The traveling rchant chuckled as he replied to Leon, “That’s because only by doing so can a business keep running for the long haul.”
“That’s why I say you’ve got vision,” Leon said with genuine admiration.
The rchant smiled, turned around, and rummaged inside his carriage. After a while, he pulled out two neat stacks of hundred-denomination universal currency bills and handed them to Leon.
“Sir, please count it. The full 20,000G is here.”
Leon stuffed the money straight into his System Backpack. A quick glance at the inventory marker confird that it was exactly 20,000G—not a coin more or less—so he said, “No need to count it. I trust you.”
“It’s better to count it anyway,” the rchant advised.
“Really, there’s no need.” Leon waved him off. He couldn’t exactly tell the rchant that the System Backpack had already confird the amount for him.
Seeing this, the rchant didn’t push further. Once Leon had accepted the money, the rchant began collecting the six pearls that had been sitting in front of him for so ti, each placed in a delicate silk-lined box.
“A most delightful transaction,” the rchant said happily as he packed them away. He knew that once he left the Fanjier Republic and returned to the Gotro Empire, this deal would bring him enormous benefits.
The cash profit might not be great, but these rare pearls were the perfect gifts to maintain ties with noble ladies and wealthy rchants. Next ti, he might be able to carry more contraband without being harassed by border guards.
Their potential value was far greater than the currency itself.
And just as Leon had guessed, the rchant took note of this favor, though he didn’t ntion it aloud. Instead, he planned to bring Leon a surprise gift on his next trip to Stardew Valley.
Perhaps he could even call him a friend.
“Now I need to see what good stuff you brought this ti,” Leon said, no longer stingy now that he had money in hand. He picked up the product list the rchant offered and began to read.
A quick scan told him most of the items were things he could get elsewhere—nothing he was interested in. The only thing that caught his eye was the rare seed.
But rare seeds could only be planted in autumn. Buying now would an letting it gather dust in a chest. So Leon put the list down and returned it to the rchant.
“What’s wrong? Nothing you like?” the rchant asked, looking a little disappointed.
“Too ordinary. These aren’t what I’m looking for,” Leon answered truthfully, shaking his head.
“Oh, I see. In that case, perhaps you should take a look at this list.”
The rchant suddenly realized his mistake. He had handed Leon the list ant for regular custors. Rembering Leon’s special status, he imdiately retrieved the earlier list and altered its contents before handing it back.
This ti, Leon’s interest was piqued.
Compared to the ordinary goods from before, this list was far more enticing.
Just the items that made his mouth water included battery packs, iridium ingots, ga bombs, iridium sprinklers, solar essence, and void essence—premium materials all. And above that, there were rare scarecrows and magic potions.
The only problem was the price—so high that Leon could only drool over them.
But the void essence did tempt him. He knew so inside information: its price might spike soon, and spike sharply at that.
After all, the rmaids were already in play. From the way they had casually gifted him a whole chest of pearls, it was clear that their procurent order for void essence from shadow people would greatly impact the market.
Compared to Krobus’s price, the rchant’s void essence was the sa, but since Krobus didn’t bargain, Leon asked directly:
“Can you give
a discount?”
“If you buy in bulk, I can give you a better price,” the rchant said. “After all, void essence isn’t in high demand. I’ve got a lot in stock that I can’t sell, and it’s a bit of a headache.”
“How much of a discount?” Leon pressed.
“That depends on how much you buy,” the rchant replied.
“How about one pearl in exchange?” Leon suggested. After all, the 20,000G he had just earned was earmarked for buying a starfruit from Krobus. It hadn’t even ward in his pocket yet, and he was reluctant to part with it.
“Pearls, hmm? An interesting proposal. If that’s the case, I’ll give you sixty pieces per pearl,” the rchant said after a mont’s thought, naming the best deal he could offer.
Leon quickly calculated—about fifty-eight G per piece on average, nearly half the price Krobus charged.
“How much void essence do you have?” Leon asked.
“Enough to trade for two pearls,” the rchant replied.
“Will you be able to move that many pearls?” Leon asked, still concerned. Even the rarest treasures could see their price crash if oversupplied.
So he left the choice to the rchant.
“Of course. Strictly speaking, I’m still coming out ahead—trading hard-to-sell stock for pearls that everyone wants.”
The rchant was quite satisfied with this deal.
Whether Leon knew the pearl market or not, the rchant certainly did.
His channels weren’t limited to the Gotro Empire. He also had access to the Fanjier Republic and the many islands of the Gem Sea. If not for limited funds, he would have bought up every last pearl Leon had.
These deep-sea treasures were top-tier gems—priceless, with no shortage of buyers.
“Then let’s do it.”
Leon didn’t actually know how much void essence might appreciate, but he had plenty of pearls. Buying this batch could count as an investnt.
He took out two pearls and handed them to the rchant, who in turn retrieved a small box from the carriage. Though a little pained to part with it, he explained:
“This is a magic storage box. It may look small, but the space inside is quite large. I’ll give it to you as a gift.”
Leon opened the box, and the System Prompt popped up imdiately.
“Mini Chest: A storage container with very limited space. Compared to a treasure chest, it’s practically useless—just two slots inside. Not even a dog would want it.”
“…”
Reviews
All reviews (0)