or withered on the way back.
On the other hand, Balak’s trade items were medicines, leather, spices, etc., and their value did not change over time.
In other words, even if trade goes awry, Balak’s people lose little.
On the other hand, merchants will have to pack up what they brought and go back, and in the meantime, the value of the goods will fall terribly.
Merchants trembled and protested.
“If you do it this way, you won’t come here again!”
“do whatever you want. There are many merchants besides you who want to come here.”
What Bikir said was true to an extent.
This is because, in the event that she recovers and returns to the Baskervilles in the future, she will secretly take measures so that she can trade with the natives of Balak using Sindi Wendy.
Merchants were cornered by the odds.
Vikir spoke briefly to those who were confused and did not know what to do.
“I know how much these items are distributed locally. If you bargain conscientiously, we may resume trade.”
At those words, a glimmer of hope appeared on the faces of the merchants.
“How can my guy know the local prices?”
“Hot ha! How strict is the empire’s commercial law?”
“I’m sure I’ll eat a lot of it anyway. Why don’t you leave a little less of this.”
Merchants chat among us.
It was judged that there was still room for overcharging.
… … however.
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“Four gold.”
“yes?”
“Four gold.”
“No, that is too… … .”
“Four gold.”
Bikir knew exactly the market price of the trade goods brought by the merchants.
Furthermore, if Balak’s trade goods were circulated far away to the capital of the empire, he was also perfectly aware of how much the trade would ultimately cost.
That would be too… … .
‘It seems that the commercial law of the city of Underdog was overhauled.’
This is because Bikir had directly or indirectly taken charge of numerous diplomatic and trade affairs while serving as the vice consul of a large city.
“Aren’t chess pieces made from hellhound teeth worth two million gold each? King, Queen, Bishop, and Knight all have different prices. Also, billiard balls made from oxbear horns are the newest trend in the ecliptic these days. If you put it on auction, you get 5 million gold each, right? Undyed, natural red ivory cannot be found for sale even at ten times the price. And again, in the case of this goblin mantle mushroom, which has recently started to be in the limelight as a material for new drugs, it is worth calling almost anything… … .”
Merchants stand blankly with their mouths open in front of Bikir, who is arguing the exact local price, wholesale price, retail price, distribution margin, etc. of each trade item in fluent imperial language.
yet. Bikir finished his reckoning.
“I set a price that is just right for the desired consumer, taking into account transportation costs, labor costs, and taxes.”
The desired consumer price was set according to what the consumer really wanted.
Bikir picked up a pair of deer antlers, a bear dam, and a mermaid from among Balak’s trade goods piled up and threw them into the carts of the merchants.
“This is the amount you can buy with the things you brought.”
Only a small fraction of the piled up items remained.
The faces of the merchants were red with resentment, but there was no reason to argue.
It was because Bikir’s valuation was quite accurate, and even if he received this much, it was actually quite a surplus business.
In other words, it was an appropriate transaction without unilateral gains on either side.
However, for these vicious merchants who had come expecting huge profits, the situation was like a lightning bolt from a dry sky.
I came to see the natives of Balak as a caregiver among hukou, but I couldn’t help but burst into my stomach because I only received such a fair (?) price.
together?
It didn’t end here.
“ruler. Then, now we have to calculate the amount of damage compensation.”
Bikir took back the deer antler, bear dam, and the god of the sea, which he had just placed on the merchants’ carts.
Then, on the contrary, he holds out his palm toward the merchants.
“Give me the money.”
At those words, the merchants’ expressions became dazed.
… … Are you stealing this now? A look like that.
But Bikir always makes judgments based on the facts.
“I will ask for punitive damages for the crime of selling junk food and distributing illegal drugs.”
At those words, the merchants made faces as if they were full of spirits.
“What are we! What did you do wrong!”
“Are you asking because you don’t know?”
Bikir extended a finger and pointed to grains and vegetables.
There were also bags of seeds in the heaps of produce.
Bikir dragged the bag and pulled out the seeds.
Patter- Patter- Patter-
After spilling all the seeds on the floor, Bikir picked up a few of them.
“Did you stir-fry it a little so that it doesn’t sprout?”
Hearing that, some merchants turn their heads with a grim expression.
Yes. They did not want the natives of Balak to become self-sufficient by farming.
This is because they should not plant seeds and farm in order to continue to bring agricultural products and take profit.
Realizing that these are seeds that do not sprout, the natives of Balak began to pour in with fearful expressions on their faces.
Furthermore.
“On top of that, they even distribute cheap drugs designated as illegal by the empire. You’re out of your mind.”
Bikir took out glass marbles and brooches that the merchants were giving away for free and broke them with his hands.
A glass marble that is said to bring you good dreams if you put it in bed.
Passsss… …
It contained a small amount of white powder.
A structure that naturally leaks out through very small holes on the surface of glass beads.
If you keep it by your side, you will get drunk with weak medicine, so you will fall asleep naturally and have no choice but to have good dreams.
However, its identity is a low-quality drug that severely damages the body when left around for a long time.
Glass beads, brooches, necklaces, perfumes and cosmetics were also made of similar materials.
Bikir’s eyes flashed.
‘Did the House of Morgue or the Baskervilles condone this?’
I thought it might be.
If Balak’s warriors were not only weakened by cheap drugs, but also if the next generation gave birth to deformed babies, it would benefit the Empire in the long run.
However, Vikir had no intention of acting in the interests of the Empire and the Baskervilles.
