How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 67

74. Making Money, GO! (7)

After finishing the collection of the thieves’ corpses and preparing to set off again,

The escort mercenary spoke up as if he had just remembered something.

“Come to think of it, I remember hearing that the recent increase in thieves is due to criminals who have deserted the city’s organized crime groups.”

*How nice of you to tell me so late.*

More than that, I’m a little concerned.

“Organized crime?”

“I don’t know the details, but it seems those guys have collapsed for some reason.”

“Ah…”

*I think I know.*

I have a hunch.

The aftermath of defeating the vampire, who was the boss in Volume 2 of the original story, is finally showing.

With the top figure managing the criminal organizations gone, everything, including funds and connections, was cut off.

Therefore, the remaining lower-level organizations gradually began to weaken, and now they are starting to collapse in earnest.

‘Then the story of Volume 3 must be in progress now…’

I estimate we’re a little before the mid-point of Volume 3’s development.

‘I shouldn’t get caught up in any troublesome stories yet.’

Let’s complete the foundation for making money in the meantime.

It’s okay. It’s almost here.

The destination we’re about to reach will bring me immense wealth!

75. The Start of Business is on the Streets (1)

The smell of the sea is salty as ever.

That was my first impression upon arriving in the port city of Felpuk.

It’s foolish to be amazed by the sea now, but when I think about it, I didn’t have much connection with the sea even back on Earth.

Honestly, I didn’t have time to go to the sea because I was always working.

‘Well, strictly speaking, this isn’t the sea, but a port.’

Instead of the refreshing feeling of the sea, it’s filled with the smell of rotting fish, but the change in environment still feels new.

‘There are a lot of ships, as expected?’

As a port city where ships from various countries come and go, there are various types of ships docked on the coast, and goods are constantly moving in and out.

Is it just goods?

On a ship I casually looked at, people were getting off in a long line instead of goods.

Some were even chained and being dragged off.

Those must be slaves.

‘Well, it’s a world where slavery exists. I guess it can’t be helped.’

It feels like I’ve seen the dark and bitter side of the world.

Forget it, let’s focus on what I have to do.

Anyway, if there’s a place where so many different races and goods come and go, I’ll definitely stand out.

It fits my conditions quite well.

‘All that’s left is for things to go according to plan. I won’t know until I try.’

Anyway, I have to move.

I hurriedly walked around the entire city, searching for a suitable spot.

I paid particular attention to the areas where various street vendors had set up shop.

As a place where many people and goods come and go, various types of commerce naturally flourish.

From food to small goods.

Here, not only wealthy merchants but also individual peddlers set up stalls, hoping to strike it rich.

And so do I.

‘This spot is good.’

I found a suitable spot and nodded.

The road here is quite wide, so many people pass by.

It’s also quite noticeable.

It’s an ideal place to set up a stall.

I immediately visited the merchant guild that owned the building nearby.

If you want to set up a stall, you need to ask for their permission.

I asked the merchant of the guild for permission.

“I’d like to set up a stall over there. Do I need any procedures or permits?”

When I asked, he simply looked me up and down without showing any signs of embarrassment.

*As long as I look decent, there’s no problem.*

My relatively handsome face and the trait of attracting goodwill are helpful.

“How long will you be staying?”

“I’m thinking about a month to start.”

“Then that’ll be three gold coins.”

Frankly speaking, it’s a spot fee.

It’s reasonable for that amount in exchange for setting up a stall near them.

The spot fee isn’t stipulated by law in the territory, but it’s better to comply to avoid any trouble later.

“And could I also get some wooden planks or cloth? Of course, I’ll pay for them.”

“There’s some piled up in the stable. Tell the guy working there and get them.”

There’s no reason to refuse if I pay, so I got what I needed in order.

‘Then should I set up the spot first?’

First, let’s make a stand.

I nailed together some appropriately cut wooden planks to make a stand, set up pillars on top of it, and covered it with a tarp.

Instant food stall! Complete!

‘Well, I’m not selling food though.’

Instead, I’m selling the new potions I’ve been making in my spare time!

Operating like a real food stall wouldn’t be bad, but let’s postpone that for another time.

For now, according to the plan!

I placed several potion bottles neatly on the stand I had made and clapped my hands, shouting.

You have to shout loudly to sell things.

That’s common sense and basic.

Back when I had a small store, customers lined up without me having to do this, but the situation is different now.

Street vending is a harsh world!

Those who neglect to appeal even a little will lose their lives!

“Here! We have potions! Homemade potions!”

Even I think my voice came out well.

“Buy potions!”

However, I hope you don’t misunderstand, I wasn’t originally this brazen.

It’s the influence of my personality becoming more shameless since coming here.

Whether it’s because of the influence of being possessed by ‘Aileen’s’ body, or because I’ve grown by experiencing hardships here several times, I’ve gradually completed a personality that can survive here.

“We have potions! Buy potions!”

