Chapter 15

First, I headed for the main street.

I had already taken a cursory look at the main street in front of the inn, so this time I decided to walk and look at the stalls at the round square at the end and the main street that turns at a right angle from there.

The stalls are quite interesting.

The round square, which is probably the central square, has a row of sunshades along its outer circumference. Various goods are lined up in the shade.

There seem to be many shops selling pottery. There were pots, cups, plates, something that looked like a pot, and something that looked like a teapot.

Since there were many shops selling pots, they might also be selling the contents, but I haven't confirmed that.

The two items I was looking for were also sold in this street of stalls.

They were conveniently located next to each other.

I also walked around the main street just in case, but the prices seemed too high, so I came back to the stalls.

Most places don't have price tags, so it might be the opposite, but there's no way to confirm. However, by looking at the people entering and leaving the stores, the stalls don't seem to be more expensive.

...That is, if I don't get ripped off.

"Hey, it's hot today, isn't it?"

I stood in front of the store as friendly as possible.

The shop owner, who was drinking water while sitting cross-legged, looked up. This person had an Arab-like face but had bright green hair, which was a bit shocking.

Like an old lady in NEST.

"Yeah, if it suddenly gets cold, it would be a sign of a natural disaster. If the land is hot as the gods have decided, we just have to follow it."

"Indeed, a wise saying."

I was surprised by his more intellectual response than I expected.

"...Your shoes are unusual, but they don't seem to fit this land. How much is your budget?"

The items in his shop were mainly sandals and leather shoes.

The leather shoes were not the kind that go with a suit like mine, but rather a boot type that wraps around the foot like a leather bag.

They looked sturdy.

"Do you not have price tags?"

"...I change the price based on the person."

Too honest!

"I see, please be gentle. What are these sandals made of?"

I picked up the sandals in front of me. Most people walking around town were wearing these sandals, so they must be the best-selling item.

"They are made by layering the bark of a large tree that floats down the river and solidifying it with tree sap. They are very durable and can last for years. They are far superior to your bottomless shoes. I'll give you a big discount for 3000 yen."

Hey, that's a bit much to look at someone's feet.

Also, the leather is plant-based, not animal-based, which was a bit surprising.

"That's a wonderful item. Indeed, it's no wonder everyone in town is wearing them. It's good to see that everyone has a warm heart."

Considering that many people in the town walk barefoot, it's hard to imagine that people in this world would pay 3000 yen... 3 silver coins for sandals. At best, they might pay around 1000 yen.

"2500 yen is fine."

"That's a bit of a steep price."

To be honest, I don't really intend to buy these sandals.

I'd prefer the short boots. The roads in this world are too harsh for Japanese.

However, considering that I have 5549 yen left, I might have to settle for sandals for now.

The boots are unlikely to be less than 5000 yen.

Depending on the price of the sandals, I might end up buying the leather shoes from the shop for 3780 yen.

If I go to the merchant guild in these old leather shoes, I'll be looked down upon. Shoes are absolutely necessary.

"The sandals seem to be a high-end item, but the price might be low considering the labor involved."

The shop owner's eyes seemed to gleam.

"I like people who understand the value of things, what's your shoe size...?"

"Then, these boots, which seem to require a similar amount of labor, should also be 2500 yen, right?"

I gave him a top-notch sales smile. The shop owner's eyes widened and he stopped.

"These sandals require a lot of work, and the boots, which are just sewn together, might be even cheaper. How about 2000 yen for these boots?"

"Don't be ridiculous. In which world would someone sell these leather boots for less than 20,000 yen? These are high-quality leather boots made from durable buffalo skin."

I see, the boots start at 20,000 yen. Maybe I can negotiate down to around 14,000 yen?

In any case, I can't afford the boots, so I'll settle for the sandals.

"Ah, the boots are indeed better. But at that price, they won't sell easily. If you don't have a product that sells well at a reasonable price, it won't go well... Ah, maybe these sandals are a good deal. How about 800 yen for today's meal?"

"No way. 1500 is the limit."

"No, no, it will be difficult to sell many at that price. I'll help with the sales, so how about 850 yen?"

"Don't push it. 1400."

The shop owner looked displeased.

"...950."

"1350, that's it."

I sighed in response to the shop owner's glare.

"Let's settle for 1300."

