Sorry guys, I was really tired yesterday and couldn’t post. Thanks for reading~
We enter the poor people"s section, and notice that the townscape has completely changed. Even the smell has changed, and the stench of something rotten sticks to my nose.
The poor people"s section handles the illegal good, and what we"re heading towards is the shop which handles illegal commodities. If we go there, we can find people who have money in these slums, or the people who deliver illegal commodities to the rich people.
"Freya, be careful, since it"s not weird whenever you get a.s.saulted here. In this place, you"ll only be seen as an attractive commodity and although enslaving humans is illegal; this town"s people think it doesn"t really matter to them." (Kearuga)
Freya is an extraordinary beauty, and even though she is wearing something that was bought only thinking about practical use in a journey, she can"t hide that beautiful face. Since earlier, I had been putting awareness into the sword that was hanging down from my back; it"s the manners for when you"re walking through this section.
"Yes, Kearuga-sama. I will not fall behind ordinary people." (Freya)
Freya hits her chest with a slap and makes a smile full of confidence. At her level, there shouldn"t be a problem unless there is quite a strong opponent, but that is only if they fight directly in front of her, fair and square.
Since I finished warning her, hasten our legs to reach our destination. I then abruptly force my legs to stop, pull out my sword from my back latch, while still keeping it in its scabbard, and thrust it while aiming for Freya"s face.
"Hii-" (Freya)
Looking at the scabbard of the sword which drew close to her, Freya raises a scream. My thrust just barely pa.s.ses by her face, and strikes between the brows of a scrawny person.
"Gyaaaa, that huuuurts, it huuuuurts" (Scrawny Person)
He was holding a cloth in his hands, and it was giving off the smell of drugs. It"s evidently clear what he was trying to do.
"Freya, be more cautious from next time. Next time, I"ll train you in some close-combat and even though you"re a magician which makes you incapable of getting those sorts of abilities, it is still better to learn the techniques. After all, even though you"re a rearguard, if the distance is shortened, it"ll be troubling if you"re not able to stall time until the vanguard comes." (Kearuga)
"… That"s true. To think that I would get my back taken so easily. Kearuga-sama, please teach me close-combat techniques." (Freya)
This time"s opponent was a professional that was quite familiar with it, and it can"t be helped she wasn"t able to sense his presence, especially when she is naturally an amateur at anything non-magic related. He was probably one of those guys who came to kidnap people from rich families who came to buy a slave because they saw a scary person. It seems Freya had become scared or something, so she held onto my sleeve and although it is a bit of a nuisance, it should be fine if it"s just for today. I continue walking while smiling at her.
Freya and I had reached our destination, but we just watched people without spreading out sheets or anything.
Since before, I had been using【Jade Eyes】on everyone to search for a sitting duck.
During that time, I chased away people who were trying to make pa.s.ses at Freya, but still kept my ears clear. It seems that the strange disease had become a topic even in the poor people"s section.
If it"s like this, my business should be easy to do. And finally, the duck had come.
That person enters a certain shop that deals in illegal commodities which was right in front of me.
He seems to be a merchant that has a good amount of influence, and also has a guard to escort him. That merchant has a peculiar atmosphere around him, and I can understand what kind of person he is.
In addition, that perfume he is using is popular with the wealthy people, and is quite expensive. If he wasn"t doing business with wealthy people as his main job, he wouldn"t have put on this perfume. If this kind of merchant is coming to buy an illegal commodity, I can speculate that he is a broker that sells them to the rich.
Also, that merchant and the escort seem to have gotten the first symptoms of the illness; to think that I would be able to meet someone who has reached the conditions I was looking for so quickly. As I thought, my luck is good.
Around the time I finished the business discussion with Freya, the merchant and his escorts left the shop. Freya stands right in front of them, and gives them a message that we had previously planned.
"The fine looking uncle over there, I have a good story for you." (Freya)
The merchant and the escort stops moving their legs, and it seems that they became fascinated by Freya"s beauty.
The reason I made Freya do the talking is for this reason, because if I talk to them, they won"t even stop moving, and the negotiation won"t even be able to establish. However, if it was a beautiful girl like Freya, as long as the other part is a man, they would stop their feet and listen to her story.
"What a beautiful woman. Your skin"s glosses, your elegant manner, are you a daughter of a reputable n.o.ble?" (Merchant)
I become a bit surprised; as one would expect of a merchant. He was able to see through her lineage even though she is in this appearance. To that, Freya simply smiles without giving an affirmation of denial.
"I have come to bring you a get rich quick scheme." (Freya)
"That is quite interesting, I had thought you were a child that was playing around and came to ask me for some playing money… but to think it would be a negotiation. Will you let me hear it out?" (Merchant)
The merchant is looking at Freya and I with lukewarm eyes, and is probably thinking that this is just children playing house. However, because the possibility she is a n.o.ble"s daughter is high, he can"t flat out reject it.
