"These are all the merchandise," Louis concluded the tour and handed me a parchment summarizing the items I saw.
My eyes skimmed through the list of goods on the brink of spoilage if not moved soon.
"I'm surprised we're having trouble moving the Totus Elixirs." I looked up at Louis.
We were currently below in the massive cellar of the Frey Manor. The ballasted ceilings were at least the height of four grown men, and the halls, vast enough for a carriage to come through, seemed to stretch on forever. Wooden crates holding everything from exotic tea, health potions, and liquor were stacked in neatly organized rows. The air was slightly chilly down here, a stark difference from the warmth below my grandmother's villa.
"The issue is the quantity, not the product," Louis said.
The Totus Elixer was renowned for its ability to soothe internal imbalances and alleviate mental and emotional distress. The taste wasn't half bad either, with a delicate fusion of sweetpeas and what could be best described as eating sunshine. It was mildly alcoholic but not so much that anyone ever worried about intoxication. It was extremely popular amongst the soldiers, taken after a hard day on the battlefield alongside other healing potions. The trouble was that the concoction had a short shelf life of only about a month.
"The restrictions that much of the surrounding countries have placed on the distribution of the Totus Elixer we can manage by paying off a few friendly hands," Louis explained. "But it just so happened that the polluted forest had recently overtaken the roads leading to three of the four buyers. It should be able to be cleared up in two weeks or so, but in our line of business, that is far too long."
I nodded.
The issue of the polluted lands spreading and constantly cutting off trade routes was part of why I needed Sarka Jarbez's portal. In my original life, the pollution had spread and thickened to an insufferable degree. However, one group benefited from the land's destruction: The Spiders had gained a lucrative monopoly on all trade routes, as they had Sarka Jarbez and her portal invention within their grasp. Any merchant wishing to do business had to have their caravans go down long detours to avoid the polluted lands or pay a fee to The Spiders to move their goods through their portal paths.
"Peep!"
What is with all the pollution? I still can't understand how my ancestors' lush and vibrant lands have become so vile.
Leona fluttered about the cellar, inspecting the boxes herself.
>
"Young master Luca, you said you might have a buyer for the goods. What sort of assistance do you need in moving the wares?" Louis asked.
"No need for that," I replied, waving my hand. "I have my own means already. And you may leave and tend to other matters. I wish to be alone."
"Very well." Louis nodded and left.
"Peep!"
How are you planning on selling them?
I rubbed my hands together.
> I explained. I gazed at the dozens of boxes before me.
[ Yes, that is one of the requirements. That way, the Game Store knows it is within your possession and not something you simply pointed at. ]
I frowned at this.
>
[ The Game Store does not attempt to distinguish between goods stolen and those righteously obtained. The distinction of ownership is based on hand placement to simplify matters. ]
"Peep!"
Luca, what is with that scary-looking smile on your face?? What are you plotting?
I explained to Leona and relaxed my face.
But then is then, and now is now.
I rubbed my hands together.
I asked.
[ To prevent market manipulation and avoid Players utilizing the Game Store as an alternative Dimension Storage Sack by setting impossible prices on objects, the Game Store will set the costs based on fair market values. ]
I watched the screen assign 10 Nexus Coins per Dragon's Breath Brew bottle.
Tsk. I also had the idea of storing products within the Game Store and taking advantage of the suspended in-time environment.
I looked over at Leona.
Oh well. But given that I have her and her alternate-dimension stomach, I suppose it doesn't matter.
However, another idea popped into my head.
I watched the blue screen update with the seller's nickname, and the edging around my products gained a blue outline in place of the grey, indicating that they were available for sale now.
I motioned my hand through the Game Store screen. The items other sellers had put up for sale were mainly weapons and ability-enhancing potions. I hoped the products I entered were unique enough to garner some interest, especially given the reasonably affordable pricing compared to what everything else was selling for in the store.
I grimaced at how many zeros most items had on their price tags. Someone could buy all seven dozen containers worth of products I had put up for sale for the price of one of the subpar magic-embedded swords.
One step at a time, I reasoned with myself. I'm just testing the waters currently. Once I gain experience and understand what's in high demand at the Game Store, I can adjust my supply as needed.
"Young master Luca?" Remlend's voice sounded behind me, and I felt the hairs on my back rise.
I glanced back and saw him walking toward me with a refreshment.
Does he not know how to make his presence known to others?
