episode_0062

Honestly, without deception.

Successfully completing many transactions builds trust.

If you give people the belief that ‘This person may not have the physical goods, but they don’t lie!’, then others will easily allow transactions.

The Modaless Merchant Guild had enough credit to trade inexpensive goods, but.

The problem was that their credit was still insufficient for transactions over 100 gold.

“Then we just need to trade within 100 gold, right?”

“No. To make it up to 1,000 gold in a short period… we need to do more than that.”

A single item.

An item that could be acquired in the largest quantity with 400 gold.

And it had to be an item that could be sold entirely when the market price fluctuated, yielding more than double the profit.

Uncle Fosao suggested.

“Th-that means we first need to get to know Deseo. What kind of city it is…”

“……You’re right.”

He was right.

To make a lot of money in Deseo, I should have first tried to understand this city.

I didn’t.

Ever since I first arrived… I might have vaguely thought of this place as scary and unpleasant.

I was deeply impressed by Uncle Fosao’s pointed observation.

Even looking like that, he’s still a merchant, after all.

That thought occurred to me.

“Alright! Let’s leave right away!”

We began our market research in earnest.

First, we bought a 10-silver Deseo map from a souvenir shop.

We spread the map out at a restaurant, ate lunch, and made a plan with Uncle.

Deseo’s districts were uniquely designed.

The entire southern sea was a ‘harbor’—where I had done the unloading work—.

The eastern sea had a wide sandy beach. It was said to be famous as a resort area.

So, to see goods from all over the world, one should go south.

To taste a variety of foods, one should go east.

In the center of Deseo was the royal palace, ‘Red Castle’.

The area around the royal palace was the Noble’s Quarter.

Other districts consisted of ordinary residential areas and various guilds.

Uncle Fosao poked a spot on the map.

“L-let’s go to this place.”

It was the ‘harbor’.

This was the place we needed to check first to start our business.

We arrived in the southern district.

At the time, I was so focused on making money that I didn’t realize it, but the harbor had the largest market in the world.

An entire district was solely for merchants.

“Sugar beet syrup just arrived via the Central Sea! Special price for today only!”

“Porcelain from the Far East! Come take a look!”

“Famous carpets from the Middle East! They’re characterized by their saffron scent.”

It was boisterous.

Numerous foreigners and various goods from different countries.

The incredibly complex market scene made my heart pound.

I was very excited.

There were many animals and foods I had never seen before, and most foreigners, even if we couldn’t communicate, were cheerful and playful people.

I discussed with Uncle what this item might be like, or that item.

We even visited shops directly to ask for prices.

Uncle was considerate enough to let me explore the market to my heart’s content.

Wherever I went, he willingly followed, examining items with me and explaining them.

“Uncle! Try on this hat! …Puhaha! It looks so funny—!”

“Star anise? Ugh—my tongue hurts. It’s a strange spice…”

“What’s this bird’s name? A peacock? Wow—its wings are so colorful—.”

After running around and playing for a long time like that, it was already sunset.

We bought and ate delicious food in the eastern district.

We sat on a bench with a clear view of the sandy beach.

Many people were playing in front of the ocean sunset.

“…It’s somehow enjoyable.”

It was a new feeling.

Ever since I came to Deseo, my mind had been filled with nothing but thoughts of money.

I only had the goal of somehow gathering 1,000 gold immediately.

Back then, I terribly disliked the gloomy atmosphere of this city.

I thought no one could be trusted, and everyone was a monster, driven mad by money and greed.

But exploring this city with the feeling of ‘adventure’…

I felt that Deseo was a much more interesting and vibrant city than it appeared.

Ultimately, we couldn’t decide what item to spend the 400 gold on, but.

Just discovering things one by one like this was enjoyable.

“T-that you enjoyed it… is a relief. Ehehe.”

“I wonder if it’s okay for me to be this happy alone. It would have been even better if Ritsu had come with us.”

“……”

Uncle Fosao, who had been silent for a moment, spoke.

“I, I… like it more now… with Ti-Tia here… than when I came alone.”

“—Really?”

I stretched my legs out.

“Me too. I think I enjoyed it because I was with you, Uncle.”

“Uh-he-he…”

We were on our way back to the lodging after finishing our market research.

On one side of the street, merchants were selling something.

I hovered nearby, wondering if I should buy something to eat.

The cart was full of apples.

They were much redder than the apples from Taildon.

Seeing my interest, the merchant explained.

“Ah, those. Those are apples that only grow in Gordburg. Their name is ‘Hongok,’ which means red jade.”

“Isn’t Gordburg quite far from here?”

“Of course! Since it’s far from the producing region, it’s usually an item that can’t be brought here.”

“But how did you bring them?”

“Naturally, they were transported by ship from Gordburg. Today, some esteemed individuals held a very special party. We’re selling what was left over from that.”

As he said, the price was very expensive.

Apparently, one apple cost 1 gold.

The value of 1 gold coin for a single apple?

It was an absolutely unacceptable price.

I was just about to put it down and walk past.

Suddenly, Uncle Fosao handed a gold coin to the merchant.

“I, I’ll buy one. Goldenburg apple…”

“Aye—! Received 1 gold! Here, take it.”

Before I could stop him, an apple was in Uncle’s hand.

“Uncle! This is too expensive…”

“But… I-I’m curious. Tia also looks like she w-wants to eat it… Try it…”

“Haa—. Just this once.”

Even so, it would just be an apple, like any other.

Would it be different just because it’s from Gordburg?

I took the apple and bit into it.

Crunch.

“……!”

I was startled.

An intense sweetness stimulating my tongue!

It was incredibly sweet.

