There were houses on the list.
There were prefabricated homes and even apartment-like structures, but most of them were locked with a number displayed. I could only purchase two things: a container and a cabin. The cheapest was the container house.
"So this has a level restriction, too…"
It was the same thing I'd seen with the gun when I was hunting the boar—a grayed-out purchase button. The reason for the lock was, just as I suspected, a level restriction. Conve∞ had a "VIP Rank" system. The more you bought and sold, the more points you earned, and once you reached a certain threshold, the variety and number of items you could buy increased.
"So, I can only buy things that fit this world at first, huh…"
My current VIP rank was Level 0. I needed to spend another million bron to reach Level 1.
"Still, Level 1 seems achievable soon enough."
The cheapest container house alone was 200,000 bron. But the cabin, which was the bare minimum for what you could call a place to live, was…
"Five… Five hundred thousand bron?"
That was like 50 million yen. A cabin for 50 million yen… it was cheap if it came fully assembled, but if it came as a pile of materials, I'd have to put my business on hold and do nothing but build a house for a while.
*'The money I have right now is…'*
I had about 11,000 bron.
"This is nowhere near enough…"
I'd have to deliver soap and shampoo for about two months just to afford one cabin.
"Hah… looks like I'll be living in a tent for a while…"
It wasn't as cold as Tokyo, but it was still winter. And this was a forest. Last night had been so cold that I kept waking up. Could I really endure this for two months?
"Maybe I should get an advance and just buy the container for now…"
Factoring in living expenses, I could probably afford the container after about a month of deliveries. But with Conve∞, selling something back gets you half the price or even less. Buying a container just for temporary housing would be a huge loss.
"Maybe I should just stay at Hans's inn and think of it as paying rent…"
That seemed like the best option. If I stayed at the inn, I'd meet a lot of people. Business runs on people. Once I made enough money, I'd build the cabin.
***
Five weeks had passed since I started my deliveries, putting me close to the two-month mark. Unfortunately, I hadn't met any big-spender clients.
"Haaaah…"
Still, with this delivery, I would finally have enough money for the cabin. At last, I could go from being homeless to having a home.
As I got closer to Hans's inn, I could hear the buzz of a crowd. A large group of people was gathered next to the inn. Most of them were women—some dressed like nobles, others in simple commoner's clothes. It looked like they were all waiting for a shop to open.
"What's all this?"
I was curious, but my delivery came first. I opened the door to the inn and was immediately met by Hans's frantic voice.
"You're finally here!"
"Huh?"
Even Megan came running out barefoot, grabbing me and pulling me inside.
"What took you so long?!"
"Am I… late? It's only six o'clock."
"Mornings start early in the city! Now, this way."
Megan led me through the room behind the counter and opened another door. Judging by the various shelves, this was a shop.
"Alright, hurry up and get them out."
At Megan's request, I took out the soap and shampoo I'd brought.
"Yuji, help me put these on display. And you! You get over here and help too!"
"But I have the inn to run…"
"Are you going to help or not?!"
At Megan's fierce glare and sharp tone, Hans tucked his tail between his legs and scurried over to start arranging the soap and shampoo on the shelves.
"Why is everyone in such a rush?"
"Didn't you see outside on your way here?"
"Outside…?"
"There's a huge crowd out there waiting to buy shampoo!"
"Those people waiting outside… they were here for shampoo?"
"Do you have any idea how popular this shampoo has become with the ladies?!"
Was it really that good? I guess for someone who'd only ever used soap, trying shampoo for the first time would feel life-changing.
After helping them stock the shelves, I started to head for the door.
"Well then, I'll be on my way…"
"And where do you think you're going?"
Megan grabbed my arm, that same smile on her face.
"W-What is it?"
"I need you to help sell."
"Me?"
"Of course. When hands are short, we're supposed to help each other out, aren't we?"
My back was already killing me from re-bottling everything yesterday, and now I had to work as a cashier too.
"Alright, let's open up~"
Megan walked slowly to the door, unlocked it, and threw it open.
