Chapter 16

I entered the daily ranking at 7th place!

It’s my lucky number!

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"Oh, I recognize your face from this morning."

I was surprised when she said that as her first line after I turned around. She smiled when she saw my reaction.

"Anyone would remember someone carrying such a rare item. ... Please, have a seat."

"Thank you."

From the start, she had the upper hand.

I didn’t expect her to remember my face.

I wasn’t even staring at them in the morning; I was just glancing sideways and mostly listening.

...No, to her, I must have seemed like a foreigner.

I was also wearing glasses, which were probably valuable. My white shirt might have stood out too.

Given this, it was difficult to take the initiative.

I had to try to regain some control.

When we sat across from each other, I could clearly see her beautiful face.

Her skin was smooth and radiant, and her fiery red hair was lustrous.

Her enormous breasts defied gravity, pointing towards the sky.

Every aspect of her was top-notch.

That’s why I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.

The more beautiful and female the opponent, the less you should trust them.

"No, this is the first time I’ve seen such a beautiful woman in this country. I caught a glimpse of you this morning, but seeing you again, you are truly beautiful. Oh, I’m sorry, let me introduce myself first. My name is Akira."

I started with a jab.

I could easily say such a cheesy line because I wasn’t actually interested in women here.

I didn’t give my last name because I heard that in Hagg, those who have last names are mostly nobles, royalty, or powerful merchants. The situation varies by region, but that’s what I heard.

"You’re quite skilled. My name is Chelina Veriello. I’m the temporary head of this chamber of commerce."

The jab was deflected easily.

"Wow, that’s impressive for someone so young. To have both intelligence and beauty is enviable."

I made a grand gesture and jabbed again.

"Oh, most people would scold a woman for being a merchant, calling it an overstepping and shameless act, wouldn’t they?"

She jabbed back.

"That’s a bit of an overstatement, suggesting that women belong in the home and should be protected. Don’t worry, it means you’re loved."

"Well, that’s a pleasant surprise, Mr. Akira. In your country, do women have prominent roles?"

She feinted, but I deliberately went along with it.

"Yes, while we’re not quite at gender equality, and it’s still a male-dominated society, there are many opportunities for women to excel. For example, the head of the product development department I used to work in was a woman."

Now, how will she respond?

"That’s... an impressive story. I’ve never heard of such a thing. Which country are you from?"

"It’s a country called Japan. Have you heard of it?"

I got into this flow more easily than I expected.

"No, I haven’t. As a merchant, I’m familiar with most countries on the continent, but... "

"Then it seems I must have drifted here from outside the continent."

"What do you mean?"

Here, I told the cover story I had prepared. The content was not much different from what I had told Hagg.

I had set out to sea on a ship, which sank, and I ended up in this country. Fortunately, I still had some money and goods with me.

That was the story.

"That’s unfortunate. However, maritime travel is always dangerous, especially in the Western Midal Sea, which is one of the most treacherous. You should be grateful to be alive."

"Indeed. Now, I’d like to change the subject and show you something..."

I reached into the bag I had bought and took out a single PET bottle from the container without showing it. I placed it on the table, and Chelina leaned in to look at it.

"It’s a bottle, right?"

"No, it’s called a PET bottle. Please take it. Unlike glass, it’s light and won’t break."

Chelina took it, first handling it as if it were an antique, then as if it were delicate glass, and finally squeezing it hard, her eyes widening at its elasticity.

"What material is it made of?"

"That’s a trade secret. Oh, you can handle it more roughly. ... Like this."

"Ah!"

I took the PET bottle from her hand, let go of it, and dropped it on the floor. The water-filled PET bottle hit the ground with a dull thud, bounced once, and rolled.

"Of course, if you drop it with more force, it might tear, but it won’t shatter like glass."

"It’s scratched."

I picked up the PET bottle and placed it in front of her, but the red-haired woman pointed to a scratch on the bottom.

"It’s more prone to scratches than glass, but it won’t tear from something like that. It’s light, durable, and completely waterproof. It’s transparent, so you can easily see how much is left, and it has a cap for easy opening and closing. The contents are just water. I thought it would be easy to understand. Please pour it out and feel how light it is."

Chelina snapped her fingers, and the dark-skinned man who had greeted us earlier rushed over. She instructed him to bring a container, and he immediately complied. I wished I could show this speed to my former subordinates. Well, they all quit soon after joining, so I was always the one running errands.

"Very good water. It’s like rainwater."

"Is water hard to come by in this area?"

"This country is along a major river, so water is available, but it’s always muddy. It’s hard to get clean water unless it’s the rainy season. Have you seen the River Liber?"

I see. So clear water itself is valuable. I still can’t shake my Japanese perspective.

"Yes, I entered the city through the northern gate surrounded by the city walls, but I only saw the sea. Where is the River Liber?"

"It runs along the south of the town. It’s a massive river, so wide you can’t see the other side. It’s muddy, but the view is grand. I recommend you see it."

"If this negotiation goes well, I’ll visit it."

"Well, what if it doesn’t go well?"

"Then I’ll go to the river and cry."

She stopped for a moment, her red eyes fixed on me, then slowly burst into laughter.

"Alright, how many of these PET bottles can you prepare, and at what price can you supply them?"

Her smile quickly turned into a businesslike expression. She’s a formidable woman.

Hagg had estimated that if I sold the PET bottles to merchants for about 3,000 yen each, the selling price would be around 7,000 yen. So, I’ll start with...

"I have 30 bottles in total. I’m thinking of 7,000 yen per bottle."

Thirty bottles was a number I had decided on from the beginning.

I don’t know the limit of the SHOP, but it feels like I could buy as many as I want if I had the money. If I wanted, I could sell them infinitely. However, I wanted to create a sense of exclusivity, and I wasn’t sure if PET bottles would be accepted. Even if I disguised the burlap bag as an item bag, it would look unnatural to keep pulling out bottles one after another.

If I sold 30 bottles at 3,000 yen each, I would get 90,000 yen. That would provide me with funds for the time being.

During that time, I could rethink my approach in this country and how to do business.

It would be strange for a shipwrecked person to have a large number of rare items.

If I made some money here, it might be better to move to another town and pretend to be a traveling merchant to avoid suspicion.

There might not be a church in every town.

While she was thinking, I considered all this. So, I didn’t understand her next words at first.

"Alright, I’ll buy all 30 bottles. Would you prefer silver coins? Or gold coins or True Radiant Gold Coins?"

"Huh?"

I must have sounded incredibly surprised.

She agreed without any negotiation, almost immediately.

She had thought for less than five seconds.

"Ah, thank you."

That was all I could manage, extending my hand. Chelina shook it.

[Your Divine Level has increased to 5]

[Your Container capacity is now 30]

Wow, it increased by two levels at once.

It seems the container capacity increases by 5 for each level.

Chelina called the man again and had him bring something. The wooden box he brought was filled with silver and gold coins.

"That would be 210 silver coins, or 21 gold coins. It’s difficult to exchange coins here, but it would be 1 True Radiant Gold Coin and 1 gold coin."

It seems there are various types of coins, but why isn’t there a coin equivalent to 100 yen?

"I’ll take gold coins, please."

"Alright."

I started taking out the PET bottles one by one.

"I’m not used to handling the item bag yet..."

"I understand, it’s difficult at first."

Finally, I took out all 30 empty PET bottles, and she handed me the gold coins and a small bag.

"Please check. The small bag is a free gift. So..."

I was examining the edge of the gold coins with my fingernail when I looked up.

[Small Hemp Bag = 420 yen]

"If you have any more items to sell, please visit our Veriello Chamber of Commerce."

She was a scary woman.