HideousGrain
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Path to Prosperity - B2 Chapter 30
🕑 Added 2024-08-30 10:00:07 +0000 UTCToday was a really long day. It was still early in the morning, but so much had already happened. Still, Percy felt great. He was in a better mood than he had been for the last few months, knowing he could do whatever he wanted. Basically, at least.
Percy entered a shop near the tailor, purchasing a small knife to trim his beard. There wasn’t much of a beard yet, but the stubbles on his face greatly contrast the well-kept image he wanted to maintain.
It was time to make his move and to act like a noble.
**
Percy’s long strides came to a halt in front of a large building. He didn’t know the material used to build it, but the structure was impressive. Instead of high-quality wood or refined cobblestone, pristine white bricks garnished the building walls. They exuded traces of mana and isolated the interior well.
He tried peeking through the large glass windows, which were probably taller than Percy but failed to see anything. It was the same glass used in Raewood’s Guildhall.
Percy shrugged and approached the heavy wooden doors and licked his lips in anticipation as his eyes landed on the sign hanging down from above.
[Merchant Office]
The Merchant Office wasn’t a simple place. On the contrary, it was an organization created by the king to control the merchants in the city and regulate the amount of power they could hold at once. Percy cared little about the intentions behind the founding of the Merchant Office but was glad it existed, nonetheless. The Merchant Office made lots of things easier for him.
He approached the heavy wooden doors, shoved them open with a light push, and headed straight to one of the five counters unfolding before him. Percy didn’t look around, avoiding looking too much like an excited child, and fixed his bound-back hair to distract his mind until he reached one of the staff.
There was no queue waiting for Percy, which was his fortune. After all, his confident gait to the nearest counter attracted some attention. The staff’s eyes lingered on him, and Percy could have sworn to see someone in the corner of his eyes blush when he smiled vibrantly at the staff member before him.
The young man stared at him for a few seconds until he recalled his job. He cleared his throat in a hurry and hinted at a bow.
“Welcome to the Merchant Office. How may I be of your help, sir?”
Percy retrieved his Bronze Adventurer Badge – he should have upgraded it to a silver badge – and placed it alongside several gold coins on the counter.
“I would like to lease a shop in a prime or secondary position,” Percy explained, to which the young man responded with a subtle nod.
After retrieving a small, black slate, he reached for the Bronze Adventurer Badge and pressed the badge against it. Percy sensed something stirring inside the slate, and it didn’t take long before his information popped up. Silver lines streaked across the slate, informing the staff members about everything Percy had mentioned when he registered as an adventurer.
The young man read the information before his eyes trailed to Percy. He looked back and forth, only to put the slate down with a sigh.
“I…am not sure what to make of this information. Your adventurer profile is not reliable enough to trust you with a shop lease of a primary or secondary location. The most we can offer to you is a place near the outskirts…sir…” The young man studied Percy’s expression and froze when he looked into his eyes.
The azure eyes of the young man standing opposite him lingered calmly on him.
“Is the Adventurer Badge not enough to identify myself? I don’t lack money either. Why am I not allowed to lease a shop in a better location?” Percy inquired.
I should have upgraded the Adventurer Badge. A shop on the outskirts of the capital is not good enough. I need enough exposure to attract wealthy customers.
“I-I apologize. The information noted on the Adventurer Badge may be enough to identify yourself, but it doesn’t offer enough credit for the Merchant Office to lease you one of the shops in the primary or secondary locations in the capital. The Merchant Office is known for its quality and thorough research. If you have something else to –...” The young man flinched when Percy’s azure eyes bore into him. It felt like Percy stared into his soul.
A soft hand landed on the staff’s shoulders. It was a middle-aged woman wearing the same formal attire as the rest of the staff. However, her clothes were made of more luxurious material and adorned with several brooches.
“Is there a problem, Steffen?” She asked, her natural ferocious expression instilling fear in the young man’s eyes.
“T-there is no problem, Miss Calaer!” Steffen responded quickly, but the woman, Miss Calaer, wasn’t interested in him anymore.
Her attention lingered on Percy. She studied him from head to toe.
“How can I help you?” Miss Calaer asked, her eyes locked onto his, a trace of confusion replacing her ferociousness for a quarter of a second.
“I Would like to lease a shop in a good position, but it seems like the Bronze Adventurer Badge is only good enough to get me a spot on the capital's outskirts,” Percy responded flatly.
