Chapter 96
Chapter 96 Mero Mero Bang Bang
July 9, 2020oniichan69
A few days later, in the afternoon .
Kazura had taken Zirconia with him to visit an upscale commercial district in Isteria .
The two of them were dressed differently than usual, in simple, plain, commoner clothes .
They wore a cloak on their shoulders and held a Zuta bag in their hands, looking like travelers .
Zirconia ties her hair into a single knot at the back of her neck and disguises herself, if only for comfort .
Her face is cracked as she usually travels to military-related facilities, but she rarely comes face to face with civilians .
A different outfit or hairstyle will give a completely different impression, so even if you’ve seen Zirconia’s face once or twice before, there’s little danger of your face is exposed .
This is a trick that is possible only in this world where mass media has not yet been developed .
This is the general store . When I visited here before, they bought some items from me .
Last night, kazura told Nelson and Zirconia that an old woman in the grocery store had bought an ocarina and a red crystal for him .
He wanted to explain that he was someone who had the pipes to sell even the most unusual items without starting a rumor, but after hearing the explanation, Nelson said that he wanted to find out about the other person’s character before offering them a deal .
The original plan that Kazura and Zirconia had made was to give the name of the Isteria family first and offer to negotiate with them .
But before that, Nelson said, they needed to see how the old lady would respond if they offered the same kind of negotiations like last time with her identity hidden .
If the old lady responded in the same way as last time, then she would have only that much of a head start .
If she didn’t have enough brains to either disclose some information ahead of kazuura or offer some goodies to us, considering the possibility that kazura might be getting information elsewhere, she wouldn’t be able to use it, although it wouldn’t be very useful .
Incidentally, I’ve also told Nelson and the others that Ichiro visited Isteria with Valetta and the others before .
They asked me how I came to visit the grocery store, so I answered, and Zirconia looked very surprised when I told her that I had encountered Liese and the others in the process .
Nelson remembered Eira’s reaction when she had come face to face with Kazura before, and nodded in agreement, ‘So that’s what happened?
‘No, we still don’t know if she’s committing fraud on a regular basis .
‘That’s true, but there’s no doubt that this is a shop that is making a profit by running a scam . I’m not too keen on taking advantage of someone like this…
‘That’s true, but you should use whatever you can at this point . You should meditate on a few things .
When Kazura said that to Zirconia, whose expression was cloudy, Zirconia showed a momentary puzzled expression .
But soon, she chuckled happily .
”Hm? What’s wrong?
‘Huh, it’s nothing . Kazursan is right, we don’t have time to pay attention to the details, right? But………
Zirconia said, and put a hand on her back hip, hidden by her cloak .
‘Be careful when negotiating, just in case . I don’t think there is any, but there is a chance that the other party may try to imitate you roughly . It’s the kind of place that runs a scam, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they had a bouncer or two on hand .
Just in case, Zirconia has a dagger tucked under her cloak .
If the negotiations don’t go as well as they should, and a disturbing stream of bouncers come out of the woodwork, she is said to be the one to deal with .
Nelson tells me that not many people can compete with her with weapons, but I’d like to avoid a tumultuous turn of events if I can .
The reason why Zirconia, not Isaac or Havel, is accompanying her is simply that she’s much more skilled than them .
Since her number of experience in actual battles is incomparable to the others, she is said to be able to deal with things on the spur of the moment .
On top of that, she also believes that her companions would be less wary of their opponents if they were female rather than male .
I understand . But even if that happens, let’s think about running away rather than fighting back . It’s so boring to get injured doing this .
‘Yes . Well, if there’s a commotion, the private soldiers waiting in hiding are supposed to rush in, so we’ll be okay first . I think so . Unless we’re being held, hostage .
With that, Zirconia smiled softly and walked into the store .
‘Hello . I have something for you to buy .
Kazura walked into the shop and went to the back and called out to the old lady who was sitting and keeping a ledger as she had done on her previous visit .
”Yes, welcome … oh, you are, I believe …”
The old woman looked up and raised her eyebrows in surprise when she saw Kazura’s face .
”Yes, I’m the one who sold some jewelry for you the other day . I’ve come here with some more things I’d like you to buy for me…”
All right, all right . I’ll buy from you outright, you can count on me . And how’s your sister, by the way?
Zirconia, who had been running her eyes around the store, smiled at the old woman who gave her a snarky look .
‘I’m his wife . I forced my husband to bring me along . ’
Well, you have a very pretty wife . You don’t look so bad, do you?
Sponsored Content
Yeah, that’s right, thanks, so let’s talk about jewelry .
Wait a minute .
The old lady said and took the sign that had been placed in the corner of the store that read ‘Preparing’ and placed it at the entrance of the store .
‘There we go . Let’s talk in the back room, just to be sure .
As the old woman walked into the back of the building, Zirconia stopped Kazura from following her .
