Haides. It was a Domain located west of Carcosa and, at the same time, north of Hari.
Olives were actually Haides's specialty, but no matter how famous an oil became, it was difficult for it to qualify as a luxury good.
Because of that, the processing industries and technologies built around it were more famous, to be precise.
Olive oil from Haides was traded throughout nearly the entire continent at consistent prices and quality.
As befitted a region specializing in storage and distribution, its people were all hearty and cheerful, with fairly open-minded personalities.
“....”
As Jack walked through the city, he felt strangely unsettled.
For several reasons, Alex had told Jack to spread the word that he was a merchant from Carcosa.
The first was to find out whether perceptions of Carcosa had changed in any significant way.
“Ah, oh.... Excuse me....”
In the middle of the crowded market, Jack nearly bumped into someone.
However, the person twisted aside in an exaggerated motion, avoiding the collision.
Without exchanging so much as another word, the person gave an awkward smile in apology and disappeared, nearly making Jack let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.
This was the second reason.
‘Even if I put guards on you right now, they’ll only make you stand out and get in the way. Still, if you spread the word about where you came from, I doubt it’ll be that dangerous.’
It was exactly as Alex had said.
At the city gate, Jack had openly answered that he had come from Carcosa, and somehow the rumor had already spread throughout the entire city.
Moreover, that fact immediately became both a tremendous weakness and an advantage for Jack.
Those prejudiced against the curse seemed to think of it as though it were a contagious disease.
Rationally, they knew that curses did not spread from person to person, yet some bizarre superstition still made them want to avoid him because they felt it would bring bad luck.
In other words, Jack was currently being treated like a walking mass of curses that even pickpockets would run from.
“He really came from there?”
“He looks perfectly normal....”
“Come on, you saw what happened in Hari recently!”
“Was that really because of Carcosa...?”
Throughout the bustling market, whispers from merchants and townspeople reached his ears.
At least, thanks to the recent incident in Hari, they were showing some curiosity toward Jack instead of simply rejecting him outright.
‘...Just how have the people of Carcosa been treated on this continent all this time?’
He had heard that most of them failed to adapt outside and eventually returned home, but he had never imagined it was this bad.
The Carcosa Jack had seen for himself was somewhat barren, old, and dangerous, but it was hardly so sinister that it deserved this treatment.
Jack was not from Carcosa himself, yet the way they treated its people still irritated him for no reason.
As he walked the streets with that strange feeling, Jack's first ordeal was simply purchasing goods while people viewed him this way.
Alex had warned him beforehand that there was no need to go to the market at all.
He had told Jack to head straight to the Guild Alliance, hand them the list, and buy everything at once, but....
‘I was sure I could get everything much cheaper if I put in the legwork, even if it was more trouble....’
As expected, the warning from Carcosa had not been given for nothing.
Most shops seemed reluctant even to accept Jack's money, making one excuse after another to avoid selling anything to him.
And from Jack's perspective, going from place to place and placing large-volume orders carried considerable risk as well.
Showing everyone that he had a great deal of money would only tempt people into greed.
‘No helping it.’
Even if it cost more, it seemed he would have to accept the Guild Alliance taking a cut as the intermediary.
***
“But what exactly is the Guild Alliance?”
Elizabeth's sudden question interrupted Jack's vivid story.
With the story paused, Jack took a sip of wine to wet his throat.
Seeing that, Alex answered in his place.
“It's exactly what it sounds like. An alliance between guilds. Magic Towers, mercenaries, engineers, merchant associations... all kinds of guilds are gathered under it.”
Before anyone had noticed, the sun had begun to set, filling the office with the glow of sunset.
The atmosphere was steadily becoming perfect for telling stories.
“They even say the Assassins' Guild is part of it. It wouldn't be much of an exaggeration to say that if you've got the money, the Guild Alliance can take care of anything.”
Like children listening to a fairy tale, those who had never once left Carcosa listened intently, even nodding along.
Watching them made Jack feel even stranger, and he hesitated for a moment.
He almost felt guilty telling them the naked truth of just how badly Carcosa was discriminated against across the continent.
“I apologize for interrupting. Please continue.”
At Hamilton's courteous request, Jack collected himself and resumed his story.
***
“Pardon...? Why? ...This is only a purchase commission. Is there some sort of problem?”
After arriving at the Guild Alliance, Jack encountered an unexpected problem.
Since it was an institution operating across the entire continent, he had assumed they would not refuse business over mere prejudice, but....
“...Yes. For one thing, Carcosa has no previous transaction history with us.”
