Chapter 4

"Hmm, this is the new product? A new pen? It just looks like a plain ceramic stick to me."

"It's said to be the latest pen invented by Lord Chaos. It holds ink in the twisted grooves at the tip and writes with it. Well, the one here isn't bad to write with, but it's not great either. The high-end ones are much smoother and are quite useful, it seems."

"Is this the best Eustace's shop can offer, since it only deals with cheap items?"

"What a rude fellow, Mungrel! I'm here to serve the common people! Besides, this low-cost glass pen isn't something to be dismissed. I've already supplied dozens of them to the guild, and the number is increasing day by day. Considering the price, it's bound to spread widely in the world."

"It's not made of glass, yet it's called a glass pen?"

Right now, I'm visiting a general store in town. I came here to buy oil for equipment maintenance.

The store owner, Eustace, was unusually manning the shop, so I took the opportunity to browse the new products while shopping.

What caught my eye was this glass... glass? ceramic pen.

It looks exactly like a glass pen, but it's made of a material similar to ceramic.

The tip, with its many twisted grooves characteristic of a glass pen, is probably designed to write similarly. It seems the grooves are skillfully carved after firing. Quite impressive. At this point, the manufacturing process is completely different.

It would be better to change it from a glass pen to a ceramic pen.

"Only the highest-grade pens for the nobility are made with colored glass, but the name was given by the inventor, Lord Chaos. If you have any complaints, go find Lord Chaos and tell him."

"Mysterious inventor, Lord Chaos, huh."

Lord Chaos is an anonymous inventor who has been active for several years.

He has created many convenient tools, ranging from efficient farming tools, tools, office supplies, and household items to furniture designs. He is a versatile inventor who has released many practical and user-friendly products, earning him a high popularity among the common people.

Despite being an inventor, Lord Chaos is famous for not taking any patents and leaving the production and distribution of his inventions to workshops and trading companies.

He is a peculiar inventor who selflessly and anonymously spreads his ideas for free in various places, building a fortune that would normally be immense.

Actually, I am Lord Chaos.

"An inventor who sends new product ideas by letter without any prior notice. Thanks to Lord Chaos, many trading companies have risen to prominence. My shop is no exception. It used to be a much smaller store, but now I can hire several people. I owe it all to Lord Chaos."

"You're manning the shop yourself now."

"I've sent them on errands, leave it at that. ...Five years ago, the Hagari Trading Company was the dominant force in this town. No one would have imagined that the company would decline."

The Hagari Trading Company was a large organization that had a deep influence on the town's trade for several years.

However, due to its dominant position, it often engaged in harsh monopolies, and the prices of goods were often exorbitantly high.

When Lord Chaos appeared and spread the seeds of new products to other stores, things got chaotic.

Products that directly competed with the Hagari Trading Company's main products were continuously created, and the company quickly declined.

...I'm telling this story lightly, but for those who lived through it, it was a very bloody affair.

Those who made a profit and those who declined. When large sums of money are involved, people in this world can easily shed blood and die.

During the decline of the Hagari Trading Company, gang-like conflicts and bloody killings were not uncommon.

Eustace, who is now chatting with me, is one of the tough merchants who survived such bloody conflicts.

The business world is a harsh place.

...Well, I just think it's good for convenient tools to be widely available, so I don't get involved in the conflicts and it's easy for me!

Sending letters anonymously and leaving the rest to others. No royalties, but no risk either. Convenient tools are developed and distributed on their own, and all I have to do is buy them.

In fantasy novels, many protagonists work hard from development to mass production, but personally, I find such troublesome positions to be a pain.

Negotiating with merchants, working with craftsmen, and dealing with troubles when profits are made... Just thinking about it makes me uncomfortable.

So, I just leave it all to others. That's the way to go.

By letting go of the profits, development is faster, and once the products are on the market, I can just buy them.

The only downside is that the economy is booming, and the town is becoming too crowded. There's more trash on the streets, making it unhygienic. My workload increases. Sigh.

"Well, I'll buy one as a keepsake. Eustace, give me one of these."

"Sure thing. You're a good customer, Mungrel, always buying in the end."

"I just got some money, so it's a good time. Oh, right. Add some oil for sword maintenance. I came here to buy that."

"Sure, but the oil has slightly increased in price."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because the demand for ink has increased thanks to the glass pens. Well, if you want to blame someone, blame Lord Chaos."

"...It's a misplaced grudge. Fine, I'll buy it even at a higher price."

"Hahaha, anytime."

Inventor Lord Chaos.

His true identity is a mystery that everyone is trying to uncover.

Most people seem to think he is a noble with a hobby.

They wouldn't expect him to be an ordinary guild member like me.