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Chapter 41
Everything was progressing smoothly, like a ship sailing with a favorable wind. The long numbers stretching to the horizon were proof of it.
“…That concludes my report.”
As Damien finished, the audience applauded with satisfied expressions.
Even though it was just a report, the clock had already edged into the afternoon.
“Shall we take a short break for tea?”
At Guillaume’s words, the audience, including Damien, brightened with anticipation.
The refreshments offered by the most prosperous merchant in the Loire were one of the few things that could make enduring such long meetings bearable.
Would it be sweet desserts crafted by royal pâtissiers and chocolatiers?
Or perhaps exotic confections imported from the East, unfamiliar in taste and shape?
However, when servants entered the room with the refreshments, Damien’s hopeful expression immediately turned to bewilderment.
“Monsieur Hédebo, what on earth is this…?”
The refreshments provided by the Guillaume Trading Company consisted of only a single large glass jar and a fork.
The jar’s opening had been firmly sealed with hardened candle wax, giving the impression that it was less for serving guests and more like a warning not to touch it.
“What… what is this exactly?”
Although Adelaide’s jarred preserves business was flourishing, it hadn’t yet spread throughout the Loire.
Visitors from afar could only be flustered in front of such unfamiliar food.
“Have you not heard the rumor that Hédebo used these to make sailors in the middle of the open sea green with envy?”
“Ah! So these are the preserves from the rumors?”
Only then did they relax, eyes filled with expectation as they opened the jars.
With a sharp pop, the lid released, and a heady sweetness spread through the room.
The white, firm fruit swirled in golden syrup made not only with sugar but also the finest honey and spices.
“Mm!”
The first bite of fruit sent a dizzying sweetness through their senses, almost as if the summer sun itself blazed overhead.
“Judging by their reactions, Miss Adelaide will become far wealthier than her father.”
“Hmm? Adelaide? The daughter of the Marquis de Charmoise? Why is that name coming up?”
Damien muttered to himself, while the merchants who had been devouring the preserves looked up, confused.
“Didn’t you know? The idea for the preserves was thought up by Miss Adelaide de Charmoise. The patent belongs to her as well.”
“What… what did you say?”
The merchant’s eyes widened, almost as plump as his cheeks after eating the fruit.
Even as a relatively prominent merchant himself, he had no idea!
‘Information is money in this world… how unfortunate.’
He felt his pride pricked for being the last to know, and sighed at the practical limits of receiving such news late.
“She’s truly remarkable. To think she considered this for a father who couldn’t eat fruit for so long while at sea.”
“And that’s not all. Our daughter’s idea to make sails from Nîmes fabric saved us from bankruptcy.”
“Marquis de Charmoise!”
No sooner had Adelaide’s name been mentioned than Charles appeared from somewhere, popping his head into the room.
“Did you enjoy the preserves?”
The merchant laughed heartily and gave an honest appraisal.
“I expected something suitable for the army, given it’s preserved, but I was completely wrong.”
“Ha ha. That’s good to hear. As you can see, the fruit used in today’s preserves was harvested last season.”
Hearing that it had been a month since preparation, Damien looked at the jars with disbelief. The fruit he had just eaten seemed freshly picked despite the storage time.
“Next, we plan to bring a large supply of Loire fruit for sale.”
In an instant, the cheerful atmosphere turned tense as the merchants paused their conversations.
Rare foods imported from across the sea were a luxury beyond the reach of even nobles.
And that was true even for people from distant Eastern lands.
“Now! Having had a snack, let’s discuss what to bring from the East next, and what we should take along.”
Charles clapped his hands and stood up. The brief break was over.
“Gentlemen, and ladies, have you ever heard of ‘ginseng’?”
The merchants, still savoring the sweetness, straightened and pricked their ears.
After the incident where Charles leapt from a ship, rumors spread that he had completely withdrawn from trade—but his words now proved otherwise.
“Ginseng? Never heard of it. Is it an herb from the East?”
Most tilted their heads, unfamiliar with the name, while only a few who knew of its existence grew serious.
“I’ve heard of it. Even in Gauri, it’s called a miraculous herb that cures all ailments.”
“A cure-all herb…”
The merchants’ eyes sharpened greedily; they could smell profit better than hunting dogs.
“But Monsieur de Charmoise, isn’t ginseng strictly controlled by the Gauri government? And we don’t even know if it has the same effect here in the Loire. Isn’t it too ambitious?”
Those with similar thoughts nodded in agreement.
Their presence here was as much about careful consideration of variables as bold decisiveness.
“In fact, my wife has been taking ginseng—specifically, red ginseng, processed in a special way—recently.”
“Hmm?”
“And Dr. Gerang is still conducting research on its efficacy.”
“Indeed, and?”
“I’ve heard that it’s such a potent herb that it even works against the addiction symptoms of opiate painkillers.”
No sooner had Charles finished speaking than an early winter seemed to descend upon the room; the silence was chilling.
Then, in the next moment, the conference erupted into chaos.
“What! Is that true?”
“Start immediately! Invest whatever it takes to secure the trading rights!”
“Someone! Who first discovered this red ginseng or whatever it is?!”
Charles didn’t answer but slowly circled the room, calming the commotion.
“My daughter, Adelaide. This little one, trying to cure her mother’s illness, wandered around, heard a rumor, and asked Guillaume for help. It seems that her sincerity drew an answer from God.”
“Ho! She’ll grow to do great things.”
“How admirable.”
“But after all, she’s just a girl.”
A jeering voice interrupted Charles’ proud words, making his previously calm eyebrows twitch.
“The world is changing. Just as trains now cross continents and crossing the sea is no longer an adventure, my daughter will walk a path I could not. I will remove every stone that might block her way.”
Charles spoke firmly, calmly outlining reality rather than expressing anger.
The atmosphere stiffened. Guillaume cleared his throat and raised his hand.
“To acquire trading rights for ginseng, we must negotiate formally with the Gauri government. As you all know, the East is a completely different place from us. Does anyone have any suggestions?”
It seemed this meeting would not end early either.
