Chapter 7 – ‘Saint of the Sun’ Marianne

Episode 7 “Saint of the Sun” Marianne

In bidding, traders simultaneously submit bids on known trading conditions.
Then, among the submitted bid prices, the three lowest bidders are called and each manager conducts a many-to-one interview.
The final selection is made after checking various items such as the reality of the supply plan and the sustainability of the supply price.
This is the principle procedure.

However, due to the continuation of the war, excellent manpower was leaked to the battlefield, and administrative power was significantly deteriorated.
In response, it is common to report that a bidding plan notice was attached, but in reality, it is not announced.
There was a problem that only merchants with connections to managers, bid selection agencies, etc. Attended and made decisions.

Sometimes there are less than 3 people who participate in the bidding, so there is even criticism that the interview is nameless.

So, the information the guard at the herb shop gave me is a golden opportunity for me!
A great chance to earn money by bidding and get close to a saint!

“This is the herbalist ‘Grande Army’.
I want to apply for participation in the tender.”

The guide looks at me as if asking what this child is.
Since this bidding is supervised by the Amity Cathedral, this guide must also have a relative in the cathedral as a priest.

To be pushed back in the war by such an uncivilized human country.
If it wasn’t for the hero Alberic, I would have eliminated it right away, really.

Five merchants, including myself, are gathered at the venue.
Unlike me, who couldn’t even see the announcement, he would be full of networking and information.

But no problem.
Because?
Because their information will be mine.

Haha, hello!
This is Kamyu, the representative of ‘Grande Army’, an herbalist in Red Roof Street.
I look forward to!”

He smiled kindly at the merchants who were competitors, greeted them, and offered them a handshake.
Those who ignore the handshake, just wait and see.
I saw your face
Those who accept the handshake use the talismans attached to their palms to hypnotize them.

It’s easy to hypnotize.
However, it is a completely different matter to hypnotize without being caught in a situation where there are many witnesses next to you.

For a schemer, secrecy is skill.
In this case, it is necessary to secretly hypnotize using consumables such as amulets as catalysts.
Instead, since the duration of hypnosis is short, you must proceed quickly.

“So, Hu Ge… You plan to do that.
You mean the supply plan is outsourced to the Blue Whale Corporation?”

Those who did not receive a handshake should be dealt with privately.

While thinking about it, I see bodyguards waiting on the wall.
The merchant who looked at me kindly and refused to shake my hand whispered to the bodyguard, not missing a finger pointing at me.

Hey What kind of cake is this?
Will things get easier?

“Where is the bathroom here?
Ah… Thank you.”

I loudly ask the person next to me where the bathroom is and go outside.
I went into a narrow alley outside the event building to go to the bathroom.

“Hey, bro.
Wait for a sec.
See me there.”

The bodyguard of the merchant who just refused to shake my hand.
I feel quite intimidated when two rugged men approach me.

As I hurriedly looked around, the thugs in front of me giggled.

“Mister.
There’s no one to help you look around like that. Kkeukkeuk.”

“Because we kept everything quiet. Chuckle.”

I can’t thank you so much… !
I did my job! Moved!

One of the hoodlums puts their arms around their shoulders and drags me into a back alley.
The other one watches from behind to see if there are any witnesses and follows.

“Mister, why are you interfering in the bidding?
Don’t you know the physiology of this floor here?
Can I teach you?”

A pocket knife pulled out before I knew it.
Point at me and threaten

“Huh. I don’t know.”

“What… ?”

Puck! Clink! Blah blah!

Instantly, he cuts off the knife and drops it to the floor, then lands a left hook on the bully’s chin.

“… Uh?”

Thud!

The bully in front of me falls forward like a dead tree.
It hit him right in the jaw and he fell forward, so it’s a concussion.
Won’t you wake up for a while?

Another hoodlum panics after seeing his colleague fall.

Parbat!

I run to pick up the knife that fell on the floor.

“This bastard… !”

Another bully draws a pocketknife and runs forward.
If you fall into this obvious trap, write it.

Puck!

“Kuuk…”

The middle contraction that goes into the pit of the bully with the center of gravity forward.
Won’t you be able to breathe?

“Cool, cool! Huh!”

