NOVEL NEXT WORLD chapter 5
5: The Royal Merchant
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Car-Mine Colorless Ji Garland Le Carlo-Jiggle Arlay
Race: Human/Race
Soul Rank: 1
Vitality: 100/100
Mental Strength: 200/500
Status: (All ability level values are decreased)
(All ability level values will not increase)
(Individual information is in a concealed state)
Strength: 2-7 (2-7/6-7)
Speed: 2-7 (2-7/6-7)
Resilience: 2-7 (2-7/6-7)
Stamina: 2-7 (2-7/6-7)
Intelligence: 4-7 (4-7/6-7)
Magic Power: 1-1 (1-1/6-7)
Mental Resistance: 6-7 (6-7/6-7)
Magic Resistance: 6-7 (6-7/6-7)
Magic Attributes
Light: 0-0 (0/6-7)
Darkness 0-0 (0/6-7)
Fire 0-0 (0/6-7)
Wind 0-0 (0/6-7)
Gold 0-0 (0/6-7)
Earth 0-0 (0/6-7)
Water 0-0 (0/6-7)
Skills
Offensive Skills:
Defensive Skills:
Support Skills:
Recovery Skills:
Attribute Skills:
Special Skills:
Unique Skills: (【All Ability Reduction】【Ability Immobilization】【Individual Information Concealment】【Skill Removal】)
Race Skills:
Bloodline Skills:
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I felt a lot better after taking a day off, but unfortunately, my mental strength hadn’t recovered much.
Apparently, the amount of vitality and mental strength you recover depends on your soul rank (level) and skills, so I guess this is to be expected since I’m still at soul rank 1.
I don’t have any skills that consume mental strength anyway, so it doesn’t really matter.
Anyway, today I decided to raise my Endurance and Stamina to Rank 6 all at once.
Over the past two days, I realized that not only is it okay to raise these two, but it would be better to raise them quickly.
At the same time, I’ll raise my Strength and Speed to Rank 3. Since my Endurance and Stamina will be raised, I won’t break my body or experience a sudden loss of stamina.
The reason I’m not raising them all at once is because I’m afraid of the gap between my raised ability values and my actual movements becoming too large.
I definitely want to avoid things like destroying something by gripping it with my usual strength. That’s why I plan to slowly get used to using my body.
I want a weapon to learn swordsmanship and such, but it would be strange if I suddenly wanted one, so I decided to spend today quietly reading in the library.
In order to raise my Intelligence, I need to get used to using my head and the strain, or else it will be too scary.
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Ka=Mine Colorless Ji Garland Ru Carlo=Jiggle Arlay
Race Human・Race
Soul Rank 1
Vitality 100/100
Mental Strength 200/500
Status: (All ability rank values are reduced)
(Individual information is concealed)
Strength 3-7 (3-7/6-7)
Speed 3-7 (3-7/6-7)
Endurance 6-7 (6-7/6-7)
Stamina 6-7 (6-7/6-7)
Intelligence 4-7 (4-7/6-7)
Magic 1-1 (1-1/6-7)
Mental Resistance 6-7 (6-7/6-7)
Magic Resistance 6-7 (6-7/6-7)
Magic Attribute
Light 0-0 (0/6-7)
Darkness 0-0 (0/6-7)
Fire 0-0 (0/6-7)
Wind 0-0 (0/6-7)
Metal 0-0 (0/6-7)
Earth 0-0 (0/6-7)
Water 0-0 (0/6-7)
Skills
Offensive Skills:
Defensive Skills:
Support Skills:
Recovery Skills:
Attribute Skills:
Special Skills:
Unique Skills: ([All Ability Decrease] [Ability Fixation] [Individual Information Concealment] [Skill Release])
Race Skills:
Bloodline Skills:
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As expected, I couldn’t raise my magic because it was too scary.
*
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince, a member of the Bernard Chamber of Commerce has arrived. What shall we do?”
“Hm?”
After lunch, I continued to read books when Zeel suddenly said that.
Come to think of it, it was around that time.
There are merchants who are purveyors to the royal family, but most of those merchants are large stores. They usually have stores in large cities in the country, and that’s the same for Garland, the fortress city where I live.
It’s an open secret that I’m living here in seclusion, or at least, those who know, know. It would be stranger if the purveyors to the royal family didn’t know.
I’ve been living here for about five years now, and once a month, the branch manager of this city would come with recommended products.
In truth, I’ve hardly ever met with the merchant in these five years.
At first, I would listen to the merchant’s stories with Zeel present, but because of my low intelligence, I couldn’t tell what was good, so I would listen to Zeel’s advice about the products being introduced and make my selections.
Because of that, there was no point in me being there in the first place, and I also got tired of it, so I left all dealings with the merchant to Zeel.
I would only show my face once or twice a year at most.
However, since I am the master of this mansion, even Zeel, the head servant, can’t make purchases on his own. Even though he knows that I can’t understand, Zeel shows me an account book of what he bought each month and how much he spent.
As a result, even if the merchant brings expensive luxury goods, he can’t get me to buy them, and Zeel only buys what he thinks the mansion needs, making him a completely unprofitable customer for the merchant.
That said, the Crown Prince lives here. It would be bad for his reputation if even a difficult customer didn’t visit. If the head of the main store found out, he wouldn’t be able to continue as a merchant in this country .
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the merchant only comes to say hello these days.
That’s why Zeel is only informing me of the merchant’s arrival as a formality. Servants can’t do anything without their master’s permission.
