Connections Are a Merchant's Wealth - Part 2
"Sorry. My bad."
"Ah, no. I was the one who... quoted such a weird price? I'm sorry."
I'd figured she'd resent me for sure, but Roje graciously accepted my mistake like an adult. I needed to stay sharp too. If she saw me getting swept up in emotions like this, she'd never trust me.
"How about 200 million? Anything more might be tough."
"Mi—"I steadied my breathing. "You're still selling it?"
"Considering the production cost, even this much profit is... Huh? What? Wait, you weren't mad earlier because the price was too low?"
"Nope."
"Then..."
"Isn't that thing way too expensive? Who the hell would pay that much for it?"
"Obviously, rich people buy it. Why wouldn't they?"
The conversation wasn't going anywhere.
"It's obviously an artifact, not easy to obtain, and you need to make a profit, Isu-ssi, so I figured it had to be priced around there. But... what price were you thinking?"
"One million won?"
"Are you insane?"
Roje shot to her feet. After we'd both been rude once or twice, I felt like we'd gotten a bit closer.
"No, it's an artifact. The production cost... isn't the issue—it's just a massive loss! I don't care, but are you okay with that, Isu-ssi?"
"No production cost."
"Pardon?"
"There is no production cost. Just count my labor for transport as the cost."
"No... no way!"
She jumped up again, practically yelling in excitement.
"That's impossible, don't lie. It's an artifact! It turns whoever wields it into a sharpshooter! How can there be no production cost?!"
"Sit down first."
"Okay."
I let out a hollow chuckle.
"Believe it or not, there is no production cost. Just accept it."
"Ah, fine... I'll accept it. Okay. But one million won is still too low. You could gouge me hard, but not that low."
"Personally, I think anything over that feels risky. I even considered 990,000 won, but that just looks too cheap."
"That's the wisest thing I've heard from you yet. Exactly. The people who can afford this hate anything that screams 'bargain.'"
Roje, somewhat calmed, let out deep sighs as she continued.
"But why sell it so cheap?"
"First off, scaling this business up is dangerous."
"Why?"
"Fundamentally, it's exploiting a loophole in the exam system. It won't last forever, and parents dumping too much money into it is risky."
"Be more specific."
"It has to stay at the level of kids' play. Like, rich kids buying expensive toys to mess around with... that's the scale it needs to end at."
Eventually, someone would catch on. Just like how I'd gone to the Academy and someone would grill me about this business. I had to prepare for that moment.
"No ambition, huh."
"Even if we priced it higher, buyers would show up. But they'd be buying my pistol out of sheer terror. Fear of expulsion, forcing them to pay absurd prices."
"..."
"That breeds resentment. It has to feel like a win for the buyer."
"Right. At one million won for an artifact, no one would call it a rip-off."
I nodded.
"Second, this pistol lacks reliability."
"Reliability?"
"You saw Yuha during her practical, right?"
"Yeah."
"She took a pistol that worked fine up until the night before, but two broke, and she had to pull a third just to take the exam."
"You knew about that?"
"She told me."
The Gremlin Pistol was junk. You couldn't count on reliability.
"That's an extreme case, but assume it will break. No avoiding it."
"Quality control issue?"
"That's all there is to it."
Roje sighed deeply.
"The design too... yeah, it's not something you slap a luxury image on."
"Even rich kids have some sense of money. A 100-million-won pistol breaking would make them shake with rage, but at one million—"
"Yeah. Factoring in it's an artifact, they'd just think, 'Tough luck.' I get it... though I still feel it could be a bit pricier."
"Really?"
"There are students on the expulsion brink... a few come to mind, but even selling one-million-won pistols to all of them... honestly, my cut wouldn't even cover a meal."
I shook my head.
"Don't think so simplistically."
"Why?"
"It's consumable. Sell a lot."
"...Ah."
"The fear it'll break will make them buy more."
"And realizing it's cheap might lead to overspending."
Even accounting for that, it wasn't a fortune. But as a side gig, it was decent.
"Plus, not every student can make mana bullets like Yuha."
"True."
"These bullets? Only I can make them. Sell at 10,000 won each. They'll need practice ammo too, right?"
