When I got there,
my wife was waiting for me! Can you believe it?
Mr. Batos.
I'm terribly sorry to interrupt you
while you are enjoying yourself.
-So, you want to talk about something? -Yes.
I'm actually in need of pyrite
and have been looking for someone with a supply.
And I thought you would know of somebody.
Pyrite?
Do you know of anyone?
ORIGINAL STORY BY ISUNA HASEKURA
Do you not remember what I told you
when I gave you a hint about Mr. Amati's scheme?
Of course, I remember.
Not just that, but I also
know that Ms. Diana hates talking about business.
Are you trying to rely on the alchemists' stockpile?
I was told that I wouldn't be able to do
business with them without Ms. Diana's approval.
And so, I want to ask you for a favor.
Are you trying to negotiate with them despite knowing all of that,
because pyrite is going to bring in that large of a profit?
No, not because of that.
Is it because it can foretell the future
and cure illnesses as rumored?
It is true that I am taking action for my own personal interests.
I will not deny that.
But I am not trying to make a profit out of
the ever-growing pyrite market.
I'm after...
I'm after something more fundamental.
If you are a traveling merchant like me,
you must know what it's like to have your cargo almost fall off a cliff.
When our wagons get stuck in mud
and we're brought to a standstill, we must weigh the advantages
of abandoning our cargo against the trouble of pulling it out.
The value of our cargo, the profit,
the funds we have on hand, our schedule,
the reward we must pay to have someone help us,
the danger of being caught by ruffians...
We consider all of those things
and decide whether or not to abandon our cargo.
-And you're facing that dilemma right now? -Yes.
I do not want to give up on my cargo.
For that, I am willing to push the limit.
That's what I was waiting for.
After all, a good merchant
is one that waits patiently, even if he is short on time,
if he knows there is no other way.
-Mr. Batos... -Well.
I do not have any pyrite in stock.
But I am sure that the alchemists do.
-They must have some on hand. -So then...
"I have come to buy a box for my white feathers."
If you say that, she should understand.
After that, it's up to you.
Thank you very much! I will certainly pay you back for...
All I ask for in return
is some kind of folktale. How was that?
Did I sound as dignified as Diana?
Excuse me.
Who is it?
I apologize for visiting so late at night.
I came to visit you with Mr. Batos yesterday.
The name is Lawrence.
I am sorry for my rudeness,
but I have come to buy a box for my white feathers.
It must be true that festivals bring people in.
It's rare for me to have multiple visitors come by
in one day.
Have a seat.
I assume you heard about "the box for white feathers"
from Mr. Batos.
Y... Yes.
I pushed him into telling me a way to meet up with you.
Oh, really?
He's not the type of person who would give in just because you pressure him.
What kind of business did you want to do so badly
that you'd go as far as convincing that stubborn man?
I want you to let me
buy your pyrite.
-I heard that the price is soaring. -Yes, but...
Of course,
I know that Mr. Batos wouldn't get me involved
in some simple money-making scheme.
There must be a reason, right?
It's not for profit.
I need pyrite to win a battle.
-A battle against whom? -That is...
No...
It's my cargo.
Cargo?
A traveling merchant's enemy is always his cargo.
We estimate its value, carefully plan on how to handle it,
and think hard about where to deliver it.
Making a mistake in just one of those areas
will lead to the merchant's defeat.
Right now, I am trying to retrieve my cargo
that is about to fall out of my wagon.
That's because, after reevaluating
its value, handling, and destination,
I've realized that I must not let it fall off my wagon, no matter what.
"Buying a box for white feathers."
It sounds like a pretentious password, right?
But in reality,
it just means that I will accept as long as you are able
to entertain me even a little.
Just as feathers fall when a bird beats its wings in excitement.
The people whom I've entrusted this password to
do the job of screening my visitors.
So I only have to look at a few things myself.
Do you already have some pyrite on you?
I don't have any on hand.
But I know a few merchants that may sell me some.
I'd love to buy from you too.
I don't mind.
If it's pyrite you want, you can purchase from me.
Thank you very...
However,
someone else has already come here to buy some.
How many? For how much?
