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Chapter 218: Merchant’s Guild vs Adventurer’s Guild
Translated by Zzonkedd
Edited by Gumihou
Please read this at kitchennovel dot com
I left the house early the next day to stock up on more seafood at the morning market.
Since the Kraken had been dealt with, the stalls here were even more well-stocked than before. In fact, with so many people selling their goods, there was fresher seafood with more variety and, best of all, even cheaper.
I stocked up on seafood I had bought before. [5] The salmon-like Salken, Tyrant Fish, Vermillion Shrimps, Bronze King Crabs, various Hard Clams as well as Yellow Scallops. [1] After all, I had already test cooked these and find them very delicious.
Naturally, I bought new things as well. Such as the Kaaki that looked like oysters, and twice as large. [2] The plump Kaaki flesh looked so delicious that I was tempted to just squeeze some lemon juice over it and swallow the thing whole. Ah, but since I don’t feel like dying yet, I must put up with the ‘no raw food’ restriction.
It would be really stupid and pathetic to die from a parasite after coming to this world.
Since I can’t have my oysters raw, I could probably poach them in boiling water for a few seconds before eating them. [3] I could also make deep-fried oysters and Oyster Gratin. I became a little out of control just thinking about these dishes and ended up buying a crazy amount. I have no regrets though.
I also bought some fish called Tatai, which looks pretty much like the seabream we normally find in Japan. [2] Except these were much bigger. One fish was over 1 meter long! I couldn’t fillet these giants on my own so I got the shop’s uncle to cut it according to the Three Fillet Cut style.
The flesh was similar to the seabream and looked very fine despite being so huge. [2] It should be delicious grilled, boiled or steamed. I made sure to get the head and bones back from the uncle, who gave me curious looks.
Hey, these are great when made into soups, you know?
After stocking up on ingredients, we visited stalls selling cooked food. There were still some stalls we haven’t hit yet and all four of us had a very nice time trying out different local food.
After stuffing ourselves silly, we set out for the Adventurer’s Guild.
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As soon as I stepped through the threshold of the Adventurer’s Guild, Marks-san and Carlotte-san came over to greet me.
“Ou, you’re finally here.”
“I’ve been waiting all morning~” Carlotte-san was smirking. That was definitely a smirk, right? “Finally, let’s head over to the Merchant’s Guild and have a little fun~”
“I do apologise for the inconvenience. Thank you both for coming with me today.”
“Maa, I’m just there to observe. Well, shall we go?”
“Yes.”
Our little party headed towards the Merchant’s Guild.
As soon as my foot crossed the threshold of the Merchant’s Guild. Gert-san came over to welcome me with beaming smiles. [3] “Ooh, Mukouda-sama. We have been waiting for you. Oya? The Guild Master of the Adventurer’s Guild is here too?”
“It’s been a while, Gert-san. I’m just here to observe, and maybe learn something for future reference.”
“I see, I see. Well, come on, everyone. This way, please.”
We all trailed after Gert-san to the meeting room. There was already a man waiting inside. He has a very full beard and looked to be in his 40s.
“This is Heinz, he’s our guild’s jewellery assessor,” [3] said Gert-san with a professional smile.
“Our Carlotte is in charge of the same department for the Adventurer’s Guild,” said Marks-san. He too was wearing a very professional smile.
…Wh- what is this situation? What is this atmosphere?!
Though everyone was smiling and beaming, their eyes were practically sneering at each other.
This has somehow become a battlefield for Merchant’s Guild vs Adventurer’s Guild.
Scary!
This is somehow scary!
“Erm, e-excuse me. Gert-san mentioned something about wanting to see the jewellery collected from the dungeons, right? Wh-why don’t I take them out now?”
“Ah, a moment please.” Gert-san smiled at me.
[6] Please don’t smile at me.
Then, he spread a large soft cloth on the table and said, “Please place the jewellery on this cloth.”
I obeyed. Here’s what ended up on the cloth:
1 x Sapphire (medium grain)
1 x Alexandrite (medium grain)
1 x Yellow Diamond (large grain)
1 x Tanzanite Necklace
“This is quite amazing.”
“I have sold most of my jewellery to Doran’s Merchant’s Guild. So this is all I have left…” [5]
With a soft ‘excuse me’, Heinz-san came over to inspect the jewels. “These are… as expected of dungeon goods. Everything is of great quality. The clarity is good with very few flaws. Especially this Yellow Diamond here… I believe this is the most valuable gem I have ever seen.”
He was staring at the teardrop-shaped Yellow Diamond with feverish eyes.
“That’s right. Coloured diamonds are quite rare. Moreover, this golden colour is…” Gert-san was also staring at the gem.
Well, gold colour is prized pretty much everywhere for the same reason. [2] Here, I think it also has the extra meaning of being especially auspicious. Gert-san and Heinz-san were whispering to each other in a corner. I wonder if they’re discussing over whether the guild could afford to buy the Yellow Diamond.
The Yellow Diamond ended up here because Doran Merchant’s Guild could not afford it. I remember Ruslan-san said something about it being the best gem he had ever seen. It had just been confirmed by Heinz-san. [5]
Ah, speaking of which, I wonder if these count as ‘jewellery’.
“Excuse me, I also happen to have these…” I took out two Mimic Treasure Chests (large) and set them on the table.