"Hmph, you're a tough one. Show me your feet."

"Thank you."

I don't know what the fair price was, but considering my remaining money, this was the limit.

Remaining: 4249 yen.

I hope I wasn't overcharged...

The shop owner reached for my feet, and as I tried to take off my shoes, the sole fell out.

"...I should have asked for more."

The shop owner muttered with a sigh.

"I might come back soon. Are you always here for business?"

"I'm always here. I leave the city during the rainy season to buy supplies."

"When is the rainy season?"

"It's still a long way off."

"Then it's fine."

When I nodded, the shop owner said in a bored tone.

"All traveling merchants say the same thing. I'll wait without expecting anything."

"Please expect it."

If my business doesn't go well in the next few days, my life will be over.

I'm used to being poor, but I don't want to go back to my old life.

"Well..."

I changed into the sandals, still holding my old shoes, and moved to the next stall.

"I don't want to waste time, so it would be helpful if you could sell at a fair price."

I gave a smile to the shop owner, who had been watching our exchange, and he nodded.

This should be less troublesome.

I bought a sturdy jute bag, similar to the one Hagg had, for 1000 yen.

Remaining: 3249 yen.

I can't afford to fail.

I stepped onto the main street with determination.

---

The port was even more impressive than I imagined.

The first thing I saw was a huge sailboat.

Next were the cargo unloading machines.

The machines were wooden and operated by human power, but they were large-scale, combining the principles of levers and pulleys. Sunburned men with bare upper bodies moved them in unison.

Large wooden boxes and barrels were being unloaded, and strong men with spears were guarding the cargo.

Next to them, men in ethnic clothing, who were probably merchants, were writing something on what looked like drawing boards and pointing at the cargo.

There was a vitality there that I didn't see on the main street. This atmosphere wasn't bad.

The merchant guild was built in a prime location overlooking the scene. Horse-drawn carriages were constantly leaving the unloading area with cargo.

But upon closer inspection, the bustling activity was only in one corner, while the other merchant guilds seemed deserted.

The Veriello Merchant Guild.

It was completely in Japanese.

The sign had a hawk emblem as the main feature, and the text seemed like an afterthought.

No matter how many times I looked, it was clearly written in katakana and kanji.

I wish someone would explain why everyone speaks Japanese.

Would the mysterious, emotionless voice answer?

...It doesn't seem to.

The door to the guild was wide open, and there was a counter inside. Several people in travel attire were negotiating at the counter.

It seemed that I could bring my goods directly without being turned away.

I put on my tie and suit in the shadows.

It was silly to wear this in the heat, but this was my battle gear. Despite almost getting heatstroke in the heat island multiple times, I continued to wear it.

I can overcome this with determination!

I took a deep breath and slowly entered the guild.

The inside of the building was cooler than I expected. Perhaps the high ceiling and sea breeze coming in through the windows made it so.

It seemed that the air conditioner, a treasure of humanity, did not exist in this world. There might not be electricity in this world... I changed my mindset and approached the man at the counter with a sales smile.

"Hello, it's hot today, isn't it?"

The man had brown skin and was of a race close to black. I thought the guild would be full of non-human bipeds, as I often saw them shopping in the town, but most of the people were human like me. There were many brown-skinned people in my original world, so I was a bit disappointed.

Incidentally, the brown-skinned man in front of me was wearing a thin, light brown, casual short-sleeved shirt. It looked cool.

"...An accountant...?"

He muttered.

"Huh?"

Why did he suddenly say accountant?

"That's a pair of glasses. Not many people wear such valuable items."

Ah, he reacted to the glasses. So they are rare here, glasses girls.

"No, I'm a traveling merchant. I have something I'd like to sell to you today, so I came here."

The brown-skinned man gave me a puzzled look for a moment and then said, "I see. Wait a moment," and went to the back.

The inside of the guild was much larger than it seemed from the outside.

It looked small from the outside, but it was probably due to the perspective distortion from seeing the large sailboats and machines.

There were four square tables, and negotiations were ongoing at two of them. The man in travel attire I saw from outside was also at one of the tables.

There were potted plants between the tables, giving a bit of a modern office feel.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I heard you have something to sell."

I turned around to see a red-haired woman standing there.

This was my first encounter with Chelina Veriello, the <Red Lock>.