Interspecies Trader

Chapter 281 – Curious Visitors

“I guess that’s fine…”“Yes, ma’am. Let’s not forget these are both easy on the eye and functionally useful. Once you get used to them, you won’t be able to do without.”

Another man came forward, frowning as if he had just experienced a terrible injustice.

“Even so, these prices… 20 golds for an oven? That’s unreasonable. I might consider it for 5 golds at most.”

“I’m sorry, sir, selnic items are not targets for negotiation. Unless one buys a large quantity of them in one go, there won’t be any change in the price.”

“What? No haggling? That’s preposterous!”

His shout only pushed me to smile politely.

“Today, everything in the store is on a 10% sale. From tomorrow, the prices will go back to normal.”

“Ridiculous! An oven is an oven! Who would pay 20 golds for that? I could get one at my house for 50 silvers!”

“As you can see, the craftsmanship is meticulous. You can imagine how long it took to craft one. Considering this is a better enchanted item that even allows for precise temperature control, the price is more than reasonable. We’re aware that not everybody will be able to afford these. We hope high-class people like you, sir, will be able to show the rest of the population how useful these tools are. The glory of being a trend starter will shine upon you and your household for many years.”

My speech didn’t resonate with most of the folks around us, but some still seemed pensive. It was true that these items were something no one possessed for now, not even previous selnic item buyers. Geola was full of people who had too much money on hand without knowing what to do with it. Appealing to their sense of aesthetics and other notions like prestige and reputation should work well.

While we debated, more and more potential customers were making their way to the third floor. Now, my clerk had no choice but to stop watching the show and try to perform just as well himself. I only planned on handling the third floor for a few days. After that, he would be on his own, with only the manager to come to his rescue in critical cases.

People’s reaction to the products was very varied. Those who had a limited budget and were interested would end up only buying the fans since they were a lot cheaper. Most visitors were here by curiosity and had no plans to purchase anything.

The ones with more money, who only vaguely raised their eyebrows when noticing the prices, were mostly watching their peers' reactions to the products. Some of the most adventurous ones bought one of each item, in a way that felt they were throwing money away for the thrill of a new experience.

A small minority, maybe those who had seen previous selnic items, were genuinely interested in the goods. Big figures like rich merchants or nobles weren’t seen yet, but many servants were checking the goods in detail, preparing to report to their employers. I didn’t doubt a lot of “spies” were also present, monitoring a potential business rival.

Once the initial rush ended and the situation calmed down a little, I left to take care of all my other tasks. I wished I could stay the whole day in the shop, but it wasn’t possible. I hadn’t even checked how the other floors were doing so far, so busy we were handling the influx of customers.

When I was done, I teleported back to the shop, taking position on the third floor again. Just in time, because my clerk was getting overwhelmed by the large number of visitors, full of curiosity. It felt like whenever someone in the city finished their shift, they would come here to have a look at the new store in town. In a place where modern entertainment didn’t exist, this sort of thing was the norm to pass the time pleasurably. On top of that, if one didn’t plan to buy anything, it was no different from a completely free stroll.

A few hours later, things calmed down a bit again. Finally, I had enough time to go down to the other floors. The second floor was the quietest by far. Most people only passed by, with little interest, which was expected. Only specific customers would be interested in raw materials, and we would need more time to get the word out that we were also selling those. So far, no one has purchased anything from the floor, leaving the clerk very idle and a bit stressed.

I reassured him that this was expected and that I wouldn’t fire him for not selling anything before moving to the first floor. Here, the situation was slightly better. I had been careful not to reveal that bunnies cooked the meals, and some folks had bought some. They were praised for their taste and cheap prices, comments which I would forward to the widows in the village, since it always made them happy to hear them.

I went back to the third floor, and a few tens of minutes later, was greeted by a pleasant surprise.

“Tila!”

I turned around to see Orun running toward me, a big smile on his face. Behind him, his two siblings followed closely, looking around the displays with wonder. Starting today, I asked them to come and go around on their own because I couldn’t spare much time anymore. Fortunately, they were now used to the neighborhood and could handle themselves without problem. Their arrival signaled to me that their lessons must have ended, meaning the store would close soon, too.

“Orun! My cutie! Did you have a good day?”

“Yeah! I ate a lot! And learned a lot!”

I wasn’t so sure about the second part, but the first one was certain. The three of them had gained a lot of weight after having had a normal diet for some time. They looked like any other kid on the streets, and Orun, being the smart panther he was, knew well who was responsible for all the tasty treats.

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