Episode 15
"Hmm…"
I stroked my chin as I examined the goods. The fruit in front of me was one I hadn't seen in the city.
"What is this?"
"It's a tukon. They're delicious, try one."
The merchant handed me a piece of fruit. It was about the size of a small tangerine, but its skin was red.
*Rip.*
"Ugh…"
I should have peeled it first. The pulp inside was sweet, but the rind was incredibly bitter. I'd eaten a similar fruit a long time ago.
"What was it called…?"
I stood there, arms crossed, racking my brain. I think it was probably grapefruit. The flesh was sweet and sour, but the pith was intensely bitter.
"It's also a bit like a pomegranate."
As long as I peeled it first, the taste itself was quite good. I could probably buy a bunch of these and sell them as juice.
"Want to try some?"
I tore off a piece of the pulp and tossed it to Haru. He wagged his tail, caught it, and ate it, then barked at me as if to say it was delicious.
"How much?"
"50 bron for ten."
"More expensive than I thought."
Fifty bron for ten of these tiny things. But since they tasted good, it didn't seem like a bad purchase.
"I'll take them."
"Thank you~"
I took the ten tukons, stored them in my inventory, and immediately headed for the Tuscard Guild. For the past few days, I'd been wandering around Murubas, exploring, and sleeping in my temporary quarters, thinking a lot. And I had come to a single decision.
Rejection.
"Lord Yuji!"
"Rueli. Been well?"
"Yes!"
I had several reasons for refusing.
"Is Luana inside right now?"
"The Master is with another guest at the moment! If you wait on the first floor of the guild, I'll let her know you're here!"
"Thanks."
One of the main reasons was that my home wasn't around here. I was here now because I was traveling, but this place was, strictly speaking, a several-day journey by wagon. I had considered commuting by car, but cars were a VIP Rank 2 item and were expensive. Furthermore, there were no paved concrete roads in this world. I couldn't just step on the gas, and driving on unpaved roads significantly increased the risk of an accident.
It didn't seem worth the risk to start a business relationship with this guild.
"Lord Yuji!"
A man was walking down the stairs with Rueli. He had long black hair framing his face, with the back neatly trimmed. His gentle eyes hinted at a calm personality. The man, whose movements were slow and deliberate, descended with a flourish of his long jacket and looked at me.
"Hello."
"Ah, yes…"
"Hmm…"
The man looked me up and down, then smiled.
"I heard you were the one supplying the shampoo… As expected of someone who deals in such unusual goods, your appearance is quite different from others."
"You think so?"
I was currently wearing jeans and a black windbreaker. It wasn't a particularly special outfit in Japan, but since they didn't use things like windbreakers here, it probably looked unique.
"Well then, I hope our paths cross again."
With that greeting, the man left.
"Who was that?"
"That was Lord Hakuram, the Master of the Maruben Merchant's Guild. He visits our Master from time to time to chat."
"Hmm…"
I had a feeling I'd be seeing him again. And not in a good way.
"Alright, let's head up!"
Rueli grabbed my hand and led me to Luana's room.
*Click.*
The sound of a teacup being set down echoed in the quiet room.
"So…"
Luana didn't look pleased. She had clearly expected me to accept, and my refusal had caught her off guard.
"Why are you refusing?"
"As I said before, my home is in the city, and coming all the way here is a bit…"
"No, it's not that. There's another, real reason, isn't there? Refusing just because you don't want to travel this far is ridiculous."
Was it a ridiculous reason? I thought it was a pretty big one.
"There are a few other reasons, but that's the main one, so that's all I mentioned."
Luana stood up and began pacing back and forth, then turned to me.
"Then, what if we came to your house in Jelnota to pick up the goods? Would you agree to the contract then?"
"To my house?"
"Yes. If distance is the biggest problem, then we'll solve it by coming to you to get the delivery."
"Uh… if you're willing to do that, then I don't have a problem with it, but…"
"Then it's settled."
"Huh?"
Luana smirked.
"We'll come to your house and pick up the delivery."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yes, of course! That's the easy part."
I didn't understand. Luana didn't even know what I had, so why was she going to such lengths to get a supply deal?
"You look like you can't believe it."
"What?"
"If you have a question, just ask. Don't wear it all over your face."
It felt like she was reading my mind.
"Since you said I could ask, I will. You don't know what I deal in, so why are you trying so hard to make a contract?"
"Ah, so that's what was bothering you."
Luana let out a small laugh.
"No particular reason. Just a merchant's intuition."
