CH 24

Episode 24 – An Extraordinary Sum 

After I made two laps around the store, examining the goods the whole time, the shopkeeper finally returned from the back room. It took her about 40 minutes to finish appraising the goods, but not a single customer came during that time. While heading to the counter, I was wondering to myself how this store could afford to pay for all the goods it had in inventory with so few customers visiting.

“Thanks for waiting. I’ve finished with the assessment.” (Shopkeeper)

The shopkeeper placed my herbs back on the counter. Somehow, the herbs that I had previously sorted were now arranged on the counter into even finer categorizations.

“This is the total assessed value I arrived at. In regards to the poisonous plants, my store doesn’t deal with them so I can’t purchase them from you. Sorry about that, even though it seemed like you brought some high quality ones.” (Shopkeeper)

“No, it’s okay…Huh?”

The valuation amount written on the paper made my legs feel wobbly for a moment. The sum said 1 gold coin and 8 silver coins. The itemization breakdown said 84 Medical Herbs, 3 High-grade Medical Herbs, and 2 All-Herbs.

“Is it okay for you to buy it at this expensive of a price?” (Lewin)

“Yeah? I mean, I usually mark up the goods to 1.5 times the price I bought them at.”

“Umm… I don’t mean to be rude, but will it sell?”

That’s pretty crazy. If it were to be sold at 1.5 times the price, one High-grade Medical Herb would be sold for 3 silver coins. Even in the Healer’s Guild, there wasn’t such an outrageous pricing policy.

“It won’t sell immediately, but who knows? It might eventually. Well, I actually have a trick to selling, but that’s definitely a trade secret,” she asserted with a sunny smile. Judging from the expression on her face, she didn’t seem to be lying. Besides, there was no merit in her lying when she was the one buying from me at a higher price.

…I was curious, but it couldn’t be helped since it was a trade secret. There was no way she would tell me.

“It’s a little concerning, but if you insist that you won’t end up in a deficit, please buy it for this amount!” With vigorous gratitude, I bowed so deeply that my head was nearly touching the ground. I was glad from the bottom of my heart that I ended up choosing this shop, which ended up offering such a fair price.

“Seeing you so delighted makes me feel good too. Well then, here 1 gold coin and 8 silver coins for the purchase.” (Shopkeeper)

“Thank you very much!!” (Lewin)

For the first time, I had genuine money in my hands as a result of my efforts. Well, technically there was the money I earned from working in the Healer’s Guild, but this was a different situation altogether. At that time, my living expenses were deducted from my wages, and I was so busy that I never even had time to count the amount of money I received. From thinking up ways to earn money to achieving that through my own endeavors, the joy that I felt from the actualization of these goals was truly wonderful.

“Likewise. Could you please tell me your name? I want to remember your name for the next time you come to sell me your goods.” (Shopkeeper)

“….My name is Lewin Jade.”

For a second, it crossed my mind that, to be safe, I should probably use a fake name. However, in the end the feeling that I didn’t want to lie to such a good person won out, so I told her my real name. I was aware that Elf’s Tears had a connection with the Healer’s Guild, since I was that very point of contact in the past. I knew that there was the possibility that I could be banned from coming to this shop in the future, and I could even potentially miss out on the offer we agreed on just now. However, I strongly felt that I didn’t want to get used to telling lies.

“Lewin, huh. I will rememb– huh? Lewin Jade, right?” (Shopkeeper)

“Yes, that’s correct.” (Lewin)

“So you’re that Lewin Jade, huh? Until two days ago, you were the most famous person in the whole city, you know?” (Shopkeeper)

“So you heard what happened? I’m sorry I didn’t say anything about it when I came in.” (Lewin)

“No no, don’t worry about it. It’s alright. Actually, I seriously detest the Branch Chief of the Healer’s Guild. I can’t really say that I’m your friend just yet, but… I’m definitely leaning towards your side.” (Shopkeeper)

“But, if the Healer’s Guild finds out that I’ve been frequenting this store, won’t they stop purchasing herbs from you wholesale?”

“You don’t need to worry about that point. Brandon was only spreading rumors to stores prohibiting them from hiring someone named Lewin Jade. He won’t find fault with any stores for doing business or interacting with you. Plus, I can get along just fine without doing wholesale business with the Healer’s Guild. It’s a fairly troublesome connection to have, so I only resort to doing wholesale business with them if it’s a last resort.”

After this grandma’s words, I felt somewhat relieved. Of the people who knew the entire situation, this person was the first who could be a potential ally. Of course, the [Azure Alliance] were my friends and allies, but I hadn’t really explained my circumstances to them.