Chapter 205
(Kyle Calendar Year 511: Age 18)
The City of Salaam
Translator : PolterGlast
At the same time as
Takuhir and his group departed for the Western Demon Territory, Yoltia and the
others split into several teams to efficiently tour the shops, material
suppliers, weapon and armor smiths, and food stores in the city of Salaam,
purchasing noteworthy goods.
However, this was by
no means a simple task. This was because the unique business customs, so
different from those in the Kyle Kingdom, stood as a barrier to them, who were
unaccustomed to it.
"Phew, still...
doing business in this country is extremely troublesome. It's nothing but
negotiations every single time. I'm getting sick of it."
"Well, I suppose
that's just the culture of this country. But for a true warrior like you, Walrus-san,
it must be an incredibly tedious affair."
Yoltia said with a
laugh. She herself was born into a merchant family and was used to business
negotiations, but even she had to admit this was excessive. To the point that
even she found it quite troublesome.
Whether at a street
stall or a shop, first and foremost, there were no price tags. Even if there
were, they were, of course, not fair prices, but rather exorbitant ones. Here,
all prices were decided by negotiation.
Especially for
first-time customers like them, who were clearly from another country, the
prices they were quoted were several times the normal amount everywhere they
went. It was nothing but rip-off businesses targeting tourists.
Putting aside daily
necessities and food, this trend was particularly conspicuous when it came to
luxury items like monster materials and weaponry.
However, Yoltia
carefully observed their behavior and discerned the several stages of
negotiation.
First Stage (Rip-off
Price): "Well, you're going to the trouble of buying from my shop. I'll
throw in this much as a bonus."
Second Stage (About
Double the Normal Price): "This is as low as I can go. Any lower and the
missus will have my hide."
Third Stage (Slightly
Higher than Normal Price): "Please, just let me off the hook with this.
You're a really good haggler."
Fourth Stage (Regular
Price): "Any lower and I'll be in the red. I really can't go any lower
than this. This is a truly special price."
Fifth Stage
(Discounted Price): "If I sell it at this price, we won't be able to make
a living. Please, I'm begging you, cut me some slack."
Incidentally, for
regular customers and locals who were used to shopping, the negotiations would
start from the third or fourth stage. But for Walrus and the others, who were
outsiders and unaccustomed to negotiating, it was a different story.
They started from the
first stage, and even when they tried their best to negotiate, they could
barely reach the second stage, and even then, they could only buy things at
about twice the fair price.
But Yoltia, as a
merchant, skillfully talked with the other party, lowering the sales price step
by step.
According to her, it
was only when they reached the fourth stage that it became a transaction at a
decent price, and furthermore, it was only when the merchant saw that the
customer was knowledgeable and felt there was a profit to be made that they
would enter the fifth stage.
Everyone else was fed
up with the hassle, and what's more, they had all failed in their price
negotiations partway through.
This was because the
act of haggling was not simply a matter of negotiating for a lower price. The
other party would not easily give a discount. It was necessary to enjoy the
negotiation, to have a firm grasp of the market price, and to go through the
stages of communication with the seller.
Those who could not do
this all had further negotiations cut off with the same words.
"Look, customer,
if you're not happy, go negotiate at another shop. You probably won't find a
place that'll sell it to you for a lower price than us. Well, that's assuming
you can even find the same stuff we have somewhere else."
Being told this, the
seller would refuse any further reductions, and that would be the end of it.
For that reason, in the end, Yoltia had to handle all of the purchases that
Takuhir had requested.
And so, Yoltia, having
concluded several negotiations and conducted her preliminary research, began to
move to make her real purchases.
"Hey, you there,
handsome mister. You have a pretty good selection here. It seems to me you
handle the best finds in this market."
"Well, it's just
a shabby stall, but I handle several items you won't find elsewhere. If you've
got the money, I can get you some decent stuff. Though, that's only for people
who know what it's worth."
"Oh, that's very
reassuring. I'd like to think I have a good eye myself. This means you can
procure items you don't have on display here, rare things. Is that it?"
