Chapter 148 : Intermediary Trade – 4
Chapter 148: Intermediary Trade – 4
After that, the participants went through various discussions.
Although they had escaped from Edgar’s clutches, the logic he constructed itself was not entirely absurd.
It might not really be fruit. If it has a sweet-and-sour taste, maybe anything would be fine.
Those who thought that way decided to look for food that fit that idea.
No, it seems certain that fruit is the correct answer. If we want to play it safe, it would be better to look for other rare fruits.
Those who thought like that chose to search for fruit.
Since this choice of theirs was not entangled with any of Edgar’s tricks, I decided not to interfere.
If they had judged and decided for themselves, I ought to respect it.
Soon, the participants scattered in all directions to purchase items that matched their respective judgments.
Edgar glared at me intently before turning his body away.
I asked,
“Where are you going?”
“It is none of your concern.”
“Are you planning to go pester the Emperor again? The Imperial Castle must have skilled chefs and excellent ingredients.”
He moved his lips as if he wanted to retort.
But soon he shook his head from side to side and disappeared.
‘What could it be.’
The information about B that Odline had told me.
I used the search function in the Future Diary to look it up.
But, as expected, there were no results.
[Mr. Mason of the Future Diary played the game with A, after all. Once this quest ends and the Future Diary is updated, B’s information might appear somewhere.]
‘There’s nothing in Sneak Peek or the Encyclopedia either?’
[No.]
I let out a small sigh.
At that moment, Armelia asked,
“Mason. What should we do?”
I fell into thought.
We certainly needed to decide soon as well.
Was B attracted to the taste of pineapple?
Or did she simply like the category of fruit?
Or neither of those……
As I pondered for a long while, Karin opened her mouth.
“Want to trust my intuition again this time?”
“Ha. That’s ridiculous.”
“Right. Aina, I figured you’d pick a fight.”
“I told you before, that pineapple was obtained by Her Highness the Princess.”
“I said I was the one who chose fruit in the first place.”
“It was originally books.”
Berseum shook his head from side to side.
“The two of them seem to be getting younger by the day.”
“I’m envious. Of course, I’m young enough myself.”
“…Anyway, perhaps Karin unexpectedly hit the mark. If we have no other basis for judgment, it might be best to rely on intuition.”
I nodded.
Then I said to my companions,
“Let’s disperse the risk.”
“Hm?”
“Her Highness the Princess and I will secure fruit. Karin, Aina, and Miss Sienne will handle snacks. Mr. Benjamin and Brother will purchase dishes.”
If we did it this way, the one closest to the correct answer would earn more money.
But this was still only the second Intermediary Trade.
If we narrowed down B’s preferences a bit more, we could aim for the next opportunity.
Everyone nodded.
After that, to save time, our group temporarily split up.
Of course, only after Armelia, who was familiar with the capital’s geography, introduced us to high-end restaurants and ingredient shops.
After some time passed like that……
Swish.
We were able to stand before B once more.
First, I gathered my companions and examined the items each had brought.
“Hmm.”
They were all goods of excellent quality.
“How much did you all purchase these for?”
“1 gold coin and 20 silver coins.”
“2 gold coins.”
“As for me……”
I nodded inwardly.
At this level, the purchase prices were reasonable.
Then Magireta spoke.
“Now then, who wants to put theirs up first this time?”
I looked at Edgar.
Last time, he had submitted Tears of the Goddess first.
But he shook his head and stepped back.
“I’ll go last.”
“You really don’t want to share Odline’s hint, do you? But everyone will find out soon enough.”
“I want to thoroughly enjoy watching how far off you all are from the correct answer.”
“What a filthy personality.”
“I hear that often.”
I stared at him quietly before turning away.
Then, carefully, I placed the fruit I had purchased—an orange—on the table.
Wondering if the refreshing taste of pineapple had been the correct answer, I chose an orange with a similar quality.
B smiled faintly and said,
“I’ll buy it.”
The moment those words ended, lamentations burst out from here and there.
“Ahhh. She’ll buy the orange?”
“Damn it. Fruit really was the answer!”
“If that’s the case, I should’ve bought fruit too……”
“Wait. Let’s first see how much she buys it for.”
Right.
Since B had bought the pineapple, I had assumed she would likely purchase the orange as well.
‘What matters is the price.’
Just as I muttered that,
“Hahp.”
Crunch. Crunch.
B revealed those awl-like teeth of hers and chewed the orange.
She soon smiled in satisfaction and lightly tapped the armrest of her chair with her index finger.
Then a Mini Bulletin Board appeared before me.
■ Mason Gear’s Profit
Revenue: 2 gold coins 10 silver coins
Cost: 2 gold coins 53 silver coins
Profit: Minus 43 silver coins
2 gold coins?
Benjamin spoke.
“Wasn’t Karin’s pineapple 10 gold coins?”
“That’s right.”
“If, as you thought, Mr. Mason, a refreshing-tasting fruit is the correct answer, shouldn’t it be valued similarly to the pineapple?”
“Well……. At the very least, B must have considered pineapple more refreshing than orange.”
But Armelia tilted her head.
“Even so, would the difference really be close to five times?”
“Your Highness.”
“I’m not certain that refreshing taste is truly the standard. It would be better to check the other participants’ items as well.”
I nodded.
It was then.
“Heh heh.”
Edgar’s mocking laughter.
I shot him a sharp glare.
“What.”
