Chapter 2-21 : Business Rival Ⅱ (part 1)
「Anyway, I think we should do an investigation to find out whether that merchant really pays for Ice Fang Bats’ fangs 30% higher than me or not.」(Sarasa)
「Eh? What do you mean? Isn’t it clear?」(Iris)
「No. Ice Fang Bats’ fangs are materials that have various price ranges compared to other materials. As you know, the price depends on how dark their color is. I’m afraid that that merchant is manipulating the price. So… Iris-san, I want you to sell the fangs you get to that merchant next time, but let me appraise the fangs first before you go to his place.」(Sarasa)
「Alright, understood.」(Iris)
「Andre-san, you came here to tell me about that, right?」(Sarasa)
「Yeah. Me and the other Collectors who have been staying in this village for a long time are indebted to you, so we still sell our Ice Fang Bats’ fangs to you, but most Collectors, especially the newcomers, have started selling their fangs to that merchant, so I’m a little worried about your store.」(Andre)
「I see. Thank you for your concern.」(Sarasa)
So that’s why I could still get Ice Fang Bats’ fangs even though the other store paid for them 30% higher than me.
After all, maintaining good relationships with people is important in business.
「I’m grateful that you still sell your fangs to me, but if that merchant really pays higher than me without cheating, I don’t mind if you want to sell your fangs to him. Kate-san, Iris-san, you too. If that merchant is proven not cheating, you can sell your fangs to him.」(Sarasa)
「Eh? But… are you sure?」(Kate)
「Yeah. I don’t think it will trouble me much.」(Sarasa)
「No, no. We can’t do something disloyal to you…!」(Iris)
「I really don’t mind. Besides, I still have a lot of fangs in stock for now, and if I need more, I can just go get them myself.」(Sarasa)
「Ah, Sarasa-chan can collect Ice Fang Bats’ fangs way more effectively than us Collectors after all. She might be able to collect fangs more than all the Collectors in this village in one go by herself.」(Andre)
「Andre-san, you’re exaggerating. Well, it’s true that I can collect tons of fangs in one go… if only I have some people to help me carry them though…」(Sarasa)
I have the artifact bag from my master, but I don’t want it to get dirty. After all, I have to carry the bats’ corpses to the entrance before I can collect the fangs.
Also, no matter how strong I am while using physical strengthening magic, there’s a limit to how much I can carry since I have a small body.
Therefore, if I want to go to collect fangs, I would like to bring Iris-san and the others like last time.
「Alright, you can call me and my party members when you want to go to the cave. We will help you.」(Andre)
「Thank you, Andre-san.」(Sarasa)
「Also, if that merchant really pays higher, I will tell the other Collectors that you don’t mind if we sell our Ice Fang Bats’ fangs to that merchant.」(Andre)
「Yes, please do. If you make more money and spend that money in this village, I have nothing to say.」(Sarasa)
「Hahaha! You really care about the villagers. Don’t worry, the Collectors in this village, even the newcomers, always eat and drink in the dining hall, you know? The place is always full lately!」(Andre)
「Come to think of it, my dad said he has recently started purchasing a lot of alcohol from the town. It’s probably because the number of Collectors who stay here has increased.」(Lorea)
Collecting Ice Fang Bats’ fangs wasn’t too hard, unless you couldn’t stand the smell of the caves they lived in. Moreover, the demand for those materials has been increasing lately, and because of that, many Collectors started to come to this village.
As a result, the dining hall became full, and the Collectors who avoided the dining hall and chose to drink in the rental house increased. That’s why the demand for alcohol has increased as well.
By the way, the number of Collectors who came to my store has increased too because of that. They mostly came to buy Flexible Gloves.
I also sell anti odor potions so that Collectors were not bothered by the smell of the cave, but they didn’t sell very well, probably because most Collectors were used to bad smells.
「I see, so the dining hall is always full, huh? Fortunately, we have a proper kitchen and a chef here!」(Sarasa)
「You’re right! Thanks to Lorea, we don’t have to go to dining hall anymore.」(Kate)
「Remembering how packed the dining hall was lately, I’m grateful to Lorea who always cooks for us! Thank you!」(Iris)
「Ehehe~ I enjoy cooking a lot, so please don’t mention it.」(Lorea)
After we thanked her, Lorea-chan smiled shyly at us while scratching her cheek with her finger.
By the way, Lorea-chan has learned how to bake bread with the oven lately, so I don’t have to go to Diral-san’s dining hall to buy bread.
Really… I’m glad that she works here!
「It’s hard to enter the dining hall now, especially for women like you guys.」(Andre)
「Seriously? That bad?」(Sarasa)
「Yeah. Collectors keep coming from other towns and villages. After all, who doesn’t wanna get easy money by collecting Ice Fang Bats’ fangs nowadays? But unfortunately, there were many newcomers went to the cave without collecting information first, also, there were many idiots who entered the dining hall without cleaning themselves after returning from the cave.」(Andre)
Andre-san said that while frowning as if he had enough with the newcomers’ behaviours.
「Ughh… I can imagine how bad it is inside the dining hall. Diral-san must have had a really hard time lately…」(Sarasa)
「Ahahaha! You’re right. If there were fools who entered the dining hall without cleaning themselves first, Diral would kick them out and throw water over their bodies while yelling at them! That was so hilarious!」(Andre)
That’s Diral-san for you. She has no mercy with dirty people.
Because the weather is so hot, I don’t think they will catch a cold even though they are splashed with water, but really… Diral-san never hesitates even toward her customers.
「But even though they clean themselves, the smell still remains a little, so the dining hall is a bit smelly…」(Andre)
「H, Hee…」(Sarasa)
Iris-san and Kate-san nodded deeply as they agreed with Andre-san.
「He’s right. Many Collectors have poor hygiene after all.」(Iris)
「Yeah. We’re so lucky to be able to live here! Moreover, we can take a bath every day! So thank you, Store Owner-san! You’re our saviour!」(Kate)
「Fufu, you’re welcome. I’m glad that you like living here.」(Sarasa)
Since we have a bath in this house, it will be a waste if we don’t make full use of it, right?
Besides, it’s more comfortable for me if Iris-san and Kate-san are clean.
By the way, Lorea-chan doesn’t live with us, but she uses the bath at least once every two days.
She manages the store and often handles potions, so it will be better if she is clean.
I dont get why they call her Store Owner instead of her name… it makes it easier to differentiate who’s speaking, but it feels a bit weird considering they’re friends and roommates, pretty much.
Debtslaves need to show proper respect to their master.
It’s got NOTHING to do with debtslaves or any nonsense like that. Here in Asia, especially in the Orient, we value courtesy, virtues, and protocol. We HATE rude people. Probably why we usually don’t get along well with Americans. They’re way too boorish for our liking.
Wrong. It’s a matter of respect here in Asia, especially in the Orient to call the storekeeper by their title. It’s originally not Store Owner. That’s just the English localization. It’s Tenchou-san (店長さん). It’s just like how you call the landlord or landlady Ooya-san (大家さん) and not by name, which is rude in Asia, especially in the Orient.
Especially if you’re Chinese like me. You’ll learn the meaning and value of courtesy, virtues, respect and protocol from a very young age. That good rules and laws are to be abided by and followed. Because it brings about stability and harmony. Too much or too little freedom is a BAD thing. Balance and neutrality is the way to go. Hence why I don’t believe in Democracy or the Republic. Instead I came up with a better solution for administration.