Item Synthesis 3-6 part 3

 

Chapter 3-6 : The Town Where The Sea Breeze Blows (part 3)

 

「Eight gold coins each!? That’s so expensive!」(Kako)

「Well, the transportation expenses from the eastern region cost a lot of money, you know? We have to use the Flying Carriage Express to transport the fruits to be able to sell them here in fresh condition. Fresh food from other regions has never been cheap due to transportation expenses.」(vendor)

「I see, but…」(Kako)

I still think that’s too expensive. I wonder how much the transportation costs.

I came here by a flying stagecoach, but I don’t know how much the airfare was since Maitena onee-sama was the one who bought me the ticket.

Perhaps Thea knows.

「Thea, do you know how much the flying stagecoach cost?」(Kako)

「The ticket was 50 gold coins per person.」(Thea)

「Fifty!?」(Kako)

Fifty gold coins? For one person?

I didn’t know it was that expensive…

「Young lady, you’re talking about the flying stagecoach for passengers, but the one we’re using is the Flying Carriage Express, the fastest transportation service for transporting goods in this kingdom. I have to pay 100 gold coins to transport one barrel of fresh purua from the eastern region.」(vendor)

「One hundred gold coins for one barrel?」(Kako)

「Expensive, isn’t it? Moreover, I need to consider the risk of my goods not being sold. If I can’t sell these fresh fruits within a week, I will suffer a huge loss.」(vendor)

Now that he mentions it, eight gold coins for each purua fruit sounds like a fair price to me now.

「I understand now, but who will buy these fruits? Obviously, commoners can’t afford them, right? Nobles can buy them, but…」(Kako)

「Haha! Young lady, don’t you know what city this is? We’re in the biggest port city on the continent. There are thousands of rich merchants from other countries visiting this city every day. 」(vendor)

「So, your customers are mostly wealthy foreign merchants.」(Kako)

「Exactly.」(vendor)

「But, hold on. They come by ships, right? Won’t the fruits rot before they even get home? How will they sell them then?」(Kako)

「No, no. They don’t buy fresh fruits to resell them in their countries. They buy because of curiosity. When you see unique food that you have never seen in your country, you want to taste it, right? Those people tend to buy one or two of these fruits to taste and talk about when they get home. If they like it, they will buy the dried ones to sell in their homes or as souvenirs.」(vendor)

I see now. They buy the fresh ones to eat immediately, and the dried ones for resale and souvenirs.

「How about the dried ones? How much is it?」(Kako)

「It’s 10 silver coins each.」(vendor)

What? That’s so cheap!

The fresh one costs 8 gold coins each, so I was guessing the dried ones cost at least one gold coin each, but turns out it’s way cheaper than I thought.

No, hold on. Ten silver coins is probably a fair price. I thought it was cheap just because the fresh ones are ridiculously expensive.

Anyway, thanks to him, now I know the market price of the eastern fruits in this city.

「Thank you, Sir. I learned a lot.」(Kako)

「”Learned a lot”, you say? So you came just to ask? You’re not going to buy my fruits?」(vendor)

「Well…」(Kako)

「Come on. At least buy something before you go. Consider it an information fee.」(vendor)

「Uhh… Alright then. One dried purua, please.」(Kako)

「Dried? No, no. Buy the fresh one. I know you can afford it. You have a maid and a bodyguard with you. You’re not just a commoner girl, are you?」(vendor)

「Eeehh…」(Kako)

Thea and Nyat’s presence can boost my status, but I don’t really need that ‘buff’ right now…

Spending eight gold coins for a fruit that I eat every day is ridiculous, but… Well, as the vendor said, I should consider it as the information fee.

「Umm, alright then…」(Kako)

「Thank you very much!」(vendor)

I took eight gold coins from my purse and handed them to the man. He gave me one fresh purua in exchange.

I put the fruit in my magic bag and left the fruit stall.

That was such an unexpected expense, but thanks to the valuable information, now I know what to do.

I have tons of dried eastern fruits to sell, but actually, I also brought some fresh fruits. I planned to eat them and make fruit juice for myself, but now that I’ve learned how much they are worth, I changed my mind.

That’s right. I would rather sell them and make a lot of money than consume them myself. It’s better if I can sell them today while they’re still fresh.

「Thea, can I rent a carriage in this city?」(Kako)

「Yes. There’s a carriage station nearby, and you can borrow a carriage for a few days if you pay. Have you decided where to go next?」(Thea)

「Yeah. To the harbor!」(Kako)

 

◆◆◆

 

After renting a carriage, I immediately went to the harbor and looked for a rich merchant who would likely buy my fruits.

「Let’s see…」(Kako)

I spotted a middle-aged foreign merchant wearing a unique outfit that seemed to be his country’s traditional outfit. He was wearing a few stacks of gold necklaces on his neck, indicating that he is a wealthy man.

「Hurry up, folks! We’re leaving tomorrow morning!」(merchant)

「「Yes, Sir!」」(laborers)

「Speed up your pace, but be careful! These boxes contain precious cultural arts worth thousands of gold coins! Handle them with care!」(merchant)

「「Yes, Sir!」」(laborers)

He is busy ordering his men to carry his goods to his ship.

I don’t know if he wants to buy my fruits, but I decided to start with him.

