Thursday 24 May 2018

Ch 85 Tondemo Skill de Isekai Hourou Meshi

Ch 85  -- Sweet and Sour Chinese Miso Stir-fry with Eggplant


I bought cloth bags and bottles at a general store before I returned to the inn to start fulfilling Lambert-san's wholesale order for delivery the next day.

Once I got back to my room I opened Net Super and started buying soap, 10 packs of 3 cheap soap bars and 10 packs of 3 rose-scented soap bars. After that I bought 10 large refills of rinse-in shampoo, 10 large refills of regular shampoo and 10 large refills of conditioner. Each refill pack would fill three of the glass bottles I had bought from the store. I also bought hair wraps. Each pack of hair wraps would fill two jars so I bought 15 packs. I had to buy 30 jars from the Net Super to put the hair wraps in.

I put all of the items in my Net Super cart and clicked on "Buy". The total came to about 30 gold coins. Once I had fed the required coins into the Net Super screen a large cardboard box appeared in front of me.

I started with the cheap soaps, removing each bar from its other-world packaging and putting it in a cloth bag, 30 pieces in all. I did the same with the rose-scented soap. After that came the rinse-in shampoo, decanting each refill pack into three of the glass bottles I had bought from the local store before corking each one. That made 30 bottles of rinse-in shampoo. I did the same with the shampoo and conditioner refills.

"Fuuu, thank goodness that's finished." I muttered, looking at the 90 bottles and 60 cloth bags lined up in front of me. I looked in the box again and noticed there was still more items left. "Oh, there's still the hair wraps to do." I opened the packs and put four hair wraps in each of the 30 glass jars I had purchased from the Net Super.

"Well, I finally finished." I sat back, relieved. "The smell of soap and shampoo though, it makes me want to take a real bath, not just wipe myself down like I've been doing since I got here." When we got paid for the Mithril Lizard's subjugation I was going to buy a bathtub and have a proper Japanese soak.

Looking out of the window, I saw it was began to get dark. "Is it that time already?" Dinner, I decided. I picked up Sui's bag and headed down to the beast stables.

* * * * *

I was in the mood for a feast. I decided to start off with ground meat, an easy and tasty dish. Going to Net Super I bought tubes of the sweet-and-sour Chinese miso that I've used before, that's what I needed for Chinese-style sweet and sour stir-fried ground meat. Oh, and eggplant too.

I cut up the eggplants about 2cm square in their skins then fried them in a pan until well-done. I added the minced meat (three parts Bloody Horn Bull beef and seven parts Orc General pork) and kept frying until it browned nicely. Cooking for Fer and Sui I added lots of ground meat. I put sweet-and-sour Chinese miso in a small amount of water and mixed it thoroughly then added potato starch to thicken it before adding it to the contents of the frying pan.

Really tasty. I served up Fer and Sui's portions over rice because it's especially delicious when you eat it that way.

"Here you are." I put the bowls out.

"Well, that smells good," said Fer, drooling.

"It really does -" Sui-chan agreed. The two of them started to eat.

"It's delicious when it's sticky like this..." Fer mumbled.

"Yes Yes-" Sui agreed. The potato starch makes the sauce thicker, you see.

Watching them gobble down the sweet and sour stir-fry I'd made I realised it wasn't going to be enough for those two. What else... hmmm, I had some cheese-filled chicken cutlets ready in my Item Box.

"Still hungry? Here, eat this." I passed over some chicken cutlets.

"Oh, it's the tasty food with white stuff in the middle. Sui likes the white stuff-" Sui seems to like cheese, doesn't she? I decided I'd cook more dishes using cheese when I got the time.

"Seconds." ordered Fer as he finished his stir-fried sweet-and-sour Chinese miso ground meat over rice.

"Sui also wants more-." Oh, Sui-chan, too? I fed them some more cheese-filled chicken cutlets while I made another two servings of sweet spicy Chinese miso stir-fried ground meat rice bowl.

"They're ready." I said, handing over the the freshly-cooked stir-fry. While they were eating that I made some more Chinese sweet-and-sour miso stir-fry just for myself, cutting back on the amount of meat to just a cup-full.

