Negotiating Business

It took about thirty minutes for the commotion from the small fire to subside.

Although the fire was extinguished, scorch marks were scattered across the floor and walls, and the fireplace was pitch-black with soot. Fortunately, no one was injured, but if things had gone slightly differently, the tavern could have burned to the ground. Consequently, the young arsonist caught in the act was currently being made to sit in formal seiza on the floor.

While she seemed to be reflecting on her actions, a smug grin was leaking from her lips. Well, it couldn’t be helped.

“I-I was shocked, Mia-chan! What on earth was that!?”

“When on earth did you learn to do something so incredible!?”

“You really were a Mage. I’m sorry for making light of you. But goodness, you gave me a fright!”

A crowd of excited women swarmed around Mia, praising her one after another. With a reaction like that, it was impossible for her cheeks not to loosen into a smile.

On the opposite side of the room, another crowd was forming. In the center of that circle was Paula. And one more being.

An adorable fairy, fluttering about.

The men were raising voices of admiration at the monster that was casting light in place of the fireplace. Seeing its lovely appearance—one that didn’t inspire a hint of threat—the group’s wariness seemed to have thinned considerably. I had asked Paula to Subordinate it for exactly this reason, but it worked so well it was almost worrying.

Though, it seemed quite a few of them were more interested in Paula as she gracefully flicked her fingers to give commands to the fairy. For a moment, I felt a twinge of annoyance, and then—flash!—a blinding light erupted. The men, having taken a direct hit from Blind, clutched their eyes and groaned.

Paula pressed a hand to her cheek as if to say, “Oh, my mistake.” A stranger would be fooled, but I knew for a fact she did that on purpose. Just as I was thinking that, Paula suddenly shifted her gaze to me and gave a mysterious smile.

Scary. Please stop reading my mind.

Immediately, Heimo and the others started talking up the strength of monsters to the men crouching on the floor. Honestly, I thought they overdid it at the time, but I welcomed this flow. The plan to get the villagers accustomed to monsters was proceeding steadily. At this rate, it should be fine to bring the familiars into the village soon.

Relieved, I turned back toward the counter.

Illuminated by the White-Glow Stone lantern placed there as a second light source were the village’s bigwigs: Chief Dirk, Hans the merchant, and Ute-san, the proprietress. Persuading these three was the main event of the day.

“Yes, this is definitely a Mana-Vitality Potion. I can’t say the grade for certain, but it’s likely below Middle-grade. However, even a Low-grade one costs at least one gold coin.”

“No way!”

“…That much? I’m shocked.”

At Hans’s appraisal, the other two let out low groans. To clarify, while the currency in Dra-Chro 2 was expressed only as ‘G,’ in this world, it circulates as three types of coins: copper, silver, and gold. Other countries have shell or bone currency which makes things complicated, but within the Kingdom, knowing these three is enough.

100 Copper Coins = 1 Large Copper Coin

10 Large Copper Coins = 1 Silver Coin

40 Silver Coins = 1 Gold Coin

In the Royal Capital, one silver coin is enough to live comfortably for three days. It’s a rough calculation, but in terms of value, it’s about 3,000 yen (roughly $20). That would make one gold coin worth roughly 120,000 yen ($800).

My annual income as a low-ranking craftsman at the Royal Alchemy Workshop was 30 gold coins, so 3.6 million yen. It sounds modest, but with the low cost of living, it’s a top-tier high salary for a commoner. Conversely, the average annual income of a farmer in a frontier village like this is 3 or 4 gold coins. The disparity explains why they didn’t believe me when I said I’d open a workshop here.

Well, in my case, I had almost no savings because I spent it all on magic tools and alchemy books. The lantern glowing on the counter right now actually cost me 3 gold coins. Even so, it’s on the cheap side for magic tools; the appraisal glasses Hans was using must cost nearly double-digit gold coins.

Those appraisal glasses are a magic tool made from polished White-Glow Crystal enchanted with “Illuminating Power,” possessing a function very similar to the basic transmutation Analysis. They are an essential tool for merchants; some say you can’t even start a business without them. Workshop Master Barnabas’s favorite monocle is made of the same crystal, but its transparency is on another level, allowing for even more certain and detailed appraisal.

Yes, for minerals related to mana, transparency is extremely important.

I pulled a Yellow Magic Stone and a Green Magic Stone from my item list. Holding them in my hand, I touched the White-Glow Stone at the center of the lantern.

The “Crushing Power” of Earth and the “Dividing Power” of Wind. Two magic circles constructed by mana instantly surfaced on the stone. They entwined in a complex manner, drawing a new magic circle before our eyes.

—Reduce.

The fine irregularities on the surface of the stone vanished instantly, and the inner radiance increased to an unbelievable degree. The Chief and the others stared wide-eyed at the light, which had become significantly brighter.

“What was that just now!?”

To Hans’s surprised question, I let the corner of my lip curl up as if to tease.

“Are you familiar with transmutation that processes the surface of stones like this?”

“Yes, if I recall, it’s the Wind Magic Transmutation Cutting.”

