Chapter 28

Since we couldn’t exactly spread our wares out in the common room, we all moved to Clara-sama’s private quarters.

Here is the inventory we brought into this world this time:

Kitchen Knives: 30
Whetstones: 30
Glass Tumblers: 10
Wine Glasses: 10
Soap Bars: 30
Chocolate: 2 boxes
Survival Knives: 4

Except for the survival knives and the chocolate, everything was purchased at a 100-yen shop. The soap was a “3 bars for 100 yen” deal. As mentioned before, the chocolate cost 321 yen per box, and the survival knives were 3,024 yen each (including tax).

The total investment for the stock was 22,458 yen, split 50/50 between Yoshioka and me. There’s no guarantee they’ll sell, but I figured this is much safer and offers a higher return than gambling back in our world. If it fails, we’ll just lower the prices or try different items next time.

“We forgot to bring more chocolate, didn’t we? Even though it’s clearly a best-seller,” Yoshioka lamented.

“And towels too. If we make a killing this time, let’s stock up on those for the next trip,” I added.

We went back and forth trying to set prices, but honestly, we’re all amateurs at retail. Yoshioka and I work for a trading firm, sure, but we’re in the planning department, so we’re a bit out of touch with consumer-level haggling. Plus, we still don’t fully grasp the cost of living in the Kingdom of Saxens.

Yoshioka, however, was feeling aggressive.

“None of this stuff exists in this world anyway. The person who sets the price first wins. If it doesn’t move, we can just lower it in the next town.”

He had a point. So, we set some wildly speculative prices:

| Item | Price (Marques/Yen) |

| Kitchen Knife (1 unit) | 8,000 |
| Whetstone (1 unit) | 5,000 |
| Glass Tumbler (1 unit) | 5,000 |
| Wine Glass (1 unit) | 6,000 |
| Soap (1 bar) | 1,500 |
| Chocolate (1 box) | 7,000 |
| Survival Knife (1 unit) | 60,000 |

Look at that reckless pricing! If a single kitchen knife sells, that’s a profit of 7,900 yen. As for the survival knives, we’re looking at a profit of around 57,000 yen each.

“What do you think, Clara-sama?”

“I know little of commerce. You should proceed as you see fit, Kota.”

Clara-sama seems to manage her estate steadily, but she’s clearly unfamiliar with trade. Since these items literally don’t exist here, gauging their value is difficult for her.

“Then we’ll attempt to negotiate with the Count of Bremen using these figures.”

After a final confirmation of the prices, we headed back to the common room.

The next day, Yoshioka and I accompanied Clara-sama to the Count’s castle.

The streets were teeming with people, and horse-drawn carriages laden with cargo bustled past. Shops selling fuel, hardware, bread, groceries, sundries, and clothing lined the thoroughfare. It was a remarkably vibrant city.

Bremen covers about 500 hectares. Living in a five-kilometer square area with 20,000 people makes for a pretty high population density. Yet, the city was surprisingly clean. Everywhere we went, the toilets were spotless. This was true even in rural Ebba-berg.

The secret? Slimes.

Apparently, over a hundred years ago, technology was established to keep slimes in septic tanks to decompose waste. Household greywater is similarly purified by slimes before being released into the river. Thanks to this, the city stays clean, and the number of victims of infectious diseases has dropped significantly. Even without advanced sewer systems, the streets didn’t smell at all.

I was also surprised to find public toilets scattered throughout the city, costing 1 Marque per use. They’re run by the city and serve as an important source of revenue.

As we waited in the gatehouse, a servant of the Count came to fetch us. It seemed Clara-sama preliminary negotiations had gone well, and the Count was ready to meet us.

The Count’s drawing room was the most glittering room I had seen since arriving in this world. Clara-sama’s parlor was second, but there was a world of difference in terms of size, decoration, and furnishings.

So, this is what a rich man in this world looks like.

There’s no need to hold back anymore. I’m going to fleece him for every Marque he’s worth!

“So, these are the attendants of Lady Ansbach? Very well, come forward and show me your wares.”

The Count was a slightly stout gentleman with a benign smile on his face. He looked exactly like someone who enjoyed a good meal. But we weren’t fooled. We’ve seen plenty of people who act soft on the surface but are ruthless when it comes to business. I pegged the Count as one of those types.

I carried in the goods, which we had pre-transferred into wooden crates. I’d decided it was better to keep my Spatial Storage a secret; a wise attendant hides his claws, after all.

