New Product Discovery
I was visiting the Black Mist Market for the first time in a while.
It’s not like I was completely broke from the conscription or anything, but it felt pretty bland not having anything to sell.
As Lord Chaos, I’ve been steadily distributing items that improve quality of life, but those tools are carefully selected ones that I know will definitely sell or become trendy.
For quirky little things or humble inventions, that approach doesn’t really work. For stuff like that, I pretend that I’m the one who invented them.
Nobody gets jealous, and no one can forcibly steal them from me. That’s about the right balance for inventions. Well, even if someone did copy them, that’d be fine too.
Anyway, I made my way to the spot where Mercurio usually sets up his stall, but…
“Hey, what happened to your face, Mercurio?”
“Ah, Mongrel-san, long time no see. Yeah, this is a bit of a story. During the recent war, some young punks from elsewhere picked a fight with me. Got myself beaten up.”
“Seriously?”
It had been a while since I’d seen Mercurio, and his face was wrapped in bandages.
Mercurio’s hair is a light golden blonde. This is a hair color characteristic of Sunglaire people, second only to silver hair, and it really stands out badly here in Legol. In that sense, he probably faces harsher treatment than me, being a half-blood. That’s exactly why Mercurio has no choice but to do business in the Black Mist Market…
“Well, I treated it with a potion right away that day. Look, this bandage is just for show—underneath it’s completely healed. But if people found out I used expensive medicine to heal it, that’d be trouble, so I’m keeping it covered.”
“Ah, well that’s good then. I mean, not good, but…”
“People get on edge during wartime, you know. It’s irritating, but can’t be helped. I consider it a necessary business expense.”
Mercurio showed me a bright smile. What a tough businessman.
“Well, because of that incident, I’d like to earn back at least the cost of the medicine. Mongrel-san, don’t you have any good products with you?”
“Ah… I feel kind of bad showing this to Mercurio given the circumstances, but… here, a back scratcher.”
What I held out was a back scratcher that looked like just a stick at first glance.
“What’s this?”
“You can scratch your back with it. Like this, scritch-scratch.”
“…Hmm.”
When I demonstrated and handed over the back scratcher, Mercurio took it with an unenthusiastic expression and tried scratching his back.
“Hmm, hmmm…”
“How about it?”
“Well, it’s not unusable, I guess… but I couldn’t sell this for a high price.”
“Yeah, figured as much.”
Anyone could probably make a back scratcher like this.
The buyers aren’t stupid either, so they wouldn’t pay much for it. For Mercurio who needs money right now, this might not be quite the right product.
“Oh right, Mongrel-san. That washboard from before has been completely copied, so it seems impossible to make money from it anymore. Though the quality of the one you made for me seemed better.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.”
“You don’t sound very disappointed, boss.”
“Ah, you can tell? When I make those myself, my nose gets covered in wood shavings. I wasn’t really enthusiastic about it.”
“Heh. …Oh, but that folding knife you made, Mongrel-san. I sold one of those.”
“Eh!? There was still someone who’d buy that!?”
“This was before the war started. Somehow seemed like an important person. That might be why they paid well too.”
“Really? What a peculiar person.”
To think my multi-tool knife with several dead functions would sell at this point.
I guess when more people come to town, the number of people making mysterious purchases increases too.
“Sorry about our situation, but it’d be great if you could bring something that seems like it’d sell for more next time. Even those lewd-looking things from before would be fine. Those bring in pretty good money.”
“Lewd tools, huh… Even though sex sells, it’d damage my brand image.”
“You worry too much, boss. You’re not putting up a sign big enough to get damaged, are you?”
Well, the only sign I have up as Mongrel is the sign for “Skol’s Inn” where I’ve been staying for years. And even that customer’s sign is pretty shabby.
That sign too… The petal decorations have peeled off and gone somewhere. They should fix it, but I guess they don’t have time.
“Oh my? Isn’t that Mongrel-san? It’s been so long. I was worried since you haven’t been coming around lately.”
“Hey Ken-san. I came to drink dandelion tea again today.”
“Nu-fu-fu, please have some sweets too. Today’s is a delicious baked confection made with lots of eggs.”
While I was at it, I also stopped by Ken-san’s sweets shop.
But Ken-san’s shop, which I was visiting for the first time in a while, had clearly more luxurious interior decorating than when I came before. Expensive-looking furnishings had increased, and the chairs had changed from cheap-looking ones to high-quality, well-made chairs with a luxurious feel.
