"An exclusive contract?"
"Yes, an exclusive contract."
Megan stood up, slowly walked around behind me, and placed her hands on my shoulders.
"I need you to deliver 50 bars of soap and 100 bottles of shampoo to me every day. As for the price, I'll pay…"
Megan held up two fingers.
"Double what I paid yesterday."
"T-Two times?"
"That's right. For both the soap and the shampoo. I'd love to buy cheap and sell cheap, but if I sell below the market average, I'll get heat from the other merchants."
"I see…"
"You haven't had any trouble yet, have you?"
"No, not yet."
"That's fortunate. Well, you would have soon enough."
Megan smirked and returned to her seat.
"So, shall we draw up the contract?"
"Do I have to deliver every day?"
"Yes. The contract period will be a standard five years, with automatic one-year renewals after that. How does that sound?"
"Um…"
The contract period was way too long. Not only that, but delivering 50 bars of soap and 100 bottles of shampoo a day was impossible for me. Buying the soap was easy, but re-bottling all that shampoo? The medical bills for my back would cost more than my profits.
"Let's make the contract for three months, and I'll deliver once a week, not daily."
"What? Three months is too short… and once a week?! What if we sell out of a week's worth of stock? The other customers will…"
"Isn't that a good thing? High demand with low supply just means the price will go up."
When demand is high and supply is low, prices have to rise. No matter how good a product is, having leftover stock is where the problems start. It would be better to see how much sells in a day or a week first, and then increase the order size.
"Well, that's true, but…"
Megan made a show of wiping away a tear.
"I was hoping to set some aside for myself…"
Just how much was she planning to hoard? Fifty bars and a hundred bottles a day…
"Besides, I can't possibly supply that much. I'm doing this all by hand, you know."
"Now that you mention it, that makes sense. Very well. I accept your proposal."
Megan beckoned, and Hans stood up and brought over a sheet of parchment. Then, he began writing with a practiced hand. The letters were, once again, completely foreign to me.
"A three-month contract. Weekly orders of 150 bars of soap and 300 bottles of shampoo. Is this acceptable?"
Since I couldn't read it, I just pretended to and nodded.
"Yes, that's fine."
I confidently signed the document with the quill she handed me and gave it back.
"Alright, I'll be taking these for now~"
Megan scooped up all the soap and shampoo from the table and disappeared into another room. Hans sighed deeply as he watched her go, then opened a leather pouch hanging from his belt.
"So, how much for all that?"
"The soap is 60 bron each, and the shampoo is 90… adding up what I had, it comes to 5,490 bron. Since you said you'd pay double, the total is 10,980 bron."
"Ah."
Hans's fingers, which had been about to pull out some coins, went slack, and he dropped what he was holding.
***
My search for a place to live began anew. The map showed a lake to the west of the city, so I headed there. The ground had been damp ever since I entered the western forest, so I had a feeling, but I held out hope that it would be different deeper in. It wasn't.
So today, I headed north.
*'This should be fine.'*
The ground felt solid under my feet. It seemed promising. Of course, even if the ground was good, it would be a letdown if the location wasn't what I wanted.
"Alright then…"
A lake was visible a short distance away.
*'This place has potential.'*
Solid ground and a lake. This could be the ideal spot I'd been searching for. I walked forward for a few more minutes.
"Hmm…"
I wasn't sure how far I'd gone when something unexpected happened.
*SNORT!*
A harsh, guttural snort. Tusks jutting from its mouth. A ferocious glare and hooved feet pawing at the ground, ready to charge.
"A wild boar?!"
I had only ever heard birds in the forest and assumed there were no beasts. I was wrong.
*'Shit… I should have bought a weapon…'*
There are wild boars in the forests of Japan; I should have expected to find them in a forest this vast. This is what I get for being complacent about safety.
*'Even now…'*
What weapon could take down a boar? A knife or a dagger was out of the question for close combat. So, a ranged weapon. But I'd never used a bow before. As for buying a gun…
*'It's locked…?'*
The purchase button was grayed out. And next to it was a small number.
*'What does this number mean…?'*
*SNORT!*
The boar, apparently annoyed by me fiddling with my Conve∞ screen, glared at me and scraped the ground with its front hoof, preparing to charge. This was no time to be distracted. I had to buy a weapon, now.
