Chapter 56: Special Information
Hearing the traveling merchant’s words, Leon was a little surprised. He teased, “Shouldn’t you be persuading me to place an order early so you can make more money?”
The traveling merchant chuckled and shook his head. “No, no, no. Although I am a merchant, the business model I pursue is about keeping goods in circulation—trading what is scarce for what is plentiful, meeting my customers’ needs while ensuring they have the best shopping experience. That is my true business philosophy.”
“Quite the vision you’ve got there.” Leon gave him a thumbs-up. The traveling merchant’s smile widened even more at the gesture.
“All right. While I don’t have Red Leaf Cabbage, I do have other items you might find useful for your farm.”
“Do you have a catalog?” Leon glanced over the goods, most of which he couldn’t even recognize, unsure where to start.
“Of course. Just a moment.” The traveling merchant ducked into his wagon and, after a short while, returned with a sheet of parchment, which he handed to Leon.
As Leon took the parchment, the once-blank surface began to fill, line by line, with detailed entries listing prices and categories. A quick scan revealed over a hundred items, with furniture, paintings, and various crop products making up a large portion.
“Impressive, boss.” Leon found himself more intrigued by the parchment—capable of revealing the merchant’s entire stock automatically—than the goods themselves.
“When you travel the world, you need some way to protect yourself, don’t you? And my customers are not limited to humans alone. I’m sure you understand.” The traveling merchant smiled.
“I can understand that.” Leon nodded, then glanced over the list again. “Your goods come from all sorts of places. There’s something I’d like to ask.” “Please go ahead.”
“Can you get firearms and ammunition?” Seeing the merchant wasn’t putting on any airs, Leon decided to ask directly.
“Uh…”
The merchant was momentarily at a loss for words. He studied Leon with a complicated expression for a while before finally speaking.
“Yes, I can. But I don’t recommend you buy such dangerous items.”
“How so?” Leon’s curiosity was piqued now that he knew the merchant could actually get hot weapons.
“While in some places, they might be considered a kind of local specialty, they are still dangerous. Smuggling—er, transporting—them is troublesome. And I strongly advise against using firearms to harm others. The Fanjier Republic has extremely strict regulations on gun use. Possessing illegal weapons could bring you serious trouble.”
The traveling merchant explained this with measured patience.
“But what if I’m not planning to use them against humans, but against certain dangerous creatures? Would you believe that reason?” Leon pressed.
The merchant shook his head, but still took the time to share some knowledge. “Of course, that’s fine. But you should know one thing: while firearms might seem terrifying to humans, their effectiveness against non-human beings is often minimal.”
“There’s such a rule?” Leon was stunned. After all, the game didn’t have firearms. Sure, you could install mods, but those weren’t part of the base content. Yet in this real world, the fact that monsters weren’t afraid of hot weapons at all was news that hit his blind spot.
“Most non-human species have their own unique talents. Firearms can only threaten a small portion of them. For example, take slimes—low-level creatures. Bullets might scatter their bodies, but they won’t be fatal. On the other hand, a simple short sword could kill one in two strikes. Does that make sense?”
The merchant’s tone was serious.
“In that case, how can humans occupy most of the world and live peacefully?”
Leon was genuinely curious. If advanced human technology wasn’t effective against monsters, how could humanity thrive so comfortably?
“Every species has its own world. Most of them live in realms separate from humans. The ancient creatures that remain in the human world are mostly small, declining groups that can’t form large-scale threats. Besides, there are humans who wield magic as protectors, and skilled adventurers as well.” The merchant continued his explanation.
“I see.” Leon understood the point.
In this world, monsters did exist, but most stayed far from human settlements. For example, Junimos lived in the spirit realm, while shadow people like Krobus dwelled underground—enemies of the dwarves who lived there too.
While some monsters occasionally appeared in the human world, they were usually dealt with by the proper people. From what the traveling merchant had said, Leon now understood why the Adventurer’s Guild had its Pelican Town branch right at the entrance of an abandoned mine.
Yes, monsters existed, but so did special humans who could match or even overpower them. Realizing this, Leon began to grasp the balance of power and the reason for the world’s current stability.
The merchant’s generous answers gave Leon a better understanding of the world. To show his appreciation, he decided to make a small purchase.
“I’ll take a sunflower.”
It was the cheapest item on the list—20 coins. The price was equivalent to a meal at Gus’s saloon, but it was the most affordable thing Leon could find.
“All right.” The merchant didn’t mind that Leon had only chosen one item. Cheerfully, he took what looked like a sunflower model—no bigger than a lighter—from the display and handed it to Leon.
Leon was about to say that he didn’t want it if it was just a model, but as the merchant held it, the tiny sunflower began to swell. It grew into a vibrant sunflower over a meter tall, its thick stem topped by a bloom as large as a dinner plate.
“A little trick to keep goods fresh and intact, and easy to carry.”
The merchant smiled as he casually explained, then extended his free hand. “Money for goods.”
Leon took twenty coins from his pocket and handed them over. The merchant then passed the sunflower to him.
The moment Leon held it, the sunflower vanished into thin air, and the merchant’s grin grew even brighter.
“Seems you’re not an ordinary man yourself. It’s been a pleasure meeting you. I hope the goods I bring next time will satisfy you.”
I’ve made some adjustments to the pricing balance. I believe you’ve already noticed from earlier events. It’s part of the worldbuilding, so I hope you understand.