I shook my head, remembering the unfortunate curse Remlend had of being an Unremarkable Wallflower.
I suppose I ought to be understanding and make a better attempt at noticing the unfortunate young man.
"Professor Whistle is ready for you," he said, placing the cup of cool liquid in my hand.
He looked toward the empty space before me, where all the wooden boxes had sat. However, he didn't make any comments.
I downed the cold tea and stood up.
"Thanks, Remlend." I handed him back the empty cup. "I’m done here. I'll attend the history lesson now."
***
I entered the sunlit room on the second floor of the manor. It was a small library at most other times of the day but also utilized as a space for teaching.
"Ah," Professor Whistle looked at me through his bushy white eyebrows. He stood by one of the shelves with a book in hand. "You have come."
His tone betrayed surprise, not that I took offense. It was more common for me to skip his lessons than to attend them.
"And you've brought a friend," he noted Leona's presence.
"Peep!"
There's something strange about that man.
I looked over at my shoulder where Leona was sitting and saw her yellow feathers ruffle up.
>
There's something familiar and unpleasant about him. It's a smell similar to that of a wicked dragon.
I blinked and took in the elderly gentleman before me.
I never saw Professor Whistle as ever being concerned. He was an old man with untamed white hair who seemed half-asleep most of the time. He lacked interest in most matters except the topic of history, which was what he taught the children of the Frey Manor. Apart from his job as a private teacher, he was paid handsomely to advise Father on matters of the Frey Merchant Guild. Unfortunately, when the business took a downturn, he was one of the first I had to let go simply because I couldn't afford his services.
[ Level 2 Random Character Check in progress for Evan Whistle (formerly Evan Flinx). ]
Flinx? I blinked, seeing the name on the blue screen.
Like the old calendar before the Adovorian Calendar came to be?
[ Age: @#!? ]
[ Evan Whistle is @#!? years old, born on the sixth moon of Year $% of the Flinx Calendar. ]
Even though the 40% issue prevented me from seeing his age, knowing that he was born during the Flinx calendar, which predated the Adovorian Calendar, was all I needed to know that the old man before me was far older than any other human being I had ever come across.
AlekAundra
What better person than this guy to teach you history? Dude doesn't just know the history... he lived right through it.
(´-灬-‘)
"These are all the merchandise," Louis concluded the tour and handed me a parchment summarizing the items I saw.
My eyes skimmed through the list of goods on the brink of spoilage if not moved soon.
"I'm surprised we're having trouble moving the Totus Elixirs." I looked up at Louis.
We were currently below in the massive cellar of the Frey Manor. The ballasted ceilings were at least the height of four grown men, and the halls, vast enough for a carriage to come through, seemed to stretch on forever. Wooden crates holding everything from exotic tea, health potions, and liquor were stacked in neatly organized rows. The air was slightly chilly down here, a stark difference from the warmth below my grandmother's villa.
"The issue is the quantity, not the product," Louis said.
The Totus Elixer was renowned for its ability to soothe internal imbalances and alleviate mental and emotional distress. The taste wasn't half bad either, with a delicate fusion of sweetpeas and what could be best described as eating sunshine. It was mildly alcoholic but not so much that anyone ever worried about intoxication. It was extremely popular amongst the soldiers, taken after a hard day on the battlefield alongside other healing potions. The trouble was that the concoction had a short shelf life of only about a month.
"The restrictions that much of the surrounding countries have placed on the distribution of the Totus Elixer we can manage by paying off a few friendly hands," Louis explained. "But it just so happened that the polluted forest had recently overtaken the roads leading to three of the four buyers. It should be able to be cleared up in two weeks or so, but in our line of business, that is far too long."
I nodded.
The issue of the polluted lands spreading and constantly cutting off trade routes was part of why I needed Sarka Jarbez's portal. In my original life, the pollution had spread and thickened to an insufferable degree. However, one group benefited from the land's destruction: The Spiders had gained a lucrative monopoly on all trade routes, as they had Sarka Jarbez and her portal invention within their grasp. Any merchant wishing to do business had to have their caravans go down long detours to avoid the polluted lands or pay a fee to The Spiders to move their goods through their portal paths.
"Peep!"
What is with all the pollution? I still can't understand how my ancestors' lush and vibrant lands have become so vile.
Leona fluttered about the cellar, inspecting the boxes herself.
>
"Young master Luca, you said you might have a buyer for the goods. What sort of assistance do you need in moving the wares?" Louis asked.
