Volume 3: Chapter 23 Surface Price
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"baa?"
"No, risa. The sheepkins don't like that term."
"Why?"
"It's the sound used by their animal counterparts. They also mention it unintentionally when they get agitated. It's an embarrassing verbal tic for them. They don't want to hear it from other people."
"I see."
"President, the gate for the town is in sight."

If trina is a bold aggressive proud person, risa is a very reserved one. She is the type that follows orders to the letter. At the same time though, she is very curious about the world.

It's not that she is ignorant about information. In fact, among the four of us, she knows more about the continent than us. The only thing she is clueless about are social customs and conventions.

I'm not sure what her background was but if I had to guess, it would be something like a hidden squad. They don't infiltrate via disguise but by blending in the shadows, unseen, unheard, and unknown. They have no need for social norms because they are not to be seen by the light of the day, or something like that.

Having a blind spot in their knowledge seems like a fatal weakness but I'm not a teacher for an espionage squad, so what do I know?

I'm really curious about what the actual story is but it seems like the kind of information that would get you killed. It's a good trait for a boss not to be too nosy about their employees private life, I will put forth that excuse to avoid being on some hitlist. I just have to make sure that their private lives don't affect business.

"Risa, you are good at information gathering, right?"
"Yes."
"I see, can you see if you can find any useful information for us in the next town?"
"Useful information?"
"Any recent news is good. If there is any news that isn't widely known it would be best. Ah, if you need to enter some dangerous area for the news then please don't. I only need public news, something that only officials know is too dangerous for us to know."
"Understood."
"Good, you can start once we pick out an inn. Please return before nightfall. I don't want to make you work too hard."
"No problem!"

No, you probably can work a few days nonstop if possible. I don't doubt your abilities, I just don't want to pay for any additional overtime.

Your contract isn't an hourly wage one but I will feel guilty if I make you work beyond necessary without proper pay.

"Take over the reins for a bit. I'll go and talk to hops for a bit. Is the path safe?"
"The area is secure. Bandits won't appear near the town because it could invite the guards to come after them."
"I know, I just want to be sure. You never know if a bold bandit who has the ambition to rule the continent could pop up."

That or a reckless idiot who thinks they could take everyone on. Also, although the chances are low, I am sure something like that would happen eventually. Pickpockets do operate in public, I don't see how a quick bandit group would just crash and grab supplies from merchant groups.

"Hops!"
"Oh, turtle boss. Did something happen in front?"
"The next town is in sight. I want to find an inn first. Risa will be doing a side mission right after."
"A side mission?"
"It's not something dangerous. It's just a little information gathering. The same thing that you have been doing before."
"Hmm, ok. She does have the skill for it. I'll be taking care of the supplies for the journey to the next town. Trina will guard you during the sale of our goods. Is that ok?"
"That's fine."

Even hops is still not confident enough to entrust money to the new employees. Things have been going smoothly but they are still too new.

I really appreciate it, especially since we still don't have the financial leeway.

 

 

"Take care out there, don't lose the money and we will meet up at the inn."
"Yes, boss!"
"Yes, turtle boss!"
"Alright, go!"

Now then, I don't have much to sell in this town. The whole point of this town is to maximise the profit of the furniture.

"Do we have a supplier?"
"Hahaha, Of course not. We will visit a few different workshops to buy some samples."
"That would set us back a few coins. Who will modify the furniture?"
"I'll do it until we find a reliable crafter. We can't afford to hire one right now."

There isn't that much furniture that we could haul. I would have to put in overtime but unlike the rest of my employees, stamina is not a problem for me! However, once we increased the amount, we would need to commission the order to some workshop.

"In that case, shall I purchase the samples while you buy the necessary tools?"
"Is it possible to only see the samples? Don't they have a showroom of their designs? Maybe some kind of store where we can window shop?"
"There are public stores but the quality of the items they have on display is very bad. If we use those, we won't be able to guarantee if it will last. Having merchandise that breaks easily is never a good thing. Also, the items they might have may be brought in from other towns. It would be better to go directly to the makers."
"That's true, it would be cheaper if we don't go through the store mark up."

Prices on the farms and factories are cheaper compared to supermarkets in my previous world because of delivery and packaging prices. If people go to them, they could clearly cut out the need to pay for transportation. The stores also need to raise the price for profit for themselves.

However, in this world, the merchants take care of transportation and they themselves are the stores. It would be a bit different for those that have a local store but all of the profit is received by the merchants. Also, the same as my previous world, it will always be cheaper to go to the source.

Not every factory is open to the public but it cannot stop us. We are merchants, we are a good way for their products to be known across the land. Even if we aren't well known, we will always buy things in bulk. They will not turn down an easy way to make a profit like this!

Chair - A chair made of wood.
3 silver coins and 49 copper coins
Fur Lined Chair - A wooden chair with fur lining.
5 silver coins and 89 copper coins.

We went through a few locations and these are the best chairs we could find. There are also tables and recliners but I got them from a different workshop.

These are the best from the samples that we received. The price was decent too. There are better looking ones but the price was a bit out of my budget.

However, I found a few things about my skill. The price drastically changes when it is processed. My skill only appraises the surface value.

If I find a broken artefact, I can only see the price of a broken artefact. It looks like my plan to hunt for bargains is almost impossible.

It is still useful to identify items but unless I have the knowledge to repair the said item, or know of a way to enhance the item, I won't be able to turn a profit from flea markets.

"Turtle boss, are we going to enter a contract with them?"
"We are still testing the waters for this product. We don't even have a market yet. We don't enter any contract until we find a suitable market for it. For now, please fill half of our cargo with these furniture. I'll have to think about the rest of the cargo later. We just arrived, we have time to decide."
"Yes, sir!"

Information is a great tool in all kinds of vocations. I'll wait until risa returns before deciding on what other merchandise to take with us.

Our profits are still going up but at the rate we are going it is going to be a long uphill climb for us to upgrade our merchant group. I need to find a way to expand my business faster.

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