“Improving the furnishings was worth it. Just this alone makes various customers happy.”
“You’re really making money, Ken-san… I’ve lent a hand to someone with terrifying talent…”
“Well, the sweets I make are the best in the world, after all. Nu-fu-fu.”
I received dandelion coffee and sipped it little by little while eating egg-ball-like sweets.
Even without using vanilla essence, they’re somehow delicious. They’re different from regular egg balls, but they’re tasty in their own way.
Sweet things really are nice.
Looking around, there were many customers since it was daytime. More than half the seats were filled, giving the atmosphere that the shop’s management was now on track.
“Hey Ken-san.”
“Yes yes, what is it?”
“In your shop and such, isn’t there some tool you think ‘it’d be nice to have this at times like these’?”
“Tools, you say. I can make delicious sweets using any tools, so I don’t particularly want anything right now…”
“Really? Truly?”
“Truly indeed. If I had to say something, maybe temperature control for the oven?”
“When it comes to ovens, I can’t easily do anything about that…”
Ken-san has completely gotten used to making sweets with his current tools, but there should be tools that could make it more efficient. Ken-san himself just hasn’t encountered such tools yet, so he hasn’t realized it.
Well, I can’t really do anything about the baking oven either…
“I know, how about this, Ken-san! Take metal wire, bend it, arrange four pieces in a circle and attach a handle. With that, mixing eggs would become easier, I think…”
“…Hmm? Is that so…?”
No good, it’s hard to visualize without the actual thing.
Even if the other person is a professional in that field, it’s hard to understand just from suggesting a tool idea. Hmm.
…Well, it’d be faster to just make it and bring the actual thing!
“Can’t be helped, Ken-san. I’ll bring that tool next time then. It’ll definitely be convenient and make you cry with joy.”
“Would it really be that dramatic…? Well, I’ll look forward to it. Mongrel-san’s ideas are usually spot-on, after all. Nu-fu-fu.”
So, Ken-san had expectations, which was good, but… I suddenly realized something.
Isn’t there not much demand for egg-mixing tools?
No no, that’s not just for eggs, right? I don’t really remember other uses for it, but… well, maybe bakeries or… shops that handle flour-based things might use it too.
It should be worth trying. Yeah.
“Polished wire? Mongrel, we’re not a hardware store! We’re a blacksmith!”
“Oh right, that’s true. Sorry.”
“Bring your stuff here for sharpening once in a while!”
“Yeah. Someday, someday.”
After being chased out of Joslan’s blacksmith shop, I went to a hardware store and got regular wire. Come to think of it, I think I bought from here before too. I forgot.
It’s pretty amazing that this world has regular wire available. There are grommets and stuff too.
Since metal is scarce, processing methods to use it effectively are fairly well-developed. That’s really helpful.
I returned to my inn and bent and processed the pre-polished wire I’d bought.
Considering usability, I’ll try to make it easy to wash with water, hygienically… though there are limits, so I’ll do my best to keep it clean and tidy.
“Well, I did manage to make it… but I guess it depends on how Ken-san feels when he uses it.”
If Ken-san finds it inconvenient to use, I’ll give up.
In this world, it might become troublesome when washing dishes. A whisk is hard to wash, so it depends on that.
So I was quite worried when I gave it to Ken-san, but…
“This is good, Mongrel-san! Quite convenient! Perfect for making loose batters!”
“Ah, really? Great—glad it wasn’t a waste.”
Ken-san was mixing eggs in a bowl with a really nice smile, making a jaka-jaka sound. His handling of that whisk already seems more skillful than mine. As expected, a pro is different.
“Look at this frothing! Good work, Mongrel-san! This will sell worldwide!”
“Oh, ooh, that’s great. What enthusiasm… Thanks, Ken-san. If Ken-san says so, it must be fine. I’ll make several of these and try selling them.”
“Excellent! If you make them, I’ll buy another one! Nu-fu-fu-fu…!”
Apparently this product can be put up for sale successfully. Nice.
I don’t know what the price would be, but I’ll mass-produce several and try consigning them to Mercurio for sale.
Well, I’m not sure if it’ll become immediate cash, but if I say something like “currently popular, loved by Ken-san,” it might strike a chord with the right people.
“So, Mercurio, I brought you a new product.”
“Oh, Mongrel-san! Is that the new lewd tool? This has quite a… fierce shape to it.”
“No way!”
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