"Please have a seat and wait a moment," he said before leaving.
They should at least have someone at the reception desk. They're making good money, right!
I walked into the room, plopped down on the sofa to relax, when suddenly, "Excuse me," a stunning lady entered. She placed a cup of tea from her tray right in front of me. "Thanks," I said, slightly surprised as she sat down across from me. It seemed like she was here for more than just serving tea.
"I am Marie Kazuha, the deputy guild master of our Alchemists' Guild. I understand you're here to sell a potion?"
I had assumed the alchemists' guild would be flush with cash, but it must be short-staffed if the deputy guild master is serving tea. Curious as I am about the real situation, I can't exactly ask.
"My apologies. My name is Zenjirou. I'm an alchemist, and this is my first time in town. I heard that the Alchemists' Guild pays a good price for even level 1 potions, so I'd like to sell one."
"Where did you hear such rumors? May I ask, what is your alchemy level, Zenjirou-san?"
"No problem. My level is 3."
She didn't actually say anything about the alchemy level. I'm not lying... technically.
"You're at the highest level of alchemy at such a young age? That's hard to believe, but may I see the potion?"
Huh? The highest level of alchemy is only 3? My alchemy level should be maxed out at 10.
"Here you go."
In the item box, I promptly created and pretended to pull out a劣化ポーション (deteriorated potion).
She unscrewed the cap of the potion bottle I handed her, deftly tilted it to let just one drop fall onto her wrist, and licked it.
"This potion is closer to an Lvl 2 Healing Potion than an Lvl 1. Can you sell it for the price of an Lvl 1 Healing Potion, which is currently twenty-one silver coins?"
This person seems capable of appraising potions too.
"Sure, no problem at twenty-one silver coins. After all, the Adventurer's Guild only offers seven silver coins."
"The Adventurer's Guild, huh? Running a guild without business sense must be tough. So, how many bottles do you plan to sell today?"
"Well, I'd like to start with around a hundred bottles today."
"A hundred bottles! Oh, my apologies. For a hundred bottles, that would be two hundred and ten gold coins. If you can keep supplying them from tomorrow onwards, that would be fantastic."
"In that case, I'll bring more from tomorrow as well. Let me start placing them on the table right away."
As I created the potions ten at a time from the item box, I lined them up on the table.
"... ninety-nine, one hundred. Exactly a hundred. Please check. Oh, by the way, the first bottle is on the house. It's a sample."
"..."
"With your alchemy skill at the highest level, Level 3, and having an item box, you're quite impressive. I'll prepare the payment now, so please wait a moment."
Saying that, Marie left the room. As I sipped the tea that had been offered, she returned carrying a tray with a small pouch containing gold coins.
"Please verify."
I took the pouch of gold coins from the tray and counted them, then signed the receipt that was given to me. After putting the coins back in the pouch, I stored it in my item box. Just as I was about to leave the room, Marie spoke up:
"Mr. Zenjirou, if you're interested, would you consider joining the Alchemists' Guild? Normally, joining the guild requires introductions from influential people in town or renowned alchemists, but someone of your caliber would be more than welcome."
"What benefits would I get from joining the guild?"
"Our guild provides members with a steady supply of materials and a guaranteed buyback rate for potions. This is the biggest perk for members. We also handle quite rare alchemical ingredients, and if you have any requests, we can procure them on your behalf. Plus, the prices for alchemical materials sold to members are discounted by 10 to 30 percent."
"And what about the downsides?"
"Well, whether it's a downside or not depends on perspective, but members must pay a one-time membership fee of one gold coin and contribute 5 percent of their total potion sales to the guild after one year."
Well, there's no benefit for me, and it's just a hassle.
"Is that so? I'll think about joining the Alchemists' Guild. Thank you, and have a nice day."
Even if you look disappointed, I don't care.
And so, I left the Alchemists' Guild.
I left the guild, but the noon bell hadn't rung yet. Still, my stomach was growling.
Maybe using alchemy makes me hungry.
There happened to be a food stall on the street, so I bought two skewers. The meat was fresh off the grill and pretty tasty, even though I couldn't tell what kind it was. As I was walking down the street munching on them, a bald guy standing in front of a big shop nodded at me.
Does he need something from me?
Maybe he thought I looked like a customer because of my appearance. I asked the bald guy what kind of shop this was, and he said,
"This is the largest slave market in town."
The word 'slave' would probably get me in trouble back in Japan, let alone the whole buying and selling thing… But hey, this is a fantasy world for me, so I can take it lightly.
So, I ended up asking out loud,
"Huh, you sell slaves? Like, pretty ladies and such?"
I couldn't help but ask honestly.
"Of course! We have beautiful slaves and various others who can handle all sorts of household chores."
