Chapter 46

The town of Volare. It is long from east to west, and its specialty is salted fish. There is a large lake on the east side, and mountains on the west. The mountains are very high. You can eat fish. Yay!

"Hmm, hmm. Short-term accommodation for adventurers, you say. I think there might be a demand for that?"

We were caught by an old man at the commercial guild.

Yesterday, we were tired from various events, so we stayed at an inn. It was noisy, so we decided to rent a house.

"Well, that's a bit of a problem. Hasn't there been such a request before?"

"I don't know. I think short-term contracts, like daily or weekly, are quite rare."

"Yeah, that's probably true."

After all, staying at an inn is enough. There are cheap inns and luxury inns, and basically, you just sleep. There's no reason to rent a house and do everything yourself, except for us.

"Wouldn't people rent if it's cheap?"

Kokushin says, but people who are frugal tend to camp.

"Well, maybe there would be a demand if the price is between cheap and luxury inns."

Adventurers love to drink and party. However, there are those who can't drink due to their constitution or prefer a quiet drink. High-ranking adventurers, who have more money, might have such options. After all, high-ranking adventurers don't take missions every day. They sometimes take vacations for a few days to a few weeks.

"Then there's the issue of security."

The old man is nodding and taking notes. Is he planning to start a new real estate department?

"It's good to use vacant houses, but some people might feel uneasy about neighbors who are armed and come and go."

"Indeed. That's true."

Adventurers are a regular profession, but some rough ones make people not want to get close. Some inns even refuse adventurers because they've been damaged.

"I don't want any trouble with the local residents. I thought I could use some vacant houses I have, but..."

"Well, if you explain it in advance... You're a guild staff member, right? I thought you just did reception and paperwork."

"No, I'm not a guild staff member."

"...Huh?"

I looked at the old man in front of me closely. I thought he was a regular staff member because he spoke to us so familiarly when we entered the guild. What? Did I explain everything politely to an old man with no authority?

"Oh, no, your face is scary! Don't worry! I'll introduce you to a staff member! The best one! I'll do the explanation too!"

He must have been really scared by my face. He started talking quickly.

"...Hmm."

So?

"I'll introduce our products at a discount too!"

"Products?"

"We deal with food. We have a variety of salted fish, our specialty!"

"Yay! Definitely. I'll come later!"

I switched from a demon to a smiling child. If it's food, it's a profitable negotiation. Kokushin looked at me with a bewildered expression, but that's what negotiations are. Well, it was completely by chance.

When the old man asked if he could seriously consider it, I replied, "Sure," and got introduced to a real staff member. The staff member muttered, "Again?" He seems to have a good nose for business and targets people who look like they have good deals, then pushes them to the staff.

The staff member introduced us to a house on the outskirts of town. We want a place on the outskirts because we use the bath and magic bag.

We successfully rented a house on a daily basis. Rada will apparently clean it for us, so we asked her and went shopping. First, we went to the old man's store. He said he would give us a discount.

"Ah, welcome!"

The old man came out from the back with a smile. He looked like he was about to rub his hands together.

The store was neatly organized. Price tags and recommendation points were posted on the shelves with the products. This is the first time I've seen something like this in this world.

"There are a lot of items."

"Right? We also have imported goods."

It seems he has a wide range of products. The store isn't exceptionally large, but it might be a well-known merchant guild. I still call him "old man."

There are salted fish and dried fish. However, they are whole dried small fish. No sardines or dried salmon. Oh, it's a lake. Freshwater fish.

Salt, sugar, pepper. There are plenty of seasonings. However, the miso and soy sauce I want are still not available. Maybe I should make them. I remember miso is easy to make even in a regular household. ...Do they have soybeans?

They also sold beans. Without using identification, the soybeans were indeed soybeans. I bought just one small bottle. There were also azuki beans, but I can't cook, so I passed. I want to eat anko, but do I just soak them and boil them? Are those black beans? It's okay if I fail. Beans keep well, so I'll buy them one bottle at a time.

There was something that looked like cocoa powder among the imported goods. I want to eat chocolate. However, making chocolate from cocoa is too difficult. Even the identification skill only recognizes it as medicine. Could I make it if I had cooking skills...?

We ended up staying for about two hours. It's fun to shop without worrying about money. I'll work hard for a while since I spent a lot.

The old man was beaming at the pile of goods on the counter. There were no receipts, but he seemed to have given us a discount on a few items. He looked excited as he watched us put the goods into our magic bags. We're not selling them.

"Ah, thank you for the business. I hope we can continue to do business in the future."

The old man's eyes were serious.

"Unfortunately, we travel a lot. Well, if we meet again somewhere..."

The goods seem to be correct, and I welcome the relationship. However, we won't settle down, and we won't return regularly.

"Hehe, well, that's true. If we have more leeway, we might open a branch."

The old man relaxed his shoulders. He seems to be doing well, but maybe only in this town. We smiled and shook hands. Maybe I'll stop by again when I leave the town.

Now, I need vegetables, bread, and magic tools from other stores... I don't have money. It's okay to just look, right?