The entire apple flesh was permeated with a sweet aroma, and the juice melted sweetly with every bite.

It was incomparable to the apples from Taildon.

“It’s delicious! You try it too, Uncle!”

“Oh… oh!”

Uncle put his mouth to the exact spot where I had taken a bite.

Perhaps because his mouth was big, he ate half of it in one go… but his reaction wasn’t much different from mine.

“It-it’s delicious!”

“Right?”

How could it be so sweet?

Can an apple taste like this?

I examined the half-eaten apple from various angles.

For some reason, my fingers felt a little sticky.

“……Huh?”

Suddenly, a dubious thought flashed through my mind.

This isn’t honey, is it?

I’d heard that some dishonest merchants would spread a thin layer of honey on the skin to pretend their apples were delicious.

If you take a bite as they ask, the sweetness of the honey makes you mistakenly think it’s ‘delicious’.

And then, after buying a cartload of them, when you wash them with water and eat them later, you’re often disappointed by the completely different taste.

…If so, this merchant tricked us into thinking ordinary apples were ‘Gordburg’ apples and sold them for 1 gold.

I immediately ran back to the merchant.

“Excuse me! Let me try another apple.”

“How many are you buying?”

“I’m not buying. I just want to check something.”

“Hey! Don’t touch it if you’re not going to buy it. It’ll damage the product.”

The merchant’s rough gesture of waving his hand.

There was no doubt.

“Be honest. You put honey on this, didn’t you?”

“What?”

The merchant laughed as if dumbfounded.

“Why would I put honey on it?”

“Don’t play innocent. It’s sticky.”

“Listen. Sticky skin is a characteristic of Hongok apples. It naturally becomes that way after some time has passed since harvesting.”

“That’s why I’m saying I want to check if other apples are like that too!”

“Oh, you’re an odd young lady, making strange demands without even knowing properly. If we, who live by our reputation, suffer losses from such baseless rumors, will you take responsibility, young lady?”

“That’s…”

Was this merchant’s claim true?

As I stood there, flustered and speechless, Uncle Fosao suddenly stepped forward.

“I-I’m sorry… We’ve been sc-scammed so many times… We didn’t know…”

“We are honest merchants.”

“Please take this young lady’s words… as a compliment, that it’s such a go-good product…”

As he said that, Uncle pointed behind him.

People who had come to see what the commotion I caused was about, realized it was high-quality fruit and began buying it one after another.

In other words, it was a retort: didn’t my baseless complaint actually create an ‘advertising effect’ for them?

The merchant cleared his throat.

“Ahem- ahem. Well. Thank you for the compliment.”

“And we, as a token of gratitude, will b-buy one basket…”

When he handed over 10 gold, the merchant’s stern expression completely relaxed.

“Hahaha—!! You seem to have some experience in trade. Which merchant guild are you from?”

“We are the Modaless Merchant Guild. We deal in general goods…”

“Haha! I’ll remember that. Alright! It’s on me! I’ll give you a special price.”

The merchant accepted only 5 gold and returned the rest.

“……”

The tense atmosphere had, before we knew it, turned into a handshake.

The Gordburg apple was surprising, but.

Even more surprising was Uncle Fosao’s resourcefulness.

Uncle naturally resolved a problem that almost arose from my arbitrary suspicion.

He even used the crisis as an opportunity to receive special treatment and secure a trading partner.

I had briefly forgotten.

That Uncle was the owner of a general store.

I had heard that general stores require good business acumen because they deal with a variety of goods.

Had I perhaps underestimated the knack of an uncle who had run a general store for 20 years?

As soon as we left the street, I bowed my head.

“I’m sorry, Uncle.”

“N-no, it’s alright. D-don’t worry about it. You might not have known…”

Uncle Fosao picked up an apple from the basket.

“Goldenburg apple… d-do you want to eat it?”

“It’s Gordburg, not Goldenburg—.”

“Goldenburg…”

“Gordburg.”

“Go-Golden… Anyway, d-do you want an apple?”

“Ahahhat!”

I took the apple he offered with a wide smile.

“Yes!”

We bought a knife to peel the apple at a nearby blacksmith.

It was a place called ‘Credio Workshop,’ and Uncle had a short conversation with the blacksmith there as well.

“You’re interested in trading ironware?”

“How have things been… lately?”

“Honestly, it’s the worst. I’ve run this place, inherited from my father, for 30 years, but it’s never been as difficult as now. The entire guild here is probably the same. Even so, you want to buy ironware? While that’s good for me, I’d almost want to dissuade you.”

“We are the Modaless Merchant Guild. P-please take care of us. And this is… a g-gift. It’s a famous apple from Goldenburg.”

“Hohoho. I’ll gladly accept it.”

In a short time, he gained another trading partner.

Watching him, I was a little curious.

Uncle Fosao could easily secure contracts and complete transactions on his own.

Why had he never managed a large-scale transaction?

When we returned to the lodging, I asked him why.

“Heehee. Ti-Tia. That’s because… it’s not because I’m g-good.”

“Then why?”

“It’s because Tia is by my side…”

“Huh? You mean because I’m here?”

“Yeah…”

But I hadn’t said anything, just stood by him?

“When there’s a pr-pretty girl like Tia… people become kind. If I had been alone… I w-would have been kicked out for stuttering and being ugly.”

“Oh, no way—.”

“It’s true. I could do it because Ti-Tia was here… Uh-he-he…”

“……”

I didn’t know if Uncle’s words were true or false.

But anyway, if it was thanks to me.

I felt good.

“Let’s peel and eat some apples! With the new pocket knife!”

The apple I ate with Uncle that day was the most delicious apple I had ever tasted in my life.