“Ohh! It’s rare to see such large treasure chests! I must say this is the first time I see a pair of them at once!” Heinz-san began to inspect the chests carefully.
“Let’s see, one is studded with both emeralds and diamonds. Large emeralds and much smaller but plentiful diamonds. The second one has good sapphires and diamonds as well as aquamarine stones. Both are amazing pieces with fairly elaborate designs.”
Well, it’s good that you seemed interested.
“Well then, could you wait a moment, please?” Gert-san said with a polite smile and left the room with Heinz-san.
I put away the gems and chests and settled down to enjoy the tea the Merchant’s Guild has set out for us.
Carlotte-san was the first to break the silence. “As expected, the quality of the dungeon jewels are quite excellent.”
“I must say I know nothing about these things, are they really that valuable?” asked Marks-san.
I expect most male Adventurers are probably like him.
“Oh yes, as Heinz-san said. The Yellow Diamond is especially unique. On the low end, the estimation would not fall below 2,500 gold.”
“W-wait, one gem for 2,500 g-gold…?”
“Naturally. The other jewels are quite good too. I quite fancy the Tanzanite Necklace myself. Tanzanite gems are already rare, moreover, these gems are quite large. The design is a bit old though, but there’s nothing to stop a good jeweller from taking out the stones and remaking it into a more fashionable necklace or even splitting the gems into several rings and pendants.”
Ahh, I see. [5]
While we’re being educated by Carlotte-san, Gert and Heinz re-entered the room.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Gert-san smiled. “Let’s see, I wish to purchase these items…
1 x Sapphire (medium grain)
1 x Tanzanite Necklace
1 x Mimic Chest (large with emerald and diamond design)
…as for the price, how about 310 gold for the Sapphire, 230 gold for the necklace and 380 gold for the Mimic Chest?”
I have no idea whether these were fair prices or not, but I also have backups this time!
“Carlotte-san, what do you think?”
“From what I can see, the offer price for the Tanzanite Necklace is a bit low.”
Heinz-san and Gert-san immediately countered with:
“Well, as you can also see, the design of the Tanzanite Necklace is quite old-”
“Taking this into consideration, the offer price is quite reasonable.”
Carlotte-san sneered, “How strange~ Sure the design is old, but don’t you have good jewellers who could repurpose the gems into rings or pendants? Or even a necklace of a different design? If we are to value the necklace base on the cost of gems alone, 230 is still too cheap.”
“Well, cheap is a little harsh, but if you insist… how about 250 gold?”
I turned to Carlotte-san.
“Under normal circumstances, that would be acceptable. However, these are dungeon gems. Excellent quality aside, it also has high clarity and very few flaws.”
“Then, 260 gold coins. I can’t go higher than this…”
Carlotte-san sighed exaggeratedly, “Mukouda-san, are you in need of money now? If not, my professional advice to you is to hold on to these for now…”
“Oh, um, I’m not in need of money…” I have a pile of money I don’t know what to do with actually…
“I believe you could get a better price at the Royal Capital. There are lots of nobles there and things like these are really popular.” [5]
“P-please wait! W-we’re prepared to pay 280 gold coins! Please allow this guild to purchase the Tanzanite Necklace.”
Well, it looked like all that talk about the Royal Capital really spooked them.
Carlotte-san nodded at me.
I said, “Very well, let’s go with that.”
Gert-san visibly deflated with relief.
I took out the desired jewellery and Mimic Chest and placed them on the table.
“The total is 970 gold coins. Please wait while we prepare the money.” By this time, Heinz-san had left and another staff member came in to pass a hemp bag to Gert-san.
Money was counted and the goods were exchanged. [5]
“Thank you for allowing us to do this trade today.”
“No, thank you for making the purchase!” I’m so glad it’s over. Clearly, asking the Adventurer’s Guild to mediate the transaction was the right idea. It’s always good to have an expert to guide me.
Now that the business at the Merchant’s Guild was done, the three of us left.
“Oh right, how much do I owe you for this consultation?”
Marks-san smiled, [4] “Well, since this is our first consultation. I’m happy to let you have a freebie as I, too, have learned a few things today.”
“I had fun too~” said Carlotte-san. “It’s not often we get to have fun with those people from the Merchant’s Guild.”
“Naturally, the guild will reward Carlotte for her amazing work today.”
“Really? I get to see some rare things with my own eyes and receive a reward? I must say this is a very nice job, wa,”
“Marks-san, are you sure?” I was prepared to pay them after all.
“Yes, it’s no problem. Our guild made quite a lot of money thanks to you. If I can’t give back this much, I will be punished by the Gods for sure.”
Eh, is that so? Well, if that’s the case then I appreciate it.
There was no need for all of us to go back to the Adventurer’s Guild. I parted ways with Marks-san and Carlotte-san halfway and returned to the villa with my familiars.
Total money to date: 43,160 gold coins
[Gumihou: It’s all buying and selling stuff today~]
[1] Structural Change: Combine 2 paragraphs
[2] Structural Change: Combine 3 paragraphs
[3] Structural Change: Combine paragraph & dialogue
[4] Structural Change: Change passive sentence to dialogue
[5] Delete Repetitive or Pointless Information
[6] Additional Information for Aesthetic Purpose
[7] Add Dialogue Tag