Griffin

Kerry certainly was not going to complete the deal on the spot. He had understood the principle of comparing prices from his previous life, back when he was the CEO of his own supermarket. After bidding farewell to this shop, Kerry walked into the next one.

Come to think of it, since Kerry had already found a copper ore deposit, why not simply mint Copper Coins himself? One ton of copper could produce far more Copper Coins than he would get from selling the ore. Why sell the Copper Ore at all?

This needed some explanation. Although the Copper Coins used by the various countries on the continent differed in design, their composition was basically the same. Pure copper accounted for only about sixty-five percent of a Copper Coin; the rest consisted of rare or nonferrous metals. Moreover, casting those metals into the shape of coins required a great deal of specialized equipment and skilled workers. Kerry was still unable to start minting coins himself.

Unfortunately, paper money had not caught on across this continent. Otherwise, he could simply buy a money-printing machine the next time he went to the Dimensional Exchange, and the story could end next month.

Kerry spent the entire morning browsing the metal-trading district. The shops' quotes were basically identical: 40,000 Copper Coins per ton. The highest was no more than 40,100, and the lowest no less than 39,800.

Kerry could sense that this was a stable market. Everyone's valuation of the goods was basically the same.

Kerry wanted to maintain a long-term trading relationship, so he wanted to find a powerful shop. In that regard, no one was more suitable than the Gaits Family.

There were eight Gaits Family shops in this metal-trading district alone. That fact alone reflected many things.

Kerry arrived at the largest and best-decorated shop. Its name was Gaits Chain Business Metal Branch. The Gaits Chain Business name was identical across the board; only the designation at the end changed. Shops that sold metal were called Metal Branches, while those that sold clothing were called Clothing Branches.

"Boss, I'm back. I'd like to discuss things with you again." This was not the first shop Kerry had entered. The owner here was a bespectacled old man named Paul.

"Young man, I knew you'd choose our shop. We're not only the strongest—we also offer fair prices." When Paul saw Kerry return to his shop, he knew this big deal was practically secured.

"Boss, I'm the lord of South Australia Island, an island very close to here. My name is Kerry Raynor." Kerry wanted a long-term, stable arrangement, so he naturally had to introduce himself first. The two sides needed to understand each other.

When Paul suddenly heard Kerry introduce himself, he felt somewhat disdainful. Is he planning to use his noble status to drive up the price? Old Paul isn't afraid of that. There are plenty of dukes in the Jili Merchant Alliance. Everyone trades fairly here, and noble status is useless.

Kerry paid no attention to the disdain in Paul's eyes and said, "I introduced myself because I want to maintain a long-term trade relationship with your Gates Metal Branch. I have a supply channel, and every month I'll have a large quantity of this pure copper for sale. This is a huge deal involving top-quality goods. Don't you intend to offer me a little more of a discount to keep me as a customer?"

A flourishing trade meant intense competition. Had he not seen even the Gaits Family operating multiple shops in one area to squeeze out their rivals?

That meant a large deal could very well turn the market from a buyer's market into a seller's market. Kerry felt he should be able to raise the original quote by quite a bit.

"Young man, the price I've offered you is already the fairest possible. You've probably made inquiries already: 40,000 Copper Coins per ton. There aren't many who can offer that price. How much higher do you want to push it?" Paul was the sort who would not release the hawk until he saw the rabbit. You say it's a lot, but is it really? Show me something concrete.

"Let's trade forty-two tons today at 40,000 per ton. In a week, there'll be more—about three hundred tons. How much will you offer then?" Kerry stated the figures directly. Now he would see whether Paul's price was high enough to handle the volume.

"If you can supply three hundred tons of this purity every week, I can authorize a price of 41,000 Copper Coins per ton." Paul was an old hand in the Gates Family, but deals involving a direct increase of 1,000 Copper Coins per ton were extremely rare.

Paul had spent his entire life buying and selling metal. He knew how important a customer capable of supplying large quantities of pure copper with guaranteed quality and volume was. If Kerry could really provide three hundred tons of pure copper every week, even the head of the Gates Family, Bill Gaits, would be alarmed by the deal.

Kerry had thought adding 500 Copper Coins would already be excellent. He had not expected this little old man to be so bold as to offer 41,000 Copper Coins per ton outright.

Kerry had looked into the market. Even pure copper smelted by the dwarves in the northeast sold for only around 40,300 at most. It seemed the enormous volume had played a major role.

"Deal. You're a shrewd merchant." Kerry was delighted and did not hesitate to praise the little old man, Paul.

"Deal. From now on, I'll personally oversee the receipt and storage of your goods." Paul was delighted as well. It was better to keep such a major client under his own control; his year-end commission would be much higher.

After accomplishing something major, Kerry was in high spirits. Although this time he could sell only 168 Gold Coins' worth at a price of 40,000 Copper Coins, there would be a steady stream of high-priced deals in the future.

He called Mike over and had him complete the handover with Paul. Kerry decided to explore this trading island properly, enjoy the afternoon bustle, try some local specialties, and buy gifts for Butler Carson and Mrs. Wesley. Of course, he could not forget Frank, who had been recuperating in Little Nose Bay Port City for nearly half a month. He was an expert, after all, and needed to be properly looked after.

Kerry began his tour in the livestock district next door. One reason was that he had no particular destination and could wander as he pleased. Another was that he could conduct some market research. Perhaps there were other trades in this market that could help develop his territory.

This was a world of swords and magic, where dragons roared. There were countless kinds of wild Magical Beasts, and naturally, quite a few domesticated magical creatures as well.

The livestock district did not deal only in domestic animals. Many powerful wild monsters were traded here too. Domestic livestock provided draft power and meat, while wild monsters were the source of magical pets that could help their owners fight.

His Majesty King Raynor VI kept a Dragon Horse, a hybrid of a dragon and a wild horse. It was incredibly fast and possessed exceptional stamina. It ate meat, but unfortunately could not fly. In any world, anything related to dragons was never weak.

Kerry wandered aimlessly. Most of the livestock were species unavailable in other worlds: six-legged sheep, chickens with four wings, and strange meat rabbits as large as pigs. Kerry felt that the zoos of his previous life were utterly outclassed. Here, he could witness the wonders of nature without even paying an entrance fee.

"Hey, I say, you're selling that old, sick griffin for 100 Gold Coins? Do you think it's in its prime?" A pleasant female voice suddenly reached Kerry's ears, and he instinctively looked ahead.

They had already begun selling Magical Beasts here. Most were young Magical Beasts, partly because they were easier to capture and partly because adult Magical Beasts were difficult to tame.

A young man was haggling with a girl over an adult griffin as large as a full-grown hippopotamus.

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