A bully who stops, bends over and gasps.
I pick up the knife that fell on the floor and approach it.

“This… Fuck!
You bastard, you know who I am… !”

“Of course I don’t know.
It’s a first meeting.”

The staggering bully wields his sword clumsily.
Low kick without hesitation.
Kick the thigh with the center of gravity.

Puck! Clink!

“You should have stabbed, not swung.
Tsk tsk.
This guy is completely unorthodox.
Did you just hold on to Gao?”

The swinging motion was so great that my low kick hit first.
The opponent lost strength in his legs and fell forward.

If I had been a hypnotist who only used hypnosis magic, how would I have put on the commander of the Demon King’s army?
Demons are the ones who never listen to orders from those weaker than themselves.

Because of that, every time the demon king changes, they make a fuss over each other to become the demon king, which is a problem.

It’s easy to subdue them with magic, but the saints and paladins will soon arrive nearby.
Only minimal techniques should be used.

Courage!

Grab the bully by the back and throw it towards the bully who just passed out.

Chuck. Chuck.

Then, he took out an amulet and attached it to the two guys’ faces.

“Bring your employers here, give them a fan, and throw them in the shit.
Until the bidding is over, keep your hands and feet and mouth covered so that they will never be seen.
Got it?”

Fuck!

When he snaps his fingers, the amulet is activated.
Perish like a fire
In fact, the use of amulets is not magic, but a realm close to witchcraft or taoism.
This genius hypnotist Kamu should be able to combine different techniques.
Development of the so-called fusion technique!
… I was greatly influenced by Master’s research.

I collected the knife and the remaining pieces of the amulet and returned to my seat.
I wanted to have the thugs clean up too, but hypnosis has to be used only at a level that can be cut off.

Since the saintess comes as an interviewer, I have to quickly acquire information through instant hypnosis and erase her traces.

“Uh?”

The bully’s employer has a puzzled look on his face when he sees me return.

Tak tok tok… !

When the bully who came in soon whispered something in his ear,

“What? Is it really?”

Follow the bully outside.
That was the last sighting of the merchant today before bidding.

It’s a pain, you jerk.

* * *

After a while, the bidding finally started.
Indeed, in the bidding price, 3 out of 5 bidders are easily accepted.
And I called the 2nd cheapest price reasonably.

“Whoa… I am nervous.”

It was the first time to see Marianne, the ‘Saint of the Sun’, up close.
It was so crowded that I always only saw it from afar.

Even lay priests, no, high priests, can’t notice my magic with my horns hidden.

However, what would happen if the saintess saw it from up close?
I have to be extremely careful than usual.

“Come in, ‘Grande Army’.”

Finally it’s my interview turn!
I enter the interview room with a trembling heart.

Drooling.

“… !”

As soon as you enter, you will be taken aback by her striking appearance.

A beautiful woman with ash gray hair that falls to her waist.
A thin saint’s uniform in a well-balanced white, gold, and blue color scheme.
It is the appearance of an old goddess.

A melon-sized chest that cannot be hidden even under neat clothes.
Isn’t that enough to have three heads?

I heard that even the saintess usually tries to hide her body as much as possible.
However, Sister Rebekah used Sister Rebekah to dress her up in a frivolous way today.
They encouraged me to choose clothes that showed off my narrow waist with a waist strap and showed off my voluptuous breasts and hips.

Pretty slim fit ladies’ clothes.
Sitting in the right posture, her hips and thighs are exposed.

That woman is Marianne.
A kind and benevolent face.
Eyebrows that look like a crescent moon.
It fits well.

“Hello!
This is the ‘Grande Army’, an herbalist on the red roof street.”

The interviewers are sitting, but I am standing.

Bow down and say hello.
Look up and observe from below.

Ike, you need to take care of your eyes.
Can’t look too much

After the ceremonial questions were exchanged, Saint Marianne opened her mouth.

“I heard a lot from the priest and nuns of the cathedral.
You say you usually take the lead in helping the slums?”

“Yes, it is.
From the opening of the store, I have been serving as a regular meal distribution service and have often seen the people in the cathedral.”

What do you do if you do volunteer work often?
It doesn’t even tell you the bidding information that actually makes money.
In any case, everyone is bound by personal connections, blood ties, and regional ties, and people like me are not supported.
Tsk tsk.