Normally, I would have ended it with “Do as you see fit.” But this time, I put the book back on the shelf and headed outside.
“Let’s meet.”
“…As you wish.”
After a brief pause, I heard Zeel’s reply and the sound of footsteps following me.
*
“Your Royal Highness, Crown Prince, I am delighted to see you in such good health. It is an honor to have this audience with you today.”
“Hmm. You have come a long way. Sit down.”
“I am most grateful.”
In the reception room, I sat down on the sofa in a haughty manner and received the merchant.
He must have been quite surprised, because the old me would never have used words like “You have come a long way.”
But now I am very happy that he has come. After all, he has come just in time to be a good practice opponent for me to test my abilities.
“Regarding the goods I have brought today–“
The goods he showed me were all very practical. There were few luxury items, just high-quality items for maintaining the mansion and everyday use.
To put it bluntly, there was not a single item that was outrageously expensive.
“That is all. Is there anything that catches your eye?”
“Hmm.”
I sniffed ostentatiously and glanced at the goods that were lined up.
Honestly, none of them really appealed to me, but that would defeat the purpose.
So, I made up my mind and raised my intelligence to the 5th level.
“What is the value of that cup?”
I looked at a teacup with a saucer and teaspoon.
“That set costs fifty gold coins.”
Considering that the average monthly income of a commoner is around fifteen gold coins, it is a good price. It may not be the highest quality, but it is not a bad item to bring to the Crown Prince.
“Is that a fair price?”
I looked the merchant straight in the eye and asked.
Such words could be considered an unacceptable insult to a purveyor who relies on absolute trust. I knew that, and I asked him anyway.
The merchant was slightly taken aback, but he quickly opened his mouth with a calm expression.
“Of course it is. This Jarnal, I do not speak a single lie.”
“Hmm.”
I nodded, took a sip of tea, and smiled ostentatiously.
“Say, Jarnal. Do you have some time?”
“Of course.”
“Then I would like to talk for a while. Join me.”
“I would be delighted.”
Hmm, I nodded. This is where I will test the results of my abilities.
“What kind of goods does your trading company handle?”
“A wide variety. We can provide any goods with a single word.”
“Oh? Weapons too?”
“Yes.”
The merchant smiled at the Crown Prince’s ridiculous question.
“What kind of pets do you have?”
“I will provide you with the finest beasts.”
“What about food?”
“I will gather it from all over the continent.”
“What about slaves?”
“–If you wish, I can bring you any kind of person.”
He seemed taken aback for a moment, but as expected, he quickly regained his composure. I thought I heard the head servant cough softly behind me, but I pretended not to notice.
I leaned back against the backrest.
“As expected of a royal merchant. Splendid.”
“I am honored by your praise.”
“Hmm. Hmm. By the way, it seems like you have fewer goods today. If possible, I would like to see a wider variety. As you know, I recently came of age. I have become interested in many things.”
“Is that so?”
“Also, I would like to learn more about the outside world. After all, I never leave this mansion. I have no idea what is happening outside or what is available. That is why I am so curious about all sorts of goods.”
I laughed, and the merchant laughed along with me.
“If you find anything interesting, bring it to me next time.”
“I will certainly keep your words in mind.”
“But you are a good merchant. I can expect great things from you in the future. Yes, excellent. I feel like I should even give you some kind of reward.”
Of course, I have no such authority. He may be a royal merchant, but he is still just a merchant. It is unthinkable that I would give him a reward for something so trivial.
And then there is the matter of promises. Royalty is a troublesome lot, and a single word can trip them up. Even though I have no authority, I have just made an unnecessary promise.
But that is fine.
“Oh, that’s right. I liked the cup from earlier. I will buy it.”
“hahahaha, I am honored.”
“By the way, I am not very good at remembering things, and I have forgotten the price. Hmm,”
I looked the merchant in the eye and smiled.
“–How much was this item?”
“That is…”
The merchant hesitated. I smiled.
The words that the merchant says next will determine the outcome of my ability and the value of this merchant.
My heart was pounding a little. I tried to keep smiling so that he wouldn’t notice my nervousness.
“–One hundred gold coins.”
I smiled my biggest smile of the day.
“Zeel, bring it.”
“As you wish.”
After confirming that Zeel had left the room, I looked at the merchant. The merchant was looking at me with a smile.
However, his expression was somewhat stiff, and his eyes were fixed straight on me.
“I will be counting on you next time, Jarnar.”
“hahahaha.”
*
–Even though the cup has changed, the taste is the same.
In my private room, after dismissing the maid, I thought about today’s negotiations while drinking tea.
I had never been able to steer a conversation in the direction I wanted before. In the first place, I couldn’t even understand the words that came out, let alone grasp what the other person intended to say with them.
But this time, I was able to do it the way I wanted. There may have been some clumsy parts, but it was still a big step for me.
The merchant had asserted that the price of the cup was fair. On top of that, he had revised the price. It was nothing more than because he had read my request for information and my intention to want information and goods in the future.
That amount was the payment for that price.
If the price had been lowered there, I would have doubted the merchant’s head, and if it had been said to be fair, it would have been useless, and if an unexpected price had been offered, I would never have shown my face again.
For me, that price was perfect.
I don’t know what Zeel, who was standing behind me, thought. I don’t care if he thought I was stupid, or if he made fun of me for being an adult and getting big-headed.
I’ve decided to live the way I want.