“Have you always felt this way, Mr. Mason?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Since you can see the future, you must have always possessed superior information compared to others. Watching those who knew nothing and floundered about, you must have enjoyed it quite a bit inside.”
“I don’t have such a filthy personality. Don’t judge everything by your own standards.”
He merely shrugged his shoulders.
His words were extremely unpleasant, but at least I learned one fact.
‘Damn it. I guess not.’
It seemed that the keyword ‘refreshing taste’ was not the correct answer.
That was probably why Edgar had been sneering like that.
At that moment, another Ordinary participant stepped forward with his item.
It was a sparkling, very fresh-looking apple.
“I’ll purchase it.”
“Huh? Th-this price, really?”
Strange.
B assigned the apple a value of 4 gold coins.
She valued it higher than my orange!
‘Ah, what on earth is the standard.’
I raked my fingers roughly through my hair.
After that, the remaining participants placed their items one by one.
“I will purchase it.”
“Ah, yes! Thank you. To buy it at such a high price.”
“I’ll buy it.”
“N-no, why…… Why are you not valuing it higher?”
“I will purchase it.”
“What? Only this much?”
There was something in common among the items B purchased.
She bought every single fruit.
But she did not purchase any of the dishes or snacks at all.
“Mason.”
Armelia tugged at my sleeve with a tense expression.
She summed up my current state of mind in a single sentence.
“It seems fruit really was the correct answer. But beyond that, there is no standard at all.”
That was right.
Sweet, refreshing, tangy, cool.
They were fruits with various flavors, yet there was no consistency in B’s purchasing prices.
For some reason, goosebumps rose on my skin, and I rubbed my arm once.
Then Karin opened her mouth.
“Everyone, shh. It’s that bastard’s turn. Let’s watch.”
Right.
Before I knew it, it was Edgar’s turn to present his item.
With a confident attitude, he took something out from his bosom.
It was a small box.
I spoke without thinking.
“A box? It’s just a paper box.”
“It is not.”
“Not? Anyone can see that it’s—”
“This box merely serves to conceal what’s inside. So that you all won’t discover the contents.”
Karin flared up at that.
“What? There’s no way that would be allowed!”
“Why do you think it wouldn’t be?”
“The rules say…… the rules, uh.”
The High-ranking Monster must disclose the price assigned to each item every time.
Karin’s mouth opened and closed.
Edgar smirked and said,
“What must be disclosed is the price of the item. There is no need to disclose what the item actually is.”
“……”
“Rather, I find it odd that you all placed your items on the table ‘without any packaging.’ Well, even I did not realize this during the first trade.”
“……”
“If participants come to know both the contents and the price of items, then naturally the competition in the next trade will intensify even more. Preventing that is only natural.”
His words were correct.
But.
Looking at B, I said,
“You’re going to eat it, right? Edgar’s item.”
“Hmm. I wonder.”
“You’ve eaten every other participant’s item so far. Please unwrap that as well and eat it.”
If she did that, we would all learn what was inside.
Swish.
B reached her hand toward the box.
And she tried to open the so-called ‘packaging’ and take out the item inside.
At that moment.
Thud.
Suddenly, Edgar leapt up onto the table!
He turned his body and physically blocked our view.
B remained seated, and Edgar stood atop the table.
Naturally, B’s upper body was hidden behind Edgar’s frame.
“What are you doing.”
“I went to the trouble of packaging it. There’s no reason to show the contents to you all.”
“……”
“Until B finishes her meal, none of you may take even a single step forward. You won’t even get a glimpse of what I brought.”
Shing.
He drew his sword and glared at us with killing intent.
No matter how one looked at it, his skill was genuine.
Unless it was Sienne, who wore the brooch, there was no one among our companions who could fight him on equal footing.
Sienne spoke.
“Wasn’t fighting or causing disputes prohibited?”
If participants fight or cause disputes during the quest, they will be eliminated.
Edgar smirked and replied,
“That’s correct. Mutual destruction. So let’s not fight.”
“……”
“Didn’t I say this before?”
We ground our teeth.
All except me.
Through Secret Conversation, I spoke to Karin.
[I’m counting on you.]
[Huh? For what?]
[You know without me saying it. There’s something only you can see, but we cannot.]
Karin’s lips twitched.
Soon, she subtly summoned the spirits. I could not see them.
Spirits were beings visible only to Elves.
No matter how capable Edgar was, there was no way he would notice that.
At that moment, B’s voice was heard from behind Edgar.
“It’s rather noisy. Shall we continue?”
“Of course.”
“Hmm, then……”
Swish.
The sound of the box being opened.
Not long after, the crunching sound of something being chewed followed.
I glanced at Karin.
She grinned and gave a faint nod.
‘Good. She confirmed it.’
At that moment, Edgar spoke.
“It seems your atmosphere has grown rather relaxed.”
“……”
“What is it? Why do you look so at ease?”
He was quite sharp, after all.
Naturally, none of our companions answered him.
As a crease formed between Edgar’s brows.
Tap tap.
B tapped the armrest with her index finger.
Thud.
Soon, a Mini Bulletin Board appeared before Edgar.
■ Edgar Tyler’s Profit
Revenue: 35 gold coins 98 silver coins
Cost: 0 gold coins 2 silver coins
Profit: Plus 35 gold coins 96 silver coins
My mouth fell open.
Over 35 gold coins?
Until now, the highest had been Karin’s pineapple. 10 gold coins.
More than triple that amount—what a tremendous gap.
Through Secret Conversation, I spoke to Karin.
“What on earth was Edgar’s item?”