Spice & Wolf ~Versión Española~: V03 Cap 05
Esta traducción ha sido realizada a partir de la versión inglesa de esta misma página (enlace) realizada por Judgment26.
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Empezado por Clead DE. HeavenHell 23:29 26/09/08
Traducción al 45%
Capítulo 5
Lawrence dejó escapar un gran estornudo.
Por supuesto no era distinto a cuando estaba viajando solo, pero últimamente Lawrence había estado viajando siempre con una criticona y arrogante compañero, por lo que siempre era precavido. Pero aún así, no pudo suprimir un fuerte estornudo.
Lawrence se sintió especialmente frío mientras nervioso comprobaba si su compañera de viaje, que compartía cama con él, se había despertado.
Entonces, finalmente se dió cuenta de que estaba durmiendo sólo junto al puesto de venta de Mark.
"....."
Aunque Lawrence hubiera intencionadamente decidido dormir solo, haviéndose preparado mentalmente antes de hacerlo, todavía sintió una gran sensación de perdida al despertarse.
Tener a alguien a tu lado siempre cuando te despiertas.
Era fácil acostumbrarse a tales cosas. Pero nunca te das cuenta de cuanto valen realmente hasta que las has perdido.
Lawrence decidió dejar de arroparse con las mantas y aceptó a desgana separarse del calor que le daban. Se levantó decidido.
Tan pronto como lo hizo, el aire helado rápidamente envolvió el cuerpo entero de Lawrence.
A esta hora, cuando el cielo todavía estaba poco iluminado, el chico ya estaba fuera de su cama y barriendo el suelo frente al puesto de venta.
"Ah, buenos días."
"Oh, buenas." (NdT: la expresión japonesa, sería acortando el buenos días por sólo el morning)
El chico parecía levantarse a esta hora por costumbre, para así hacer los preparativos para abrir la tienda. Por como se veía, no parecía estar comportándose intencionalmente así sólo porque Lawrence, un amigo de su maestro, estuviera presente. El chico de manera casual saludó a otros chicos que estaban pasando por el puesto.
Era un aprendiz cuyo comportamiento merecía ser adulado.
Este probablemente no fuera un resultado del entrenamiento de Mark, sino que el chico era bastante excepcional para empezar.
"Oh, se me olvidaba."
Escuchando a Lawrence llamarle, el chico giró su cabeza instintivamente.
"¿Te explicó Mark lo que se necesita hacer hoy?"
"No, el maestro no me dijo nada.... umm, ¿es para ayudarte a empujar al desalmado villano a una trampa?"
Dijo el chico de manera exagerada, cambiando su expresión y bajando la voz. Lawrence no pudo evitar sentirse un poco sorprendido al escuchar esto. Aunque, inmediatamente sacó su habilidad de comerciante, asintiendo con una expresión de gravedad y diciendo:
"No puedo contarte los detalles, pero lo que dijiste es correcto. Es posible que incluso tuviera que pedirte que hicieras una tarea difícil."
El chico presióno la escoba hecha de trigo cerca de su cintura como una espada larga y tragó saliva.
Observando la reacción del chico, Lawrence podía estar seguro de una cosa.
Y era que sin importar que trabajara responsablemente como un chico de los recados para la tienda de trigo, en lo más profundo de chico todavía quedaba el sentimiento que le pedía la vida de un caballero o soldado.
Términos como "desalmado villano" sólo aparecían en los cuentos.
Como si hubiera visto a su anterior yo, Lawrence no pudo evitar sentir una ola de picor en su corazón difícil de soportar.
"¿Cuál es tu nombre?" preguntó.
"¿Cómo? Ah, umm..."
Cuando un comerciante le preguntaba a una persona su nombre, representaba un reconocimiento de las habilidades de éste último.
Al chico seguramente nunca le habían preguntado su nombre antes.
Aunque Lawrence pudiera fácilmente diferenciar este hecho por la confusión del chico, decidió que el chico era excepcional después de todo.
Porque el chico rápidamente respondió con un tono seguro:
"Lande. Mi nombre es Ewell Lande."
"¿Naciste en una región de más al norte que este pueblo?"
"Sí, vengo de una aldea congelada en nieve e hielo."
Lawrence inmediatamente comprendió que el chico usó tal descripción no porque fuera más fácil entender la apariencia del pueblo de esta forma, sino porque era como se había realmente visto cuando él la miró por última vez.
Así era el tan llamado "norte".
"Ya veo. Lande, cuento contigo hoy."
Viendo a Lawrence alargar su mano derecha, Lande rápidamente se sacudió su palma con un borde de sus ropas y agarró la mano de Lawrence.
Aunque la palma de Lande era rugosa y llena de callos, sin duda pertenecía a un par de manos que poseían el potencial para conseguir cualquier tipo de brillante futuro.
¿Cómo podía perder contra él?
Lawrence albergaba tales pensamientos según aflojaba su mano y hablaba:
"De todas maneras, quiero llenar mi estómago primero. ¿Hay algún lugar que ya este comenzando a vender comida a esta hora?"
"Hay un puesto de venta que vende especialmente pan seco a los viajeros. ¿Querrías que te comprara un poco?"
"Lo dejo en tus manos entonces."
Habiendo dicho esto, Lawrence sacó dos monedas de plata de Iredo de color tan oscuro como el cobre, y se las dió a Lande.
"Umm, puedes comprar suficiente con sólo una de estas," dijo Lande.
"La otra es una recompensa pagada por adelantado. No te preocupes, te pagaré una recompensa formal también por supuesto."
Viendo a un paralizado Lande, Lawrence sonrió mientras añadía:
"Si sigues dudando, Mark va a llegar pronto. Suele decir que desayunar es una tontería, ¿cierto?"
Escuchando esto, Lande le dió un rápido asentimiento y se marchó enseguida.
Tras observar la salida de Lande un rato, Lawrence giró su mirada hacia un hueco entre dos puestos de venta del lado opuesto de la calle.
"No vayas malcriando a nuestro chico."
"Simplemente tenías que haber dicho algo para detenerme."”
Mark apareció de un hueco entre la mercancía. Su cara tenía una mueca de una expresión molesta, y dijo mientras suspiraba:
"Después de todo, ha estado haciendo mucho frío últimamente. Si se resfriara porque le hago trabajar hambriento, me causaría problemas a mí."
Aún con sus palabras, estaba claro que Mark en verdad sentía bastante cariño por el chico.
Aunque, permitir a Lande que desayunara no era un simple acto de amabilidad, sino porque verdaderamente jugaba un papel importante en el plan de Lawrence.
Los comerciantes no eran clérigos de la Iglesia. Cuando un comerciante realizaba una acción, siempre había motivos secundarios.
"Parece que hoy hará buen tiempo también. Los negocios van a ser muy buenos."
Lawrence asintió en respuesta a Mark, y tomó una bocanada de aire.
El frío aire matinal era altamente refrescante.
Además, cuando lo expulsaba, todos sus pensamientos innecesarios parecían ser expulsados junto con el aire.
