"Still, that was too aggressive."
"You think so?"
"Yes. What if the goods had been damaged? If the pouches containing the Troll's blood had burst...."
"I put those on a different wagon, didn't I?"
"Ah...."
Now that he mentioned it, that was true. When loading the byproducts onto the baggage wagon, Patrick had instructed them to gather the Troll's blood and a few other sensitive items in one place. 'Could it be that he had this planned ever since we left the fief?'
Chandler was impressed, but at the same time, he was still uneasy.
"But, young master. No matter how plausible a plan is, there's no guarantee it will work out as intended in reality, is there?"
"You think so?"
"Yes. Frankly, I'm worried. If rumors spread that we have valuable goods, we might attract robbers or thieves instead of merchants."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, our Chandler is still young and doesn't know the ways of the world."
He couldn't bring himself to say, "Aren't you younger, young master?" Patrick spoke as if teaching Chandler a lesson.
"You can't let the fear of maggots stop you from making soy sauce. Especially when it comes to making money."
It was the first time he had heard such a saying, but from the flow of the conversation, he could guess what it meant.
"Are you saying one must take risks to earn money?"
"That's right. And what I just did wasn't even a risk. In a city where this much money circulates, there's no way merchants wouldn't smell it."
"That may be so...."
"And thieves? Robbers? You're scared of things like that?"
"Of course, they're scary. Aren't you, young mas... Ah."
At that moment, Chandler realized. He was afraid of thieves and robbers because he was weak. He feared such villains because he was a weakling with no means to resist extortion by violence.
But...
"Let them come. If they want to die..."
Watching Patrick say this with a grin, his worries about villains completely vanished. And his anxiety about the plan also quickly disappeared.
Because...
"Young master. A merchant from some company has come, asking to see you."
At the worker's words from outside, Patrick smiled brightly and said.
"See? I told you. There's no way merchants wouldn't smell money."
"You are amazing, young master."
Chandler could only express his pure admiration. At the inn where Patrick and his group were staying, five merchants came to visit on the very first day. Some had seen the goods spilled in the market that day, while others had come after hearing rumors.
Patrick first showed them the goods. The reaction was immediate.
"Ooh... to bring this much Troll leather and blood."
"The quality is all top-grade."
"The other items aren't bad either."
As they admired the goods, Patrick said with a smirk.
"Well, if you like them, I could sell a little. It'd be nice to lighten the load on our way."
"Hahaha. Is that so?"
"The young master is quite straightforward."
"We can purchase the Troll leather at a good price."
"But where did you acquire such high-grade monster materials?"
"That's a secret... my father told me not to speak of it carelessly."
"Oh, what a shame."
The transaction seemed to be proceeding smoothly, but neither Patrick nor the merchants were getting to the main point, merely testing the waters. Then, one of the merchants spoke.
"I heard you have something much more valuable than this...."
"Ah, you mean the full-body hide of the Saber Tiger? Unfortunately, that's not for sale here. I was told to take it to the capital to sell."
"Could you not at least show it to us?"
"Hmm, I was told not to show it carelessly...."
"We implore you, young master."
"We will give you a very good price for the other materials."
"Please, just let us confirm the quality."
As the merchants begged, Patrick spoke as if he had no choice.
"If that's the case, I have no choice. Then just have a look."
Patrick then showed the merchants the full-body hide of the Saber Tiger. After inspecting the item, the merchants were greatly impressed.
"Incredible. This is the real deal."
"A Saber Tiger would have to live for decades to grow this large."
"Ooh, the head and fangs are still attached. It would make a fine trophy even if just stuffed as is."
The merchants were genuinely impressed with the item. The hide of the Saber Tiger, beaten to death with fists without using a single blade, did not have a single small hole, and its head and teeth were all perfectly preserved.
Just as the last merchant said, there would be more than a few nobles who would want to make it into a taxidermy mount and display it in their mansions.
"Young master. What is the price for this?"
"Price? I told you I'm not selling it."
"Not selling? Aren't you taking it to be sold?"
"I meant I'm not selling it here. I have to take it to the capital to sell. My father insisted that's the only way to get a proper price."
Of course, Baron Schneider had never said such a thing. But Patrick added, as if he himself was frustrated.
"Tsk, you think I enjoy this long journey to the capital? Just because I caused some trouble, he sends his only son out on the road like this."
Hearing these words, the merchants quickly pieced together the information in their minds and formed a hypothesis. A troublemaking son. A strict father.
A precious treasure. A trip to the capital to sell goods. 'It's obvious the immature young master caused some pretty big trouble.'
'His father gave him a trip to the capital as punishment.' 'The trouble might have been too much to handle in the fief. So it's highly likely he was sent to the capital under the pretext of business.'
In the end, what they had before them was a treasure held by an immature young master who had little interest in business. If one didn't feel greedy over this, one was no merchant.
"Young master. You don't have to go to the capital. I will pay a much better price than what you'd get there."
"No. Sell it to me, young master. If you sell to me, I will purchase the Troll and other monster byproducts for over twenty percent more than their usual price."