"No need for that," I replied, waving my hand. "I have my own means already. And you may leave and tend to other matters. I wish to be alone."
"Very well." Louis nodded and left.
"Peep!"
How are you planning on selling them?
I rubbed my hands together.
> I explained. I gazed at the dozens of boxes before me.
[ Yes, that is one of the requirements. That way, the Game Store knows it is within your possession and not something you simply pointed at. ]
I frowned at this.
>
[ The Game Store does not attempt to distinguish between goods stolen and those righteously obtained. The distinction of ownership is based on hand placement to simplify matters. ]
"Peep!"
Luca, what is with that scary-looking smile on your face?? What are you plotting?
I explained to Leona and relaxed my face.
But then is then, and now is now.
I rubbed my hands together.
I asked.
[ To prevent market manipulation and avoid Players utilizing the Game Store as an alternative Dimension Storage Sack by setting impossible prices on objects, the Game Store will set the costs based on fair market values. ]
I watched the screen assign 10 Nexus Coins per Dragon's Breath Brew bottle.
Tsk. I also had the idea of storing products within the Game Store and taking advantage of the suspended in-time environment.
I looked over at Leona.
Oh well. But given that I have her and her alternate-dimension stomach, I suppose it doesn't matter.
However, another idea popped into my head.
I watched the blue screen update with the seller's nickname, and the edging around my products gained a blue outline in place of the grey, indicating that they were available for sale now.
I motioned my hand through the Game Store screen. The items other sellers had put up for sale were mainly weapons and ability-enhancing potions. I hoped the products I entered were unique enough to garner some interest, especially given the reasonably affordable pricing compared to what everything else was selling for in the store.
I grimaced at how many zeros most items had on their price tags. Someone could buy all seven dozen containers worth of products I had put up for sale for the price of one of the subpar magic-embedded swords.
One step at a time, I reasoned with myself. I'm just testing the waters currently. Once I gain experience and understand what's in high demand at the Game Store, I can adjust my supply as needed.
"Young master Luca?" Remlend's voice sounded behind me, and I felt the hairs on my back rise.
I glanced back and saw him walking toward me with a refreshment.
Does he not know how to make his presence known to others?
I shook my head, remembering the unfortunate curse Remlend had of being an Unremarkable Wallflower.
I suppose I ought to be understanding and make a better attempt at noticing the unfortunate young man.
"Professor Whistle is ready for you," he said, placing the cup of cool liquid in my hand.
He looked toward the empty space before me, where all the wooden boxes had sat. However, he didn't make any comments.
I downed the cold tea and stood up.
"Thanks, Remlend." I handed him back the empty cup. "I’m done here. I'll attend the history lesson now."
***
I entered the sunlit room on the second floor of the manor. It was a small library at most other times of the day but also utilized as a space for teaching.
"Ah," Professor Whistle looked at me through his bushy white eyebrows. He stood by one of the shelves with a book in hand. "You have come."
His tone betrayed surprise, not that I took offense. It was more common for me to skip his lessons than to attend them.
"And you've brought a friend," he noted Leona's presence.
"Peep!"
There's something strange about that man.
I looked over at my shoulder where Leona was sitting and saw her yellow feathers ruffle up.
>
There's something familiar and unpleasant about him. It's a smell similar to that of a wicked dragon.
I blinked and took in the elderly gentleman before me.
I never saw Professor Whistle as ever being concerned. He was an old man with untamed white hair who seemed half-asleep most of the time. He lacked interest in most matters except the topic of history, which was what he taught the children of the Frey Manor. Apart from his job as a private teacher, he was paid handsomely to advise Father on matters of the Frey Merchant Guild. Unfortunately, when the business took a downturn, he was one of the first I had to let go simply because I couldn't afford his services.
[ Level 2 Random Character Check in progress for Evan Whistle (formerly Evan Flinx). ]
Flinx? I blinked, seeing the name on the blue screen.
Like the old calendar before the Adovorian Calendar came to be?
[ Age: @#!? ]
[ Evan Whistle is @#!? years old, born on the sixth moon of Year $% of the Flinx Calendar. ]
Even though the 40% issue prevented me from seeing his age, knowing that he was born during the Flinx calendar, which predated the Adovorian Calendar, was all I needed to know that the old man before me was far older than any other human being I had ever come across.
AlekAundra
What better person than this guy to teach you history? Dude doesn't just know the history... he lived right through it.
(´-灬-‘)
