novelraw Chapter 188
Chapter 188
“I want thirty percent.” Marlon understood Leon’s meaning and immediately stated his share.
“Too high.” Leon shook his head. “After all, I have to cover the costs. I should at least make a bit more.”
“Do you know the current price of Void Essence in the City of Elements?” Marlon asked him in return.
“I don’t know, but it can’t be low,” Leon replied.
“One piece is already marked at 300G—more than triple the original market price. I’m only asking for thirty percent. The other seventy will still leave you with a hefty profit.” Marlon laid his cards on the table.
“Twenty percent.” Leon liked the price, but business was business—there was always room to bargain.
“How much Void Essence can you supply?” Marlon frowned and asked.
“One hundred and sixty-five units,” Leon revealed his entire stock.
Marlon sucked in a sharp breath. He had assumed Leon might have a dozen at most. He never expected this guy to have so much.
Leon’s mining progress was only around the twentieth level, still in the early stages. How could he have gotten this much Void Essence? Could it be that the Shadow Marauders and Shadow Shamans had begun moving closer to the upper forty levels?Either way, even at twenty percent, that much Void Essence meant plenty of profit for Marlon. But he didn’t agree right away—he still wanted more.
“Twenty-five percent. Let’s meet in the middle.”
“Ten.” Leon cut the offer in half without hesitation.
He wasn’t stupid. Marlon’s reaction had already told him his stock was far greater than expected—possibly more than Marlon himself planned to sell. Leon was certain Marlon wouldn’t pass up a chance for easy profit.
“Too low.” Marlon frowned. Ten percent was still a profit—after all, he had no costs—but he wanted more.
“So we have nothing to talk about?” Leon turned to leave.
Marlon froze, then quickly called out, “You’re just going to walk away? If you don’t sell soon, the price might drop in a few days.”
“Stardew Valley isn’t limited to you alone when it comes to reaching the City of Elements.” Leon didn’t even turn around.
They were only business partners, not friends. Leon had no intention of taking a loss on this deal.
“Twenty percent,” Marlon conceded.
“Ten.” Leon held firm.
“Minimum twenty.” Marlon refused to back down.
Just as the tension reached its peak, a voice whispered in Leon’s ear—Linus, speaking through the Voice of the Wind: “You don’t need to work with him. Just drop the Void Essence into your farm’s shipping bin.”
Hearing this, Leon’s confidence surged.
“Sorry, Guild Master. This deal won’t work. I just remembered I have another client who’s interested. Sorry to trouble you.”
He waved to Marlon and slipped out of the Adventurer’s Guild.
Marlon stared at the empty hall, filled with regret. He should have agreed to ten percent. That would’ve been nearly 5,000G—more than a month’s wages.
Gil, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them and said, “That kid isn’t easy to handle. He might look young, but his mind’s as shrewd as any old fox in the Guild.”
“I just wanted to make a bit more. It’s been ages since we drank Blue Moon wine. Another ten percent would’ve been enough for an extra barrel,” Marlon muttered.
“Marlon, you still haven’t curbed your greed. You’ve never remembered what the Guild Master told you—if you keep clinging to money like this, you’d better be ready to retire in Stardew Valley.” Gil sighed, then closed his eyes again before Marlon could respond.
…
Elsewhere, Leon—buoyed by Linus’s advice—headed straight to Linus’s camp after leaving the Guild. He found the old man sunbathing outside his tent.
“Old man, were you serious about putting the Void Essence into the shipping bin?”
“Yes.” Linus nodded. “The transporters in charge of the shipping bin will sell your goods to the highest bidder. You don’t need to worry about getting a low price.”
“Who are these transporters?” Leon asked.
“The Traveling Merchant’s Guild,” Linus said.
The unfamiliar name piqued Leon’s curiosity. “What is the Traveling Merchant’s Guild?”
“A merchants’ organization.” Linus left it at that.
Leon stared at him, unsatisfied. “Do they charge a fee for helping to ship goods?”
“They do—but not for you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re a farmer,” Linus replied, as if it were obvious.
“Huh?” Leon was puzzled.
“High-quality crops,” Linus explained.
“Oh.” Leon immediately understood.
Lewis had once explained the benefits of high-quality crops—eating them could grant longer life and better health.
For intelligent beings, nothing was more desirable than a long and healthy life. This was also the main reason farmers held such high status in this world.
Leon guessed the Guild waived farmers’ fees to encourage them to use the shipping bin, ensuring they got first pick of the high-quality produce.
The Guild got what it wanted. The farmer made money without the hassle of finding buyers. Win-win.
Still, Leon wondered why a merchant organization that owned such a magical tool would care so much about high-quality crops.
Linus surely knew, so Leon asked directly.
“All the shipping bins were made by one person. Most members of the Traveling Merchant’s Guild are just ordinary traders.”
Linus didn’t withhold this information.
“Oh? Then who made the shipping bins?” Leon pressed.
“You’ll find out someday.” Linus waved him off impatiently. “Go on, don’t keep disturbing an old man’s quiet time.”
Leon still had questions, but he obediently said goodbye and left.
Inwardly, he grumbled that all the big shots seemed to share the same bad habit of only telling half the story.
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