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Chapter 3: The Allure of Cheap Chocolate
After finishing my work at Taeko's house, I bought some inexpensive snacks from the small general store in the village.
The things I bought were cheap treats that a child could afford with pocket money—small chocolates similar to T*rol Chocolate and things like Fugashi (sweet wheat-gluten snacks), costing only about ten yen each.
I brought them back to Asfial and took them to a merchant I knew.
"Allen... where in the world did you get this?"
I shaved off a small piece of the palm-sized chocolate with a knife and offered it to Albert, the merchant.
W̊ è bń o v̈ e l Е̌ń ù m̃ а
At first, he looked suspicious, as if wondering what I was trying to make him eat. But the moment the chocolate melted in his mouth, its sweetness and distinctive aroma made his eyes widen in surprise.
"So? Do you think nobles would buy it?"
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I leaned over the counter of Albert's small shop as I asked.
Judging from his reaction, I was wondering whether I could sell these products to nobles or wealthy merchants in the royal capital.
Albert lowered his head and thought for a moment.
The chocolate I had brought cost only ten yen in Japan, but in Asphial it held tremendous value.
Ӗ nu mа̌
"This chocolate would absolutely sell to nobles... but I don't have the connections. Maybe if I went through someone I know. But if you suddenly try to do business with nobles, you'll attract the attention of a lot of people."
Unlike me, Albert had inherited his family's business.
Though only around twenty years old, he'd been helping with the shop since childhood and was a genuine merchant through and through.
According to him, the quality of this cheap chocolate was more than sufficient to appeal to nobles. He even believed some people would become addicted to its rich sweetness and aroma, which differed from ordinary sugar.
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However, it would also violate certain unspoken rules among merchants.
"Is it really that serious?"
E n ŭ ma . і d
"Yeah. The merchants already supplying sweets to nobles won't look kindly on it. If my shop were bigger, that'd be another story."
Apparently, many nobles loved sweets.
Some even hired dedicated confectioners and farmers, while others employed official merchants to manage all such supplies for them.
Within noble society, delicious sweets served as diplomatic tools that demonstrated a family's wealth and status.
Because of that, even nobles who weren't personally fond of sweets still competed to obtain the finest confections available and valued the merchants who could provide them.
"Your shop really is too small, Albert..."
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Shut it—... Well, no, you're right. A nobody merchant like me can't compete with the people who do business with nobles."
Although a vein bulged on his forehead at my remark, Albert eventually sighed and relaxed.
It seemed this wasn't the first time he'd encountered such problems.
There was frustration in his expression, but also resignation.
"Sorry for bringing this up. I'll look elsewhere."
"Yeah. That's probably for the best."
W̆ѐ b n̊о̌ v̇ еl̀ Е ń um̀а.
Leaving those words behind, I walked out of the shop.
This is turning out to be harder than I expected...
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The city where I lived—Erakton—served as a major transit hub connecting larger cities.
On the southern side of town stood a large warehouse district where goods destined for major cities were gathered. As a result, a great many merchants passed through despite the city's modest size.
Among them were numerous adventurers hired to escort merchant caravans on long journeys.
I stopped by a tavern frequented by such adventurers while considering my future plans.
W̃е bǹ о̀ v̆e l_ Е́ n̊üḿа
"Today, a huge goblin horde showed up on the Ankia Highway! The clients got nervous, so I slaughtered a bunch of them and got paid five thousand gold!"
"Five thousand for goblins? City merchants sure are generous!"
The men laughing loudly were adventurers from other regions.
From their conversation, it sounded like they had landed a profitable job and were celebrating the successful outcome.
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As they drank, they enthusiastically discussed heading to the brothel district on the west side of town afterward.
In this world, the common entertainments for young people were gambling, drinking, and adult establishments.
Е̇n̈üm̂ а̇
Hobbies such as art and music were generally reserved for the upper classes, even in major cities.
Because of that, gambling halls and similar establishments could be found almost everywhere.
That said, the regular customers were mostly rough adventurers.
Ordinary townsfolk often started families young and had plenty of acquaintances, so they generally preferred gathering at taverns instead.
"Hey, Allen! That's a pretty gloomy look you've got there!"
"Greu, huh."
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While I sat in the tavern drinking cheap liquor and thinking about my future plans, a familiar man approached from the back of the room.
His name was Greu, a man two or three years older than me.
He belonged to the city's security force.
Compared to an ordinary citizen like me, he was larger and much more accustomed to fighting.
"Still drifting around without a real job? You've got a good face, so why don't you settle down already? Want to join the guards?"
"No thanks. I don't want to spend my days dealing with drunk people."
Е̂n ǔ m̆а̀
"Hahaha! Fair enough. But it's a good job, you know. The kids respect you!"
Greu's face was slightly red from drinking.
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Judging from the several oversized wooden mugs he was carrying, he'd probably come to the tavern with his fellow guards.
No matter how sarcastic I sounded, Greu always laughed it off and tried to recruit me.
"You're strong and handsome, Allen! Having you around would make dealing with all the old ladies in town a lot easier!"
"What kind of reason is that?"
Е̌ ň ů ḿ_а̂ .і̃d̄
From my perspective, Greu himself was pretty handsome.
For some reason, the world of Asphial seemed filled with attractive men and women.
It felt exactly like the setting of an anime or light novel.
According to Greu, I happened to have the kind of face that middle-aged women in town found especially appealing.
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