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Chapter 301 – Merinard Kingdom Adventurers’ Guild Headquarters in Merinesburg
“…The atmosphere isn’t good.”
“I agree.”
When we stepped into the Adventurers’ Guild, Iphrita and I couldn’t help but frown when we saw what was going on inside.
There were many people in the guild, but not many of them looked like adventurers. Many of them are just subhumans in their plain clothes, and all of them have gloomy expressions on their faces. The situation is somewhat clear, but let’s see…
“Let’s go to the counter for now.”
“Ye. I think we’ll just go to the request counter.”
I headed for the counter packed with staff members along with Iphrita. The stares that were thrown at us were not only curious but some were clearly filled with negative emotions.
Well, when I see a scene like this, it makes me feel like I have to do something. I know I can’t save everything, but I want to do what I can by myself as much as I can. In the meantime, I can do what I can to improve the business climate of the Adventurers’ Guild.
“Welcome to the Adventurers’ Guild. Are you here to make a request?”
“Something like that. We are in need of materials for experiments in alchemy and magic, and we would like you to show us samples of the materials you have. Depending on the price and availability, we may be able to purchase in bulk, place a large order, or even make a standing order.”
“That sounds wonderful. Please come this way.”
The staff member leads us to a reception room in the back of the guild. During this time, the eyes filled with negative emotions were on us, but Iphrita didn’t seem to be bothered by it. It’s not as if she didn’t notice, so she probably noticed and still acted as if nothing was wrong. As for me, I’m feeling a little uncomfortable.
“Please wait here. I’ll bring a person in charge to you right away.”
“Thank you.”
I watched the staff member leave the reception room quickly and sit down on the sofa with Iphrita. The interior of the Adventurers’ Guild’s reception room is two or three levels below that of the Merchants’ Guild. The furnishings, the sofa we are sitting on, and maybe even the tea that is about to be served.
“This place is still the same as ever.”
“Was it like this twenty years ago?”
“The reception room is lousy. It used to look better and livelier.”
“It looks like the business cycle is bad… Can’t we do something about it?”
“If it were that easy to solve, Sylphy and Melty would have done something about it.”
That’s probably true. Hmm, anything I can think of in my head has probably already been proposed and implemented by now. No, I think it’s a good idea to propose the idea anyway. Fortunately, it seems to be a promising source of employment for the subhumans, and it may be possible to work with the merchants’ association to leverage the situation.
However, it would not be a good idea to proceed too much over Sylphy and the others’ heads. It would be better to just keep an open mind for today and then consult with Sylphy and Melty to come up with a plan and move things forward.
“You’re pondering again.”
“Whether I can do it or not, I should always think about what I could do, what I might be able to do.”
“Really, you’re surprisingly serious, aren’t you? …I wonder if Sylphy and the others are good at this sort of thing?”
“No, I don’t know about that.”
While we were talking about such things, there was a knock at the reception room door, and people came in one after another. The first person to enter was an elderly man with a slender, thin physique, and several young male staff members were carrying large wooden boxes.
“Thank you for waiting. Ares-kun, after you put down the luggage, please tell Cindy-kun to prepare some tea.”
“Yes!”
A well-built male staff member called “Ares-kun” bowed to us, then left the room and rushed out. The thin, elderly man who saw him off then bowed to us with a wry smile on his face.
“My apologies for showing you such an uncomfortable situation. I am Baran, deputy head of the Merineseburg headquarters of the Merinard Adventurers’ Guild.”
“I’m Iphrita Danal Merinard. This is Kosuke.”
“Hello. I’m Kosuke.”
“Well, well… you must be the husband and sister of the current Queen. We apologize for the inconvenience of hosting you in such a humble setting.”
Deputy head of headquarters, Baran, bowed his head in a very low and humble manner. The two young guild officials who remained in the room knelt on the floor and bowed. Oh, I don’t like to be so formal.
“That’s not necessary. Even though I am the sister of Her Majesty the Queen, I am currently rankless as well. This one is a real princess, so I’m not exactly the kind of person you’d want to pay attention to…”
“Please spare me that. Regardless of my position, I am really a petty citizen with a commoner’s mindset.”
“To tell you the truth, you’re in a position where you can just call up the Merchant’s Guild or the Adventurer’s Guild instead of going to them directly. Well, since the person himself is like this, please don’t be too formal with him. Just treat him like a slightly superior guest.”
