Merchant Noble is out (3/3 chapters for today)
Business
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Having received permission for trade from the territory of Duke Edel, Arc and Hangue were now inspecting the market. It was very important for the success of business to first gather information about the number of customers, competitors, and the overall atmosphere of the market. Although it was early in the morning, the market was filled with many customers. Considering the number of customers per store and the number of stores, there were probably around 8,000 customers.
“This is the market of the territory of Duke Edel. It’s quite large.” (Arc)
Arc immediately started calculating in his head.
If 2 out of every 100 people make a purchase, how much should I sell the sword for in silver coins…
“According to the preliminary investigators, this is the largest market in the Kali Kingdom.” (Hangue)
“…It’s not that big for the largest one.” (Arc)
Arc was a little disappointed.
If there were many markets this big, the Kali Kingdom would be quite attractive. But this is the largest market? I can’t expect to make a huge profit in the Kali Kingdom. In the Laplace Kingdom, before it got embroiled in war, the capital’s market always had around 20,000 customers. In contrast, the Kali Kingdom has less than half of that.
“Well, the commerce of this kingdom will be nurtured by the Warden Merchant Guild from now on.” (Hangue)
Hangue said boldly.
For now, what they had to do was scout out the competitors. Product quality, price, sales methods, and product placement. It was important to observe these factors and gauge the skill of the merchants.
For example, if the prices are low but the product quality is also low, then we should take a high-end approach. If the quality and price of the products are the same, then, we’ll need to come up with ways to present and sell them more effectively.
The two of them found a weapon shop and entered the store.
“Welcome!” (Shopkeeper)
Arc pretended to be unsure about what to buy and started looking around at the products.
Assortment… 3 out of 10. There are only two types of swords, longswords and shortswords, and there’s only one thickness for the swords. Price… 5 out of 10. Slightly higher than the Laplace Kingdom. Sales method… 1 out of 10. Weapons are sold mixed together. This looks like an amateur market.
Overall, the store’s level is quite low. If they can keep their business going like this, it must mean that the overall commercial level of this country is low.
“Give me the most expensive sword in this store.” (Hangue)
“Thank you for your patronage!” (Shopkeeper)
Hangue paid 8 silver coins and bought the most expensive sword.
The two of them left the store and began to examine the sword as they walked.
“This is the highest quality sword sold in this market?” (Arc)
“Since this sword is the most expensive in the market, logically, it must be the highest quality.” (Hangue)
“This sword costs 8 silver coins?” (Arc)
An adventurer’s daily wage is 1 silver coin. If an adventurer saves up without spending frivolously, they could afford this sword in about 20 days.
(*Author’s Note: 1 silver coin is roughly equivalent to 10,000 yen. If there are any discrepancies in the depiction compared to other scenes, please let me know.)
“Let’s try a test swing.” (Hangue)
The two of them moved to the edge of the market and placed the blade against a nearby tree.
“Hm!” (Hangue)
Hangue swung the sword down several times, trying to cut the tree. Since the sword was small, they didn’t expect to chop the tree down, but even so, it couldn’t cut. It barely scratched the surface and made a small mark.
“Ah!” (Hangue)
After swinging the sword several times, Hangue exclaimed. Looking closely, the tip of the sword had chipped.
“Oh dear, it’s chipped.” (Arc)
“At this level…” (Hangue)
They said with exasperation and looked at each other.
“Hangue. Our swords will sell. My confidence has turned into certainty.” (Arc)
“Right. How much should we sell them for?” (Hangue)
“A sword of the same size as this one, for 5 silver coins.” (Arc)
“5 silver coins!” (Hangue)
When Arc set the price, Hangue let out a surprised voice. It was understandable that he would be surprised. 5 silver coins was way too cheap.
“Even if we sold it for 15 silver coins, customers wouldn’t complain.” (Hangue)
Hangue’s argument was reasonable, but Arc shook his head. Arc had his own reasoning.
“Customers are used to these low-quality swords. They probably don’t find them too inconvenient. So just because it’s a good product doesn’t mean it will sell.” (Arc)
Before selling, the most important thing is gathering customers. If a foreign merchant suddenly starts selling swords at high prices, there will only be a limited number of customers willing to buy. At first, we need to gather customers with a low price, then take away the demand for weapons.
“That’s true, but if we sell for 5 silver coins, no matter how many we sell, it won’t make a difference. The raw material costs, manufacturing costs, and transport costs will lead to a loss.” (Hangue)
“A temporary loss is unavoidable. First, we will crush the competitors. After the competition disappears, we’ll take plenty of profit.” (Arc)
It was a life-and-death battle against other merchants. For Arc, who had been a lord for a while, this feeling was something he hadn’t experienced in a long time. Along with the nostalgia, a sense of tension, anxiety, and anticipation began to swell in his chest.
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