Chapter 8
I had just put the conchs I brought back into the bucket and was about to snap at him for offering such a ridiculous price.
At that moment, an older woman came up and spoke to the street vendor.
“Mr. Ben, give me three kilos of conch.”
So the vendor’s name was Ben.
The woman casually took out three silver coins from her purse and handed them to him.
Three silver.
“….”
Ben glanced at me before taking the money and clearing his throat.
Right. So he did feel a little guilty.
I glared at him as hard as I could.
While Ben avoided my eyes and began putting conchs on the scale, the woman suddenly pointed at mine.
“Oh my, these conchs look much better. Can you pack these instead?”
She was pointing at the ones I had brought. One of Ben’s eyebrows twitched.
“Oh, they’re all the same. They just look that way because they’ve been splashed with seawater.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“I see. By the way, two of the conchs I bought last time were spoiled.”
“Oh dear! I’m so sorry. The weather’s getting warm, so that can happen. I’ll add four extra to make up for what you couldn’t eat and to show my apology.”
Ben quickly added more conchs onto the scale.
“And since you’re a regular, I’ll throw in one extra big one. See the weight?”
The woman checked and smiled in satisfaction.
“Well, seafood can be like that. That’s why I only come here, you know? But if it keeps happening, that’ll be a problem. Pay attention, alright?”
“Of course. I checked them carefully before packing.”
The woman nodded at his smooth promise, put the conchs into her basket, and left.
“Of all times…” Ben muttered in frustration.
I didn’t miss my chance and picked up my bucket.
“Goodbye.”
“Wait!”
Ben hurriedly stopped me.
“Twenty copper per kilo. I’ll give you double.”
“No thanks. I’ve changed my mind.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“These were caught this morning. They’re completely fresh. You can see how good they are. And you’re offering twenty copper?”
“If you catch them fresh, of course they’re good. But I can catch and sell them too.”
“Sure. Then you can stop drinking at night and go into the sea yourself. If you don’t drink, you’ll wake up early and can catch them in the morning too.”
“What! Going into the sea at night to catch conchs? That’s dangerous. Would you risk your life just to catch some conchs?”
Apparently, he was a coward.
Diving at night was more dangerous than during the day, but as long as you didn’t go too deep, it wasn’t impossible.
Ben stared at our conchs and licked his lips.
“So how much do you want?”
“Seventy copper.”
“Even a proper store would only give you sixty at best. And that’s for over a hundred kilos in bulk.”
“Then I’ll just sell them myself. I could easily get ninety copper.”
“What? Sell them yourself? Who would buy at ninety copper?”
“You sell them for one silver.”
“I can do that because I’m local. If some girl no one’s seen before tries to sell them, no one will buy.”
“If the product is better and cheaper than yours, why wouldn’t they buy? They’ll line up.”
“They won’t line up. I’m telling you, they won’t buy.”
“Fine. I’ll pay ten copper per kilo as a stall fee. Just watch.”
Before he could respond, I shouted loudly into the street.
“Special limited sale for the first four customers! Fresh giant conchs caught this morning—ninety copper per kilo! Limit two kilos per person! Only four customers!”
The result came quickly. Ben’s eyes widened.
It only took five minutes to sell all eight kilos.
Holding the eighty copper stall fee he earned in just five minutes, Ben stammered.
“If you stay here selling like this, what about the kid?”
“Didn’t you just see? If I sell fast, it’s fine. And my little brother is very smart. He does well on his own. He can read and understands currency.”
Honestly, I didn’t know exactly how much Baron knew. But since he was born a noble, he must have learned reading and writing.
“That’s basic. One hundred copper is one silver. One hundred silver is one gold.”
Quick-witted Baron answered immediately, grinning proudly at the praise.
Ben scratched his head.
“Well, he does look smart. Miss, I didn’t expect you to be this capable.”
I didn’t say anything, but Baron puffed out his chest proudly.
Why is everything he does so cute?
People say your own kid always looks cute to you, but Baron was objectively adorable.
Even grumbling Ben couldn’t help but smile at him.
“Alright. If the conchs are always like today’s, I’ll give you seventy copper. But don’t go anywhere else. Bring them here. I’ll give you good prices for other things too.”
If I were to open my own stall, I’d have to deal with stall fees, pressure from other merchants, time tied down there, and many other things. Considering that, this buying price wasn’t bad.
“Alright. I’ll come again.”
As we were leaving, Baron grabbed my hand tightly.
“Sis.”
“Yeah?”
His eyes sparkled.
“You’re really amazing.”
The admiration in his eyes made me feel good.
“It’s nothing.”
I ruffled his hair and adjusted the bucket.
Now, time to go shopping!
Baron and I walked around buying various things.
Soap and toothbrushes, sturdy nets and floating baskets, ropes, round glass bottles, and more.
That night, after eating seafood for dinner, we set up a trap on the sandy beach near our house to catch a Flash Firefly.
But the more I thought about it, the stranger it felt.
We were trying to catch a firefly, yet the trap made from a glass bottle and basket looked exactly like the sparrow trap I once used on Earth.
Hiding behind a shabby fence, holding the rope connected to the basket, I asked Baron quietly,
“Are you sure this will work?”
Baron smiled softly.
“Yeah. Trust me. You remember what to do after catching it, right?”
“Yeah.”
We had to give it a name, keep it inside the bottle for about two days, and then release it. After that, it would follow the person who named it and obey well.
Was there really an insect like that? It follows the person who trapped it? Is that because this is a fantasy world with magic beasts?
As I tilted my head, one side suddenly lit up brightly.
It was the Flash Firefly.
The light spread in all directions, as bright as an LED fishing lamp.
Wow, with that much light…
It felt like we could see the entire sea even at night.
Praying we could catch it, we waited. The Flash Firefly hovered around the basket, then slipped neatly into the glass bottle.
“Now!”
At Baron’s signal, I pulled the rope quickly.
The basket fell over and covered the bottle. Baron ran over, lifted the basket, and quickly sealed the bottle with the cork.
“Sis! Look!”
The moment Baron lifted the bottle, the light was so bright I could barely open my eyes.
The Flash Firefly’s brightness was unbelievable.
“Wow, wow! This is insane! What do we do?!”
I couldn’t stop myself from shouting in excitement.
As I took the glowing bottle from Baron, my feet bounced on their own.
“Let’s name it first. You choose, sis.”
Holding the bottle, I said,
“From now on, your name is ‘Search.’”
I couldn’t stop smiling.
An LED-level light in this world!
“Sis, are you happy?”
I immediately hugged Baron tightly and kissed his cheek.
“Yes! Baron! It’s thanks to you! Thank you so much!”
Baron’s eyes widened. He gently touched the cheek I had kissed.
His face turned red, and his eyes trembled as if he were shocked. Only then did I realize my mistake.
Even if he felt like my little brother, he wasn’t my real brother.
“Oh! Sorry. Did I surprise you? I kissed you without asking.”
When I apologized, Baron quickly shook his head.
“N-no, I liked it…”
“Huh?”
Baron, who had been looking toward the sea, bit his lip slightly. Then he lifted his eyes as if he had made up his mind and began to speak.
