Volume 1 Chapter 3 The Butcher and the Quail
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I carry a big quail on my back, heading back to the village as the sun begins to set.
I quicken my pace because the village folks fall asleep as soon as the sun goes down.
Even the Adventurers’ Guild is no exception──they seem to close right at sunset, according to their rules.
The finest white mansion in the village is the Adventurers’ Guild building.
It looks old and a bit worn up close, but from a distance, it resembles a lovely castle from an amusement park.
Toyata Village has about 5 hundred people, which is an average size for this area.
The village sits atop a small hill overlooking the canal.
The hill is surrounded by earthen walls and a moat, with the guild hall, church, and village head’s mansion lined up at the top.
All the buildings are covered with white plaster, making them appear as one big structure from afar.
The most prominent feature is the church’s steeple; I want to climb it someday.
Today, the wind is calm, and windmills spin all around the village, grinding grain to make flour for bread.
The windmills here are stylish 6-blade ones, with triangular sails like a yacht.
They’re simple and cheap, but they can’t handle strong gusts, so on stormy days, they get folded up and put away.
I nod lightly to the gatekeeper as I enter the village.
Normally, outsiders have to pay a toll to pass, but I’ve never paid.
I might be exempt because I’m a hero.
It’s only about 200 meters straight from the gate to the guild hall, but I have to dodge the maze of buildings.
It’s always when I’m in a hurry that I get lost.
I hear it’s to stop enemy intrusions, but usually, it’s just a total hassle.
At times like this, I can rely on Ms. Nina; she silently guides me on the right path.
After following Ms. Nina for a bit, I spot the familiar sign of the butcher shop.
It’s Mr. Chaa’s butcher shop; from here, I can reach the guild without getting lost.
”Hey, that’s a nice quail! Leave it here!”
Mr. Chaa, the butcher, quickly spots my quail and calls out to me.
Mr. Chaa looks to be in his early thirties, but he’s actually a bit younger.
He’s shorter than me, but he’s twice as wide.
He’s such a chubby guy that I look slim in comparison.
According to him, he’s got a way with women and is quite popular.
He’s always boasting about his beautiful lover in the next town to anyone who’ll listen, and it’s getting on everyone’s nerves.
Mr. Chaa’s reputation in the village isn’t very good.
He’s a show-off, a liar, and a dirty scoundrel to boot.
He’s not someone I’d want to get close to, but since he’s the only butcher in the village, I can’t avoid dealing with him.
He buys edible monsters for a bit more than the adventurer’s guild, after all.
”Um, well, I have to report to the guild, you see…”
I tried to brush it off and leave, but he quickly surrounded me.
He’s got surprisingly good foo2rk for someone who looks like that.
”It’s a hunting quest, right? For slimes, you just need to bring back the head. The head is the only proof you’ve hunted a slime, right? Remember, it’s called the ‘hunting part,’ and it’s important. I’m teaching you this for free, so pay attention.”
Everyone knows about the hunting parts; they tell you about them when you take the quest.
”Well, I’ll lend you one for today. Be grateful, not many people are as helpful as I am.”
He flashes a sneaky grin and puffs up his chest.
He probably doesn’t mean any harm… but what is this irritating feeling?
Let’s try imagining him as a tsundere beauty instead.
’I’ll lend you one for today, so be grateful. There aren’t many girls as helpful as me, you know.’
Okay, this guy is probably innocent… maybe.
I still feel pretty uncomfortable, but you shouldn’t judge people by their appearance, right?
”Here, take this for that slime.”
Mr. Chaa forces a coin into my hand.
”A Totoana Emperor silver coin, in decent condition, worth about 420 gold~desuwa”
Ms. Nina quickly appraises the coin.
The currency in this world is in quite a chaotic state.
There are nearly a hundred small countries issuing their own currencies, and they’re all circulating at arbitrary exchange rates.
The general price of goods is set by the merchant guild, but the actual sale price is negotiated each time by the seller and buyer, so it can be quite arbitrary.
The trick to shopping at an unfamiliar store is to start the negotiation by offering about a tenth of the seller’s asking price.
As you negotiate, you stack up coins, and once the seller agrees, the deal is done.
But be careful not to seem too eager, or they’ll size you up. You need the decisiveness to pull back at the right moment.
Like coins, gold and silver grains are commonly used for shopping, and if both parties agree, even gems or pretty shells can be treated as money without any issue.
In this situation, you might think currency isn’t needed, but coins issued by a trusted nation have their own added value, so minting coins might actually increase a country’s assets more than just holding gold.
That’s why countries don’t stop issuing money; it’s a bit like a corporation issuing shares to raise funds.
Just so you know, there is a standard currency, gold, and a common gold coin issued by the powerful Larse Empire, with an exchange rate of ten thousand gold.
For deposits with the Adventurers’ Guild, it’s guaranteed to be received in new common gold coins. It’s a relief that money isn’t paper, so it won’t turn to scraps if something happens. At least the value of the gold is secured.
The Totoana Emperor Silver Coin, appraised by Ms. Nina, is issued by the Totoana Empire, the second greatest nation after the Larse Empire.
It’s one of the most trusted coins in this world, and in good condition, it’s worth 6 hundred gold.
The condition of this coin is a tricky concept, unfamiliar to a Japanese guy like me.
Here, greedy merchants wouldn’t hesitate to shave off a bit from a hundred gold coins to steal the value of one coin.
Of course, shaving coins is illegal, but most of the coins in circulation are heavily worn down.
Unfortunately, the value of worn coins decreases.
The face value doesn’t decrease, but nobody wants coins that have been shaved, right?
The silver coin Mr. Chaa pushed on me is quite worn down.
According to Ms. Nina’s appraisal, it seems to be worth about 4 hundred and 20 gold.
If I sold the quail to the guild, even a good one would only fetch about 4 hundred gold.
It seems okay to sell it to Mr. Chaa.
But that smirking, villainous face of Mr. Chaa holding the quail really bothers me…
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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