Chapter 36 from “Miniature Garden Chemister part 2 – Miniature Garden”
On the main street, across from the Adventurer’s Guild, I walked to the Merchant’s Guild and met the Guild’s Master, Mariage.
Unlike the Adventurer’s Guild, the Merchant’s Guild was a calm space with white color scheme. There were desks and chairs on the first floor that anyone could freely use whether it be for business discussions or for other purposes.
Currently, I am in the reception room on the first floor talking with the Merchan guild master, Mariage.
I rwas there to egister with the merchants’ guild and explain to her that I wanted to open my own shop in this city.
“Well, let’s see…”
She pushes back her honey-orange hair and looks over the documents with me, after I had given a general explanation. Mariage’s gaze is sharp and beautiful, and even I, a women, felt flustered when she looked at me. She glances at me once more, making a thoughtful gesture.
“I’m a little worried about someone your age to becoming a merchant, but…well, it seems fine because you have Alfred’s backing. We, the Merchant’s guild, will welcome you.”
“Mariage-san…! Thank you!!”
I never thought it would be so easy to get permission to do this.
It was all thanks to Alfred-san’s reference.
“The potions shop, “Hinami’s Miniature Garden,” right? You’ll basically only be selling potions…well, it’s a business, so it should be no problem to expand your product line in the future. Don’t forget to inform the guild if there are any changes in management or policies.”
“Yes!”
Smiling, Mariage-san’s expression was not as sharp as before, but…yes, it had changed to a look more like an expression one would make towards her family and friends.
She spread the bundle of papers that she had in her hand on the desk, and proceeded with the preparations, saying, “I’m going to go ahead and prepare the contract as it is.” I looked down at the three sheets of paper spread out in front of me. From left to right, I saw that they were papers on the Merchant’s Guild Registration Card, the Merchant’s Guild Rules and Regulations, and the Shop Opening Registration.
“Let’s start by going through the registration first. Hinami-san has already registered with the Adventurer’s Guild, so please show me your Adventurer’s Guild Card. I’ll add the Merchant’s guild registration to it.”
“Oh, I see. You can do that, can’t you?”
“Yes. It’s can get too bulky if you have several cards…”
I take out my guild card and hand it to Mariage-san. My guild card, which has not been used much or at all, is still shiny. While looking at it, Mariage-san rings a bell that placed next to the desk and a woman entered the room. When I handed over my guild card and registration card, the woman received it, lightly bowed, and then left the room.
“While registering, I’ll explain more about the guild and how to open a shop.”
Yes, please…!”
I listened to Mariage-san’s explanation while looking through the document placed in front of me on the rules and regulations
“The statutes of the Merchant’s Guild aren’t that difficult to follow. There are three main rules. The first one is not to do anything that would be detrimental to the guild. This includes violating the guild’s rules and orders, causing problems for any individual or group, and doing anything that would require intervention from the guild. The second rule is business registration. It is your duty to report to the guild what you do for a living. You don’t have to talk about what you sell in detail, but rather the type of products and the scale. As long as you report back to us on your plans and direction of business, that will be fine. You’ll have to report once you start your new business, so don’t forget that. Finally, the third rule is regarding taxes. In terms of business taxes, there is no tax collection for marketplace sales. However, if you have a “shop,” you will still be charged a tax. The amount of tax you have to pay depends on the location of your shop. I’ll explain about locations later.”
“So that’s it…”
I feel like my head might explode from all these explanations at once, but I’ll to try and sort out the situation while organizing it in my head. That said, it doesn’t seem to be that difficult in general.
First: I won’t do anything that would be detrimental to the guild. As long as I don’t violate the rules and orders, or cause any problems, it seems to be fine.
Second: I’ll have an obligation to register the business being conducted. Business registration…in other words, I’d be required to report my business type, industry and products to the guild.
Third: There would be taxes. For one month’s calculation, the main street is 7 gold coins, the middle street is 5 gold coins., the small street is 2 gold coins, and the alley is 1 gold coin.
Yup. It’s easier once it’s all summarized together.
I was wondering if there would be some sort of long agreement process, but there wasn’t, so I was quite relieved. After all, unlike Japan, this kind of fantasy world is more free and less strict in various ways…or rather, the development of civilization itself is slower, so the system is not complicated. Yes, I’m sure I’ll be able manage if it’s like this… (***T/N: Lmao, sometimes I wonder if she forgot that she was an adult with multiple part-time jobs not too long ago…)
“Do you have any questions?”
