It seems that Mia-san and Parine-san’s relationship was purely based on a request. When we stepped onto the main street, Parine-san raised her hand and said, “Well, thank you again!”, then she walked away.
Just when I thought that she has turned to the corner, the next moment, a horse-drawn carriage took off from the same path at high speed. It was a sturdy two-horse carriage that seemed out of place in the poor streets of this area.
I watched in shock as it left.
Did she ride that?
“Rion, this way.”
Mia-san called out to me, so I hurried over to catch up to her. Because she is tall, she takes long strides. My pouch, which was packed with magic stones that were supposed to be sold, shook greatly as I walked in a hurry.
『You are going to convert it into money, right? 』
“That was the plan but….”
As we whispered, Mia-san turned around.
“Rion, do you have a Master? Or a senior adventurer?”
I felt a prickling pain in my chest.
“……I don’t have any.”
In reality, it was supposed to be my father.
Beginners in the Royal Capital aren’t allowed to enter dungeons without an introduction from someone. Because the population is so large, if there’s no limit on the number of people who can come and go inside, the exploration area will become filled with people.
Usually, the person who introduces you will then act as your senior and teach you all sorts of things. But now that Father is gone, I don’t have anyone to turn to.
“What about your father’s friends or acquaintances?”
Mia-san seems to know about my father’s death. The fact that she doesn’t ask about father is proof of that.
“In the battle in where my father died, all of my father’s companions died too—they are all gone. I was familiar with some weapon and armor shop owners, but when the nobles took charge of the Eastern side, they either left the Royal Capital or went out of business.”
“The bloody sunset huh. A lot of people I know got killed then too.”
Two years ago, there was an incident in the wilderness. From a place where there is no dungeon, a sudden outbreak of monsters occurred. Adventurers and knights went to suppress it, and Father and his companions died there.
The direction was west of the Royal Capital, and the sunset looked blood-stained due to the number of casualties there. That’s why it’s called bloody sunset.
The fear the adventurers have about monsters “coming out one day” became well-founded. Just like in the battle where my father died, there are now many monsters roaming outside.
Did they come from an undiscovered dungeon? Or is there a monster nest in the forest or wilderness?
Various people are still investigating that.
“I’m sorry, that was a dumb question. Alright, you should remember where I’m going to take you now.”
Mia-san took me to the west side of city. That’s where the Western Dungeon of the Royal Capital’s Four Labyrinth is located. The monsters there are stronger than in the Eastern Dungeon, and I’ve never entered it.
But I like this area.
It’s because there’s a lot of vitality here.
Compared to the stagnant feeling in the East Dungeon, everyone walks around with their heads held high. Perhaps it’s the tension of risking one’s life and the good money that makes them feel that way.
“This area is near the canal, isn’t it?”
I pass by muscular backs carrying barrels and wooden boxes. They are likely loading and unloading luggage from the canal. The voice of the vendors are painful to the ears. It’s like gathering all the bustle of the Royal City in one place.
“Oh? As expected of a wake-up caller, you know the area well.”
The Royal City is sometimes more of a maze than the dungeon. When I looked up, I saw a rope to hang laundry. A blacksmith’s apron is fluttering in the wind.
“Are we going to the artisan district?”
“Correct.”
Mia-san winked at me.
We then turned a corner. I saw a row of shops selling weapons, armor, and medicines suited for adventurers.
“Wow……!”
There is a similar town in the East Dungeon, but the selection of products and the cleanliness of the streets are different. Men with colorful armor wanders around, and a party bragging and chatting about the results of their battle passes by.
This is a scene where Father had longed for but ended up being left behind.
Mia-san entered a shop. It was an impressive structure taking up the floor space of several houses, with multiple chimneys.
A blacksmith’s shop —or was it more of a “workshop” at this size?
Regardless of my hesitation, Mia-san stepped in.
“Hey, old man. Can you buy some magic stone for me?”
“Oh, if it isn’t Axe cat girl! Don’t say that out loud you know.”