The receptionist's expression made it obvious that they were uncomfortable even speaking with him, leaving Jack briefly dumbfounded.
Still, he quickly replied.
“That is why I am offering to pay the entire amount in advance.”
“No carriage has ever traveled to Carcosa before. I am truly sorry, but we cannot even estimate how much the freight charge would be. ...How could you possibly pay the full amount in advance?”
The receptionist spoke in a gentle tone, perhaps worried Jack might take offense, yet their manner made it equally clear that they had absolutely no desire to open trade with him.
Money was money. How could there possibly be such a thing as cursed money?
Being told they would not take his money despite the fact that he had plenty of it was such an absurd experience that Jack felt his mind grind to a halt, something that rarely happened to him.
‘...What am I supposed to do?’
The option of simply going back had never even crossed his mind.
He would have no face to show Alex, who had trusted him with this task, and Carcosa needed a steady flow of daily necessities.
If they wanted to maintain the market they had barely managed to stabilize, they could not allow supplies to be cut off and create shortages.
“Well, well. Who do we have here?”
Just as he had been agonizing over what to do, a familiar voice suddenly reached his ears.
It was a voice he absolutely did not want to hear in a place like this, and Jack nearly cursed aloud.
“Isn't that our youngest? Jack Bex?”
It was Gary, Jack's fourth older brother.
In truth, all of Jack's brothers shared equal responsibility for his leaving home, but Gary was a different breed entirely.
Gary was so unbelievably stupid that the more talented Jack proved to be, the more distressed their parents became.
Jack still could not understand what was supposedly so wrong about a younger brother being better than his older brother.
“You have the wrong person.”
“Oh, come on. Why so cold? I went all the way to Hari and was surprised when you weren't there.”
He went to Hari to see me? What a load of crap.
Why else would Gary have gone to Hari?
At best, he had probably been snooping around that damned illegal fighting arena or some gambling den.
Jack did his best to ignore him, but the idiot Gary kept prattling on.
“Why the hell did you go to a shithole of a Domain like Carcosa? Even if you've decided to throw your life away, you should stop disappointing our parents already.”
The receptionist's eyes went round as though an entertaining spectacle had just begun.
Gary kept yammering in his thin, irritating voice.
Jack clenched the fist he had resting on the counter and finally took down the bag strapped to his back.
When Alex had packed it for him, saying he was sure Jack would find somewhere to use it, Jack had thought it was far too excessive.
But Alex was someone who always saw several moves ahead.
This had clearly been what he had given it to Jack for.
“The full amount is here in hard currency. Register Lord Alex Goldenwood of the Carcosa Domain as the client. Deduct the registration fee and place everything else down as an advance payment. Is there still a problem?”
What Jack pulled from his bag was a large leather pouch nearly as big as the bag itself, along with proof that he was acting as the Lord's representative.
Neither was something the receptionist could ignore, so the receptionist cautiously opened the large pouch.
There was far too much inside to count at a glance, so Jack told them.
“Three thousand gold.”
***
“Three thousand gold?! Are you crazy? No, have you lost your mind?!”
“Oh, seriously....”
Elizabeth shot to her feet and interrupted again, prompting Aroha, who had been listening intently, to snap irritably on reflex.
Judging by appearances, the two of them had indeed grown somewhat closer, just as Alex had intended.
“That is... rather surprising.”
Even Hamilton, who understood the value of money, spoke in a flustered voice.
It was more or less the reaction Alex had expected.
‘Well... one gold was worth about 100,000 won in Korean currency.’
That made it roughly 300 million won.
But that was only a large sum when viewed on an individual scale.
Frankly, as operating capital for such an enormous territory, it was a modest amount at best.
Even in a small country like Korea, did not tiny government agencies receive annual budgets worth several billion won?
“It's not like I took it out of your pocket. What's the problem?”
Besides, considering how much money they would be squeezing out of Hari on a regular basis from now on, it was hardly an unreasonable sum.
Alex answered as he savored the fragrant aroma of Hari's wine, which would continue serving as a fine source of seed money for them.
“I've got enough money to pay your salary for the rest of your life, so don't worry.”
“No, that's... I mean....”
If that was the case, then there was no problem....
Muttering to herself, Elizabeth finally calmed down at Alex's words.
Jack watched her and smiled faintly.
He had been rather flustered himself when he first received such an enormous amount of money.
“In any case, from that point onward, the situation changed completely.”
***
When something in the world could not be solved, it was usually because the amount of money involved was not large enough.
