“Why do you have that?”
Rakhoop could not understand why a serf child was holding paper.
In response, Aiman spread a sheet of hanji open with both hands.
“I brought it because I thought you might be interested in buying it.”
Aiman had abruptly offered to sell him paper.
Rakhoop found the situation utterly absurd.
Unless he was dealing with one of the wholesalers who supplied his goods, Rakhoop was usually the one doing the selling.
Moreover, his general store already carried paper.
He therefore pretended not to be particularly interested in the hanji Aiman was holding.
It was a habit born from his many years as a merchant—a way of securing the upper hand in a negotiation.
“We already have plenty of paper in this store.”
He shrugged as though he had no reason to buy Aiman's hanji.
Aiman accepted his response without showing any emotion.
“If you are not interested, I will sell it to the merchants visiting the village.”
Aiman turned around without the slightest hesitation.
Only then did Rakhoop become anxious.
He hurriedly called out to stop him.
“No, wait! Aiman.”
“Yes?”
“Let me at least take a look at it first.”
In truth, Rakhoop was curious about the paper Aiman was carrying.
Aiman gave a faint smile at his reaction and walked back towards him.
He handed Rakhoop the sheet of hanji he had unfolded.
“Here you are.”
Rakhoop accepted the sheet and examined its condition.
After inspecting it from several angles, he concluded that it appeared superior to the paper he usually stocked.
Utterly astonished, Rakhoop questioned Aiman.
“Goodness, paper of this quality? Where did you get it?”
Judging by Rakhoop's response, the hanji clearly had commercial value.
Rakhoop wanted to know how Aiman had obtained such paper.
Aiman had expected this question before coming to the store.
If he merely said that it was a secret, Rakhoop might assume that a serf like him had stolen it.
For that reason, he had prepared a story in advance.
“I made it using a technique taught to me by a wandering master.”
“What?”
Rakhoop stared at Aiman in disbelief.
A ten-year-old serf child claimed that he had made paper.
There was one fact known to everyone who either sold paper or used it regularly.
Paper was supplied exclusively by a merchant company called Paper Farm.
There were surprisingly many uses for paper, but the number of people who could afford to use it was limited.
As a result, everyone relied on the paper monopolised by Paper Farm.
It was easier simply to purchase the paper supplied by Paper Farm than to discover how to manufacture it themselves.
Some merchant companies had envied that monopoly and attempted to challenge it.
However, stealing Paper Farm's papermaking method was no easy task, while trying to develop the process independently seemed likely to cost more than it was worth.
Thus, the supply of paper remained firmly under Paper Farm's monopoly.
Yet now a serf had appeared with paper he claimed to have made himself.
From Rakhoop's perspective, it was almost impossible to believe.
Then another thought occurred to him.
‘What if I can extract the papermaking method from this boy…….’
Although Rakhoop kept the thought to himself, Aiman could see straight through him.
Had Aiman been in Rakhoop's position, he would likely have considered the same thing.
He had prepared a way to prevent that as well.
“Ah! My master told me never to reveal the papermaking method to anyone, so I will not be able to teach it to you even if you ask.”
Rakhoop flinched.
He was mortified that a mere ten-year-old serf child seemed to have read his mind.
However, he merely cleared his throat.
“Ahem. When did I ever say I was going to ask?”
“You did not. My master told me to make that clear whenever I tried to sell the paper.”
“What a remarkably thorough master. Ah! Is that why you asked me about the price of paper the last time you came here?”
At the time, Rakhoop had assumed that Aiman was merely a serf fascinated by something beyond his means.
Now that Aiman had returned to sell paper, however, his behaviour during that earlier visit began to make sense.
In truth, Aiman had not been planning to sell paper at the time. He had simply been curious.
Nevertheless, Rakhoop's misunderstanding worked in Aiman's favour.
“That is right. I am planning to sell each sheet for 2 gold and 50 silver.”
Aiman took the opportunity to advance the negotiation immediately.
Upon hearing the price, Rakhoop raised his voice in an attempt to force it down.
“Do you think 2 gold and 50 silver is some trifling sum?”
As Rakhoop's voice grew louder, Aiman clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘Tsk. No matter where you go, there is always someone who thinks raising his voice will get him whatever he wants.’
Had Aiman truly been an ordinary ten-year-old serf child, the tactic might have worked.
Rakhoop was a large man, imposing enough to frighten a young boy before the negotiation even began.
Unfortunately for him, he had chosen the wrong opponent.
Aiman had years of experience selling to men who were larger and far more intimidating than Rakhoop.
He continued the negotiation calmly, without so much as twitching an eyebrow at Rakhoop's threat.
“A sheet this size is four times larger than the paper you normally purchase, so it should cost you 2 gold and 80 silver, shouldn't it?”
Aiman was correct.
Rakhoop currently purchased the paper sold in his general store from wholesalers for 70 silver per sheet.
The hanji Aiman had brought was four times that size, so it was indeed worth 2 gold and 80 silver.
No, after examining the paper Aiman had shown him, Rakhoop had already reached another conclusion.
‘If he can consistently maintain this quality, I could sell it for even more than the paper produced by Paper Farm…….’
Considering that, Aiman's proposed price was actually inexpensive.
Rakhoop had merely tried to bargain because Aiman was young.
His opponent was only the ten-year-old son of a serf.
