Weed folded his arms and looked up. As the movement portal quietly emitted blue light, suspense filled the air.
After excruciating agony and inner conflict, he had won over his temptations.
“Not yet. Taxes have to be raised stealthily. So that people can’t feel it…”
If he suddenly raised the taxes just because there were more people, he would meet great resistance.
‘It also needs justification. To make them think the taxes really had to be raised, that there was no helping it, I need a justification they can understand! Without it, they won’t even accept a tax increase.’
Having overcome his greed, Weed put his rucksack onto the ground and sat down. Weed was the type of person who placed no value on luxuries. Unlike others, he had never gone to a fancy restaurant or bought a meal for female players. He obtained carving tools or even blacksmithing goods through hunting or gathering and used them self-sufficiently.
The sum he had to invest in Morata to reap a huge profit later was enormous, so he needed lots of money.
MOOOOO!
With a cry, a gentle-looking cow emerged from the portal.
Yellowy was being used as a luggage carrier. Even his back was strapped with countless backpacks filled with japtem, acquired from hunting near the River of Lamentations.
The backpacks he had prepared ahead of time had been filled to the brim, and the large bags he had made with his Tailoring skill were also full.
“It should be somewhere around here…”
Weed rummaged through his backpacks and pulled out a sword.
A sword sharpened to a keen edge!
“This is not ordinary japtem! I’m selling japtem, as well as clothes, armor, and weapons in small quantities!”
The start of his japtem sale!
It only took an instant for the heavy atmosphere in the square to dissipate.
“Ehh, what the hell, he’s selling goods.”
“I was alarmed for no reason.”
Because Weed had accumulated such enormous notoriety, even Morata’s Soldiers and Knights had appeared, creating a rigid atmosphere. When Weed pulled out a sword on top of it all, the crowd held their breaths in alarm.
Now, although their interest in Weed was just as great as before, the grimness had disappeared and the square’s characteristic noisy and carefree atmosphere returned.
“Excuse me.”
A Merchant who had been doing business nearby bravely spoke up. In front of the movement portal, Weed and Yellowy were positioned in the very middle of the square.
“Yes?”
“Are you really the Wargod Weed?”
“Heh, I’ll leave it to your imagination.”
Weed did not deny it. However, the Merchant who had asked nodded his head.
“Looks like you aren’t him.”
“He says he’s not, right?”
“Yeah. He’s not him.”
“…”
That was the judgement the Merchants made on their own. On the other hand, there were quite a few people who believed Weed was the Continent of Magic’s Wargod. The people who personally watched Weed’s adventure through the broadcast thought differently, and they were also divided based on their judgements of his level or profession. However, the majority of people couldn’t decide which side was right and were still on the fence.
The Merchants looked greedily at Weed and Yellowy’s backpacks.
“But, ah, you have quite a lot of japtem.”
“That’s because I hunted diligently.” Weed replied indifferently as he laid out his japtem. Customers hadn’t arrived yet, and he was preparing to do business.
As he gazed avariciously at the laid out japtem, the Merchant proposed, “Would you be willing to sell all that japtem to me? I’ll give you a good price for them.”
Weed shook his head. “I will sell them myself.”
“But it’ll be better for me, a Merchant, to take care of them. Business is not so easy.”
The Merchant gave him advice, but Weed didn’t need to pay attention to him. He had become skilled at business since he was 10 years old. His learning had started by following a grandma selling vegetables in the marketplace!
“Caltrop Antennas! Black Wild Boar Fangs! I don’t sell to just anyone. Since they’re not cheap japtem, you can just take a look and go.”
Weed began advertising his goods to the gathered players.
“Antennas? Fangs? What kind of japtem are they to be so expensive?”
The prices they reaped when sold at a general goods store were fantastic.
Weed had hunted and gathered japtem exclusive to the River of Lamentations. Since there wasn’t anyone else who had gone to the River of Lamentations through the movement portal yet, it was not an exaggeration to say that these products were first-rate specialties right now.
There were truly many things the crowd had wanted to ask while looking at Weed after he appeared through the movement portal.
About the quest and the Wargod Weed!
However, once he started putting out japtem, the people wanting to buy goods rushed in before the curious crowd could start asking.
Both Merchants and Wizards were greatly amazed when they Identified the antennas. It was a material for a magic staff that could amplify lightning. If it was taken to an Enchanter, the antennas could receive a value greater than their weight in gold.
A Magician shouted out the greatest value that he could offer as soon as he checked the information. “I’ll buy them! I can buy the antennas for 350 Gold each. All of them!”
“I’ll purchase for 533 Gold.”
“539 Gold!”
“I’ll buy for 540 Gold.”
“I’ll purchase with all the money I have, 555 Gold.”
The values of japtem were usually fixed. However, Merchants could use their Accounting skills to sell goods they had purchased from players for a better price in stores. They could even receive better offers depending on their Intimacy, public contribution, and the donations they had made for the village’s development. Magicians could personally process them before handing them over to a Blacksmith.
“Buy for 570 Gold!” shouted a cheeky-looking Merchant with a huge potbelly.
“580 Gold!”
“I’ll buy all of them for 600 Gold.”
There was great profit in being the first to sell rare japtem to a store. A sale for the sake of raising Accounting skill and Fame!
Weed ripped off even the Merchants. He successfully sold off all the antennas he had for 620 Gold each, and 320 Gold for the fangs. He was satisfied since it was higher than what he could get from selling at a store.
It was also pricey for the Merchants, but since they could raise their skills and Fame without even selling a specialty item, it was a profit for them.
Weed pulled out another backpack.
“Now, this here is the Embinyu Church Headband. Trophies obtained while doing the Alliance of the Deliverers quest! Those of you who want it as a souvenir, please stand in line. I am selling them for 15 Gold apiece.”
They were headbands embellished with the Embinyu Church’s mark. Besides +3 Defense, they had almost no other bonuses. However, they were relatively cheap goods compared to the expensive japtem he had been selling just before.