Different World Business Symbol
Chapter 9: plot of land

MTL: uniquegasuki

Editor/ Proofreader: (not proofread)

「Haruto wake up, it’s morning . 」 (Lora)

Haruto awakens to the sound of Lora’s voice and opens his weary eyes .

「Ah, morning . Wait, why are you dressed like that!」 (Haruto)

Lora is in her undergarments . She jiggles her small breasts, held up by a white bra, upon Haruto taking notice of her appearance .

「Yesterday was hectic so I wasn’t wearing one . How does it look on me?」 (Lora)

Lora looks Haruto in the eyes as she asks this, their face was not more than 10 cm apart . Her lovely red eyes (iris) align with Haruto’s eyes and her ruby-red hair was close enough to cover his nose . Because she has been bathing recently, there was no unpleasant smell coming from her .

「Well, now that I’ve gotten a closer look, your breast are quite splendid . 」 (Haruto)

Perhaps, they are a B~C cup . Although they are on the small side, one must take into account that she is about 12 years old . Lora has some great future prospects .

「Where do you think you’re looking!!」 (Lora)

Lora blushes and conceals her chest .

「You were the one who showed them to me . 」 (Haruto)

Haruto makes a wry smile .

They get out of bed and Haruto tells Lora to get dress . As she puts on her clothes, Haruto moves over to the window to check for dust . There was no dirt . It seems Lora reflected on yesterday’s event and did a proper cleaning .

「Haruto-san, how was it?」 (Lora)

As she asked him, her face was slightly red .

「What do you mean?」 (Haruto)

「My……body,」 (Lora)

Hearing her say it so upfront, it caused Haruto to turn red . Although he is fairly adept at teasing her, Haruto is not good with giving her a direct answer .

「Errr, it isn’t bad . 」 (Haruto)

「Really? I’m glad . 」 (Lora)

A short while later after giving her a reply, an awkward mood followed . Haruto couldn’t bear it anymore and changes the topic .

「We are supposed to meet up with Wujek in the afternoon, yes; how much time do we have until then?」 (Haruto)

「Ah, right . Are you planning to make more soap? I don’t think there will be any disadvantages if you do decide to make more . 」 (Lora)

「I see . Then, I will . 」 (Haruto)

Haruto replied .

◆◆◆

The sun is shining overhead as Haruto and Lora find themselves in front of the slave trading building .

「Perhaps, we are too early?」 (Haruto)

「Maybe, but that shouldn’t be a problem . We can wait . 」 (Lora)

Upon opening the door, Haruto heard an angry and pleading voice . There seems to be some sort of dispute .

「Please, I’m begging you . Give me 1 month, no, another week . I will definitely return it . 」 (man)

「Impossible . How long do you plan to extend the deadline? I can’t wait anymore . As stated by the contract, I’m allowed to seize the collateral . 」 (Wujek)

The sound of Wujek speaking in a low voice can be heard .

「No, please no . Take only me! Spare my wife and daughter!!」 (man)

「Stop with your foolish talk . You were the one who used your family as collateral . Don’t worry . You will also become a slave alongside them . Anyhow, this was the result of your failure . 」 (Wujek)

「I……」 (man)

The man breaks down and cries . Wejuk orders his subordinate to take the man away .

「Hey, Rusk (ラスク), seize that collateral . It would be troublesome if it escapes . 」 (Wujek)

「Understood . 」 (Rusk)

Rusk, a large man, slightly bowed to Wujek . Wujek’s subordinates passed by Haruto and Lora .

「……」 (Lora)

「……」 (Haruto)

The silence continued for a little while longer .

「Haruto-san . 」 (Lora)

「What is it?」 (Haruto)

「Let us made it succeed . 」 (Lora)

「Yeah . 」 (Haruto)

The two renew their purpose .

「Oh, it is you . You should have spoken up . If you had said something sooner, no one would have to have listened to that guy’s blabbering . 」 (Wujek)

Wujek approached them with a smile . Haruto and Lora couldn’t see it as anything but a devil’s smile .

「No need to be so tense . They aren’t going to die by just being put in a brothel or coal mine, right? As long as the debt is return, nothing bad will happen . 」 (Wujek)

Lora hid behind Haruto as Haruto stared at Wujek .

「Well, considering your business, you should have conducted this a bit more inside . It’s scary . Is that, Rusk, guy a dangerous person?」 (Haruto)

Wujek shrugs his shoulders .

「I understand . I’ll be more careful from now on . And, Rusk isn’t that bad of a guy . It’s not good to judge people base on their appearance . He is a mercenary that I have employed . Although he has a grim expression (face), the person has a fondness for children . 」 (Wujek)

Rusk is Wujek’s bodyguard . It is quite fiendish of Wujek to be the type of person who would catch child while being protected by someone who loves children .

「About the land you’re going to lend me, may I hear the details . 」 (Haruto)

Haruto gets right to the point, causing Wujek to make an evil smile .

「Ah, that place is first-class . I am willing to lend it to you for 3 months, free of charge . Afterward, you will have to pay rent . 」 (Wujek)

Wujek walks outside of the slave trading building . Haruto and company hurry after him .

