Chapter 50

I have no money.

Even though I should have earned some recently, for some reason the amount of cash I have is not something I can show to others.

What kind of magic is this? Maybe it has something to do with the Great Harpy hanging on the wall of my room, but that’s probably thinking too much. Well, I won’t think about the cause.

But not having money is honestly troublesome.

It seems a magic shop is coming to Regal, and I need to prepare some money for that. I also want to buy fabric for clothes and materials for personal projects.

I do have some hidden funds, but I can’t touch them. Once you start dipping into your emergency funds, you’re done for. You have to be aware of the safe line you’ve drawn just before the red line, or you’ll easily fall into ruin...

So, since it’s spring, I thought I’d take on a good hunting quest.

“Ah... All the regions are already filled for the Crater Toad hunts.”

“Seriously? Even if it’s a bit far, is there any available, Mileine?”

“Well, I would have liked to introduce you, Mongrel, but after they were posted, all the parties rushed to take them, and they were gone in no time.”

The Crater Toad is a frog-like monster that appears near water in the spring. It’s not a “Greater” but a “Crater” Toad.

It has a height similar to a human and attacks with charges, kicks, and stomps. It’s a powerful monster, but like the Pike Hopper, it can be relatively easy to defeat if you avoid a frontal battle.

Its skin is covered with bumpy, crater-like warts that look hard, but swords can still penetrate and it’s actually quite soft.

The meat of its legs is light and quite delicious, and it’s enjoyed as a seasonal ingredient.

Occasionally, it attacks and swallows livestock whole, but it’s usually hunted by humans before it can cause much trouble, so it’s mostly treated as food. That’s why it’s popular among guild members.

...Hmm. It’s a profitable monster, and the secretion from the Crater Toad is a high-quality oil, so I wanted to stock up a bit... But I was too late. There are too many guild members. Well, it’s a good thing, but...

“Well, I guess I’ll have to sell something quickly to earn some money.”

“If a good mission comes in, I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks, Mileine. Your makeup looks beautiful today.”

“Hehe, it’s the same as always.”

Alright, time to leave.

Earning money isn’t limited to guild activities.

Even if I can do solo jobs that are usually done by groups, most of the jobs below Bronze are pretty low-paying.

If you want to save up some money for fun, it’s quite tough. In that sense, it’s better for guild members to climb to Silver as quickly as possible, but I’m a stubborn guy who doesn’t want to go to Silver, so I need to establish a way to earn money individually.

In my case, one of those methods is consignment sales.

“Hey, Mercurio, how’s business?”

“...Huh? Oh, it’s you, Mr. Mongrel. Business is moderate. Not great, not bad.”

I visited a street vendor at the Black Mist Market in Regal.

He has a rare, dull blonde hair and a scruffy beard, and he’s a gruff man about ten years older than me.

His name is Mercurio, a shady merchant who does business in the Black Mist Market of Regal.

“Ah, but the tools you entrusted to me sold pretty well, Mr. Mongrel.”

“Really?”

“All the fire starters sold. The low price helped, and the convenience spread. A similar guy came to the store for a few days in a row.”

“Seriously, that’s a relief. I needed the money.”

“Are you going to waste it again, Mr. Mongrel?”

“I don’t waste money. It’s all necessary expenses.”

“Is that so?”

Mercurio took some coins from his pocket with a sly smile.

“Here you go, 1660 jerry. If you sell more fire starters next time, you should raise the price.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem. I take a commission.”

The coins he handed me were the proceeds from the consignment sales I made.

Fire starters. They are primitive fire pistons made by carving wood and horns, and they seem to have caught some people’s interest.

A simple but mysterious item that ignites a spark using a rod and a cylinder. Since it’s not a military-grade item and not a developing technology, I sold it quickly, but... Is it still cheap? It’s a bit of a hassle to make, so maybe I’ll raise the price a little next time.

“So? Mr. Mongrel, you didn’t just come to collect the money, did you? You must have invented something weird again. Show me.”

Mercurio looked up at me with a playful glint in his eye.

This guy loves money, but more than that, he enjoys the business itself. He runs a street stall to sell items that no one else handles or items that seem to have no value, finding it fun to sell them to passersby. In other words, he’s a bit of an oddball.

