The group from "Red Oath" arrived at the Abbot Trading Company for the rock lizard material collection request.
"Excuse me, we are the hunters who accepted the rock lizard material collection request. We have come to deliver the items."
Mavis, the leader responsible for external negotiations, addressed someone who looked like an employee at the storefront.
"Oh, yes, I'll go fetch the head of the company right away. Please wait a moment."
The employee went inside, and after a while, a man in his forties, who seemed to be the head of the company, came out. He had a physique typical of a merchant, with a protruding belly.
"Oh, so you are the hunters who accepted the rock lizard collection request. You're quite young..."
The head of the company said this with a pleasant smile, but his eyes were somewhat suspicious, as befitting a merchant.
"Yes, we are the C-rank party 'Red Oath.' We would like to have the prey appraised and the request completion confirmation signed..."
"Sure, sure, where is the prey?"
"Mile, bring it out."
"Yes!"
Following Mavis's instructions, Mile took out a well-preserved rock lizard from the item box.
By "well-preserved," it means the rock lizard's head, body, and tail, all neatly cut off from the neck and tail, forming a set of three parts.
"Huh? Storage magic? Impressive, that's why you could do this with just the four of you... No, no, you're quite something..."
The head of the company, who usually didn't show his true feelings, was slightly surprised by the fact that the young Mile had taken out a whole rock lizard from storage and its condition.
He carefully inspected the rock lizard, glanced at the four of them, thought for a moment, and then announced the appraisal result.
"Twelve small gold coins."
"Wh-what?"
The members of "Red Oath" exclaimed in unison. Mavis immediately protested.
"Why? It's almost in perfect condition, and the standard rate is fifteen small gold coins. There's no reason to deduct so much, is there?"
"No, no, because the head and tail are separated, we can't get a large skin. Also, it's been more than three days since you hunted it, so it's deteriorated..."
"But those parts are supposed to be cut off before skinning! And it's only been two days and a bit since we hunted it!"
"Well, that's our appraisal standard..."
The head of the company casually brushed off Mavis's protest.
Mavis was about to protest further, but Pauline gently tapped her back from the side, a prearranged signal for a change of strategy.
"Um, we don't just have one, but are all of them worth the same price?"
"Ho, you have more! Can I see them?"
"Alright. Mile, bring out the other two."
Following Pauline's instructions, Mile took out two more rock lizards from storage, both in the same condition as the first one.
"Wow, three whole rock lizards in storage!"
The head of the company was clearly surprised this time.
He quickly inspected the two rock lizards and then announced the results to Mile and the others.
"These two are each worth nine small gold coins, so in total, thirty small gold coins. For a few days' work, that's quite a good earning. Let's sign the request completion confirmation with the amount right away.
...By the way, would you consider becoming exclusive to our company? If you do, you won't lack for work, and you'll have a stable income, so you can live comfortably."
It seemed he had noticed Mile's storage ability, but from the way he looked at the four of them with a lecherous gaze, his intentions were not just that.
"β¦Why are the prices for the second and third ones lower?"
Ignoring the head of the company's words, Pauline asked expressionlessly.
"Oh, that's because we gave a good price for the first one as a welcome gift to newbies. But we can't do that for the second and third ones..."
It was a big lie.
He had underestimated them as young and inexperienced and tried to buy them cheaply. However, if the price was too low, they might refuse to take such jobs in the future. So, he had moderated the price. But if they had hunted three, even a lower price would still be a good earning, and they would likely take more jobs. That's why he tried to lower the price further.
"β¦I see."
Pauline's words made the head of the company smile broadly.
"Mile, put them all back in storage."
"Got it!"
Following Pauline's instructions, Mile instantly put all the rock lizards back in storage.
"Huh..."
The head of the company, confused by the situation, was taken aback. Pauline then said:
"The prey wasn't in the condition you hoped for, so this request is a failure, right?
Then, we'll be on our way."
As Pauline tried to leave with the others, the head of the company called out anxiously:
"Wait! You can't just take them away! This is our request, and you can't leave without permission!"
"Huh? But the materials are only worth about 60% of the request's standard rate. Delivering such poor-quality materials would be a disgrace to our party.
