Chapter 7

"Since I haven't introduced myself yet, my name is Neon. I'm a new merchant! I've only ever sold things before, so I'm not very good at appraising. But, I can sell really well!"

Neon said this, puffing out her nonexistent chest. She's completely a child. Or how old is she?

"I'm Cibyl. Right now, I guess I'm a wannabe adventurer?"

Even as I say it, I don't understand what it means. What am I now that I've lost my title as a noble?

"Can you fight, Cibyl?"

She looks at me with eyes that see something suspicious. That doubt is correct.

"Well, goblins are about my limit."

"…You should give up on being an adventurer. If you don't want to die young."

"Got it."

We've formed a team, but how are we going to earn money from now on? I guess I'll have to appraise and collect goods, and we'll open a stall, right? Since Neon is calling herself a merchant, she probably has some connections to open a stall.

"How are we going to earn money? Are we going to open a stall?"

I ask honestly.

"Hehehe. I'm glad you asked! There's a way to earn money using Cibyl's skills!"

"Wow."

Actually, maybe Neon is competent. I still have the image of her being clumsy and almost getting tricked by fake goods at stalls, but I need to change that.

"We're going to go collect White Opal Mushrooms!"

Neon says this confidently, but I don't understand what she's talking about. Well, I do.

"What's that?"

"One mushroom is worth 500,000G!"

What, are you serious! That mushroom is too powerful!

"You must be kidding! Why hasn't anyone collected them yet? Isn't it a place anyone can go?"

"That's one reason. They grow near the nest of a C-rank monster, the Gangpter. And the White Opal Mushroom only grows inside White Mushrooms. They look exactly the same."

We have to find the real ones among a large number of fakes. And C-rank monsters… the strongest party in this town is C-rank… so if we meet them, it's the end. The Gangpter is apparently a small wyvern-like creature that flies. It's carnivorous and can kill an orc with one strike. Hmm, I don't want to meet it.

"And the probability of finding a real one is one in ten thousand!"

That's too low. Searching for one mushroom in a monster's nest with a one in ten thousand chance is something no one would normally do. It's crazy. I understand why they're so expensive.

"But with Cibyl's skills, you can find the real ones, right? I heard you can also tell if there are Gangpters around."

That's right. With my skills, I can find them. Even if I can't beat the monsters, I can ask Metis if they're there or if I should stay away.

I can do it. With my skills… I can collect White Opal Mushrooms.

"Yeah. With 'Divine Insight,' it's possible."

"It's settled then!"

Our first job as merchants seems to be mushroom collecting.

"Is this really a merchant's job?"

I can't help but ask. Neon's well-shaped eyebrows rise.

"Business requires a lot of capital! Where do you have that kind of money? We only have Cibyl's money and my 50,000G. If we do business with that, it won't amount to much!"

"You don't have that much?"

Rather, I'm surprised she calls herself a merchant. That amount won't even last a month.

"First, we'll hit it big with mushrooms, and from there, we'll pave the way to becoming a great merchant! When our guild becomes big, this episode will be told as our first adventure."

Neon declared this confidently. She's quite a catch to be able to imagine that much.

The White Opal Mushroom, unlike regular White Mushrooms, apparently contains special components used by mages. That's why the demand is high, but cultivation of only White Opal Mushrooms hasn't been successful yet. If it's that valuable and in demand, the price makes sense.

According to Neon, there's a Gangpter nest on nearby Semen Mountain. We'll buy the tools for mushroom collecting and go tomorrow.

"Cibyl, are you staying in that kind of inn? That place has slave-like conditions, right!?"

When I told her about the inn I'm staying at, she was greatly surprised. It's apparently cheap but known for its poor conditions. In the end, she introduced me to the inn she's staying at, and I rented a room. It's 5,000G, more expensive than before, but even though it's shabby, having a bed made me so happy I almost cried.

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