Chapter 095
The first target of the tis Trading Company was none other than House of Baron Plank.
Compared to its wealth, House of Baron Plank enjoyed an unusually high level of prestige. That was because Baron Ainse, the head of the house, served as an Administrative Officer of Adeline Territory, and also maintained a personal friendship with Marquis Chronos.
On top of that, the bond between the cherished Young Lady Sapiela and House of Baron Plank’s daughter, Luminous, was especially close, which made the house all the harder to treat carelessly.
That did not an it was rely a house that played politics through connections alone. House of Baron Plank had served the Adeline Territory as retainers for generations.
In other words, it was the Marquis’s trustworthy right hand.
And yet today, the right hand of that right hand made an error unworthy of its stature.
Clatter!
The ink bottle tipped over.
“Oh dear, oh dear.”
Baron Ainse, his hair already half white, had just ruined the docunt he was about to review and sign. He had been dipping the pen nib into the ink when he accidentally knocked the bottle over instead.
“My lord. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, but the docunt seems to be ruined entirely.”
“I’ll clean it up at once.”
The maid attending him from the side ca rushing over and began clearing the desk. But there was no saving the docunt the ink had spilled onto. It had already beco a complete ss.
Seeing no way to salvage it, Baron Ainse clicked his tongue.
“This is troubleso. It’s a docunt that needs to be signed imdiately.”
“Shall I call the clerk?”
“I suppose you must. Tidy things up roughly, then have the clerk prepare today’s docunts again.”
“At once.”
Even roughly was done quickly where the maids of House of Baron Plank were concerned. She cleaned the desk perfectly, then left the office.
“Hoo...... age truly does take its toll.”
Leaning back in his chair, Baron Ainse let out a sigh. Of late, he had felt his vigor gradually fading, and at tis it seed even his mind was growing dull.
That in turn made him feel less confident in the tasks before him. That would not do. He held the important office of Administrative Officer for the Adeline Marquis House. He could not afford weak thoughts.
“At tis like this, I need to keep my head clear and do better.”
Baron Ainse shook his head a few tis, rose from his seat, and began pacing the office to gather his thoughts. It was one of his habits, to walk the study with his hands clasped behind his back.
How long had he walked?
A knock sounded from outside, and a butler entered.
“My lord. You have a visitor.”
“A visitor? Who is it?”
The butler, who had co inside to deliver the report, bowed his head once more.
“tis Trading Company has requested an audience.”
“tis Trading Company......”
He rembered.
It was the company whose establishnt approval he had granted not long ago. He also rembered it because its capital seed substantial, and because the donation it gave in the na of goodwill had been large.
Turning away a eting request from a company that had given a donation would not have been proper conduct for an Administrative Officer.
“Surely they haven’t co to press so improper request?”
If that was the case, he intended to rebuke them harshly.
For integrity and incorruptibility were also the house precepts of House of Plank.
With a stern expression, Baron Ainse sat back down. Straightening his collar, he ordered that the guest be shown in.
“It is my first ti greeting you, Administrative Officer.”
“Oh......”
What entered a short while later was an extraordinarily beautiful woman.
Beautiful enough that even Baron Ainse, who had never taken much interest in won’s looks, found his eyes widening. The dignity that ca not only from her lavish jewels but from her neat, graceful features was not sothing easily seen even within Adeline Territory.
At beauty of this level, one might not easily find her equal even in the Royal Capital.
“You are a remarkable beauty.”
“You flatter . My introduction ca late. My na is Eluna, and I serve as Chief Secretary of the tis Trading Company. Today I have co in our Master’s stead.”
“Yes, yes, Miss Eluna. I shall rember. Please, sit here.”
Baron Ainse politely guided her to the sofa. Eluna sat down with quiet elegance.
She held a small wooden box in her hands, but Baron Ainse was so taken by Eluna’s beauty that he did not even notice the box.
“Would you care for a cup of tea?”
“Thank you for your kindness. To think that an Administrative Officer renowned for fairness and justice would receive personally—I hardly know what to do with myself.”
“Hahaha. Miss Eluna, you flatter as well. You there. Serve tea to our guest.”
The maids hurried into motion. Turning his attention back to Eluna, the Baron asked,
“But what has brought you here?”
“Please set your mind at ease. I have not co to trouble you with any request. I ca today to introduce an interesting object.”
“An object?”
“Have you perhaps heard of the item called a fountain pen, which His Excellency Marquis Chronos recently obtained?”
“Ah, that.”
Marquis Chronos had behaved exactly as expected. He had enough pride to boast to his retainers that he had received a most extraordinary gift. Naturally, Baron Ainse, as his right hand, could not have failed to see it.
Moreover, Baron Ainse was the Administrative Officer of the house. He dealt with more paperwork than anyone else, so each ti Marquis Chronos demonstrated the fountain pen, he could hardly suppress his envy.
If only I could get my hands on that object, my efficiency would double.
He had casually asked the Marquis where he had received it, but the man had not told him. He said he could not rember the na of the company properly.
Most likely he knew perfectly well and had simply refused to say.
After all, the desire to keep good things for oneself was one of the most natural forms of human greed. So Baron Ainse had been trying to investigate it separately, but to no avail.
“I know it very well. As a matter of fact, just before Miss Eluna arrived, I made the mistake of knocking over an ink bottle. If I had had that fountain pen, there would have been no chance of such an error.”
“So that happened to you. Then I should have co to visit you sooner.”
Eluna smiled in a deeply enchanting way. Baron Ainse felt for a mont as though he had been returned to his youth, but quickly regained his composure.
