HC:Pacifist | Ch. 131 - Seismic Scan (Patreon)

The first thing Roth had to do was try to salvage as much of the situation as possible. He picked himself up and went to see Soros. He walked down the hallway and knocked at Soros’ door.

“Come in!”

Roth found the old man running happily toward him and embracing him. “Broker! That’s a new look you have there. Are you a lizardman now?”

“Actually, I’m in snake form.”

“Of course you are, of course. Here, come right this way. I was beginning to think that you’d forgotten about old Soros. Got anything for me?”

“Actually, yes. I have here some crocodilian goods.”

Roth opened his inventory and selected the items he’d gotten from Mario.

Congratulations on completing a trade between [Mario] and [Golden Mountain Inc].

15x[Alligator Tears] has been removed from your inventory.

15x[Alligator Scales] has been removed from your inventory.

3x[Alligator Teeth] has been removed from your inventory.

You’ve been traded 13x[Swamp Corn].

You’ve been traded 12x[Pond Apples].

You’ve been traded 11x[Juicy Pears].

Congratulations on completing a trade between [Mario] and [Golden Mountain Inc].

Broker 1000XP; +10 reputation with Golden Mountain Inc.

Since this trade had only involved bartering, he didn’t get any coin but was given a few extra products of each on account of the bonuses he had as a broker. Although 10 of each of the food items was locked, the exceeding ones were accessible to him, and he could use them for himself if he wanted. He could give 10 [Swamp Corn] to Mario next run and then sell the 3 extra ones on the auction house if he wanted. He smiled sadly. Too bad he wouldn’t be able to deliver these items to Mario.

“Also, as I told you last time, I started walking the path of tailoring. I made these. Would you like to sell them?”

“Hmmm? Let’s see if you’re as good a tailor as you are a broker.”

Roth selected a few samples of each product he crafted and laid them on Soros’ desk. He inspected each of the items carefully.

[Woolen Cloth] has been added to your trade agreement with Golden Mountain Inc.

[Wool Bandages] has been added to your trade agreement with Golden Mountain Inc.

[Wool Scarf] has been added to your trade agreement with Golden Mountain Inc.

[Wool Poncho] has been added to your trade agreement with Golden Mountain Inc.

“Not bad, broker. I can send the bandages to the hospital and the cloths to the garrison. I think the scarves and ponchos will sell nicely in the tundra mountains. It gets quite chilly there, and I will send a shipment there soon. How many do you have?”

The Merchant Association window opened automatically, and Roth dragged all the items he’d been crafting into it. The only one he kept for himself was the S grade [Wool Poncho]. He’d forgotten to give the bandages to Drake so he could leave them with Charlie. Oh well. He would just sell them here and make it up to the doctor later.

He first dragged one [Woolen Cloth]. It had cost him 30 copper to buy a stack of raw wool, which he then turned into yarn. Soros was offering 60 copper for a C grade [Woolen Cloth]. He checked the clock. He still had a few hours to go until it turned dark. He had to occupy his time somehow. He glanced at Soros with a wicked smile.

“You old fool! Only 60 copper for this excellent product? You have to be kidding me?”

Soros's face turned red as a tomato, and his turban almost popped off his head.

“You brat! Don’t you dare think that you will cheat me out of my precious money! It’s 60 coppers. No less. It’s the fair price.”

“How is it fair? I heard from other foreigners that they sell these for up to 70 copper!”

“Bah! For this?”

“Do 70, Soros.”

“Not a chance!”

“Soros? 68?”

“61, and not one more penny!”

Roth smiled. He had a lot of haggling to do.

*

Xerxes studied the player sitting in front of him. He had a shaved head and was trying to look big and unafraid, but he could tell at a glance that this guy was a weasel. He would sell out anyone for the right price.

He discreetly stomped his foot and sent a shockwave through the ground that hit the player and bounced back to him.

Seismic Scan!

This was one of his most valued skills. It was almost like taking a full X-ray of an opponent. Most of the player’s information became visible to him.

“So, Frankie, is it?”

The player gulped. He hadn’t yet introduced himself, and Xerxes had shown he already knew who he was.

“Yeah. Are you giving me my money or what?”

“Do you have information on Pax’s whereabouts?”

“I can tell you where I saw him. I don’t know where he is now.”

“I see.” It was little information, but more than anyone else has given him so far. “Very well, what do you know?”

“I was given this quest to hunt down a sheep thief. Did it for the Beanies. Anyway, I followed this rat guy who is a shepherd, and I faced him off at Green Woods. Then, I followed him into a clearing near the Boar Hunting Grounds, and he disappeared into thin air.”

“Do you have any footage?”

“Nah. But I can send you the notifications of when he used an item on me.”

The player’s hand moved in the air, and Xerxes got a copy of the system’s notifications. These couldn’t be faked. The game system didn’t allow it.

“Containment cube? He’s involved with the Peace Corps?”

Frankie shrugged. “Beats me.”

