Chapter 9: Networks are assets to merchants(1)

“You’ve been working hard these days, Mr. Jeong.”

“Well, I’m just doing my part.”

“No, you’re a very diligent young man.These days, kids just earn enough to spend and barely come to work, you know?”

“Well, there are people like that.”

“That’s not right! You should work hard like Mr. Jeong, save money, get married.Do you have a girlfriend?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Oh, you’re a good-looking guy. Should I introduce you to a young lady I know?”

“No, thank you.”

It was a bit cumbersome, but the words were filled with affection.

‘Well, it’s not that hard of a job.’

Gathering is basically a daily wage job.

It’s not a job where you sign a contract, work 5 days a week, and get a monthly salary.

But the pay was quite good, so many young people just came to work casually and enjoyed their leisure time.

‘I’m in a situation where I need to save some money…’

I didn’t have any immediate need for money.

But I wanted to have a lot of money if possible.

‘Lisa might need it, or I might need it somewhere else.’

I didn’t need a lot of money right away.

I wasn’t particularly extravagant, and I didn’t have many places to spend money.

But if I ever needed money, I wanted to have as much as possible to deal with the problem.

Earth’s weapons might be needed to protect Lisa’s Rangers, or the next world I trade with might need something more special than water.

It’s a bad move to start saving money then.

I had to work hard when I was free and save as much money as possible.

“Anyway, today’s work is done-“

I looked at the hunters in the waiting room and desperately turned my head.

“You were here, Mr. Isu!”

‘Did she see me?’

It’s going to be a hassle if I get caught.

There’s nothing good to come from knowing each other.

But the blonde girl quickly approached me and stood in front of me.

“I was worried that I might not see you.”

“…How did you get here?”

“I’m an academy student too, you know?It’s field training.Unlike someone, I finished it perfectly and neatly.”

I sighed and looked at her.

She had the air of a lady in a romance novel.

She was a bit young, but there must be many people in the academy who liked her.

But to me, she was just an ‘inconvenient person’.

Nothing more, nothing less.

“I’m really… so sorry that you left like that last time.I want to apologize, please.Pleeaaase, can’t you accept it?”

The stares were intense.

People passing by were looking at me with a ‘what is it this time?’ look.

‘It’s dangerous.’

“There’s a restaurant I know well. I made a reservation to invite you today, will you come?”

I seriously considered the risks and returns.

‘Really, that’s why I didn’t want to meet her if possible…!’

The students of the academy are, most of them if not all, people with rich parents or hunter parents.

‘In the worst case…’

If the parents of this student, who looked so wealthy, were to bury me without anyone knowing, it wouldn’t be strange.

‘But, refusing this isn’t good either.’

She said she made a reservation at a restaurant.

She had a firm intention to take me with her.

If my refusal to accept her apology offends the girl’s ‘feelings’, or if it might offend her parents-

“Okay.Let’s go.”

There’s nothing I can do.

I have to accept it now that it’s come to this.

“Really?Thank you so much!”

I followed her with a complicated sigh.

****

“…It’s a nice place.”

At least it wasn’t an enclosed space.

Other customers were enjoying their meals nearby.

There was almost no chance that a bunch of hunters would come out and bury me here.

“Right?My parents don’t come to places like this often, but I like simple places like this.It has a certain dignity, and it’s not too expensive.”

I was inwardly astonished.

‘Ah, this isn’t too expensive?’

Just looking at the prices on the menu made me dizzy.

I couldn’t understand the blonde girl’s words.

“This is the best I can do with my allowance… please understand.Of course, it’s a cheap apology compared to the mistake I made.”

“I feel even more sorry.”

“Speak informally.”

“Should I…?”

I wanted her to get to the point quickly, but she didn’t seem to want to reveal her intentions easily.

“Ah, I haven’t introduced myself. My name is An Roze. As you know, I’m an academy student.”

“Jeong Isu. A gatherer.”

“Really?Don’t you have another identity?”

“No.”

We sliced steak and drank wine.

Despite the complicated mood and atmosphere, the food was indescribably delicious.

“You know, Mr. Isu?”

“I’m listening.”

I could tell by her eyes.

This is her point.

Everything she had done so far was to get to this ‘one word’ she was about to say.

“Would you like to start a business with me?”

“A business?”

The thought that crossed my mind was, ‘What is a kid talking about…’.

But it wasn’t wise to mock her by saying that now.

I had to pay for the meal.

I could play along, and at the crucial moment, I could say something like, ‘It’s difficult to cooperate due to realistic problems.’

“Yes.A business.”

Roze looked at me with an expression that was both too elegant and too innocent, two contradictory attributes in one.

“Tell me more.”

“Mr. Isu’s pistol. Don’t you think it could be profitable?”