“As expected, you are well-informed. However, Cut is basically just a force for slicing and carving, so it doesn’t allow for fine adjustments. So, I tried a Compound Transmutation, combining it with the circle to slightly break the surface before separating it. It seems it worked well.”

“C-Compound! You can do such a thing?”

“Yes, though it’s probably just me. I’d appreciate it if you kept this a secret.”

Since these people might be my long-term partners, it wasn’t a bad idea to reveal a bit of my hand and earn their trust. Hans, still wide-eyed, nodded quickly at my words.

“In exchange, if you’d like, shall I polish those appraisal glasses for you?”

“Eh, are you sure?”

“Hans, that’s your prized tool you bought by emptying your pockets. Are you sure about this?”

As the sister moved to stop him, Hans gave her a kind smile.

“Sister, Sir Nino is a man to be trusted. Besides, my merchant’s intuition tells me it’s fine.”

“If you go that far, I won’t say another word.”

Actually, I think Ute-san should try to stop him a bit more. Not to be self-deprecating, but I feel like I’ve caused nothing but trouble since arriving at this village. Being trusted this easily makes me worried.

“Then, if you please, Sir Nino.”

The magic tool he handed over was a metal tube about three centimeters long, with a flat White-Glow Crystal embedded in the center. There was a depression on the side of the tube where one could touch the crystal and channel mana.

When I Abrasion applied , the dullness on the crystal vanished completely, becoming beautifully transparent.

“There. You should be able to see better than before.”

“Oh, thank you! Now, let’s see…”

Hans, looking delighted as he peered through the glasses repeatedly, picked up the Mana-Vitality Potion again. He put the glasses to his eye and immediately let out a stunned voice.

“…T-this is…”

“What is it!?”

“I can only say it’s magnificent. To see so clearly… and the mana reaction is incredibly fast. Usually, it takes over thirty seconds. Furthermore…”

“Is there more?”

“…I can even see the quality; it’s practically a different tool now. The result is: Mana-Vitality Potion, Grade: Low, Quality: Excellent, Market Price: Equivalent to 3 gold coins.”

Before Chief Dirk and Ute-san, who had stopped moving entirely, I transmuted more Mana-Vitality Potions, taking them out one by one and lining them up. I had used up my stock of Labyrinth Sphagnum, but this was the moment to strike.

Indicating the row of ten glass bottles, I spoke while taking care not to sound patronizing.

“I will present all of these medicines to you as a gift, in lieu of a formal greeting for opening my workshop in this village. Please, accept them.”

“What!?”

“Huh!?”

“And, I have some products I’d like to sell on commission. Would you mind taking a look?”

“B-By all means.”

As Hans swallowed hard, I placed down a White-Glow Stone over twenty centimeters in diameter that I had already finished with Worn Down. The stones used for lanterns are less than three centimeters across, so the difference in size was obvious.

As mentioned before, since White-Glow Stones serve as illumination within the labyrinth, taking them home is almost never allowed. Thus, they are only gathered in places where there is an abundance or where the labyrinth’s restoration is fast. Naturally, that means they can’t be taken in large quantities, so the stones themselves are usually only small pebbles.

Realizing the significance of a White-Glow Stone that wouldn’t fit in the palm of a hand, Hans froze like a stone statue. Without mercy, I pulled out more stones one after another.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Before the six stones I had lined up, I presented my conditions in rapid succession.

“As for the cut, I propose 30% of the sales price to Hans, and if you would cooperate, 20% to this village. The remaining 50% will go to me. What do you think?”

For a peddler without a physical store, 30% should be a reasonable market rate. Ute-san took a massive breath at my proposal and tentatively asked her brother.

“B-Before that… Hans, how much is one of these worth?”

“This is… no, but, however, mmm… hmmm…”

It was only natural for Hans, even as someone familiar with market prices, to struggle with the valuation. At this size, they wouldn’t circulate in normal shops. They are items only handled by major merchant guilds catering to royalty, nobility, and the wealthy. On top of that, the luminosity had been increased several-fold by Abrasion. Honestly, even I had no idea what the price would be.

“Stop being so slow! Just a rough estimate is fine!”

“B-But… well… an item I saw before at the Bergen Company in the Capital was smaller than this and was 20 gold coins. However, these stones… the surface luster and the fineness are clearly different. If we consider them twice that, or even more… shall we say 50 gold coins?”

“Then our cut is 60 gold coins!?” (Wait, 20% of 300 total is 60. Correction: 20% of 300 gold coins is 60 gold coins.)

Fast at math, aren’t we?

Hmm, I guess they really are worth that much. Ute-san, her eyes having completely changed, stared intensely at the stones.

However, one other person—Chief Dirk—had not missed my condition.

“First, thank you truly for the gift of such precious medicine. We will use it with great care. Furthermore, I have no words to thank you for such an exceptional offer as a 20% share for us. However, there is one thing on my mind. Sir Nino, regarding the ‘cooperation’ you mentioned… is that something that can be performed by unrefined people like us, who know only field work?”

To the Chief’s quiet but high-pressure question, I answered firmly without looking away.

“Yes, it will be fine. What I want from you, first of all, is absolute secrecy regarding that subterranean labyrinth.”