“Hmm…nothing in particular…?”
“Okay then. Oh, but I’ll need to explain this too.”
“This…?”
Mariage opens a drawer and brings out a small box. What came out of it was a beautiful white…jewel. I pick it up with my fingers and hold it in front of my face. It was so transparent that I was to be able to see Mariage-san’s face through the jewel.
“Oh, Hinami doesn’t know about it?”
“I don’t really know very much. If I wasn’t introduced by Alfred-san, I probably wouldn’t even be here.”
With a chuckle, Mariage explained to me.
“This is a ‘white magic tool.’ The Merchant’s Guild is the only guild that currently handles it. It is impossible to obtain it because it is processed and produced by the guild.”
“Eh!? That’s amazing.”
“Yes. And this is used to prove that a shop is not cheating. I have all of our shop owners put one on the eaves of their shop, and if that shop is using underhanded methods, the stone gets darker and darker.”
“Yes. It’s a fraud-detecting product. It distinguishes the value of an item…and reacts to all sorts of events.”
How awesome is that?
I thought it was low-tech, but I guess it’s super high-tech in a way.
At Mariage’s explanation, Alfred added a simple analogy. While I was wondering about what kind of principle the magical tool would work on, Mariage-san gave a terrifying smile, as if to preemptively say, “The production methods and specifications are top secret, so it’s a secret.”
Amazing. I think she’s a person who uses her womanly charm as a weapon…She seemed to be in her mid 20s—or perhaps late 20s? I would have been around the same age as her if I hadn’t de-aged…but even so, I don’t think I’d ever be able to make such smooth, feminine gestures.
“Well, finally, let’s register you to open up a shop.”
The one remaining piece of paper has a few things that needed to be confirmed.
Name of the shop. Type of industry. Location. Days and hours of operation. Number of employees.“That’s right…and I’ll need to find the store’s location.”
“Yes. I’ll introduce you to some places, later. There are a few rules to follow when choosing a location.”
“Is it in the contract?”
“Yes. It’s in the part regarding the location and the business. Essentially, it’s going to come down to the shop tax I just told you about.”
Mariage-san explained everything to me one by one. Apparently, in this world, the hours of operation became less strict as one went from the main street to the alley. By the way, the taxes were the same as I had mentioned earlier.
Shops on the main street had no regular holidays, and obligatory morning to evening hours (or an equal amount)
Shops in the middle of the street had one day off per week, and obligatory morning to evening (or an equal amount).
Shops in small streets had one or two days off per week, and hours from noon to evening (or an equal amount).
Alley shops had no obligation to be closed or open for business hours.
“I see…the shops on the main street must be open every day.”
“Yes. This is also important for the development of the country. So don’t expect it to be easy to do business on the main street.”
“Yes.”
So…should my shop be on a medium or small street? But Ikuru and I are just two people, and there are still a lot of things I want to do. I have to go see the Goddess…what should I do?
By the way, the main street is the major street, and the two streets next to it are the middle streets. The three streets further back are the small streets. The several streets further down are the alleyways. There are actually a few hole-in-the-wall shops there, and some are even a bit popular with connoisseurs, or so I hear.
“What do you think, Ikuru?”
“Hmm…that’s right. Isn’t a smaller place good?”
“I see…The middle street is certainly too big for us.”
I spoke to Ikuru who was standing behind me and asked him how he felt about it and he gave me an answer similar to what I was thinking.
Yeah, after all, I still want some time to myself, and even though I’d have one regular day off on a middle street, it would still be a bit hard to work full time. A small street would be convenient because it would allow me to set my own business hours and have two days off per week and not work a full day.
“Mariage-san, I’d like a small street shop, please!”
“Yes, I understand. That’s a good street to be on if you’re opening up a shop for the first time. It’s not like you’ll have a lack of customers there, after all.”
And then, the question remains.
What kind of store are we going to have? I mean, well, I guess I had decided that it would be a potion shop, but I hadn’t decided on the hours of operation.
“Well, the employees are…me and Ikuru. I haven’t yet decided on specific hours of operation…”
“Oh, is that so…? If that’s the case, then I see. Adventurers usually go out in the mornings, so I think it’s better to open in the morning or later.”
“Ah…I see! Then please!”
“I understand.”
As I respond immediately to Mariage-san’s advice, I can see Ikuru’s exasperated face from behind…well, I can’t exactly see it, but I can feel it. He must have that exasperated look on his face for sure.