“What do you mean?”

“Because of this incident, using that pistol in the test has become ‘permitted’.At least until the rules are changed later.”

“That’s right.”

“Think about it.”

“I know Yuhwa well, she’s never held a gun before, you know? If it’s an artifact that allows someone like that to shoot so splendidly-“

“The actual firepower is practically non-existent.That’s Yuhwa’s firepower, not the gun’s-“

Roze shook her head.

“The shooting test for students is to shoot at sparkling monsters with holograms.”

“So?”

“There’s no need to worry about firepower. You seem to be able to get bullets… if you bless or enchant the bullets before the test, the problem is solved.”

This was a usage that I, who knew it was a Gremlin pistol and had a hard time finding its use, had a hard time thinking of.

“We’re not selling that pistol.”

She approached me, temptingly licking her lips.

“To students who are desperate because of the risk of expulsion… we’re selling them a chance. A chance to stay in school.”

I shouldn’t underestimate her just because she’s a child.

Roze’s idea was certainly reasonable.

“What do you think?Doesn’t it sound interesting?”

This is profitable.

It’s a great idea.

If I use Yuhwa as a model and sell this gun to desperate students, I can make a considerable profit.

“It’s great.It’s amazing.It’s a great idea.”

“Right? I’d like to take some of the credit for the idea… is that okay?”

“But, there’s one problem.”

“Yes?”

“I don’t do business with children.”

Suddenly, Roze’s expression turned cold.

“Hah… did you think I was a joke? You’re just going to take the idea, eat the meal, and think you can just walk away?”

Her resentful eyes made my whole body feel like it was freezing.

“Are you going to do this alone?You can’t.How are you going to advertise this gun to academy students, especially those facing expulsion?”

“That-“

“Ah, you had Yuhwa.But what a pity. She doesn’t have any friends.”

“In that case-“

I smiled and shook my head.

“You seem to be misunderstanding, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what? You said you wouldn’t work with me because I’m a child-“

“Bring an adult.”

I firmly declared to her.

“Bring an adult who can ‘just put their name on it’ instead of you. Your mother, or someone like that.”

Even if it’s not an illegal transaction, if a child gets involved, it’s hard to handle when a problem arises.

Safety is the best.

“My mother is too busy to get involved in this kind of thing. But I understand why you’re so worried. Is our conversation being recorded now?”

“Of course.”

I smiled and shook my phone.

Roze burst into laughter.

“Alright. You recorded your conversation with Yuhwa at the cafe, so you should be this careful. I understand.”

“…Yeah. I have no intention of doing this with anyone other than you, so take your time.”

“There’s someone who’s perfect for this. My sister is unemployed.”

“Really?”

It was a bit hard to understand.

Looking at Roze, it seemed like her family was involved in something very important in an environment of unimaginable wealth.

“That’s settled then. What else?”

“I have no intention of dealing directly with other children. I’ll only deal with their parents.”

“Mr. Isu. How much money do you plan to receive to call their parents?”

“Even if I sell the pistol for a hundred won, I have to get it from their parents. If you sell this kind of item to a child, there will be problems.”

Roze pouted at me.

“The students here get a lot of allowance, you know?”

“They won’t all get the same allowance. There might be students who came in on scholarships. The parents have to buy the item.”

If a child buys an item from an ‘unreliable’ merchant to avoid expulsion, the parents will inevitably look at me unfavorably.

And I am weak.

If they are parents of academy students, they can burn me to death with just an ‘unfavorable look’.

I need to be careful.

Clean and perfect, without any room for misunderstanding.

“Okay. How many items can you make?”

“It will take some time, but I can prepare more than the number of students at risk of expulsion from the academy. Don’t worry about that.”

“Would it be rude to ask what kind of ability it is?”

“It’s a secret for now.It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Okay.Let’s talk about something more practical.”

“So… the most important thing, I think, is pricing?”

I smiled and nodded.

“Yeah. Let’s start with that.”

As someone who enjoyed [Wasteland 2], it was funny to me to put a price on a Gremlin pistol.

If I sold a Gremlin pistol to a store that charged an exorbitant price for a bottle of water, they would just throw a coin at me out of pity.

It wouldn’t be strange if it took a hundred, no, a thousand Gremlin pistols to buy a cup of water on this table.

“Um… well, I personally set a price.It doesn’t mean we have to sell it at this price, I’ll respect Mr. Isu’s opinion as much as possible.”

“Okay…”

“You’re the one who knows the cost, and you’re the one who sets the target margin. So, let’s see… about this much?”

Roze held up one finger.

“I don’t know what that means. Say it properly.”

“One hundred million?”

“Are you crazy?”

Reflexively, I spoke harshly to Roze.

Roze looked at me with terrified eyes.