Planning a store in Big Tree Village.
Wouldn’t it make sense for Big Tree Village to have stores of its own?
Work-related supplies were distributed from the village, but when it came to personal wants, there was no way to obtain them.
A store would fill that gap.
That was my reasoning, and so a long time ago I drew up such plans on my own.
But!
Unfortunately, those plans stalled.
Because the village still had no currency.
Well, no, that’s not quite true.
We ‘did’ have currency.Gold coins, silver coins, large copper coins, medium copper coins, small copper coins, a whole mountain of them.
The problem was, they were only used for trade with the outside world. Inside the village, they had no place.
Instead, the reward medals we introduced as a kind of pre-currency allowed individuals to obtain what they wanted.
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By the way, when it comes to exchanging reward medals or requesting necessary supplies, the rule in Big Tree Village was that each race’s representative would coordinate it.
For the other villages, each settlement had its own steward, who then reported to Big Tree Village.
So, for example, Village One was handled by Mamu, a beastgirl.
Village Two was handled by Nuff, a lizardman.
Village Three by one of the civil servant girls, Rashaashi.
Village Four had no steward, but since the Universal Ship travels back and forth regularly, Bell or the ship’s captain, Tou, took care of relaying things.
And for the hot spring area, it was whenever Yoru came to Big Tree Village.
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Well, I guess it’s still too soon to open proper stores in Big Tree Village.
I’ll think about it again once the populations of each settlement have grown a bit more.
That’s what I thought, but in reality, the store was already finished.
Yes, finished.
The High Elves worked hard to build it.
Right in the residential area.
It looks like a convenience store or a general goods store, with shelves lined up for displaying items.
Strictly speaking, you’re also allowed to take something without leaving anything in return…
So I guess this isn’t really bartering.
Well, whatever.
You leave what you have in excess, and you take what you need.
Either way, it’s become a place for the villagers to interact.
By the way, this store that doubles as a community hub,
It doesn’t have official clerks, but instead, the spiderlings manage it on a rotation.
Their main tasks are opening and closing the store, and if any perishable goods are left when they close, they bring them back to my mansion.
Fortunately, perishables are so popular that they rarely remain.
Since it’s the spiderlings taking turns to open the store, it often stays closed during bad weather or when the snow piles up too high.
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Oh, right, that reminds me.
This store.
Since it’s already there, sometimes it’s used by the villagers and children as a place to practice shopping.
In those cases, a few small items are put on display so they can pretend to store.
They’re taught how to count money and exchange goods, making sure they understand both the seller’s and the buyer’s side to avoid any trouble.
What surprised me was the group of civil servant girls.
Most of them come from noble families, so their style of shopping is to either ask a butler or maid to handle it, or have the storekeeper come to their home.
Even then, the exchange of money is handled by the butler or maid, not by them personally.
Apparently, noble young ladies don’t touch money themselves.
And if they do, it’s only gold or silver coins.
It’s not because they’re arrogant, but because currency passes through so many hands.
For hygiene reasons, it’s considered best not to touch it.
Gold and silver coins are polished by their butlers, so those are considered safe.
I see.
…
If I think about disease prevention, maybe we should be cleaning coins regularly.
Is it alright?
The coins brought into Big Tree Village are already purified by Loo and Tier with magic.
Outside the village too, when kingdoms or major trading companies handle coins, they cleanse them with magic as well?
Though not everyone can use such magic, right?
So what about small villages…
In the Demon King’s Kingdom, the churches take on the job of cleansing currency?
Some religions don’t, but the larger ones do.
Heh.
So that’s how it is.
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The conversation drifted a bit, but practicing in the store should help them avoid trouble outside the village.
Once they gain confidence here, they apparently move on to real shopping in Village Five.
With that in mind, I watched the children practicing their shopping in the store.
