Novel Bin Chapter 19
Valetta, Lodurr and the others had also begun preparations for departure just like the other surrounding people . The one who were still sleeping while blanketed in mantles were just Kazura and Myra . Sometimes, mixed with hustle and bustle were voices that screamed 「My luggage is gone!」, from that it can be surmised that a thief had appeared last night . Valetta, who seen that Kazura had opened his eyes, said “good morning” and smiled to him . 「Good morning . . . . . Do you want to go out to the City?」(Kaz) 「Yes . The merchants in the city will soon open their business, so I think we should go to sell the goods that we have brought . 」 The goods that they had brought were firewood and Arcadian Bugs . Kazura didn’t know how much about the value of the firewood, but Valetta had said that Arcadian Bug is a high class ingredients . There was also the Almar’s fur that Lodurr had hunted, so they would get quite a lot of money . However, Kazura didn’t know how currency worked in this world, so he also can’t deduce at what price the goods will sell . 「Heh . . . The shops will open this early in the morning? . . . . . . About the firewood, will it be purchased by a specialty store[1]?」 「No . Since firewood is needed by everyone, it can be sold to every kind of store . Arcadian Bug will be sold to Groceries, while I think we will sell the Almar’s fur to a Tailor . 」 「FumufumuHmmHmm, I see, so the shop will only buy things that they need . 」 While Kazura and Valetta are conversing with each other, Myra who had been woken up by Tana opened her eyes and began to put on her clothes . Without complaining “I still sleepy”, she quickly finished her preparations . She was quite robust, different from Japan’s children that Kazura knew . Seeing Myra like that, Kazura also put his mantle on his body in a hurry, and put the rack that packed with firewood to his back . ✦✧✦✧ The party departed from the lodging and walked at the main street that was already packed with pedestrian traffic . They then arrived at the area where a lot of shops lined up . At the center of the Shopping Area was a large circle plaza . Surrounding the plaza were numerous kind of shop buildings . At the plaza that had a diameter of 50 meters, were carts that were parked while their goods were unloaded under a canopy they installed . Among these carts were food stalls that already start their business . [2]The plaza was crowded with a lot of people some shops were even getting packed out with people . The shops inside the plaza were divided into section, to some extent . Like, these shops sell foods, these shops sell clothes, and so on . The shops that sell goods of the same categories were grouped together . 「Well then . Let’s sell the firewood first . . . . . Kazura-san, is something wrong?」(Val) Valetta asked Kazura who stare at the plaza . Since yesterday he had been captivated by the scenery he saw . For you see, the scenery that only can be seen inside the films with historical genre, was now existed in front of his eyes . Shops that sell food that he had never seen before, shops that sell genuine sword or spears, and many other shops, to see these many kinds of things for the first time in his life, Kazura was absolutely deeply moved by it . 「Eh? Ah, I’m sorry . I never imagined that a Commerce Area will be this impressive, so I become completely fascinated by it . . . . . 」 Beside Kazura was Myra who eyes were shining and shuffling her gaze restlessly on the multitude of shop . Myra and Kazura was similar to each other; their first time seeing this spectacle left a deep impression in them . 「Fufu, there are many Shopping Area that are similar to this place in the city . If we go closer to the city center, there are Shopping Areas that deal with high-class items . 」(Val) 「Fumufumu, so that means that this area mostly deal with commoners?」(Kaz) 「Yes . If we go to the city center we will arrive at the district where the affluent people live . 