Chapter 16
Buying Broken Magic Tools, Weapons, and Monster Materials (2)
When the price of Salvinus tea leaves was revealed, a commotion erupted among the people drawn in by Cain’s clumsy acting and Rone’s flashy salesmanship.
“What… what?! Those leaves cost 300 silver?”
“1 gold? Those common weeds in front of the village cost 1 gold in the Empire?!”
“Those were Salvinus tea leaves? Back in the Empire, I’d only heard of them—I never actually saw them in person.”
Most items traded in the Helfion Duchy were priced around 10 to 50 silver. Considering that ingredients sold in grocery stores were usually 1–2 silver, this was certainly expensive.
But if someone is willing to pay ten times the usual price for what looks like worthless junk?
“W-wait! Miss, how much is this item?”
“These are well-preserved basilisk scales. Northern Sea warriors are currently buying them in bulk to craft monster-hunting armor. Right now, I can offer 500 silver per kilogram.”
“500 silver?! I must have at least 100 kg of basilisk scales at home! Wait, damn it! If I include the ones I threw away because I didn’t know what to do with them, it’s nearly a ton!”
“Ha ha ha. Bring it all here. But since it’s a ton, I can only offer 4,000 gold after a small discount. Transport will be a bigger effort.”
“Miss, this is… this is!”
“Is this an ogre’s tendon? Incredible. I’ve never seen a tendon in this condition. With this, you could make a bowstring even better than the elven bows braided from elf hair. At this quality, it easily deserves 1 gold.”
“Ha! The jump ropes kids used in the neighborhood cost 1 gold each? They were playing with golden strings.”
“Excuse me, what do you plan to use this for?”
The market officially opened, and Rone’s talent shone. From potion trades to a variety of goods gathered from around the world, she could glance at almost any item and immediately estimate its value. Her skill in price negotiation was also impressive. She could clearly distinguish between items we could afford and those we couldn’t.
“Brother, give me a hand!”
“Uh, got it.”
Customers lined up one after another, and we continued business until other grocery stores closed. Even though it was only the first day, the store’s reputation spread like wildfire.
Finally, night fell. We had purchased items worth roughly 43,000 gold, about half of our initial capital, all in a single day. Moreover, the expected profit would be several times the capital.
“If we sell all this… I think we can easily make 300,000 gold.”
Rone seemed to be thinking along similar lines. 300,000 gold—not just a few times profit, almost ten times the money. It was hard to believe.
“You didn’t… undercut the 30% you told people, did you?”
“What are you talking about? I gave the exact average market rate from the Empire’s top five trading guilds. Average.”
Ah, an average. There was a trick.
“And you don’t plan to sell at that average rate, right?”
“Of course not. Everything here is rare. I’ll sell to the people who need it most, at the highest price possible. Heh heh heh.”
Wow. While I was away, my little sister had truly become a professional merchant. Her behavior was unfamiliar to me.
“Really, can we leave all these items here for now?”
“Don’t you trust us? Our mage tower’s reputation is an asset!”
“No, it’s just… there’s so much stuff…”
“Stop whining and get out quickly. Not even a Swordmaster could break in.”
“Hahaha, then I’ll leave it to you, Jamie.”
We left the mage tower and headed home. Outside, the night had fully fallen. The beautiful moon and stars glittered, and from afar, the soft cries of monsters reached our ears.
“Ahh…”
At the same time, Rone, who had been running around all day cheerfully negotiating prices and dealing with customers, let out a tired sigh.
“You did well.”
“Well, when I went to the Gezaile Duchy in my younger days, it was way harder than this. This doesn’t even count as hard work!”
Even though she was young, she spoke like an old veteran. I ruffled her hair once.
“Today was the first day, so it was a bit easier. Tomorrow will be even busier.”
“Don’t worry. No matter what trouble comes up, I’m confident!”
Well… can she really be that confident? My concern wasn’t just about trouble with customers—it was about a massive bear cub that could fight for its life. Tomorrow, it might wake from its winter sleep and cause problems.
The next day, instead of a bear, we were greeted by one—or rather, three—gorillas.
Standing roughly 2.2 meters tall, their massive bodies seemed all muscle from head to claw. Even their shiny bald heads were intimidating. The fact that all three were bald was unusual.
“Gordem Trading Company? Bring out the head of the guild.”
“I am the head of the guild!”
One glanced at Rone and then fixed his gaze directly on me.
