ALL NOVEL Chapter 62
Although I have obtained my own home, I still don’t have a personal store in the royal capital. So, supplying otherworldly goods to the student dormitory shops seems like the best option available to me at this point.
In particular, Enfibe Magic Academy, located in the northern district of the royal capital, is a place where the children who will bear the kingdom’s future are educated. The value of being associated with such a prestigious institution is immeasurable. Plus, the types of products I’m planning to sell align perfectly with the purchasing power of the students there, which is a significant advantage.
“This should be enough for the first batch of goods.”
There are four student dormitories at Enfibe Magic Academy: Lion Dormitory, Water Serpent Dormitory, Great Eagle Dormitory, and Crushing Bear Dormitory. My responsibility is for the Great Eagle Dormitory’s store. I will primarily handle small-scale items like luxury goods and recreational products, some of which are targeted not only at students but also at the staff.
(*…Should I be concerned about selling alcohol or cigarettes to staff members? There could be regulations like in Japan, where permits are required.*)
As requested by Rey, I gathered several cartons of trading cards (or “Toreka”) that are fairly popular in Japan, aside from the ones from M◯G. Some of these Toreka are so in demand in Japan that I couldn’t acquire them on my own, but I was able to procure them with the help of Shou-san.
In addition, I focused on non-perishable sweets, such as candy, which can be easily stored. For these, I’ll observe the students’ reactions before deciding on the specific types to stock in the future.
As for the staff, I’m planning to bring alcohol, but since alcohol is widely consumed in the world of Asphial, I’m not sure if it will suit the tastes of the people here. Moreover, considering the possibility that things like alcohol and cigarettes might require special permits, I’ll need to check the rules later.
At my residence in Tokyo, the vast amount of products I’ve purchased is packed into boxes, piled high—almost as tall as a person. Naturally, bringing cardboard boxes into the world of Asphial might raise suspicions during inspections, so I’ll have to unpack everything first.
“…Should I start having Eurua help me with this?”
Unpacking such a large quantity of goods is rather tedious. It’s time-consuming, and there aren’t many people I can ask for help. Hiring someone in Japan was an option I considered, but due to the risk of information leaking, I can’t hire just anyone. At the same time, I feel guilty about asking Akira-san for more help than necessary.
That’s when I remembered Eurua, whom I had just purchased recently. While I don’t currently have any immediate work for her, this unpacking job is simple enough. I think I’ll try assigning it to her.
But since this is the first batch of goods I’ll be delivering, I’ll handle everything myself for now…
—
“I’ve heard about you from Lord Rey. I’m Mainer, in charge of student life at Great Eagle Dormitory.”
“Nice to meet you. My name is Allen.”
According to the Earth calendar, deliveries to the dormitory shops happen once every two weeks, on the academy’s rest day.
Merchants like me who deliver goods to the shops can transport a large amount of merchandise only on this specific day. At the academy’s main gate, a dedicated inspection area is set up, and even though the sun has just risen, there’s already a long line of merchants waiting.
I show the guards the permit I received in advance, and my cargo undergoes a thorough inspection. If all goes smoothly, I can then head to the dormitory I’m responsible for, deliver the goods to the staff in charge of the shop, and be done with it.
The person responsible for the Great Eagle Dormitory shop is Mainer, a young man. He is an academy employee in charge of student life and welfare.
It seems Rey had already communicated with him beforehand, so I began explaining each product one by one. While I was talking with Mainer, several other merchants arrived, but they quickly left after dropping off their goods.
“By the way, I can also provide alcohol and tobacco for the staff, but how would that work here?”
“Alcohol can only be sold at the staff shop. As for tobacco, smoking is strictly prohibited within Enfibe Magic Academy, so please be aware of that.”
“Understood.”
I made sure to take note of Mainer’s words. While alcohol and tobacco are indeed luxury items, just like in Japan, it’s obvious that I won’t be able to sell them to students here.
It seems that smoking is banned on the academy premises, and alcohol requires separate approval. Therefore, I won’t be able to supply those items.
Well, I anticipated that, so it’s not a problem.
“As expected of someone recommended by Lord Rey, you certainly carry some unique products.”
“Well, I doubt there are many people dealing with these kinds of goods.”
M◯G, Yu◯Gi◯Oh, De◯Ma, Po◯Ca… I’ve gathered an assortment of popular trading cards from the Japanese market.
What I’m particularly keen on promoting is a trading card game called *Crossworld*, sold by the Saioji Group. The unique feature of Crossworld is that it includes original cards, as well as licensed characters from various anime and manga.
The protagonist and heroine cards even come with autographs, making them highly sought after by collectors. In addition to being a trading card game, it also holds a lot of value as a collectible. Since many of the year’s trending anime and manga are featured, it has become quite popular in the trading card market.
In recent years, there’s been a trading card boom, making it difficult to secure cartons of popular cards, especially Po◯Ca.
On the other hand, Crossworld is backed by the Saioji Group, so I have more flexibility. Most of the cartons I secured are from Crossworld, so I’m hoping it’ll become a hit here.
“Wow, these cards have such intricate illustrations, and yet you get five for only 3000 gold?”
“You’ll need at least 40 cards to play, and considering duplicates, you’ll probably have to buy around ten packs.”
As part of the inspection, I hand Mainer a pack of Crossworld cards. When he opens the handmade, cardboard-sealed pack, he finds one rare card and four uncommon cards inside.
The rare card is the third from the bottom in terms of rarity, following common and uncommon. Normally, the pack Mainer opened would be considered a “dud,” but as someone new to trading cards, he seemed impressed by the artwork on the cards.
(*A starter deck costs 50,000 yen… I wonder if this will really catch on?*)
Even though this academy caters to the nobility, selling packs for 3000 yen each and starter decks for 50,000 yen seems a bit excessive.
However, since this world has an even starker wealth disparity than Japan, it might become a trend in these exclusive circles.
With that thought in mind, I delivered the goods to Mainer and left the dormitory.