Ch.12Chapter 12: Unexpected Gains

As Balt followed the guild master, Lisa naturally followed Balt as well.

The guild master noticed this and made a puzzled expression.

“Hmm? And the young lady?”

In response to the guild master’s question, Balt said one thing.

“She’s with me.”

“Ah! I see! Please, come right in.”

The room they entered following the guild master had all sorts of food prepared.

“I’m sure you must be tired from your long journey, so I’ve prepared some food. I’m not sure if it will suit your taste.”

Food right off the bat… There wasn’t much reason to be suspicious, but it still needed to be checked.

“Gerungtu people don’t carelessly eat food given by others.”

That statement seemed somewhat contradictory considering how readily he had accepted food during the caravan journey.

But the guild master, as if it were only natural, took a portion of each dish and ate a bite first.

“Ah! Of course! Being cautious is only natural. *munch munch*”

After confirming there was no poison, Balt finally put the food in his mouth.

‘Oh? This is delicious?’

The food during the caravan journey had only salt as a seasoning, so it was just average in taste.

But these dishes seemed to use quite high-quality ingredients and seasonings.

Balt had been planning to go out for a meal anyway, but doubting he could find better food than this, he encouraged Lisa to eat as well.

“Lisa, eat too. Eating well is how you become strong.”

“Yes! Balt!”

Lisa had now practically become Balt’s follower.

After swallowing a mouthful of food, Balt said:

“*gulp* So. You have something to say.”

The merchant’s face was beaming.

Perhaps the profit from transporting the artifact was greater than expected.

“Indeed, even your way of eating is magnificent! I heard from the caravan leader that we promised 20 times the usual payment? And also a gift!”

“That’s right.”

The guild master continued to smile broadly as he spoke.

“We’ll pay you as promised, and about that gift! I was wondering if there might be something specific you’d like!”

The quest completion window had clearly stated “selectable.”

So this is how it would proceed.

“Hmm? Something I want?”

“Hahaha, you see, this turned out to be a bigger deal than we expected. Balt, who made this caravan journey successful, is practically a benefactor to our guild. If we’re going to give you something, wouldn’t it be better to give you what you want?”

Having heard the caravan leader’s report, the guild master thought it wouldn’t hurt to make a good impression on this barbarian.

No, he saw it as a new opportunity.

According to the caravan leader, he was the son of Kwan himself.

With the 10-year peace treaty established with the barbarians, they were no longer objects of rejection but trading partners.

His guild primarily traveled the southern regions.

If they could expand their range to include barbarian territories?

Becoming the greatest guild in the south wouldn’t be impossible.

And the son of Kwan, no less!

Just a single word from him could open up trade possibilities with the barbarian tribes.

Noticing this, Balt said to the guild master:

“You want something. What is it?”

The guild master was quite surprised by Balt’s question.

Weren’t barbarians supposed to be less perceptive?

Though finding it strange, he decided to be straightforward as the caravan leader had advised.

“Oh, it’s nothing major! I just wondered if I might mention your name when entering the south! Something like ‘I have a connection with Balt’ would be sufficient.”

‘Hooh… look at this guy?’

Even though Balt had been just a small company employee, he understood this much.

He’d seen merchants behave this way in novels, games, and movies he’d encountered.

Balt hardened his expression and said:

“You say using my name is not a big deal?”

It wasn’t a sophisticated negotiation tactic.

Nor was it a logical deduction.

He merely frowned and spoke in a low voice, but the guild master felt immense pressure.

‘G-guh, what is this intimidating presence?’

He had thought of him as a country bumpkin from the southern countryside and underestimated him, but that was clearly not the case.

The guild master responded with a flustered voice:

“Th-that’s not what I meant! Let me explain further!”

“Go ahead.”

He was already overwhelmed by Balt’s presence.

At times like this, hiding one’s true intentions would be counterproductive.

The guild master began to approach directly.

Now he understood why the caravan leader had advised honesty.

“I want to establish trade with the barbarians! This isn’t a bad proposition for the barbarians either! Peace has already been established, and cultural exchange and trade will begin! In such a situation, I…!”

Balt interjected again:

“Too long. Keep it simple.”

As a guild master, this was his first time negotiating like this.

Negotiation was supposed to be a highly developed art of speech, meticulously calculating benefits and outcomes to ensure one’s own advantage, but the barbarian before him accomplished this difficult task with just a few words.

‘D-damn it! Who said barbarians were stupid?! That look in his eyes says he knows everything! I’m sure of it!’

He couldn’t gamble here.

His opponent was Kwan’s son. He must have been educated in all of this.

If he angered him, it wouldn’t be the barbarians who would suffer, but himself.

Having made up his mind, the guild master cut to the chase:

“If you help establish trade! I’ll offer 5% of the profits!”

This was a big decision for the guild master.

The profits from trading with the barbarians would be enormous.

