Chapter 84: A Done Deal
Cidrane waited for Andes at Okesa’s Inn, fully prepared.
He was currently seated in a corner of Okesa’s Inn. He’d hidden his identity with an expensive disguise artifact, and he also hid his mana since it would immediately be recognized by the vice-head of Magic Tower. As if that wasn’t enough, he’d even changed his voice.
This was the perfect preparation for a secret deal.
‘It’s a bit troublesome that my first trading partner is Andes…’
Although he felt a little guilty, there was a reason he had chosen his vice-head as his first trading target. Aside from the fact that it was urgent, should things not go as planned, he would be able to step in as a ‘boss at work’ and take control and adjust the situation.
Since ancient times, when selling such a great item, it was important to reduce risk.
‘What an amazing child.’
In that sense, Cidrane thought Dane’s sales plan was more amazing than the special Mana Stone.
A strategy of hiding the seller’s identity, giving a story to the item, and selling only a small number of items to a small number of targets…
‘I wondered where I had seen this before, but it turns out it’s the method used by the capital’s famous tailors.’
Mana Stones were essential for mages. But what if it was an item that only a select few mages could use? What if it was something that couldn’t be compared to the existing Mana Stones?
“I bet we’d get a ton of inquiries.”
As he imagined the future that would soon unfold一
“Are you the one who sent me the Mana Stone?” Andes asked as he appeared, stopping opposite Cidrane.
“Yes.”
“Huh. You sent me something ridiculous. Was it dark magic?”
It was a reasonable suspicion. After all, dark magic involved doing things that went beyond the existing laws at the cost of blood or life.
“Dark magic disappeared hundreds of years ago, and regardless, did you ever sense even the slightest trace of dark magic while using that Mana Stone?”
Andes was left speechless by the words that followed.
“Please sit down.”
“Alright.”
Andes sat quietly across from him, but he was ready to gather his mana if necessary.
“Don’t be so nervous. You look like you’re going to cast a spell if I ask you a question.”
“…Until I find out the motive behind you sending such a ridiculous thing, it will be like this.”
“Motive, huh? Would you believe that a reclusive mage developed this special Mana Stone and planned to sell it only to those who deserve it?”
Andes was momentarily speechless at those words.
A reclusive mage?
What on earth was that?
“Please explain in more detail.”
“It’s better to hear a long story little by little. Let me just say one thing: there are people in this world who defy common sense.”
He was referring to Dane.
Of course, Andes had no way of knowing that.
“A special Mana Stone made by a reclusive mage…”
“You must have come here because you used it, so I think you must have already confirmed its effectiveness and power.”
Andes gulped as he recalled the research he had done using the special Mana Stone. If only there were a few more of those Mana Stones, or even just one more. Perhaps the research he was conducting now would be completed and bear fruit, and then he would be able to secure his position as vice-head next year.
In fact一
‘Yes. Finish that research quickly and stay here for a long time.’
That was why Cidrane chose Andes as his first sales target. He couldn’t stand to see him wilt day after day and become a wreck because his research wasn’t progressing.
“Alright. I’ll buy it.”
Fortunately, Andes decided to buy. Although his suspicions didn’t seem to have completely disappeared, Cidrane, who knew Andes well, wasn’t worried.
Right now, all he’d be thinking about was research and experiments.
Click.
Cidrane took the Mana Stone out and placed it on the table.
To be exact, a luxurious case containing a Mana Stone was placed on top of the table. The case seemed to advertise that it contained important items at first glance.
“The price is 100 Gold Crowns.”
Andes was shocked by the high price.
“One hundred… How does that price make sense?”
100 Gold Crowns.
It was enough to build a decent house.
However, Cidrane folded his arms and tilted his head.
“No matter how much I look at it, it seems that you haven’t found its true value.”
“What?”
“You must know after having used it. How many times more efficient than Mana Stone is compared to the existing highest-grade Mana Stones?”
“…”
He knew it too well. It made a huge difference, not just in the amount of mana available but also in the speed of research and obtaining experimental data.
“And did you know? This Mana Stone is more than three times the size of the one sent to you as a sample.”
Andes didn’t hesitate any longer.
“…Here.”
Andes handed over a pouch containing 100 Gold Crowns that he had previously taken out of his subspace.
Cidrane took the pouch, checked its contents, carefully put it in his shirt, and pushed the case containing the special Mana Stone toward Andes.
“The deal is done.”
Andes opened the case. There, he saw the special, glowing green Mana Stone. It was a light more enchanting than any jewel.
Andes quickly closed the case, put it in his arms, and asked Cidrane, “…is it possible to make additional purchases?”
“Of course. But the timing may be adjusted depending on the shipment volume.”
“When is that?”
Cidrane smiled through his hood in satisfaction and said, “I don’t know. There are so many people who want it.”
Andes became anxious for a moment. There was a lot of demand.
“But don’t worry. This isn’t something that can be sold to just anyone. As the saying goes, luxury goods shine when they fall into the hands of someone who recognizes their value.”
Andes nodded, and Cidrane immediately finished, “I’ll get back to you later. Now, then.”
Cidrane got up and left Okesa’s Inn. After that, Cidrane went to the inn right next door and headed to the room he had reserved in advance, sweating profusely as he removed the disguise and voice modulation artifacts.
“Fuu. I really can’t keep doing this.”
He had a feeling that he had no talent for acting. Though, he did pretty well.
“I don’t have time.” Cidrane smiled and immediately took out his communication crystal ball and entered Dane’s code.
“The deal went well.”
⸢Thank you for your hard work.⸣
“I’ll transfer the money to your personal platform as soon as I get back to the magic tower. It would be a big deal if I get caught.”