Todo lo que necesitaba hacer ahora era pensar como conseguir que su plan fuera exitoso.
No sería demasiado tarde para detenerse y sopesar otras cosas una vez que ya hubiera salido exitoso.
"Perfecto, déjame llenar mi estómago primero."
Lawrence dijo con fuerza según veía a un jadeante Lande corriendo de vuelta.
El lugar estaba bañado por una atmósfera completamente distinta.
Esto fue la primera cosa que pasó por la mente de Lawrence tras llegar aquí.
Lo que pareció tras un vistazo estar tan sereno como la superficie de un lago, en verdad estaba tan ardiente como el agua hirviendo cuando uno acercaba su mano para tocarla.
Desde la salida del sol por el este al amanecer, sólo una esquina de esta zona podía encontrarse insualmente cargada de gente. La vista de cada persona estaba dirigida hacia el mismo puesto de venta.
Y era el único puesto de venta en Kumerson especializado en la compra venta de minerales y piedras preciosas. La mirada de todos estaba centrada en la tabla de precios improvisadamente situada en el frontal del puesto.
En la tabla de precios había líneas escritas describiendo la forma y peso de las piezas de pirita, y junto a cada línea estaba colgada una placa de madera sobre la que estaba escrita el precio y el número de personas enlistadas para comprar la pieza.
Aunque no habían omitido un hueco para el número de personas enlistadas para vender en la tabla de precios, ese hueco seguramente no habría oportunidad de tener ninguna placa de madera colgada en él.
"El precio medio es de... 800 Iredo mmm."
Esta cantidad era aproximadamente 80 veces el precio original.
El precio sólo podía ser descrito como ridículo. Pero, al igual que era casi imposible apaciguar a un caballo loco, intentar comprobar la subida del precio no era tarea fácil.
Si se encontrara ante la oportunidad de conseguir unas ganancias fáciles de conseguir, la razón humana no tenía diferencias con una cuerda hecha de lodo, totalmente incapaz de domar a un caballo.
Aunque aún faltaba tiempo para que se oyera el sonido de la campana usado para señalar la apertura del mercado, había un acuerdo popular entre las personas de realizar tratos antes de tiempo. En consecuencia, de vez en cuando después de que Lawrence hubiera llegado al puesto, podía ver a comerciantes acercarse al puesto y susurrar al oído del propietario. Una vez que un cierto número de personas iban al puesto, el propietario lentamente cambiaría las placas de madera de la tabla de precios por otras una por una.
La razón por la que el propietario no cambiaba las placas de madera con el precio inmediatamente era seguramente para así prevenir que nadie supiera quién había comprado qué tipo de pirita y por cuánto dinero.
Cualquiera que fuera la intención del dueño, el número de personas esperando comprar sólo continuaba subiendo.
Justo cuando Lawrence comenzó a calcular en silencio la suma total de las piezas vendidas, una figura apareció por el rabillo del ojo.
Mirando en esa dirección, descubrió la figura de Amati.
Aunque Lawrence habia descubierto a Amati la pasada noche, sin que éste le viera, Amati, pareciéndose a un comerciante que nunca falló en reconocer una oportunidad para conseguir dinero, pareció tener un ojo tan agudo como el de Lawrence. Según Lawrence dirigió su mirada hacia él, como si pudiera oír el sonido de un cambio en la dirección de la mirada, miró en dirección a Lawrence también.
Considerando la relación que mantenían, un saludo agradable era innecesario.
Aunque, ya que los dos habían acordado que Lawrence recogiera el dinero de Amati tras el sonido de la campana señalando la apertura del mercado, Lawrence no podía actuar demasiado fríamente tampoco.
En el momento que estos pensamientos comenzaron a aparecer en la mente de Lawrence, Amati fue el primero en mostrar una sonrisa, saludando con su cabeza ligeramente.
Antes de que Lawrence siquiera tuviera la oportunidad de sorprenderse, descubrió la razón tras el comportamiento de Amati.
Porque Horo estaba a su lado.
Por alguna razón, Horo no estaba vestida como una aldeana, sino que llevaba puesto las ropas de monja. A su larga túnica le había colocado 3 largas plumas completamente blancas, que eran claramente visibles desde cualquier distancia.
Horo siguió mirando en la dirección del puesto de venta, sin mostrar intención de mirar a Lawrence.
Viendo la cara sonriente de Amati, Lawrence no pudo sentir un calor creciendo en lo profundo de su abdomen.
Pero, cuando Lawrence vio a Amati susurrarle algo en el oído a Horo antes de dirigirse hacia él, atravesando por un grupo de comerciantes que sentaron juntos, la tranquila apariencia de Lawrence fingida hizo parecer como si esas emociones internas no existieran para nada.
Siempre y cuando la otra persona no fuera Horo, Lawrence estaba seguro de que su actuación no sería fácilmente comprendida.
"Buenos días, Sr. Lawrence."
"Buenos días."
Ante un saludo sonriente de Amati, Lawrence se esforzó muchísimo para mantener una perfecta apariencia de calma.
"Ya que las multitudes llenarán este lugar en el momento que la campana del mercado tañera, creí que sería mejor darte esto antes de tiempo."
Habiendo dicho esto, Amati sacó una bolsa desde el pecho de su camisa.
La bolsa era tan pequeña como una bolsa de cintura.
"¿Esto es?"
Lawrence, que estaba totalmente convencido de que Amati había venido a pagarle las monedas de plata, no pudo evitar preguntar.
La bolsa era demasiado pequeña para contener 300 monedas de plata, pensó Lawrence.
"Esto es lo que te prometí darte."
Pero, Amati dijo eso. Aunque Lawrence sentía algunas sospechas, sólo pudo aceptar la bolsa que Amati le entregó.
Entonces, tras desatar la bolsa y echando un vistazo dentro, Lawrence no pudo evitar abrir sus ojos petrificado.
"Quizás esto no fue lo que acordamos, pero imaginé que sería un inconveniente para ti pasear llevando 300 monedas de plata, por lo que decidí pagarte en monedas de oro de Lima," dijo Amati.
La bolsa estaba ciertamente llena de monedas de oro. ¿Exactamente de dónde y cómo consiguió Amati obtener las monedas de oro?
Aunque el valor de la moneda de oro de Lima era menor que el de los Rumione, en Puroanie, el país al que pertenece Kumerson, la Lima era una moneda de oro que circulaba ampliamente entre las regiones cercanas a la costa oeste, y era más o menos equivalente a 20 monedas de plata de Trenni.
Ahora que lo pensaba, el hecho de que Amati fuera capaz de obtener monedas de oro en esta época en la que la corriente de efectivo era tan escasa quería decir que había pagado un considerable precio por el servicio.
Que lo hiciera tan intencionadamente era probablemente para indicarle a Lawrence que tenía suficiente dinero en mano, para así hacer tambalear la resolución de Lawrence.
Que Amati fuera paseando con Horo era seguramente para redirigir la atención de Lawrence hacia estas cuestiones.