Rakhoop, on the other hand, was a merchant who had operated a general store in Jenkins Village for many years.
That was why he had underestimated Aiman.
He had assumed that a little bargaining would allow him to acquire the paper far more cheaply.
However, when Aiman remained entirely unmoved by his attempt at intimidation, the first tiny crack appeared in Rakhoop's confidence.
For now, he merely concluded that Aiman was unusually courageous for his age.
In any case, Rakhoop continued trying to lower the price of the hanji.
“The people who sell to me can supply their goods consistently. That is why I am willing to pay them those prices. I do not yet know whether you can provide a reliable supply, so I cannot possibly offer you the same amount.”
Rakhoop shrugged as though his argument were perfectly reasonable.
Aiman listened in silence before responding.
“I see.”
“Exactly.”
Until that moment, Rakhoop believed that Aiman had fallen for his bargaining tactic.
But once again, he had chosen the wrong opponent.
Aiman was not so easily manipulated.
“Understood. In that case, I will go to the inn and find another merchant who can properly recognise the value of this paper. Good day.”
When Aiman turned to leave the general store, Rakhoop hurriedly grabbed his wrist.
“Ah······ Aiman!”
“What is it?”
Aiman had been about to leave, but when Rakhoop caught his wrist, he merely turned his head as though asking whether the man had further business with him.
Seeing his expression, Rakhoop thought to himself.
‘What kind of expression is that for a child?’
After spending many years as a merchant, Rakhoop had learned to glean at least some sense of what people were thinking from their expressions.
It was experience gained from observing the faces of countless customers.
However, that experience failed him with Aiman.
Aiman had turned his head only slightly to look at him, yet Rakhoop could not tell what the boy was thinking at all.
A poker face.
Rakhoop was physically looking down at Aiman, yet somehow it felt as though Aiman were the one gazing down at him with cool indifference.
It was Yeongman's skill at controlling his expression.
When he had negotiated from a weaker position in order to secure a contract, he had worn the brightest smile in the world.
Conversely, whenever he held the advantage, he had carefully controlled his expression to ensure that the other party could find no weakness to exploit.
The latter was precisely what he needed now.
As a result, Rakhoop felt slightly pressured.
Nevertheless, his many years of experience as a general-store merchant had not disappeared.
“If you go to the inn now, that means you intend to deal with a wholesaler······ In that case, judging by the price they pay Paper Farm, your paper would only be worth around 1 gold and 60 silver.”
“And?”
“If neither of us involves them, we can settle on a better price for both sides. Is there truly any need for you to demand so much more from me? I will give you 1 gold and 70 silver. What do you say?”
Rakhoop argued that Aiman would receive only 1 gold and 60 silver if he sold the hanji to a wholesaler, so he was offering 10 silver more.
Rakhoop's reasoning was not entirely wrong.
Even so, Aiman pulled his hand free and rejected the offer.
“If I sell it for 1 gold and 60 silver, they will probably sell it to you for 2 gold and 80 silver. Then you will sell it for 4 gold. If I sell it directly to you for 1 gold and 70 silver, are you suddenly not going to charge 4 gold?”
Would Rakhoop lower the retail price merely because he had acquired the paper at the same rate the wholesalers paid?
Of course not.
That was why Aiman rejected the offer of only 10 silver more than the amount the wholesalers paid Paper Farm.
“You are going to sell it for 4 gold either way. Since you will also save the amount normally taken by the wholesalers, you will make even more money. Does that not make this seem like a deal where I am the only one losing?”
“You are in the same position as Paper Farm. You produce the paper and supply it, so should you not sell it at the same price they charge the wholesalers?”
“Why would I do that when I can earn more? By the logic you just used, could I not also consider the matter from the opposite direction?”
“What do you mean?”
“If I am only going to receive the price paid by wholesalers anyway, then I would rather take this paper to another general store and offer them a better deal.”
“······.”
After a conversation in which neither side yielded even an inch, Rakhoop was the one who lost.
If Aiman could not sell the paper to Rakhoop, he had considered approaching the wholesalers who regularly travelled to the store.
In truth, he had another option as well.
‘If this general store will not buy it, cannot I simply sell it through another one?’
He had merely hesitated because that option carried a considerable risk.
For the sake of bargaining with Rakhoop, however, it seemed necessary to play that card.
Rakhoop gave a faint smile after hearing Aiman's declaration.
He also understood what risk made that option difficult.
“I am the only general-store owner in the Jenkins territory. Which other store are you planning to sell it to? A general store in another village? You, a serf? Do you not know that a serf who leaves his assigned territory is brought to trial?”
Rakhoop believed that Aiman had made a mistake.
A relaxed smile appeared on his lips.
However, Aiman had made no mistake.
As Rakhoop had said, serfs were subject to severe restrictions.
Unless they escaped their status as serfs, they were forbidden from leaving their assigned territory.
Aiman was well aware of that fact, which was precisely why he had hesitated to consider selling to another general store.
But would someone who understood the restriction so clearly have mentioned the possibility without having a plan?
Aiman nodded to show that he knew.
“I know.”
“You know, yet you still claim that you will sell this paper to another general store?”
“Yes.”
“Are you planning to stand trial before the lord together with your parents?”
Leaving the territory without the lord's permission was illegal, and Rakhoop was asking how Aiman could possibly accomplish it.
Aiman gave a faint smile.
“You only understand half of the situation, sir.”