Rather, it is much more beneficial to join them in order to recover stably and learn archery here in Balak’s village.
Bikir smashed all the glassware that leaked drugs and picked out all the boiled or roasted seeds.
Then the merchants’ faces grew bluer as time passed.
Several merchants, including Lord Smuggler, made a fuss.
“Why are you stepping out and making a mess! This is a sacred trade that even the forest god has allowed!”
“This is a sacred deal that the forest god will protect!”
“The shaman of Balak also blesses us instead of the forest god… … !”
The merchants kept mentioning the god of the forest, but in the first place, it only worked for the natives of Balak, and Bikir only hid his skin color with soot.
“The existence that governs this place is not the god of the forest, but the Forest Service of the Baskerville family.”
Bikir’s nonchalant answer made all the merchants swallow empty wind.
It was true, but it looked like he didn’t expect to hear it from Balak’s native mouth.
Bikir took another drink.
“If you keep insisting on ridiculous superstitions, I will sue you to the judiciary of Underdog City.”
There is no voice that savages cannot do.
The merchants were astounded, but steadfastly refuted.
“We’ve already been tested for food safety by the Food and Drug Administration in Underdog City!”
“It was implemented in the presence of the former deputy consul. We must receive the revised law from the newly changed deputy consul and follow the appropriate procedures. As far as I know, among the items you handle, how many do you see that are against the current law?”
“Yes, what do you say you know the law!?”
The merchants shouted.
At those words, Bikir stood out.
“… … Do you think I don’t know the law?”
“of course! How would you know about the newly added laws? It is a very strict and demanding law!”
Lord Smuggler, the representative of the merchants, shouted again at Vikir with a proud attitude.
“The four savages know the ‘Special Law on Bikir’!?”
Hearing that, Bikir smiled dryly once.
However, since he couldn’t reveal his identity here, Vikir decided to just think that the law he had created was still working terribly.
“Anyway, this trade ends here. Consider yourself fortunate that no life was taken, and get out of here.”
The ending was written by Iyen, not Bikir.
She was furious when she learned that the secret epidemic that had been circulating inside the village was not a plague, genetic disease, or curse, but a drug flowed in from the outside.
Some warriors ran amok as if they were going to shoot arrows at any moment, and the merchants had no choice but to leave as if they were running away.
And, of course, Bikir, who made a big contribution to this trade, became the most talked about man in the village.
It was a rare example of a slave who became a hero all at once.
* * *
When Bikir returned to his tent after the merchants had hurriedly disappeared.
… Took!
Something flew and fell in front of the tent.
It was a smoked boar hind leg.
Bikir wanted something and turned his head in the direction the chunk of meat flew.
An unexpected person was standing there with a blushing face.
“… … big hmm hmm.”
It was Ahhun.
The guy looked away from Bikir and looked at the distant mountains.
“what is it. Big! I was thankful earlier. for helping me.”
“… … ?”
Before Bikir could say anything, Ahhun exclaimed.
“How long is that guy going to lie about! Get well soon! That’s how I lose a bit… … No, sparring!”
Ahhun finished speaking and even his ears turned red.
“Eat them all and get well soon!”
Soon after, he hurriedly left the place.
He left a large portion of the wild boar meat he had caught.
‘What’s wrong with that?’
Some mushrooms can cause intense visions and hallucinations if eaten.
If Ahhun ate it… … .
‘Take it to a quiet place, where neither mice nor birds know… … .’
When Bikir was thinking about this and that to himself.
“hey. slave.”
someone taps on the shoulder
Turning around, I see Iyen standing there with a smile on his face.
“I am no longer a slave.”
“no. you are a slave for life my slave.”
Iyen’s compulsion made him frown.
Either that or not, Ayen continued to say what he wanted to say.
“Ah, that son of a bitch. After all, it’s different if it’s just your sister’s job. As an older brother, he’s a pretty good guy.”
… … younger sister?
When Bikir made a puzzled expression, Ayen explained further.
“The girl you helped today is his sister. Her name is ‘Ahyul’.”
After some thought, Bikir remembered a girl named Ahul.
A girl in her early teens who stood in line at the chief’s barracks early in the morning, saying she wanted to become Bikir’s wife.
It was a child who was s*xually harassed with Muan for bringing a sun dung beetle larva to trade with merchants today.
Iyen continued.
“Ahyul has been weak since before. I was worried because my body was gradually getting weaker due to an unknown disease, but now that I think about it, it might be because of the glass marbles brought by the merchants who would not be happy to tear them to death.”
It was a pretty persuasive statement.
If it wasn’t for Bikir, he would have traded with those merchants steadily, and Aheul’s body would have gotten worse and worse.
In the future, it could become a disabled person, give birth to a deformed child, or even die.
So it could be seen that Vikir’s actions in this transaction saved Balak as a whole.
“Shit. It was foolish to just let those merchants go. It’s a warrior’s shame to kill cowards who don’t resist, so I let them go for now… … Now that I think about it, I should have just killed it or not.”
It was Iyen who was grinding his teeth.
The moment Bikir is about to part his lips to say something.
Hurry up-
One of Balak’s warriors rushed this way.
“This is the chieftain’s message! All warriors, assemble!”
That seems pretty urgent.
When Ayen asked what was going on, the warrior answered.
“It looks like the merchants you sent out during the day are plotting something sinister! It looks like they’re going to have a night raid!”
OK.
Iyan’s expression changed in an instant.
This is the first time Bikir has seen her smile so brightly since he came here.