"We"ll stand out in this place, so let"s move somewhere else." (Freya)
"Haha, you"re quite earnest. But that"s fine; we can go to my favorite shop. I"ll hear your negotiation there." (Merchant)
Like that, we left as a four person group. The shop the merchant guided us looked like any other shop in the poor people"s district from the outside, but the store interior was clean and well preserved.
He ordered a few people"s portions of milk tea which he said was his treat. Freya is looking my way, and thanks to her, we were able to start a negotiation, so now it"s my turn. I"ll hit him hard right from the start.
"What we call our get rich quick scheme, is to sell medicine that cures the strange disease that spread in this town "only to you". If it"s a merchant of your caliber, then you should understand the meaning of that." (Kearuga)
The moment he heard that, the merchant"s expression changed. However, it immediately changed into a sarcastic laughter.
"Oh, that"s incredible. You"re saying you children have the medicine to cure the strange illness that all the doctors and healing magicians in this town gathered together still can"t cure. It"s as if you"re making a bad joke." (Merchant)
Freya and I have only just become 14 so in their perspective, we still look like kids. It"s the reaction I was expecting. (TL Note: Oh myy 14 or 15, which is it? First it was 15, then 14, then 15 again, and now it"s 14!?)
"Although there is no helping it that you doubt us, it"s the truth. We were born in the west, and over there, there are techniques and medicine they"ve developed which are different from here. Because of that, I"m able to make it; the specific medicine for this illness." (Kearuga)
I then line up the subdivisions of medicine I had in my pouch.
"Fumu, so that"s the medicine huh. However, where is the evidence that it"s the real thing" (Merchant)
"Shouldn"t you be able to know if you drink it by yourself? After all, you and your escort are both going through the first symptoms of this disease. In a not too distant future, you"ll collapse because of a high fever, and you"ll writhe in pain that runs across your whole body." (Kearuga)
While smoothly talking about that like it"s nothing, I smile at him, which in turn makes the merchant"s face pull back.
"I have not fallen ill or anything" (Merchant)
"You have. Because in reality, you do have some knowledge of it right? Your body is strangely sluggish. Pain sometimes runs across your feet"s pinky. Only the right half of your body is cold. All of these things are the first symptoms of this strange disease. The people who hadn"t collapsed yet all were in this condition. Since you are a merchant, you should know about this with your good ears." (Kearuga)
His words get stuck in his throat. It"s not like he isn"t self-conscious about it, but it"s just that he doesn"t want to admit it.
"If that medicine is the real thing, I would pay as much money as you want. So I"ll just ask you this only for reference, but how much do you want?" (Merchant)
It"s not like he believed me, but it"s more like he wants to at least cling on a piece of straw. The terminal symptoms for this strange disease are disastrous, and if you see the real thing even once, you would think that you don"t want to become like that.
"You"re quite hasty, but let"s do the fee negotiation afterwards. First, I"ll give you two of them as a test to make our trust." (Kearuga)
I hand over two potions to him, and the merchant swallows the saliva in his mouth.
The meaning of giving him two, is telling him to first use it on the escort. To drink medicine that a suspicious person suddenly handed is completely impossible for this merchant. To show him the effect of this medicine, it"s necessary to give him the escort"s portion as well.
The merchant notices my intention, and lets the escort drink the medicine. His face that was losing color regained its vitality, and the escort becomes absent minded for a few minutes, until finally raising a surprised voice.
"My body is light, and my sluggishness has been blown off. When was the last day I had this refres.h.i.+ng feeling!?" (Escort)
The potion which was enchanted had quite high instant effects and on top of that, I added in a few adjustments. It also had the effect of an enhancement medicine which I added to show a more dramatic effect. Thanks to that, it makes the person who took it think that their body suddenly became better.
The merchant who was checking out the condition of his escort also gulped down the medicine. After a while, he looks up and closes his eyes. By the time the effect of the medicine showed, both his eyes and mouth was open.
"Oh, I see now, this medicine certainly is the real deal, and I understand that we were having the initial symptoms. However I do want to know if this medicine works on people who have gotten the terminal symptoms." (Merchant)
"Yes, I guarantee it. … Now then, since you"ve confirmed the effects of the medicine, let"s return to our first discussion. We are thinking that it"s fine to sell this medicine "only to you"." (Kearuga)
I emphasis the "only to you" part.
The merchant gulps down his saliva. By now, in a terrific speed, his mind should have completed a plan of how much money he"ll gain, who to sell it to, and how much political power he could gain from his negotiations.
"Although the medicine is good, are you able to sell the recipe as well?" (Merchant)
Well it"s only obvious that that would come, because after all, that one is more of a delicious deal.
"That is something I can"t do, because it"s a secret recipe pa.s.sed down through my family. Additionally, it"s a high-level recipe that requires precise magic ability, and the ingredients aren"t something that can be found in this country. That"s why, even if I do give you the recipe, it won"t produce anything." (Kearuga)
Although the first half of it was a complete lie, the second half is true. My body is able to create antibodies for it, but normal humans aren"t able to create antibodies that can counteract a monster"s poison.
