Chapter 2 Episode 20: Business Discussions (Part 2)
At any rate, I had to do something about Serge...
“Sorry, I have a bad habit of rattling on and on by myself sometimes... If I’ve made you feel uncomfortable, I apologize.”
“Oh, no no no! Not at all, not at all! I’m just a little surprised. Master Ryoma is only 11 years old, yet you keep coming up with such effective sounding ideas.”
Really?! ...Come to think of it, I was an 11-year-old child. Even if it was something simple, I suppose anyone would be surprised to see a child thinking about business strategies... There were parents that would wildly rejoice just to see their baby stand up. Normally no one would ask a baby to do the same things as an adult. Perhaps that was why I was seen so highly?
And they were less my ideas and more my interpretations of modern advertisement strategies... They were simple calculations full of flaws. Rather, didn’t they have discounts here?
“Umm, do people not do discounts normally?”
“There are discounts, but I haven’t heard of their use as a permanent tactic... Most are applied when merchants want to seem better to their customer, or when they want to make a quick sale. Discounting recklessly would only increase losses. Otherwise, they’re sometimes used to make annoying customers leave faster... or in some nastier stores, some merchants will set the product to an outrageous price and discount it to make it seem like a steal.”
He seemed to be saying that seriously...
“In this case, I would recommend that Master Ryoma registers at the Merchant’s Guild.”
“The Merchant’s Guild?”
“Yes. There’s a branch in this town as well, so you can register right away. Each kingdom has their own Merchant’s Guild that manages all the trade of the kingdom, from peddlers to stalls and carts. You must go through the guild to start a business.”
Eh?! Then...
“Then, was I about to do something illegal?”
“No no, the guild manages the trade of the kingdom, but that doesn’t mean it oversees everything. Remote villages can sell things to each other of their own accord, and you’re also permitted to sell medicinal herbs you gather to an apothecary. There’s no issue in children or adventurers doing jobs for compensation without going through the guild either. As long as it isn’t an extravagantly high price, it isn’t considered illegal, and there’s no problem as long as both parties agree. However, based on what you have said today, there is plenty of possibility you’ll be making quite an income. You may attract the guild’s attention for finding a new source of money.”
“That was close... Thank you, Mr. Serge.”
“Not at all, it seems like I had underestimated you, Master Ryoma. I never imagined you would have such a mind for business. I omitted information about registration, believing you were just making pocket change between your time doing adventurer work.”
No, it was exactly as you presumed. I hadn’t thought very far earlier... But for now I’d take him up on it.
“In that case, if I were to run a laundry service I should register with the guild. I’m already registered with the Adventurer’s Guild and Tamer’s Guild, would that be a problem?”
“Rest assured, I will put forth a recommendation for you when you register, so you won’t face any issues. Having people across different guilds brings in more information, so it’s actually welcomed. How would you like to go register tomorrow? I shall accompany you.”
“Tomorrow... I still have adventurer work, so I’ll only be back around the same time as today.”
“That is fine. There are always several employees staffed in the Merchant’s Guild, so registration can be completed at any time. For merchants, information is our livelihood. We need to be able to deliver information while it’s still fresh.”
A 24-hour business...?
“In that case, if it’s all right with you.”
“Why, of course!”
Whoa?!
“The laundry service you’ve formulated is a wonderful idea! It has the potential to bring in a large profit, no other merchants are yet to set their eyes on it, and it could create a stir among the business in this world! I, Serge Morgan, will gladly lend you what little power I have!”
He started giving some grand monologue?! I didn’t expect such a fuss... I was only hoping for a little extra pocket money...
“Th-Thank you very much. That’s most reassuring.”
“Your words are wasted on me. Now that it’s come to this, we must think about where to open your store.”
Store?! I hadn’t planned on doing anything at such a large scale, though!
“Hmm... That look on your face tells me you weren’t planning on doing anything so grand, am I correct?”
“Yes. I was only thinking of earning the minimum amount of money to survive, at most. That’s why a stall on a street corner would have been fine, or I could have gone around to each household myself. If I had a storefront, I wouldn’t be able to work as an adventurer.”
“I see. However, if it’s management of a store, you needn’t worry. I can lend you some of my store staff.”
No, that wouldn’t work.
“Even if I had a store, leaving it to other people is a bit...”
When I said that, Serge gave a bitter laugh and said, “Hmm... I think I’m starting to understand what the Duke’s people were saying... Master Ryoma, there’s nothing untoward about leaving the management to others, you know?”
Huh?
“While it’s true that most people start their own stores by doing the management themselves, when you reach my level you may have many branches. In which case, it would be impossible for me to oversee all of the stores by myself. Ergo, I select subordinates I can trust, train them, and leave them in charge instead. What would be so strange about that?”
When he put it that way, he had a point... It was common in Japan for chain stores to have hired store managers that weren’t the owners either...
“True, there’s nothing strange about that.”
“That’s right. Furthermore, there are people in this world who are more suited for management, and people who are less suited. Rather than having someone unsuited force themselves to do it, it would be better for the store to simply hire someone suitable instead.”
“That I understand, too.”