*'A weapon I can use… what should I buy? What…'*
*SQUEAL!*
The boar charged. I threw myself out of its path and hid behind a tree, frantically scrolling through Conve∞. I scrolled up the list in a panic and found one weapon.
*'Yes, I can use this!'*
I hit the purchase button, and a crossbow and bolt appeared in my hands.
*SQUEAL!*
The moment I grabbed the crossbow, the boar, which had stumbled after hitting the tree, regained its senses and charged again.
"Okay…"
I took a deep breath, aimed the crossbow at the charging boar, and pulled the trigger.
*WHOOSH!*
The bolt shot out. But no matter how lucky you are, no one hits their target on the first try with a weapon they've never used before.
"Damn it!"
The bolt grazed the boar's face. With bloodshot eyes, it lunged at me.
*THUD!*
I barely managed to dive out of the way. The boar skidded to a stop, turned, and started pawing the ground again.
"Why isn't this working?!"
I fumbled with the stuck loading lever for a few seconds.
*SQUEAL!*
As the boar charged again, I gave up on loading and started running. With no usable weapon, running was my best option. But I quickly realized that a human can't outrun a charging four-legged animal.
*THUD!*
"Hah… hah…"
As I was running in a straight line, I ducked behind a tree, and the boar slammed its head into the trunk. Stunned by the impact, it stumbled and shook its head. This was my chance. I quickly drew the string. It pulled back smoothly.
"Yes!"
I immediately loaded a bolt and aimed. All I had to do now was shoot the dazed animal. I took a long, deep breath to steady myself and aimed for its head. My arms trembled. The only sounds were the birds and the rustling leaves. I swallowed hard and pulled the trigger.
*WHOOSH!*
The bolt flew swiftly and struck the boar right between the eyes.
*SQUEEEAL!*
It let out a piercing shriek. Its body tilted to the side, and it collapsed, thrashing on the ground.
"Hah… hah…"
I let out the breath I'd been holding. My entire body was drenched in sweat.
"Whoa, that was way too close."
I was worried it wouldn't die in one hit, but thankfully, the shot to the head did the trick. I walked over to the boar. It was still breathing, its eyes open, legs twitching.
"I need to put it out of its misery."
I couldn't just let it die like this. It was my duty as a human to end its suffering quickly. I bought a hunting knife from Conve∞ and plunged it into the boar's neck. A moment later, its thrashing stopped, and it went still.
"Haaaah…"
I pulled the knife from its neck and collapsed to the ground.
"I'm having nothing but insane experiences here."
To survive in this world, I'd have to face things like this countless times. I needed to practice with the crossbow until I could use it freely.
"Hah… I came looking for a place to live, and this is what I get."
I stood up and pulled the knife from the boar's neck.
*Splash.*
At that moment, I heard the sound of water. I slowly turned my head and looked behind me.
"Oh…"
Warm sunlight streaming down. A small lake, not too big, but perfect for one person to sit and fish. The perfect place to live, just as I had imagined.
"YES!"
I'd finally found it. The ideal spot I'd been searching for. The perfect place to secure my slow life!
The chirping of birds. The occasional splash of a fish breaking the water's surface. A place bathed in warm sunlight.
"Haaaah…"
I pitched my tent and sat in my camping chair, just staring at the lake. Living in a tent wasn't bad, but no matter how good a tent is, a person needs a house to live in. The day I found this place, I'd told Hans I was going to live outside the city. He looked at me like I was crazy, but a slow life isn't something you can achieve in a city. It's something you find in nature like this. A true man of the wild.
"Alright then…"
I opened Conve∞ and looked at the building materials. Lumber, rebar, bricks, and even things like cement and tempered glass were on the list.
"They really have everything."
The best option would be to build a house with cement, but I had no professional construction experience. Using specialized materials would be difficult and a waste of money.
"So, a cabin it is…"
For now, the easiest thing to build was a wooden cabin. But even with wood, I had no idea how to structure it.
"If only there was someone to teach me..."
Should I hire a teacher? Or just pay for laborers…?
*'No, that's no good. Just because I have a lot of money doesn't mean I can spend it like this. I'll go broke in no time…'*
I wanted to stay as far away from work as possible in this world.
*'I wonder if they sell finished houses…'*
With that thought, I searched for "house" in Conve∞, not expecting much. But there it was. A house.
"What the—why is this here?"