“When you say sooner......”
Instead of answering directly, Eluna placed the wooden box she had been holding on the table.
“We prepared this specially for you, Administrative Officer, in light of your devoted service to Adeline Territory. It is the very first sale item of the tis fountain pen.”
Having said that, she opened the box. Inside lay the body of a pen, finished in luxurious wood. The mont he saw it, Baron Ainse’s eyes widened.
Its appearance was almost identical to the one used by the Marquis. The Baron stretched out a hand, then hesitated and asked,
“May I take a look?”
“By all ans.”
Baron Ainse lifted the pen.
Click.
When he removed the cap, a sharp nib appeared. Since it was already filled with ink, he fetched a sheet of paper from the desk and tried writing with it.
“I understand that His Excellency the Marquis also possesses a similar fountain pen. Is this the sa product?”
“It is not. His Excellency’s fountain pen is a limited edition. This one was made only to be sold to distinguished persons.”
“Distinguished persons, you say?”
“We intend to show it to a select number of nobles, and if they wish to purchase it, we will sell it at once. To give you one small hint, Administrative Officer, you are the very first person to lay eyes on this object.”
“So I am the first.”
It pleased him.
A rare object was already in his hand, and the praise of a beauty was sweet to the ear.
So he made his decision quickly.
“And what is the price of this fountain pen?”
“The official price is 1,000 Gold.”
“......1,000 Gold?”
Baron Ainse’s eyes widened considerably. One thousand Gold was an enormous sum. It was enough to buy more than ten warhorses.
But what use were ten warhorses to an Administrative Officer?
To him, pens and docunts were his warhorses and arms. Purchasing office tools for the sake of efficient battle was by no ans a waste.
The Baron quickly calculated the matter in his head. It was certainly an item he needed, but spending as much as 1,000 Gold at once was not an easy decision.
anwhile, Eluna continued her gentle push.
“The warranty period is three years. If any defect appears in the product within three years of purchase, we will repair or replace it free of charge. We will also issue the relevant warranty certificate. So you need not worry in the slightest that it may beco unusable.”
“In that case......”
Baron Ainse slapped his knee and made his decision.
“I shall buy it.”
“A wise decision. You will surely be satisfied.”
Baron Ainse imdiately summoned the Head Butler and ordered him to prepare the money. A short while later, five large sacks of Gold Coins were placed in the office.
“That makes 1,000 Gold. There can be no mistake. You may count it if you wish.”
“If I cannot trust you, Baron, then whom could I trust? I’ll accept it as it is.”
“My thanks.”
Eluna asked the butler to carry the sacks of Gold outside. Then she took a docunt from within her clothes.
“This is the fountain pen user manual. Please read it carefully before using the pen. That will help reduce the chance of malfunction.”
“I understand.”
“There is one more favor I would ask...... Would you be willing to help spread word of mouth about the fountain pen?”
“Of course. Leave that to .”
“Thank you.”
With a smiling glance through her eyes, Eluna offered a graceful farewell and departed.
Even after Eluna had left his office, Baron Ainse could not take his eyes off the manual and the fountain pen for quite so ti. The only sound that echoed through his office was the scratch of the nib.
***
After hearing the entire account in vivid detail at tis headquarters, I praised Eluna.
“You did very well. It seems you really do have talent for business too.”
“It isn’t as though I tricked him into buying defective goods. It was easy enough. More than that, it was thanks to you, Master, for identifying Administrative Officer Ainse as the person most likely to need it.”
“Hahaha. Is that so?”
As she said, it had indeed been my idea to have her visit Administrative Officer Ainse first. Working inside the mansion made it easier for to identify the sort of people who would likely need fountain pens.
And with the informational power of Rohanpedia, it was not difficult to find out exactly who wanted one most.
“Now all that remains is for the Administrative Officer to press ten stars in approval and leave us a splendid review.”
“Stars?”
“Ah, well. There’s such a thing.”
I had grown so excited that I had let sothing from my previous life slip out.
The place where Eluna and I were talking now was a large three-story building. It was a newly purchased building, bought only yesterday, which tis Trading Company would use as its headquarters from now on.
Official business would be handled here, while affairs of the Underworld would be planned from the hideout. Just because I had established a company did not an I had abandoned my will to unify the Underworld.
Once I unified the Underworld, eliminated its many corruptions, and secured firm streams of funding, I intended to use it as an information channel.
If our scale grew larger later on, it might even develop into an agency capable of dispatching informants to other territories or even foreign countries.
“By the way, did you look into the Auction House?”
“There is word that a noble-only auction will be held two nights from now. I think we can place the item there.”
There were only three limited-edition fountain pens made from the special material. One I would take to the Royal Capital. Of the remaining two, one was now in the hands of Marquis Chronos, and the last would be placed in the Auction House.
Sitting with one leg crossed, I sipped my tea.
“So two nights from now ans the very day before I depart for the Royal Capital. It would be nice to pull off one last big success before leaving.”
But concern lingered in Eluna’s expression.
“Still, is it really all right to put a limited-edition fountain pen up for auction?”
“Is there so problem?”
“I’m just concerned that His Excellency the Marquis might take offense. If soone else possesses an item identical to his, then the premium of owning it disappears.”
“Don’t worry about that. I may have phrased it sowhat vaguely, but I did say it was for sale. He even seed delighted at the thought of it becoming one of the Territory’s specialties.”
Only then did Eluna’s face brighten.
At that very mont, the door opened, and Kalmond entered. In his hands he carried a square-frad object.
User Comments
0 comments from readers