Also, alchemy magic is a unique magic that only people who have an extremely rare cla.s.s, the alchemist cla.s.s can use. Without that, you won"t be able to synthesize a potion of that level.
The merchant looks towards the guard. Well I knew it was coming anyways, so I"ll pin him down with a nail.
"It"ll be better if you don"t do that, because I"m stronger than him. It"ll just result in wrecking our negotiation and either way, if I can"t go outside to buy the ingredients, I won"t be able to make the medicine." (Kearuga)
"Hahaha, what exactly do you mean by "that"?" (Merchant)
The merchant puts on a forced smile and tells a barefaced lie.
"I would be happy if it was just some unnecessary concern. Well then, let"s start our negotiations then. First off, I have 28 potions on hand right now." (Kearuga)
"Would I be able to ask the price properly" (Merchant)
"A gold coin for each potion." (Kearuga)
One gold coin is an amount that a day laborer earns in one month, so it is expensive to use for one potion. However…
The merchant shows ridicule towards me for just a moment, but I guess it is only normal. It is too cheap for this potion, considering that if you sell it to the right person, it"ll sell for one or two digits higher.
"That will be fine, so I will be buying all of it. However, with just this, it"s not at all enough, so I would like you to prepare more, but I will buy what has already been prepared. How much time would it take to create more potions?" (Merchant)
"If you give me 2 days, then I"ll be able to prepare some more. So how about we meet in this shop 2 days from now in the evening?" (Kearuga)
"Well that will be something to look forward to. I"ll make sure to bring a bag tightly packed with gold coins." (Merchant)
The merchant happily smiles, and I then tell him one important matter.
"By the way, although we made the deal of one gold coin for each potion this time, I can"t sell it to you for the same price next time because this time was just for building up our trust." (Kearuga)
The merchant"s smile gets pulled off. He must have been thinking that each time from now it would only be one gold coin for each potion.
"How much do you want for the second time?" (Merchant)
"I will leave that price for you to decide, but include half the amount of profit you get from selling it. If you choose to pull insincere acts, I will never sell medicine again to you, and I can just sell it using a different method." (Kearuga)
The merchant must have had various conflicts going on in his head. Selling it and being insincere to get more money is easy, but in the case it is found out, this method of definitely earning a lot of money would just go to waste. But since he can get an enormous amount of money even with his income being halved…
From the start, would the man in front of him sell this to another merchant, or possibly it might be better to capture him by sneak attacking him in our second negotiation.
"Well then, I"ll be looking forward to our next meeting." (Kearuga)
I stand up because there is nothing more to talk about. The merchant says goodbye while having various expectations in his head.
After parting with the merchant, I went towards the shop from before.
"Kearuga-sama, why are you giving that merchant your medicine instead of selling it yourself? Wouldn"t it be more profitable if you sold it yourself? (Freya)
Freya asks me a question while having a curious face.
"We are on a journey to save the world, so we don"t have the free time to be tending to a shop. It"s better to leave those kinds of things to a professional merchant." (Kearuga)
"That"s true, as expected of Kearuga-sama, you really don"t have any greed!" (Freya)
I tell her an ostensible reason. While that reason is part of it, the number one reason is for safety. As the amount of people who know that I can make medicine increase, the danger increases, so the current situation where only one person knows I can make the medicine is nice. Also, that merchant will probably try to hide my existence to monopolize the medicine which can lead him to great profit.
Thus, I have no personal connections to safely sell this medicine to. Although I want to sell my small amount of medicine to someone who"ll pay me a high amount, I need connections to do that. For this merchant who takes care of illegal commodities, he has a lot of connections in the underworld community which means he can properly sell it at a high price to the appropriate person. In addition, he can do that while also keeping my secret safe, and is a process that is definitely impossible for me.
If I think about all this labor, the best thing I can do is to pa.s.s on all the risk to the merchant.
Of course, there is the chance that that merchant could be driven by greed and try to capture me, there is a limit in how much fighting power one merchant can gather while trying to do it secretly. It"ll be much easier than taking on all the people in this town.
That being said, I would like to avoid troublesome things, so if I sense a disturbing presence in the meeting place for our second meeting, I"m planning to just leave.
"Now then, we"ve finally reached the shop from before." (Kearuga)
"Ah, now that you mention it, I didn"t hear you saying anything about buying something else. What exactly are you going to buy?" (Freya)
"A slave." (Kearuga)
I answer her question while smiling sweetly. I have the gold coins on hand which I earned just a while ago, and it is a day laborers total amount they gain in two years. It"s a reasonable price for a slave. Now then, I"ll use【Jade Eyes】to find the number one slave in this shop and buy it. The slave I"m going to buy is a woman with high talent values, and the level limit can just be increased casually since that slave is a woman. While holding expectation in my chest, I entered the shop.
(TL Note: So let me guess, he"s going to buy a slave that has some kind of illness or something which makes it really cheap, and once he heals her she becomes a really beautiful girl or something right? Well I don"t know, but it"ll prob be something like that.)