In medieval times, long-distance travel was often a battle against boredom, with no TV or smartphones to pass the time.

    But I, at least, didn’t have a chance to get bored right now.

    Not because of any mishaps, mind you.

    “Chloe, young master is going to Guillaume City this time to buy materials for textile production. But why go all the way there?”

    Chloe hesitated before answering cautiously,

    “The Kingdom of Lyon has fiefs like the County of Flanders and the Barony of Amore, which are specialized in wool and cotton production. He could probably source higher-quality raw materials there.”

    “Still, considering the transportation costs, wouldn’t it be cheaper to buy domestically?”

    “Young master plans to smuggle them. Which means it’s better if fewer people in the Toscana Empire know about it. Even if the raw materials cost a bit more, it’s better to buy them from Guillaume City.”

    The wool and cotton produced in the Toscana Empire are of decent quality.

    Our mountainous terrain makes it hard to graze sheep in large numbers, so we can’t have massive farms with thousands of sheep.

    The annual production is a bit low, that’s all.

    And eventually, people will discover I’m running a textile factory, so...

    When that happens, I’ll buy a fair amount of domestic wool and cotton to process and sell as textiles.

    Of course, I’ll only purchase enough to align with the normal production rates of this world.

    If I were to produce an endless supply of textiles, Duke Visconti and His Majesty might ask me to share the technology, which could spark an Industrial Revolution.

    In other words, I wouldn’t be able to keep all the profits for myself.

    It’s best to eat alone to fully enjoy the meal, after all.

    Cris patted Chloe on the shoulder, praising her,

    “You’ve been studying hard, haven’t you?”

    “I want to be helpful to the young master, so I’m working hard. I hope that one day, like you, Cris, I can...”

    At that, Chloe’s face flushed red like an apple.

    Cris just chuckled as she watched her.

    “I’ve never been in love, but our young master here is quite popular with women. Even the maids at the estate have their eyes on him, and I’ve heard noble ladies do too...”

    “But still.”

    “It might be good to gather a bit of courage. Ah, there’s the young master now.”

    Chloe, still blushing, quickly lowered her head.

    “Cris, I appreciate you teaching Chloe various things, but please, don’t tease her too much.”

    “She’s just too cute not to.”

    I almost agreed with her right then.

    Chloe is undeniably adorable.

    Then Cris leaned close to my ear and whispered softly,

    “You know that girl loves you, don’t you? Perhaps you could reward her a bit more.”

    I can’t help but smile whenever I look at Chloe.

    Sometimes, while working, she blushes or goes to great lengths to look pretty in front of me.

    It’s not like I’m so oblivious that I can’t recognize these signs.

    “I think it would be wonderful if you and Chloe were to become closer.”

    Then she added,

    “After all...”

    But I couldn’t hear the rest of her sentence.

    Suddenly, a loud bell rang from the ship, followed by a shout announcing our arrival.

    “We’re nearing Guillaume City! Prepare for docking! It’s time to show young master Fabio just what our Blue Merchant Fleet is capable of!”

    “Thanks to you, Guillaume City has seen tremendous growth. Merchants from all over the country are at my doorstep, begging to sell seaweed! Hahaha!”

    The mayor’s influence here is practically at the level of a baronet, and the power of these great merchants is so strong that even most viscounts dare not challenge them.

    I doubt any merchants would be groveling in front of him, but...

    ‘He’s exaggerating quite a bit.’

    It’s a good sign that commerce is booming to the point where he can make such statements, so it’s no harm to me.

    “Commerce is thriving so much that we’re planning to establish not five but seven commercial districts in our city.”

    Seven commercial districts—meaning seven markets will be set up in this city.

    In Joseon, ginseng once accounted for 10% of national tax revenue, and in France, sugar sales brought in 30% of state income.

    I never thought seaweed would take on a similar role here.

    All this is possible because I hold exclusive rights to seaweed production.

    It’s always best to keep everything to oneself.

    “Tax revenues are expected to double next year. With the population influx, I can hardly leave the office on time anymore.”

    Government employees hate overtime as much as the French hate British cooking.

    Yet here he was, laughing as though he was enjoying his extra workload.

    “Well, since the city has grown so much during my tenure, Viscount Guillaume has promised to grant me a baronetcy within two years. Now, the position of mayor of Guillaume City can only be held by nobles ranked baronet or higher.”

    Most mayors are selected from knights among the nobility.

    The mayor of a large city, comparable to a metropolitan city, is chosen from among the barons, while important city mayors are selected from baronets.

    This means Guillaume City now ranks among the important cities in the entire Kingdom of Lyon.

    For a mayor with such accomplishments...

    “I’ve got about ten years left in public office. I might end up as a bureau director in the Department of Commercial Law. If I’m lucky, I might even step into the world of hereditary nobility. It’s all thanks to you.”

    “It’s an honor, Mayor.”

    “Now, what brings you here this time?”

    I got straight to the point.

    “I’m here to present you with an excellent opportunity.”

    I sounded like a merchant selling snake oil, but the mayor’s eyes sparkled as though he’d believe me if I said I could turn sand into rice.

    Everything is going according to plan.