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CHAPTER 22 : LET'S BRIBE CORRUPT OFFICIALS WITH NEW NARCOTICS
A few days after successfully refining morphine, Souta displayed his research achievements at the house of the village chief, Assam.
"So, in short, I've made small quantities of orally ingestible morphine hydrochloride and opium tincture. Additionally, I've also created soap using surplus mustard seed oil and the increasing amount of worm fat from recent sightings. I thought that exporting this soap could bring in some income."
With the increase in camelina harvest and the rise in appearances of monster creatures compared to the previous year, Souta had a faint suspicion it might be his doing. However, he decided to divert that into transforming village resources and evade investigation.
"We did make soap to some extent, but using mustard seed oil is a new method."
"It has a pleasant scent and feels good on the skin. Asagi-san has taken a liking to it and is using it. Once people get the hang of making it, it shouldn't be too difficult. I think it'll spread through word of mouth among the village women."
—What's more, glycerin is produced as a byproduct during soap-making. Since glycerin can also be used as a material for substances like opium tincture, it's a two-fold gain.
Souta smiled proudly.
"My daughter... well, whatever. No, that's not right. Well done. I'm talking about the soap, not her. It's great that we can make soap that households can sell. But that's not the main topic for today. Let's leave that discussion. Yes, what about this morphine and opium tincture you mentioned?"
Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/"Morphine is a component found within opium that relieves pain and induces a pleasant feeling... basically, it's a drug. It's an extracted and highly potent form of opium. It's what supports the effects of opium."
"Understood. What about this opium tincture?"
"It's made by dissolving opium powder in strong alcohol. It's more effective in extracting the effects of opium than regular inhalation. It's also easier to carry and more palatable."
"Got it. Has the opium harvest increased?"
"Of course. Otherwise, it wouldn't be possible to produce morphine. Please take a look at this."
Saying that, Souta showed Assam the opium extracted from the mustard seeds. Seeing the small bottle filled with dark-brown opium granules, Assam was surprised.
Assam exclaimed, "This is...!"
He cut one of the grains with a knife and ignited it with elemental magic. A fragrant aroma filled the room.
"No additives. This is the real deal."
"I didn't provide that many mustard flowers. Can this much be harvested? To gather enough opium for this one bottle, you'd need at least three times the amount of mustard flowers I gave you."
"With the proper extraction process, you can yield this amount."
"... This is incredible. Well, it's amazing, but that's all."
Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/"I understand. It doesn't taste good, right?"
Internally, Souta felt relieved.
If news spread about this sudden surge in production, things could get dangerous. The country, other villages, outsiders—everyone would be after it. Assam immediately grasped the situation.
"You get it, don't you, Souta? It seems you're not just a scholar-idiot."
"I'm honored. But other than supplying the country, is there any other way to distribute this?"
"If the Margrave finds out, the village will be doomed. It's everyone's neck, including yours and mine."
"I'd prefer to avoid that. I'm not intending to be a foolish scholar, but I'm not experienced in business."
Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/"That perspective isn't bad. This village has somewhat escaped the Margrave's debts, but we still have a way to go... Money won't be enough, no matter how much you have. Currently, the only weapon elves have against humans is money."
Assam nodded in agreement with Souta's words.
"... Here's a compromise idea. What if we used this new drug to bribe the officials the Margrave sends here? Normally, the Margrave gets 40%, and the country gets 25%. But there have been times when we've reduced the share to around 30% for the Margrave."
"But won't information about the drug leak? I doubt officials that can be bribed with narcotics would be tight-lipped."
"It's okay if it leaks. If we can say that it's not just an increase in harvest but a new drug, the Margrave might show interest."
"To arouse interest and then lead the Margrave to the negotiation table."
Assam's wrinkled face twisted into a sly grin.
"You get it, don't you, Professor? People tend to believe the information they think they've stumbled upon. If we can make the Margrave think, 'This village is different,' then we win."
—"We" he says. I suppose you could say that we're somewhat trusted.
Souta decided it was time to address the Margrave.
Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/"By the way, there's something I'm curious about. What kind of person is the Margrave?"
"He's a slightly overweight blond guy who often smirks. He's cautious. He hardly ever shows himself in front of us. I'd like to scout him out, but if elves go out, they'll attract attention."
"If it's me, I might be able to get closer."
"Maybe. But don't think about fighting. Professor, you're strong. You can protect yourself to some extent and even hunt huge monster creatures. But you've never killed a person, have you?"
"Well, no."
Assam grinned meaningfully.
"You got it, right? When the Margrave and his subordinates come around here, they bring the 'Crystal Knights,' a mercenary group. The 'Crystal Knights' are professionals who excel in both human combat and monster creature battles. We have a few folks in our village who are decent in combat, but even then, our defense would reach its limits. Despite the fact that the physical abilities of forest elves should be much better than humans."
—So, they're just a bunch of killers. I really don't want to get close to them if I can help it. Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/
Souta nodded earnestly.
"Also, the annoying thing is that the 'Crystal Knights' have spies and operatives. They could easily investigate the village without raising suspicion. If they become suspicious, who knows what they might do."
"When I heard 'mercenary group, I thought it was a group of warriors clad in armor..."
"Calling them knights doesn't change the fact that they're war mongers. Unfortunately, there are even mages and archers among them. Don't even think about fighting them."
"—And scientists... alchemists?"
"I don't think there were any in my knowledge. He seems to be pondering something, but just focus on the escape plan."
After hearing this much, Souta tilted his head.
—Isn't this too much detail?
As if reading Souta's skeptical thoughts, Assam chuckled.
"I used to be a member of that group, the 'Crystal Knights.'"
—This village is pretty shady.
Thinking of Assam causing a ruckus in another village, Souta thought,
—He definitely looks like the type who would. He's undoubtedly up to something.
Even if he acted a bit friendlier, Souta was reminded once again not to trust Assam.
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