Ch.102I Have a Good Business Plan…

I gently patted Millia’s shoulder.

“You must have been through a lot, Millia. But don’t fall into corruption.

Though looking at your current state, that doesn’t seem likely.”

“By the way, Demian, what happened to that broken greatsword from back then?”

“You mean that black iron greatsword? It’s still in pieces. I’ve collected the fragments, but…”

Demian scratched his cheek.

“Why keep the fragments? Once a sword is broken, repairing it would be pointless.”

When weapons like swords break, they tend to break again at the repaired point.

Unless you completely melt it down in a forge and reforge it anew.

“It was a gift, and I broke it so quickly. It felt disrespectful to Frider’s kindness to just throw it away.”

“Frider probably doesn’t mind?”

It wouldn’t be much money for him, and practically speaking, the weapon saved your life. If it helped you hold out against a Werebeast Champion, it served its purpose.

Anyway, this works out well.

“Come with me. Let’s go see Asha. You too, Millia.”

“Huh? My rapier is fine though…?”

“Not about the rapier, but your bow. You’re still using an ordinary wooden bow. Considering our upcoming mission, it’s time to upgrade.”

How are you going to fight monsters with a bow that can’t even kill a troll?

I led the two reluctant companions toward the inner part of the special building.

—

Asha’s room, which I hadn’t visited in a while, was an even worse mess than before.

It made me realize that just as there’s always a lower bottom, there’s no limit to chaos.

About a third of the room was occupied by tanned hides, while the opposite side was piled high with raw, untreated skins displaying their original state in all their glory.

The desk was lined with various chemicals mixed together, emitting such a strong odor it hurt my nose.

The bed was propped upright against the wall, and the remaining space was filled with scattered complex mechanical devices.

A small sleeping bag next to it… must be her new bed.

She looked like someone wandering somewhere between workaholic and slave.

“There’s not even room to step. Wouldn’t it be better to get a separate workshop at this point?”

I carefully avoided the parts scattered on the floor as I approached Asha.

Demian and Millia couldn’t even enter and remained standing outside the door.

“I’m actually preparing a workshop right now. Quite a few empty houses have appeared in the district.”

Asha replied nonchalantly.

The area under her eyes was a bit dark, suggesting she’d been working through the night.

“Plus, the prices aren’t bad? I’m thinking of buying a few properties with the money I’ve earned.”

Empty houses in the district—that’s not something to mention so casually.

It means the people who lived there have disappeared.

Then again, expecting Asha, a dwarf, to constantly worry about human deaths might be asking too much.

“So, what brings you here? Bringing two regular students… Demian and Millia, right? The ones who often train with Frider.”

Hearing their names, Demian and Millia awkwardly greeted her.

Asha nodded with a light smile.

“I thought you were busy working, but you’ve been watching us?”

“I watch sometimes when I hear the sounds of sparring, to get some air and take a break.”

Then she must have been watching from the open window until just now.

This is what you call fresh air? How toxic must the air be in here normally?

“I see. Anyway, Asha, I came to you about their weapons.”

“Weapons?”

“Yes. Remember that black iron greatsword from before? It was his weapon, but it broke right after he received it.”

“What?! That’s impossible! I made it properly!”

Asha raised her head in shock.

Like a scammer unexpectedly confronted by a customer with a hammer.

Of course, I don’t mean Asha was scamming. Dwarves are always thorough in such matters.

If anything, since we were somewhat close, she usually made equipment several times better than what I paid for.

Even the armor I recently received was quite satisfactory, apart from the raw materials.

She seems to have misunderstood my meaning.

I thought about teasing her a bit but decided against it.

I wasn’t confident my jokes would land well with dwarven thinking patterns.

“No, I phrased that poorly. There was nothing wrong with the sword. It broke because it faced something that would break it. It was shattered fighting a Champion.”

“Ah, I see. That’s what happened…”

Asha stroked her chest in relief.

“Well, if someone who isn’t even a Master fought a Werebeast Champion, even a black iron greatsword would break. So you need a new sword? That’ll be 30 gold.”

