ITMWG 64

Chapter 64…

Skeleton in the closet.

T/n: ‘Skeleton in the closet’ as in the idiom not literal (meaning: a dark secret would eventually come to light sooner or later)

Magic stones were a precious asset that could completely change the situation of a territory with just the down payment from the merchant. It wasn’t just about making money that was important. As word spread that money was beginning to flow to Aylesford, many labourers flocked to the quiet country estate. Those people came here with the hope that they would be able to find work, earn money, and build a new home. Their hopes were not wrong. The manastone mine, which had just begun development, always lacked manpower. The number of workers entering the mine was important, but more diverse positions were needed, such as preparing meals for the miners or providing equipment for them to use. Following the influx of people, families also moved to Aylesford, and the estate was becoming more populated by the day. The population could be said to be competitive. As people flooded in, merchants who saw the chance to make money naturally flocked there as well. And as a result of merchants coming in, the estate started to become lively. The poor rural estate where only fallen leaves lay around a while ago was no longer in sight.

For that, we need to focus on the magic stone business.

Since it was a business that affected so many people, it could not be managed half-heartedly.

“How is it, madame?”

It is known that the purer a magic stone is, the more radiant it is.

The magic stones piled up on the left had a brilliant rainbow glow like clear crystal, while the magic stones piled up on the right were shiny but did not seem as sparkling. Aylesford’s magic stone was, of course, emitting a clear light on the left.

“I can definitely see the difference.”

“Yes, you can visually tell the difference.”

There was a saying that it was better to see something once than to hear of it a hundred times (or seeing is believing), so the importance of visual effects was emphasised enough. On that account, it was a positive factor to be able to see such a clear visual difference.

“Even in the capital, where all kinds of valuable goods gather, it is difficult to find magic stones of such high purity. It can probably only be used by families with both wealth and power, including the imperial family.”

Rare things were monopolised by those at the top. It’s a given.

Problems arise here.

Those in power like to demonstrate their superiority by showing off their possession of special items that others could not use. But, what if that ‘specialness’ disappeared? These high-purity magic stones were poured out of Aylesford’s magic stone mine every day. High purity meant high efficiency, but efficiency was not that important to those who liked to showcase their power. Of course, they would control the quantity released on the market by adjusting the supply, but inevitably, it would become less special than before. Pavel looked at Nadia questionably at her dark expression before a good-tier magic stone. It wasn’t something Nadia had to hide, so she honestly shared her thoughts. Pavel, who was quietly listening to her opinion, admitted that the thought had not once crossed his mind and touched his chin with a solemn expression.

“For those at the top, there are things more important than convenience or efficiency.”

“Then what direction should we take to develop our business?”

“There are two strategies for us.”

As Nadia picked up a glowing magic stone, she continued, looking at the brilliant colour.

“One is to give up on the top tier of consumers and target the market below. Efficiency and convenience will be very important factors for them, so our magic stones will be quite attractive. The market is large and we will be able to make our name known to the public.”

“What about the other one?”

“On the other hand, we will only be supplying magic stones to the top consumers, abandoning the rest of the market. The market is small and our name may not be widely known, but the profits will be large. At the top of the status hierarchy, the amount of money spent is different.”

“Hmm.”

Pavel looked at the magic stone with deep thoughts as he listened to her. He seemed to be contemplating which of the two strategies would be the better choice.

“I would choose the former.”

Pavel looked at Nadia and said, as he had seemingly made up his mind.

“Why?”

“Our magic stones are produced in large quantities, so it seems difficult to maintain their specialness no matter how much we control the supply. And I think it’s going to be pretty expensive to sell them to top-tier consumers..”

“That’s true. However, the trends of the capital’s nobility follow the top class. Ultimately, it follows the taste of the imperial family. If we want to do business with the nobles, we have to earn the imperial family’s favour.”

“Hmm. Do we really have to give up one of the two?”

When Nadia suggested two directions and asked a vague question, Pavel tilted his head as if he couldn’t quite grasp the meaning behind her words.

“If you want to go for convenience, you can choose one of the two. But even if it’s a little difficult, it’s best to do both.”

“Of course it would be wonderful if possible, but…”

The look in his eyes seemed to ask if there was a way.

Of course, I’ve thought about it.

Nadia had been thinking about this ever since the magic stone mine was discovered, and she had found a solution.

“Come, Pavel. Look at this.”

Nadia gestured at Pavel and led him to the table. There were numerous magic stones piled up on the table. Since it was prepared by Pavel, he would naturally have seen it dozens or hundreds of times.

“Broadly speaking, the magic stones of Aylesford and the magic stones of other territories are different. This is obvious. But if you look closely… There was also variation among the magic stones mined in Aylesford. For example, the light of this stone is brighter than this one, don’t you think?”

