Chapter 35
"I can see the port over there! We should arrive within an hour!"
With those words, the movements of the sailors preparing to unload cargo became busier.
"We're about to disembark! As soon as the ship docks at the port, we need to unload the cargo first!"
"Don't think about picking fights just because you made eye contact with those heretic bastards! You'll die if you act up!"
"Don't bother bringing alcohol ashore since you can't drink there!"
The sailors hurriedly began bringing boxes containing the goods we were going to sell up to the deck.
It seems like this work could be done leisurely after arriving at the port.
Preparing like this allows saving money by reducing the time to hire workers on site by even a minute.
'Time is money.'
"Everyone, attention. From now on, everyone should change your clothes first!"
Everyone frowned at the order to change clothes.
It's understandable to be annoyed when told to change clothes first when they're so busy.
But that's not the only reason they grimaced.
The captain protested my words.
"No, young master. Do we really have to wear the clothes those heretics wear? Even if you're our superior, this seems too much."
Other sailors added their own words to that.
The people of the Albania continent who believe in the Deus religion and those living on the Medina continent who believe in the Mahrbad religion are so hostile that they call each other heretics.
So what I'm saying is equivalent to telling them to wear the uniform of an enemy country.
There's a reason for forcibly making the sailors change clothes despite their resistance.
"The Medina continent is hot and humid, so if you don't wear the clothes they wear, you might collapse from heat stroke. Also, to give them a good impression when trading, can't we do this much?"
Even in the 21st century, when you become a salesperson, you sometimes have to go to room salons with an 'entertainment expense card' and engage in all sorts of dirty play and drunken antics.
Not because you want to, but to feed your family.
This principle doesn't change even in another world.
But if I force them to wear the clothes without giving proper compensation, everyone would dislike it.
"4 silver coins."
At those words, the sailors' gazes all focused on me.
"I'll give you 4 silver coins if you wear the heretics' clothes. And does wearing the clothes heretics wear mean we're abandoning Deus? This is all just to make a living."
Honestly, I could even put down my faith to get close to those Mahrbad guys.
I could follow praying five times a day, and even say that the god they believe in is actually the same being as the god of our Deus religion.
However, that would be clear heresy by the common sense of our continent, and it's common sense to kill heretics.
Just wearing the clothes is the maximum.
If we do just this properly, we can gain quite a lot of goodwill from them.
"If you don't like it, just stay stuck on the ship."
Hearing my words, the captain immediately took the sailors inside.
"What are you doing, hurry up and change clothes? Are you abandoning Lord Deus just by changing clothes?"
I even respected your culture from a multicultural perspective, a concept that doesn't exist in this other world.
How could you not like us after this?
**
As soon as we arrived at the port, I immediately met a merchant who frequently traded with the Medici family.
There was a broad smile on his face.
It doesn't seem like just a business smile for meeting a merchant coming to make a big deal.
"I am Hamad bin Alsini, running a small trading company in this city. Our family has been trading with the Medici family for nearly 70 years."
"I am Fabio de Medici, the second son of the Medici baron family. It's an honor to meet the elder of the Alsini family."
"Ho ho. I'm glad to meet a young and capable person too. Come, sit comfortably."
I could just sit down in the chair like this.
However, to open up trade with the Medina continent in the future, it would be good to gain this person's goodwill as much as possible.
"Before that, let me greet you properly. Peace be upon you."
Alsini's eyes widened.
While unable to hide his surprised look, he returned the greeting.
"And peace be upon you."
As soon as we exchanged greetings, I immediately sat down.
Alsini showed sincere goodwill.
"Until now, numerous merchants have visited our Alsini family to buy spices. But there hasn't been a single person who respected us this much."
It's actually a low move for a merchant to show goodwill so directly before trading.
Because the way this world works is that they'll cut off your nose and limbs while you're watching, and if that's not enough, they'll eat up all your family's assets.
That's what that now-turned-to-ashes Assistant Bishop Christian did.
Yet if he's throwing a direct pitch saying he likes me first to this extent, it seems it was effective.
"Just because our religions are different doesn't mean there's no trust. That's why I wished peace be upon you too, Mr. Alsini, and had our subordinates wear this land's clothing as a way of respecting the culture here."
In Islam, a woman walking around without covering her face is viewed, exaggerating a bit, the same as walking around naked.
Therefore, a person who has lived in Islamic culture all their life and has never seen a good video might ejaculate on the spot seeing a beauty in a miniskirt.
It's not that severe for men, but walking around without wearing a veil and not covering the head might look like a 'Beijing bikini' to some people, though it varies from person to person.
Beijing bikini, yes, it's the outfit you sometimes see in China where they cover their chest with a shirt but expose their belly.
"Young Master Fabio, not Medici, seems to be someone our Alsini family can trust sufficiently."
The meaning of using the term Young Master Fabio instead of Young Master Medici is this:
Although we're meeting because the Medici family introduced you, seeing how polite you are, next time you can come directly and we can trade.
As expected, it's the victory of a 21st century Korean capable of thinking based on cultural relativism.
"It's an honor. Actually, the reason I came this time is to buy spices. Especially things like cloves and pepper."
"Of course I should sell them to you. How much do you want?"
"1 ton of pepper, 500kg of cloves. Besides that, I'd like to buy 250kg each of mace and nutmeg."
1 ton of pepper and 500kg of cloves is definitely not a small amount.
No, exaggerating a bit, it's a huge sum that could buy a whole viscount territory in cash.
Of course, this huge sum is based on the selling price in the Albania continent.
"Since we don't only trade with the Medici family, it seems difficult to provide that much quantity, but."
"I'm not asking you to provide all the quantity with empty hands."
I immediately brought out the filial product that fills our family's, no, precisely my wallet.
It's seaweed that can be sold at gold prices because the manufacturing method is kept top secret.
"It's seaweed. You must have heard about the efficacy of seaweed, Mr. Alsini?"
"I've been buying and eating a little through the Medici family or other families because it's said to be good for men's virility and for postpartum mothers. Is it alright to give so much of this precious item as a gift?"
These days, seaweed has become a bit more common, but it's still damn expensive.
Specifically, 10 grams of seaweed for one cow.
You can buy one cow with one gold coin weighing about 5 grams, so it's essentially 0.5 gold.
"I'm the one who makes and sells this seaweed. Even the most precious items are relatively common at their place of origin."
In the Qing Dynasty, the price of one ginseng root traded in China and one ginseng root traded in Joseon differed by more than tens of times.
There were various factors including demand, but the biggest reason was that the place of origin for ginseng was Joseon.
Pepper too is probably something that even commoners can use liberally without thinking at its place of origin.
"What's in this box now is 150 servings, 300g. If you provide me with convenience, I'll give you 10kg more."
To others this is expensive, but to me, even 6kg is honestly only worth about one silver coin.
But since ignorance is a sin, those guys have no choice but to buy at inflated prices.
"No, I'll even provide large-scale supply. The wider our sales channels become, the better it is for us too."
Alsini sighed after hearing my words.
"Trust is the most important thing for us. So it's difficult to sell more than the amount already promised. However..."
Alsini looked into my eyes and smiled suspiciously.
"If you deal with the evil heretic pirates who are bothering our family, I'll give you more goods in the form of handing over the quantity they stole from our Alsini family."
In professional terms, we call this 'text change'.
It's not a bad proposal for me either.
I can buy more spices and deepen friendships with the Alsini family.
Of course, since it involves dealing with pirates, I'll have to prepare carefully.
"I'll do my best."
And I immediately began preparing to grasp the reality of the swarm of flies bothering the Alsini family.