After advancing through the main street, Wujek came to a stop .

「Here is the place . This plot of land was seized not too long ago . The location here is prime real estate . 」 (Wujek)

The building is made of wood and is fairly large . Certainly, there is a lot of pedestrian traffic but whether that is good for business is another matter . However, something feels off about it .

「Why did the previous shop went under?」 (Haruto)

Upon hearing Haruto’s response, Wujek made a broad grin .

「The previous owner was involved with tax evasion, therefore, they were crushed . 」 (Wujek)

Wujek was smiling, 『it was my doing,』was heard but nothing more .

「Well, this place’s personal history is unimportant . Come, hurry on inside . 」 (Wujek)

As Wujek suggested, Haruto and Lora entered the building .

「It is dirty but we should be able to clean it up . 」 (Lora)

「Yeah, we’ll get it done . 」 (Haruto)

The room inside had two doors . They open the door on the left .

「It is spacious . However, it’s rather gloomy . 」 (Haruto)

「This was used as a storehouse . A lot of goods can be stored here . 」 (Wujek)

Wujek explains . At that time, something passed by Haruto’s feet .

「Awh!」 (Haruto)

An unpleasant sound is heard . A boot is lifted and the corpse of a dead black bug is revealed .

「Ah, got it . You can simply wash that away later . 」 (Wujek)

「……」 (Haruto)

Haruto was too shock to give a reply .

They leave the storehouse and then go through the second door .

「What was this room used for?」 (Haruto)

「This was the parlor . Bribes were made here . 」 (Wujek)

As to whether or not there were bribes taken here, this does seem to be a parlor room .

「Haruto-san, let’s move onto the next room . We can’t stay forever at the inn now . Haruto-san!」 (Lora)

「You’re right……」 (Haruto)

「Please, don’t sour the mood . 」 (Wujek)

They look over the other (general) rooms and then left the building .

「Next up is the factory’s location . It is a little ways from here; so, do you have enough time?」 (Wujek)

「……ah, I have plenty of time . 」 (Haruto)

Wujek shows a wry smile in response to Haruto’s low tension reply .

「There is no need to be so down . 」 (Wujek)

◆◆◆

They make a u-turn to the slave trading building .

「Wait here, I will call for a dragon-carriage . 」 (Wujek)

Saying so, Wujek left .

「Hey, Lora . A dragon-carriage is a cart pulled by a dragon, right?」 (Haruto)

Haruto recalls the first day that he was transported here . As this is a parallel world, it isn’t strange to see a dragon .

「Yes, yes it is . Haruto, was there no dragon-carriages where you are from?」 (Lora)

「To begin with, something like a dragon was a work of fiction . 」 (Haruto)

「Eh! Really?」 (Lora)

Lora raised her voice in surprise . In this world, dragons are fairly popular as they are convenient .

「Which is better, a normal carriage or a dragon-carriage?」 (Haruto)

「Well, the speed is different . A dragon-carriage is 3-times faster than a normal carriage . And, it can carry 3-times more luggage . However, they are terribly expensive . 」 (Lora)

In other words, Wujek who owns a dragon-carriage is a very wealthy person . Rumor has it, that person holds a considerable fortune . Haruto thought that one day, he wanted to be rich enough to own his very own dragon-carriage .

「Sorry for the wait . 」 (Wujek)

Wujek reappears . Behind him was a woman holding a bridle, connected to two dragons pulling a carriage .

「This woman is Pudding (プリン) . She is a mercenary employed under me . 」 (Wujek)

「Salutation, my name is Pudding~ . 」 (Pudding)

Haruto looks at the woman named Pudding . Her hair is pink, she is average height and she has a pretty face . For some reason, she seems familiar .

「This person is Rusk’s younger sister . 」 (Wujek)

Hearing so, Haruto could see the similarity in her jaw-line (mouth) .

Hearing so, Haruto could see the similarity in her jaw-line (mouth) .

「My brother resembles my mom, while I take after my dad . 」 (Pudding)

Their mother must have a stern expression . Anyhow, it is the opposite version of Maria’s parents .

「Enough with the chit-chat and get on already . The place is about 20 minutes from here . 」 (Wujek)

After saying so, Haruto and Lora boarded the dragon-drawn-carriage .

◆◆◆

Five minutes after the dragon-carriage begun moving, Haruto started feeling nauseous .

「I’m feeling queasy……」 (Haruto)

「Are you alright?」 (Lora)

Being concerned, Lora peeked at Haruto’s face . His complexion was as white as soap .

「Hey now, if you vomit in here, I will have you pay the fee for the clean-up . You better not vomit here . Vomit out the window . 」 (Wujek)

Wujek frowns as he tells this to Haruto .

「Ah, it is fine now, I’m……」 (Haruto)

Haruto smiled as he replied, although he was clearly pushing himself .

Another, five minutes later .

「Haruto-san…… would you like to lay down? I’ll lend you my lap . My thigh might give you some relief . 」 (Lora)

「……I’ll take you up on your offer . 」 (Haruto)

Haruto places his head on top of Lora’s lap . It has been awhile since he has felt the warmth of another person, after having been orphaned . Although, this is the first time he has rested on the lap of a girl . Just a bit, Haruto felt a little relief .

