(4) The next day, more than ten merchants came looking for Patrick.
And the day after that, including the merchants from the first day, more than twenty people came to see him. They were impressed by the materials from the other monsters, but they were astounded by the Saber Tiger's hide. To see the hide of such a massive Saber Tiger in this top-grade quality was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
How could they call themselves merchants if they missed such a chance?
"Young master. Please, reconsider."
"If you go to the capital and sell it yourself, young master, you might get more money. But consider the transportation time and necessary expenses to get there."
"You will absolutely not regret it. Please, trust me."
At the merchants' urging, Patrick began to show signs of wavering.
"Hmm, can you really give me a better price than what I'd get in the capital?"
"Yes. Of course."
"If that's the case, I have no choice. I will sell the goods to you."
"Ooh... truly a wise decision."
"Then, to our merchant group..."
"No, I can give a better price."
"What are you talking about? Get back, you penniless fool."
"What did you say!?"
The moment Patrick said he would sell the goods, an even more heated fight broke out among the merchants. Looking at the merchants, Patrick spoke.
"There's an old saying."
Patrick grinned at the merchants who were now focused on him and said.
"Encourage the bargaining, and encourage the fighting too."
No. That's not it. Patrick continued speaking to the silent merchants.
"Anyone who wishes to make a purchase, gather at this inn within the next hour with all the cash you have available."
"What are you planning to do, young master?"
"I'm going to start an auction."
"An... auction, you say?"
"Yes. That's the fairest way. Isn't it?"
It was true. When there are more buyers than sellers, it's only right that the person who offers a better price gets to buy. However, if they did that...
'There's no telling how high the price will go.' 'We might have to buy it for much more than we originally thought.'
'And I don't have much cash available right now...' One of the merchants said to Patrick.
"Young master.
If that is your decision, would you not give us a few days? We are short on cash at the moment." "No. If it comes to that, I'd rather just fix the carriage and leave for the capital."
"Young master, if you give us more time, we can prepare more cash. Then the price of the goods could also...."
"Not necessary.
The auction is in one hour." Patrick firmly rejected the merchant's proposal. The naive young master who, just a moment ago, had been listening with keen interest and swaying to the merchants' temptations was gone.
Patrick spoke resolutely, his expression as unwavering as a gambler's at a high-stakes table. "One hour from now, this place. The condition is a bulk purchase of all the monster materials we have, and I will only accept cash.
There will be no further negotiation." At that, the merchants' faces crumpled.
'Damn it, this kid...' 'Don't tell me we were had? By a little kid like this?'
'Damn, this is troublesome.' Seeing Patrick's sudden change in attitude, the merchants realized. It wasn't them who had tempted the kid and secured a deal.
Perhaps this situation was one where they had walked right into a spider's web on their own two feet. So deep that they could no longer pull their feet out. Patrick sneered inwardly at the sight of the merchants' souring expressions.
'Asking for time to prepare cash? What kind of trick is this? Are they planning to collude?'
Patrick had clearly anticipated what they would try to do. If he gave them enough time for the auction, it was obvious they would band together and fix the prices. After all, there would be no particular problem if they worked together to fleece Patrick, an outsider.
But with only one hour, the story changed. No matter what, colluding within an hour was impossible, and now it was bound to be pure competition. Patrick said to the merchants.
"Then, I will see you in an hour. If you don't show up, I'll assume you've given up."
And as they watched Patrick turn his back as if there was nothing more to say, the merchants realized. They had been completely outplayed by the boy they thought was a naive young master. One hour later.
Though it was a hastily organized auction, the number of participants had actually increased. Several merchants, including those who had been testing the waters from a distance without actively approaching Patrick until now, joined the auction, eyeing the Saber Tiger's hide. Naturally, the atmosphere became extremely heated, and the price rose along with the excitement.
"70 gold!"
"72 gold!"
"75 gold!!"
The merchants scrambled to raise their bids, and Patrick, who was presiding over the auction, said with a smile.
"We have 75 gold. Any bids higher than 75 gold?"
"75 gold and 50 silver!"
"I'm sorry. We are only accepting bid increases in whole gold units."
"Kuh, 76 gold!"
76 gold.
It was an amount that surpassed the entire annual budget of the House of Schneider. And the price didn't stop there; it climbed even higher.
"77 gold!"
"80 gold!"
"Everyone, get lost! 85 gold!"
One merchant raised the price by a large margin and glared around wildly. At his gaze, which was filled with the meaning 'Go on, raise it again, you bastards!', the other merchants swallowed sighs of disappointment. 'Seeing how he's intimidating the surrounding merchants, he must be a person of considerable influence.
Is this as far as it goes?' It was a little disappointing, but the amount was still satisfactory. Patrick, deciding to be content at this point lest he get greedy and bite off more than he could chew, was about to close the auction at that very moment...
"90 gold!"
Another merchant, who had arrived late to the auction, shouted loudly and raised the price. At that, the merchant who had bid 85 gold frowned and spoke.
"Joshua! How are you here..."
"Did I come to a place I shouldn't have? Taylor."
The gazes of the two merchants staring at each other were filled with a hostility that went beyond mere competitiveness. And seeing this spectacle, the corners of Patrick's mouth slowly crept upwards. 'Is this... is it that?
Is this the exact situation I was hoping for?' The merchant called Taylor said.
"95 gold!"
"100 gold!"
"This crazy bastard!?"
"What? Why? What are you going to do about it?"