⸢Yes. I’ll send you a Mana Stone as well.⸣
Cidrane’s mouth opened at the mention of the Mana Stone. There was so much he could do with that. He was also a helpless mage.
⸢How was the transaction?⸣
“Nothing much happened. There was no tailing, and I was a bit suspicious, but sending the sample in advance like you said worked, kid.”
Cidrane was inwardly amazed.
Truly, if they had just sent a note, Andes would never have come. After all, mages were suspicious by nature.
However, the sample definitely impressed upon Andes the power of the product, and it even gave him the impression that it was only sold to ‘special people’.
“It’s going to sell like hotcakes.”
⸢Please continue to take care of me in the future.⸣
Of course, it shouldn’t sell like hotcakes. The quantity had to be adjusted within an appropriate range. If they sold too much, the value would drop, and it would be difficult for Cidrane to handle the sales on his own.
‘Anyway, there’s going to be chaos on the day it’s released.’
With those thoughts in mind, Cidrane ended the call and stood up from his seat.
“I’m going to experiment all night for the first time in a while.”
His hands were busy preparing to return to the magic tower.
In my previous life, money wasn’t a big deal. The same went for military vouchers mainly used in occupied territories.
In the first place, I was literally born on a battlefield and had nowhere to return to, so when I got vacation time, I usually gave it to someone else. I didn’t really have anywhere to spend my money.
Still, I knew that money was important.
At the time, there was a war merchant who regularly did business with my unit, and I learned quite a bit from him. The ‘marketing secrets’ I used while selling the Mana Stones this time were all things I learned from him.
I wonder how he was doing.
Had he built a mansion and lived a luxurious life as he wished?
Anyway, I wouldn’t have to worry about money in the future. Of course, I would continue to produce, but we would adjust the shipment volume. If we kept increasing the number of business partners we had, we would have too much on our plate, which could become a nuisance.
One or two sales per month would be appropriate.
In that sense…
“100 Gold Crowns…?”
“Oh my God…”
I showed Leila and Ernest the money I made from selling the Mana Stone, and they were both shocked, their mouths wide open.
“Oh, you made this much money selling Mana Stones?”
“It’s more than my allowance…?”
I skipped the details.
“It’s not dangerous. It just happened.”
“Dane, what the heck are you…?”
“You’re really amazing…”
Even Leila, who was from the Thermion Duchy and was indifferent to small amounts of money, reacted, so this was a lot of money.
“Let’s go buy some furniture to fill the club room with.”
“Alright!”
“But how do we get out? We’re freshmen, so they probably won’t give us a pass yet.”
I smiled at Ernest’s concern and said, “Don’t worry.”
The matter was easily resolved.
I went to see Professor Kelthas.
“Hmm? A pass to go out?”
“Yes, Professor. I’ve set up a club room, and I’m thinking about buying some furniture to put in it.”
Professor Kelthas responded, perhaps because he had built up a favorable impression of me over time, “Oh, right. You created a club, didn’t you? I went to the office and signed the recommendation. It felt like I hadn’t gone out in a hundred years.”
“Thanks to you, we were able to create a successful club, Professor.”
“Yeah… But a freshman going out… Where are you going?”
As expected, it wasn’t resolved right away.
“The Academy is already in turmoil these days, don’t you know?”
It seemed like he was talking about the purification of St. Aimar’s Hall.
It couldn’t be helped.
“Naturally, I know that as a freshman I have to focus on my academy life. However, I think that participating in club activities will add more energy to my academy life.”
“Hmm. So?”
“And I’m not going out just to decorate the club room, I’m also going to buy a present for my father.”
“Ah, you mean Count Sogres?”
I nodded and said, “Yes. I heard from a senior, but there seems to be a store in the capital that sells good high-quality liquor.”
“…Alcohol?”
An expected reaction.
Professor Kelthas asked again, pretending not to be interested while pricking up his ears, “Ahem. You’re not going to drink it?”
“I don’t much like the taste of alcohol.”
Actually, I liked it. There was nothing better than alcohol to relieve loneliness and boredom on the battlefield.
Of course, I had no intention of drinking it right now.
“Oh, by the way, there’s something I’d like to ask… Could you recommend alcohol to me?”
“Hmm. Alcohol…”
“Of course, I’m not going to only buy a gift for my father. I’m also thinking about choosing gifts for people who have helped me out.”
“Ahem! A gift for those who have helped you, was it? Good. When you receive a favor, you should return it. Well, I heard that the wine in the blue bottle with gold decorations is good…”
He was talking about the Royal Estur. It was quite expensive, even for alcohol.
“Of course, I don’t know much about alcohol, but I heard from someone that it’s good.”
“Thank you for the recommendation, Professor.”
Don’t know much about alcohol?
By the way, all of the liquor bottles displayed in the room were empty. If I bought him an expensive one, he’d be really happy.
“Hmm. Alright, fine. It’s a custom, not a rule.” Professor Kelthas didn’t say much, just wrote a permit on the spot and stamped it with his seal.
“Thank you, Professor. I’ll have a safe trip, and I won’t cause any trouble.”
“Good. Ahem. I’ll say it again in case you forgot: It’s a blue bottle with gold trim.”
“Yes, I remember.”
That was how I managed to get a permit to go out.
“You really succeeded?”
“I said it would work.” I smiled brightly at the two who had been waiting. “Let’s go out and buy some furniture and stop by a dessert shop.”
“There’s also a store that sells exploration supplies!”
“Hmm. Should we stop by a cosmetics store?”
They both looked very excited. Of course, I was pretty excited, too.
“Let’s go before it’s too late. We have to be back by eight.”
“Alright!”
It was time to go out.
