Chapter 438: Gossip 24 - Eric’s Shop (1/2)
The Raglan Firm had a branch store in Kaina Village, and its manager was Eric.
The products sold there were daily necessities, clothing, seasonings, a few number of books, and so on.
In short, it was a general store of sorts.
It also had a workshop in it, and during the morning, they would produce most of its everyday goods there.
“I-Is it really okay for me to borrow this place?”
“Sure, as long as you keep doing your business in this village.”
It was a two-storey shophouse in a large plot of land. He was rather worried about being able to use it completely rent-free.
“Just don’t make Barbara cry.”
“Eh, ah, sure, don’t worry about it.”
Those were the conditions under which he would be allowed to use this two-storey shophouse together with its stable, carriage house, and warehouse.
On the first floor of the house, there was a workshop on the back and a store at the front, with a kitchen, washroom, and toilet.
There are four bedrooms on the second floor, all furnished with beds. There also were two very comfortable-looking futons, which was something Eric had never seen before.
It also had a simple toilet with a sink.
The rent for a place like this in the capital would cost well over 10,000 Tolls a month.
Jin had thought about giving it to them if Eric ever married Barbara, but he hadn’t told them about that yet.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Hello, Eric.”
“Hey, Barbara.”
The village mayor’s niece, Barbara, came to help every day. There wasn’t a single soul in the village that didn’t know that those two were a couple.
“What are you making today?”
“Ah, here, look.”
Eric showed her a half-finished item.
“Oh, a water gun?”
Jin had made these last year too.
“Yeah, I’ve seen kids playing with these before, so I thought they’d sell well.”
“To sell… Ah, at the main store?”
“That’s right.”
Normally the opposite was true, but the Raglan Firm had noticed the fact that Kaina Village would be a good base for transmitting new culture.
“By the way, Eric…”
“Hmm?”
“Umm… How… How long do you think we can stay?”
“Here in Kaina Village? Hmm… I think at least for a year.”
“Ah, I see.”
Eric was actually the grandson of the president of the Raglan Firm. Because of his high aptitude for Engineering Magic, he attended the Cecilio Magic School at the royal capital for about two years and learned all of the basic techniques.
“Alright, it’s done.”
A water gun made by processing muscovite gathered from the mountains in the north. It looked like a pistol. After adding water, Eric tried pulling the trigger…
Water should have shot out from the tip, but instead it spewed out from the gaps that were open here and there.
“Whoops.”
“Kyaaa! It’s cold!”
The two of them ended up being soaked from top to bottom. In particular, Barbara was wearing a thin linen jacket, so the moment she realized some things were starting to show through it, things went a little awkward.
“D-Don’t look!”
“A-Ah, sorry!”
Both of them went completely red in the face, and Eric stood there as Barbara turned around and ran off somewhere.
＊ ＊ ＊
The store opened at noon.
“Umm, do you have pepper?”
“Yes, welcome! How much do you need?”
“100 grams, please.”
“That’ll be either 400 Tolls or 200 grams of Magi Sand.”
“Here, 400 Tolls.”
“Thank you very much.”
In Kaina Village, Magi Sand, pen nibs, and rubber balls have started being used as currency for the first time. At the same time, it also accepted traditional bartering.
The Raglan Firm had a long relationship with Kaina Village, so it was quite convenient. Of course, it was undeniable that there is a reason for the village to be managed by Jin.
That’s why the Raglan Firm wanted to cherish that relationship with Kaina Village, and by extension, with Jin.
A shop like the one Eric had set up in the small village like Kaina, which had about 30 houses in total, was not very likely to be flooding with customers.
Eric was able to handle most of the sales by himself.
So the reason for opening a new branch there was “to find a new product”.
After closing the store at around 3 pm, Eric would go around the village, expecting to find various new discoveries.
Today, he was heading towards Nidou Castle.
He went there bringing some sweets from his shop. Barrow and Belle seemed to be taking a little break, as they were drinking tea in a corner of the cafeteria.