I took a mouthful... the fried meat with sweet and sour sauce plus the eggplant made a delicious combination.

"Seconds here." Fer ordered. Shouldn't that be thirds? Whatever. Okay then, I pulled out some more cheese-filled chicken cutlets from my Item Box.

"Sui wants to eat something different this time, the ground-up fried meat filled with white stuff-"

"That's hamburger with cheese in. Is Sui wanting to eat that?"

"Yup. It's delicious, full of white stuff-" Sui really likes cheese.

"Well, just a little." I fried up some cheese-filled hamburger for her.

"Thanks, Aruji-" Sui-chan is definitely cute. Of course when Fer smelled the cheese-filled hamburger I cooked for her he wanted some too so I had to do it all over again and then when I smelled it myself... I made mine with ketchup, mixing it in the frying pan with the juices from the hamburger then I took a bite. Cheese-filled hamburger truly is Justice! Gulp.

Tuesday 8 May 2018

Ch 84 Tondemo Skill de Isekai Hourou Meshi

Ch 84 -- How 3 pieces of soap worth one copper coin was converted into 4 silver coins


I sat down with Lambert-san and Mary-san in the drawing room at the back of the store. It seemed that Mary-san was determined to be part of the discussion.

I listened as Lambert-san made it clear he wasn't going give in completely to his wife's wishes. He had decided he would give her a small area on the main shop, about two tatami mats in extent for her sales floor.

"I think that it should be larger, my esteemed husband doesn't understand it's the only place in town these goods will be on sale..." Mary-san says sorrowfully. However I understand Lambert-san's thinking. They are new products, totally different to the leather goods his store has been selling until now. It's a good idea to start small and see how they sell.

"Well, if the sales area is going to be so small does that mean you should limit the goods you sell too?" I suggested. I said that perhaps it would be better to agree to sell just three different things at first. I listed the possibilities -- two kinds of soap, the rinse-in shampoo, the shampoo plus conditioner and the hair wraps. What did they think would be the best ones to offer for sale, at least to start with?

"No, we shouldn't limit the number of items. We should sell all of them. " Mary-san leaned forward, speaking emphatically. "Don't you think so, dear?"

Pressured by Mary-san, Lambert-san could only reply "Ummm."

"Mukouda-san's goods are a woman's dream come true. I can't think of any woman who wouldn't want them." Mary-san said confidently, like a lady who is sure of her facts. "I've actually used them myself. I will promote them to my friends although when they see how I look they're going to ask me straight away how my hair achieved this smoothness and lustre, ho ho ho." Saying that, Mary-san stroked her hair again and again. Yeah yeah, I know, your hair is wonderful.

"That's why I believe that I should sell this soap for 4 silver coins." Mary-san said, pointing to the cheapest soap.

Huh? Mary-san, three pieces only cost me one copper coin, I thought to myself.

"Mary, is that not too expensive?" Lambert-san asked.

"You think so? I tried washing my hands with this soap. It foams up well and I think that smell is good if not so good as the scented soap I used in the bath." Mary-san tapped the package with the cheap soap on the table. "Recall the sort of soap we have used until now, dear. Even though it doesn't foam and its smell was unpleasant, it still cost three silver coins. "

"Oh, is that so?" I said, amazed.

"That's right. Considering how much better it is, I think that this product can sell for four silver coins. Really I think it's cheap at that price."

"Well, I suppose so..." Lambert-san was being completely overwhelmed by Mary-san's enthusiasm but he hesitated. "Of course, the price we sell for will depend on the price Mukouda-san will wholesale it to us. What are your thoughts on the subject, Mukouda-san?"

Huh? You're asking me? The wholesale price is up to me? Well I don't really know about that kind of thing but maybe 50% of the selling price is about right?

"Well, how about 2 silver coins?" I asked tentatively.

Lambert-san was surprised at my offer. "No no no, you mustn't give us preferential treatment. How about two silver coins and five copper coins? That's a wholesale price which is still very favorable to us."

