Chapter 207: The Secret Strategy

Since we managed to secure a spot near the inn, we decided to help Joel sell the items he had brought.

It seemed he mostly brought things he didn’t need. His goal wasn’t profit—he just wanted to sell everything so he wouldn’t have to carry it back.

“Joel, we’ve finished arranging this side.”

“This side is done too. I hope it sells well.”

“Thanks! If it all sells, let’s go all out tonight! I’ll treat you!”

Joel said this with a cheerful grin.

I hoped it would sell… but looking at the items, they seemed rather shabby, and I couldn’t help but worry.

Dungeon loot scraps, odd monster drops, some mysterious black liquid, and strange plants that looked like herbs—quite an unusual lineup.

I probably wouldn’t even stop by a shop like this myself, and I wasn’t sure if any customers would actually come.

Joel cheerfully called out to passersby, and I followed along, trying to raise our chances.

An hour passed since we laid out the items, and so far, not a single proper customer had come.

Some people came close, drawn by Sheila’s appearance, but no one actually picked up the items to look.

“…Ugh. Nothing’s selling!”

“I think the merchandise is a bit too bad. Just selling the things Joel didn’t want might make attracting customers difficult.”

“I should have brought at least a few items I didn’t want to part with… At this rate, maybe we should consider packing up?”

“Hmm… let’s hang on a little longer. I’ll try to come up with something.”

Feeling that it was too unfortunate to just let things fail, I decided to come up with a way to sell something.

Even selling just one item would create a good memory for Joel.

“Sato-san, do you have a good plan? Honestly, even for you, selling trash seems difficult.”

Sheila bluntly called Joel’s items “trash.”
Because she had no ill intent, the remark cut sharply.

“If we can attract people, someone will buy something. So, I thought we could make some kind of food… Sheila, could you help?”

“Food here? There were a few people selling, but can we really make anything?”

“Whether you’d call it ‘cooking’ is another matter, but simple things are possible. I want you to help with magic support, is that okay?”

“Of course! What are we making?”

“That’s a surprise until it’s finished.”

So, we borrowed a heatproof container from the inn, bought sugar, water, and things suitable for skewers at the market, and got some grapes and tangerines using a tablet to find reasonably priced ones.

With everything ready, we heated sugar and water in the container, poured the melted syrup over the fruit on skewers, and froze them solid using ice magic.

The result was Tanfuru, a trendy Korean dessert made like candied apples.

Cold and fun to eat, with the fruit inside purchased skillfully from Japan, it was bound to be delicious.

“Sato-san, amazing! It’s incredible how easily such a tasty-looking dessert was made.”

“Thanks to Sheila. Now we just have to hope this dessert draws a crowd…”

If no one came, all our effort and NP would have been wasted.

We arranged the Tanfuru attractively, silently wishing someone would come.

Because it was a unique treat, people slowly began to gather.

We priced them a little high, so it took a while for the first sale. But the first customer’s reaction was good, and soon one Tanfuru sold after another.

As word spread, our area quickly filled with customers.

Joel’s items still sold poorly, but after some discounting, we achieved the goal of selling everything.

Tanfuru sold out in less than an hour, while Joel’s items took until night—but in the end, he was very satisfied.

“Sato-san, Sheila-san, thank you! Thanks to you, everything’s sold!”

“I can’t believe it all sold… Sato-san, you’re incredible.”

“It wasn’t just me; everyone worked hard. We got some good items and sold everything—now we can head back to the villa feeling good.”

“Yes! I’ll treat you to dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow! Let’s go all out!”

Joel happily led the way, and we went to eat dinner.

I hadn’t really understood how the free market worked in this world, but I was glad we came.

It had been a genuinely fun and fulfilling day.