"Hmm, sounds interesting. Can you show me around a bit?"
"Of course, sir, please follow me."
I followed the man into the store as I was told. Once inside, the entrance hall felt spacious and bright, probably due to the good lighting from the windows. The high ceiling and potted plants added a touch of sophistication. This place must be doing well.
Right! When I get some money, I should buy a few capable slaves, train them, and have them work for me. That way, I can enjoy passive income without lifting a finger. Life would be sweet.
If there are any slaves with disabilities, they'd likely be cheaper, which is even better. With my potions, I can cure them easily.
Let's get down to business. Although I don't have much cash on hand, I'm curious about the prices. Child slaves are probably cheaper than adult ones, and if they're old enough to handle light labor, they might be easier to train.
"Pretty lady, I'm not joking. I want a few child slaves, around 10 to 15 years old. And it's fine if they have some physical disabilities. Wouldn't that bring the price down a bit?"
"If you're okay with disabilities, then yes, we can offer a significant discount. Since they're children, we can lower the price considerably. Normally, child slaves cost around fifty gold coins each, but for those with physical impairments, twenty gold coins would be reasonable. Raising underage slaves requires some educational efforts, so while there's some government subsidy, the costs for food and clothing still add up."
---
Kids as slaves probably don't need much, but if the government offers some assistance, it makes sense to take them in. If places like this take care of them, it would reduce the number of street kids, and for the government, it's a significant incentive. Still, it's surprisingly cheap for a human being, even if it's just a kid. Since we're at it, should I buy one here?
"Can you show me a few?"
"Certainly." The old man instructed a young apprentice who scurried off into the back.
"Please wait here," he said, gesturing to a chair in front of the round table.
I sat down and waited for a bit. Soon, the young apprentice returned with four children.
All four looked around ten years old, and they were all girls. Surprisingly, they were quite well-groomed. Of course, they are merchandise.
"The slaves we currently have, aged between ten and fifteen, are these four girls. This one lost her parents in an accident and has a limp; she had no family, so we took her in. The other three girls are also orphans but have no physical disabilities."
"So most of the child slaves here are orphans?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"I see.
If I were to buy all four, would it be 170 gold coins?"
"If you're buying all four together, and considering we might do business again, I can offer them to you for 150 gold coins."
---
"Before we finalize the contract, there are a few things you need to know."
"What's that?"
"Firstly, slaves cannot be taken out of the country. If you attempt to or actually do take a slave out of the country, there will be severe penalties."
I doubt they'd be found easily, but since this is a world with magic, it might actually be pretty simple. Anyway, if that's the rule, I'll follow it.
"These child slaves haven't committed any crimes or incurred debts; they're just unfortunate orphans."
"Yeah, I understand."
"Therefore, orphan slaves are freed when they turn 18. Once freed, they have the option to leave their masters. If they choose to continue working for their masters, they must be treated as regular employees under a standard employment contract."
"I see. What does that mean specifically?"
"You need to pay them a fair wage."
"Despite these restrictions, do you still want to buy them?"
"Of course. The idea is to help them become decent people by the time they turn 18, right?"
"That's correct. The minimum wage for servants is posted at city hall, so please check that when the time comes."
This system is actually quite well thought out. I remember reading something similar in a light novel once; I think it was called 'True Forced Summoning' or something. That was a fun read.
"Got it.
Let's get all four of you together then."
I pulled out 150 gold coins from my item box and placed them on the round table. No need to count them individually—fifteen stacks of ten coins each neatly appeared. As expected, an Lvl Max item box comes with handy features that hit just the right spots.
"Confirmed receipt of 150 gold coins. This is your buyback certificate, which also serves as a receipt. Please keep it safe. Thank you very much. I hope we can continue to serve you. My name is Footer Road, acting manager of this store. May I ask for your name?"
"The name's Zenjirou. Nice to meet you."
I accepted five sheets of parchment with something written on them. Apparently, no signature was needed, so I slipped them into my pocket and stored them in the item box.
"Well then, follow me."
Just saying that made me feel a bit more important.
I stepped outside the slave shop and waited for the four of them to come out. They cautiously huddled together and emerged through the door. Behind them, Mr. Footer Road was bowing politely.
I'm not a scary old man, you know.
"Can't you guys walk with a bit more pep? Snap to it! Any response?"
"Roger that, sir!"
"Good. You guys haven't eaten yet, right? Let's grab some lunch."
The first restaurant they spotted was empty, so they all filed in.
Oops! They're barefoot. I should have bought them some clothes and shoes first. The sound of their bare feet slapping against the floor made me blush, but since no one at the restaurant said anything, it was probably fine.
They sat down at a long table for five and called out, "Hey! Five servings of your lunch special!"