Ya que Lawrence involuntariamente había abierto demasiado sus ojos, no había forma con la que ocultara las turbulencias que pasaban por su cabeza.
"Calculé la cantidad usando el último valor del mercado. Por un total de 14 monedas de oro de Lima," dijo Amati.
".....Comprendo, es correcto." (NdT: el es correcto sustituye a la frase inglesa de received indeed, simplemente por la correctitud en el lenguaje)
"¿No necesitas contar el número de monedas?"
En la forma en que Lawrence lo vio, lo más apropiado que hacer en ese momento era pronunciar un "No hace falta" de manera casual. Pero, tras soltar estas palabras con mucho esfuerzo, sólo dio la impresión de hacerse el duro.
"Entonces, ¿serías tan amable de darme el contrato por las 300 monedas de plata?"
Lawrence tuvo que ser recordado incluso de este paso antes de sacar el contrato.
Amati estaba completamente adelantado a Lawrence.
Cuando completaron el intercambio del efectivo por el contrato parcial, también fue Amati el primero en decir la línea necesaria de: "Es correcto".
viendo la figura de la espalda de Amati mientras se iba, una maldición apareció repetidamente por la mente de Lawrence.
Durante la firma del contrato el día anterior, que Amati usara la falta de efectivo como una excusa para rellenar la suma faltante con 3 caballos era quizás parte de su estrategia.
Tener siempre un poco de dinero en mano era parte del sentido común compartido por todos los comerciantes.
Por si fuera poco, antes del amanecer, Amati probablemente había buscado pirita para comprarla usando el mismo método que el que Lawrence usó con él pero esta vez en otros.
Con un stock suficiente de pirita, todo lo que era necesario era una pequeña subida en el precio de ésta.
Rememorando ahora la forma en la que Amati se inclinó agradeciéndoselo y se giró tras recibir el contrato, Lawrence simplemente no podía convencerse de que Amati hubiera estado aparentando.
¿Exactamente cómo de grande era el stock que Amati poseía?
Lawrence aparentó rascarse la nariz, y mordió la uña del dedo gordo.
Según el plan original de Lawrence, tan pronto como pasara el mediodía, podría proceder como había planeado, vendiendo cantidades exactas de pirita en momentos calculados para así relentizar la subida del precio.
¿Debería empezar la acción antes de tiempo? Semejante idea atravesó la mente de Lawrence.
Pero, el subordinado de Deanna todavía no había aparecido.
Antes de estar seguro de si sería capaz o no de conseguir un gran stock, sería difícil que Lawrence empezara sus movimientos aunque quisiera hacerlo.
Aunque Lawrence pudiera comprar más pirita secundariamente aprovechando las monedas de oro con las que Amati le pagó antes de conocer los resultados de la negociación, si las negociaciones con Deanna llegaran a salir tan bien que Lawrence recibiera pirita extra por valor de 400 monedas de plata, también acabaría siendo problemático.
Pero no tener suficiente dinero en mano no era un problema ya que Lawrence también había guardado ya una parte de las monedas de plata para pagar a Deanna, acabaría teniendo demasiada pirita almacenada.
Incluso aunque Lawrence hubiera estado comprando pirita con la intención de causar una caída en su precio, al mismo tiempo había estado controlando la cantidad que compraba, para así prevenir que la perdida resultante de la caída del precio le llevara a la bancarrota.
Si Lawrence tuviera la decisión de incluso llegar a la bancarrota para detener el plan de Amati por el bien de Horo, quizás Horo estaría dispuesta a aceptar su sinceridad.
Pero, que aceptara su sinceridad no era suficiente para traer un final feliz, ya que Lawrence seguiría necesitando sustentarse tras esto.
La restricción conocida como realidad pesaba más que las monedas de oro en su mano.
El precio de la tabla de tienda de minerales fue renovado una vez más.
Aparentemente, alguien acababa de comprar una gran cantidad de pirita; los precios en la tabla y el número de las personas esperando para comprar crecieron dramáticamente.
¿Cúanto valdría la pirita que Amati tenía en sus manos tras este incremento?
Recapacitando sobre este punto, Lawrence no pudo evitar sentirse inquieto.
Pero, ser incapaz de mantener una mente fría significaba la derrota.
Lawrence cerró sus ojos, bajó la mano que había estado mordisqueando, y lentamente tomó una bocanada de aire.
Todos los pensamientos que había tenido hace un momento eran el resultado de la actuación intencional de Amati, y parte de su trampa, Lawrence pensó para sí.
Cualquiera fuera el caso, Amati estaba siendo apoyado por Horo después de todo. Además, si simplemente era capaz de descubrir el plan tras el plan que había tras el plan original, debería podía equivocarse.
En ese momento, el sonido de la campana resonó por la cabeza de Lawrence.
Es era la señal de la apertura del mercado.
La batalla había empezado oficialmente.
En un estado de extraña excitación, parecía que las personas estaban de alguna forma más dispuestas a comportarse.
Aunque todos habían estado esperando frente al puesto de venta mucho antes de que sonara la campana, aún así todos esperaron antes de que tañera la campana para hacer sus movimientos.
Por si fuera poco, mirando más atentamente, se podían descubrir personas que parecían viajeros o granjeros vendiendo pirita de manera furtuva, como si se encontraran en medio de un acto ilegal.
Aunque, las ventas pequeñas sólo servían para estimular más la subida del precio.
En un trato que no involucraba ninguna venta, sólo aquellos que ya poseían un stock iban a conseguir un gran beneficio. Era precisamente porque había bastantes ventas pequeñas, junto con las personas que estaban deseando volver a comprar en esta cantidad por lo que todo el mundo obsesivamente se quedaba frente al puesto, sin intención de irse.
Ya que cada individuo sabía que existía la posibilidad de conseguir ganancias, nadie tenía intención de irse.
A juzgar por semejante reacción en cadena, se necesitaba preparar una considerablemente grande cantidad de pirita para poder causar una caída en el precio.
La tabla de precios, que seguía desapareciendo y reapareciendo debido a la multitud que bloqueaba la línea de visión de Lawrence, se veía como un termómetro del marketing que estaba siendo continuamente calentado, la temperatura mostrada subía más y más.
El mensajero de Deanna todavía no había aparecido.
En el caso de que las negociaciones fueran un fracaso, si Lawrence no realizaba ninguna acción pronto, perdería la oportunidad.
Mientras observaba la tabla de precios con pánico, la figura de Amati de pie ante el puesto de venta pasó por sus ojos.
En ese instante, Lawrence notó una ola de terror recorriéndole, causándole que quisiera correr hacia el puesto inmediatamente agarrándo fuertemente la pirita en su pecho para venderla antes que él. (NdT: la frase original era un poco distinta, pero intenté darle sentido)
Pero, si esta fuera una estrategia de Amati para hacer tambalear su plan, podría traer consecuencias catastróficas. Si Lawrence vendiera una cantidad insuficiente, sólo incrementaría las esperanzas del resto de personas para conseguir comprar pirita siempre y cuando esperaran su turno, y cuanta más gente esperando para comprar, mayor sería la subida del precio.