"Yeah, I can get
my hands on most things. For a price, of course."
"Then, I think
I'll ask you. I'm looking for something. Can one get Klimt scales in this town?
Do you, or a shop around here, know where they sell Klimt scales? Of course, I
mean the real scales, not the useless ones that have been burned by fire."
The stallholder she
asked was curt.
"What, are you
just looking? If I had something like that, I'd want to be in the business of
selling it. Well, what you're talking about, sister, is something that'd go for
several dozen gold coins for a single scale. It's not something you can handle
easily."
"Oh? That's quite
expensive. The trader who wholesales to me gets them for 5 gold coins per scale
for the highest quality. I thought that in the Principality, and especially
here, so close to the demon territory, it would be even cheaper..."
"Is that so? Good
for you. We don't do that kind of underselling or dangerous business. And even
if I knew a guy who sold them, I've got no obligation to introduce you."
"Is that so? If
you introduced me to a shop that would sell me the real thing for a fair price,
I was thinking of giving you all the sugar in this pot as a thank you... what a
shame.
I think all this sugar
is normally worth about 1 gold coin, but I heard it's a valuable item that's
hard to get in this town, even if you paid 10 gold coins. Oh well, I guess I'll
just have to sell this too? There was a shop earlier that said they wanted to
buy it..."
"Sister, wait a
minute! Is what you're saying true? That I can get all that sugar just for an
introduction..."
"Yes, I was born
in a merchant family, and even now, I'm entrusted with a decent-sized shop. I
know that in business, information is the most important thing, and I also know
the importance of paying a price for it. If you introduce me to a shop where I
can buy 50 or more Klimt scales of a quality that can be used for armor, I'll
give you all of this as a thank you."
The man's expression
clearly changed, and his eyes glinted.
"Sister, could
you wait here a minute? I'm going to close up shop and go gather my associates
who know the details, so I'd like a little time..."
"Oh, that's fine.
But, just between us, these people are all mages who serve a high-ranking noble
in the neighboring country... so don't you go taking us to any strange places
and angering them. They'll burn all the bad people to a crisp.
And one more thing.
Our master is being guided by one of this country's counts. If you're people
who are plotting something bad with the officials, that count will get angry,
and you and the officials will all have your heads chopped off. Even at the
border checkpoint, an official who demanded a bribe was about to have his head
chopped off, and our master had to hastily stop it."
That was the final
push. The stallholder turned pale, and a waterfall of sweat began to stream
from his head.
However, there were
also lies in Yoltia's words. There was no Fire Mage accompanying their group,
so there was no way they could burn anyone to a crisp. The only mages
accompanying them were two, Walrus and Aral, and the rest were two skilled
soldiers.
Of course, in terms of
individual combat power, they were all outstanding, and there was no issue,
but...
"C-customer, o-of
course! We're upright merchants! There's no way we'd do something, s-something
against the rules like that. The part about gathering my associates, let's
forget that. I will guide you myself, directly."
The stallholder
frantically closed up his shop and led the way.
"Yoltia-san, is
this alright? He seems like a shady guy. Don't you think we can't trust
him?"
"Fufufu, thank
you, Aral-san. I've been asking around all day, and it seems it's an extremely
valuable item, so I knew it wouldn't be sold in a normal shop. But it's often
the case that such things are gathered in 'un-normal' shops. I've given him a
little 'medicine' (threat), so we'll be fine."
"Well, I know
that if it comes down to it, there's no one who can beat you, sister. And that
you're a better appraiser than anyone in business. But please, spare us from
any recklessness."
Walrus also said this
and let out a heavy sigh.
As they were talking,
the merchant seemed to have finished his preparations, and the group of five,
led by him, disappeared into the back alleys of the town, into a deserted
corner.
And after this, her
group would cause a commotion with the bosses who ran the underside of the city
of Salaam, and a new thread of fate would be spun, but that is a story to be
told at another time, in another place.
※
That night, Takuhir
and his group, who had returned from the hunt, joined up with the commerce
members who had remained in the city and were having a meal at the inn that had
been prepared for them.