“Hahaha… That’s a very difficult order to give.”
Deputy head Baran smiled wryly, and sweat broke out on his forehead. The two young male staff members who remained behind were frozen in their kneeling position. If I don’t like something, I don’t suddenly say, “Death penalty!” So please don’t be so afraid of me.
“Well, let’s get on with the business first. What kind of materials, or rather a prey, can the Adventurers’ Guild expect to have a somewhat stable supply of, yet are of little use and not worth much money?”
“In that case, goblins and kobolds. They are weak, numerous, and cannot be left unattended because they are harmful if left unattended, and the only thing that can be obtained from them is a very small magic stone.”
“In other words, they are not very appetizing prey, are they?”
“Yes. Goblin skins are too thin and fragile to be processed into leather goods, and the meat tastes bad and will make you sick if you eat it improperly. Kobolds can produce fur, but the quality of the fur is not very good, so not many craftsmen dare to use it. The meat is as bad as that of goblins. Although it is safer than goblin meat. Bones and entrails are useless as materials for alchemy.”
“They are vermin to the point of being absurd… If I were to buy the corpses of goblins and kobolds, what would be the market price?”
“There are not many cases of buying goblin or kobold corpses, so there is no market price… but a whole corpse like that is quite heavy.”
The problem is transportation, isn’t it? The most common reason for this is that the adventurers bring back the parts of their kills that are worth money, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. That is why they only bring back magic stones, materials, and catalysts such as fangs, claws, and entrails. When it comes to edible ones, the meat is worth its weight in gold, so in many ways, it is an ‘appetizing prey.'”
“I see. But it can’t be the same price per weight as edible meat, can it?”
“Yes, that would be bad. There is a risk that the supply of meat from adventurers will be greatly reduced.”
If hunting goblins and kobolds in large numbers and returning them with the same amount of profit as hunting edible monsters, no one would be willing to hunt edible monsters. The price of meat in Merinesburg should not skyrocket because of this.
“We want to price it in such a way that adventurers will be willing to take goblin corpses home with them. May I submit a request for one hundred goblins and one hundred kobold corpses each?”
“Of course. But is it really worth it? If that many corpses are useless, it will be very difficult to dispose of them.”
“No problem. There are plenty of ways to do it.”
With my ability, they can probably be used for something. If even I can’t use my ability for anything, it can be stored dead in my inventory, or worse, I can have Lime and the others take care of it.
Or, I don’t know when we’ll need it, but we could use it in a siege. We could throw the slaughtered corpses of goblins and kobolds into the fortresses and castles of the Holy Kingdom. No, it may not be necessary to use such a roundabout move, though. Just by having golem soldiers charge in line, most of the forts and castles would be cleared.
“As for goblins and kobolds, send a bill to me at the royal castle as soon as the price is calculated. As for how to deliver the bodies, I think it’s probably best if I come and pick them up myself. It would be difficult to bring the body to the castle.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
Deputy head Baran and Iphrita nodded their heads. It would be bad publicity to bring a cart full of dead goblins and kobolds into the royal castle. If it was an edible monster or something, it would be a different story.
“Oh, by the way, if I want to make a request, don’t I have to pay in advance?”
“Normally, yes, but I can be as flexible as I want when it comes to Kosuke-sama. I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t think you’ll be ripped off.”
“In fact, royalty and high-ranking nobles rarely pay on the spot. They usually ask the castle or the mansion to pay the bill later.”
“I see. But I’ll give you the collateral first. Otherwise, it won’t be clear.”
I have plenty of gem source stones and lumps of metal in my inventory that can be turned into gold anyway, so I’ll just give him some at random.
“…I feel like I’m witnessing a fairy tale magician.”
When I showed him a pile of gemstones on a handkerchief on the table, he started rubbing his temples as if he was enduring a headache.
“For now, I’ll just call it a deposit.”
“It’s obviously too much.”
“I’ll do the purchasing for that amount. Come on, let’s see some samples of the material. And while you’re at it, if you have any extra material on hand, show me that too.”
After all, the only thing I can do immediately is to make the Adventurers’ Guild’s economy a little better by making a big show of generosity. The effect would be limited and short-lived, but as they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The more money that goes to the guild, the more money the guild will be able to give to support adventurers.