5% was a huge amount to give to an individual.

But the barbarian prince before him was truly formidable.

This time, he said nothing.

He merely flexed those terrifying muscles and stared intently at the guild master.

At that moment, Balt was thinking:

‘Is 5% a lot? I’m not sure… Should I just accept since he’s offering?’

While he was pondering, the guild master, feeling the pressure, spoke again:

“T-ten percent!! I’ll offer ten percent!!”

Having done nothing but remain silent, Balt nodded at the doubled percentage.

“Hmm. Alright.”

It was something he hadn’t even considered initially.

There was no reason to refuse when something was being offered.

“Th-then! Does that mean I can use your name?!”

But in Balt’s mind, even if he sold his name, there was no guarantee these people could actually establish trade.

It was an opportunity to simply sell his name and collect 10% of the trading profits while doing nothing, but Balt felt it would be a bit of a waste to leave it at that.

He could just let it be, but since things had come to this, he might as well offer a little help.

After considering what to do, Balt had a good idea.

“Right, take this with you.”

With that, Balt handed the greatsword from his back to the guild master.

The shocked guild master exclaimed:

“Th-this is!!”

“It’s my beloved sword. I won’t need it anymore, so showing this will immediately prove you were sent by me.”

The guild master was elated.

‘Physical evidence!! To think he would offer such extraordinary help!’

With this, establishing trade with the barbarians was as good as done with his skills!!

His honest approach to the barbarian prince had worked!

The guild master felt reverence for Balt, who had given him something even greater than expected.

With just a few words and the entrusting of his greatsword, he had captured his heart.

‘Th-this is the quality of an emperor!!’

Lamrpo, the master of the Lamrpo Guild, who had just gained the opportunity of a lifetime, felt the need to maintain this connection with the barbarian before him for as long as possible.

The Central Continent? No regrets. What did it matter where he was as long as he could make money?

He wouldn’t mind changing his nationality to Gerungtu, the name of that barbarian country.

That’s the kind of being a merchant is.

“Thank you! Thank you! Prince! I will become the continent’s greatest guild and serve you to the best of my ability!!”

Balt, expressionless, gave a slight nod, and Lamrpo got to the main point.

“Then will you accept the gift? I’ll specially offer you two!”

“First, write up the contract.”

Lamrpo was once again amazed by Balt’s meticulousness.

‘W-who said barbarians were stupid?!’

***

After finalizing the contract for 10% of the profits and finishing their meal, Balt and Lisa followed Lamrpo to a warehouse.

*Clank!*

With the typical merchant’s talkativeness, Lamrpo explained to Balt how extraordinary this place was.

“This warehouse, you see, contains items that cannot be bought even with money…”

Balt half-listened to Lamrpo’s words as he entered the warehouse.

*Whoosh*

As Lamrpo made a gesture, magical lights illuminated the space, revealing various treasures.

“Hmm… not bad.”

It was filled with quite good items. Previously, he could have checked them with appraisal magic, but…

It would be somewhat difficult for Balt to learn appraisal magic with his current abilities.

So an appraiser was needed…

“If there’s an item you want, just let me know. Despite appearances, I’m quite confident in my appraisal skills!”

It’s a basic quality of a merchant.

If one cannot appraise the value of goods, the title of merchant doesn’t suit them.

Balt first told Lamrpo what kind of item he wanted.

“Do you have anything that helps with casting magic?”

Lamrpo found Balt’s request unexpected but didn’t show it.

“Of course! This way, please!”

The place Lamrpo led him to also had various items.

“A ring that enhances fire magic, a staff that increases mana, a cloak that assists with magical calculations…”

Lamrpo’s explanations continued.

As Balt listened, he stopped Lamrpo at one particular description.

“What did you say that was?”

“Ah, an item that converts physical power into magical power. But the efficiency isn’t very good…”

‘This is it!’

“How efficient is it?”

“I haven’t tried it myself, but I believe it converts about 10 points of physical power into 1 point of magical power.”

Balt chose that item without hesitation.

It was a ring type that you wear on your finger.

The ring was very small, but as Balt brought it close to his finger, it expanded to fit perfectly.

Lamrpo found it strange that Balt chose such an odd item when there were better ones available, but again, he kept his thoughts to himself.

For the second item, Balt selected a ring that enhanced earth magic.

He had considered a cloak that assisted with computational abilities, but the cloak was too small to wear.

That one didn’t automatically adjust its size.

Still, Balt had gained a significant advantage.

‘I probably wouldn’t be able to get attribute enhancement items until much later, so this is quite lucky?’

The quest reward was quite satisfying.

Balt smiled contentedly as he left Lamrpo’s warehouse.

Now he really needed to head to the Academy.

Although 30 days remained, it wouldn’t be bad to arrive early and get accustomed to the imperial capital.

Lamrpo suggested staying one more day, but Balt declined and, together with Lisa, sought out a teleportation station.