Chapter 17. But isn't this child exploitation? (3)
"Even so, you were too aggressive."
"Really?"
"Yes. What if the product had been damaged? If the pouch containing the troll's blood had burst…."
"I put that on a different wagon, didn't I?"
"Ah…."
Come to think of it, he did.
When loading the byproducts onto the cargo wagons, under Patrick's instructions, the troll's blood and a few other sensitive items had been gathered in one place.
‘Don't tell me he had this plan since we left the fiefdom?’
Chandler was impressed, but on the other hand, he was still anxious.
"But Young Master. No matter how plausible the plan is, there is no guarantee that things will go as planned in reality, is there?"
"You think so?"
"Yes. To be honest, I'm anxious. If a rumor spreads that we have valuable goods, it might not be merchants who come, but robbers or thieves who take notice of us."
"Tsk tsk tsk, our Chandler is still young and doesn't know the ways of the world."
“…….”
You're younger, Young Master.
He couldn't bring himself to say it.
Patrick spoke to Chandler as if he were teaching him a lesson.
"As they say, you can't not make soybean paste because you're afraid of maggots. Especially when it comes to making money."
It was the first time he had heard that saying, but from the flow of the conversation, he could guess what he was trying to say.
"Are you saying you have to take risks to make money?"
"That's right. And what I just did wasn't even a risk. In a city where money circulates this actively, there's no way merchants wouldn't smell money."
"Well, that's…."
"And thieves? Robbers? Are you afraid of something like that?"
"Of course, I am. Aren't you, Young Maste— Ah."
At that moment, Chandler realized.
The reason he was afraid of thieves or robbers was because he was weak.
He was afraid of such villains because he was a weak person with no means to resist extortion backed by violence.
But….
"Let them come if they want. If they want to die…."
Looking at Patrick, who was smiling as he spoke, his worries about villains completely vanished.
And his anxiety about the plan also quickly disappeared.
Because….
"Young Master. A person who says he is a merchant from some merchant guild has come to see you."
At the laborer's words from outside, Patrick grinned and said.
"I told you, didn't I? There's no way merchants wouldn't smell money."
"You are amazing, Young Master."
Chandler could only express his pure admiration.
On the first day, as many as five merchants visited the inn where Patrick and his party were staying.
Some had come after seeing the goods that had spilled out at the market that day, and others had come after hearing the rumors.
Patrick first showed them the goods.
Then, the reaction was immediate.
"Ooooh…. to bring this much troll hide and blood."
"The quality is also all top-grade."
"The other items are not bad either."
To those who were admiring the goods, Patrick snickered and said.
"Well, if you like them, I can sell a little. It's good to lighten the load on the way."
"Hahaha. Is that so?"
"You are quite straightforward, Young Master."
"We can purchase the troll hides at a good price."
"But where did you obtain such top-grade monster materials?"
"That's a secret…. my father told me not to say anything rashly."
"Oh, that's a pity."
The business transaction seemed to be proceeding smoothly, but neither Patrick nor the merchants brought up the main point and were just beating around the bush.
Then, one of the merchants said.
"But I heard that you have an even more valuable item than this…."
"Ah, you mean the full-body hide of a Saber Tiger? Unfortunately, I'm not selling that here. I was told to take it to the capital and sell it."
"Could you at least show it to us?"
"Mmm, I was told not to show it rashly…."
"Please, I beg you, Young Master."
"We will give you a good price for the other materials."
"Please just let us confirm the quality."
As the merchants begged like that, Patrick spoke as if he had no choice.
"If so, it can't be helped. Then just take a look."
And Patrick showed the merchants the full-body hide of the Saber Tiger.
And the merchants who confirmed the item were greatly impressed.
"Amazing. This is the real deal."
"A Saber Tiger would have to have lived for decades to grow this large."
"Ooh, the head and fangs are still attached. It would make a magnificent trophy just by taxidermying it as it is without any processing."
The merchants were genuinely impressed with the item.
The hide of the Saber Tiger, which was beaten to death with fists without using a blade at all, did not have a single small hole, and even the head and teeth were perfectly preserved.
As the last merchant said, there would be more than one or two nobles who would want to have this made into a taxidermy and display it in their mansion.
"Young Master. What is the price of this?"
"Price? I told you I'm not selling it."
"Not selling it? Aren't you taking it to sell?"
"I mean I'm not selling it here. I have to take it to the capital to sell. My father repeatedly told me that I have to do that to get the right price."
It goes without saying, but Baron Schneider never said such a thing.
But Patrick added, as if he himself was frustrated.
"Tsk, you think I enjoy this long journey to the capital? Just because I caused a little trouble, he sends his one and only son out like this."
The merchants who heard those words quickly gathered information in their heads and created a hypothesis.
A son who caused trouble.
A strict father.
A precious treasure.
A business trip to the capital.
‘It's obvious that the immature Young Master caused some pretty big trouble.’
‘The father is sending his son on a business trip to the capital as a punishment.’
‘It might be a trouble that's hard to handle if he's left in the fiefdom. So there's a high possibility that he was sent to the capital under the pretext of a business trip.’
In the end, what was before their eyes was a treasure held by an immature Young Master who had little interest in business.
If they didn't get greedy over this, they weren't merchants.
"Young Master. You don't have to go to the capital. I will pay a much better price than what you would get in the capital."
"No. Please sell it to me, Young Master. If I buy it, I will also purchase the byproducts of the trolls and other monsters at a price more than twenty percent higher."