“Then have the Sage step forward, not the representative.”
Trying to intimidate me face-to-face? What a ridiculous display.
“You’re looking for me?”
“Glad to meet you. I am Darrenburg, captain of the Grizzly Mercenaries.”
“I am Raouard Gordem, steward of the Helfion Duchy.”
“Do you have a moment?”
“No, we’re busy. We already have plenty of customers waiting.”
Tendons bulged on the gorilla’s head. He was the captain of the Grizzly Mercenaries—so what? I’m the steward of the Duke’s household.
“You chased off a sandworm and now you’re feeling cocky. You must be hiding some tremendous power.”
“Should powerless people not act boldly? Shall I cower then?”
“…I could turn you into an accordion right now.”
“Just buy an accordion. 5 silver will do.”
Wow. His gaze was deadly. Not only was his body like a gorilla, his eyes had the feral intensity of a monster.
Darrenburg glared at me for a while before speaking.
“Why are you disrupting a smoothly running market?”
“Was the Helfion Duchy market really running smoothly?”
“Merchants are the poison of the market. They enrich themselves without sweating, buying warrior byproducts at low prices. That’s why we made a market only for warriors.”
“From what I saw, the warriors aren’t much different from merchants. Merchants at least process and produce goods, but they just rotate products.”
Darrenburg ground his teeth. I was beginning to push his buttons. Then I decided to escalate.
“A few days ago, I had an interesting experience. I hired some mercenaries for official business. Instead of completing the job, they tried to bury me and just take the money. Isn’t that a serious violation of mercenary rules?”
Darrenburg and his two bodyguards’ eyes sharpened. Of course—they couldn’t ignore it. If a mercenary fails their mission and threatens their employer, it completely destroys trust within the mercenary world.
The mercenary world is small. Rumors spread fast, especially for a renowned group like the Grizzly Mercenaries. A rogue mercenary targeting an employer could ruin their reputation, causing loyal members to leave.
“Enough.”
“The mercenary kept showing off, claiming he could get away with screwing just me because he belonged to the Grizzly Mercenaries.”
“Must’ve run into a fraudster. Our proud mercenary company has no room for such people.”
The tense tone reflected his displeasure. After all, the reactions of the crowd weren’t normal. Elcia’s mage tower is the only grocery store and rumor hub in the Duchy. Even early in the morning, many people were waiting to buy goods, including mercenaries who might resent the Grizzly Mercenaries.
It seemed this was the limit Darrenburg could tolerate without losing control. One step further and the tension would explode. I didn’t hesitate to cross the line.
“Really? Charles, Taylor, Frederick… I haven’t seen the faces of three Grizzly Mercenary members lately.”
The moment I stepped forward, Darrenburg’s feral aura flared explosively, then vanished. It felt as though his rational barrier had shattered.
“They returned home a few days ago, ending their mercenary lives. If they did what you claim, I’d apologize. But you know nothing of the truth.”
“Exactly. The truth is often unknown.”
“It seems the store is about to open. Let’s end this argument here. Next time we meet, I hope your head still works even if split in half.”
“Thank you, Sage. You’re someone I can trust next to the Duke himself. It feels good to be relied on.”
“You little… I’ll see you all the way through!”
The provocation worked. One trembling young gorilla couldn’t resist and grabbed—or tried to grab—my collar.
Suddenly, I remembered the Duke of Helfion’s line. Instinctively, I drew my hand like a sword along an elegant line in the air—a line that erased all the filthy, disgusting scribbles in the world. The mercenary’s wrist was…
“Stop! Do you know where you are?!”
A fierce shout blocked both him and me, and I came to my senses.
“Darrenburg. Are you trying to start a proper fight with our mage tower?”
The voice belonged to Jamie.
“Elsia’s daughter, huh? Quite the temper.”
“Jamie! Call me by name, you idiot!”
“Anyway, remember the warning. Let’s go, everyone.”
Darrenburg issued his threat, then stomped away with his subordinates.
“Thank you, Jamie.”
“Thank me? That idiot almost caused trouble in my grandmother’s mage tower. Steward, let me know if they come again—I’ll deal with them properly.”
I laughed quietly, glancing at my hand—the one I had drawn along that line. If it had touched the mercenary’s arm…
But that thought vanished amid the rush of incoming customers.
That day, we closed early, having spent all remaining capital before the afternoon.
