The next day, our very first shop, Neonbil General Store, finally opened for business. Neon had properly introduced herself to the neighboring stallholders, so we suffered no harassment or other trouble.
If anything, they were downright indulgent toward her, saying, “You’re doing so well at such a young age, Neon.” They weren’t especially kind to me, though.
Our first day’s sales were quite good, exceeding one gold coin. Neon’s sales talk was the real thing. She sold all sorts of merchandise to noblewomen and older men alike. I was confident I couldn’t have sold even twenty percent as much on my own.
What was I doing? Mostly working behind the scenes. I calculated the money in the back and handed out change. A pretty salesgirl really was wonderful. I was a fan too.
“I’m exhausted. Still, the first day went very well.”
“Good work. Neon, you really are excellent at selling.”
“Of course I am. I intended to make a living doing nothing else.”
She said it while patting her upper arm. She wore the face of someone glistening with the honest sweat of hard work.
“I don’t have much of a role when it comes to sales, though.”
“You’re in charge of procurement, so handling the work in the back is more than enough. I couldn’t do everything alone. We each do what suits us.”
From the following day onward, sales fell below the opening day but remained healthy. Incidentally, we consulted Lady Metis on every item and sold each one at the ideal price. I suspected her suggested prices even accounted for Neon’s haggling.
While Neon ate lunch, I minded the shop. We didn’t sell much during that time, but there was little to be done about it.
As I relaxed, a short elderly man came to the stall. His clothes weren’t particularly fine, but he had a somehow gentle appearance. Looking closer, I recognized him as a man who had been inspecting various shops since morning. Perhaps he was secretly an expert appraiser.
At our stall, he carefully examined the merchandise as though searching for something. When he saw the ring we had recently purchased, his eyes flew wide.
“At last… I have found it.”
The old man murmured those words, and tears ran down his cheeks. The sudden development sent me into a panic.
“What’s wrong?!”
“No… I have been searching for this ring for a very long time. I gave it to my daughter when she became an adventurer. Then I heard she died in the dungeon, and I thought that if nothing else, I wanted something by which to remember her. I will gather the money someday, I swear! This is all I have at present, but would you be willing to sell it to me?”
The old man seized my hand and pleaded with me. The savings he had gathered from his home consisted mostly of small change—large copper and ordinary copper coins. Altogether, it amounted to a little less than 30,000 G. The ring was worth 200,000 G and had not yet sold, but it was a popular item that many people had considered buying. Someone would likely purchase it soon.
We did not offer layaway. As a merchant, I should have asked him to gather the money quickly. But my mouth spoke words different from those in my mind.
“You have enough money. We priced it incorrectly. What a disgrace I am as a merchant. This item was 10,000 G, if I remember correctly.”
I accepted only 10,000 G from the old man and handed him the ring. He burst into tears and bowed repeatedly.
“Thank you, young man! Thank you so much!”
The old man wept with joy, left all his remaining coins behind, and departed. No matter how many times I insisted that 10,000 G was enough, he refused to listen.
“That money must have been precious to him…”
I watched the old man leave in delight and murmured to myself. Then I sensed someone behind me.
“It was precious to him. Truly. But the same is true of our money! Sibyl, what do you think you’re doing?!”
Neon’s thunderbolt struck me. I had sold an item that would probably have fetched 200,000 G for less than its purchase price. Naturally, she was furious.
“I’m truly sorry! That was entirely my fault.”
“It certainly was. And what was that grand performance about being a disgrace as a merchant?!”
She had heard that much? How embarrassing.
“I have no excuse.”
“I’m not saying that old man was lying. But plenty of people haggle by claiming an item is a keepsake from their parents or something. If you lower your prices every time, there’ll be no end to it.”
Hmm. People haggled that way? It hardly seemed decent. Still, I did not believe that old man had lied. His story had undoubtedly been true.
“I’ll be more careful from now on. Deduct the loss from my wages.”
My remorse seemed to reach Neon, and her anger subsided.
“I’m not going that far. Besides… I also believe he was telling the truth. It may have been a poor decision as a merchant, but as a human being, it was probably the right one.”
Neon spoke while looking away. The unexpected compliment—what a masterful combination of carrot and stick. We may have lost money, but I had no regrets.