Con mucho esfuerzo, Lawrence consiguió controlar la urgencia de vender toda su pirita, rezando que sólo fuera una estrategia de Amati para causarle que se adelantara.
En ese momento, repentinamente se dió cuenta de algo.
Horo había desaparecido.
Lawrence observó los alrededores, y descubrió que Horo se había movido hacía algún tiempo a la pared exterior de gente atrapada en este inusual espectáculo, y le estaba mirando directamente.
Cuando la mirada de Lawrence se encontró con la de Horo, entrecerró sus ojos con una mirada molesta antes de girarse para alejarse lentamente.
Viendo a Horo alejarse en la distancia, Lawrence pudo notar una gran cantidad de sudor frío recorrer su espalda.
Esta debía ser una trampa secundaria puesta por Horo.
Si Horo había averiguado la situación con la pirita por Amati, era por supuesto posible que hubiera pensado una trampa para Lawrence. Alguien tan lista como Horo sería fácilmente capaz de descubrir algo que Amati, que era el responsable de explicar la situación, pasaría por alto.
Además, Horo tenía mucha habilidad para ver a traves de los pensamientos de las personas. En tales circunstancia, no había persona más poderosa que Horo.
En el momento que su cadena de pensamientos llegaron a ese punto, Lawrence involuntariamente se sumió en la ilusión de que todos ante él estaban hechos de lodo. (NdT: véase locura transitoria)
Sintió como si pudiera hundirse profundamente en el barro sin importar donde pisara, y que sin importar los movimientos de quien seguía, esos movimientos acaban siendo una ilusión.
Todo era probablemente parte del plan de Horo, Lawrence pensó con sospechas.
El sentimiento de terror que venía de tener a un resabido lobo por enemigo se extendió por todo el cuerpo de Lawrence poco a poco.
Aún así, Lawrence era incapaz de darse por vencido en que Horo estaba haciendo esto por un enfado pasajero. (NdT: inserte traducción aceptable de rash passion => enfado pasajero, dios creo que esta vez me colé)
El veneno de la presuposición y las sospechas comenzó a invadir la mente de Lawrence poco a poco.
Lawrence no estaba aparentando mirar a la tabla de precios sin expresión alguna; eso era todo lo que era capaz de hacer.
El precio de la pirita continuó subiendo poco a poco.
La única cosa buena era que, ya que el precio de la pirita había crecido ya hasta límites exagerados, la velocidad de crecimiento era muy baja.
Aún así, si continuara subiendo de esta forma, la cantidad del incremento sin duda llegaría fácilmente al 20% para el mediodía.
Todo lo que Lawrence sabía era que Amati poseía un stock de pirita por valor de 800 monedas de plata. Si el precio llegara a subir un 20% más, y añadiéramos 40 monedas al resultado, el objetivo de 1000 monedas sería alcanzado.
Si todo lo que necesitaba eran 40 monedas, Amati sin duda no tendría problema en conseguir la cantidad.
Cuando llegara ese momento, Amati no dudaría en traer todas sus posesiones para completar el contrato en el acto. En semejantes circunstancias, la venta a crédito de la que Lawrence había estado dependiendo seguramente perdería su efecto.
"¿Por qué no ha aparecido el subordinado de Deanna todavía?"
Un sentimiento de pánico que parecía a punto de derretirle compeltamente se agitó una y otra vez en el estómago de Lawrence, y no pudo evitar gruñir en alto.
Incluso si fuera a comenzar a buscar pirita para comprar ahora, ¿cuánta sería capaz de conseguir?
A diferencia de la noche anterior cuando el mercado ya estaba cerrado y nadie sabía que el precio de la pirita iba a subir o bajar al llegar el amanecer, ahora mismo, todos podían ver de manera clara e inmediata que la tendencia era a subir.
En tales circunstancias, Lawrence no creía que ninguna persona estuviera dispuesta a venderle la gallina de huevos de oro que poseían.
Llegado a este punto, parecía claro después de todo que el plan de Lawrence necesiriamente requería de la pirita de Deanna si había alguna posibilidad de que la consiguiera.
Pero, si esto continuaba por mucho más tiempo, Lawrence también podía recibir un gran golpe como resultado del contrato de venta a crédito que había firmado con Amati.
Lawrence se rascó el borde de sus ojos y se sumió en reflexión. Había creído que estaba encaminándose directamente hacia la meta de su plan mientras mantenía la mente fría, pero ahora sentía como si se dirigiera hacia un callejón sin salida.
"No." Lawrence cambió su punto de vista.
Comprendió por qué el plan no estaba yendo a la perfección.
La subida y caída del precio de la pirita no era el mayor problema.
Tras este problema estaba el hecho de que Lawrence había perdido su confianza en Horo.
Imagina por ejemplo que el hecho de que Horo hubiera estado paseando con Amati tan temprano en la mañana, era posible que no hubieran esperado hasta el amanecer para encontrarse, sino que hubieran pasado la noche juntos.
No sería sorprendente incluso si Horo hubiera invitado a Amati a volver a la posada después de que él y Lawrence hubieran terminado el trato de venta a crédito.
Dependiendo de las circunstancias, quizás Horo le había revelado sus orejas y cola, para contarle a Amati su verdadera identidad.
Aunque Lawrence quería autoaceptar que esto era imposible, también recordó que Horo le había revelado su verdadera identidad a él sin dudarlo cuando se encontraron por primera vez. Sería simplemente ser demasiado optimista pensar que la razón por la que Horo había hecho eso era porque entendió que Lawrence era una persona especial abierta de mente.
Después de todo, Amati estaba locamente enamorado de Horo. Seguramente pudiera hacer un juicio apropiado sobre si le revelaba o no su verdadera identidad.
Entonces, suponiendo que Amati hubiera aceptado la verdadera identidad de Horo-
La sonrisa que Amati había mostrado momentos antes apareció claramente en la mente de Lawrence.
Horo temía quedarse sola.
Pero, Lawrence no estaba seguro de si Horo sólo quería estar con él.
En el instante que Lawrence comprendió que no debería estar pensando sobre esto, sus piernas perdieron el balance y se tambalearon.
Que Lawrence no tropezara y cayera allí mismo fue pura suerte.
El sonido de la campana un segundo más tarde trajo de vuelta a la realidad a Lawrence.
"Oh oh......."
Lawrence looked toward the source of the sound, and discovered that the price marking the value of the most expensive piece of pyrite was renewed by a large degree.
Someone had placed a large bid.
Others were sure to be influenced by this and follow suit one after another.
Perhaps it was already impossible for Lawrence to prevent Amati from completing the contract.
Lawrence had still not received any news from Deanna at this point, which meant that the other party was being hesitant about whether or not to sell; if the price of pyrite displayed an upward trend, the possibility of the other party being willing to sell would be even lower.
From the looks of it, the smart thing to do would be to give up on this possibility and quickly take action.