"Intuition…?"
"Yes. I've made contracts and deals with countless people, but I've never met anyone who defied my expectations like you."
I couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
"I don't mean it in a bad way. No one has ever refused a contract I've proposed before. That's because when I make a deal, I aim for a mutually beneficial relationship, not one where only I profit. So, the other party has never had a reason to refuse. But…"
Luana sat back on the sofa, crossed her legs, and looked at me.
"You're the only one who, after hearing my proposal, said you'd think about it, came back a few days later, and then refused."
"So… you want to make a deal with me because I made a different decision than everyone else?"
"You could say that."
Luana downed the water in her teacup and extended her hand to me.
"So, you'll accept, won't you?"
After all that, I couldn't really say no.
"Alright."
"Good, then the contract is…"
"However, I'd like to see the contract first before I decide."
The contract was important. If I signed without reading the details, I could be walking into a trap, like a slave contract. Luana stood up, walked to her desk, and brought back a sheet of parchment.
"Here you go."
"You had it prepared already?"
"Of course. I expected you to accept."
I read through the contract terms written on the parchment. The contract period was two years. Once a week, "Party A," me, would deliver one wagon-load of goods to "Party B."
"This one wagon-load… how much is that exactly?"
"Hmm? A wagon-load is a wagon-load."
"No, I mean…"
"It's a bit hard for me to explain… can you come over here?"
I followed Luana to the window. Outside the guild house was a cargo wagon. It looked about the size of a 2.5-ton truck.
"One of those, once a week."
I had enough money, so filling a wagon of that size should be possible. I walked back to the sofa and continued reading.
"The terms of the contract seem fine."
"See? I told you. I don't make deals where only I profit. I aim for mutual prosperity."
It seemed she wasn't just all talk. I took a pen out of my inventory.
"Oh, you have a Subspace Bag, too?"
"Huh?"
Luana reached her hand into thin air. In that instant, space seemed to tear open, and a piece of fruit appeared from within.
"Because I have one, too."
Seeing how she used it, I could understand why people found it so strange. Reaching into thin air and pulling things out. But her method seemed slightly different from my inventory. When I took things out, they seemed to materialize out of nowhere. But her Subspace Bag was more like reaching into a pocket in thin air.
"So, that item. Can I borrow it for a second?"
"Sure."
I signed the contract and handed her the pen. Luana examined it from all angles.
"I've never seen an item like this before… A pen that writes without being dipped in ink… what's it called?"
"It's called a pen."
"A pen? Sounds similar to a quill pen."
Of course it did. The pen was derived from the quill.
"Do you have any more of these right now?"
"I have a few, but… why?"
"I'll buy all of them."
"You'll buy them?"
"Yes. This 'pen' would sell well to nobles and officials who work at desks."
To analyze the consumer base just by looking at the pen… Her personality was one thing, but her skills as a merchant were top-notch.
"Alright."
I placed all the pens I had in my inventory on the table. She smiled brightly.
"Eleven of them…!"
"Please return the one I was using."
"Ah, right. Then ten…"
I put one pen back in my inventory.
"How much do you want for them?"
"Hmm…"
I didn't know the price of a quill in this world. I'd have to base it on the price I paid. I had bought them for about 5 bron each, so maybe asking for 20 bron would be acceptable.
"How about… 20 bron each?"
"20 bron?!"
Did I ask for too much…?
"You're saying this only costs 20 bron?"
Seeing her shocked expression, I realized I hadn't asked for too much, but way too little.
"Uh, well, yeah…"
"Then of course I'll buy them all."
I wished I had asked for more, but it felt a little cheap to raise the price now. Luana took two copper coins, each marked with a "100," from her Subspace Bag and handed them to me.
"Here you go."
I took the coins, put them in my inventory, and stood up.
"Well then, I'll be on my way."
"Wait."
Luana approached me.
"Just to be sure, when are you planning on heading home?"
"I've seen all there is to see in Murubas… I was thinking of leaving tomorrow."
"Good. Come to the west gate of Murubas at sunrise tomorrow. I'll see you home."
"You don't have to go that far…"
"No, I have business in Jelnota anyway. And we need to pick up the delivery, but we still don't know where your house is."
Come to think of it, the place I met Rueli to get on the wagon was the city gate. If I had just gone home, it would have been a big problem.
"Alright, see you tomorrow then."
"Yes."
I opened the door and stepped outside. The west gate at sunrise tomorrow. Sunrise was probably around six o'clock, so I'd have to go to bed early tonight.