Calm down, please.
That person bought it on credit
and did not leave with the actual product.
It's more like a reservation.
As for me, I wouldn't mind giving it to you instead.
So let me negotiate with that person.
If I remember correctly, the amount was
16,000 Ireid coins worth at today's market price.
That's worth 400 Trenni coins!
Understood.
Um, what is that person's name?
I will do the negotiating.
As a safety measure,
I make sure that nobody knows who is
making deals with the alchemists.
B... But...
Do you have an objection?
Where will I be able to meet you
for sure tomorrow?
Oh, um...
At the market, in front of the stone seller's stall.
You should be able to find me there from around the time
the market opens up.
-There, or... -That is fine.
All right.
I will send my messenger as soon as I can.
Thank you. Money is no object.
I am willing to pay a generous amount, so long as it's not
something like double the market price. Please tell them that.
I'm sorry for coming unannounced so late at night.
Don't worry. It doesn't really matter to me whether it's night or day.
You know, if you come prepared with an interesting story,
you are welcome to stay here all night too.
What's wrong?
Oh... Um, it's nothing.
Acting like that on your way out
of a woman's house may give her the wrong impression.
The gods can punish you for that, you know.
-I have a question. -You can ask me anything.
Are there any stories of pagan gods and humans...
becoming a couple?
Yes.
There are many.
Really?
Yes, for example... Oh...
You were in a hurry, right?
Oh... Yes, I was. However,
will you tell me
more about that next time, please?
Of course.
Well then, I will be counting on you for the pyrite.
Yes. See you soon.
Goodbye.
-Good luck. -Huh?
-How are things going? -I talked to Ms. Diana.
But someone beat me to the punch, so I don't know what will happen.
-Someone got there first? -That's why.
Why I have to put my hopes in what you told me.
Oh, about that...
-Tell him the results. -Yes!
If we can pay in silver Trenni coins,
we can get 370 coins' worth
of pyrite...
You don't have to say it all.
You heard him.
As much as 370?
Well, after you left, I thought about it.
When I dabbled in pyrite, I only made a bit of pocket money.
But that's because I didn't have money to buy more.
But what about the people who did have money?
I bet a lot of them secretly bought a whole bunch.
These people aren't lone wolves like traveling merchants.
They're town merchants with statuses and reputations.
They bought pyrite but the value soared too high
and they can't sell it anymore.
Even selling a little bit will bring in too much of a profit.
People who are sensitive about that kind of stuff
will be especially cautious.
So you can guess what I did, right?
You told that kid to run around and say,
"A greedy traveling merchant
is willing to pay cash for pyrite."
"Do you want in?"
That's it.
-Do you want him to keep at it? -Of course. Well then...
Huh?
-What's wrong? -I'm sorry.
At times like these, you're supposed to thank me.
Huh? Oh, right.
Sorr...
I mean, thank you.
Huh?
I wish I had known earlier that you were so amusing.
Actually, that's not true.
You're not just a merchant who can do his job.
You're more like a merchant through and through, from head to toe.
You have never thought of me
as a friend, have you?
But how about now?
Do you still see me as a merchant?
-Only convenient for small transactions? -No.
This is the reason why longtime traveling merchants
don't succeed as town merchants.
But you know,
there is something even more intriguing.
Let me ask you one thing.
If you and I were on the brink of being separated forever,
would you run around town as frantically as you are now?
Well, we still have time to work on our relationship.
However,
you are currently doing exactly that for your companion.
You're just a man who is bending over backwards for a woman.
But tree branches must be able to bend
in order to withstand strong winds.
I think you and I are similar.
You must have the traveling merchant's curse too.
Curse?
That curse is starting to break,
and that is why you have become such an amusing man.
You don't understand?
Tell me, is your journey with your companion
only continuing thanks to pure luck?
You remind me of myself when I first met Adele.
You are under
a curse called the traveling merchant's curse.
What's the traveling merchant's curse?
You heard me!
Don't you know?
Poets say, "Money can't buy love."
Preachers say, "There are things in this world
that are more precious than money."
Well then, if just making money is already this difficult,
how much more difficult would it be
to obtain something that is even more precious than that?
