"The Yisu Grain Association... isn't a particularly famous merchant association. Yet they managed to get Golden Nuts—so they have some means. There are no Peninsula Olives, which means their supplies come from the east."
Ian pondered inwardly. There were only a few major grain-producing regions in the Empire, just as only the Southern Ridge had orange and tangerine plantations on a significant scale. If oranges and tangerines were being sold in bulk anywhere in the Empire, they were definitely connected to the major grain merchants of Nauman City.
Golden Nuts and Peninsula Olives were the same—specialties of the Empire's east and northwest respectively. They revealed the background of a grain association.
Ian's expression shifted slightly. He swept his gaze over the sample grains in the shop, then glanced toward the warehouse, understanding at once. "As expected, it's a smokescreen. There are no Golden Nuts in the warehouse at all—these are props used to disguise their background. With the Southern Ridge suffering a grain famine, where would anyone find people buying luxury goods like these in bulk? And when others see that they can acquire Golden Nuts, they at least won't immediately assume they're connected to the Blazing Flame Lands."
"And the people helping transport grain over by the warehouse—there are actually two sublimators? What kind of joke is this? Fine if it were a major merchant association, but where would the Yisu Grain Association get that kind of foundation?"
So Ian spoke directly. "Boss, do you sell any more nuts here?"
He feigned casual interest. "How much can you sell, and how are the prices calculated?"
The shop owner stopped writing and gave Ian a look. Deciding that Ian was not merely toying with him, he said, "That depends on how much you intend to buy, sir. Large quantities have