That's a huge town!
That is Pazzio.
Does the king live here or what?
It's a town where nobles and merchants live, not the king.
I didn't know such a big town could exist without a king.
Don't you have to hide your face?
My face?
People from Pasloe might be here too.
I'm worried that they might recognize you.
Oh, that's all?
If you were there for centuries,
there must be stories about you.
There are.
"Holo takes the form of a beautiful girl."
"She appears to be in her mid-teens and has flowing hair, wolf ears,
and a tail with a white tip."
"Her color is a beautiful dark brown."
"In exchange for keeping her existence a secret,
she promises to make the village's next wheat harvest abundant."
They know your appearance in detail!
Nobody will notice.
They have forgotten about me, after all.
I see.
-Hey... -Huh?
Even if they saw me, they wouldn't recognize me, right?
I can only hope so.
I'm sure it'll be okay.
ORIGINAL STORY BY ISUNA HASEKURA
There are so many delicious foods!
Those are good apples.
Right? They look so delicious, don't they?
Yeah.
That reminds me...
an acquaintance of mine invested in apples.
They bet more than half of their fortune on them.
By now, their fortune might even surpass mine.
I should've done it too.
R... Right... That's too bad.
But it's quite risky.
-If it were me, I would focus on shipping. -Shipping?
Merchants enter a contract with each other and chip in to rent a ship.
The amount of cargo you can load depends on how much money you chipped in...
-What's wrong? -Apples...
Huh?
I want to eat apples.
Oh, you do?
Here, buy as many as you want.
Why did you use the whole silver coin on apples?
You're the one who said to buy as many as I wanted.
You'd better earn your keep.
You pretended not to notice on purpose, didn't you?
It feels good to know exactly what someone is thinking.
Well then, let me try one too...
Ouch!
They're mine!
They came from my money!
I am Holo the Wisewolf.
I can earn this much in an instant.
Then please do so.
That silver coin was supposed to pay for dinner and our inn.
Apples are the devil's fruit.
They entice me with their sweet temptation.
Can't a wisewolf overcome such temptation?
You lose many things through greed,
but it's not like you gain anything through abstinence.
That's the Milone Trading Company where I'll sell the pelts.
I feel like we passed by a bigger building on our way here.
This is the third largest building.
It's a branch of a large trading company that's headquartered in the far south.
So in order to compete with locals as an outsider,
they buy at a higher price.
And...
Because they have branches all over the place,
they get a hold of more information, right?
And since they're an international business,
they are quick to notice changes in currency rates.
E... Exactly.
I'm hoping to verify the information from that kid named Zheren.
Welcome to Milone Trading Company.
There are so many workers.
The great northern expedition is coming up soon,
so we're swamped with cargo going to and from Ruvinheigen.
If it's profitable, I'd love to join too.
Don't we all.
So, what brings you here today?
You guys bought wheat from me before,
but today I wanted to sell pelts.
Of course! We'd love to.
This way, please.
Thank you very much for using our trading company.
You are Kraft Lorentz, am I right?
It's Lawrence.
I'm honored that you
remember my name from three years ago.
Oh, I apologize for the mistake.
I heard that you wanted to sell pelts today?
That's right.
I have a total of 70 high quality marten pelts.
These pelts look great.
This year, we're getting lots of crops and not so many marten pelts.
The farmers are too busy harvesting.
Despite that, I've acquired this many pelts.
That's incredible.
You've done business with us before, so...
how about 132 silver Trenni coins?
It's rare to find pelts that are of this quality.
And I'm looking forward to building
a good relationship with this trading company.
We feel the same way.
Well then, in view of our future partnership,
what do you say about 140 silver Trenni coins?
That sounds good...
One moment, please.
What is it?
I don't know the market price. Is that a good deal?
It's good.
So, do you agree with this price?
140 silver Trenni coins?
Did I hear you correctly?
Yes, it is 140 silver Trenni coins.
I thought you were a skilled merchant...
Or are you a skilled merchant and hence, are pretending not to notice?
If that's the case, you are one dangerous fellow.
I'm terribly sorry.
Is there something that I missed?
Master, stop playing tricks with this man.
That wasn't my intention.
Go ahead and tell him.
Yes, Master.
Try smelling it, please.
What do you think?
It has a scent of fruit?
-Huh? -Indeed.
The forests are abundant in ripe fruits this year.
These pelts were taken from martens that ran about such forests.