"That I like."
"Anyone buying the gun will buy bullets too."
"You said the gun lacks reliability. To practice with it, they'll need spares anyway—"
"Exactly. More sales."
Gremlin Pistols had no cost. Lisa could probably fetch a few dozen, even hundreds.
"Gotta build the supply chain first, in case I sell other stuff later."
Half the reason I insisted on meeting parents was this: block minors spending big personally, while building sales routes with 'parents' for future deals.
"Guess I won't have much next time?"
"Who knows. Nothing you bring beats direct Academy student promo."
Having an insider was valuable. Better to build a good rapport with Roje.
"Okay... roughly 1.3 million per person?"
"Ten pistols, 300 bullets... solid."
"Now, our split. 7:3? You get 7."
"Kinda steep."
"I get 2, your 'adult proxy' gets 1, you get 7. Not unreasonable?"
"Fair enough. Still, I'm taking the loss since the guns come from me."
"Obviously grateful. Won't make us rich, but..."
Roje flashed a faint smile.
"Earning my own money, no mom involved? Huge win."
"Ah... right."
I'd forgotten for a sec. Roje was an Academy cadet. A minor. While other kids her age did part-time gigs, she was grabbing millions per deal.
Even more impressive: she'd latched onto me right when I proved my innocence to those teachers.
Scary. These kids nowadays...
That 'scary kid' beamed and offered her hand.
"Shake on it?"
"Sure."
I took her soft hand.
"Let's make this a success!"
Her greedy smile somehow looked beautiful.
Roje opened the studio door and winced at the trash strewn everywhere.
"Ah, Mom! I was gonna clean... Roje?"
"Yeah, it's me, sis."
In front of Roje sat a total shut-in in the corner, staring from her chair.
"What're you doing here suddenly?"
"Important talk. Shut off the computer and look here."
"Ah, I'm mid-raid. I can listen while playing."
"It's really important."
"Just say it. I watch Netflix too—can't spare an ear for you?"
Roje sighed deeply.
"How much you make an hour?"
"Fifteen thousand won?"
Roje could barely contain her fury at her sister An Ria's pathetic state. With such a great mom, how could her own daughter end up like this?
"That's it?"
"Hey, I started streaming too. Good start."
"How many viewers?"
"Ten?"
"Forget it... Sis, I need a favor."
"What?"
"Money-making gig. Business."
"Mom put you up to it?"
"No, my personal venture. My business partner needs an adult proxy."
"Pass."
"Just lend your name. You won't have to do anything."
Ria's hands paused. She spun her chair to face Roje directly.
"Not dangerous? No scams...?"
"Even if you live like trash, you think Mom would let me scam you?"
Ria nodded.
"Fair."
"Whatever I scam, it's pocket change compared to what Mom's daughters can earn. No need to suspect."
"If you put it that way, seems safe... but specifics. What business?"
"So—"
Roje smiled faintly.
"Selling artifacts to Academy parents to pass the expulsion exam?"
Ria's eyes filled with doubt.
Roje had lots of friends. Noble-lady looks with a somewhat casual personality. Always hardworking, kind to everyone. Every student admired her.
Crowds always gathered around her, sharing stories.
"...Hey, got a sec to talk?"
"R-Roje? Why me all of a sudden—"
Weeding out expulsion-risk students was child's play for her.
"There's a way to pass the expulsion exam."
"What's that?"
"Shooting practical. Using... an artifact in the process."
"What artifact?"
"Secret for now. But... pricey. Might need to call your parents?"
Exploiting trust, sweet-talking—it was effortless.
"Wha—any price! I'll do it! But... reliable?"
"Obviously. Didn't you hear Yuha passed?"
"Ah... yeah! She skips class daily, botched hunter fieldwork—"
"Hasn't been expelled, right? Yuha passed shooting with the artifact I'm talking about."
Plus, the school had a success story.
"Expulsion exam next month too? Yours seems risky."
"Why tell me?"
"Just. Hate seeing acquaintances expelled. Honestly, you could be a hunter."
"Y-Yeah! My martial arts are better than most hunters—"
Roje smirked inwardly.
Too easy.
Celebrating the business's success.