That being the case, Lawrence wishing his plan to succeed would be equivalent to asking for a miracle from above.
The only weapons he had left were four hundred silver coins’ worth of pyrite, along with the rumor Lande had been tasked with spreading.
Such feeble weapons made Lawrence want to ridicule himself. He could not help having doubts about his own idea of seriously relying on the power of a rumor to attain his goal. Just the previous day, Lawrence had believed that such an idea was truly the product of experience, and a secret trick unknown to others.
Now, Lawrence could clearly see just how drunk he had been the previous night.
He could not help beginning to think pessimistically about a fallback plan.
If he were to stay put like this without taking action, Lawrence would at least be able to receive a thousand silver coins from Amati. Even if the loss suffered from the selling on credit were subtracted from that, it would still be a decent profit.
The moment he reminded himself of this, though he felt like a miserable good-for-nothing, Lawrence felt his body grow much lighter.
You must be thinking that if you should really be able to receive a thousand silver coins, letting go would not be such a big deal, is it not so? Horo’s past reproach had hit the truth.
Lawrence remembered that tucked away within his bosom was the letter from Deanna.
The information within the letter was a clue to finding Horo’s hometown—Yoitsu. Perhaps Lawrence was no longer fit to hold onto this letter.
I am just a regular merchant after all,
Lawrence thought to himself as he searched for the form of Horo.
All that had taken place within the estuary town of Pattio and the Church city of Rubinhagen had been a mere dream.
As this idea emerged in Lawrence’s mind, quite incredibly, all of this seemed to really become a dream.
Within this crowd of people enveloped by heat and desire, Lawrence gave a strained smile as he surveyed all about. Because he was unable to locate Horo, Lawrence moved to another position and continued his search.
Quite some time had already passed since the opening of the marketplace. Because the day’s festival had not yet begun, crowds of people continued to surge into the marketplace.
Lawrence was still unable to find Horo.
Just as Lawrence was silently complaining about not being able to find Horo now of all times, he suddenly remembered.
After their eyes had met, Horo had walked off, directing herself away from the wall of people.
Could Horo have gone off to someplace else just like that?
If that were true, where could she have gone? Lawrence could not help thinking that perhaps she had determined that he was bound to lose disastrously, and had gone back to the inn early.
Surely this was simply a matter of course.
Although such an idea was so pitiful that even Lawrence could barely stand it, he realized that he had long since accepted himself even with the idea.
A few drinks would be so nice,
Lawrence thought to himself. In the next second, he could not help letting out a short exclamation:
“Huh?”
He had been searching within a fairly narrow range after all, so his eyes were bound to catch this existence sooner or later.
Lawrence let out a surprised and puzzled sound the moment the form of Amati came into his line of sight.
That Amati’s right hand was pressed against his chest was probably because it held pyrite and cash.
The point was not Amati’s motion, but the fact that he was anxiously searching all around with a fretful expression on his face, just like Lawrence.
Lawrence began to suspect that this was Amati’s acting.
Yet, the crowd sandwiched between Lawrence and Amati dispersed miraculously, revealing a narrow space between the two. In the few short seconds that this happened, Amati spotted Lawrence as well, and at the same time, revealed an expression of surprise.
Then, Lawrence caught a glimpse of an expression of relief from Amati. Although Lawrence’s vision was quickly obscured by the crowd, he was sure of what he had seen.
Without even turning his mind, a thought jumped out at Lawrence.
Amati was looking for Horo. Not only that, but Amati had been relieved to see that Horo was not beside Lawrence.
Lawrence felt someone’s shoulder collide with his back for a brief moment.
Looking back, he saw a man who appeared to be a merchant conversing fervently with another.
“That’s odd.” Just as Lawrence wondered silently to himself, he felt another impact pass from his back to the front of his chest.
This time he finally realized it.
The source of the impacts was in fact his own beating heart.
Amati had been searching for Horo with an anxious expression, and had even thought that Horo could be beside Lawrence.
This meant that Amati did not trust Horo from the bottom of his heart.
Which in turn meant that there must have been some kind of reason for doubt.
What was it?
“Could it be?”
Lawrence could not help saying out loud.
The fact that Amati was searching for Horo meant that Horo had not told him where she was going.
Moreover, this alone was sufficient to cause Amati to appear so flustered, which made it hard to believe that Horo had trusted him enough to be willing to reveal her ears and tail.
Lawrence could not help abandoning the series of dark and heavy suppositions he had made moments ago, weaving together once more a scenario leading toward a path of light.
Yet, Lawrence was not confident that he could make a cool judgment concerning whether or not this was simply his own wishful thinking.
Such an anxious emotion caused a wave of nausea to hit Lawrence.
At that moment, more cries rang out.
Lawrence looked quickly in the direction of the vending stand, and discovered that at some unknown time, the wooden plate marking the unusually-high price of the top-valued pyrite had been taken off.
In other words, the pyrite had been sold at this top value.
Moreover, it was not for this reason that the cries had sounded.
The wooden plates marking the top values of the various kinds of pyrite were all taken off at the same time, and there was a decrease in the number of wooden plates representing the number of waiting buyers.
This meant that someone had sold off a considerably-large quantity of pyrite.
Lawrence swallowed the nauseating feeling of anxiety, and desperately sought to find Amati.
Amati was not in front of the stand.
Neither was he anywhere near it.
Lawrence caught sight of Amati once more amongst the crowd.
Amati was just then watching the vending stand with an amazed expression.
No, it was not Amati who had made the sale.
Before Lawrence had a chance to feel relieved, new plates for those waiting to purchase were immediately put up one after another, and the sound of cries were heard once more throughout the crowd.
Most likely, all the people here more or less possessed some pyrite, and were waiting in watch for the best opportunity to buy or sell. The buying and selling of pyrite had begun to show signs of large fluctuation, which would no doubt cause their considerations to enter a new phase.
Put another way, now was perhaps just the right time to sell.
If he were to sell off large quantities of pyrite in a planned fashion, perhaps there was some chance for success. The thought of this rekindled the fire of hope within Lawrence’s heart, which had been on the verge of giving up.
“But....” Lawrence immediately changed his thinking like a fearful little rabbit.
Lawrence could not even say what Horo was thinking and where she had gone, much less easily see through one’s heart. To harbor such a complacent thought was far too dangerous.
Even so, there should still be some hope—Lawrence could not help thinking.
Expectation, suspicion, supposition and fact were like four talons pulling at Lawrence’s thoughts, causing them to be broken up into fragments.
If the Wise Wolf Horo were beside him right now, what kind of suggestion would she make?
Lawrence could not help thinking fecklessly.
Lawrence felt that even if Horo were to make a casual suggestion, he would still make a decision based on it.
This was because he trusted Horo.
At the very moment—
“Uhm.....”
As the voice reached his ears, Lawrence felt a tug at the corner of his clothes.
Lawrence spun around as if he had been sprung back by some great force, expecting the form of an arrogant and self-important girl to appear before his eyes.