Way to go, Mark!
Good one!
-You say it! -Wise words!
When you obtain something through hard work,
it's easy to recognize it as precious.
But there are times when we end up obtaining something
truly precious without much effort.
In that way, you were protecting your princess
before you even realized what you were doing.
Being a strong fighter isn't the only way to be a knight.
Don't lose hope.
You are the main character of this story.
What are you to me?
Do you understand now?
What am I to you?
I think I have an answer to that now.
Well,
it's been a while since I've said such wise words.
If you count the intel that I got on the north,
I could easily charge you ten Lumione.
If it's all second-hand information, that must be easy money.
-I hope it goes well. -Thanks.
Although, whether you win or lose, I'm pretty sure it'll be up to you.
-Huh? -So...
-Where are you staying tonight? -I don't know.
-Well then... -Actually.
I do know.
Will you let me sleep here?
-Here? -Yeah.
You have those sacks you put wheat in, right? Can I borrow those?
I mean, I don't mind at all.
But just come to my place.
I won't charge you for your stay.
Yeah...
But I think it'll bring me good luck.
Huh?
Well, whatever.
All right, let's regroup at dawn.
Okay.
-But before that... -Huh?
Let's make a toast for good luck.
Holo.
It's cold today. Lend me your tail...
-Good morning! -Good morning!
Good morning.
Good morning!
Did Mark tell you what you're going to be doing today?
No, he didn't.
But, um...
I heard we're setting up some cold-blooded guy.
I can't tell you the details, but that's the gist of it.
I might have to ask you to do a difficult task.
-What is your name? -Huh? Uh...
Landt. My name is Eu Landt.
Were you born a bit north of here?
Yes. I came from a village that was covered in snow and frost.
I see.
Landt, I look forward to working with you today.
All right, I'd like to get some food first.
There's a stall that sells dry bread.
Shall I buy some for you?
Will you do that for me?
You can buy plenty with just one coin.
The other coin is advance payment for your reward.
Of course, I will pay you an official reward later,
so don't worry about that.
Hurry up before Mark gets here.
He'll tell you breakfast is a luxury, won't he?
I'll get going!
Don't spoil my apprentice.
You should have stopped me.
It's been chilly recently.
I don't want him catching a cold because he's hungry.
I agree.
After all, I need Landt to take care of an important task.
The weather looks great.
It's good for business.
The waitlist keeps growing with no sellers.
The value is going to rise again today.
I'll buy my wheat later.
I'm going all in with pyrite.
My wife wants one too,
but this is too expensive.
The average price is 800 Ireid.
That's 80 times the original price.
Um,
how can Mr. Lawrence win?
When does the price of goods go up?
When there are more people who want it compared to what's available.
When does the price go down?
When there are more items compared to the number of people who want it.
That's exactly right.
You need to sell to a certain degree for the market to heat up.
If you don't sell at all,
the only people who benefit are
the people who already have a stockpile.
So people need to be
able to buy the item for the value to increase?
That's it.
But this time, his goal isn't to make a profit.
His goal is to prevent Amati from making a profit.
He has to sell a large amount of pyrite at just the right time
and make the value drop instantly.
If Amati sells his pyrite even one second before that,
and obtains 1,000 silver coins,
there will be nothing more he can do.
To determine that perfect timing,
he'll need to be both patient and decisive.
That's what I'm talking about!
Here we go!
Good morning, Mr. Lawrence.
Good morning.
Once the bell rings and the market opens, there will be a rush of people.
So I wanted to give this to you ahead of time.
-This is? -The thing I promised you.
-Gold Limar coins? -Yes.
I thought it might be presumptuous of me,
but I assumed that 500 silver coins would be
too heavy to carry around.
The exchange fee must have been quite expensive.
It wasn't much.
I've prepared it at today's exchange rate.
It came to 23 gold Limar coins.
Understood. I will accept this.
You don't have to count them?
Now, I'd like to see the contract
for the 500 silver coins.
Oh, yes.
All right.
Next time, "The Invisible Hand of God and Invisible Heart of the Wolf."
Subtitle translation by: Kiko Morita