"I can pay 20 gold for the Saber Tiger hide."
As the merchants rushed in aggressively, Patrick snapped angrily.
"I told you I'm not selling it! Didn't you hear me?"
"Hahaha. Young master, think about it. If you can sell it for a better price here without going to the capital and make a profit, wouldn't your father see you in a better light?"
"That's...."
As Patrick seemed to be conflicted, the merchants spoke urgently.
"Young master, trust me and sell your goods to me. I assure you, you will not lose out."
"Young master, I have more money than this fellow. I can pay a higher price."
"What are you talking about? If we're going by that..."
As the merchants were about to start competing amongst themselves, Patrick shouted.
"That's enough, all of you get out! I said I'm not selling!"
"But, young master."
"I said get out!"
Patrick flew into a rage and pushed the merchants' backs. As he shoved them out of the inn, he muttered as if to himself.
"Tch, as if I don't want to sell it."
This single phrase from Patrick, which the merchants heard clearly, set their merchant souls on fire. 'If I can just coax that sucker of a young master....' 'I can make a huge profit.'
'If I stick to it a little more persistently, he'll give in. No, he seems halfway there already.' 'The problem is these guys next to me.'
'To win this competition, I'll need to prepare enough cash.' Having made their decisions, the merchants scattered. To raise money right away.
After all the merchants had gone back, Chandler spoke.
"They offered a pretty good price. Is there a reason you didn't sell?"
"Yes. Because what I'm aiming for isn't just a 'pretty good price'."
"..."
In truth, Chandler wanted to say, 'If you get too greedy, you might not even get back your principal,' but he didn't. 'The young master is much wiser than I am. So instead of offering rash advice, it might be better to trust him and focus on what he asks me to do.' Having come to that conclusion, Chandler said.
"I understand. In that case, what should I prepare?"
"Hoh."
Patrick was slightly surprised to see Chandler's cooperative attitude. 'He's quick on the uptake.' What Chandler did was nothing special.
He simply acknowledged the excellence of Patrick, who was much younger than him, and accepted it. But Patrick knew. There were surprisingly many people in the world who couldn't do this simple thing.
It is quite a difficult thing to humbly acknowledge and accept the superiority of others. Age, position, honor, experience, gender, and so on. People have a habit of thinking they are no worse than others, citing all sorts of reasons.
There are not many who humbly admit their own shortcomings and act on the acknowledgment of another's competence. Moreover, Chandler was in his late teens. An age when pride and competitiveness are at their peak.
Yet, for him to be so readily cooperative with Patrick, who was much younger, meant he was a truly exceptional person.
'Not bad.'
Patrick said with a smile.
"There's not much to prepare for the trade. But there is one thing I need you to do for me personally."
"Please give me your orders."
"There's something I'm looking for. What it is, is...."
Hearing Patrick's words, Chandler was momentarily flustered. Why is the young master looking for that? That was his first thought, but he soon corrected himself.
'There must be a reason for it.' And he bowed his head and said.
"Understood. I will try to find it."
"This is important. I'm trusting you with it, so give it a try."
"Yes, I understand."
When Patrick said it was an important matter, Chandler's face showed he was burning with motivation. He felt the desire to have his competence acknowledged by Patrick, the next lord. 'I will definitely find it.'
Patrick had a purpose in sending the merchants away on the first day. First, the merchants would move to gather money to win against their rivals. And when money moves, the attention of other merchants moves with it.
Then they will start looking for the reason why the money moved, and eventually... A rumor that an immature sucker of a young master has appeared with a valuable item. That rumor would spread throughout this city.
The result...
"Young master, sell it to our company. We will pay 50 gold for the Saber Tiger hide."
"Young master, our company will pay 50 gold for the Saber Tiger and buy the Troll byproducts for fifty percent above the regular price."
"Young master, I...."
This is how it becomes. Far more merchants came to find Patrick than on the first day. Their goal was to treat the immature young master like a sucker and fleece him, but with so many competitors, they couldn't just treat him like a complete sucker.
In the end, they started competing to offer better conditions, and the price of the goods Patrick possessed climbed higher and higher.
'Heheheh. That's right.
How dare you try to swindle me, the Radiant Dragon Grandmaster.' On the first day, there was a merchant who said he was giving a good deal by offering 20 gold for the Saber Tiger. But on the second day, a merchant who offered 50 gold appeared.
What could this mean? Since it was unlikely a merchant would buy something at a loss, it meant that the price of 20 gold was a ridiculously lowballed price. 'Well, that's what merchants do.'
Patrick, surprisingly, did not get angry at this part. He had once taught his disciples, "If a bastard tries to rip off your pockets, rip off that bastard's face," and had been scolded by his Master for it, but this situation was different. Wasn't this a business transaction?
It is natural for a merchant to be greedy when money is involved. It would be easier for a dog to stop eating shit than for a merchant to pass up a profit. So he could understand a merchant being greedy for money.
However...
'So you all should understand this too. That I am going to rip off your moneybags.
Hehehehehe.'
Patrick's wicked plan was already proceeding step by step.