“It’s fine, right?”
“……Tch. Come inside.”
She went straight to the point.
I turned pale and I hurriedly pulled Mia-san’s hand as she tried to go further in.
“W-wait, are you buying and selling directly with a merchant?”
Materials from dungeons are usually sold to guilds. Medicinal herbs and magic stones are sold by guilds to merchants, and the quality is guaranteed because they include appraisal fees and refining fees. It was also advantageous for adventurers because the purchase price does not fluctuate much.
On the other hand, it is also allowed to wholesale to merchants you find yourselves.
Or rather—it’s a gray area.
It’s not forbidden, but there’s an unspoken understanding that the materials from the dungeon will be sold to the guild.
In this case where there is no involvement of the guild, the adventurer can negotiate the price on his own. In other words, if you are not recognized as a “good adventurer” who is worthy of a deal, you cannot even get in to negotiate.
Long ago, before there were guilds, there were a lot of experienced merchants who would buy magic stones at bargain prices. The Adventurer’s Guild then became an association where adventurers can band together and negotiate prices.
If you’re willing to lose a lot of money by buying and selling outside the guild, feel free to do so—that was probably the guild’s position on cases like this.
On the other hand, it is rumored that if you do it well, some materials can be sold for the same or even more than in the guild.
“Ah….…”
I belatedly realized why we are here. As a thank you for rescuing them, Mia-san connected me to a store that would buy it for me.
“Once I recommended it, this store will buy your magic stones.”
I can’t look Mia-san in the eye.
“We can exchange it at the Guild in the West Dungeon…… It was just that I don’t know much about the higher-ups on the guild over there. Besides, even if I ask to exchange it on your behalf, it’s a small industry, so you can’t fool that guy for long. In that sense, this kind of introduction would be better, right?”
“I-, I see.”
“By the way, this place is under the protection of the Royal Capital’s Chamber of Commerce. Gideon doesn’t have much influence on the west side to begin with. The Warburg family is only the ruler in the ‘Eastern Dungeon’ after all. He probably wouldn’t expect you to be coming and going here, and even if he did know—he probably wouldn’t be able to do much.”
Mia-san’s eyes sharpened.
“The selling price here is up to your negotiation, it’s not like in the guild.”
Mia-san is really skilled in this.
I squeezed my pouch tightly.
“Y-you’re right.”
The reason I’m hesitant isn’t just whether I can or can’t do it. Father has also taught me that it’s better to put it in a guild.
“Adventurers help each other. So, it is better to keep them in the Adventurer’s Guild as much as possible huh….”
“Yes. Well, that’s the official reason.”
Mia-san scratched her red hair. She closed her eyes and guessed what I’m thinking.
“The earnings of the guild are also used to support beginners. To help each other out, adventurers should give as much as they can to the guild –that’s what it’s about, right?”
“Yes.”
“But—”
Mia-san pulled her face closer to me.
“This time, the guild betrayed Rion first. Do you really need to be that loyal?”
That……
She might be right.
“Rion, there’s a difference between being sincere and putting on a sweet face.”
Mia-san crosses her arms and looks at me as if to test me.
I closed my eyes tightly and lifted my chin as hard as I could. I made up my mind. The “power” of decision-making is also a form of strength.
“……I’ll give it a try.”
“Then I’ll buy it.”
The blacksmith beckoned towards us.
“I thought it was Mia, but you boy is the seller huh. You can put your goods on the table over there.”
This uncle has an intimidating presence that was even more than that of an adventurer. He has bulging muscles like the dwarves in the story, and his big nose and eyes make him seem like a formidable opponent.
Standing next to him was a well-dressed young man in black clothing. In his hand is a quill pen and a ledger. The word “Transactions” was written boldly in it.
“Please have a seat.”
As prompted, I sat down at a desk.
The uncle’s eyes looked up at Mia-san.
“Axe Cat girl, he must be a valued customer, right?”
“You’ll have to wait and see to find out.”
“Heh.”
