kscans

Chapter 310 - Rival Shop

A week after defeating Tiamat, their exploration of the floating island came to an end. Maris and Surya had finished their investigation into taming dinosaurs, the facility in the middle of the lake had been explored, and they had more or less mapped out the seals of all the dinosaurs on the island. They didn't go so far as to grind until the superior versions of the Mosasaurus or Tyrannosaurus appeared.

When Hayato announced they were leaving, Jolt looked disappointed but didn't try to stop them.

"We’re going to stick around for a while longer."

"Is that related to the fact that everyone from the Bandit clan is out fishing?"

"…The female members of our clan are fighting over the swimsuit. We might not be able to go home until we have enough for everyone…"

They seemed to be catching Megalodons fairly often, but Tiamat wasn't appearing much, so it would take a bit more time to get enough swimsuits for all the women. Jolt also had the excuse of investigating what items Tiamat dropped, so he didn't seem too bothered by it, though he did grumble that he didn't want to see another shark for a while.

Incidentally, Rosalie and her group had forgiven the Bandit clan. The Black Rose members weren't displeased to hear that the reason they were being attacked was because Jolt's clan desperately wanted the gothic lolita outfits that they dropped. They came to an agreement that in the future, they would trade for the outfits with money instead of fighting.

Jolt and the other Bandit clan members seemed quite surprised by this proposal and were grateful to Hayato for it. Hayato also taught the Bandit clan's production players how to make some of the items they had requested. He had consulted with Esha and the others, and they had agreed it would be fine. According to Esha, monopolizing items too much would lead to unnecessary trouble. They were already feeling the effects to some extent. Ney, who had the Arondight Replica, was apparently being pestered so much about how to obtain it that she couldn't get any hunting done.

So, they decided to teach them on the condition that the Bandit clan would handle the troublesome inquiries. The logic was that the Bandit clan's production players would make the items and release them into the market, making it seem to others that Hayato wasn't monopolizing them. It was a chance to make a considerable profit, but it could also be said that they decided the inquiries would be more of a nuisance.

There were various conditions, such as having them be the public face of the operation, but since that alone wouldn't be a fair trade, Hayato was also taught how to make a considerable number of production items he couldn't create himself. There was no monetary exchange, but Hayato could say that he was happier with this arrangement.

Having spent a meaningful time on the floating island, Hayato and his friends parted ways with the Bandit clan and returned to the ground on the airship Angra Mainyu.

They landed on a wide-open grassland in the Spirit Country. After everyone had disembarked, Hayato explained their future plans.

"Alright, we’re heading to the Eastern Country in two days, so please get ready. We’ll be taking the regular ferry, so don’t be late."

"If you’re late, I’ll turn you into rust on Arondight, so come prepared."

"I was talking to you, Lunaria-san."

After that exchange, the Demon Lord's Army returned to the Demon Country. After seeing them off, Ney looked at Hayato.

"Alright, we’re heading back to our base too. We’ll be ready in two days, so don’t worry."

"Got it. Thanks, everyone. And I’m counting on you in two days as well."

"Of course. Oh, and about rebuilding the base that we talked about before, I’d like to ask you to do that sometime."

"Now that you mention it, we did talk about that. A lot has happened, so I forgot. Is it okay if we do it after we get back from the Eastern Country?"

"That would be great. See you later!"

Ney said with a smile and a wave, then teleported back with her members using a Ring of Teleportation.

The remaining members were all heading to Hayato’s base. They used their Rings of Teleportation and transferred to the headquarters.

(…Huh? What’s this? Something’s different…?) Although they had been away for a decent period, something about the base felt strange. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, but it just felt different. Agres and the others, as well as Surya, who didn't come here often, didn't seem to notice anything, but Esha, Ash, and the others also seemed to feel it, tilting their heads instead of entering the base.

Ren let out a cry of "Ah!"

"Our neighbor’s base wasn’t this big, was it?"

"Ah, so that’s it."

Ren’s words finally made him understand what felt off. It wasn’t that Hayato’s base was strange, but that the neighboring base had been rebuilt at some point. It wasn't something he usually paid attention to, but that must have been the source of the strange feeling. The base to the west was on a lot of roughly the same size, but since the days of the Kokuryu clan, they had had little interaction with their neighbors. Perhaps their active times didn't overlap, as they rarely saw each other, and when they did, it was just a brief greeting.

The mystery solved, everyone moved towards the base, but Hayato and Esha remained where they were. The ground floor of the neighboring base looked like a storefront. The side facing the road was completely open, with no walls. There were no items on the display shelves yet, but it was clear they could hold a considerable number.

