Earning Pocket Money at the Black Market
I didn't have any money.
Even though I had recently earned some, for some reason, my current finances were not something I could proudly show to others.
What kind of magic was this? Maybe it had something to do with the Great Harpe hanging on my wall, but that was probably overthinking it. Alright, I decided not to dwell on the cause.
However, not having money was a real problem.
There was a magical shop rumored to be coming to Regor soon, and I needed to gather money for that. I also wanted to purchase fabric for clothes and needed funds for materials for personal projects.
Although I had some tucked-away funds, I couldn't afford to touch those. Once you dip into your emergency funds, you're done for. People quickly meet their ruin if they don't stay aware of their safe line, marked just before the red line.
So, considering it was spring, I thought of taking up a good extermination request.
「Ah, the crater toad extermination is already fully booked for all areas,」 said the guild staff.
「Really? Isn't there anything available even if it's a bit far, Mylene-san?」
「I would have introduced you, Mongrel-san, but as soon as it was posted, the parties rushed to take it, so it's all gone now.」
Crater toads were magical frog creatures that appeared near water in spring. They were 'Crater' toads, not 'Greater' toads.
They were about human height and used their large bodies to charge, kick, and stomp. They were powerful creatures, but much like Pike Hoppers, they were relatively easy to defeat if one avoided direct confrontations.
Their bodies were covered with crater-like, rocky-looking bumps that seemed hard, but swords could pierce them easily, and their flesh was soft.
Their leg meat was surprisingly delicate and tasty, making it a popular seasonal delicacy. While they occasionally attacked livestock and swallowed them whole, they were mostly hunted before causing much trouble, thus, they were primarily treated as food. This made them popular with the guild members.
Hmm... It could've been profitable, and I also wanted to restock some of the high-quality oil these crater toads produce... I was too late. There were too many guild members now. Not a bad thing, though.
「Oh well. I guess I'll have to quickly sell some goods to make money.」
「I'll let you know if any good missions come up.」
「Oh, thanks, Mylene-san. Your makeup looks great today, as always.」
「Hehe, it's the same as usual.」
Alright, time to leave.
Making money wasn't limited to activities at the guild.
Even if I could solo jobs usually done by several people, most jobs below bronze tier were underwhelming, to say the least.
Gathering money for fun was also challenging. For that reason, reaching the silver rank quickly was wise for guild members. But selfish guys like me, who didn't want to climb to silver, had to establish individual ways to earn money.
One of my methods was consignment sales.
「Hey, Mercurio, is the business thriving?」
I greeted as I approached the black market to visit a certain street vendor.
Mercurio, a shady-looking merchant with scruffy blonde hair and stubble, was about ten years older than me.
Mercurio did business at the black market in Regor and looked shady no matter where he went.
「Oh look, it's Mongrel. Business is so-so, neither good nor bad.」
「But the tools you consigned to me sold reasonably well, Mongrel.」
「Really?」
「All the fire pistons sold out. They were cheap to begin with, but it's probably because the convenience spread. Men like you came to the store for days in a row.」
「Seriously? That's a relief. I just needed money.」
「Still splurging, Mongrel?」
「I don't waste money. It's all essential expenses.」
「Is that so,」
Mercurio replied, chuckling as he pulled coins from his pocket.
「Here you go, 1660 jelly. If you plan to sell fire starters again, you should raise the price a bit.」
「Thanks.」
「Don't worry. I take my commission.」
He handed me the proceeds of my consigned sales.
The fire starter I made was a primitive fire piston, crafted by carving wood and a horn. Apparently, it piqued some interest.
It's a simple yet fascinating item that creates a spark by pressing a rod and cylinder. It's not something that could be repurposed for military use or a part of any developing technology, so I quickly shaped and sold it. I see, it's still cheap... It's a bit fiddly to make, so I should raise the price a little next time.
「So, Mongrel, you're not here just to pick up your money, right? You've invented another strange thing, haven't you? Show me,」
Mercurio asked. His eyes sparkled with amusement.
This man loved money, but more than anything, he enjoyed the fun of quirky business, which is why he ran his street trade here.
He took pleasure in selling rare, seemingly useless items to passersby, making him quite the eccentric.
Well, I did bring a new product just for this eccentric.
「Alright, Mercurio. Let me introduce this new product... Here, ta-da!」
「What is this jagged board, Mongrel?」
「It's a washing board I developed,」
I explained.
