There were two men in the office of the Snakes' mansion in the Snakes' territory.

'Mulder's got some information from the store.

Ayn tells Patrick.

'The new barons, who became barons at the same time as Baron Wylie and the others, and who belong to the anti-Snakes faction, have formed an alliance.

'Oh.'

Patrick said, sounding a little impressed.

'It seems that the barons, especially those from the territories that have stopped the distribution of alcohol, are worried that the dwarves will leave, and are planning to reach out to the merchants in the territories where alcohol is distributed and hold them up.

'Dwarves have a weakness for alcohol.
Patrick sounded a little distracted.

'Yes, if the dwarves leave, there will be inconveniences in building and blacksmithing, and they are eager to get rid of them.

'Well, that's understandable.

In order to cope with this, we have immediately stopped the distribution of liquor to the merchants that we are currently aware of, but we have received complaints from merchants who are unhappy about this.
Patrick reported,

'Why don't you tell them that if they don't sell to us, we'll distribute to them?
Patrick asks in a slightly questioning tone.

'That's right, but they made a formal objection through the Food Merchants Union, and they insisted that the Union should decide where to distribute the products, and that if they wanted to distribute them, they should distribute them in bulk to the Union.
I'm sure you're not the only one.

'You've got to be kidding me. I don't care where I distribute it!　Are you trying to pick a fight with me?
Patrick's voice becomes a little rough.

'If you don't accept our terms, we won't distribute other foodstuffs to the Snakes' territory. If it's just food for our people, we can provide it in our own territory, but it will interfere with the purchase of raw materials for alcohol, so I'm not sure what to do.

'So they are still coming in now?

'Yes, that was yesterday.

'Hmm, does the Food Merchant's Association want to die?

'I think they're hoping they won't get killed.

'We've been giving them a sweet face because they're so convenient, but they've gotten carried away.

'What should we do?

'It's obvious. I'm going to destroy the Food Merchants Association!

The Food Merchant's Association, where merchants dealing in all kinds of food are registered, is in charge of granting permission to open stores on behalf of the state.

This means that noblemen do not need permission to open their own stores in their territories or the capital. However, when a noble opens a store in the territory of another family, or when a commoner opens a store, it is necessary.

The union is also involved in a wide range of other activities, such as mediating disputes between merchants, lending carriages for distribution, and lending money for purchases, making it one of the most powerful unions in the kingdom.

Of course, it's not enough to interfere with the royal family, but the barons, who are struggling to manage their territories, can't stop thinking about it.
In times of hardship, he may be able to provide food at a reasonable price.
Incidentally, Barth Nakes is also a member of the Food Merchant's Guild.
The owner is registered as a commoner, Mulder, so he needs to belong to the association to get permission to open a store.
If Patrick is the owner, the anti-Snakes aristocrats will not come.
However, some nobles are aware of this.

The Food Merchants Association is not monolithic, but the power of the newcomers, the Bath Neks, is not yet great. They already have a certain amount of say, but not enough to move the organization.

This is an organization where the old, established stores and big stores have the power.

'I don't care if it's old wounds or weaknesses of the organization's executives. Go check it out!'
Patrick instructs Ein.

'What do we do until we find out?

'Pretend you're listening to them, and give them the booze wholesale!　We'll beat them when they get carried away!
I said to Patrick,

'Ha!
Ayn replied with a salute.