“Show me on the map the place where you engaged him.” He got a few more notifications with the coordinates. The first encounter had been on the road from Hilsford to the Green Woods. The clearing was next to the boar map, just as the player was telling him.

“So, am I getting my money or what?”

“Yes. You are. This is good intel. Good, indeed.”

*

Roth was exhausted, but Soros wasn’t looking much better. Beneath the tiredness, the old man showed fire and pride in his eyes, and Roth could tell that he just had as much fun as he had.

Congratulations on contending against Soros and prevailing!

+2 charisma.

+5000 broker XP.

In the end, Roth had managed to jack up the prices for all of the goods he’d crafted, significantly increasing his profit margin. He had originally bought 1000 stacks of raw wool for 3 gold. He had made much more profit than that.

184 [Woolen Cloths] has been removed from your inventory.

143 [Wool Bandages] have been removed from your inventory.

66 [Wool Scarfs] have been removed from your inventory.

31 [Wool Ponchos] have been removed from your inventory.

You have received 13.54 gold.

All his crafting attempts had been successful except for a failure with a poncho. Even with Roth’s bonuses, there was a slight chance for failure, and 8 balls of yarn had gone to waste when one of his first ponchos disintegrated in his hands.

Roth compared how much he’d spent on raw wool and how much he’d sold the crafted items for. He had turned in a profit of three times the amount he spent on raw materials. The profit margin had significantly increased, primarily because of the amount of A’s and S’s that he had pulled off. The profit amounted to only 10 gold for now, but it only went to show the potential that this class offered. For some reason, this 10 gold felt better than hundreds earned from trading. Maybe it was because this money had been made from working with his hands.

It wasn’t enough to make up for the robbery that Mario had pulled on him earlier, but it eased his pain a little. Through the window outside, he saw that the afternoon was giving way to evening. It was almost time to leave. Faced with his future escape, he sighed and turned to Soros.

“Soros, there’s something I need to discuss with you.”

“By all means, my friend.”

“Remember when I told you that some foreigners are chasing me?”

“Yes?”

“It’s worse now. Much worse. I’ll have to leave town for some time.”

Soros gave him a sympathetic look. “You know I can’t do anything against foreigners, broker.”

“I know. I just feel sorry for leaving behind the trade routes that we cultivated. We have both worked so hard on them. I was wondering if there’s something we can do to keep the trade routes going, even if I’m not around.”

“Well, you could hire a caravan from the Transport Guild.” Of course! Roth had forgotten about that. “They can keep the trade going, and you still can turn in a profit, even though the Transport Guild will scoop up a big chunk.”

“Will we lose exclusivity if I don’t come in person?”

“No, although it’s always important to come visit your customers personally occasionally. Take this important lesson from an old merchant: connections are like plants. They must be nurtured and watered, or they will shrivel and die.”

The words of wisdom from Soros, the merchant, resound strongly in your young broker’s heart.

+120 broker XP.

Trade Agreement with Golden Mountain Inc. updated.

Golden Mountain Inc. {Exclusive}

You have earned the right to represent Golden Mountain Inc. as a broker.

You only have exclusivity in interracial trade.

Specialty products:

Consult Golden Mountain Inc. catalog.

Procured goods:

Consult Golden Mountain Inc. catalog.

Rate:

You keep 1% of all profits generated.

You must perform one sale every three days, or you will lose broker exclusivity.

You must visit in person every month, or you will lose broker exclusivity.

Roth looked at the notifications and was relieved. Even if all his profit went toward the transport guild, he could still maintain exclusivity with Soros. He was also pretty sure that even if he made no money, at least he could keep the experience rolling in and keep progressing as a broker. He just hoped a month would prove enough for the dust in Hilsford to settle.

“Thank you, Soros. I’ll go to the Transport Guild and arrange everything before leaving.”

“Of course! And don’t forget that wherever you go, you’ll be making a trip! A good merchant makes his every step count. Always travel with a bag full of merchandise.”

Roth smiled. He still wasn’t sure of where he’d go, but it was good advice. “Will do.”

Roth walked toward the door, but before he did, he looked back at the old man in a turban and smiled sadly. He closed the door and left.

He got a message from Drake. “We’re outside,” it said.

Roth replied at once. “Come on in. Make a left. I’ll wait for you at the door.”

Roth sent a telepathic note to Soros, “Soros, do you mind if two friends come to the hallway?”

“Fine. But only the entrance. I’ll disable the laser guns for a few minutes.”

Roth sighed and walked. His hands were shaking, and his throat was dry. When he made it to the door, they were already there. Drake stood in a sleeveless vest that afforded a good view of his metallic arm. Next to him was a middle-aged woman. She had curly auburn hair and brown eyes. She was much thinner than Roth recalled, and even in her avatar, Roth could see traces of the difficult times she must have endured in the past few years.

As he approached, she turned and, seeing him, ran toward him. Roth was also running, and they embraced, crying in each other’s arms.

Ch. 130 - Region Announcement

INDEX

Ch. 132 - We Mediate