Scenario:Karteira - The Clairvoyant Trader
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
The Clairvoyant Trader
The crew ends up 300,000,000 rupies in debt when someone unloads a promissory note on the hapless Lyria. Enter the merchant Karteira, who somehow fixes the mess. She then offers to join the crew to atone for past mistakes.
(Captain) and company are taking some time off at an inn in a certain town.
Lyria, who is unable to sleep, is relaxing on her own in the lobby, when a mysterious figure approaches her.
Man: Hey, young lady. Do you like sugar?
Lyria: Sugar? Well... I like jam, cream, and just about anything sweet really.
Man: Oho... That's good. I have some sugar right here, and it's all yours.
Lyria: Really? Are you sure? Thank you so much!
Lyria: Huh? This is just a sheet of paper... How could this be sugar?
Upon returning to the Grandcypher the next morning, the crew is shocked to find signs saying "Impounded" and "No Entry" on the ship.
Vyrn: What's going on? This must be someone's idea of a joke... Let's take these signs off and get going.
???: Don't you dare touch those!
The crew hurriedly turn around and see a group of soldiers acting as debt collectors for the merchants guild.
A man who seems to be their commander steps forward and reads the notice he's holding in a dignified manner.
Captain: Article I: Due to a credit transaction yesterday, your account is overdrawn. We are seizing your ship and all other assets.
Captain: Article II: If you are unable to repay the outstanding funds, we will impound your airship as collateral for your debt.
Captain: Article III: The deadline for repayment is one week from today. Failure to repay will result in permanent confiscation.
Katalina: We don't even understand what's going on... Surely there must be something you can do? Please, you're our only hope.
Sierokarte: This is indeed very unfortunate! I suppose I should first explain what a credit transaction is...
Sierokarte: It's when you pay for something based on a prediction of its value in the future, such as half a year or a full year later.
Sierokarte: Hmm... It seems that in this case, the total value of the transaction is hundreds of times higher than the amount paid. Scary...
Sierokarte: If you look at the note, it says that a deposit of 3,000 rupies was used for a transaction worth 300,000 rupies!
Katalina: 300,000 rupies... That's a lot of money, but we should be able to repay it if we all chip in.
Sierokarte: Hmm... Unfortunately it seems that the product has crashed in value, and the total debt is now... 300,000,000 rupies.
Katalina: Wha? Three... hundred... million?
Vyrn: What the heck did we buy to end up with a debt that big? Jewels? Gold?
Sierokarte: Well... According to the note, it was sugar.
Vyrn: What? Sugar? Who was dumb enough to buy that?
Lyria: I'm sorry... I think it was me, but I didn't understand what I was doing...
Sierokarte listens to Lyria's explanation sympathetically, but then she elucidates that once a contract is concluded, it's final.
Sierokarte: Hmm... I'd love to help, but I don't involve myself with complex economics like this... I'll introduce you to someone!
Vyrn: Those wheat fields we saw from the airship were so huge! I've never seen anything like them!
Katalina: It's certainly a massive area. Those fields are the breadbasket of the skydom.
Katalina: What's even more surprising is that all of them are managed by this single village!
???: Siero told me to expect you guys. You're (Captain), right?
Lyria: Are you perhaps Karteira?
Karteira: That I am! Karteira, the wind-reading trader and master of credit transactions! At your service!
Without bothering to wait for the crew's response, she runs off toward a nearby farmhouse.
Lyria: Huh? Karteira! Where are you going?
Vyrn: Whoa... She's already started talking to someone else! What's the big rush?
Katalina: Wait... That person she's talking to... Isn't that one of the purveyors of goods to the kingdom?
Katalina: It can't be... The chief union representative of the empire's foremost guild is standing there too!
Katalina: And there's the church's chief business advisor and the royal broker! They're all renowned businessmen... Who is this woman?
Karteira: So y'all noticed my guests then? The big traders of the islands like to come around at this time of year to check the wheat.
Karteira: Just between you and me, I told 'em that we'll have a bumper crop this year in terms of quality and quantity.
Karteira: And that means they're sure to buy it up! Y'all sure are lucky. This is going to write off all your debt.
Vyrn: No way! How does that work?
Karteira: Dumb as a box of rocks, ain'tcha? If there's tons of wheat, what will people eat?
Lyria: Um... How about bread? Or cake? Or cookies?
Karteira: Aaand what do you need for those?
Lyria: Jam? Or cream? Oh, I get it! Sugar! You need lots of sugar!
Karteira: And if demand goes up, so does the price!
Karteira: We have a week, which is plenty of time for the price of sugar to return to normal and eliminate your debt.
Karteira: That's why they call me a wind reader! Because I know how to profit when the wind changes direction!
Karteira: Tomorrow, speculators will rush to buy both wheat and sugar due to the biggest merchants buying extra wheat.
Lyria: Huh? She's taking off again! Karteira! Why do you keep running away?
Monster: Groar!
Lyria: Aahh! Monsters!
Karteira: Stop standing there like statues! Any damage the monsters do to the crops will cause your debt to go up!
Vyrn: That's right! So hurry up and take them out!
Lyria: Thank you so much, Karteira! I don't know what we would have done without you.
Karteira: It was no big deal. Siero asked me for help, so I just gave a bit of advice.
Sierokarte: Excuse me? You can't fool me! I know exactly what you've been up to!
Karteira: Say what? Oh, so it's you, Siero.
Sierokarte: Hee-hee. Karteira invested her entire fortune to help the price of sugar go back up!
Karteira: Stop making me sound like some kind of hero! I just saw some potential profit and thought I'd grab myself a slice!
Lyria: Really? Why would you risk so much for people you've only just met!
Sierokarte: Hmm... To atone for the past. Right, Karteira?
Karteira looks resignedly at Sierokarte and then starts to explain more about herself.
Karteira: For a silver-tongued devil with my business sense, it's easy to buy low and sell high regardless of the product.
Karteira: And I used to make tons of money by doing just that, but then I realized that, for every rupie I made, someone else lost one.
Karteira: Before I knew it, all my business friends had disappeared.
Karteira: It was a pretty big shock... I even thought about quitting business altogether... But then I had a better idea.
Karteira: To atone for what I did, I decided to focus on doing business to help people instead of just taking their money.
Karteira: This all sounds stupid, doesn't it? Makes you angry, right? But my conscience can rest easy now.
Karteira: So when Siero came to me with your request... I swore to help you no matter what it took.
Lyria: Oh, Karteira...
Vyrn: There's nothing stupid about it... You're a really good person, aren't you?
Karteira: Of course! And if you really think so, could I join your crew?
Vyrn: Woah... That came out of nowhere. But what do you say, (Captain)?
Choose: We'd be happy to have you!
Karteira: Really? Thank you! There are so many rare things in the world... I'll be able to make so much money!
Thus Karteira, the wind-reading trader, joins the crew, and the ship becomes even more lively.
Choose: I'll consider your proposal.
Karteira: But why? I swear I'm useful! I can handle your trade negotiations, and I'll never back down! Not even to Siero!
Lyria: That's right! We need someone like Karteira, (Captain)!
Vyrn: Hey, Lyria, this is obviously one of (Captain)'s famous jokes. Right, (Captain)?
Lyria: Vyrn's right, isn't he? I was worried for a second there!
Thus Karteira, the wind-reading trader, joins the crew, and the ship becomes even more lively.
Continue 1