Spice & Wolf I by Hasekura Isuna Read Free Book Online Page A

silent, possibly because of the exhausting journey, and her middle-aged husband welcomed conversation.
    “Still, going all the way back to Yorenz, isn’t that rather arduous?”
    “That depends on how canny the merchant.”
    “Oh ho, interesting!”
    “When I bought the salt in Yorenz, I paid no money. Rather, I’d already sold a measure of wheat to a different branch of the same company in another city—but when I sold the wheat, I took no payment; neither did I pay for the salt. So I completed two separate deals with no money exchanged.”
    This system of barter had been invented by a mercantile nation in the south about a century earlier. When Lawrence’s master had explained it to him, he’d agonized over the concept for two weeks before finally understanding. The man in front of him had apparently never heard of it himself and appeared similarly unable to grasp it, hearing the explanation but once.
    “I see...what a strange contrivance,” he said, nodding. “I live in the city of Perenzzo, and my vineyard has never employed such a method when selling our grapes. Will we be all right?”
    “This barter system was invented by merchants who needed a convenient way to deal with people from many different lands. As the owner of a vineyard, you’d need to be careful not to let vintners claim your grapes to be poor and buy them cheaply.”
    “Yes. We have such arguments every year,” said the man with a smile—but to the accountants he employed, the red-faced arguments they had with sly vintners were no laughing matter. Most vineyard owners were noble, but almost none of them took a personal hand in the farming or sale of their product. Count Ehrendott, who managed the region surrounding Pasloe, was highly eccentric in this regard.
    “Lawrence, was it? Next time you’re in Perenzzo, do come by for a visit.”
    “I shall, thank you.”
    As was common among the nobility, the man did not give his own name, assuming his name would already be known. It was seen as plebeian to give one’s own name.
    Undoubtedly if Lawrence were to visit Perenzzo and ask after the master of the vineyard, it would be this man. Had this been Perenzzo, though, a man of Lawrence’s stature would find it practically impossible to simply arrange an audience with him. Churches were therefore the best place to establish such connections.
    “Well then, as my wife appears tired, I’ll take my leave of you.”
    “May God allow us to meet again,” said Lawrence.
    It was a standard phrase within the Church. The man rose from his chair and, along with his wife, gave a polite nod before leaving the hall.
    Lawrence, too, vacated the chair the man had requested that he bring over from the corner of the room. He then returned the chairs the couple had occupied to the corner.
    The only people who sat on chairs in the great hall were nobility, knights, and the wealthy. Most people disliked all three.
    “Heh-heh, you’re not a man to be trifled with, master!”
    Once Lawrence had cleared the chairs and returned to Holo’s side in the middle of the hall, a man approached them. Given his dress and affect, he, too, was a merchant. His bearded face looked young. He had probably not been working on his own very long.
    “I’m merely a traveling merchant like any other,” said Lawrence shortly. Beside him, Holo straightened. The hood over her head shifted slightly; only Lawrence would know that it was her ears pricking.
    “Far from it, master. I’d been wanting to speak with him for some time but couldn’t find the opportunity. Yet you slipped right in. Thinking that it’s traders like you that I’ll be going up against in the future, why, it’s hard not to despair.”
    The man grinned as he spoke, revealing a smile that lacked one front tooth, giving it a certain charm. Perhaps he’d pulled the tooth on purpose to lend his foolish smile persuasion. As a merchant, he’d know how to use his appearance to best effect.
    Lawrence realized