Yet, the person standing before him was a youngster, whom he found to be Lande upon taking a closer look.
“Uhm, Mr. Lawrence, may I disturb you for a minute?”
Because Lawrence had spun around at quite an amazing speed, Lande appeared somewhat startled, but he immediately revealed an expression which said that the situation was urgent.
Lawrence felt a wave of anxiety. After surveying his surroundings, he brought his face close to the much shorter Lande, and nodded his head.
“A customer has shown up at the shop who has requested to pay for wheat in minerals (note: he says “minerals,” but Lande is obviously referring to pyrite),” said Lande.
Lawrence immediately understood Mark’s intention. What he meant was that, if Lawrence were willing to pay for the pyrite in cash, he would accept the customer’s request.
“How much money’s worth?” asked Lawrence.
The fact that Mark had specially sent the boy out to inform Lawrence meant that it was no small sum.
Lawrence swallowed once, awaiting Lande’s answer. Lande opened his mouth to speak:
“250.”
Faced with this unexpected state of affairs, Lawrence clenched his teeth, holding in the urge to scream out loud.
Even though Lawrence had suffered the abandonment of the harvest wolf deity, the goddess of fortune had not forsaken him.
Lawrence immediately stuffed the small gunnysack Amati had handed him into Lande’s hands and said:
“Do it as quickly as possible!”
Lande nodded his head like an emissary who had received an order and hurried off.
The market value of pyrite continued to fluctuate.
The number of waiting plates (note: as in, the wooden plates representing the number of people in line to purchase) had gone through a severe change. From this, it was apparent that the price would not continue to rise nonstop.
It could be told at a glance that the purchases and sales were pushing and competing against each other.
With the price as it was, those who felt that it would not hurt to sell would begin selling off the stock they had in hand, whereas those who were hoping for the price to rise even further would purchase more.
Every now and then, Lawrence would catch a glimpse of Amati at the other end of the crowd. Amati was most likely also secretly watching his actions, Lawrence thought.
Moreover, the reason Amati was watching the vending stand along with Lawrence’s actions was undoubtedly because he was still unable to raise the thousand silver coins.
“No,” Lawrence thought silently to himself.
Perhaps Amati had long since raised the needed amount, but was considering the possibility that under the fluctuating market value, if he were to sell off the pyrite he held, a slight error may result in a price crash before he had sold off his entire stock.
Because Amati had signed a selling on credit contract with Lawrence, if Amati were to accidentally trigger a price crash, the contract would cause him to suffer an immense loss.
Not only that, but there was another important fact.
The five hundred silver coins’ worth of pyrite Amati held existed in the form of a paper certificate.
Regardless of the fact that it was a valid certificate able to be bought or sold, he had to wait till evening to get his hands on the actual items.
At this moment in time when the market value of pyrite was beginning to fluctuate rather than go up in a straight line, and the possibility of a drop began to take a stronger presence, what kind of response would he receive for wishing to sell off such a certificate?
In a deal involving selling on credit, there was a time gap between the money transaction and the product transaction.
In a situation where the price could potentially drop, the selling on credit certificate, which requested advance payment and promised to deliver the product at a future date was akin to a joker card on which a seductively-smiling witch was printed.
If the market value were really to drop, the last person in possession of this joker card would end up on the road to bankruptcy.
The slow-acting poison on which Lawrence had placed his hopes had taken effect.
Amati was looking about desperately.
He must have been looking for Horo.
He must have been searching for the Horo who had guessed Lawrence’s plan and given Amati advice.
Within such an atmosphere which strongly suggested an imminent change in the wind’s direction, even the offensive and defensive situation seemed to be in favor of a great reversal.
If Lawrence did not go on the offensive at that very moment, it would be the same as letting a miracle that only occurred once in a thousand years slip by.
People rushed before the mineral merchant’s vending stand in droves, and the wooden plates on the price board were constantly being replaced.
Lawrence gripped the pyrite within his bosom tightly, anxiously awaiting Lande’s return, which could happen at any moment.
It did not require much time to go to and back from Mark’s vending stand from this place.
At that moment—
“Someone’s made a purchase!”
Such a sound was carried throughout the site.
Someone must have gotten a bit overexcited and cried out.
In that instant, just like an attempt to re-stabilize a ship that had started rocking due to the effects of the wind, the surrounding air began to blow simultaneously toward the same direction.
Someone had just purchased a large amount of pyrite, which portended a continued rise in the price.
Such an expectation caused the crowd’s wavering mood to settle down once more.
Lande had still not returned.
As time went by, the atmosphere at the site began to calm back down gradually.
On the other hand, taking advantage of this opportunity where the number of potential buyers had become less, Lawrence could perhaps sell off a large quantity of the pyrite he had on hand and wipe away such an atmosphere.
That way, even if it were only for a brief moment, perhaps it would cause the waiting plates to be taken down.
At that very moment, the action of selling in bulk would probably have an extremely powerful effect.
Lawrence took action.
Cutting through the crowds, he took out the gunnysack from within his bosom and stood before the vending stand.
“I wish to sell!”
Under everyone’s gaze, Lawrence tossed the gunnysack in front of the stand owner.
The owner and his helping apprentices appeared stupefied for a brief moment, but immediately proceeded to their task.
The act of tossing a stone onto the lake surface that was just about to become calm again took effect.
After the measuring process was completed in a swift manner, the apprentices who held waiting plates in their hands immediately ran off from the vending stand in order to deliver pyrite to the customers.
Lawrence immediately received the payment owed him.
Without taking a careful count of the sum, Lawrence gripped the cash tightly and rushed into the crowd once more.
As he did so, Lawrence caught a glimpse of Amati’s agonized-looking face.
Lawrence felt no sympathy, nor did he feel that Amati was getting what he deserved.
All he had in mind was his own business and goal.
Lawrence had sold off his entire stock of pyrite, and would need to wait till he was resupplied before being able to continue his offense.
Why had Lande and Deanna’s subordinate still not shown up yet?
If four hundred coins’ worth of pyrite were to arrive from Deanna at this time, the market value would be sure to go through a great reversal.
This was the crossroad of fate.
At that moment, a voice reached Lawrence’s ears.
“Mr. Lawrence.”
Lande called out to Lawrence from amongst the crowd, his forehead full of sweat. Lawrence immediately rushed toward Lande, and received a bag from his hands.
The bag contained 250 silver coins’ worth of pyrite.
Lawrence hesitated. He wavered between heading to the vending stand once more to sell off the pyrite he currently had in hand and waiting for Deanna’s subordinate to show up first, in order to be absolutely sure.
At that moment, Lawrence could not help scolding himself.
Had he not just abandoned the hope that lay with Deanna moments ago?
The negotiation had already dragged on for so long. Was it not being overly optimistic to still be expecting Deanna to deliver the pyrite according to his wishes?
That being the case, Lawrence could only go ahead and play his last card.
He turned around, and prepared to rush forward.
Suddenly, the sound of cheering rang out, causing Lawrence to stop in his tracks.
