The final result was mediocre at best, but it was edible. I had eaten fish in my world, but the feeling of their flesh was new to people in the inner world, and they poked it carefully with their forks before trying it. It didn’t taste too bad, and we all finished our share. Suuru didn’t like how I messed up the cooking and decided to take over for the remaining fish next time.

The following day, I was back in Alfiro after finishing my usual duties. The problem with this medieval age was that a lot of services one could expect from modern society didn’t exist. In my case, there was no such thing as a real estate agency. This left me with no choice but to do the same as everyone else: ask around for what I needed.

The lack of such services also meant that people communicated a lot. When I asked someone about something, they might not know the information I needed, but they often redirected me to someone else who might know. It was time-consuming, and I went through several people who were selling but didn’t have exactly what I was looking for. Eventually, I ended up in front of a short rank 5 woman with white fur, who was selling the location used by an old shop that had gone bankrupt. After the initial greetings, I went into the details of the transaction.

“I heard you’re selling a building suitable for a store, ma’am?”

“That’s right. Are you allowed to buy it, though?”

I showed her the silver token, and she looked impressed.

“You mustn’t just be anyone if you have this.”

“I worked hard. Can you tell me more about the place?”

“The location is great because it’s situated in one of the main streets. It’s also more than three hundred square meters, so it’s large. You can either rent it or buy it if you have enough money for that.”

“How did the previous business fail in such a good location?”

“The business before the last was doing well for a long time, but when that one passed away, I rented it to a young merchant. That woman wasn’t fit for the job and went bankrupt in less than a year.”

“What were they selling?”

The woman shook her head while sighing.

“That’s the problem. They were trying to sell a bit of everything, but that didn’t work. People prefer going to specialized shops for everything they need because they know they’ll have more choices and better quality.”

It sounded like an attempt at a supermarket, even though probably quite rudimentary. I heard there were many such attempts in my world, too, before economies of scale related to industrialization finally forced people to admit it was simply cheaper and more convenient to go there.

“I see. Anyway, it sounds interesting. What’s the price if I want to buy?”

“It’s 230 golds.”

Judging from other prices I inquired about before, it seemed reasonable. Most people would never be able to afford this, but it was well within the means of a thousandaire like me.

“May I see the place?”

“Follow me.”

After a few minutes of walking, we arrived on one of the main streets. It wasn’t hard to find the shop since it was one of the few that were closed, even though we were in the middle of the day. It still was untouched from the time of the previous renter, with the front sign still indicating “Fallow’s fair of everything”.

The woman unlocked the front door and showed me the inside. There was a counter close to the entrance, with many shelves everywhere else. At the back was a door to a storage area. In the middle were tables, probably to showcase more products.

The size seemed correct, and the location was great. The store was still in a good state since the previous renter had only used it for one year. I could almost use it as is for my purpose. It was by far the best place I visited today.

“It looks nice. I’m interested in buying it. How does 160 golds sound to you?”

The woman pulled a face.

“If that’s the sort of proposition you have, then you can just forget about it.”

“Come, ma’am. I’m just a young rank 0 merchant starting in life, while you’re an established rank 5 powerhouse. You must give a chance to newcomers who want to succeed in life!”

My words didn’t impress her much, though.

“230 golds.”

I came closer to her, and she watched me, intrigued. I had learned by now that felines weren’t ones to stand on formality too much, including the two Vejas in Geola. They would be a nice subspecies if only they didn’t have this trouble of looking down on their men. I scratched her under the chin, just like I was taught felines liked. She seemed to be used to physical contact because she didn’t try to stop me.

“Here, let’s negotiate a little. What about 180 golds?”

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but that’s useless.”

“Really? Am I doing this wrong?”

“It’s barely okay, but… A bit to the left, yes, right here. But I’ve got a husband at home, plus three slaves to do the same for me anytime I want. Your skills can’t even compare.”

She was probably someone rich, which made sense if she owned a property like this in a prime location of a main city. I stopped what I was doing and took my distance again.

“Well, I tried. By the way, didn’t you hear about me?”

“No, why? Who are you?”

“I’m the trader who sold fresh sea fish yesterday!”

“I don’t know anything about that.”

“Oh… But it’s true, you can ask around if you want. Doesn’t that mean my business is pretty much guaranteed for success? That’s why you should give me a good deal!”

“What does that have to do with me if I’m selling?”

“You can’t say that. You’ll be known as the one who sold to a revolutionary person like me!”

“How absurd. Are you done talking?”

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