“What I’m trying to say is that even among the magic stones of Aylesford, there are different grades. It means that we can separate high-quality goods from lower-quality goods even among our magic stones.”

“Oh…!”

It was only then that Pavel seemed to understand what she was trying to say and widened his eyes as he adjusted his glasses.

“Are you saying that, like gems, we should grade magic stones and distinguish between goods supplied to the top class and goods for general distribution?”

“That’s right.”

“For real… This is a really unexpected method. Grading magic stones, I mean.”

Grading minerals was common. Even diamonds, the most precious gems, vary in price depending on their grade. The highest quality diamonds boasted unimaginable prices, while the lowest quality diamonds fetched prices that were even lower than rubies or sapphires. Hence, this same method could be applied to magic stones.

“We couldn’t do that up until now because the magic stone was so precious, it had value in itself. However, as the supply increases, we will be able to clearly classify them.”

“So, what if we establish standards for magic stones ourselves? We directly grade and issue a warranty. Then Aylesford will be able to stand at the centre of the magic stone industry, both in name and reality.”

And if they sent the most outstanding magic stones classified according to their standards to the emperor as a gift…

It’s going to be a huge topic!

When Nadia looked at Pavel with a broad smile at the exhilarating imagined scenario, she noticed that he had a slightly strange expression on his face.

“… Pavel? Is there a problem?”

Nadia worriedly called Pavel, wondering if there was something wrong with the plan she had come up with, and he hurriedly shook his head.

“No, I just thought it was a bit surprising.”

“What is?”

“Madame, you’re usually quiet and never speak out, but when you talk about business like this, you’re like another person.”

“Well, that’s…!”

Timid people just had a hard time socialising, but it did not mean they’re stupid! Making plans, reviewing them, and implementing them could be said to be her specialty. This was something she could do even if she was not very social.

Of course, if the person she was talking to was a stranger, she would have been too scared to even open her mouth… Since the other person was Pavel, she was able to talk comfortably. The days of being shy towards him were long gone.

“Anyway, that’s what I think.”

When she realised how she looked in Pavel’s eyes, her face turned red with embarrassment.

“Of course, this is just my opinion, and Altair will review it once again and come up with a solid plan.”

It was the responsibility of the leader, Altair, to lead and direct how everything operated. She had fulfilled her role by expressing opinions and providing support behind the scenes.

“By the way, Pavel. I heard Blan is back.”

“Ah.”

When they finished the discussion about the magic stone and switched to a new topic, Pavel’s smile suddenly hardened.

“Yes. He just got back and is now reporting to the lord.”

Altair was facing Blan with a solemn expression. In a heavy atmosphere, Blan also began reporting with all seriousness, unlike usual, his bright smile was nowhere to be seen.

“What bothered you so much that you delayed your scheduled return to investigate?”

In fact, the investigation ordered by Altair had been completed a long time ago. Altair ordered to find out how Nadia had been treated at the Vine household and whether the Marquis had violated her rights during the inheritance process, and Blan completed the investigation competently and thoroughly. And the answer had already been briefly reported in writing. The Marquis of Vine treated Nadia, his niece, worse than his servants. It was also apparent that in the process of inheriting the title, he unreasonably exploited Nadia’s personal wealth. After reading the written report, Altair felt his blood run cold. His thought went something like, ‘How dare you bastard treat my wife, Baroness Aylesford, like that?’ Of course, Nadia at the time was neither Altair’s wife nor Baroness Aylesford, but a complete stranger, still, he was incapable of such rational thoughts. When Blan returned, he planned to ask for more detailed information and make plans for the future, but unexpectedly, his return was delayed. Altair knew he wasn’t the type of guy to fool around in the capital, but he kept quiet about it before he came to know of the reason behind his refusal to return. There was no way Blan did not know he was being questioned by Altair’s fierce eyes. He needed a good reason, and Blan was confident that the information he brought back was the key to avoiding all inquiries.

“It is said that the Marquis of Vine was in enormous debt before inheriting the title. He was fortunate enough to receive an inheritance and all of his debts were cleared, but the strange thing was that even after he paid off his debts, the Marquis’ wealth did not decrease.”

“Isn’t that because of the exploitation of Nadia’s personal wealth?”

“Of course, that was partly the reason, but the debt was so huge that it was at a level that was difficult to handle. That part bothered me, so I kept digging…”

When Altair urged him, frustrated with Blan’s cautious manner of speaking, he opened his mouth with difficulty.

“I found out that the previous marquis and his wife had a huge death insurance policy.”

“What?!”

“The recipient was not the daughter of the previous Marquis, the Madame, but his younger brother, the current Marquis of Vine.”

T/n: The title refers to the Marquis’ dirty secret btw