Fortunately, we haven't received the signed and stamped request completion confirmation, so the contract isn't finalized. Therefore, this request is a failure...
Oh, the two small gold coins for the penalty are already deposited with the guild, so don't worry.
Let's go."
"Wait! Please wait! Let's talk this over!"
Ignoring the head of the company's protests, the four of them left the store.
"I'm sorry, I acted on my own... I turned a successfully completed job into a failure..."
"Don't apologize, it feels great! If Pauline hadn't refused, I would have. And in a more radical way."
"Exactly! We can't do business with someone who underestimates us like that. If we accept it once, we'll be treated like that forever. We can't let that happen as hunters."
Reina and Mavis laughed it off, responding to Pauline's apology.
And as for Mile...
"So, you have a plan, Pauline?"
Pauline wouldn't have ruined the deal just out of anger. Reina and Mavis must have thought the same.
Pauline smirked at Mile's words.
"So, here's the plan..."
"Of course..."
They had all said it out loud, even though they had only meant to think it.
"Please process this."
Back at the Hunter's Guild, the four of them were handling the request completion at the reception.
"Sure, good work. Let's process the completion... Huh?"
The receptionist was puzzled by the request completion confirmation without an appraisal amount or signature.
"Oh, it's a failure. Please confiscate the two small gold coins for the penalty."
"Huh? But you just said the request was completed..."
The surrounding hunters gathered, thinking the new party had some trouble. On the other side of the counter, guild staff also gathered.
"Actually, the request owner only appraised it at nine small gold coins. The standard rate is fifteen small gold coins... So, we couldn't deliver such poor-quality materials and brought them back."
Mile explained sadly. This role was assigned to Mile because he was the youngest and most likely to elicit sympathy, not because of his acting skills.
"Only 60%? Did Reina's fire magic burn it to a crisp?"
"No, it's like this..."
Mile took out a rock lizard from the item box and placed it on the counter space, asking the gathered hunters to step back a bit.
"What the...!"
"I've never seen a rock lizard in such perfect condition, except for a live one!"
"How did you hunt it... Oh, it's just the two girls with swords..."
"Wait, aren't rock lizards easy for 2-3 C-rank hunters to hunt?"
Mile, surprised by everyone's reaction, asked.
"Idiot, that's just 'easy to hunt.' You attack from a distance with magic, then from mid-range with spears or bows, and finally, when it's weakened, you finish it off with swords or spears. If you get close while it's still active, it will attack with its tail and severely injure you... So, a standard rock lizard is usually in much worse condition. With this, you could get a bonus.
The market rate is twenty small gold coins for the standard, with a bonus of at least four to five coins, and a generous merchant might give seven to eight coins."
"Wh-what..."
Mile and the others were shocked. They had already been underpaid from the original standard rate...
And they realized they could have used magic to attack.
"So, the standard rate is fifteen small gold coins, and the appraisal is nine small gold coins! What kind of request is this!"
"It's the Abbot Trading Company..."
"Unbelievable! They underestimated you because you're newbies!"
"Underestimating hunters... Good job for standing up to them!"
Mile and the others were patted on the back by senior hunters, and the guild was filled with criticism of the Abbot Trading Company from both sides of the counter.
(As planned...)
Mile and the others were smirking inwardly.
"Um, we want to sell the rock lizards..."
"Oh, the guild can buy them. If the request is canceled, they become regular materials for purchase.
Besides, if you sell them elsewhere, we won't get a commission. That means no points for contribution to rank advancement."
That was only natural. Horn rabbits, herbs, and other materials all had a commission deducted. Without it, the guild wouldn't make a profit.
It was a hassle for hunters to find buyers every time, and the guild took the risk of unsold items, so it was only fair to add a profit margin. The guild wasn't running a charity.
The receptionist wasn't incompetent enough to miss a chance for the guild to profit. Rock lizards were a sure sell.
Mile looked at the other three, nodded, and replied to the receptionist.
"Please do. Can we sell all of them?"
"Huh? All of them?"
The puzzled receptionist asked, and Mile answered.