“Ohohohohohohoh!”
The crowd was blocking Lawrence’s line of vision, causing him to be unable to get a grasp on what had happened.
Yet, in the instant that he heard the cheering, Lawrence could feel his merchant’s intuition telling him to cry out and run away, and indicating to him that the worst possible scenario had occurred.
Lawrence pushed past the crowd, and with great effort arrived at a position from which the vending stand’s price board was visible.
He could not help wanting to praise himself for not having dropped to his knees right then and there.
The top value on the price board had been renewed.
The price of pyrite had re-stabilized.
In the next instant, those who decided that the disturbance a few moments ago had simply been a temporary fluctuation in the market value seemed all at once to place orders to purchase.
With the vigor of a violent wave, the waiting plates were hung up next to the wooden plate marking the top value.
With great effort, Lawrence managed to suppress a feeling of nausea. He was forced to make a decision concerning whether or not to sell off the pyrite he held once more.
Perhaps there was still a chance of success if he took action right then.
No, the smart thing to do at that moment was to await the results of Deanna’s negotiation.
After all, the quantity of pyrite involved in Deanna’s negotiation had been worth four hundred silver coins on the previous night, and could very well have reached over five hundred at the present moment.
If he could just obtain that amount, added to the amount he already had on hand, he would have enough for another large sale.
As Lawrence placed his hopes on such a tiny possibility, he saw Amati walk off from the stand, his previously flustered manner already changed to a leisurely one.
Amati was surely planning to sell his pyrite.
It was uncertain, however, whether he was planning to sell all that he possessed.
Even without knowing what Amati’s plan was, it was obvious that he was planning to exchange a portion of his pyrite for cash. Amati himself had probably become aware of the slow-acting poison. In that case, he was most likely planning to get rid of the portion of pyrite associated with the certificate first.
Why had Deanna’s subordinate still not shown up? Was he no longer able to gain the help of the heavens?
Lawrence cried out inside.
“Excuse me, are you Mr. Lawrence?”
The despairing Lawrence thought he had heard wrong.
“You are Mr. Lawrence, correct?”
A short figure was standing beside Lawrence. A piece of fabric covered more than half of the person’s face, only revealing a pair of eyes, making it impossible to tell whether it was a maiden or a young man.
It was certainly not Lande.
In that case, this person was most certainly the one Lawrence had been waiting so long for.
“Miss Deanna wanted me to pass you a message.”
The speaker’s light green eyes gave off a serene radiance, in complete contrast with the abnormal atmosphere that filled the area.
The mysterious air emanating from the speaker made it hard for one not to wonder if he or she was a messenger sent by the heavens.
In other words, perhaps a miracle was occurring before his very eyes.
“The content of the message is that the negotiation has failed,” said the messenger.
Lawrence paused for a second.
“Huh?”
“Miss Deanna said that the other party is still unwilling to sell, and wanted to apologize to you for disappointing your expectations.”
The clear and smooth voice related the facts, as if announcing a death.
The results had somehow turned out like this.
So-called “despair” did not refer to a situation in which there was no hope to begin with....
....but to one in which the tiny bit of hope that did exist was crushed at the last moment. That was despair.
Lawrence could not make a reply.
Deanna’s subordinate seemed to have anticipated such a response from Lawrence. Without saying anything more, he/she turned around silently.
In his mind, Lawrence involuntarily overlapped the image of Horo’s back fading into the crowd like an illusion with that of Horo’s form as she departed from him in the sewers of Pattio.
Lawrence felt like a worn-out old knight wearing a rusted suit of armor as he directed his gaze toward the price board.
The number of people in line to purchase had gone back to normal, and the market value once again displayed an upward trend.
Although people were able to go along with marketing trends, controlling these trends was something only the gods could do.
Lawrence remembered a famous saying among merchants.
If a merchant’s good fortune could last a bit longer, he would effectively have become a god.
Having exchanged an unknown amount of pyrite for cash, Amati walked off from the vending stand, returning to the outer circles of the wall of people carrying a leisurely expression on his face.
Lawrence had expected Amati to beam a prideful expression of victory in his direction, but Amati did not as much as give him a single glance.
This meant that someone must have appeared directly before Amati’s line of vision.
Horo had returned to Amati’s side.
“Mr. Lawrence?”
The one who had addressed Lawrence was Lande. Horo and Amati were exchanging words, but her gaze did not once turn in this direction.
“Oh, sorry....this....uh, thanks for going through the trouble,” said Lawrence.
“Huh? Oh no, it wasn’t any trouble at all....”
“Can you help me pass a message to Mark? Tell him that the plan has failed.”
The moment these words came out, Lawrence realized just how easy it was to admit to failure.
Despite the plan’s failure, quite ironically, the consequences were actually very good for Lawrence from a merchant’s standpoint.
Lawrence still had some pyrite on hand. If he were simply to purchase a bit more to obtain the needed amount and hand it to Amati in the evening, and subtract this sum from the money he had just gained from selling off the previous batch of pyrite, the result of the calculation would probably turn out to be positive in terms of profit.
Not only that, Lawrence still stood to gain a thousand silver coins from Amati. The result could even be described as becoming filthy rich.
From a merchant’s perspective, unexpectedly making a huge profit was no doubt the happiest thing in the world, yet Lawrence at that moment only felt a sense of infinite emptiness.
Lande’s gaze wondered around in the air, appearing to be at a total loss. As Lawrence prepared to hand him a fee for his service, for the first time, his eyes displayed a strong personal will.
“Mr. Lawrence.”
Lande’s serious expression caused Lawrence to involuntarily stop the movement of his hand, which held several silver coins.
“Are you...you really planning to give up?”
When Lawrence was still an apprentice, if he ever wanted to raise a comment with his master, he would need to be fully prepared for a beating later on.
Lande probably also held such a resolve. His left eyelid trembled, as if in fearful anticipation of the fist that could strike at any moment.
“The master always told me that a merchant should never give up so easily.”
Seeing Lawrence retract his extended hand, Lande’s shoulder recoiled for a moment in fear.
Even so, Lande did not look away.
He was making a serious suggestion.
“The master always says that the god....god of wealth doesn’t take care of those who only pray, but those who keep fighting stubbornly and never give in.”
Lawrence did not have any objections to these words.
However, his goal this time was not to make money.
“Mr. Lawrence.”
Lande’s gaze was directed straight at Lawrence.
Lawrence took one brief glance at Horo before directing his gaze back to Lande.
“I....I started liking Miss Horo ever since I first met her. But, the master told me....”
The outstanding wheat merchant’s apprentice, who always silently completed every task assigned to him, regained an innocent, youthful expression.
“....if I were ever to say something like this before Mr. Lawrence, I would surely get a good beating,”
Lande said, seeming as if he were about to burst into tears. Lawrence smiled lightly, and raised his fist up high.
“Heh......”
Lande inhaled sharply.
Lawrence gave Lande’s cheek a light tap with his fist, and said with a laugh:
“That’s right. I want to give you a nice, hard beating.”