"I can pay 20 gold for the Saber Tiger hide."
To the merchants who were rushing in aggressively, Patrick shouted in anger.
"I said I'm not selling it, didn't you? Didn't you hear me?"
"Hahaha. Young Master. Think carefully. Even if you don't go to the capital, if you sell it at a better price and make a profit, wouldn't your father look upon you more favorably?"
"That's…."
As Patrick seemed to be conflicted, the merchants hastily said.
"Young Master. Please trust me and sell the goods. You will definitely not regret it."
"Young Master. I have more money than this friend. I can buy it at a more expensive price."
"What are you talking about. If you're going to put it that way…."
As the merchants were about to start competing among themselves, Patrick shouted.
"That's enough, everyone get out! Didn't I say I'm not selling?"
"No, Young Master."
"Get out!"
Patrick flew into a rage and pushed the merchants' backs.
And after pushing the merchants out of the inn, he said in a grumbling manner.
"Tsk, as if I'm not selling because I don't want to."
This one sentence from Patrick, which was clearly heard by the merchants, set fire to their business spirit.
‘If I can just coax that pushover Young Master….’
‘I can make a huge profit.’
‘If I stick to him a little more tenaciously, he'll give in. No, he seems to be halfway there already.’
‘The problem is these guys next to me.’
‘To win the competition, I need to prepare enough cash.’
The merchants who came to that conclusion scattered in all directions.
To secure money immediately.
After all the merchants had gone, Chandler said.
"They offered a pretty good price, is there a reason you didn't sell?"
"Yeah. What I'm aiming for is not just a 'pretty good price'."
“…….”
In fact, at this time, Chandler wanted to say, ‘If you get too greedy, you might not even get back your principal,’ but he didn't.
‘The Young Master is much wiser than I am. If so, it might be better to trust the Young Master and focus on the tasks he gives me rather than rashly giving advice.’
Chandler, who had come to that conclusion, said.
"I understand. In that case, what should I prepare?"
"…Hoh."
Patrick was slightly surprised to see Chandler showing a cooperative attitude.
‘He's quick-witted.’
What Chandler did was nothing special.
He just acknowledged the excellence of Patrick, who was much younger than him, and agreed with it.
But Patrick knew.
Among the people of the world, there are surprisingly many who cannot do this simple thing.
It is quite a difficult thing to readily acknowledge and accept the superiority of others.
Age, position, honor, experience, gender, and so on.
People are creatures who have a habit of thinking that they are not inferior to others for all sorts of reasons.
There are not many people who readily admit their own shortcomings and acknowledge the competence of others and act on it.
On top of that, Chandler was in his late teens.
An age when pride and competitiveness are strong.
But to be so readily cooperative with Patrick, who was much younger than him, meant that he was a sufficiently extraordinary person.
‘Not bad.’
Patrick said with a smile.
"There's not much to prepare for the business transaction. But there is one thing I need you to do personally."
"Please speak."
"There's something I'm looking for. What it is, is…."
Chandler was momentarily flustered upon hearing Patrick's words.
Why is the Young Master looking for that?
That thought came to him first, but he soon corrected his thinking.
‘There must be a reason for everything.’
And he bowed his head and said.
"I understand. I will try to find it."
"It's an important matter. I'm trusting you with it, so give it a try."
"Yes. I understand."
When Patrick said it was an important matter, Chandler showed a look of burning motivation.
He had the thought that he wanted to be acknowledged for his competence by Patrick, the next lord.
‘I will definitely find it.’
* * *
There was a purpose to Patrick sending the merchants away on the first day.
First, the merchants would move to raise money to win the competition among themselves.
And when money moves, the attention of other merchants also moves.
If that happens, they will start to look for the reason why the money moved, and in the end….
The rumor that an immature pushover Young Master has appeared with an expensive item.
Will spread throughout this city.
As a result….
"Young Master. Please sell to our merchant guild. We will pay 50 gold for the Saber Tiger hide."
"Young Master. Our merchant guild will buy the Saber Tiger for 50 gold and also the troll byproducts at a price more than fifty percent higher than the regular price."
"Young Master. I…."
This is what happens.
A far greater number of merchants came to see Patrick than on the first day.
Their purpose was to treat the immature Young Master as a pushover and fleece him, but with many competitors, they couldn't just treat him as a pushover.
In the end, they started to offer better conditions in a race, and the price of the goods Patrick had gradually went up.
‘Hehehe. That's right. How dare you try to rip off this Radiant Dragon Great Master.’
On the first day, there was a merchant who said he was giving a good price by paying 20 gold for the Saber Tiger.
But on the second day, a merchant who called out 50 gold immediately appeared.
What does this mean?
Since a merchant would not buy goods at a loss, it means that the price of 20 gold was actually a ridiculously low-balled price.
‘Well, that's what merchants do.’
Surprisingly, Patrick was not angry about this part.
If there's a bastard trying to low-ball my pocket, smash that bastard's face in.
Patrick had been scolded by his Master for teaching his junior brothers that, but now was not the time for that.
Isn't this a business transaction?
It's natural for a merchant to be greedy when money is involved.
A dog would sooner hold its poop than a merchant would hold back from making a profit.
So, he could understand a merchant being greedy for money.
However….
‘So you guys should understand too. That I'm going to fleece your money pouches. Hehehehehe.’
Patrick's wicked plan was already proceeding step by step.