Seeing the merchant named Joshua immediately counter the bid, the merchant named Taylor ground his teeth and said.
"Do you think you can make a proper profit buying it at that price? No matter how high-grade the item is, it's useless if you don't have a route to sell it."
"Small-time merchants like you might think so. Our Wilder Merchant Group has connections with nobles in other foreign countries. For an item this rare, we can make more than enough profit. No, we can gain something even greater than profit."
'Indeed, that's right. A very desirable way of thinking.' It seemed he planned to sell the item to a noble or a high-ranking person from another country at a low price, or perhaps give it as a gift to build connections.
This is why the value of rare items increases. When one considers long-term benefits instead of immediate gains, its uses become much more diverse. 'And thanks to that, I make money too.'
Patrick looked at the merchant named Taylor with great anticipation. Come on, you have to bid too, right? A man has his pride, you can't back down here, can you?
'Bid~ Bid~♪ The money is growing. Fast, fast, fast~ Fast, fast, fast~♪.' But unfortunately, it seemed Taylor's funds had reached their limit.
"We'll see about this, Wilder."
"Get lost, loser."
Taylor stood up angrily and indignantly, while Wilder grinned triumphantly, a smile of victory on his face. The two probably had a bad relationship even before this. And Wilder, who had come with the intention of using this auction as an opportunity to not only make a profit but also screw over his opponent, had seized victory.
As for Patrick, it didn't matter who won. However, from the moment he planned the auction, he had hoped that if things went well, their pride would be ignited, the competition would overheat, and he could earn even more money. He had held at least that much hope.
And he had hit the mark.
"Sold! I declare that the participant from the Wilder Merchant Group has won the bid for 100 gold!"
And Patrick, with a wooden gavel he had picked up from somewhere, banged the table twice.
100 gold.
It was Patrick who had earned a fortune far exceeding the annual operating budget of the Schneider Fief in just three days.
"My goodness..."
"To think that's all money?"
"Woooow... I've never seen so many gold coins before."
The workers were mesmerized by the sight of the gold coins piled high in front of Patrick. When in their lives would they ever see such a sight again? A huge pile of gold coins like that... and...
"Ehehehe. Money. Money! Shiny, shiny gold money~♪. It shines so beautifully~> Khehehehehe!"
A ten-year-old noble young master so openly losing his mind in front of money was a scene they were unlikely to witness again in their lifetime. In any case, the jackpot was an enormous jackpot. The profit they had initially expected from this business trip was around 30 gold.
Even that amount was a huge fortune from the House of Schneider's perspective. With that money, they could have bought farming tools and daily necessities for the fief's residents, and they could have stockpiled food to get through the coming winter comfortably. But Patrick had earned more than three times the initially expected income.
And in the short span of just three days. What if this matter had been handled the normal way? First, they would have had to find a merchant, negotiate the price, and engage in all sorts of back-and-forth, which would have taken more than a month.
And they definitely wouldn't have received more money than they did now. Patrick's achievement of saving time while simultaneously earning much more money was remarkable. It was truly a great accomplishment.
However... 'Amazing. Truly amazing.'
'It's amazing, but...' 'Seeing him like that, well...'
"Uhehehe, this is a money shower! A money shower! It doesn't hurt at all! Uahahaha!"
Watching Patrick throw piles of gold coins above his head and catch them on his forehead in delight, they just couldn't bring themselves to be impressed. It felt as if they would lose something precious as human beings if they found that sight amazing. Just then, Patrick spoke to the workers.
"Where did Chandler go?"
"Yes. He said he was going to carry out the young master's orders and stepped out for a moment."
"Is that so? Then it can't be helped."
And Patrick tossed a money pouch to the workers and said.
"Everyone worked hard. For today, take this and go have as much fun as you want!"
"Yes?"
"Things went well, right? Then you should let loose, eat, drink, and rejoice."
That much was true. But was there any noble who would normally give money to even the lowest workers and tell them to do so? Patrick put on a stern expression and said to the bewildered workers.
"You'll be in trouble if you come back before spending all that money. Do you know what I mean?"
"Yes, young master!"
"We will follow your command."
The expressions of the workers, who had been looking at Patrick with a mixture of pity and patheticness, now overflowed with respect and loyalty.
'Cute things...'
As expected, no matter where you go in the world, money was the best. Having achieved great success in his main objective of trade, Patrick spent his time looking around the Parmas County. 'Hmm, I knew our fief was in the boondocks, but compared to a big city, it's pretty severe.'
The population and size, as well as the city's infrastructure, were beyond comparison. Compared to the Parmas County, calling the Schneider Barony the boondocks was an overstatement.
A slum?
A beggar's den? Patrick had never properly experienced the state of development in this world until now, but after looking around a proper major city, he felt he could grasp the level of civilization in this world. 'The overall standard of living seems higher in this world?
The existence of magic, in particular, makes a big difference.' The streetlights that illuminated the city when night fell. Communication spheres far more convenient than signal fires or messenger pigeons.
Things like slave seal scrolls used to punish criminals. Because of the existence of magic, this world's civilization was much more advanced than the Central Plains. 'Can't I find a magician somewhere?'
Magicians are said to be rare, valuable, and expensive because the manpower itself is so scarce. However, if he could hire one, they would surely be worth the money, so he wanted to hire one if at all possible. While Patrick was spending his time like this for a few days, Chandler came to see him.
"Young master. I have returned after carrying out the mission you commanded."
"Hooo, is that so?"
"Yes. As you said, I have found a way to make contact with the thieves' guild."