148 encounter




 Krull stopped quietly in the warehouse of Camilo's store. We all worked together to uncouple the brace from the cart. Krull shuddered like a dog out of water.
"Coo!
 Krull's body shuddered like a dog out of water and he let out a small "coo.
 I told the shopkeeper to take him to the back of the store, where we first met, while I got him some water and leaves.
"Wait here quietly.
 Deanna called out to Krull and gave him a gentle pat on the neck.
"Krull.
 Krull squealed as if to say, "Okay," and sat down on the spot. Good, good, good.

 As soon as the five of us entered the business meeting room, Camilo and the manager arrived.
 Without even saying hello, I pulled out a bag from my pocket. It was a bag full of gold coins given to me by Marius.
Take the money for the running dragon from here.
 When I put the bag on the table, Camilo looked at the contents.
There's a lot in here.
It's a gift from His Excellency the Count.
Oh, you thought the last one was insufficient. You're very loyal.
 Camilo seemed to understand the situation. His words were sarcastic, but his expression was kind. He is a gentle man at heart. It's just that when it comes to calculating profit and loss, he does some cold-hearted calculations.
"Well, I guess I'll take that for everything.
 Camilo takes out some gold coins from his bag. That's less than I was expecting.
Is that all you got?
Yeah. A certain nobleman in the empire has fallen. I grabbed them off the street at a low price. That's why we're still making a good profit.
 The Empire is the country next to our kingdom. It's not at war, but I hear there are occasional border skirmishes. Camillo is the one who told me.
"I see. That's good.
 The possibility of Camilo's reluctance to pay the money crossed my mind, but I would have to trust his pride as a merchant. Anyway, he was also expanding his business to neighboring countries?
 I suppose there is no blame to be attached to him, but I suppose there is a lot of risk in doing business in a country you don't get along with. I guess Camilo's talent as a merchant is to manage that.

How's the dragon doing?
Yeah. He's smart and helpful. Speaking of which, is she a boy or a girl?
Hmm? I heard it's a female.
 So Krull is a girl. I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm the only male in the workshop. ....... I was feeling a little sad.
And so, .......
 Suddenly, Camilo's voice dropped a little. So we naturally leaned forward.
"How does the cart you're on work?
"Oh. "Oh. A suspension system with plate springs.
What's that all about?
 It's amazing that you've been here so long and already know what it is.
 Without hiding anything, I told him about the simple mechanism and its effect.
"So if it can reduce the impact from the road and absorb bumps, it's okay to drive at high speed?
"There will be limits, but yes. If we do it right, we can make a round trip between the city and the capital in a day.
"I see. ......
 Camilo ponders. If you're a merchant who goes to a neighboring country to do business, the increase in speed per car is not something to be scoffed at, and if what I'm saying is true, it's easy to imagine that this is a technology you'd want to have.

If you want it, you can copy it. I'm not going to complain about it, and I don't need the money.
"Really?
 Kamilo stood up and shouted, which was unusual for him. Seeing our surprise, he hurriedly sat back down. The head of the guard was also surprised and surprised. .......
Thank you. I'm not sure what to make of it.
 The tone of voice has regained its composure, but the excitement has not disappeared from his face. You must have been very curious.
 Camilo instructed the foreman. He should make the usual assessment of the purchase and note down the structure of the suspension. I offered to help him with the notes, but he said he would try to do it himself. If it didn't work out, we'd discuss it again when we came back in two weeks.

 After that, we chatted and exchanged information about the world. Marius's position seems to be stable due to his achievements in defeating demons. It's a good thing I helped him. I also heard that there are still occasional skirmishes near the borders of the demon nations.


 There has been no major fighting, and neither side seems to be in a mood to make any major moves. It seems that there is a mine on the border, and the border line was tentatively drawn due to a dispute over the ownership of the mine, or rather, the dispute over the mine. If that's the case, it's not because the other side is a demon nation.
So what happened to the bandits?
I haven't heard anything about them being caught yet.
I see.
 If they had been caught, I would have had one less thing to worry about on my way home, but apparently that doesn't work that way.
I hear there's no harm done, but be careful on your way home.
"Yeah. Absolutely.
 They shook hands lightly and left the business meeting room. Krull did as he was told and waited quietly at the back of the store. Deanna was so impressed that she was patting Krull's head. Don't do it too much or she might not like it.
 I gave one silver coin to the shopkeeper who had brought me leaves and water, tied Krull to the cart, and left the warehouse.
 Today's cargo must be quite heavy, with the usual items and clay for molding, but Krull is unfazed. I was relieved to see that the suspension still seemed to be holding up. The harder the return trip, the worse it would be.

 As we proceeded through the city, we still attracted a lot of attention, just as we did on the way there. We can't blame Krull, but we hope Camilo will do his best to make the suspension look familiar. It would be nice if we could become a part of the city scenery.

 We bade the guards goodbye and left the city. The streets were as relaxed as ever, and it was easy to let our guard down.
 But we had forgotten. How can we stop a cart that can't be stopped by running or arching?
 In the middle of the street, some distance from the city, there is a figure standing. The figure held a sword in his hand and said.
"You there! Stop! Stop or I will cut you down!
 Yes, just block the way. I instructed Rike to stop and looked at the figure.