How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 101

112. How to Quietly Get Stronger (2)

“Then how about using other metals? I’ve heard the ones sold by the Alchemist Guild are quite high quality?”

One of the differences between this place and a civilization similar to Earth’s past is the existence of genuine alchemists.

They really have the ability to create gold.

Naturally, it is several times stronger than commercially available ingots.

I can almost hear the materials engineers on Earth crying.

It is literally a treasure trove of new materials that do not exist on Earth.

It’s a wonderful world.

That’s why I was happy to suggest using them; it wouldn’t be too far from common sense here.

Mr. Rocks nodded seriously.

“That makes sense. Usually, only those who make expensive custom weapons use that. The cost doesn’t match.”

Money problems follow in any world.

“How much more expensive would it be to use the metals they sell?”

“Hmm, I’m not a merchant, so I’m just guessing from this perspective. It’ll probably be around this much.”

Where? Where?

After hearing the price he roughly estimated, I had no choice but to shut my mouth and sulk.

It’s expensive.

“Are you saying 120 gold coins per carriage makes sense?”

That’s more expensive than a commercial building in a decent-sized city.

“How many people would buy it at that price? Even if it’s a luxury item for nobles, there’s a limit.”

“Well, you’re right, that’s a problem.”

The material costs are absurdly high, resulting in a cost mismatch.

That’s troublesome.

“How about changing the iron to something from somewhere else? Where do you get the current iron from?”

“We use the ones mined from the Romalt mine in the north of the Selvas Kingdom. Hmm, the quality there isn’t bad either.”

“Better quality?”

“The iron you can get here is from the mines of the Palgent Duchy. That’s good.”

If he says it’s good, it must be of considerable quality.

“Ah…….”

After hearing that, I covered my forehead with my hand in dismay.

That’s the most annoying thing.

“You can’t get that right now, can you?”

“That’s what I’m saying…….”

We both clicked our tongues and made annoyed faces.

Originally, it would only take a little time, so there would be no reason to be annoyed at getting it itself.

But right now, the Palgent Duchy, the place of origin…

“They’re in the middle of a war.”

“I heard. It seems they are already facing off at the border. Tsk…….”

One of the big news items this year is the war between the Palgent Duchy and the Celond Marquisate of the Empire.

It started with the Celond Marquis’s unilateral invasion.

There was nothing new to be surprised about, so I quietly eavesdropped on the conversations of those who were making a fuss about the news.

‘By the way, why do we have to import that material from the Palgent Duchy?’

This is annoying.

Of course, they won’t properly open a trade window during the war.

They will trade other things, but iron will be difficult.

Probably most of the workshops have stopped operating.

In fact, I heard that iron trading has been suspended.

“Wars tend to last quite a long time, right?”

“That’s right. It seems they fight for years. In some cases, they even fight for generations.”

“That’s tiring. Don’t they get tired of it?”

I haven’t heard the news yet, but it is clear that it will take a considerable amount of time before the war ends.

War doesn’t end in a day or two.

Even if it ends quickly, it will take a year.

‘In the original work, the war in Volume 4 took about half a year, right?’

Sylvester, who intervened, worked to end the war early.

Half a year is just a saying; considering the settlement process and subsequent handling, it will take a year for trade to begin.

There is also a method of smuggling, but that is not something to consider.

“I guess we’ll have to wait until this is resolved. Or find something else.”

“Finding a substitute is not realistic. Let’s wait.”

Well, at least when it comes to metals, the artisans here know better than I do.

If they say it’s difficult, it’s really difficult.

Then I’ll have to wait quietly.

That’s the attitude of a good client.

I know that pain too.

“Anyway, the material isn’t the only problem. We have to revise the design again. It will take time just to solve that.”

“Well, there’s no need to rush. Let’s do it slowly.”

It’s not like I’m going to starve to death without this.

Let’s be careful. If you rush, you’ll fail.

‘Above all, I personally want the carriage.’

Since the reason is slightly different from making money, I can’t be impatient with this.

It’s okay, no problem.

“But Ailen? Why are you so insistent on this carriage? You can just ride anything.”

“Many people get hemorrhoids doing that.”

I hate it.

‘There will be more long-distance travel in the future. I want to get a good carriage.’

The real purpose of entrusting this development is just part of my plan to move around comfortably.

In other words, more than half of it is my greed.

Honestly, I don’t want to rely on ordinary vehicles for future journeys.

Someday I will have to travel not only within the Selvas Kingdom but also to other countries.

To do that, it is essential to get a good ride.

‘……But at this rate, a suspension device with proper springs is still a long way off.’

The ideal device I want most is a much more advanced model than this, but it’s still a long way off to take out the blueprint of its basic plan.

“Anyway, I’ll try to work on it whenever I have time.”

“Thank you.”

I earnestly asked Mr. Rocks and rubbed my still-numb buttocks.

I want to ride in a carriage that doesn’t hurt my butt soon.

I want to get it at least before I start traveling in earnest.

Otherwise, my butt will be ruined faster than the world will be destroyed.

* * *

Business is business.

I must constantly think about ways to get stronger.

I was investing most of my profits in the foundation to improve my abilities.

“Money is meant to be spent!”

There’s no need to play the miser, so invest generously.

Recently, I mainly purchased elixirs and various items.