「Excuse me, Sir. Do you have time?」(Kako)

「Hm? What’s the matter, young lady? It’s not a place for a child. You might get hurt if you wander around.」(merchant)

「Whaー!? I’m not a chiー Ahem! …Pardon me, but I didn’t come here to play.」(Kako)

That was close. I almost snapped because he called me a child, but I managed to keep my cool.

「I’m a merchant, and I want to sell you something.」(Kako)

「You’re a merchant?」(merchant)

He looked at me with a doubtful face, but then he shifted his gaze to Thea and Nyat, who were standing behind me.

I think this is the right time to activate the ‘buff’.

「Ah, this is the maid and the bodyguard I hired.」(Kako)

Dignity boost buff, activated!

「Oh, so you’re really a merchant? And you’re wealthy enough to hire a maid and a bodyguard. It’s rare to see a young merchant like you.」(merchant)

「I will take it as a compliment. Thank you very much.」(Kako)

「You’re so polite too. Alright, you got my attention. What do you sell?」(merchant)

「Would you like some eastern fruits, Sir?」(Kako)

「Fruits, huh?」(merchant)

「Yes. Fresh ones!」(Kako)

I took out a fresh purua fruit from my magic bag and showed it to the man.

「This fruit is called purua, and it only grows in the eastern region of this kingdom. You will never find it in your country.」(Kako)

「True that I can’t find this kind of fruit in my country, but it’s not that I’ve never seen it before. I saw some fruit stalls selling them in the shopping district. ーHm? Wait a minute…」(merchant)

Noticing something different about my fruit, the man took it from my hand and observed it closely.

「It looks fresher than the ones in the fruit stalls.」(merchant)

That’s right. My fruits are fresher than the fruit stall vendors’.

The fruits sold by the vendors are not the freshest. They have been in the stalls for a few days. However, my fruits are different.

「It’s so fresh that it looked as if it was just picked from the tree yesterday.」(merchant)

「Well, you’re not wrong. It is freshly picked.」(Kako)

The Kushaq Family always got fruits and vegetables directly from the farmers. That’s why we always have the best and freshest food in the mansion.

Mother handed the fruits to me the night before I departed, after I told her that I wanted to drink juice during my trip. That means it’s only been one and a half days since they were picked from the tree.

「Hoo~ It’s rare to get genuinely fresh food from other regions in this city. Even the newly stocked ones in the stalls are not the freshest.」(merchant)

「Are you interested? Other than purua, I also have shinar and jireon. All the eastern fruits that you can’t find in other places.」(Kako)

「And all fresh?」(merchant)

「Yup. All fresh. Fruits are good for replenishing energy, especially for your laborers. You can eat them with your men for dinner before you return to your country tomorrow morning.」(Kako)

「Hmm…」(merchant)

The man started to think while still observing the purua fruit in his hand. He looked interested in buying.

「I believe the fruits sold in the stalls cost 8 gold coins each, right? How much is yours?」(merchant)

「Well, since mine is fresher, how about 10 gold coins each?」(Kako)

「Ten gold coins… Hmm…」(merchant)

「It’s a bit expensive, but considering that my fruits are the freshest in this city, I think it’s fair. What do you think?」(Kako)

「Haha. You’re still young, but you have a talent for selling products. Alright. How many do you have?」(merchant)

「I have thirty puruas, thirty shinars, and fifty jireons. Enough for all your crew members.」(Kako)

「Alright. I’ll buy them all.」(merchant)

「Re, really!?」(Kako)

「Haha. Yeah, I want to taste all the fresh fruits you have.」(merchant)

「Alright. Normally, shinars and jireons are a bit more expensive than puruas, but for you, Sir, I’ll make it the same. I will sell them all for ten gold coins each. That means the total will be 1,100 gold coins.」(Kako)

「Deal.」(merchant)

As expected from a wealthy person. He nodded right away on a deal worth a thousand and one hundred gold coins.

「Oi, someone come here and bring me an empty box!」(merchant)

「Right away, Sir!」(laborer)

As soon as the man called, a laborer came with an empty wooden box.

Thea and I then took out the fresh fruits one by one from my magic bag and filled the box.

The man was counting the fruits as we did the task.

「Alright. I’ve confirmed the amount, and all of the fruits look really fresh. Here’s your money.」(merchant)

He took out a leather bag from his pocket and handed it to Thea for her to check the amount of money inside.

Thea used a wooden box nearby to place the gold coins and began counting them swiftly like a professional bank teller.

She then nodded at me after she confirmed the amount. As expected from a super maid, she really fast at counting.

「The amount is just right. Thank you very much, Sir.」(Kako)

「You’re welcome. I didn’t expect I would make a good deal just before I leave this country. Young lady, I’m sure you will be a big merchant in the future. May I ask your name?」(merchant)

「My name is Kako.」(Kako)

「I see. I’m Elren. Kako, if you ever come to my country, please stop by my shop. Well then, have a good day.」(Elren)

After introducing himself as Elren, the merchant smiled at me and returned to his ship in high spirits.

He told me to visit him someday, but I’m still not sure if I will be able to travel outside this country in the future.

But, as long as I continue working as a merchant, perhaps one day it will be possible.

Still, I can’t believe I just made so much money just by selling fruits…

 

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