「Haruto-san, we are half way there . Please, hold on . 」 (Lora)

「Halfway there……」 (Haruto)

Lora’s cheering had the opposite effect .

And thus, 10 minutes after .

「Yeah!!!」 (Haruto)

Upon the dragon-carriage’s stop, Haruto exited the carriage and took a deep breath while outside . The air felt great . All of the unpleasant feelings that he felt left his body .

「So where is the land you will be lending me?」 (Haruto)

Haruto looks around . There is hardly any people around . This area is probably on the outskirts of Clarice .

「Right there, see that building . 」 (Wujek)

Wujek points to a run-down building . This is the land that will be lent to Haruto but in truth, there isn’t much here .

「Although that building is falling apart, you should be able to do something with the foundation . This is included in the set . I am willing to lend you this land for 1 year, fee of charge . 」 (Wujek)

Even if this is on the outskirts of the city, this spacious amount of land would be very expensive . Not to mention, this land will be lend to them for 1 year without rent . Should Haruto not express his gratitude?

「Thanks . Honestly, this is helpful . 」 (Haruto)

「What are you saying, of course, you will be returning the favor afterward . 」 (Wujek)

Wujek broadly grins and laughs . Haruto shows a mutual expression as the two of them shake hands .

「Uck……what evil looking expressions . 」 (Lora)

Lora instinctively mutters .

「Enough already, shall we depart . 」 (Pudding)

Pudding made a wry smile as she called out to the two .

「Not yet, we still have to check out the building . 」 (Haruto)

As he said this, Haruto faced in the direction of the building .

「You had better not . It is dangerous as the place is falling apart . There is no need to worry as I have a written document about the place back at my office . 」 (Wujek)

Wujek stops Haruto .

「Aside from the building, I would like to confirm the water source……」 (Haruto)

Haruto objects, He really doesn’t want to board the dragon-carriage .

「The resources have already been confirmed . 」 (Wujek)

「Aside from the building, I would like to confirm the water source……」 (Haruto)

Haruto objects, He really doesn’t want to board the dragon-carriage .

「The resources have already been confirmed . 」 (Wujek)

「Haruto-san, please accept your fate . 」 (Lora)

「Dammit……」 (Haruto)

Afterward, Lora and Wujek hurried onto the dragon-drawn-carriage .

◆◆◆

「From here onwards, you will be needing workers . 」 (Wujek)

The slave trader Wujek stated . Haruto had a bad feeling about what was coming next .

「What do you have in mind?」 (Haruto)

「You can use 2nd-class citizens for cheap labor . 」 (Wujek)

「Is that not being hasty . 」 (Haruto)

With a grin on his face, Wujek continues the conversation .

「If I hire them, they could steal my method to make soap . 」 (Haruto)

Haruto doesn’t understand Clarice’s social hierarchy . For that reason, he objects to Wujek’s idea .

「What do you think, Lora?」 (Haruto)

Haruto asks Lora’s opinion as she was recently a 2nd-class citizen of Clarice . Lora should understand their perspective .

「Certainly……those people don’t quite understand the concept of duty . There is a reason why they have become a 2nd-class citizen . 」 (Lora)

Hearing Lora say this about 2nd-class citizens was strangely persuasive . As the method to make soap is Haruto’s only weapon, on the chance that the method is stolen, it would be a serious affair for Haruto .

「So what do you suggest?」 (Haruto)

Haruto had anticipated what Wujek would say .

「How about purchasing our slaves?」 (Wujek)

As expected . Haruto and Lora are aware of how much a slave cost . They don’t have the extra funds to buy one .

「Don’t worry . That time, the child’s appearance made her an exception . An average child normally sells for no more than 300,000 . 」 (Wujek)

Making soap doesn’t require much skill . Therefore, Haruto was hoping to have children do the manual labor . However, 300,000 is too expensive . If he were to purchase 20 of them, his funds would be used up .

「That is impossible, still too expensive . 」 (Haruto)

Upon Haruto’s refusal, Wujek’s smile broaden .

「To tell you the truth, there is currently a lot of child slaves . Honestly, children don’t have much use and they simply pile up expenses . You would be helping out if you did buy them . How about; 100,000 for one? If you by 30 of them, you would still have 2 million remaining . Well, if you don’t buy them, they can be sent to a coal mine . How pitiful, they might die right away……」 (Wujek)

Wujek shows a sad expression; although, he probably doesn’t feel a bit of sadness .

「Fine…… I will buy them . Anyhow, slaves shouldn’t be able to leak information . It should be alright as long as I give them work and kept them fed . Besides, releasing them will only make you more money . 」 (Haruto)

There is merit in Haruto purchasing the slaves and almost no demerits in not doing so . But, he was troubled by how much Wujek has already done for him . Wujek has lent Haruto land and financed Haruto money . Haruto couldn’t really object .

「Thank you for your patronage . 」 (Wujek)

Wujek shows a delightful smile .

====

Income: 0

Expense: 0

Debt: 5 Million

Remaining Balance: 5 . 79 Million

(Actual) Assets: 790,000