“If you look at the supply plan you submitted, it says that you want to prepay for a large amount of low-cost herbs as well as healing herbs for manufacturing.
I would like to ask for a specific action plan.”

Saint Marianne pretends to know, and an old interviewer asks if her restraint psychology is triggered.

“Our herbalist lowered the purchase price by securing inventory through bulk purchases.
Herbs with low added value for the common people are not handled well by other merchants.
However, we are already actively buying and selling at a fair price.
Typically, we have two months’ worth of medicinal herbs, including dried celandine, based on the medical center.”

If there were only regular interviewers, I couldn’t win the bid without hypnotizing it.
Because the bidding itself is their own league made up of connections.

Interviewers also get some kickbacks,
I also do some sex entertainment for the priests,
You have to receive money and give it on top.

Then, it is possible only if the price of herbs rises or the quantity of herbs decreases.

At least it’s a herb used to make recovery medicine to be sent to the battlefield, so embezzlement is less likely.
Herbs used by the common people are often in exorbitant shortages due to the difference between the ledger and the actual inventory.

In severe cases, critically ill patients are kicked out of the ward and erased from the hospitalization list.
That way, priests can manage their treatment performance compared to inpatients so that they don’t drop.

However, this bid came directly from the Lady of the Sun to promote reform within the cathedral.
Even one interviewer was replaced with a reformist figure.

Having obtained prior information from Rebekah, the closest aide to Marianne, the Saint of the Sun, I
In this bid, factors other than price were brought out.

Supply plan?
Sustainability of price and delivery?
In a country at war, variables are full.
No matter who makes it, you have to worry about not being able to keep your promise.

“Basic herbs needed for restorative medicine formulations are fully stocked.
The important thing is not only the healing potion materials needed for war.
It is a supply of low-cost herbs that will be stably supplied to the treatment of the common people.
At ‘Grande Army’, we want to contribute to the medical welfare of the common people with good influence.
If the bidding is successful, we promise to purchase low-cost herbal medicines and supply them continuously.”

The cathedral’s popular approval rate rises based on the benefits of welfare projects, not religious beliefs.
Along with the herbs for making recovery medicines supplied to the war, I maintain the supply of cheap herbs for the common people.
Low-cost herbs for the common people are a lucrative business, so there are no vendors supplying them.
My goal is to get close to the saintess, so I’m willing to risk bleeding.
Where can I get this offer?
It’s a law that a merchant doesn’t do business if he sees a loss.

“An interesting proposition.
However, your workforce and sales are not large.
I wonder if we can keep both businesses stable at the same time.”

A man with a strict impression next to the saintess asked a sharp question.
The question is whether he has the ability to take care of even a low-cost business.
It is also to check whether embezzlement, corruption, or contract violations will occur in order to make a profit if the business does not go as planned.

“First of all, we do not outsource herbal processing to outsourcing companies.
In addition, with special technology, high-concentration compression packaging is used as in the sample here.
Since it is not bulky, temporary labor is sufficient for transportation.
In addition, with its own processing technology, the cost expenditure is low, and the profit-to-sales ratio is high.
The payback period is short and liquidity is good.
I think I am better than others when it comes to responding to crises in a country at war.”

Merchants, after all, are after profit.
Don’t evaluate the Cathedral just for the immediate benefit, and find a merchant to partner with.
Do you have a business or two with herbs?
If you go with me for a total package, I’ll make it cheaper.

Marianne smiles softly.

“Oh, Mr. Kamu is a rare merchant.
In addition to profit, be merciful and have a far-sighted eye for business.
A satisfactory offer.”

Charity projects related to the common people are planned by Marianne, and Sister Rebekah attends them every day.
I’ve seen Marianne come to the slum relief project many times from afar.
As much as she must be the business to which she is attached to her.
How can you not be grateful to a merchant who takes care of such a business?

Of course, there is also the virtue of having a public opinion battle every time I attend a slum relief project.
Sister Rebekah who was trained by me, poor people who ate a lot of free porridge mixed with hypnotic stimulants.
They all made my compliments to Marianne dry her mouth.

If you don’t have a network, I can create one!

The interview gradually turned into a forum for negotiating the terms of the contract.