「A washboard, huh? So you wash clothes with these ridges.」
I handed him about eight boards. Honestly, they were too large, heavy, and unwieldy for mass production.
A washboard, as the name suggests, is a board for washing clothes, with rows of V-shaped grooves on its surface.
It's a simple enough tool; you fill a basin with water and scrub clothes against the board, but despite its simplicity, the washboard was invented around 1800, a mystery of history.
But carving these grooves requires a special plane for smoothness, so the concept may have existed, but it probably wasn't affordable for the general population.
Once you carve the first groove straight enough, the rest can be cut with a dedicated plane, shifting one step at a time. It's easy if you know how. Any suitable shop in this era could easily create knockoffs.
「Since you're consigning it to me, you've used it yourself, right, Mongrel? How does it feel to use it?」
「Ah, it's not bad. It's about three times easier than using your hands and feet or pounding with a stick.」
「Three times? That's a believable figure.」
「When washing, you do it like this, see? You scrub like this, in a kind of kneading fashion...」
「Ah, okay, I see. This is how you do it.」
I demonstrated an air-washboard technique to Mercurio. You need to know the pose first before you can sell it.
「Hmm... It might sell to inns or tanners.」
「Tanners, ah... I see.」
「Though it's unlikely that this exact thing is in stores, similar tools probably exist. I can't guarantee it'll sell.」
「What price would you set, Mercurio?」
When I asked, Mercurio stroked his stubble.
「Well, when it comes to making them... it seems doable. Achieving this smoothness might be tricky... It's not something that'll sell in huge quantities. How about starting at 500 jelly for one?」
「Five hundred? Isn't that a bit steep? After all, it's just a board.」
「Then, how about starting at 450? I'll leave the rest to my sales skills. If it takes off, more customers might appear. I'd like to sell more if that happens.」
I told him that if that happened, I'd bring more if I had the leeway. But I also had guild work, and preparing the boards was challenging.
「Well, if they sell well, we'll handle the boards here... But Mongrel, this invention is quite sensible, unlike your earlier eccentric ones. I wish you'd bring more of those crazier ones, like you used to.」
By "earlier eccentric ones", was he referring to what I think he was— the multi-tool knife that I'd spent a fortune having forged by a blacksmith and engraver?
In my mindless order, I'd ended up with a mess of a multi-tool knife, with the flathead screwdriver, phillips screwdriver, and can opener all turned into completely anachronistic tools. It was an utterly useless multi-tool.
「That gave me a good laugh... Out of eight, only one has sold so far. What should I do, Mongrel?」
Mercurio chuckled.
「Well, you see... it was simply a hundred years ahead of its time. Someday, people will surely appreciate the greatness of that knife...」
「Mongrel, do you carry that knife around?」
「Not at all.」
「Doesn't look like that time will come.」
No, it doesn't seem like it, Mercurio. Is that how it appears to you too? I think so too.
Why did I mass produce them without any thought back then...
「Oh, by the way, Mongrel. I heard there's an invention showcase held for inventors in the noble district every month. Aren't you going to participate?」
「The noble district? I don't want any part of that. Sounds like some hobby for the nobles.」
「Well, it's mostly as you suspect. It's probably an attempt to flush out that Lord Chaos guy. But if you catch the attention of the nobles, you might rise as a court inventor.」
Lord Chaos is really popular. Too popular with the nobles—quite troublesome.
But unfortunately, our office has a no-appearance policy...
「As long as I get plenty of money, I'm satisfied. Being involved with nobles seems like such a hassle.」
「Hahaha, Mongrel, sounds like you plan to be favored before you've even participated.」
「Of course. If I were to compete in the showcase, I'd make everyone else feel sorry for being there.」
「Indeed. It'd be a big deal if the Inventor King Mongrel entered.」
Despite the various efforts of the noble district, major exposure was out of the question.
As for Count Regor himself, well, he's probably... a somewhat likable person...
「Alright. If you make something else, bring it by again, Mongrel.」
「Yeah. Good luck with your business. I'm counting on you, especially with selling those knives.」
「Haha, don't say something so unreasonable.」
I secured some temporary income and set the groundwork for future income.
A fire piston and washboard, huh. Well, they bring in money for me when I make them... but staring at the money I've got in this way, it's quite a hassle.
I'd rather someone, anyone, quickly copy and spread these simple things.
Surprisingly, products like these don't tend to become hits easily...