I can’t get anything better than what I’m using in the general market for equipment, so I have no choice but to focus on auxiliary items and drugs.

In particular, it feels pretty good to buy elixirs with money.

“Mr. Ailen! The items you ordered have arrived!”

I’ve been waiting! I’ve been waiting!

I rushed out with a charging momentum and saw the carriage parked in front of the inn.

What is loaded in that carriage are the items I ordered.

They are elixirs scraped from all over the kingdom.

“Where, where. Let’s take a look at the items first. Is it okay to check?”

“Of course.”

The coachman readily allowed me to look inside the carriage.

If he refuses, he will only arouse suspicion.

I got into the carriage’s luggage compartment and removed the leather cloth covering the items.

Inside the large wooden box are medicine bottles of various sizes.

All of these are elixirs.

‘It’s about the level of elixirs that can be generally obtained with money in the market.’

It doesn’t even reach the toes of the superior elixir I ate before, but this time I bought 200 bottles of inferior elixir.

Before, I had to tremble and open my wallet just to buy three bottles of similar quality, but now I buy them in units of three digits.

Of course, the expenditure is quite large.

‘Even if I got some discount for bulk purchase, I had to throw tens of thousands of gold coins on the spot.’

This must be what it feels like to have gold coins melting away.

I have to save money until the next income comes in.

‘Well, I’m not really splurging. It’s just an investment to improve my abilities, so I don’t regret it.’

Even if I take this as planned, I will see some effect.

I looked through the elixirs and was satisfied.

“Does the quality seem to be okay on the surface?”

Being careless is not a good habit.

I need to check as thoroughly as possible.

There is a way.

I called Undine and asked her to classify the elixirs.

“Undine, can you pick out anything that feels different from these?”

-These! Different!

Undine picks it out right away.

-This is also different! This is also different!

It’s amazing how she picks them out.

There is no one with a better sense than Undine, an intermediate water spirit.

Even if she can’t figure out the ingredients, it’s easy to pick out only liquids with different types of ingredients.

I immediately looked at the ones that Undine said were different.

“Oh, something that isn’t an elixir was mixed in?”

I picked out five bottles of medicine that were clearly tampered with.

This is just water with coloring.

‘This cunning trick doesn’t change in any world.’

That’s why I can’t let my guard down.

Putting in fakes.

It’s better than modern Earth’s potato chip packaging [referring to the large amount of air in chip bags], but it’s not a pleasant thing.

I sighed and immediately questioned the person who brought the luggage.

There’s no reason not to ask.

“……Hey. These five bottles are clearly not elixirs. What’s going on?”

“If you tell me…… I, I just moved it as ordered.”

When I protested, his voice became smaller as if he was in trouble.

I guess he didn’t expect me to question him like this.

Once he gets past this point, he probably thought he could somehow gloss over it even if he realized he had been deceived.

‘No way.’

But I haven’t received the goods yet.

I can return it at any time, and according to the contract, I can demand a refund of the deposit.

What if you can’t meet the request?

Then I have to go into physical resolution. It’s war.

The other person seemed to have thought that far and was sweating.

“It seems our slaves loaded the wrong items.”

“……A mistake. Then you have to take responsibility for that mistake, right?”

“……Ugh. Y, yes, but.”

He can’t answer easily, but he can’t say no either.

“What do you want?”

“I won’t tell you to take everything back. Instead, I won’t be greedy enough to get paid for these five bottles…… um, that much, right?”

“Of course.”

If you have a conscience, you wouldn’t say you’ll take it.

If he did, it would be war by now.

“Good. Then I’ll just take these 195 bottles.”

I said that and gave him only the amount for 190 bottles.

“Um…… the payment…….”

I just smiled lightly at him, who was staring blankly.

“Isn’t that enough to pretend you didn’t see the mistake? Or should we talk about it again?”

“Ah, no…….”

He seems dissatisfied with my arbitrary self-discount, but he can’t protest.

He was caught, and he is at a disadvantage if he fights.

I wouldn’t be doing this if you brought it properly.

It is rather merciful to compromise with the price of 190 bottles.

If the target of this scam was not me, but the main character or leading characters, the scenario would be that their merchant association would be destroyed next.

“So I hope there won’t be any mistakes like this next time.”

Know that there will be no soup next time.

* * *

195 low-grade elixirs.

Stacking these in boxes is somewhat impressive.

It even looks sacred for no reason.

It’s actually all my fortune, so it’s true that I’m deeply moved.

Look at this overwhelming amount. I can sleep on the floor! I can take a bath!

First, I tried opening a bottle and drinking it.

As expected, it tastes like a familiar fatigue recovery drink.

I guess it’s the same kind of elixir.

It’s a reassuring taste. Is it because it’s a mass-produced product?

‘I don’t taste like this when I make it. Why?’

Is there a lack of sincerity?

I stared intently at the empty bottle, then threw it away and looked at the increased width.

Now I don’t even know if it went up or not.

‘As expected, the effect is weak.’

The range of increased stats is not non-existent, but I couldn’t feel the reward of eating elixirs even after spending money.

‘That’s right…… I can’t see the same effect forever.’

When I was weak, I could see the effects of low-grade elixirs without difficulty, but at my current level, I can’t get the drug to work.

It means that I am becoming a very expensive body.