NOVEL NEXT Chapter 71
The first thought that crossed my mind was the irritation directed at the jerk who dared to douse water on someone else’s fun times.
I’m not some depraved pervert, so I quickly felt the seriousness of the situation.
“Since the report hasn’t come up yet, I assume you just received the notification?”
Antonio lowered his head as if he knew he had messed up.
“Yes, I was notified two hours ago as well. So, I’ve been trying to manage the store and business normally while assessing how much sugar stock we have. I’m also checking if I can buy sugar from the Spice Guild in other cities.”
The guild in Florence plays the role of leading the other city guilds.
To be more precise, it’s like the president of an association.
Since the Spice Guild Master has issued a sugar sales ban, it means the other guilds will be telling us not to sell to them either.
“Purchasing sugar from other cities is practically impossible. Just think about it, if Antonio was the Spice Guild Master and pulled out a sword, would he make such a clumsy mistake?”
“… But just to be sure, I’ll look into it.”
“I’ll contact Guillaume City to see if we can smuggle in enough sugar.”
Guillaume City is a thriving port city, noticeable even in the Lion Kingdom.
Of course, there must be a lot of sugar sales happening there.
If I buy it all, the magnates of the Lion Kingdom will be eager to sell it to me.
If sugar were as restricted as spices that are only produced far away in Indica, then there would truly be no solution.
‘Maybe I would have had to bow my head to the Spice Guild Master right away.’
“And how much sugar do we have left in stock?”
“Since we use a lot of sugar, we always stock up in large quantities when we buy. We can manage for about a month.”
Other spices may spoil, but sugar doesn’t.
“A month is not too short, but it’s not comfortable either.”
If I go to Guillaume City and urgently bring in sugar through smuggling, I might be able to put out the fire on my feet.
However, I’d be slapped with customs duties, and buying from foreign spice guilds and magnates would mean I’d have to pay several times the price.
But when comparing the losses from not being able to provide desserts if the sugar supply is cut off?
‘I can’t be blinded by small profits and miss the most crucial part.’
Even if I end up losing on sugar, I can just make up for it with seaweed or coffee.
However, if the problem with sugar leads to a loss of trust?
That would leave wounds that seaweed or coffee couldn’t heal.
Antonio cautiously asked, “Should we stop selling desserts externally?”
“We can’t do that. That’s exactly what the damn Spice Guild Master wants. I’ll smuggle in sugar by any means necessary, so continue normal operations. Accept any unforeseen bulk orders without fail.”
If I were the master of the Spice Guild, I’d probably place an unexpected bulk order just to screw us over…
If orders come pouring in with no sugar stock, there would really be no solution.
‘It’s like sprinkling chili powder and salt on an open wound.’
Just then, someone started banging on the door.
“Mr. Antonio! The Pereira Guild is hosting a large-scale banquet tomorrow with several nobles, including Marquis Grimaldi! They’ve requested 100 strawberry shortcakes, 800 peach parfaits, and 80kg of tiramisu! It seems we’ll need to gather all our café chefs just to fill the order!”
The Pereira folks and the Spice Guild Master are teaming up to torment us?
I knew the moment I bowed in gratitude back then, they’d be itching to crush me the moment they turned their backs.
It’s not shocking or surprising, but it hurts like hell.
“Boss! This time, the Baron Colonna family has placed a large order for various desserts using grape jam. The deadline is three days from now!”
At this rate, we might run out of stock within three weeks.
If I can’t smuggle in sugar, I’ll be in big trouble.
My hands are almost trembling.
Spice Guild Master, I’m really going to crush you.
‘… There’s not actually anyone like that Albert guy back there, is there?’
But I quickly brushed that thought from my head.
He’s certainly an incredibly envious and insecure piece of trash.
He wouldn’t be foolish enough to put himself against me.
I rubbed my forehead and sighed deeply.
“Damn it, this is driving me crazy.”
Still, it’s not like there’s no way out if I look hard enough.
You know how the saying goes—paths are born naturally as people walk.
My plans to spend a fun adult day with Chloe had gone up in smoke.
But there was no time to wallow in those feelings now.
I directly called for Sebastian.
“The butler has just arrived.”
“Tell him to hurry in.”
Sebastian rushed in through the door.
“What on earth is so urgent that you needed me this quickly?”
“The Spice Guild folks have imposed a sugar sales ban on me. They’re even placing bulk orders on purpose to drain our sugar reserves and prevent us from selling desserts.”
“It’s said that those who do well become targets of envy, but isn’t this crossing the line? We should contact the Medici Baron immediately…”
Albert, that jerk, wouldn’t be directly or indirectly involved in this matter.
But he would definitely enjoy watching me suffer through a mess he didn’t cause himself.
He’s the type to come up with all sorts of excuses and wait until I suffer significant losses.
‘In the end, he might help me out, but…’
“Sebastian, this is a problem I have to solve by myself.”
I gestured for him to lean in.
As soon as he did, I whispered in his ear.
“The Medici Baron feels inferior toward me. You know how the Farnese Count family got into a marriage alliance with the Medici Baron family.”
Hearing that, his eyes widened.
“I think I misspoke. This is a matter that should be resolved at the level of our Medici Guild. It might not be good to seek help from the Medici Baron, but how about seeking advice from the former Baron?”
Seeking advice means looking for help.
And although my father is retired, he still holds a much greater influence within the family than some guy named ‘Albert.’
‘As long as it doesn’t involve kicking out the current Baron Albert jerk, anything’s possible.’
“I’ll keep that as a last resort. Where’s Chris?”
“She was with me, but as soon as she heard of an urgent matter, she instructed our merchant vessel to prepare to set sail.”
I can’t say this to Sebastian, but aside from the fact that he’s known me since childhood, I think Chris is better.
She predicted I’d be going somewhere far off even before I’ve stated the problem.
I heard a voice from outside the door.
“This is Christina Modina. May I come in?”
“Come in.”
As soon as Chris entered, she began her report.
“I’ve ordered one sloop and one carrack from our guild to prepare for departure. They should be ready to set sail as soon as you arrive at the harbor.”
It takes about three days to get to the nearest port from Florence, though.
‘It probably takes about four days to prepare for the departure of the ship.’
Cleaning barnacles off the deck, loading supplies, and recalling the crew we hired for our guild.
“Very well done. For now, I’ll grant Sebastian my full authority. No matter how much money it costs, go to Guillaume City and gather as much sugar as possible. It’d be great if you could fill one carrack to the brim.”
“Yes, understood.”
Sebastian left without question or hesitation.
But maybe because he’s wary of possible spies inside?
There was a hint of composure in his gait.
‘See? I’ve got some pretty competent subordinates.’
“Unless you’re going to Guillaume yourself, are you thinking of visiting Alcini?”
I’ll be able to procure spices like pepper or sugar by citing my prior connections of selling seaweed and buying coffee.
But then I would have to make myself a dog for the Alcini family.
“No, rather, I plan to seize the opportunity to secure land where sugar can be cultivated.”
“Where exactly could you grow sugar…?”
There’s only one place.
A location where people live decently and is fairly close to a ‘foreign’ land.
No, more precisely, it’s the territory of a fanatic order of knights who are mad about the Deus Church.
“I need to pay a visit to Duke Visconti. Chris, you’re coming with me.”
And within less than half a day, I managed to secure a private audience with the duke.