"That's a relief."
Kurisu also breathed a sigh of relief, then asked in confusion:
"If you haven't come to the Chamber of Commerce for help, then what brings you here?"
"Hehe, hello! Thoma sent us. He said the Chamber of Commerce had run into some trouble."
Paimon smiled and briefly introduced herself, Lumine, and that womanizer, Li Qiuzhi.
"Oh, so you're the famous Travelers? I've seen you in The Steambird so many times, but I still didn't recognize you in person!"
Realization dawned on Kurisu, and he continued:
"To think Mr. Thoma managed to bring you here! It seems there's real hope of resolving the Chamber of Commerce's predicament!"
"Mm-hmm, we'll do our best to help you sort it out. First, tell us what difficulties the Chamber of Commerce has been having lately."
Paimon nodded emphatically as she spoke.
"Ah, please have a seat, everyone, and let me explain everything." Kurisu sighed and invited Li Qiuzhi and the others to sit at the table on the left side of the office.
The situation itself wasn't complicated.
Although the Sakoku Decree meant foreign merchants could only do business on Ritou and were restricted from traveling to other areas, they had still been making a decent profit.
Even under those conditions, everyone had been earning quite well.
But the Kanjou Commission, one of Inazuma's three commissions and the institution specifically responsible for managing Ritou's foreign trade and various other affairs, had recently issued numerous unreasonable rules targeting foreign merchants.
First came the exorbitant taxes.
They were actually more than double what local merchants paid. That was still tolerable; it merely meant earning a little less, and these merchants had swallowed their displeasure and accepted it.
But those profit-hungry fellows at the Kanjou Commission insisted on making things difficult even when it came