(It looks like one of those old-time greengrocers. Being able to see the products from the outside will probably be good for attracting customers.) Hayato’s own shop had plenty of windows on the wall facing the road to make the interior easily visible and encourage new customers to come in. But the neighboring shop would be even easier to enter, and the products would be easier to see. Depending on what they sold, a store of this size would likely carry a large variety of goods. It was highly probable that they would be selling production items rather than monster drops.

As Hayato’s face darkened slightly, Esha spoke.

"A rival shop."

"It looks like our products will overlap."

"I’m just glad this isn’t in the real world."

"True. It’s better than a coffee shop opening up next to ours."

"Well, I doubt there are any strange people who would open a coffee shop in a Colony."

"Are you calling me a strange person?"

After that exchange, Hayato, feeling a little shocked at the appearance of a rival shop, walked around to the east side of his base, opened the door, and stepped inside. In the dining hall, the members who had entered before him were slumped in their chairs. They probably weren't physically tired, but having just returned from a trip, they were likely mentally exhausted. Snacks and drinks were laid out on the table, and everyone was helping themselves.

In the midst of this, Rose, whom he had asked to look after the place, approached him with a smile.

"Welcome back, Hayato-sama."

"I’m back, Rose-san. Thanks for watching the place."

"Not at all, it’s my job. I have a report, but would you prefer I save it for later? You must be tired, Hayato-sama."

"I’m fine to hear a report. What is it?"

Rose nodded with a smile and began her report on the shop’s sales. In short, sales were steady, earning between two hundred and three hundred thousand G a day. Hayato’s equipment sold well, of course, but the biggest contributors were food and potions, which accounted for eighty to ninety percent of the sales. As a result, their stock was running low, and she requested that he replenish it.

They still had plenty of equipment in stock, but they needed to restock the food and potions. They were leaving for the Eastern Country the day after tomorrow, so today and tomorrow were their only chances to do so. Hayato made a plan to start making them that night.

"And Hayato-sama, I’m sure you’ve noticed…" Rose trailed off, glancing towards the west wall. Hayato understood immediately.

"It looks like our neighbors are starting some kind of business. It would be a waste not to sell anything on a prime spot like this, so I guess it’s only natural."

"About that, the people who lived next door have moved."

"What?"

"They came to say goodbye before they moved, but since you were not here, Hayato-sama, I accepted their farewell on your behalf."

"So it wasn't a remodel, but a new building. I’m surprised they let go of that spot."

Hayato considered this, and a slightly sad thought occurred to him that maybe they had retired from the game. Even if they were players he didn't interact with much, it was still sad to think that someone had quit the game, whatever the reason.

"Apparently, someone offered to buy it for nearly ten times the market price—"

"Ten times!?"

He understood that they hadn't retired, but that news blew everything else away. This area was close to the Royal Capital, so close you could say it was part of it, and the market price was said to be over one hundred million G. Ten times that would be over a billion.

The land around here was owned only by veteran players who had been playing since the service began, so it was unlikely they were in need of in-game currency. They would have some way of making money. But if someone offered to pay ten times the price, many players would probably sell. The value of the location would continue to rise, but unless you were running a business, there was no need to be here. If it was just for convenience, a location near another town would be fine. Hayato concluded that a spot like the one where he had built the Kokuryu clan’s base near Grandbell would have been sufficient.

However, there was something that bothered him. Even if it was in-game currency, the only ones who could afford to pay over a billion G were major clans. As he was thinking that this could become troublesome, Maris and Surya approached him.

"Hayato-san, Rose-san, are you finished talking?"

"Yes, Maris-sama. My report is finished, so we are fine. Well then, Hayato-sama, I will be returning to the shop."

"Ah, yeah, thanks."

After watching Rose return to the shop, Hayato turned to Maris and the others.

"Do you need something from me?"

"Yes, we’re heading to the Tamer Guild now, and we were hoping you could come with us, Hayato-san. I know you’re tired, but…"

"Huh? Me? I don’t mind going, but why?"

"We need to report on the taming of the dinosaurs, and I think we’ll need information about the airship as a way to get to the floating island. Could you show the staff the miniature version of the airship?"

"Ah, and of course, we’ll make sure to tell them that the information about the airship is confidential."

Surya added to Maris’s explanation. Airships were still rare, and information about them was valuable. They had no intention of making money off the information, but it would be a problem if people came storming their base seeking it, so this was a welcome consideration.

"Got it. Let’s go after I put my things away. I’m also curious to see how surprised the Tamer Guild will be by the Pteranodon."

With that, Hayato began to prepare to go to the Tamer Guild.