"Still, to
subjugate a Klimt in just half a day, that's amazing! I wanted to see your
performance, Claire-nee-san."
"I heard from Walrus-san,
too. You were really something, Yor-chan. To buy up 120 Klimt scales, and good
quality ones at that. Even Count Flame was astonished. How in the world did you
do it?"
"Claire-nee-san,
Yoltia-nee-san's negotiation skills... it was mesmerizing to watch. The shops
and stalls in town were one thing, but the flow of events leading up to the
final purchase of the scales... well, it was so amazing that even we were just
left dumbfounded."
Claire and Yoltia were
chatting happily. Walrus had joined them.
In fact, Yoltia, who
had remained in the city, had accomplished all of the requested purchases in
just half a day.
She had even managed
to get her hands on 120 Klimt scales, which I had only requested she
investigate "if possible." Added to today's harvest, we would be able
to produce the strongest armor using Klimt scales, in a number exceeding our
initial expectations.
It seemed she had
demonstrated her negotiation skills to the fullest, even at the shop that, as
she had been guided to by the stallholder, controlled the flow of materials
behind the scenes in this city. Of course, at first, they had tried to take
advantage of her and had quoted a price of 30 gold coins per scale, but she had
succeeded in negotiating the price down with a final push and a counter-offer:
two magic stones from monsters that were not uncommon in the Demon Territory
Count's domain but could not be obtained in this country.
In the end, she had
apparently acquired them for 5 gold coins per scale.
"Claire, Yoltia,
and everyone, thank you so much for today. I think we've bought some good
souvenirs for everyone waiting in Teigoon. I want to thank you all again."
I was extremely happy
that everyone was safe and successful. For that reason, the spicy meal served
at the inn was also exceptionally delicious...
Hmm! Wait? No, this
nostalgic taste, it has to be!
"This is just
like curry!"
I had shouted it out
unthinkingly. The color is different, and it's a bit watery, but this
stimulation that seeps into my mouth, and the perfect amount of spice! It's
definitely curry!
With this dish, if I
use the rice being cultivated in Aegis and the potatoes being grown all over
the Demon Territory Count's domain, I can make curry rice!
Rice, which is not a
familiar food and hasn't really caught on with anyone other than me and the
immigrants from the Empire, should spread explosively with this!
If that happens, rice,
which is only cultivated in the Demon Territory Count's domain, will become a
major specialty product all at once.
"Everyone, after
the meal, I have an urgent request! Claire, I need you to go to the inn and
gather information on the recipe and ingredients for this meal, especially the
spices used! Yoltia, I need you to buy up the spices used in this dish and look
into ways to obtain them through trade in the future! If this goes well, this
dish might become a specialty of our domain."
"Yes, that's no
problem. I have been present for all food that enters our mouths, from the
ingredients to the cooking method, and even at the site where it is made. So, I
have a record of all the ingredients and the recipe."
So that's it! That's
why I hadn't seen Claire for a while after we returned to the inn from the
demon territory. She had been working behind the scenes, being considerate of
us.
"Understood. I
found an interesting stallholder at the market today, so I will make
arrangements to purchase through him. He can probably scrape together a decent
amount in a day, but I'll place the order first thing tomorrow, so I think we
should be able to collect it on our way back without any problems."
Claire and Yoltia are
both wives who are too good for me. I was so grateful I felt like I was about
to cry again.
This day was the moment,
the beginning of the "curry rice" that would later become a huge boom
in the Demon Territory Count's domain, and the "curry spice set" that
would become a specialty product.
Furthermore, the
stallholder that Yoltia had made contact with would later be instrumental in
buying up spices. There, he gained our trust, and with the funds he obtained
from selling the sugar he received as a reward and the commission from the
purchases, he established the『Tia Trading Company』, named after Yoltia, to whom he was indebted.
The Tia Trading Company would not only trade spices with the Demon Territory Count's domain but would also bring various other benefits, and they would build a deep relationship with each other.
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