The blacksmith snorted and looked at me. With just a quick glance, I feel like he could see through a lot of things, such as how old I am and whether I’m new to negotiations.
I opened the pouch and placed all the magic stones on the table. The younger man rearranged them by size, as if to say, “This is how you do it.”
“……. I’ve seen it. They are all normal magic stone. With a size like this, it can be used in a furnace before it’s refined by the guild, and it should be good for blessing weapons. All in all, 3000 Gent.”
Sure, it’s a lot higher than the one offered to me by guild a while ago. But it’s half of the usual purchase price.
Mia-san is watching from the sidelines. I guess she is leaving it up to me.
“……Fo-, 4000, what do you think?”
When I ventured to say that, the uncle raised his eyebrows.
“Boy, don’t be too greedy. The guild refused to buy it anyway, right?”
He was right. The younger guy is also shaking his heads.
“That’s where we look at the risk first. Is the quality good enough? Are there any flaws?”
Closing the ledger, the young man continued.
“The reason we buy magic stones directly is because sometimes we find bargains on magic stones and materials that the guild does not put a price on. For example, this one.”
Taken out from the platform behind him was a snow-colored silver bar.
“This is a magically imbued mithril ingot. It once looked like scrap metal after the dungeon was sealed away. But when polished up, it looks like this. The guild’s appraisal is not perfect either. Of course, we sometimes trade with promising adventurers to build relationships with them, but on the other hand……”
After saying that, the young man stopped speaking.
There’s no reason to buy a no name adventurer’s magic stone at a normal price……
That’s what he meant.
I squeezed my voice out.
“I…… I couldn’t sell it in the guild.”
“Hah! What, you’re in trouble? Well, we might get caught up in this. I think, 3000 is too much, so 2500 it is.”
I shivered. The purchase price is steadily decreasing.
For Lu’s sake, for my mother’s sake, I have to sell it at a higher price!
『Rion』
I heard Solana’s voice.
『It’s okay. You have amazing power that helped me. 』
The warm breeze blew away my anxiety.
“N-no!”
There’s no point in holding back.
I reach into the depths of my pouch and pull out a certain stone. Just to be on the safe side, what I took out are three completely weathered spirit stones.
| Skill, 『Alarm』was used. Executing【Unseal】. |
“T-that’s…”
The man’s eyes widened. I added the glowing green stones to the magic stones on the table. One of them had already been unsealed in the dungeon, by the way.
“…..Wow, this is amazing. Isn’t this a spirit stone? Where did you get it from…?”
The old man finally laughed. The young man was stunned for a while, then he quickly opened the ledger again.
“Boy, this is interesting. What a hidden gem. What do you want to get out of it?”
“Please add this to your appraisal. This is my first deal, and I will continue to do so—I won’t let you lose money.”
“Hmmm, you want to say that not being stingy will be my advantage in the long run?”
I nodded my head.
“I—, I think I can continue to bring this same thing to you.”
Words are armor. In formal terms, without flinching, I conveyed my worth to the other person.
The uncle raised his eyebrows in amusement. Mia-san also smiled.
The young man picked up the spirit stone, held it up in the air, and then he moved the quill.
“Very well”
The uncle’s potholder-like hands gripped my shoulders.
“Very good, I like you boy! Those guild guys turned down such a fine guy! Are they blind, or are the nobles just stupid?”
The young man handed me some money.
“Six large and small magic stones cost 5,000 gent, and three spirit stones cost 15,000…… What do you think?”
20,000 Gent in one day is a huge surplus that I have never earned. In particular, the income of spirit stones is large. It’s calculated to be about five times as valuable as the skeleton magic stone.
The uncle grinned.
“Don’t lose, fledging. Actually….. I’ve heard rumors about you, wake-up caller guy.”
“Yes!”
I responded vigorously.
I have to thank Mia-san. If I simply took out the spirit stones, they might get suspicious.
—However, my relationship with her didn’t end there.
After leaving the store, Mia-san held out her right hand and made a surprising suggestion.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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