Thanks to shouting quite diligently, some passersby showed interest in my stall.

“Here! We have potions!”

“…How unusual. I never thought I’d see potions being sold on the street.”

“Are they real potions?”

Half curiosity, half suspicion, as if looking at someone trying to scam them.

I smiled brightly, welcoming them all, and shouted confidently.

“They’re real potions! If you don’t believe me, you can drink them and see for yourself!”

The situation and place are different, but since I’m doing this for the second time, I’m confident I can handle it much more skillfully this time.

I started selling potions steadily, one or two bottles at a time, even if the reaction wasn’t explosive.

At least for the time being, I’ll be busy like this.

Until the people here remember my face.

* * *

Every day, I make potions and sell them at my stall.

At first, those who found it strange started buying one or two bottles when I diligently recommended them, and now there are even those who come specifically to buy them.

Some people come looking for potions due to accidents.

And as word of mouth spreads about the effectiveness of my potions, others come to my stall.

‘I’ve experienced this enough, so it’s manageable.’

Taking advantage of my experience from opening a potion shop before, I don’t fumble around like I did back then.

As far as the potion stall itself is concerned, it’s no exaggeration to say that it has successfully settled down.

Many people want the Nymph’s Healing Water that I sold before.

They showed quite a bit of interest in the new potions as well.

Some bought them as if they were stocking up just in case.

‘Well, potions are the safest bet at this point.’

As I realized when I opened a small store before, people secretly have a strong desire for medicine.

Even if the environment is different, if you open a small stall, you can sell enough to make a living.

‘…But that’s not what I want right now.’

This is one-third for fun, and another third is an excuse to settle down here.

And the rest is…

‘…A means to catch someone’s eye.’

While running a stall here, I’ve seen many people.

Those who were simply interested in me.

Those who didn’t care about me and just bought potions.

And those who were neither.

Various people passed by and sometimes talked to me.

And among them, there are some noticeable cases.

“Oh! Potions. How unusual. I’ve seen all sorts of merchants, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone selling potions on the street!”

A middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard is chattering away in front of me for some reason.

“Until now, I’ve only ever bought potions from the guild in my home country! Truly amazing!”

It seems like he likes my potions.

*Hey… it’s still noisy, you know? Everyone’s looking over here.*

I tried to give him a subtle warning, but he doesn’t understand at all.

In the end, I decided to just leave him alone because I was too lazy to deal with it.

It’s better than arguing.

Let the man chatter. I’ll just doze off.

Besides, I don’t really mind him being interested in my stuff.

More than anything….

Looking at his clothes, they’re much more luxurious than other merchants.

‘He seems to have quite a high position.’

And he said home country.

Is he from another country?

Well, since it’s a city where ships come and go, it’s easy to see foreigners, so that’s not strange.

Minor role? Is he an old man who will appear somewhere?

Well, even if there’s something, there’s no need to get involved now.

I yawned leisurely.

“By the way, this potion here.”

I was half ignoring the words of the old man who was chattering away.

He pointed to my new potion ‘Barghest’s Blood’ and asked me.

“Is this also the same effect as that lower-grade potion?”

“…Ah~ that one.”

It’s polite to answer if asked.

I also have the image of a friendly potion-selling boy, so I told him the effects of the potion without any concealment.

“…Hmm, it’s a recovery potion, but it’s used to save lives in case of urgent external injuries?”

“Yes. That’s why it’s more expensive than other potions. I recommend using other potions unless it’s for urgent use.”

“Hmm? How much is it?”

“Two gold coins per bottle.”

There’s the cost of raw materials, so I have no choice but to set the price high.

In fact, I can confidently say that I’m selling it at a very conscientious price even if I charge that much~.

“Hmm… I see….”

He closed his chattering mouth at some point and stared intently at my potion.

It’s in a wooden bottle, so you can’t see the contents.

“Can the Spirit Master Guild also purchase this?”

“Well, I’m not affiliated with the Spirit Master Guild. But I haven’t heard of them selling it.”

They won’t sell it.

Because the recipe is said to have been lost tens of thousands of years ago in the setting.

Besides me, the only one who knows it is the protagonist who has knowledge as a returnee from that era.

“Then give me about five bottles of the same thing as this.”

“You’re buying five bottles?”

That’s expensive, you know? That’s ten gold coins.

“Why? Or is there a problem?”

Of course not! Thank you!

Fortunately, he seemed to be trying to make up for staying so long, so he properly bought it and paid the price.

Then, the atmosphere that he had been chattering in a while ago became calm as if it were a lie, and he left somewhere.

‘The reaction isn’t bad.’

There aren’t many customers who give off as strange an atmosphere as that old man, but the results aren’t bad.

Some even tentatively asked if I had any plans to open a store here.

I’ve achieved enough to have some fun.

Maybe I’ll be talked about quite a bit in places I don’t know.

I’m getting attention as intended.

‘Especially from merchants.’

First of all, I was satisfied with that.