Well, I brought a new product for this oddball today.

“Sure, Mercurio. Here’s the new product... Ta-da!”

“...What is it, Mr. Mongrel? This jagged board?”

“It’s a washboard I developed.”

“A washboard... I see, so you can wash clothes with these ridges.”

I handed him about eight boards. Honestly, they’re big, heavy, and take up a lot of space, so mass production isn’t practical.

A washboard is literally a board for washing clothes, with several V-shaped grooves on its surface.

You fill a tub with water and use the washboard to scrub the clothes. It’s a pretty simple tool, but it was invented around 1800, which shows how history can be unpredictable.

However, carving these grooves requires a special plane, so even if the idea existed, it probably wasn’t affordable for the average person.

Once you carve the first groove straight, you can use it as a guide and shave each segment with the special plane. Once you know how to do it, it’s pretty simple. Any decent shop in this era could probably make a counterfeit easily.

“Since you’re consigning it to me, you must have tried it, Mr. Mongrel. How does it feel to use?”

“Not bad. It’s three times easier than stomping or kneading with your hands or a stick.”

“Three times, that’s good. It sounds plausible.”

“By the way, when you wash, you do it like this... you rub and scrub like this...”

“Ah, I see, I see. I get it.”

I demonstrated with an air washboard. It’s important to show the right posture when selling, or it’s hard to pitch.

“Hmm... It might sell to inns and tanneries.”

“Tanneries, ah, I see...?”

“Well, most shops won’t have exactly the same thing, but they might have something similar. It’s hard to say if it will sell.”

“How much would you sell it for, Mercurio?”

Mercurio stroked his scruffy beard.

“Hmm... It’s not hard to make, but getting the smoothness right might be a bit of a hassle... It’s not something that will sell in large quantities. How about 500 jerry per board?”

“500... Isn’t that a bit high? It’s just a board.”

“Then how about 450? I can sell it well. If it catches on, more customers might come.”

“I’ll bring more if I have the time. But I also have guild work, and it’s hard to prepare the boards.”

“If it sells well, I can get the boards. ...But this invention is surprisingly normal for you, Mr. Mongrel. I’d like to see something more crazy like your early inventions.”

What does he mean by “crazy”?

Is he talking about the ten-in-one knife I had made by a blacksmith and an engraver, which ended up with the screwdrivers and can opener being completely useless due to my brain-dead order?

“Yeah, that was funny... I made eight of them, but only one has sold so far. What do I do, Mr. Mongrel?”

“Well, that’s you... It was 100 years ahead of its time. People will realize its greatness someday...”

“Do you still carry that knife, Mr. Mongrel?”

“No, not at all.”

“It doesn’t seem like the time will come.”

Yeah, probably not, Mercurio. You see it that way too, huh? I think so too.

Why did I produce them without thinking back then...

“Ah, right, Mr. Mongrel. There’s apparently an invention fair for inventors in the noble district every month. Are you going to participate?”

“The noble district? I don’t want to. It’s probably just a noble’s hobby.”

“Well, it seems to be. Probably to expose that Chaos guy. But if you catch the eye of a noble, you might become a sponsored inventor.”

Chaos is quite popular. He’s so popular with the nobles that it’s a problem.

But I can’t show my face at the office...

“I’m fine as long as I get a lot of money. I don’t want to deal with nobles or anything. It’s too much trouble.”

“Hahaha, Mr. Mongrel, you’re already expecting to be sponsored before you even participate.”

“Of course. If I participate in an invention fair, everyone else will be pitiful.”

“Indeed. Hehehe, it will be a disaster if the King of Inventions, Mr. Mongrel, participates.”

The noble district is trying hard, but a big exposure is a bit much.

The Count of Regal himself is probably... well, a decent person, but...

“Well, bring something if you make it, Mr. Mongrel.”

“Sure. You work hard too. I’m counting on you to sell the knives.”

“Haha, don’t ask for too much.”

I’ve set up a bit of extra income and a foundation for the next one.

...Fire pistons and washboards. They’ll make me some money if I make them, but... Looking at the money I’ve earned, it’s quite a hassle.

I wish someone would just copy and spread these things. Surprisingly, such products don’t often become a trend...