“Welcome. What can I help you with today?”
Heading into the city again, we first went to a shop selling plain clothes worn by commoners to buy new clothes for the slaves.
Telling the woman who came out “Get three sets of clothes each, including underwear” for the girls, she seemed a little perplexed that the customers were slaves but quickly started serving us.
“These clothes here are affordably priced, will they do?”
“Yeah, just pick something. You girls choose clothes you like.”
“Yes!”
Keeping the excited, fidgeting slaves I brought in the corner of my eye, I head to the stall-selling shop with Machad in tow. Along the way, asking Machad, it seems slaves tend to be treated terribly simply for being slaves – not only are they denied clothes, but often aren’t given proper meals either.
“So masters who properly feed and even buy clothes for their slaves are quite rare.”
“You do the same?”
“Yes. While I serve meals since eating is essential for life, I don’t provide clothes.”
“I see. But remember this – humans who show such thoughtful consideration are few. So those on the receiving end feel grateful and repay the favor.”
“Is that so…”
Not just slaves, anyone feels some goodwill to those who help them, big or small. Some do it intentionally, others unconsciously. In my case, it’s more the former.
Though I’m not calculating for them to feel indebted and repay me or anything. It’s simply me being considerate in a way I believe is best.
While talking about this with Machad, the stall-selling shop soon comes into view. Coincidentally, it was four stores down from the clothes shop, so we arrived quickly.
“Welcome.”
“Show me your stoves stalls.”
“Right away sir. This way please.”
In addition to stalls, the stall-selling shop had several covered wagons used by peddlers parked inside. Those seem to be their main business.
They also deal in human-pushed carts, so they have a range of wheeled vehicles.
Since we’re planning cookie sales mainly via mobile stalls, we’re looking for a stove stall that allows easy resupply.
What the owner shows us is a stall that, while somewhat worn, still seems usable. It has a simple stove built into the side for cooking with fire.
It looks a little heavy for the women to handle, but with their numbers, they should be able to transport it without issue – I judge there’s no problem. I immediately move to negotiate.
“Looks good. How much?”
“Let’s see, this one is five small gold coins.”
“Isn’t that a little high?”
The one who objected to the amount stated by the owner is Machad. I don’t know the market price for these, but it seems a little expensive to Machad, who points that out.
However, our opponent is also a merchant, an experienced one older than Machad at that, and he jabs at the weak point.
“Sir, this is the last one of this stall left in stock, and I have another customer starting a new business interested in it. If you don’t decide now, someone else may purchase it. What will you do?”
“Tch…”
The owner counters Machad’s words brimming with confidence. Hearing that, Machad makes a twisted expression, unable to retort. Because Machad himself understands. That if he tries to negotiate the price here saying it’s too high, and is told “Then I’ll sell it for this price to the other interested party,” the deal will collapse then and there and the matter will be finished. In short, his leg is being yanked.
Yet as a merchant, buying something slightly overpriced compared to market value doesn’t feel good, and being forced to buy it knowing it’s not the right price seems to be unacceptable as well.
“Owner, take a look at this.”
“Th-th-th-this is a Mithril First Class Medal! Then you’re!!”
“Let me ask again, owner. Is it really five small gold coins for this stall?”
As it’s getting nowhere, I show the Mithril First Class Medal to the owner. Its effect is tremendous, as the owner who was stubborn before instantly changes his attitude and starts bowing his head.
“My deepest apologies! Please, take it without payment!”
“No need to go that far. Owner, what’s the normal price for this stall?”
“One small gold coin, two at most.”
“Then why did you say five? Were you just trying to rip me off, or was there a reason you had to price it that high?”
“Th-that’s…”
“Tell me. Might be able to help depending on circumstances.”
“W-well…”
I’m interested in why he priced it higher than market value, so I decided to just ask directly. As expected, there was a reason the owner was selling the stall at that price.
According to the owner, the craftsman who makes these stalls is temperamental – if something even slightly bothers him, he’ll stop work immediately. He’s skilled, but his personality means he often refuses jobs. But to make a living, he still has to take a certain amount of work, so the owner could periodically obtain his creations.
However, it seems he offended the craftsman over some trivial thing, resulting in his being refused any more work from him. He doesn’t know what caused it, which seems to have aggravated the craftsman further, who said “I won’t make anything for you again.”
“I see, so that was why.”
“Yes. Not knowing what caused this, I’m at my wits end, and asking him directly would just anger him more…”
“Hmm…”
It’s an interesting story. I’m personally quite curious what exactly the owner did to anger the craftsman. Also, since we plan to increase the number of stalls eventually, no longer being able to obtain these stalls would be problematic.
The structure isn’t particularly complex, so we could make them if needed. But that would mean they were made for our use specifically.
Since the ultimate goal is saturating this country with cookies, the scales of the Commercio Trading Company and Greg Trading Company I left to Machad and Greg won’t be enough. It needs to be elevated to a massive project involving the Commercial Guild and major merchant powers.
For that, we’ll likely need the skills of craftsmen like this one who make stalls, so the current situation isn’t ideal.
“Then I’ll go talk to this craftsman and try persuading him somehow.”
“Are you sure?”
“Since I intend to increase the number of stalls eventually, it’ll be problematic if he refuses to make them.”
“Please do.”
Having suddenly decided to visit the craftsman, I put purchasing the stall on hold for now and left the shop with Machad.