"Welcome, everyone! Megan's Beauty Shop is now open for busine—Aaaah!"
The moment the door opened, a flood of people poured in. They all rushed to the shampoo section, grabbing bottles off the shelves as fast as they could.
"Ring me up, quickly!"
"This one's mine!"
"Did you make a reservation?! The one who grabs it first owns it!"
*'Hah… this is exhausting.'*
I sighed, watching the chaotic scene of the crowd snatching up the shampoo.
The commotion finally died down as dusk fell, and the shop became quiet.
"Ah… I really need a break…"
I was hit with a wave of exhaustion completely different from what I'd felt working at the company. If I opened my own shop, would I have to work like this? The idea of opening a shop suddenly became a lot less appealing.
"Yuji. You worked hard today."
Megan said, gazing happily at a mountain of coins. I couldn't just leave empty-handed.
"What about my pay for the day?"
"Your pay? Ah…"
Megan glanced between the coins and me, looking a little reluctant, before handing me five silver coins.
"For your hard work today. Here you go."
I took the five silver coins, each marked with a "100," and put them in my inventory. The number 5,000 was added to my funds.
"Oh, more generous than I expected."
"It's nothing, really."
Smiling brightly, Megan swept the coins into a large bag, stored it under the counter, and looked at me.
"Now, shall we talk about our next matter?"
"There's something else?"
Megan stopped me just as I was about to leave.
"This is the last thing, I promise~"
I sat down in the chair she offered.
"What is it?"
"What else? The contract renewal."
It made sense to discuss renewal with only a month left, but when I read the document Megan brought out, I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
"The delivery amount… has doubled?"
"You saw how well it's selling. Honestly, I'd like to order even more, but I decided on this amount considering you're doing it all by yourself."
I made up my mind.
"I'm sorry, but I won't be renewing the contract."
Megan's eyes went wide.
"What do you mean? You're not renewing? Is it because of the quantity? If so, we can go back to the original amount…"
"It's not that. I have something else I need to do starting today. And thanks to you, I've made a decent amount of money, so I'm thinking of setting up my own stall again and selling some different products."
"W-Wait a minute. You're not planning on selling shampoo… are you?"
"No. I have no plans to sell soap or shampoo. I'm thinking of selling some other things."
"Like what?"
"I haven't decided exactly what yet."
Megan stared into space, biting her nail as she thought. Then, with a deep sigh, she smiled.
"Well… if you're going to start your own business, I can't exactly stop you."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. The contract was for three months, and it's simply ending. Besides, I made a hefty profit from selling the shampoo myself."
She glanced at the moneybags with a satisfied look.
"You'll continue to deliver for the remaining period, right?"
"Yes. I'll prepare and deliver for the last month."
"I'll be counting on you."
Megan smiled. Both she and Hans were genuinely good people.
"You said you're starting a business. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask."
"If I have any, you'll be the first person I come to."
"Of course. And if I'm not around, ask my husband. He may not look it, but he's a member of the Merchant's Guild."
"There's a Merchant's Guild?"
The moment I said that, Megan's face stiffened.
"You don't mean… you were planning to do business without joining the Merchant's Guild?"
"Well, yeah… I just found out it existed, actually."
"You can't be serious!"
Megan grabbed my shoulders, her eyes wide with shock.
"Before you start selling anything, you must go to the Merchant's Guild and join. Do you understand?"
"Uh, yes…"
"You're so lucky you haven't been caught yet. If they'd found you, you would've been exiled from the city."
"I'd be exiled for not joining the guild?"
"Legally, only members of the Merchant's Guild are permitted to sell goods."
Megan showed me something. It was the same emblem the wagon drivers had shown the guards when I first arrived.
"This is the Merchant's Guild emblem. If you're caught without this during an inspection, you'll be exiled on the spot. So be careful."
"Right, I understand."
Thanks to her, I learned something important. This world had something like a business license. I said goodbye to Megan and left the shop.
"Hah… just when I finish one thing, something new pops up…"
Building the cabin was done, and the delivery contract was about to end, but now there was something new to do. Life really is just a series of tasks.