Ch.58Pre-order

It was now the eighth autumn in Amurtat.

With the tower’s pillars nearly complete, tourists visiting Amurtat had only one thing on their minds.

Bone ash porcelain!

They were anxiously waiting to get their hands on those exquisite ceramics.

At first, they merely glanced at the porcelain in the taverns, assuming it was just some expensive purchase. But upon closer inspection, they noticed that unlike traditional porcelain, these pieces had no bluish tint at all, instead radiating a warm, milky glow.

Moreover, the taverns were subtly serving food in dishes made of bone ash porcelain during tourists’ meals. This was clearly a deliberate tactic that screamed, “You don’t have anything like this at home, do you?”

Eventually, the curious tourists couldn’t resist asking about these new ceramics as they wandered around Amurtat. The citizens kindly informed them that these were called “bone ash porcelain,” newly created by His Majesty Tiberius, and that non-citizens of Amurtat were not yet permitted to purchase them.

From that moment on, the tourists began to slowly lose their minds.

“Your Majesty! Tourists are asking when bone ash porcelain will be available for purchase!”

“Hehehe… Of course… They simply can’t resist…”

With a devious smile, I handed a bundle of parchment to my aide.

“…What’s this pile of parchment for?”

“Use it to record the names of those who wish to purchase. However, only those whose names fit on these sheets will be eligible.”

“Are you imposing a purchase restriction?”

“You could say that.”

Ah… this is what’s known as a pre-order.

A promise to pay money in advance for items not yet released. Could there be anything more foolish?

Short selling? That’s probably the only comparable folly.

“But Your Majesty, with this limited amount of parchment, we won’t get much response…”

The aide counted the parchment sheets.

About 40 sheets—not even enough to make a single book. If only those whose names were written on these sheets could purchase bone ash porcelain, interest would quickly fade regardless of how wealthy the buyers were.

“Don’t worry. I have a plan.”

“What is it?”

“Those who place advance orders will receive additional bone ash porcelain as a reward for supporting the business… Let’s see… Since we’re mainly making tea sets, adding extra bowls and jars would be perfect.”

Ah… this is what’s known as a “Premium Edition.”

Items given exclusively to those who pre-order.

Considering the extravagance of this world’s nobility, they might well be at each other’s throats to get their names on those parchment sheets.

“I-Indeed. Then the parchment will certainly be insufficient.”

“Of course. Trust me completely.”

Wouldn’t you be curious to see what happens when modern business tactics are introduced to this medieval world?

*

“So you can’t sell them right now, but if I write my name and pay a deposit, I’ll be among the first to receive bone ash porcelain, plus additional items?”

“That’s correct.”

“And it’s first-come, first-served?”

“Yes, indeed.”

“And these additional items can’t be purchased later, even at a premium?”

“That’s right.”

“Whoever came up with this is damn greedy.”

“His Majesty created it himself.”

“Is that so…?”

The civil servant answered the noble tourist’s questions politely.

The comment about greed was somewhat crude, but not incorrect, so the civil servant kindly explained again that these were direct orders from His Majesty.

The tourist, who was a nobleman but not a monarch, awkwardly stepped aside…

“Move!!! I’m signing first!”

A porcelain fanatic appeared, shoved aside the dazed tourist, and was the first to write his name on the parchment and pay his deposit.

“Hahaha! Now I’m a bone ash porcelain owner too!!”

His expression, bordering on madness as he declared victory, made other tourists and servants of high nobles and wealthy merchants—who had been ordered to make purchases—frown in disgust.

“How vulgar! Is it proper to shove people aside just to be first to buy some pottery?”

“Shut up! It’s not just some pottery! You have no idea how my wife has been nagging me about this! For over 100 days, she’s been singing ‘bone ash porcelain, bone ash porcelain’! If you had a wife like that, you’d—!!!”

“…”

“How unfortunate.”

…Despite some pitiful stories, nobles and wealthy merchants, enticed by the privilege of being among the first to receive bone ash porcelain and the promise of additional pieces, rushed to write their names on the parchment and pay their deposits. They then wandered through Amurtat’s streets with satisfied expressions.

It wasn’t just the bone ash porcelain—simply walking through the meticulously planned city streets filled something in their hearts. Besides, bone ash porcelain wasn’t Amurtat’s only specialty.

“Would you like to try these preserved fish milt?”

“Let me see… Mmm! The flavor is excellent!”

“Thank you. When you take fresh fish milt and preserve it in quality salt, it develops this deep flavor.”

“Are there any special benefits?”

“It’s good for virility.”

“Give me a jar.”

“Thank you.”

Among the best-selling items were preserved fish and specialty parts from Pale Harbor.

Freshly caught fish, properly prepared and preserved in brine, guaranteed freshness and flavor. Moreover, milt, being testicles, was famous for supposedly enhancing virility (whether true or not). Tourists from Fahrenheit enjoyed these fresh seafood delicacies they rarely had access to.

They also purchased large quantities of preserved seafood, and both nobles and wealthy merchants had their reasons for doing so.

Nobles had many mouths to feed in their households and needed to continuously provide money or goods to ensure the loyalty of their servants. Seafood, difficult to obtain in Fahrenheit, was a perfect item that could strengthen family bonds and increase the loyalty of subordinates.

Wealthy merchants, after sampling the quality, often contracted not by the jar but by the cartload, believing they could sell it at a profit. They intended to sell these goods in inland countries like Fahrenheit, or in cities with access to water but inadequate preservation methods, or simply where demand exceeded supply.

Considering that food preservation required wood for smoking or salt for curing, this trade made perfect sense.

Everything becomes more expensive when crossing borders, and essential items like food, water, and salt would be purchased regardless of price increases. This significantly contributed to merchants being perceived as “bastards who deserve to be beaten to death” in this world.

*

“Your Majesty, now we just need to complete the porcelain.”

“Yes. And you’re continuing to train porcelain artisans as I instructed?”

“Of course. This week alone, we sent another 200 apprentices to Bonyard.”

“Good. Be thorough with the supply of raw materials as well. Production must not halt due to material shortages.”

“I understand. I’ll make sure to emphasize this point.”

My aide and I contentedly gazed at the 40 sheets of parchment filled with names as we clinked our wine glasses together.

“Ahh…!”

Could there be a day when wine tastes better than today?

Soon I’ll need to rake in the money that’s about to roll in, so I can only enjoy this leisure now.

“By the way, Your Majesty, do you really intend to sell those additional items only to the people listed here?”

“No?”

“Oh? Wouldn’t that be lying then?”

“It’s not a lie. I’ll sell similar items with subtle differences in color or decoration.”

Even in games, it was common practice to satisfy users by releasing variants with slightly different designs, colors, or performance when the original pre-order bonuses were no longer available.

Users could fulfill their needs with something similar, if not identical, while those who purchased the special editions maintained their exclusive value.

And what I’m planning is similar.

From now on, money will make money, and image will create image in a virtuous cycle.

“Aide.”

“Yes?”

“I think we need to recruit more officials. One thousand won’t be enough.”

Considering the growing population and increasing numbers of tourists and transient residents, 1,000 officials seemed far too few.

At least 10,000 officials would be needed to keep things running smoothly, wouldn’t they?