I had lost my way during my journey.
Only my soul was wandering, while I stood still.
But right now, I'm walking to a distant place.
That's right, ever since I met you on this road.
The travellers witnessed the song, the forbidden song,
And I became attached to it as I heard it alone with you.
If the world I saw in my dreams exists somewhere,
Let's go search for it, beyond the winds.
Whether it's a freezing dawn,
A dry midday,
A shivering night,
or the ends of the Earth, let's go and see it.
That's the port city, Pattsio!
It looks like the city has a lot of good food.
Hey.
Are you sure you don't need to hide your face?
What are you trying to say?
You've been in that village for several hundred years,
so there must be tales left behind of how you look in your human form.
"Horo sometimes appears in the village as a beautiful maiden.
She looks as if she is in her adolescence.
She has long, flowing hair, like a wolf.
She also has a white tipped tail, and her hair is a light, beautiful brown.
In exchange for keeping her appearance a secret,
she promises an abundant wheat harvest the following year."
They've got all your characteristics down.
All who have seen me have doubted me as much as you did.
They don't believe it if I don't show them my ears and tail.
Well, I guess.
They won't recognize me.
They've forgotten about me, after all.
As for me, I hope that's how it is.
Well, it should be fine.
Wolf and Business Ability
This city is just as I expected!
Indeed.
Those apples look tasty.
Don't they?
They look really tasty.
You're right.
Oh yeah, an acquaintance of mine predicted the future demand for apples.
He risked half of his assets on it.
I'm not sure where he got the apples,
but he's several times wealthier now.
I should have hopped on it, too.
That was quite unfortunate.
But, well, there's a lot of risk to it, too.
As for me, I would invest in ships.
S-Ships?
Your life will be in danger if there are shipwrecks,
but if it goes well, there'll be huge profits.
Merchants would contract with us and pay a fee to rent ships.
What's wrong?
Ah, no...
And so, they'll be renting ships, right?
On top of the fee to rent the ship, we can also charge them a duty for their cargo.
Apples...
I want to eat apples...
Oh? Is that so?
Go buy some with this.
Who would normally buy this much?
You were the one who told me to buy some.
Don't you know the meaning of restraint?
You had better earn your keep for your meals.
You...
Purposefully...
Pretended not to notice, didn't you?
It feels empowering to know what someone wants, and that they're in your hands.
They're mine!
It was my money, wasn't it?!
I'm Horo the Wise.
I can earn this much money whenever I please.
That's great to hear.
I was planning to pay the lodging and meal charges with that money!
I can't believe you ate them all.
Apples are the fruit of the devil.
He tempted me with their sweet smell.
If you're so wise, why can't you overcome it?
There are many who lose their appetite,
but there is no reason to abstain from eating.
We'll be conducting our transactions here today.
The entrance certainly is big, but
looking at the building, I think there are bigger ones.
That's right, it's the third largest one in this city.
However, it's merely a branch of a big company that's located in a country far south.
First, we'll take advantage of their status as foreigners,
and sell it to them at a high price.
And, above all-
There'll be multifarious information coming in from the branch and head offices, right?
By doing business outside of your own town,
you are better able to adapt to the changes in currency.
That's exactly it.
I aim to ask that Zeiren boy about his story nonchalantly.
We might discover what's going on.
Welcome to the Milone Company!
I bought wheat here about three years ago.
Today, I'd like to sell some fur.
Oh yes, that's perfectly fine.
Thank you for doing business with us today.
Mister Craft Lawrence, was it?
It's Lawrence.
I'm honored that you remember me.
Ah, excuse me.
So, you wanted to discuss selling your furs today.
That is correct.
There are seventy in total.
These are fine marten furs.
There haven't been many peasants coming in with marten furs this year.
They must be busy with their farm work.
Still, here I am with an abundance of it.
Yes, so there are seventy in here?
Yes.
Well then, as with previous transactions,
does this suit you?
One hundred and thirty-two?
In what currency?
Thoreni silver coins.
I would like you to look at the gloss of these furs that appear once every several... no, ten years.
They haven't dulled at all, even when soaked by the rain en-route.
Certainly, the gloss is excellent, as is the lie.
This is a trimmed fur you don't see often.
I was hoping we would have a good relationship from now on.
We're a far-off company, but I completely agree.
Well, in regards to our developing relationship, how does one hundred and forty sound to you?
Good, and also...
Please excuse me for a moment.
I don't know the market price. So, how is his offer?
Quite good.
So, are you fine with the offer?
One hundred and forty Thoreni silver coins!
That's what you said, isn't it?
Ah, y-yes, I did indeed say one hundred and forty Thoreni silver coins.
You seem to be a respectable merchant, but...