They ate so much good food
that they even exude a sweet aroma.
You're right!
These martens were so robust,
it took two grown men to skin them, and even then,
it was a difficult process.
Try pulling it.
Harder.
How is it?
It's as resilient as a beast
and as warm as the rays of sunlight during spring.
It perfectly repels raindrops
and even has a wonderful aroma.
Imagine being surrounded by clothes made from smelly marten pelts
and then coming across clothing made from these pelts, that give off
a sweet fragrance.
They will no doubt sell even at exorbitant prices.
Now,
how much will you buy these for?
Well then...
How about 200 silver Trenni coins?
How about three silver coins per pelt?
In other words, 210 coins.
Master, are there other companies around?
That's fine!
Please sell them for 210 coins.
You heard him, Master.
All right...
Wine is the best!
You're not going to drink? It's on me.
Were you a merchant before?
What? Did that hurt your pride or something?
A clever merchant who came to
the village one time used that tactic.
I didn't think up of it myself.
But I didn't even notice...
I held them a few times since I got them, but I never noticed a fruity aroma.
That was from the apples I bought.
You mean you...
I don't want to say that it's his fault for falling for it but...
I'm sure he'll be impressed with my trick.
I'm sure he will.
A person who gets mad about being duped is no good.
You prove your maturity when you're impressed.
Anyway, did you do what you were supposed to do?
Somewhat... But it didn't seem
like he had any information about a nation
who is about to mint new silver coins.
It didn't seem like Milone Trading Company was hiding anything either.
Well, no matter what kind of trickery is involved with Zheren's offer,
I don't care as long as I can gain something without any loss.
To our reunion!
This is good alcohol.
Which means, you must have made a big profit with your pelts.
You could say that.
That's great!
The more you profit, the bigger cut I get.
More importantly...
You want to sell information about
a silver coin that's about to raise its silver content
in exchange for a cut of the money I will make.
-Is that right? -Yes.
Is that information true?
This is something
I deduced based on information I heard at the mine I was at.
So I'm pretty sure it's reliable.
But you know...
nothing is definite in business.
I thought so.
If you told me you were definitely sure, I was going to decline.
That would be too good to be true.
So, how much do you want?
Right...
Ten silver Trenni coins for the information.
On top of that, 10% of your profits.
That's pretty low.
Honestly, in the event that you suffer a loss,
I won't be able to do anything for you.
So, I'll only ask for 10%, but in return,
I can only compensate you with ten silver Trenni coins
which you paid for the information.
I see.
The settlement date
will be three days before next year's spring fair.
My guess is that
the revaluation will happen within this year.
Half a year from now, huh?
That sounds good.
Well then, let's go to the notary and sign an official contract tomorrow.
Got it.
To our profit.
Silver Falam coin!
Nope. That's a fake silver Malines coin.
That's this one!
That's a silver Mitzfing's holy birthday coin.
You'll memorize them as you use them.
Let's continue when we're not drunk.
No! I want to try again.
Fine. Make sure you listen.
Silver Trenni coin, silver Filling coin, silver Ireid coin,
silver Lute coin, fake silver Malines coin,
silver Falam coin, silver King Landbard the Bald coin,
silver Mitzfing Cathedral coin,
fake silver Mitzfing Cathedral coin,
silver Saint Mitzfing coin.
-Silver Mitzfing's holy birthday coin... -That's enough.
I'm going to sleep.
Good choice.
First of all, why are there so many types?
New nations rise and fall all the time,
and authorities from different regions
and the church unnecessarily mint new coins.
Plus, people keep making counterfeit coins.
The silver Lute coin
was originally called the fake silver Trenni coin and...
This will be very useful.
Thank you very much!
Please go and make lots of money!
Stay beautiful, Miss!
-He was loud until the very end. -See you in half a year!
So, what is the silver coin in question?
This one. The silver Trenni coin.
It's known as a pretty reliable coin in this region.
Reliable?
Yeah. There are hundreds of different currencies,
and their gold and silver content percentage keeps changing.
The face value of currencies
is more than the actual value of the silver and gold that's inside.
So if it's not reliable, it's not used for business.
I see. So, did you find out anything?
I can't say I "found out" anything, but I have a few guesses.
I want to eat that.
Huh?
So, what did you realize?
If it's the silver Trenni coin, his story is plausible.
Oh?
This is a silver Filling coin.