The Count watched the items we pulled out without changing his expression. As expected of a lord of a major city—his poker face was something a mere sheltered noble couldn’t pull off. The negotiations looked like they’d be tough, but I was going to play aggressive. Do your thing, “Courage x6”!

“Wh-what in the world is thist?!”

The Count’s voice cracked. And did he just say… “thist”?

It wasn’t a poker face; he had just been frozen in shock.

We began explaining each product in detail. First up: the stainless steel kitchen knives. A rust-resistant alloy containing chromium and nickel probably doesn’t exist in this world. The sharpness was only “100-yen shop level,” but with a bit of sharpening, they’re decent enough—and I’d bought the whetstones to match. The Count took one in his hand, squinting at it from every angle. He likely didn’t grasp the true value of stainless steel yet, but he understood it was an alloy he’d never seen before.

Next were the glasses. While transparent glassware already exists here, the plate glass in the windows suggested their glass-making technology was fairly advanced.

“You must have skilled craftsmen. To finish them this thin…”

The Count seemed impressed, which was promising.

“However, would they not have more value if they were more decorative?”

Is a simple design not favored here?

“The value of this glass reveals itself when wine is poured into it. Its beauty is like a large garnet or ruby,” Yoshioka’s sales talk exploded.

Time for me to follow up. Pretending to take it out of a bag, I pulled a bottle of wine from my Spatial Storage that I’d bought for myself. It was a cheap Chilean wine, but the flavor was great and I liked it.

“How about this?”

“Oh!”

The Count’s cheeks flushed at the beauty of the wine in the glass. He probably usually drinks from thick, colored glass. Most people use wooden or ceramic mugs. Even Lady Clara drank from a ceramic goblet. The members of the Count’s household were all staring, entranced by the beauty of the wine.

“Lady Ansbach, I should like to taste it… would you join me?”

“I would be honored to partake.”

Inviting Clara-sama was partly to have her act as a taster for poison, I assumed. I poured some for her as well. I figured this wine had less acidity than the local stuff and would be easier to drink, though it might be a bit light for some tastes. Well?

“…Delicious. These goods are fine, but I must purchase this wine as well!”

Unfortunately, I’d only brought one bottle. It was meant for my nightcap, and I hadn’t intended to sell it.

“My apologies, Count. This was a treasured wine, and that was the final bottle.”

“…I see. I thank you for your consideration in sharing such a precious thing with us.”

“Your words are too kind.”

If a 1,200-yen bottle of wine puts him in a good mood, it’s a bargain. Since it was open anyway, I poured him a refill.

Wait? Clara-sama wants one too? Yes, yes, of course.

Next was the soap. Soap does circulate in this world, but it’s made from animal fats and the smell is… not great. Actually, it stinks! Scented soap must be a first for them. The Count took a liking to this as well.

And finally, the main attraction! The survival knives. Whether these sold for a high price would determine the future of our business. Previously, Ria had said these knives would go for over 50,000 Marques. Trusting her, we’d set the price at 60,000. We held our breath as the Count examined one.

“This handle… I have never seen this material.”

It’s rubber. I’m sure natural rubber exists somewhere in this world, but still.

“It lacks decoration, but it is easy to grip. And the blade…”

That’s also stainless steel, so it won’t rust. Apparently carbon steel cuts better, though. I brought out some paper, leather, and wood scraps for him to test the edge.

“…Superb.”

I thought so. Yoshioka and I spent all last night sharpening them.

“Father, please allow me to purchase one as well.”

The Count’s son was choosing a knife with a look of pure longing. It seems boys in this world love blades too—even if this “boy” looked like a man in his thirties.

“Now, regarding the price… is the amount written on this paper acceptable?”

“Yes. Especially for you, Count, we are letting them go at this price. Normally, we could never sell them so cheaply, but…”

I will not budge on the price! With unshakable resolve, Yoshioka and I began the negotiation.

The result? He paid up so easily it was almost anticlimactic. He bought every single item we presented, for a total of 1,019,000 Marques.

22,458 yen became 1,019,000 yen. Roughly a 45-fold return.

Yoshioka and I bowed deeply to the Count. Both of us were so shocked we could barely speak. But what shocked us even more were the Count’s next words.

“It seems Lady Ansbach has been very considerate of me. I thank you for letting me have these goods at such a low price. I shall remember this favor.”

Wait… it was cheaper than the market rate?!