No, is that why you pretended not to notice?
If that's so, I can't just let my guard down.
F-Forgive me, is there something I overlooked?
Master, you shouldn't be playing tricks.
I-I didn't mean to.
You tell him, then.
Well, then...
Please take one and try smelling it.
How is it?
Is this... the smell of fruit?
Indeed.
The forests and fields are abundant with fruit this year.
Those pelts are from animals that seem to have passed through those forests just days ago.
They ate the fresh fruit, so a sweet smell exudes from their fur.
It certainly does smell sweet.
That's how fine these marten furs are.
It took two big men to strip off the fur!
It was tough, since it was strongly attached to the body.
You don't need to hold back, try and pull on it.
Pull on it more!
It's strong and stretchy like a beast,
warm as the spring sunlight,
repels water when rained upon,
and you'll be treated to this fragrance when you smell it.
Among clothes made from fur, these would make you turn and smell them.
Just imagine these clothes on the market; their smell could come from only one source!
There's no doubt that they will become an expensive style that you can sell!
Now, this is your last chance to buy it.
How about two hundred Thoreni silver coins, then?
How about three silver coins per fur?
That is to say, two hundred and ten silver coins.
Are there other companies, master?
Very well!
I'll take them for two hundred and ten silver coins!
There you go, master.
Cheers!
This grape wine is great!
What's wrong? Aren't you going to drink?
It's on me, you know.
Have you ever done any trading?
What? Did my actions hurt your pride?
I'm not sure when, but it was a long time ago.
It was the idea of a smart merchant who passed by the village.
It's not something I thought of.
I didn't even realize it, though.
Or rather...
I didn't smell anything when I slept on them last night.
Well, that's because of the apples I bought.
Then, you...!
It's their fault for not catching on.
Still, they must be impressed to know that there is such a trick.
Well, I'd guess so.
Nothing comes of getting angry after you've been fooled.
You're only first rate if you can be impressed to find that such a trick exists.
Anyway, did you look into what you mentioned before?
Yeah.
But, I haven't found anything concerning a new silver coin being issued.
Well, there might be a trick to Zeiren's story.
As long as I profit and not retain any losses, it should be fine.
Well then, cheers to our reunion!
Drinking wine this good must mean that your fur trading went well!
Yeah.
Ah, that's great! That means I'll be profiting more, too!
Anyway...
Yeah?
In exchange for telling me which currency is being revalued,
you want a part of the profit as the fee.
That's what you said, right?
Yes.
Is that currency revaluation story true?
Um, first of all,
it's just some information I heard when I was living in a mine.
I'm sure it can be trusted, but...
But, um...
There weren't any sordid dealings going on, that's for sure.
I was intending to refuse if you said you were sure.
There's no suspicious story like that, after all.
So, what will be your share?
Ah, yes, just as we discussed, ten Thoreni silver coins,
and ten percent of your profit.
That's a bit conservative, isn't it?
Yes, if you were to lose out, I wouldn't be able to do anything.
In exchange for curbing my profits,
I will only return the ten silver coins we agreed to if you were to take on a loss.
All right, that should be fine.
Thank you.
Well then, I'd like it if we could meet the notary tomorrow morning.
Well then, to our profit!
To our profit!
Cheers!
Falam silver coin!
Sorry, it's a fake Mariin silver coin.
Isn't that this one?
That's the noble Lord Dadionche's silver coin.
Well, you'll remember them better after you use them.
Let's continue after a good night's rest.
No! One more time!
All right then.
I'll start here, so listen well.
Okay.
Thoreni silver coin.
Philling silver coin.
Liuto silver coin.
Fake Mariin silver coin.
Falam silver coin.
King Rambalt Tokt silver coin.
Mitsfing Cathedral silver coin.
Fake Mitsfing Cathedral silver coin.
St. Mitsfing silver coin.
And this is...
That's enough, I'm sleeping.
A smart choice from Horo the Wise.
Why are there so many, anyway?
There should be a limit to it.
When a country is born or collapses, more are issued.
And on top of that, more are issued because of the influence of powerful locals and the church.
There are also counterfeit coins.
Liuto silver coins were once called fake Thoreni silver coins.
Sleeping already?
Anyway, I got some good information.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Well then, boss, I'll be taking my leave.
Bye.
Make a killing, boss!
And you stay as beautiful as you are, madame!
He was a noisy guy until the end.
This is the silver coin in question, right?
Yeah.
It's a credible and strong currency in this area.
Credible?
There are several hundred different currencies,
and the silver and gold content is constantly changing.
To begin with, the face value of the currency is higher than the silver or gold it's made of.
You can't use it if it's not credible.
I see.
So, how is it? Did you find out anything after knowing which silver coin it was?