Overwhelmed by a sum too large to refuse, the receptionist struggled to lift the pouch, heavy enough that it was difficult for one person to carry, and placed it on a scale.
It was a currency scale certified by mages to authenticate official Imperial Coins.
[3,000G]
When exactly [3,000G] appeared on the scale, silence fell for a moment.
The receptionist swallowed dryly, while Gary bit down hard on his lip.
For all that Gary was the son of one of the continent's greatest merchant companies, he had never once run a proper business himself.
“...Ah! W-Wait just a moment! You four, over there!”
Finally recovering their senses, the receptionist abruptly called over four of the guards stationed in the hall.
“A transaction of this size is handled by the branch manager. If you wait here for just a moment, I will be right back.”
The receptionist assigned the guards to Jack and hurried inside.
Not long afterward, a large, broad-built man rushed out in a panic.
“Which one is he?!”
“O-Over there, Branch Manager....”
Apparently having received an earful from the branch manager, the dispirited receptionist cautiously pointed toward Jack.
Jack and Gary were standing together, and the huge branch manager strode toward them.
Judging by appearances alone, Gary was dressed far more luxuriously.
Yet somehow, the branch manager identified the right man at once, promptly shoved Gary aside, and took Jack's hand.
“Pleasure to meet you! I am the Branch Manager of the Guild Alliance's Haides branch....”
Gary's face flushed red, his pride apparently wounded by the treatment.
And, to emphasize it once again, Gary was extremely stupid.
“You! Do you know who I am?! A mere guild branch manager dares shove me aside?!”
Jack merely hoped the branch manager would not take offense and ruin his transaction along with it.
But things went even better than Jack had hoped.
“Who are you?”
At the branch manager's curt question, the receptionist who had been standing dejectedly beside him suddenly looked as though they had found their chance.
“Gary Bex, the fourth son of the family behind the Bex Merchant Company.”
“That's right! I'm the Bex—”
“His western magic-stone transportation business shut down after three months. His glassworking business also shut down after six months....”
Failure after failure, closure after closure.
The receptionist's clear voice continued to ring out.
The receptionist openly put Gary in his place while sneaking glances at Jack's expression.
Jack immediately realized that the entire thing was a kind of performance.
Apparently, the branch manager was trying to restore Jack's dignity this way in hopes of smoothing over the disrespect he had suffered earlier.
“That is all.”
“What is someone like that doing here? He will bring bad luck! Hey.”
Making a show of it, the branch manager ordered one of the guards who had been assigned to Jack to throw Gary out.
Gary struggled against being dragged away, but the more he resisted, the more pathetic he looked.
“Tsk.... All he does is tarnish his father's reputation.”
Jack could not help laughing as the branch manager clicked his tongue.
“Now then, shall we discuss the details in the VIP room inside?”
Everything proceeded smoothly after that.
The branch manager actively searched through the merchant companies affiliated with the Guild Alliance on Jack's behalf.
Thanks to that, Jack managed to purchase various daily necessities, including lime trees, at prices more reasonable than he had expected.
“As for the carriages... how would you feel about permanently using those operated directly by the Haides branch? We could even establish a regular stagecoach service....”
The Guild Alliance branch manager even proposed an additional business venture.
They might not have changed the perceptions of ordinary people yet, but this was practically proof that the major players above them had begun to recognize Carcosa's potential to some extent.
***
By the time Jack finished his story, the sun had fully set and darkness had fallen.
“In any case, you did well.”
Alex smiled as he accepted the proposal for the new stagecoach business from Jack.
Whether from drunkenness or fatigue, his body was leaning halfway to one side, but he was satisfied nonetheless.
Everyone had assumed Alex sent Jack away merely to purchase daily necessities, but his true objective had actually been the Guild Alliance itself.
“What about hiring? Were any of the people on the list I gave you nearby?”
For the Domain to develop from here on, they also needed personnel who could be placed in the right positions.
The Guild Alliance's basic function was to match clients with commissions or personnel according to the client's grade.
Once a client became a VIP, they could hire higher-grade personnel.
That was why Alex had deliberately arranged for Jack to present an enormous sum all at once, allowing him to qualify as a VIP immediately.
In every game, securing a large number of strong characters early made the rest of the playthrough much easier.
That was simply common sense.
“Yes. Exactly two of them were there.”
“Two?”
At Alex's question, Jack handed over the documents for the two people he had hired.
One document bore the seal of a Magic Tower.
The other bore the seal of the Engineers' Federation.