”Well, I’ll go first . Please don’t ever leave me . ”
With an earful of that, Zirconia followed the old woman into the back of the room
Kazura followed Zirconia through the door .
”You guys, I think we can call it a day,”
There were six girls in the back room .
They ranged in age from about six years old to their mid-teens .
The girls sat on the floor with needles and knives in their hands, working on leather goods such as shoes and gloves .
A long table was set up in the room, and a fireplace was also set up .
”Yes, but…”
At the old lady’s words, one of the girls raised her voice as if she was confused .
The other girls also turned their anxious eyes to the old woman .
‘Hmm? …Oh, don’t worry about it, I’ll give you your wages for today .
The old woman took out a cloth bag from her pocket and handed it to a girl who was close at hand .
The girl immediately opened the bag and checked the money inside .
It’s still past noon, why don’t you go down to the river to pick up those round stones I taught you about? You can take the basket there with you .
Yes, thank you . Guys, shall we go?
The girls bowed to the old lady and left, taking the basket that had been left in the room .
‘Sit down in that chair over there at random . Let’s see, let’s get you some tea .
Sponsored Content
The old lady waits for the girls to leave and recommends a chair to Kazura and Zirconia .
‘No, I have some urgent business to attend to after this I would like to begin the transaction immediately .
Oh, okay . Well, in that case, I’ll just do it .
When Zirconia quickly declined the tea, the old woman sat down in her chair without seeming particularly bothered .
Following the old lady, Ichiro and Zirconia sat down in their chairs .
‘Well, what did you bring me today?
‘I’ve got some of the same kind of jewelry I sold you last time . …… . . By the way, where are the girls now?
Ichiro asks while taking out a small bag of cloth from the Zuda bag .
‘I have a day job doing a lot of things for me . Kids get paid so much less . ’
As she said this, the old woman picked up the sachet and took out a piece of jewelry and placed it in her hand .
“Ho, this is another fine piece of jewelry . ”
Looking at the jewels on her palm, the old woman nodded with satisfaction .
This time, Kazura brought the gems with him: lapis lazuli, turquoise and red crystal cut into a perfect circle .
Unlike the items he sold the old lady last time, they were darker in color and not as transparent as the ones he had sold her .
‘Okay, I’ll buy them for 6,000 als each, 18,000 als for three .
What the fuck… what?
‘It’s Al 6,000 . It’s too scarce to offer anything but a rough sum, but it’s not a bad sum .
The old woman smiled at Kazura, who was rolling her eyes and smiled at her .
Zirconia, who was sitting next to her, listened intently to the two of them without any particular change in expression .
”Um, that clear pink gemstone I brought last time wasn’t 2,500 al, I believe . What?
I’m sorry, I bought it a lot then . I’ll buy this time at a fair price . And of course, we’ll continue to do so .
The old lady, who replied without seeming to be offended, gives Kazura a snide look .
”Why didn’t you sprinkle it on me again this time? If I could sell it for that high, I could have ripped it off again .
Sponsored Content
Of course, it’s because I want to continue to make money . Even if we get fooled again, if you find out later and go elsewhere, it will be the last time . . It seems you have the wherewithal to continue to get the jewelry . We thought it would be better for both of us to make a profit .
But I’m still getting ripped off .
I’ll show you the books . Give me a minute .
When Kazura gave her a doubtful look, the old lady quickly stood up and went back to the store .
”Well Mrs . Zirconia, it looks like she could use it .
‘Yes . It doesn’t seem to be enough to just cheat and make a profit . I’m concerned about the number of transactions you can make at one time and the sales channels…”
‘Sure, I’m wondering where they’re selling out to… who on earth is buying them?
As they were having this conversation, an old lady came back with a book in her hand .
‘Here you are,’ she said . Here’s the selling price of the jewels you bought last time .
The old woman sat down in a chair and opened the ledger and held it out to them .
The ledger, bound in leather paper, was filled with the names and prices of the items they had sold and bought .
Zirconia traced her finger over the ‘pink obsidian’ section of the ledger .
‘I wonder if it’s this one . The selling price is………
…What, 35,000 Al?
Yes, 35,000 Al . I swear, I had a hard time selling it for that price .
The old woman sighed with a look of relief as Kazura looked at the price and stared at her eyes .
”You sold it for fourteen times the amount you bought from me? That’s a ragged profit, isn’t it?”
It was a bit of a struggle to come up with a price because I’ve never seen this kind of jewelry before either . I’m glad I was able to sell it for a good price .
The old woman said, then pulled the ledger back to herself and turned her attention to Kazura .
‘So, from now on, no more lies in our dealings with you . And the amount of money I made you lose in the last transaction I guess, 7,500 Al, right here and now . I’ll make it up to you . In return, you’ll continue to bring all of those jewels to me in the future . Let’s make this work for both of us, shall we?
Well, thank you, but who did you sell it to? Who can pay out this much money…
Wait .
Kazura asked, and the old woman interrupted him .