Well, I guess that checks of all the things I had in my schedule for now.
“Hmm, that should do it.”
“Thank you!”
“As far as the properties are concerned, I have some arrangements to make, so perhaps you can come back tomorrow to look at them?”
“Yes, I understand.”
It seems that things are going smoothly and we’ll be able to safely open up a shop. Although…we don’t have a property yet. Apparently, I’ll be getting a tour starting tomorrow, so I’m really looking forward to it now.
I turned to Ikuru behind me and gently gave him a peace sign, at which he smiled a little bit, as if to say “good for you.” Wait…isn’t his smile a rare thing…!?
Just as I had just finished, a knock sounded, and the woman from earlier came in with my guild card. I looked over it and saw that it said ‘Merchant’s Guild’ next to the part that said ‘Adventurer’s Guild.’ I thanked the woman and she lightly bowed and left the room.
“You are now a member of the Merchant’s Guild. If you need anything, you can rely on me.”
“Thank you…!”
“She’s so cool, I’d like to call her Sister…” (***T/N: the word used for sister here is ‘Anego’ which is like a cool way of saying elder sister or big sis. It doesn’t necessarily have to be used for an actual sibling, but can be used for someone you respect)
That line of dialogue, along with her long swept back honey orange hair…It’s something I’d like to hear from a boy I like. Although, I had always working, so I never had a boyfriend…
““Thank you.””
Ikuru and I thank her again and leave the Merchant’s Guild.
I also thank Alfred-san and Thia-chan as well, and even promised to ask them to come visit me once the shop was ready. Oh, I definitely have a smile growing on my face!
“Miss~!”
“…Kiruto!”
Just as we were leaving the merchant’s guild, I saw Kiruto coming out of the adventurer’s guild. Oh, I guess he had already finished training…that was fast…but then I noticed that the sky was slightly orange. It seems like I had been in the Merchant’s Guild for much longer than I thought I would have.
“Now’s a good time to go…Hinami, Ikuru. Why don’t we go to my favorite restaurant and have a bite to eat?”
“Wow, that sounds nice…”
As I take Alfred-san’s suggestion, Ikuru nodded his head as well to show his affirmation.
I had been nervous and didn’t realize it, but I was actually quite hungry…!
Chapter 36 from “Miniature Garden Chemister part 2 – Miniature Garden”
On the main street, across from the Adventurer’s Guild, I walked to the Merchant’s Guild and met the Guild’s Master, Mariage.
Unlike the Adventurer’s Guild, the Merchant’s Guild was a calm space with white color scheme. There were desks and chairs on the first floor that anyone could freely use whether it be for business discussions or for other purposes.
Currently, I am in the reception room on the first floor talking with the Merchan guild master, Mariage.
I rwas there to egister with the merchants’ guild and explain to her that I wanted to open my own shop in this city.
“Well, let’s see…”
She pushes back her honey-orange hair and looks over the documents with me, after I had given a general explanation. Mariage’s gaze is sharp and beautiful, and even I, a women, felt flustered when she looked at me. She glances at me once more, making a thoughtful gesture.
“I’m a little worried about someone your age to becoming a merchant, but…well, it seems fine because you have Alfred’s backing. We, the Merchant’s guild, will welcome you.”
“Mariage-san…! Thank you!!”
I never thought it would be so easy to get permission to do this.
It was all thanks to Alfred-san’s reference.
“The potions shop, “Hinami’s Miniature Garden,” right? You’ll basically only be selling potions…well, it’s a business, so it should be no problem to expand your product line in the future. Don’t forget to inform the guild if there are any changes in management or policies.”
“Yes!”
Smiling, Mariage-san’s expression was not as sharp as before, but…yes, it had changed to a look more like an expression one would make towards her family and friends.
She spread the bundle of papers that she had in her hand on the desk, and proceeded with the preparations, saying, “I’m going to go ahead and prepare the contract as it is.” I looked down at the three sheets of paper spread out in front of me. From left to right, I saw that they were papers on the Merchant’s Guild Registration Card, the Merchant’s Guild Rules and Regulations, and the Shop Opening Registration.
“Let’s start by going through the registration first. Hinami-san has already registered with the Adventurer’s Guild, so please show me your Adventurer’s Guild Card. I’ll add the Merchant’s guild registration to it.”
“Oh, I see. You can do that, can’t you?”
