Earning Pocket Money at the Black Market
I didn't have any money.
Even though I had recently earned so, for so reason, my current finances were not sothing I could proudly show to others.
What kind of magic was this? Maybe it had sothing to do with the Great Harpe hanging on my wall, but that was probably overthinking it. Alright, I decided not to dwell on the cause.
However, not having money was a real problem.
There was a magical shop rumored to be coming to Regor soon, and I needed to gather money for that. I also wanted to purchase fabric for clothes and needed funds for materials for personal projects.
Although I had so tucked-away funds, I couldn't afford to touch those. Once you dip into your ergency funds, you're done for. People quickly et their ruin if they don't stay aware of their safe line, marked just before the red line.
So, considering it was spring, I thought of taking up a good extermination request.
「Ah, the crater toad extermination is already fully booked for all areas,」 said the guild staff.
「Really? Isn't there anything available even if it's a bit far, Mylene-san?」
「I would have introduced you, Mongrel-san, but as soon as it was posted, the parties rushed to take it, so it's all gone now.」
Crater toads were magical frog creatures that appeared near water in spring. They were 'Crater' toads, not 'Greater' toads.
They were about human height and used their large bodies to charge, kick, and stomp. They were powerful creatures, but much like Pike Hoppers, they were relatively easy to defeat if one avoided direct confrontations.
Their bodies were covered with crater-like, rocky-looking bumps that seed hard, but swords could pierce them easily, and their flesh was soft.
Their leg at was surprisingly delicate and tasty, making it a popular seasonal delicacy. While they occasionally attacked livestock and swallowed them whole, they were mostly hunted before causing much trouble, thus, they were primarily treated as food. This made them popular with the guild mbers.
Hmm... It could've been profitable, and I also wanted to restock so of the high-quality oil these crater toads produce... I was too late. There were too many guild mbers now. Not a bad thing, though.
「Oh well. I guess I'll have to quickly sell so goods to make money.」
「I'll let you know if any good missions co up.」
「Oh, thanks, Mylene-san. Your makeup looks great today, as always.」
「Hehe, it's the sa as usual.」
Alright, ti to leave.
Making money wasn't limited to activities at the guild.
Even if I could solo jobs usually done by several people, most jobs below bronze tier were underwhelming, to say the least.
Gathering money for fun was also challenging. For that reason, reaching the silver rank quickly was wise for guild mbers. But selfish guys like , who didn't want to climb to silver, had to establish individual ways to earn money.
One of my thods was consignnt sales.
「Hey, rcurio, is the business thriving?」
I greeted as I approached the black market to visit a certain street vendor.
rcurio, a shady-looking rchant with scruffy blonde hair and stubble, was about ten years older than .
rcurio did business at the black market in Regor and looked shady no matter where he went.
「Oh look, it's Mongrel. Business is so-so, neither good nor bad.」
「But the tools you consigned to
sold reasonably well, Mongrel.」
「Really?」
「All the fire pistons sold out. They were cheap to begin with, but it's probably because the convenience spread. n like you ca to the store for days in a row.」
「Seriously? That's a relief. I just needed money.」
「Still splurging, Mongrel?」
「I don't waste money. It's all essential expenses.」
「Is that so,」
rcurio replied, chuckling as he pulled coins from his pocket.
「Here you go, 1660 jelly. If you plan to sell fire starters again, you should raise the price a bit.」
「Thanks.」
「Don't worry. I take my commission.」
He handed
the proceeds of my consigned sales.
The fire starter I made was a primitive fire piston, crafted by carving wood and a horn. Apparently, it piqued so interest.
It's a simple yet fascinating item that creates a spark by pressing a rod and cylinder. It's not sothing that could be repurposed for military use or a part of any developing technology, so I quickly shaped and sold it. I see, it's still cheap... It's a bit fiddly to make, so I should raise the price a little next ti.
「So, Mongrel, you're not here just to pick up your money, right? You've invented another strange thing, haven't you? Show ,」
rcurio asked. His eyes sparkled with amusent.
This man loved money, but more than anything, he enjoyed the fun of quirky business, which is why he ran his street trade here.
He took pleasure in selling rare, seemingly useless items to passersby, making him quite the eccentric.
Well, I did bring a new product just for this eccentric.
「Alright, rcurio. Let
introduce this new product... Here, ta-da!」
「What is this jagged board, Mongrel?」
「It's a washing board I developed,」
I explained.
「A washboard, huh? So you wash clothes with these ridges.」
I handed him about eight boards. Honestly, they were too large, heavy, and unwieldy for mass production.
A washboard, as the na suggests, is a board for washing clothes, with rows of V-shaped grooves on its surface.
It's a simple enough tool; you fill a basin with water and scrub clothes against the board, but despite its simplicity, the washboard was invented around 1800, a mystery of history.
But carving these grooves requires a special plane for smoothness, so the concept may have existed, but it probably wasn't affordable for the general population.
Once you carve the first groove straight enough, the rest can be cut with a dedicated plane, shifting one step at a ti. It's easy if you know how. Any suitable shop in this era could easily create knockoffs.
「Since you're consigning it to , you've used it yourself, right, Mongrel? How does it feel to use it?」
「Ah, it's not bad. It's about three tis easier than using your hands and feet or pounding with a stick.」
「Three tis? That's a believable figure.」
「When washing, you do it like this, see? You scrub like this, in a kind of kneading fashion...」
「Ah, okay, I see. This is how you do it.」
I demonstrated an air-washboard technique to rcurio. You need to know the pose first before you can sell it.
「Hmm... It might sell to inns or tanners.」
「Tanners, ah... I see.」
「Though it's unlikely that this exact thing is in stores, similar tools probably exist. I can't guarantee it'll sell.」
「What price would you set, rcurio?」
When I asked, rcurio stroked his stubble.
「Well, when it cos to making them... it seems doable. Achieving this smoothness might be tricky... It's not sothing that'll sell in huge quantities. How about starting at 500 jelly for one?」
「Five hundred? Isn't that a bit steep? After all, it's just a board.」
「Then, how about starting at 450? I'll leave the rest to my sales skills. If it takes off, more custors might appear. I'd like to sell more if that happens.」
I told him that if that happened, I'd bring more if I had the leeway. But I also had guild work, and preparing the boards was challenging.
「Well, if they sell well, we'll handle the boards here... But Mongrel, this invention is quite sensible, unlike your earlier eccentric ones. I wish you'd bring more of those crazier ones, like you used to.」
By "earlier eccentric ones
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