After uttering this with a laugh, Lawrence could not help feeling a desire to cry.
Lande was probably about ten years younger than Lawrence.
But Lawrence felt that his current appearance was not much different from Lande’s.
“Damn.” Lawrence scolded himself silently.
Before Horo, it seemed that anyone would become a sniffling youngster
Lawrence shook his head.
Someone who kept fighting stubbornly and never gave in?
Although the phrase sounded laughable, Lawrence felt a devilish charm in the words, and lifted his head to look up at the sky.
These words that had been uttered by a youngster ten years younger than himself caused the dark maelstrom consisting of supposition and doubt to instantly fade away from Lawrence’s mind.
That’s right!
Since he had already gotten to this point, the profit left in his hands would only serve as proof of his defeat, so losing this profit would not hurt in the least.
That being the case, it certainly would not hurt to be optimistic and rethink the entire situation before making one final move.
Things that were important did not necessarily need to be obtained through great effort.
Because Mark had just cleared up this myth for Lawrence not long before.
Lawrence made use of the power of memory he was so proud of, and searched for the raw materials necessary to construct a new plan.
And the central axis of this plan consisted of something Lawrence had not thought of until a moment ago.
“The people who keep fighting stubbornly and never give in are usually those unbelievably optimistic fellas who cling to any hope they have as they continue to observe the situation,” he said.
In that moment, Lande revealed an expression befitting his age. This expression was more appealing than his appearance when he was fulfilling a given task, and even when he was fulfilling a task that had not been assigned him.
Surely Mark loved this boy as his own.
“A merchant always formulates plans, predicts the future, and compares his ideas with the facts. You understand that don’t you?”
Despite hearing an off-topic remark, Lande still nodded agreeably.
“Selling that item would cause such a change, selling this item would cause a different change. Making suppositions like this is also important.”
Perceiving another nod from Lande, Lawrence moved close to his face and said:
“Frankly, this thing called ‘supposition’ can be anything you want it to be. So if you formulate too many, you’ll soon become lost, and start to feel that every deal is full of risks. At this point, in order not to be confounded, you need to have some kind of guidepost. This is a merchant’s single requirement.”
The young Lande revealed a slightly merchant-like expression and answered: “Yes.”
“As long as it is trustworthy, even the most radical supposition can serve as a guidepost.”
Lawrence lifted his head, and closed his eyes.
“Perhaps.....it would be best to believe.”
“Stop kidding yourself,” thought Lawrence, and silently mocked himself.
Even though his heart doubted, as Lawrence looked at the form of Horo, he became almost certain.
Just maybe, Horo’s manner of dress was hinting at such a possibility.
Although this possibility was not easily believable, if he were to try putting it to the test, Lawrence still felt there was a good chance that it would come true.
However, in order to fulfill this possibility, there was a condition that had to be met.
And that was what Lawrence had not thought of earlier, the precondition that Horo had not forsaken him.
To still be thinking of something like this now, this certainly could be said to be the kind of optimistic view that only a person who struggled stubbornly and never gave in would have.
Even so, Lawrence still felt that at this point, holding such an optimistic view was more meaningful than trying to come up with a plan to stop Amati, because he had discovered a possibility of making this dream come true.
Lawrence did not know what Mark had told Lande to cause Lande to be willing to help him so.
However, Lawrence felt Lande’s saying that he liked Horo had probably been an honest confession.
Lawrence considered Lande praiseworthy for being able to say that in front of him. At least, if the roles were reversed, Lawrence could not say with confidence that he would have possessed such courage.
In that case, Lawrence at least needed to maintain the pride and spirit of a merchant in not giving up easily, or else he would not be able to keep a steady footing before Lande.
After patting Lande lightly on the shoulder, Lawrence took a deep breath and spoke:
“As soon as I sell the minerals at the vending stand, start spreading the rumor I asked you to spread for me.”
Lande’s face was radiant. He nodded his head, having regained an apprentice’s countenance.
“I’m counting on you.”
Having said this, Lawrence prepared to turn around, but changed his mind.
Although Lande’s eyes said that he wished to ask something, Lawrence ended up being the one to question.
“Do you believe in God?”
Seeing a dumbstruck Lande, Lawrence simply uttered an “I’m counting on you,” and walked off.
Lawrence possessed a supply of pyrite worth 250 silver coins. A simple calculation revealed that the sum waiting to be spent on purchasing which was indicated by the price board already exceeded four hundred coins. Even if he were to sell off all the pyrite he had on hand, he could not be hopeful that it would have any effect.
Yet, it had to have an effect. If his assumption was correct, it would definitely have an effect. Lawrence only looked back once, his gaze moving toward Horo, who was standing beside Amati.
Just one instant would be enough, Lawrence thought to himself. If Horo would just be willing to look in his direction, that would be sufficient.
And then—
Lawrence stood before the vending stand. The upsurge of people placing orders had come to a stop, and the stand had regained a measure of peace. Seeing Lawrence returning to sell more pyrite, the owner revealed an expression that seemed to say “Hmm?” He then revealed a smile, as if to say:
“Looks like you have made quite a lot of money.”
Although there had been no exchange of words, Lawrence nodded involuntarily. The real profit comes after this, Lawrence thought to himself.
Lawrence handed the owner the bag of pyrite he had received from Lande, and threw out a brief statement:
“I wish to sell.”
The owner, who received a service charge for every deal, gave a hearty smile and nodded. In the next second, however, his expression became one of amazement.
Lawrence closed his eyes, and revealed a smile.
The guidepost within Lawrence’s heart had been correct.
“Mr. owner, I wish to sell these as well.”
The voice that reached Lawrence’s ears even caused him to feel nostalgic.
Then, with a heavy thud, a bag that was easily twice the size of his own appeared before his eyes.
Looking toward his side, Lawrence found Horo, looking as if she were ready pounce and bite in the next instant.
“Dumb ass.”
Hearing this, Lawrence gave a smile and said with no other intention:
“Sorry.”
After staring vacantly for a moment, the owner immediately ordered his apprentices to take down the waiting plates suspended on the price board all at once.
Together, the two bags amounted to at least 650 coins’ worth of pyrite.
Since the estimated value for the amount Horo had brought along was for before the slight increase in price, the sum at the present moment was sure to be even higher. The one who had purchased pyrite from Deanna was none other than Horo.
In other words, together the two had sold a quantity of pyrite worth almost a thousand coins.
The buying atmosphere would probably not be able to stimulate any further increase in the market value.
Taking off one of the white feathers attached to Horo’s robe, Lawrence said:
“Unlike somebody, she’s a mature beauty, isn’t she?”
Horo threw a punch at the side of Lawrence’s waist.
But she did not withdraw her hand.
Lawrence felt that that alone was sufficient.
With a pushing and shoving crowd filled with a killing intent right behind their backs, Lawrence would not loosen his grip on Horo’s hand for the world.
Although, he had a great urge to show off in Amati’s face.
He could not help revealing a strained smile for harboring such a childish notion.
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