“Yes. It’s can get too bulky if you have several cards…”
I take out my guild card and hand it to Mariage-san. My guild card, which has not been used much or at all, is still shiny. While looking at it, Mariage-san rings a bell that placed next to the desk and a woman entered the room. When I handed over my guild card and registration card, the woman received it, lightly bowed, and then left the room.
“While registering, I’ll explain more about the guild and how to open a shop.”
Yes, please…!”
I listened to Mariage-san’s explanation while looking through the document placed in front of me on the rules and regulations
“The statutes of the Merchant’s Guild aren’t that difficult to follow. There are three main rules. The first one is not to do anything that would be detrimental to the guild. This includes violating the guild’s rules and orders, causing problems for any individual or group, and doing anything that would require intervention from the guild. The second rule is business registration. It is your duty to report to the guild what you do for a living. You don’t have to talk about what you sell in detail, but rather the type of products and the scale. As long as you report back to us on your plans and direction of business, that will be fine. You’ll have to report once you start your new business, so don’t forget that. Finally, the third rule is regarding taxes. In terms of business taxes, there is no tax collection for marketplace sales. However, if you have a “shop,” you will still be charged a tax. The amount of tax you have to pay depends on the location of your shop. I’ll explain about locations later.”
“So that’s it…”
I feel like my head might explode from all these explanations at once, but I’ll to try and sort out the situation while organizing it in my head. That said, it doesn’t seem to be that difficult in general.
First: I won’t do anything that would be detrimental to the guild. As long as I don’t violate the rules and orders, or cause any problems, it seems to be fine.
Second: I’ll have an obligation to register the business being conducted. Business registration…in other words, I’d be required to report my business type, industry and products to the guild.
Third: There would be taxes. For one month’s calculation, the main street is 7 gold coins, the middle street is 5 gold coins., the small street is 2 gold coins, and the alley is 1 gold coin.
Yup. It’s easier once it’s all summarized together.
I was wondering if there would be some sort of long agreement process, but there wasn’t, so I was quite relieved. After all, unlike Japan, this kind of fantasy world is more free and less strict in various ways…or rather, the development of civilization itself is slower, so the system is not complicated. Yes, I’m sure I’ll be able manage if it’s like this… (***T/N: Lmao, sometimes I wonder if she forgot that she was an adult with multiple part-time jobs not too long ago…)
“Do you have any questions?”
“Hmm…nothing in particular…?”
“Okay then. Oh, but I’ll need to explain this too.”
“This…?”
Mariage opens a drawer and brings out a small box. What came out of it was a beautiful white…jewel. I pick it up with my fingers and hold it in front of my face. It was so transparent that I was to be able to see Mariage-san’s face through the jewel.
“Oh, Hinami doesn’t know about it?”
“I don’t really know very much. If I wasn’t introduced by Alfred-san, I probably wouldn’t even be here.”
With a chuckle, Mariage explained to me.
“This is a ‘white magic tool.’ The Merchant’s Guild is the only guild that currently handles it. It is impossible to obtain it because it is processed and produced by the guild.”
“Eh!? That’s amazing.”
“Yes. And this is used to prove that a shop is not cheating. I have all of our shop owners put one on the eaves of their shop, and if that shop is using underhanded methods, the stone gets darker and darker.”
“Yes. It’s a fraud-detecting product. It distinguishes the value of an item…and reacts to all sorts of events.”
How awesome is that?
I thought it was low-tech, but I guess it’s super high-tech in a way.
At Mariage’s explanation, Alfred added a simple analogy. While I was wondering about what kind of principle the magical tool would work on, Mariage-san gave a terrifying smile, as if to preemptively say, “The production methods and specifications are top secret, so it’s a secret.”
Amazing. I think she’s a person who uses her womanly charm as a weapon…She seemed to be in her mid 20s—or perhaps late 20s? I would have been around the same age as her if I hadn’t de-aged…but even so, I don’t think I’d ever be able to make such smooth, feminine gestures.
“Well, finally, let’s register you to open up a shop.”
The one remaining piece of paper has a few things that needed to be confirmed.
Name of the shop. Type of industry. Location. Days and hours of operation. Number of employees.“That’s right…and I’ll need to find the store’s location.”
“Yes. I’ll introduce you to some places, later. There are a few rules to follow when choosing a location.”
“Is it in the contract?”
“Yes. It’s in the part regarding the location and the business. Essentially, it’s going to come down to the shop tax I just told you about.”
Mariage-san explained everything to me one by one. Apparently, in this world, the hours of operation became less strict as one went from the main street to the alley. By the way, the taxes were the same as I had mentioned earlier.