」 Apparently this city was structured like this . The rich people inhabit the city center, while the common people reside on separated area from the city center . If he remembered correctly, the houses that were built near the gate where he had passed before and the buildings that were built in this area had the same look . [3] 「Well then, shall we go to sell the firewood?」(Kaz) 「Yes, let’s go . 」(Val) For selling the firewood, the party went to the nearest shop . The two-stories shop building was made from stone, its big entrance had its door opened . The shops interior had a lot of big sheet of fabrics, straw footwear like Kazura’s group wore, and footwear from thick clothes were displayed to be sold . When the group entered the store, a middle aged man that might be the shop’s proprietor came out from the inside . 「WelcomeIrasshai . Are you searching for something?」 「No, we thought you may want to buy firewood from us, so we decided to stop by, but d you want some?」 [4] Valetta said that while picked up some firewood from the rack that Kazura carry and gave it to the shopkeeper . The shopkeeper seemed to measure the weight of the firewood in his hand, and then nodding his head several times as if he was satisfied with something . 「Fumu . . . . . . This is quite good quality firewood . How much do you want to sell this?」 「How about 80 Ar[5] sounds to you?」 Valetta answered to the shopkeeper who questioned the price of the firewood that Kazura carried . After he heard her answer, he was taken aback for a moment before making an exaggerated laughs . 「Ojou-sanLady/Miss[6] that price is way too high . The market price for these firewood is, at most, only 50 Ar . 」 「Is that right? Then in that case, should I go to another place?」
Valetta said it as if she was going to leave the store, then . . . 「Wait, I’ll buy it at 55 Ar . Really, Ojou-san is good at business . 」 The shopkeeper stopped her while smiling bitterly and raised both of his hand in what can be called surrender pose . 「It’s too cheap . I can only reduce the price to 70 Ar . It can’t go any lower than this . 」 Valetta stopped her feet that faced the store entrance, turned her face and smiled while offering 10 Ar discount . The shopkeeper made a hopeless expression as he had finished thinking with a little groan . 「60 . . . No, 62 Ar for the price . I can’t buy if it’s more than this . If you can’t accept this, you can try at another place . 」 Hearing the shopkeeper answer, Valetta put her hand on her mouth and made a thinking pose, then as if she had decide an answer, she opened her mouth . 「I am sorry . It looks like I need to try at another place . 」 Valetta apologized while showing a remorseful expression on her face . 「That’s fine . If there is no one who buys it, come to me, I will buy it at 62 Ar . You’re so skilled in this, do your best . 」 Valetta smiled . Valetta said her thanks to the shopkeeper, and walked out from the shop . ✦✧✦✧ 「Valetta-san is really skilled in this, since you have made a deal to sell the firewood for 62 Ar in that shop . 」(Lod) 「That’s true, I also need to learn from your example . 」(Tan) 「Waaa, I’m so nervous . . . . . . But, since I give him a little discount, I am afraid that he will find out that I am still inexperienced in negotiation . 」(Val) Lodurr and Tana congratulate Valetta who replied with a bitter smile . Kazura who had seen the price negotiation thought that it was indeed impressive, but did the professional merchant really saw through her concealed nervousness?Honestly, Kazura thought that he couldn’t negotiate price as well as what Valetta had showed . Though maybe it related to Valetta’s appearance, since Kazura is a male, it will be hopeless to expect the shop will respect him . 「What is the market price for this firewood?」 「For this size, it’s roughly about 60 Ar . Although the price will be higher in the winter, but since it’s currently summer so the price is only at that level . 」(Lod) Kazura asked while he point at the firewood that he was carrying . So, Lodurr, who fixed the position of the rack that he was carrying, answered to Kazura .
