kscans

Chapter 233 - A Pepper Dream (Part 3)

"...Is this really piperu?"

Yuri Sarai intended to play the part of a simple child, but being inexperienced in this sort of acting, the feeling of "I’m totally acting" was leaking out all over the place. The result was an atmosphere that could only be described as innocently sketchy. To put it mildly, he looked like he was just browsing for fun.

And so, the seller responded in kind.

"...That’s what’s written on it, ain’t it?"

His attitude was brusque, as if to say, "If you’re just looking, get lost!" But then he cooled down when something was suddenly thrust before his eyes. He looked at a small cup filled with wine.

("Hey! Yuri-kun, where did you get something like that from?!") ("Ah... so that leather pouch was a wineskin...") ("...Is this to facilitate the negotiation? He’s more thorough than any child I know...") ("Hmm... which means... he’s approaching this negotiation with a proper plan, I suppose?")

Ignoring the hushed whispers behind him, Yuri said, "The weather might be nice, but it’s still chilly, isn’t it? Here you go. This should warm you up a bit."

"Oh... ohh... thanks, kid."

Once the shopkeeper, his mark, had downed the offered drink, Yuri continued.

"But... why are you selling piperu in a place like this? And from the looks of it, there seem to be several kinds mixed together."

"Ohh... well, it’s like this."

The man, now much calmer, explained that he had won it from a sailor in a gamble. That sailor, in turn, had apparently bought it from an illicit merchant at his destination.

"According to that merchant, it was something he couldn’t buy or sell openly, so he had to beg a friend to get it for him. He said if you took it to the right people, it’d be worth at least a few gold coins..."

"How did that sailor plan to take something that can’t be sold openly to the ‘right people’?"

"...Yeah, I know... I thought it was a bit suspicious myself... but he didn’t have anything else to put up as a stake..."

"And why are there several types mixed in?"

"Who knows. It was apparently like that when the sailor bought it. Said there were a few different kinds mixed in..."

Yuri secretly consulted his Appraisal master and learned that the mix included spices other than piperu. It seemed they had been added to increase the volume, or perhaps they were just mixed with what was used locally. However, for Yuri, who wanted to increase the variety of his crops, this was a golden opportunity he couldn't have wished for. In a way, it was also insurance in case the piperu failed to germinate. While Yuri was inwardly ecstatic, to any observer he looked like a foolish child, a sucker who had fallen for some sketchy "piperu"...

("...I knew it was suspicious...") ("But Yuri-san seems interested.") ("We understand the shady circumstances, but the item itself is still just as shady...")

With Dona, Eto, and Orban whispering in the background, Old Man Audel decided it would be best to confirm one thing and slowly called out to Yuri.

"Ah... Yuri-kun, are you... planning to buy that ‘piperu’?"

"Yes. If I can."

At Yuri’s nonchalant reply, the young man’s face lit up, Old Man Audel’s expression turned troubled, and behind them, the trio looked flustered. The gallery of onlookers, sensing that things were about to get interesting, watched with rapt attention.

"I mean, if I can get something that normally costs one gold coin for just one silver coin, it’s a bargain, isn’t it?"

"Whoa!? I’m not selling it that cheap!"

Just when the young man thought he was dealing with a good-natured child, Yuri casually tried to haggle the price of one gold coin (about 100,000 yen) down to one silver coin (about 1,000 yen). The man panicked. That wouldn’t even cover the gambling debt. The gallery, in contrast, was ecstatic. They had thought he was a naive little sucker, but it turned out he was quite an actor. This promised an exciting development.

What followed was a fierce price war between two amateurs, watched over by Old Man Audel and the others, their expressions a mixture of exasperation and admiration. As the onlookers cheered them on, the tide turned against the young man. After all, Yuri was secretly using thought guidance via Dark Magic. The man never stood a chance.

Just as the man, now on the verge of tears, agreed to a price of forty silver coins, Yuri coolly produced fifty. "The extra ten is a celebratory tip for bringing me this good fortune," he said.

It was only natural that the onlookers erupted in thunderous applause at his magnanimous purchase, so unlike that of a child.