4-6. Carriage and Coachman (1/2)

4-6. Carriage and Coachman

Satou's here. I do have a driver license but I have never actually drive for years.

As a man who lived in the center of the city, I was already satisfied with the public transport.

Although if I had my own car, it'd had been convenient in a date...

◇

”We only have horse-carriage cabs here. If you want to buy a carriage then order it on the merchant guild inside the inner wall.”

I tried talking to the people on the stable areas near the gate, but they didn't sell it there. Is this like trying to buy a car in a taxi stand? I'm a bit ashamed.

”The merchant guild should have them if you're fine with used one. They were looking for buyers if I'm not mistaken.”

A different coachman interrupts while we were talking.

I thank him, then I ride on his carriage cab to the merchant guild. I asked Arisa and Liza to carry the luggages back to the inn.

◇

The coachman who has escorted me to the merchant guild kindly mediates with the guild for me.

”We don't usually sell to people outside of merchant guild member, but since you're introduced by Yosagu-san, let's make an exception.”

Yosagu is the coachman's name. It doesn't really matter, but the merchant here is Sunifun-san.

He shows me two carriages. One of them is a covered wagon. The inside is about 4 tatami wide I think? The other one is a box-shaped carriage. It's about 2 meter high, and with a luggage space on the ceiling. The width inside is the same.

The covered wagon is 10 gold coins. The box-shaped carriage is 30 gold coins. The box-shaped carriage is more robust and safer, but you will need 4-6 horses to pull it. The covered wagon depends on its load, if the load is light then you only need 1-2 horses.

I wanted the safe one so I was going to buy the box-shaped carriage, but I'm told that since the center of gravity is tall, the operation of the carriage is difficult, so I stopped.

I have a car license, but driving a carriage? Since I don't have any experience on it, let's proceed carefully.

I ask to be shown the inside before buying. The inside of the covered wagon is, how do I say it, normal. Under the seat for coachman, there's a hidden space for valuables. It seems that it was remodeled by the previous owner.

”I'd like to buy this covered wagon, but could you also prepare the horses together?”

”Right, we could prepare two Gontsu horses from the guild for you. We could provide four if it's donkey, but depending on the load and the destination, they may not be suitable.”

The price for two horses and the wagon are 20 gold coins but I've managed to get it down to 18.

Sunifun-san is surprised to see me paying it fully and in cash.

Normally people will get the bill first, and pay at the later date. ”I'm quite hasty, I used to get scolded by the people on my house because of it.”, I use excuse as if I'm a son of a noble who's ignorant with the world.

”Satou-sama, since 6 people are going to the labyrinth city, it would be wasteful if you only bring an empty load.”

Is that so?

Certainly, half of the space would be usable. Furthermore, me and Arisa also have plenty of storage capabilities.

”Do you have any products to recommend?”

”Right then, I think that crossbow and bolt would have demands in labyrinth city. Since the crossbows from Seryuu city are made to shoot Wyvern on the sky, its specs are higher than from other region so it would sell like hot cakes. Also, since it's currently cheap to procure goat leathers and furs due to the season, I think it would be easy to profit on it.”

”Excuse me, do Satou-sama has commercial right?”

”Unfortunately, I do not.”

So a permit is really necessary?

”That's unfortunate, we can only issue a permit for 10 gold coins.”

”That's quite expensive.”

”One doesn't need permit to do the trades in small quantity inside city, but if you enter a city without one then you won't be exempt from the tariff tax so the profit will be almost nil.”

I see then I should put them inside the storage to avert the tariff...

But there's no reason to earn money illegally.

”If you don't go to other city then there's an item that is exempted from tax in the labyrinth city, but since the tax for it in other cities is quite high, there's really no meaning to it.”

”What kind of item is it?”

”Because there is no demand in this city, they don't have name here, but it's in constant demand in the labyrinth city. It's an alchemy material called Dragon White Stone.”

I think my face shows it when I heard the name. Since Sunifun-san asks for it, I tell him about the fraud I met in the east district.