“Welcome. What can I help you with today?”
Heading into the city again, we first went to a shop selling plain clothes worn by commoners to buy new clothes for the slaves.
Telling the woman who came out “Get three sets of clothes each, including underwear” for the girls, she seemed a little perplexed that the customers were slaves but quickly started serving us.
“These clothes here are affordably priced, will they do?”
“Yeah, just pick something. You girls choose clothes you like.”
“Yes!”
Keeping the excited, fidgeting slaves I brought in the corner of my eye, I head to the stall-selling shop with Machad in tow. Along the way, asking Machad, it seems slaves tend to be treated terribly simply for being slaves – not only are they denied clothes, but often aren’t given proper meals either.
“So masters who properly feed and even buy clothes for their slaves are quite rare.”
“You do the same?”
“Yes. While I serve meals since eating is essential for life, I don’t provide clothes.”
“I see. But remember this – humans who show such thoughtful consideration are few. So those on the receiving end feel grateful and repay the favor.”
“Is that so…”
Not just slaves, anyone feels some goodwill to those who help them, big or small. Some do it intentionally, others unconsciously. In my case, it’s more the former.
Though I’m not calculating for them to feel indebted and repay me or anything. It’s simply me being considerate in a way I believe is best.
While talking about this with Machad, the stall-selling shop soon comes into view. Coincidentally, it was four stores down from the clothes shop, so we arrived quickly.
“Welcome.”
“Show me your stoves stalls.”
“Right away sir. This way please.”
In addition to stalls, the stall-selling shop had several covered wagons used by peddlers parked inside. Those seem to be their main business.
They also deal in human-pushed carts, so they have a range of wheeled vehicles.
Since we’re planning cookie sales mainly via mobile stalls, we’re looking for a stove stall that allows easy resupply.
What the owner shows us is a stall that, while somewhat worn, still seems usable. It has a simple stove built into the side for cooking with fire.
It looks a little heavy for the women to handle, but with their numbers, they should be able to transport it without issue – I judge there’s no problem. I immediately move to negotiate.
“Looks good. How much?”
“Let’s see, this one is five small gold coins.”
“Isn’t that a little high?”
The one who objected to the amount stated by the owner is Machad. I don’t know the market price for these, but it seems a little expensive to Machad, who points that out.
However, our opponent is also a merchant, an experienced one older than Machad at that, and he jabs at the weak point.
“Sir, this is the last one of this stall left in stock, and I have another customer starting a new business interested in it. If you don’t decide now, someone else may purchase it. What will you do?”
“Tch…”
The owner counters Machad’s words brimming with confidence. Hearing that, Machad makes a twisted expression, unable to retort. Because Machad himself understands. That if he tries to negotiate the price here saying it’s too high, and is told “Then I’ll sell it for this price to the other interested party,” the deal will collapse then and there and the matter will be finished. In short, his leg is being yanked.
Yet as a merchant, buying something slightly overpriced compared to market value doesn’t feel good, and being forced to buy it knowing it’s not the right price seems to be unacceptable as well.
“Owner, take a look at this.”
“Th-th-th-this is a Mithril First Class Medal! Then you’re!!”
“Let me ask again, owner. Is it really five small gold coins for this stall?”
As it’s getting nowhere, I show the Mithril First Class Medal to the owner. Its effect is tremendous, as the owner who was stubborn before instantly changes his attitude and starts bowing his head.
“My deepest apologies! Please, take it without payment!”
“No need to go that far. Owner, what’s the normal price for this stall?”
“One small gold coin, two at most.”
“Then why did you say five? Were you just trying to rip me off, or was there a reason you had to price it that high?”
“Th-that’s…”
“Tell me. Might be able to help depending on circumstances.”
“W-well…”
I’m interested in why he priced it higher than market value, so I decided to just ask directly. As expected, there was a reason the owner was selling the stall at that price.
According to the owner, the craftsman who makes these stalls is temperamental – if something even slightly bothers him, he’ll stop work immediately. He’s skilled, but his personality means he often refuses jobs. But to make a living, he still has to take a certain amount of work, so the owner could periodically obtain his creations.
However, it seems he offended the craftsman over some trivial thing, resulting in his being refused any more work from him. He doesn’t know what caused it, which seems to have aggravated the craftsman further, who said “I won’t make anything for you again.”
“I see, so that was why.”
“Yes. Not knowing what caused this, I’m at my wits end, and asking him directly would just anger him more…”
“Hmm…”
It’s an interesting story. I’m personally quite curious what exactly the owner did to anger the craftsman. Also, since we plan to increase the number of stalls eventually, no longer being able to obtain these stalls would be problematic.
The structure isn’t particularly complex, so we could make them if needed. But that would mean they were made for our use specifically.
Since the ultimate goal is saturating this country with cookies, the scales of the Commercio Trading Company and Greg Trading Company I left to Machad and Greg won’t be enough. It needs to be elevated to a massive project involving the Commercial Guild and major merchant powers.
For that, we’ll likely need the skills of craftsmen like this one who make stalls, so the current situation isn’t ideal.
“Then I’ll go talk to this craftsman and try persuading him somehow.”
“Are you sure?”
“Since I intend to increase the number of stalls eventually, it’ll be problematic if he refuses to make them.”
“Please do.”
Having suddenly decided to visit the craftsman, I put purchasing the stall on hold for now and left the shop with Machad.