Shops on the main street had no regular holidays, and obligatory morning to evening hours (or an equal amount)
Shops in the middle of the street had one day off per week, and obligatory morning to evening (or an equal amount).
Shops in small streets had one or two days off per week, and hours from noon to evening (or an equal amount).
Alley shops had no obligation to be closed or open for business hours.
“I see…the shops on the main street must be open every day.”
“Yes. This is also important for the development of the country. So don’t expect it to be easy to do business on the main street.”
“Yes.”
So…should my shop be on a medium or small street? But Ikuru and I are just two people, and there are still a lot of things I want to do. I have to go see the Goddess…what should I do?
By the way, the main street is the major street, and the two streets next to it are the middle streets. The three streets further back are the small streets. The several streets further down are the alleyways. There are actually a few hole-in-the-wall shops there, and some are even a bit popular with connoisseurs, or so I hear.
“What do you think, Ikuru?”
“Hmm…that’s right. Isn’t a smaller place good?”
“I see…The middle street is certainly too big for us.”
I spoke to Ikuru who was standing behind me and asked him how he felt about it and he gave me an answer similar to what I was thinking.
Yeah, after all, I still want some time to myself, and even though I’d have one regular day off on a middle street, it would still be a bit hard to work full time. A small street would be convenient because it would allow me to set my own business hours and have two days off per week and not work a full day.
“Mariage-san, I’d like a small street shop, please!”
“Yes, I understand. That’s a good street to be on if you’re opening up a shop for the first time. It’s not like you’ll have a lack of customers there, after all.”
And then, the question remains.
What kind of store are we going to have? I mean, well, I guess I had decided that it would be a potion shop, but I hadn’t decided on the hours of operation.
“Well, the employees are…me and Ikuru. I haven’t yet decided on specific hours of operation…”
“Oh, is that so…? If that’s the case, then I see. Adventurers usually go out in the mornings, so I think it’s better to open in the morning or later.”
“Ah…I see! Then please!”
“I understand.”
As I respond immediately to Mariage-san’s advice, I can see Ikuru’s exasperated face from behind…well, I can’t exactly see it, but I can feel it. He must have that exasperated look on his face for sure.
Well, I guess that checks of all the things I had in my schedule for now.
“Hmm, that should do it.”
“Thank you!”
“As far as the properties are concerned, I have some arrangements to make, so perhaps you can come back tomorrow to look at them?”
“Yes, I understand.”
It seems that things are going smoothly and we’ll be able to safely open up a shop. Although…we don’t have a property yet. Apparently, I’ll be getting a tour starting tomorrow, so I’m really looking forward to it now.
I turned to Ikuru behind me and gently gave him a peace sign, at which he smiled a little bit, as if to say “good for you.” Wait…isn’t his smile a rare thing…!?
Just as I had just finished, a knock sounded, and the woman from earlier came in with my guild card. I looked over it and saw that it said ‘Merchant’s Guild’ next to the part that said ‘Adventurer’s Guild.’ I thanked the woman and she lightly bowed and left the room.
“You are now a member of the Merchant’s Guild. If you need anything, you can rely on me.”
“Thank you…!”
“She’s so cool, I’d like to call her Sister…” (***T/N: the word used for sister here is ‘Anego’ which is like a cool way of saying elder sister or big sis. It doesn’t necessarily have to be used for an actual sibling, but can be used for someone you respect)
That line of dialogue, along with her long swept back honey orange hair…It’s something I’d like to hear from a boy I like. Although, I had always working, so I never had a boyfriend…
““Thank you.””
Ikuru and I thank her again and leave the Merchant’s Guild.
I also thank Alfred-san and Thia-chan as well, and even promised to ask them to come visit me once the shop was ready. Oh, I definitely have a smile growing on my face!
“Miss~!”
“…Kiruto!”
Just as we were leaving the merchant’s guild, I saw Kiruto coming out of the adventurer’s guild. Oh, I guess he had already finished training…that was fast…but then I noticed that the sky was slightly orange. It seems like I had been in the Merchant’s Guild for much longer than I thought I would have.
“Now’s a good time to go…Hinami, Ikuru. Why don’t we go to my favorite restaurant and have a bite to eat?”
“Wow, that sounds nice…”
As I take Alfred-san’s suggestion, Ikuru nodded his head as well to show his affirmation.
I had been nervous and didn’t realize it, but I was actually quite hungry…!