The purity of its silver is impressive, so it's popular on the market.
It's basically the silver Trenni coin's rival.
I guess currencies represent a nation's power,
no matter what era you live in.
When your market is dominated by another nation's currency,
your economy goes under their control
and the result is the same as losing in war.
So, you're saying it's possible that they will raise the purity
of their silver coin to take down their rival?
So, contrary to your opinion,
Zheren might not be lying.
-Well, it's not like my ears are perfect. -What?
What? Did you think I'd get mad?
Yes.
I might get mad at the fact that you thought that.
Where are you going?
The bridge.
I know a cambist who runs a stand there.
Technically, you can't really tell when the purity of a coin changes.
Despite that, the popularity of currencies fluctuates
because people are responsive to the changes in silver and gold.
They view even the smallest difference as a large difference.
So before there is a big change among the currencies,
there is always some kind of indication.
You don't have to memorize this now.
I'll explain in detail over the next month or so.
Basically,
when they want to change the purity of a coin drastically, they first
start out with a slight change
to heighten everyone's expectations and test the waters.
Is that right?
Th... That's about right.
Weiz, long time no see.
Lawrence!
It's a pleasure to meet you.
-What is your name? -My name is Holo.
Holo? What a lovely name!
Hey, you.
Would you like to work at my shop?
And eventually, marry me.
A cambist is someone who
deals with all sorts of currencies, right?
I don't know much about that.
Don't worry! I'll teach you.
We can take our time...
Weiz, I have something to ask you.
What do you want?
Can you show me a recently minted silver Trenni coin?
From the newest to oldest.
Nothing has changed.
Even people who handle them all day like us haven't noticed anything.
How about we melt them and check?
Don't be ridiculous! We can't do that.
Can I take a look too?
Can you tell?
Go ahead!
How naughty of you.
You are so beautiful, I can't help it.
Well then, just sit back and watch.
That's impossible.
Well, I've heard that some cambists with decades of experience
can tell the difference in purity just by hearing the sound.
But that's just a legend.
So? Can you tell?
I have no clue.
That can't be helped!
Forget about those coins. How about dinner...
What an interesting guy.
He loves women more than anything.
So, did the purity of the silver coin
increase or decrease?
If you're trying to use a leading question, I'm impressed.
I saw your ears move.
I can't let my guard down, can I?
What surprised me was the fact that you didn't say anything.
Well, that was my way of saying thank you.
A thank you?
You felt jealous earlier, didn't you?
So I'm thanking you.
Don't be embarrassed.
Males are all jealous fools, after all.
And females are fools who enjoy that.
We are all a bunch of fools.
So, how were the silver coins?
It was barely noticeable,
but the newer coins sounded duller.
Duller?
Which means the purity is decreasing.
Does that mean Zheren was lying?
When the silver or gold content increases,
it's easy to make a profit.
You buy up the old coins
and exchange them after the revaluation.
But it's not easy to make a profit just by knowing that
the metal content will decrease.
If anything, I guess you can buy out the coins while their value is down,
but you need funds on-hand for that.
And I can't imagine making a profit with that in just half a year.
I don't get it.
How was Zheren planning to make a profit with this?
I bet you were duped.
Duped?
You mean, duped of ten silver coins?
No.
If the silver Trenni coin depreciates,
that kid will return your ten silver coins.
But all he suffers is making zero profit.
On the other hand, if the value rises, he gets 10% of your profit.
He started a business with no startup capital.
Even if it makes no profit, he won't suffer any loss.
So that's what it is?
Humans are so intelligent.
Unbelievable... I fell for such a basic trick...
The only thing is...
Is it common for the purity of a coin to decrease?
No. Normally, they maintain the same purity
with the utmost care.
But right at this timing, a transaction concerning the purity of a coin popped up?
Is this a coincidence?
In order to catch prey, sometimes we climb trees too.
For a different perspective.
The forest looks different from atop a tree.
A different perspective?
What if that kid
is not the one who is scheming something?
In that case, that kid
doesn't have to receive a profit directly from the person he deceives.
For example, he may have proposed
this strange business deal to you
because someone paid him.
I see! Now I know
how to make a profit by buying out depreciating silver coins.
You had an epiphany, huh?
Let's go!
Where?
Milone Trading Company.
Next time, "The Dreamy Merchant and Moonlit Farewell."
Subtitle translation by: Kiko Morita