"Select only the highest-quality cattle from Zerpha's stock and supply them to us."
The highlands beyond Alberon Gorge, a border village. To the man who had, in just one year, transford himself into a large-scale rancher commanding thousands of head of cattle, I presented a new long-term contract.
"......Yes, yes. Understood."
I didn't undercut the supply price in the slightest. If anything, I set it generously to match the quality.
So that he could sustain his business and, beyond that, continue to flourish.
“Also, hire the villagers and have them specialize in harvesting the truffles that grow in this area.”
The purchase price for the truffles was the sa.
In truth, truffles weren't all that expensive an ingredient in these barren highlands. To the locals, they were just a sowhat unusual delicacy, and the biggest problem with truffles had always been how quickly they spoiled, aning the difficulty of transport.
Even so, I paid them fairly.
"The price for the truffles will be set as follows."
"......Huh. Yes, yes?"
According to Dieter's advice– if you gouge profits at the source from the start, you're far more likely to attract unwanted parasites.
Of course, I had secured exclusive rights to trade Zerpha products from the Crown Prince.
But if the truffles I bought locally for twenty dollars were selling for five hundred in the Empire, smugglers blinded by money would inevitably try to carve out a black market.
“Let’s take this opportunity to give the village a new na as well.”
However, if I bought them at one to two hundred dollars from the start and set the retail price at five hundred?
Once the initial infrastructure costs were factored in, refrigerated shipping costs using Mana Stones, labor costs, smuggling expenses, risk, and so on, the margins would plumt.
From the parasites' perspective, there simply wouldn't be enough incentive to dive into this market while risking conflict with the exclusive rights held by the Ebenholtz na.
"How about 'Terone'? Terone truffles. It has quite a refined ring to it."
I was no businessman, of course, but before the war, the empire's vast wealth needed to flow toward .
Money was a vast promise made by every human on the continent, and I intended to gather as much of that promise as possible and use it for the greatest cause.
"Yes, yes. That's fine. But, um, these mushrooms, shipping them–"
"Don't worry about it."
I planned to commission Lorenzo Academy to develop refrigerated containers using Mana Stones and solve the shipping problem that way.
"If you discover any other hidden ingredients in this region going forward, please don't hesitate to let
know."
"Yes! I'll keep that in mind, Sir Knight!"
The rancher bowed again and again, looking as though he'd gained the whole world.
......And then.
Before long, a new trend swept through the finest restaurants in the imperial capital.
Led by 「Lilac Vita」, which I had acquired, nearly every establishnt backed by my capital introduced new nus featuring Zerpha's specialty produce.
The handsoly paid chefs grasped the flavors of Zerpha beef and truffles in no ti. They slow-cooked the Zerpha beef, low in marbling but bursting with rich, beefy flavor, at low temperatures over long hours to draw out its tenderness, then shaved truffles laden with elegant umami over it like snowflakes, presenting dishes of exquisite refinent.
The result was── exactly as expected.
"......Wait, Chef. What is this aroma?"
"It's a rare mushroom that grows only in the pristine mountains of Zerpha──the 'Terone truffle'."
"Terone? Truffle?"
"Yes. The natural Mana of Alberon Gorge converges and crystallizes into......."
From the mont the new nu launched, the capital's gourts went wild.
Even the Imperial Palace nobles, famous for their finicky palates, fell for the captivating flavor, filling the reservations at restaurants that cost several thousand dollars a al day after day.
"Terone truffles" and "Zerpha Grade-1 beef" quickly earned their reputation as the continent's most luxurious ingredients.
As sothing of a gourt who had long been involved in the culinary business, I found that yet another layer of power, one I hadn't anticipated, had been added to my arsenal.
* * *
"Wow......."
Reutern II trembled with ecstasy as he tasted the new dinner course at「Lilac Vi??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????ta」.
Tremble. Tremble. His fingertips and toes shook on their own, like the wings of a fly.
"......This is insane."
The flavor was completely new and perfectly refined.
The texture of the Zerpha Grade-1 beef was incomparable to any at he'd ever tasted, and the Terone-whatever? This mushroom seed to stimulate his brain directly.
"Truly...... truly magnificent."
The nobles sharing the private room all chid in, their faces lost in appreciation.
"To think I'd taste such a delicacy in the imperial capital......."
"Who could have guessed that Zerpha of all places would produ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????ce such exquisite ingredients?"
"Honestly, I can barely believe it even as I'm eating it."
"It's all thanks to Lord Reutern. I heard even Grossman couldn't get a reservation here."
These days, reservations at「Lilac Vita」were virtually impossible. No amount of money was any use, and no matter how high your status, nothing short of being His Majesty the Emperor himself would get you in the door.
Word was the restaurant's backer was Ebenholtz. What were they supposed to do about that?
“Ah~ it’s fine. I’m happy as long as you all enjoy it.”
「Lilac Vita」had always been a restaurant of considerable prestige, but after the new nu launched, it had taken on a symbolic significance for the nobility, proof of power and influence.
From what he'd heard, reservation requests were pouring in from every conceivable direction.
“I don’t really like coming to a place this nice all by myself, either.”
Reutern II put on airs, fork still in hand. In truth, he'd only gathered them because Maximilian told him he could arrange a reservation whenever he liked.
"But it really is delicious."
"The harmony between the food and the wine...... ah."
“I feel like the taste is going to linger in my mouth even after I get ho.”
These were nobles of the Imperial Palace. Mid to upper-mid tier, if he had to rank them. The kind who, whenever he'd invited them to hang out before, would spout so bullshit about "needing ti to think it over
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