「How much is this?」
「Twenty medium copper coins」
「That’s expensive. How about ten medium copper coins?」
「Hmm… eighteen medium copper coins」
「Ugh… twelve medium copper coins」
「Seventeen medium copper coins then」
「Thirteen medium copper coins!」
「Alright, sold!」
The child playing the buyer and the child playing the seller both looked to the angel acting as their teacher the moment the deal was struck.
The angel picked up the item, showing the children the price tag stuck on the back.
「The purchase price was seven medium copper coins, so the fair price is ten medium copper coins. So the buyer ended up paying a little too much. Next time, you should start with a price much lower than that」
「Ehh, even half isn’t good enough?」
「Sometimes even starting at one-tenth isn’t enough」
「Nuuu… I want price tags to be mandatory」
「Fufu, that would be nice, wouldn’t it」
In Village Five, most stores related to me display prices, so many followed that custom. But outside of Village Five… not so much.
「You must train both your eye for goods and your eye for people. For reference, I bought this item in Village Five for eight medium copper coins. Also, seller, why did you start at twenty medium copper coins? You already knew the fair price, so you could have started a bit higher」
「The situation card I drew was “overstocked”. So I set a price low enough that the buyer wouldn’t walk away」
「Excellent. You understood your situation perfectly. And the buyer’s card was that they weren’t allowed to buy if the price was more than three times the fair value. Well done」
「Ehehe」
I see.
So by splitting into seller and buyer roles, then giving each a situation card, they make the shopping more complex.
I had imagined something simpler, like, 「How much is this?」「Ten medium copper coins」「I have fifteen medium copper coins, so…」
「Alright, next pair. Seller, buyer, draw your situation cards. Don’t show them to each other. And don’t let it show on your face」
「Okaay」
Hmm.
They might end up better at shopping than me.
I’ve always been bad at haggling, whether buying or selling.
…
So I joined in to study with them.
The children’s relentless price-cutting almost brought me to tears.
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Youko’s vacation.
I wanted Youko, who has been working so hard, to take a break, so I made the arrangements.
With the full cooperation of Village Five’s civil officials, Youko’s secretaries, and the angels who would serve as her stand-ins, we managed to give Youko about sixty days off.
Of course, I also did my part by visiting Village Five more frequently.
During her break, I wanted Youko to enjoy a trip back home and spend some time with Hitoe.
Let me tell you the result first.
Youko gave up after five days.
How does someone even give up on vacation?
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Youko’s vacation, day one.
Youko went to a hot spring resort with her daughter, Hitoe.
The plan was to relax for a couple of days and then decide how to spend the rest of the break.
But for some reason, Youko returned to my mansion in Big Tree Village after two days and shut herself in her room.
Hitoe was her usual self.
Did something happen at the hot springs?
Apparently not.
Nothing happened. Just time passing quietly.
And Youko couldn’t handle it.
She stayed shut in the mansion, and on the fourth day, with a lifeless expression, she said…
「I’ll work hard at resting」
Which made no sense at all, so I had her go back to work.
Hitoe was disappointed, but Youko regained her energy at the workplace.
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Maybe forcing someone to rest when they don’t want to only makes them more tired.
Lesson learned.
Instead of making her take long breaks, I should think of ways to care for her in daily life.
Ah, and about the angels who were supposed to cover for Youko.
Sorry, but even though you were getting ready to leave, your work continues.
This is by order of your chief, Malbit.
So please hang in there until spring.
I’ll help too.
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Angel「If you only think about profit, you’ll end up paying the price, so be careful」
Child A「I know that from stories」
Child B「Wasn’t it called 『Since I Can Manipulate Purchase Prices, I’ll Gorge Myself on Profits』 or something like that?」
Child C「Yeah, yeah, the one where he got exiled from the town」
Child D「And kicked out of the merchant guild too」
Child E「Even his family abandoned him」
Child F「He failed because he focused only on making money and ignored his customers」
Child G「I thought he’d reflect and make a comeback, but he just kept falling lower…」
Child H「Reality is harsh」
Child I「At least in stories, I think it’s fine to be a little kinder」