“As for you, Master Ryoma... At this point in time, I cannot make a judgment yet. Your ideas and practical business mind makes you suitable for management in a way, but I don’t see you being able to size up your competitors. Your thoughts can be clearly read from your face.”
Was I really that obvious?!
“Considering your age, I’m sure you’re able to hide more than someone else that young would, but it wouldn’t work on any veteran merchant.”
“I see...”
I was fairly confident in my poker face in my past life too... Was it all just my imagination?
“Also, I am not lending you my personnel entirely out of my own goodwill either. Lord Reinhart ordered me to help you out if you ever came to me, and I also believe in the promise I see in you.”
“Promise... you see...?”
“Yes. Even without Lord Reinhart’s recommendation, I would have had my eye on you for inventing waterproof fabric and thread, as well as creating all those ingots at such a young age. On top of that, I can also expect today’s discussion to lead to great profits in the future. There is no way I could ignore this as a merchant. I want to be involved in any way possible, even if it were through paying for a bag of my own at your store. If you need opening funds, I’m also willing to invest in it.”
...If he’s willing to go that far, then I guess...? But still...
“What if you invest into the store and it fails?”
“It would be impossible to open a store while fearing failure. Even merchants with relatively large stores are burdened by some kind of risk or another. More than anything, I believe there is a high likelihood that your store will bring profits. Even in the case that it fails, you can simply repay the loss to me by making iron ingots and waterproof fabric and thread. Operation fees should be quite low if you’re leaving the cleaning to your slimes, so the damages won’t be as great. There’s a high chance of success, and there’s even a way to make up for failure. I can’t imagine any of the usual traps would apply here, so no real merchant would pass up this chance.”
I see. I certainly could make money if I made iron ingots...
“I understand. I shall lean on you for your assistance.”
“Do you now see things from my point of view?”
“Yes. However, I’ll hold back from accepting any financial investments for the time being. Fortunately, I have some funds from bandit bounties I earned in the past.”
“Then just the personnel?”
“Please. Also, if you could let me buy any miscellaneous items needed for a store at your shop, starting with the bags. I will bring ingots in when I have time, separate from this discussion. I was planning on making them in the first place, since I was left in charge of the mines.”
“Thank you. I hope good business comes to both of us in the future.”
Thus, with the conversation wrapped up, I purchased the bags from Serge and left the store.
■ ■ ■
After walking along the dark path back, I was met by a fuming Eliaria waiting at the inn.
“My lady...?”
“Ryoma, what were you doing out so late? I was worried...”
Eliaria’a fuming aura settled, and then she started crying. It seemed like after everything with the goblin king yesterday, she had been really worried.
My bad.
Accepting my fault, I silently listened to her scold me through her tears. Eventually, she was worn out by her own crying and anger and said she was going to bed, leaving me to watch her walk away with the maids.
“I’m very sorry for worrying you.”
“It’s all right now, it seems Elia has scolded you enough for it.”
“It’s true that we were worried, though.”
“Take more care next time.”
“Yes, I shall bear that in mind.”
“And? What were you doing out this late?”
I explained how the carriage broke down and I dropped by Serge’s shop when I was walking past.
“So you were at Serge’s, huh? And I see you’re already thinking about your new job.”
“I’ll probably be back late again tomorrow. I’m sorry, I know I was just scolded today...”
“As long as you let us know in advance, it’s fine. What are you doing tomorrow?”
“I’m going to register at the Merchant’s Guild with Mr. Serge. While we were discussing things, the scale grew larger and larger until it required registration at the guild.”
“What? Wasn’t it just an odd job to add to your living income?”
“That’s what I intended on at first, but I was talked into opening a store by Mr. Serge.”
“A store? Your discussion must have progressed quite a bit.”
“Mr. Serge said he could see a ‘prosperous future in store.’ The store attendants will also be provided by his shop.”
“To think Serge would say such high praise... So when will you open?”
He just asked about the opening date without batting an eye?! I expected more shock.
“There are still many things to decide about the store... But how come none of you are surprised that an 11-year-old child is saying they’ll open a store?”
“It’s not like there’s an age restriction to these things, after all. Children your age have stalls all the time, and many of them act as store attendants too.”
“While there aren’t any that can open their own store at 11, we are talking about you here.”
“You aren’t a regular child, after all. If Serge has given his stamp of approval, then it should be fine. But if anything happens, make sure you lean on us, okay? Don’t forget to contact us regularly.”
Was that really okay?
“I understand.”
After that, I returned to my room in a daze and finished letting the leftover slimes from yesterday’s split, forming contracts with them.
The updated slime count went like this:
Sticky Slime x907
Poison Slime x666
Acid Slime x666
Cleaner Slime x22
Scavenger Slime x3033
Healing Slime x2
Metal Slime x1
Slime x1
The number of sticky slimes had exceeded 900, nearly reaching 1000.
The poison slimes and acid slimes had reached the same number. But 666 was a little unlucky...
I was happy to see the cleaner slimes double in number. And the slimes seemed to be stronger, perhaps because of the goblin fight yesterday? Their physical attack resistance in big and huge slime form was good. But I had never imagined slimes could learn staff mastery and spear mastery or unarmed combat...
I’d thought of many things to teach them, but I didn’t expect the slimes to pick up these skills. I should try to teach them more things in the future...
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