The three of us – me, Aina, and Cas – had been dragged into a small side room, and now we were huddled small in front of Sofia. Her attitude had done a complete one-eighty the moment she saw the Goblin Waistcloth I’d given to Cas.
”Everyone… do you know what this fabric is?” Sofia asked, her voice measured and elegant.
I knew. It was a filthy Goblin Waistcloth. Dirty. And it smelled absolutely terrible. So terrible, in fact, that I’ll say it again: it reeked. But I’d used [Appraisal], and it told me that if cleaned properly, this thing could become what’s called Goblin Silk. Bringing that up right now probably wouldn’t end well, so I kept my mouth shut and listened. I mean, if they found out that this “treasured item” was originally a Goblin’s loincloth, wouldn’t I get killed?
Cas and the others shook their heads vigorously, clearly having no idea.
”This fabric is called Goblin Silk – a precious cloth that goblins drop extremely rarely,” Sofia explained, her tone carrying the refined weight of someone accustomed to authority. “Royals favor it, and even high-ranking nobles will show off a handkerchief-sized piece. And you’re just… giving it away?”
Okay, okay, I get it, so let’s all just calm down. But still… it’s literally a goblin’s nasty old loincloth.
”But I have a ton of it,” I said with a shrug. “Want some too, Sofia?”
Sofia’s eyes went wide – completely blank, like she’d short-circuited. She stayed frozen for a moment, then rebooted.
”Currently, there’s a request from the royal family for Goblin Silk deliveries,” she said, her composure slowly returning. “Twenty pieces as a set will earn you five Gold Coins. Individually, they go for two Large Silver Coins each.”
Hearing the price of Goblin Silk, it was Cas and the others who froze this time. And just like that, that dirty scrap hiding a goblin’s junk had transformed into a literal goldmine. I’ve got a ton of it. Talk about market crash incoming.
”I’ll go with the twenty-piece bulk delivery,” I said. “What about you, Cas?”
Cas and Lisa both looked at Aina.
Ah, right – I hadn’t given any Goblin Silk to Aina yet. I pretended to pull something from the backpack at my feet and handed her two pieces. Aina’s face softened into a warm smile.
”Really?” she asked, her voice bright with surprise. “For me? But this is supposed to be rare, right?”
”Couldn’t exactly leave you out,” I said with a grin. “Just show me your b**bs sometime and we’ll call it even. So – what about the delivery?”
The three of them huddled together, whispering among themselves for a bit.
”We’re going to pass on delivering this time,” Cas said finally, her tone practical and measured. “We’re still F-rank, and suddenly coming into that much money is honestly kind of scary.”
The Guild does hold money for you, but only above a certain amount. If anyone figured out that a bunch of low-rank weaklings were using the Guild’s accounts, we’d either get shaken down or threatened into handing it over.
”Plus,” Cas continued, “Goblin Silk is so rare that most people don’t even know what it is, right? Nobody noticed when we came into the Guild, and we didn’t know about it either. So I think we’re safe just holding onto it for now. We can use it if we ever get into a tight spot.”
Cas and the others said this with cheerful smiles.
Sofia thought for a moment, her brow furrowed in consideration, then nodded.
”You’re right,” she said, her voice warm with approval. “That might actually be the smart move. I’ll log the request as having been delivered quietly. No one will suspect the three of you are carrying it. If you ever do decide to sell, I’d recommend going through the Guild auction instead. Aina, would you pick up some new clothes or robes for the two of them? In the meantime, I’ll get Yu registered and process the Goblin Silk and Big Boar deliveries.”
Sofia brought over a Guild Card made of monster materials. It had my name and adventurer rank engraved on it. Channeling magic into the card would complete the registration, and from then on, I could use it to track delivery records and manage funds through the Guild.
”Please channel your magic into this card,” Sofia instructed, her tone crisp and professional.
Following Sofia’s instruction, I tried channeling… but honestly, I had no idea how to actually use magic. The “something” I casually sent into it turned out to be Gaia Points – and it made the Guild Card glow like crazy.
When the light finally died down, Sofia was standing there with a completely frozen, utterly horrified expression on her face.
Summary:
The protagonist and his party discover that the dirty Goblin Waistcloth they possess is actually a rare and valuable material called Goblin Silk, highly prized by royalty and nobles. After learning its worth, they decide to withhold their supply for safety reasons, wary of drawing attention as low-ranked adventurers. During the protagonist’s Guild registration, his accidental channeling of Gaia Points causes his Guild Card to emit an overwhelming surge of light, leaving Sofia utterly horrified.
Trivia:
- The narrator has an abundance of Goblin Silk, enough to cause market devaluation.
- Sofia is a Guild official who handles high-value deliveries and adventurer registration.
- Cas, Aina, and Lisa are F-rank adventurers who are wary of sudden wealth due to their low status.
- The Guild offers financial accounts but only above a certain threshold, making low-rank adventurers vulnerable.
- The protagonist’s Guild Card reacted to Gaia Points rather than normal magic, suggesting a unique power system interaction.
- Sofia’s composure broke twice in this chapter: first over the Goblin Silk, then over the Guild Card’s light surge.
- Aina received two pieces of Goblin Silk as a gift, completing the set for the party.