Norm Trading Company
A clearing in the forest.
"Chew~ Chew~"
Frieren ate the freshly made savory pancake with a satisfied look on her face.
He would occasionally pick up the soy milk next to him and take a sip.
On the wooden table were also egg pancakes, scallion pancakes, and steamed buns.
Rienta placed a bowl of sweet tofu pudding sprinkled with white sugar, honey, and various nuts in front of Frieren and Fern.
He said:
"This is the sweet tofu pudding that Lady Frieren and Fern ordered. Please enjoy."
He then handed another serving of savory tofu pudding with minced meat to Stark.
This was Rienta's first time making tofu pudding.
Fortunately, the results seem pretty good.
After taking a bite of the tofu pudding, Frieren's eyes lit up.
Although Rienta is only done about once a month.
But each time, he would make dishes that she had never seen before, but which were very delicious.
She remarked with a sigh, "Luckily Rienta bought so many supplies in advance, otherwise we'd be eating dry bread right now."
The flow of goods to the Northern Plateau has been interrupted for some unknown reason.
This is also why Frieren was moved.
Rienta and her group only discovered this after leaving the Bia Region.
Seeing that the three of them were enjoying their meal, Rienta also very satisfied.
I prepared a bowl of sweet tofu pudding for myself, the same as Frieren and Fern, and an extra serving of savory tofu pudding with freshly fried chili oil.
He sat down next to Stark and started eating.
Unfortunately, he can no longer remember how to make Hu spicy soup.
That's why he didn't choose to make pan-fried buns.
After all.
It would be a bit inappropriate to drink hot and sour soup without accidentally drowning a pan-fried bun or fried dough stick.
After Meimei had breakfast...
The four continued on their journey.
Half a day later.
A very large town appeared before the four of them.
Looking at the towering city walls in the distance Stark remarked, "This fortress city is truly well-built."
Frieren explained to the group, "This is the territory of the Norm Trading Company."
"They primarily traded grains produced in the Bia Region, engaging in various forms of trade in the Northern Plateau."
"Moreover, they are an armed merchant guild with strong military capabilities, and their trade network spans various villages throughout the Northern Plateau."
"In this Northern Plateau, where even the nation has difficulty intervening, the Norm Trading Company is the true ruler."
Fern, who had been listening quietly to Frieren's explanation, then raised a question.
"Lady Frieren, I remember you mentioned before that the supply of goods to the Northern Plateau had been cut off."
"Yes." Frieren nodded first, then said softly:
"I don't know the exact reason either; things always change as time goes by. Perhaps the Norm Trading Company isn't as glorious as it used to be."
During a casual chat.
Rienta group had already entered the fortified city.
Because there is no need to replenish supplies.
So the group went directly to the border crossing to submit their border crossing application.
After a brief check of the application, the staff prepared to let the four-person adventure team pass.
"Okay, you can go now."
But then he saw the page about Frieren in the squad's notes.
He was taken aback at first, then remembered what the chairman had told him earlier.
He stopped what he was doing and said to the crowd, "Please wait a moment."
He then took the application to the inner room, looking quite hurried.
Fern stared at the scene in bewilderment, muttering, "What... what's going on?"
They had never encountered this situation before when passing through the checkpoint.
Soon.
The receptionist has returned.
They then politely led everyone to the Norm Trading Company headquarters, located in the very center of the city.
Inside a large hall.
A somewhat young nobleman sat in the main seat.
"My name is Norm, and I am the president of this chamber of commerce."
After a brief self-introduction, before Rienta and the others could react...
The president of the Norm Trading Company Guild looked at Frieren and smiled, saying:
"You must be Lady Frieren, the mage from the group of heroes who defeated the Demon King?"
Please repay us the money you borrowed eighty years ago, with interest.
Upon hearing this, Frieren was completely devastated.
They stood there, stunned and bewildered.
Fern asked in a low voice, "Lady Frieren, have you borrowed any money here before?"
"I did borrow a little before..." Frieren answered Fern's question with a somewhat unnatural tone.
He then looked at the current president of the Norm Trading Company Guild and said, "But I remember the former president of the Norm Trading Company Guild said that it could be rescheduled anytime..."
The president of the Norm Trading Company Guild chuckled, then produced a promissory note and said, "But the clause you mentioned isn't written on this promissory note."
"Verbal agreements don't count. The previous two presidents were too naive on this point."
"I'm different."
Upon hearing this, Rienta stepped forward and said, "May I see the IOU?"
"Sure."
Upon hearing this, the president of the Norm Trading Company readily handed the IOU to the young man who looked to be under 20 years old.
Rienta solemnly accepted the IOU and silently calculated the details in her mind based on the information on it.
To date, the principal plus interest has grown to over five hundred Schtrahl gold coins.
Etc.
Five hundred Schtrahl gold coins?
Rienta glanced back at Frieren, but still looked somewhat guilty and embarrassed.
He thought it was thousands or even tens of thousands of gold coins.
That would likely cause their team's assets to shrink by a certain amount.
After all, Frieren's expression made it hard for him to think the worst, but he didn't expect that there would only be five hundred Schtrahl gold coins.
When I packed up and took the Red Mirror Dragon's Nest with me, and when I emptied the entire [Fallen King's Mausoleum] treasure vault during the First-Class Mage Exam.
Isn't Frieren right there...?
Wrong.
While packing up the Red Mirror Dragon's lair, Frieren's attention was entirely focused on the Grimoire.
While emptying the [Fallen King's Mausoleum], Frieren's attention was drawn to the few golden Mimic.
Thinking about it that way...
That seems to make sense now.
Rienta looked at the still smiling president of the Norm Trading Company Guild and said:
"Norm, there's no problem with the IOU."
"Do you want to Schtrahl Gold Coins or the Larsi Gold Coins?"
The smile on the face of the president of the Norm Trading Company Guild instantly froze.
Looking at Rienta in disbelief, he said, "Young man, you've figured it out?"
"That's over five hundred Schtrahl gold coins. Even if you converted it into the most influential Larsi Gold Coins in the Northern Lands, it would still be worth over three hundred."
"You should know that an ordinary nobleman's assets are only twenty Larsi Gold Coins."
"You can come up with that much money?"
Rienta's face darkened, but not because the president of the Norm Trading Company Guild questioned his ability to come up with the money.
It wasn't because he questioned his own arithmetic abilities.
It's just a simple elementary school question.
Even before his mental strength was enhanced, he could easily solve this kind of problem with a piece of scrap paper.