“Besides the greatsword, I’d also like a bow… wait, Millia-!”

“Hm? Did you call, Haschal?”

Millia, who had been talking with Demian, turned toward me.

“I’m thinking of having a bow made for you too, but I should ask your opinion first. It’s time to decide whether to focus on rapid firing or power.”

An archer’s growth path generally splits into two directions.

If you prioritize the power of each shot, you progress toward stronger bows and larger arrows, eventually using longbows taller than yourself with umbrella-like arrows.

Conversely, if you want to subdue opponents through rapid firing, you use a manageable bow and arrows that allow for quick shots with your strength.

Like the difference between a cannon and a machine gun.

Though at the extreme, they eventually converge.

“That’s so sudden… what do you think, Haschal?”

“Well… if we’re not fighting humans, power would be better, right?”

Humans can be neutralized with a few well-placed quick arrows, but monsters with strong vitality ignore light arrows.

Either by enduring through sheer toughness or regenerating.

“Then let’s go with that. We’re going to fight monsters, right?”

“Yes. Come over here then. We need to check what draw weight would be appropriate for you.”

—-

After I left the room, Millia went to Asha next.

Asha checked Millia’s strength with some tools, then sent her back.

“How is it?”

“An iron bow would be too much for her now, so we’ll go with a composite bow. Including the greatsword, that’ll be 45 gold.”

Of course, I didn’t have 45 gold right now.

But I had a solid plan.

I approached Asha, lowering my voice.

“Listen, Asha. I have an amazing business plan.”

“A business plan?”

Asha tilted her head.

“Yes, you’ll be surprised when you hear it. It’s what I call a free warranty support.”

“That’s just a collection of words dwarves hate.”

“No, listen. I’ve been looking into this, and it’s amazing no one has tried this approach yet.”

I gently held Asha’s shoulder and continued.

“The core concept is simple. When you sell something, it doesn’t end there. You make a contract promising free repairs or replacements if there are problems with the product. The term would be… about half a year?”

Asha’s expression changed to one looking at a scammer.

“Why would anyone do that? Just sell new items and be done with it.”

“It’s what we call a differentiation strategy. Think about it, Asha. People naturally like being treated well and receiving things for free. What would people think if a merchant offered free after-sales warranty?”

I spread my arms wide, having removed them from Asha’s shoulders.

“Oh, this merchant cares more about customers than profit! If they’re willing to fix things for free when they break, they must be confident in their quality!”

I exclaimed with exaggerated tones, as if performing.

“Wouldn’t everyone think that? In short, you earn customer trust and goodwill. All by not charging for a few repairs!”

Asha stepped back half a step, looking a bit flustered.

“Um… does it really work like that? But what’s the point?”

I thought she would understand by now.

“Imagine two merchants charging the same price. One is just a merchant, the other is known for reliability and perfect after-sales service. Who would people choose? You, of course! If you ever start a guild, you’ll have an enormous number of commissions rolling in!”

“I understand what you’re saying… but wouldn’t it be a loss if everyone comes for repairs? They might deliberately break things too.”

A sharp observation.

That is indeed a problem with warranty systems… but not a major issue here.

After all, this world has a duel system for dealing with malicious buyers.

“How many items made with your skill would break within half a year, Asha? Besides, you can tell when something’s been deliberately broken, right? In such cases, show the evidence and say free repairs aren’t possible.”

“That’s true… but they might still insist.”

“Then challenge them to a duel. Dwarven pride is well-known—few would argue further unless they’re prepared to get their heads cracked.”

Asha clutched her head.

Her expression suggested she was wondering whether to trust this scammer.

“Ugh…! My father warned me that people who claim to have good business plans and tell plausible stories are all scammers…!”

“Think about it. Would I scam you, Asha? We’re friends. This is advice for a friend. Think of the future. If the entire Red Copper clan adopted this approach, you could dominate the entire industry someday! Truly becoming kings of gold!”

It was quite an elaborate persuasion to turn the 30 gold greatsword fee into free.

Asha’s eyes were spinning.