「Well then, we will go sell the firewood and the fur . Myra, come here . 」(Lod) 「Fatherotousan, can’t I go together with Kazura-sama?」 Myra, who without anyone seeing, put a Drop in her mouth and inflated her cheeks while she moved her eyes between Lodurr and Kazura . She quickly grasped Kazura’s mantle with her left hand . Stubbornly want to go together with him . Was she just tamed through being fed with a can of Sakuma Drops? In quite a short time she became considerably emotionally attached to Kazura . [7] . . . . . . Perhaps she thought that if she stay together with him, then she will receive something? [8] 「Ah, it’s not a problem for me . Since I will be watching her closely . 」 (Kaz) 「But . . . . 」 Maybe because they were worried it will be a burden for Kazura, Lodurr and Tana had an apologetic expression in their face . But after he saw the pleading expression of his daughter, who was clinging on Kazura’s mantle, Lodurr made a wry smile . 「Then, since we will return as soon as possible, until then I entrust her to Kazura-sama . 」 So Lodurr said while entrusting her daughter to Kazura . Everyone decided that the rendezvous point will be in front of this clothing shop . Lodurr and Tana then went to sell the goods and vanished from sight among the crowd of people . 「Then, we will also go and sell the goods . 」(other villagers) 「Yes, see you later . 」 Following Lodurr, the other villagers also vanished from sight among the human swarm, leaving Valetta, Kazura and Myra in front of the shop . The goods that they could sell are firewood and Arcadian Bugs, but they will sell the firewood first . Those 3 people then entered the neighboring store . ✦✧✦✧ One hour had passed . After they exited the tenth store, Valetta made a small sigh . To make sure Myra didn’t get lost, Kazura held her hand . 「Fuh, as expected it’s very hard to sell for more than 62 Ar . . . . . 」(Val) 「You’re right . . . . . Although there are place that could buy it for 61 Ar, but it’s hard to surpass 62 Ar . 」(Kaz) Just like what she did at the first store, Valetta skillfully negotiate the cost, however there are no store who want to buy it over the market price of 60 Ar . Although at first Myra had fun seeing the shops, she has now closed her mouth in silence . It seems that she was tired . Eventually, since if they keep searching for a place that will buy the firewood at a higher price it will interfere with the time to sell Arcadian Bugs, so they returned to the first shop to sell their firewood at that place .
Since the distance to that shop was only several tenths meters, they quickly reached the first shop . When those three enter the shop together, the shopkeeper came o meet and greet them with an expression as if saying: “What had I said?”[9] 「How is it? The other shop only buy it at most at 61 Ar, right?」 「Yes . . . . . I’m sorry, but will you buy it at 62 Ar?」 To Valetta sorry request, the Shopkeeper replied 「A-aah . Since I had promised, I will buy it . 」 He then took out 8 coins and gave them to Valetta . 「Six 10 Ar coins, and two 1 Ar coins . . . . . It’s the correct price . Thank you very much . 」 Kazura put down the rack and with Valetta help, unloaded the firewood from the rack and pile it on an open space inside the shop . ✦✧✦✧ 「Now we will sell the Arcadian Bugs . The grocery shop is on that direction . 」 The three people that had finished selling the firewood, without taking a break, went to the grocery store . In the area where the grocery store was located there were a lot of shops and people in there . In front of the shop there were wooden boards or stone slabs that described the price of the things that the shops sold . Since Kazura had just arrived in Isteria, he learned only some of the character of this world from Valetta; more or less he could read the numbers and could only read a small amount of the worm-like letters . [10] 「Emmm, Summer Potato, one for 5 Ar . . . . . . Huh? One potato is 5 Ar? That much firewood is only 60 Ar, and yet this potato is expensive . Is this potato a high class food?」 「No, this potato is the ordinary potato that can be harvested in the villages even in this time . . . . . . How could it become this expensive . . . . ?」 It appears that there is a food shortage that caused the price of food to suddenly rise steeply . [11]Kazura peeked at the inside of the store, the 5 Ar potato was displayed in the inside of a box, mingled with the other food . The potato length was about 10 cm, had a shape like sweet potato[12], and the diameter was only as big as a circle made from an index and a thumb . Even if you use all the money from selling firewood, you can only buy 12 potatoes, so it was a really steep price increase . Didn’t this mean that Arcadian Bugs would be sold at even higher price? With this expectation, they entered the shop, but the result from negotiation with the proprietress was that she only will buy 8 of them for 12 Ar . 「I’m sorry, there is only a small demand for Arcadian Bugs, unlike potatoes or legumes . If you go toward the city center then I think you can sell it for higher price . Why don’t you try it?」 「Is that so? . . . . . . . I understand, we will go and try it . Thank you very much . 」 Because they had come to Isteria from a faraway distance that took 2 days of walking, it’s better for them if they could sell the Arcadian Bugs for a high price . The three people went towards the closest Shopping Area in the City Center and left the plaza behind .