Let's see...
Rather than finding out something, I thought of something.
What's wrong?
I want to eat that!
That?
So, what did you realize?
Do you remember this?
A Philling silver coin.
Correct.
This has a high content of pure silver,
and is quite popular on the streets.
It's Thoreni silver coin's rival.
A country flaunting its power through its currency is the same in every era.
That's right.
When a foreign currency is introduced to the market,
that country will take the lead in economic activity,
and it's no different to us than losing a war.
So, in order to defeat your rivals, you have to raise the silver's purity?
Yeah, so it's quite possible that Zeiren isn't lying.
My ears aren't perfect, after all.
What? You thought I'd get angry?
I did.
I might have gotten angry if you had confronted me about it.
Where are we heading?
A person I know is in the money-exchanging business.
Money-exchanging?
To be truthful, you can't tell the purity of the currency.
Even so, raising and lowering the purity is common,
and these money-exchangers are sensitive to the change.
Even a slight change can become a big one.
That's why when there's going to be a big change, there's an omen.
You don't need to remember it all right away.
It'll take about a month, but I'll explain it all to you.
So it's that, isn't it?
When it's time to change the purity of the currency,
they first raise the purity just slightly and then judge the people's reactions.
Depending on the response, they might see to raising the purity more.
Y-Yeah, something like that.
Lawrence!
Weiss!
It's been a long time!
Hey, that's enough.
What's your name, little lady?
Me?
Yes.
My name is Horo.
Horo!
What a splendid name!
Did you do her yet, Lawrence?
Who'd do that?!
In that case, I'll seduce her!
That's fine with you, isn't it?
T-That's troubling...
Anyway, my business comes first.
Do you have any Thoreni silver coins that were recently issued?
There's no point.
We handle them every day and even we can't tell.
You're not going to melt it down and find out?
Don't be foolish, I can't do that.
Could you let me have a look, too?
Please, go ahead!
You're such a bad person.
Well, just watch.
That's kind of impossible, Horo.
There seem to be money-exchangers who can do that after many years, but
it's really just a legend.
How is it?
I don't know.
It's all right, it can't be helped!
Don't worry about it!
He was quite interesting.
He likes women he can't get.
So, did the purity of the silver go up or down?
You've gotten better even though you were so busy.
Your ears moved a bit.
I can't be too careless.
It's just, I was surprised you didn't say it there and then.
Well, it was something like gratitude.
Gratitude?
You were a bit jealous weren't you?
It's gratitude for that.
You don't need to worry about it.
Males are all stupid and jealous.
And females are stupid to be happy about it.
Idiots are everywhere you look.
Oh yeah, what about the purity of the silver?
It was slight, but the new one sounded a bit more dull.
Dull?
Then that means the silver content went down.
So, Zeiren was lying.
I'll be fighting against time to try to make a profit with a currency that's weakening.
There should be a difference if I change it back once the value lowers a bit.
Eventually, the local currency will return to normal, and there will be a profit.
It's not something I can do in half a year, though.
Is there even a way for Zeiren to earn a profit?
Are you sure you weren't tricked?
Tricked?
Indeed.
Do you mean he tricked me for the ten silver coins?
At worst, your profit will be zero.
And even if the currency goes down and you have a loss,
you just need to have that kid return the coins.
Conversely, if the currency goes up, you hand him a share of the profit.
Even if there was a chance to make a profit,
there is no possible way for that kid to be at a loss.
How could this be...
People are smart.
How stupid of me...
But...
Isn't it normal to see the silver's purity go down?
No, they normally take great care and slowly raise the silver's purity.
And then a deal concerning the purity of silver coins blows in.
Is it a coincidence?
When we hunt, we sometimes climb the trees.
When you're on a tree, surprisingly enough, it's easy to find the prey's hiding places.
At times like those, you need to find a new perspective.
A new perspective?
What if it wasn't that kid who was scheming something?
It's not like the kid needs to get his profit directly from you.
He could've been asked by someone else to bring that unusual deal to others.
That's it! I got it!
I know a trick where you buy weakening currencies to gain a profit!
Looks like you thought of something.
Let's go!
Where to, this time?
Milone Company!
Seven apples on the witch's tree
With seven seeds to plant inside of me
In spring time I grew a magic song
Then skipping along,
I sang the song to everyone
I look at the world through apple eyes
And cut myself a slice of sunshine pie
I danced with the peanuts for the flies
Till someone had told me
To say hello for every good-bye
Saw some sugar stars
I'll put them in a jar
And we'll wish around the world
Oh we'll wish around the world
I'm a little wolf inside a cart
You say,
And off I go from June to May
Oh we'll wish around the world
Let's wish around the world
Next, Wolf and Helpless Partner.