Miss Calaer took Steffen's black slate and read through it. Her eyes flicked from the slate to Percy and back several times in a few seconds, and she sighed.
“I see where the problem is, sir.” She used ‘sir’ for the first time, surprising Percy a little. He was certain Miss Calaer had seen through his sham.
“The Adventurer Badge, with the information noted on it, doesn’t provide enough credibility to lease a shop in our prime locations. My subordinate is right about that,” Miss Calaer said, but the corner of her lips tilted upward, which looked devious in Percy’s opinion, as she added, “But that doesn’t mean you cannot reveal your real information. As long as you show the Merchant Office your worth, I can upgrade your credibility.”
I guess none of this would be a problem if I had a merchant license. An Adventurer Badge is probably not worth as much to the Merchant Office as a proper license.
Percy nodded slowly, realizing some of his mistakes. He stopped concealing his mana, stepped back, and released it into the surroundings in one massive burst.
The color in Steffen’s face was drained instantly, and his legs gave in, but Miss Calaer didn’t make a move to help. She looked at Percy, smiling in satisfaction.
“You are about to reach the Peak of the Elite Tier. That is good…very good for someone at your age. You should update your Adventurer Badge soon. The silver badge offers a lot more benefits than the bronze one.” Miss Calaer praised, but Percy wasn’t done yet.
He summoned the Coin of Prosperity’s symbol in one hand and the two Monster Cards – not the Monsters – in his other hand.
“That was expected. You didn’t have to show this to us, sir.” Miss Calaer tried retaining her composure, but her eyes lingered on the Monster Cards and the long texts written on them.
What was expected? That I have an Ego? So, she actually believes I am a noble. Perfect!
“Is that enough, or do you have to see more?” Percy asked in an annoyed tone, trying to replicate the attitude of the noble children he had encountered in the Wintermoon estate.
“No, no. There is no need for more, sir. This is more than enough!” Miss Calaer responded in a hurry, hinting at a bow before she proceeded to retrieve a stash of paper.
“We have many options for you, sir. Some of them will surely be of interest to you!”
**
Percy left the Merchant Office with a piece of paper and a hole in his coin pouch. The paper was an official contract, a lease of a small building that was only a few streets away from the Guild and the shopping alley but still close enough to be reached within a few minutes.
The building was big enough for Percy, but the cost greatly surprised him.
Six gold coins a month to lease a building and start a business in a secondary location. No wonder everyone is saying that the rich are getting richer while the poor stay poor. This is a fraud!
Percy was still far away from being poor, but the cost surprised him. If he decided to invest a little into renovating the shop, which was hopefully not necessary, Percy would have to pay even more gold. He wasn’t willing to do that if it could be avoided. That being said, Percy searched for his shop.
He walked around the capital, scanning every location, especially the stalls from the nearby Blacksmiths, Alchemists, and Engravers, but he didn’t find many stalls of interest.
Percy was willing to invest heavily in the shop, knowing it could transform into a golden goose if he exploited his powers. But Percy needed better connections for that.
He reached the building and was pleasantly surprised to find a proper shop waiting for him. It was a little dirty, and the furniture was covered in dust, but dirt and dust were probably Percy’s least worries.
There aren’t many people in the street, but this looks like a slightly cheaper place to purchase decent stuff. I saw enough Adventurers looking for weapons and potions around here. There weren’t many Elite Gifted among them, but Mortal Gifted might be much better. Should I start with…No, probably not. I need one or two expensive Artifacts to ‘highlight’ my shop and attract customers and some lesser objects for most Customers…
The wide windows at the entrance of the shop were perfect for displaying some goods. It was also easier to break in by shattering the glass, but Percy was not yet worried about thieves. He would enhance the glass windows and the door with his Ego once he earned enough to consider staying in this place. He wasn’t willing to invest heavily into the shop, only to leave everything behind if nothing were to work in his favor.
Percy put the thoughts of burglars aside for a moment and considered his options well. All the while, he rummaged through the building, only to find everything he needed to live properly on the second floor.
Either I hire a bodyguard to protect my shop and pay him extra for the living space on the second floor, or I’m going to be my shop’s bodyguard and live here. But staying in the royal forest was pretty nice…
Percy chuckled at this thought. He was actually considering giving up such a nice living space in exchange for a forest.
I should stay here for a while. The forest is not running away from me. I can always return if everything around me feels like too much to handle!
At last, Percy found a great place to start his career as a merchant and a living place to spend the night.
What else could he wish for?