What? Is it okay getting that much? If 3 pieces of soap bought for 1 piece of copper can be sold for 2 silver coins and 5 copper coins then I'm not going to complain.

"Well then, we'll settle on that." Two silver coins and five copper coins for three bars of cheap soap, wow. Easy money. Mary-san moved on to the scented soap.

"This soap is really fragrant and using it means you don't have to wear perfume afterwards. I think Mukouda-san said it costs a bit more. We should sell it for six silver coins. What do you think? "

"Well, for this soap, as Mary says, six silver coins looks to be a good price." Lambert-san agreed, staring at the soap on the table. "This pleasant scent adds value and besides it's the sort of thing nobles will want."

I thought that the rose fragrance soap would be a luxury item but it still only cost me 3 copper coins for three pieces. Could they really sell it for six silver coins?

"What would you want for the wholesale price for this soap, Mukouda-san?" Lambert-san inquired.

I thought quickly. Considering the price for the cheaper soap... "Well, how about 3 silver coins and 5 copper coins?"

"Is that enough profit for you?" Lambert-san asked in reply. Turning three copper coins into three silver coins and five copper coins was definitely profitable enough for me.

When I nodded "Yes" Lambert-san said "Thank you so much". Did Lambert-san think I was giving him preferential treatment even at that price? I wasn't sure but I decided to just let it go.

We settled on a wholesale price for the rinse-in shampoo of 4 silver coins with the selling price to be 7 silver coins. The shampoo and conditioner were to be sold as a set since they needed to be used together. The selling price was to be one gold coin, the wholesale price 6 silver coins. The customers would pay extra for the bottles the first time they bought it and then bring them back for a refill afterwards. Mary-san said she would add the price of the bottle, at cost, to the initial purchase. I bought these bottles locally so the extra cost didn't add to my profit margins but I was making so much anyway...

Mary-san held up the small jar with the hair wraps. "This particular item, I'd like to introduce it to only those who purchased the shampoo and conditioner set in order to make an extra rather than selling it separately. Having used it this way," she stopped to stroke her hair again, "It really makes my hair look beautiful like magic. With this effect in mind, I'm thinking about a price of 2 gold coins."

Cough cough... I nearly sprayed the tea that I had just drunk. She said "two gold coins"? I bought a pack of hair wraps for 8 copper coins and put them in two jars I got from the Net Super. So one jar and 4 copper coins of hair wraps and she's intending to sell that for 2 gold coins? Only I know how much they really cost but isn't that too much regardless?

"I know how effective these are in making hair beautiful so two gold coins is a good price." Mary-san emphasized. Still, two gold coins?

"This is a very special item, and this container is also wonderful with such clear glass which is included in this price." She went on, holding the glass jar up to the light. Oh I see, but the jars were cheap on the Net Super too. I decided to just accept her thinking and we decided that the wholesale price, including the Net Super jar would be a gold coin and two silver coins for each one.

"Let's sell these goods on a trial basis for the time being." Lambert-san announced once the wholesale prices had been agreed. Lambert-san intended to purchase larger amounts after seeing how they sell in his shop but for the time being he was going to buy 30 of each item (the shampoo and conditioner as a set) to begin with.

"Oh, Lambert-san and Mary-san, if possible, I'd like you to keep quiet about who you get these things from." Although I'm OK with selling them to Lambert-san I don't want to be bothered by other merchants and even noblemen if they found out who he got them from. That would be a pain.

"Of course, of course." Lambert-san reassured me. "I'm sure that these products will sell well. As long as you can wholesale them to me on an exclusive basis I'm not going to tell anyone else who I get them from."

"I see, a good supplier is a valuable asset for a merchant. I won't sell these items to anyone else." This arrangement would be good for both of us. I suddenly thought of something else.

"One thing, I won't always be in this town, is that going to be a problem? If I'm going to travel around I'll deliver as many products as possible before I go." Fer wants to go to the sea so I'll probably be leaving soon.

"That's fine." Lambert-san reassured me. "I'd only be buying these goods from you a few times a year. If you can let me know in advance when you're leaving I'll place an order beforehand." Lambert-san bought leather in bulk several times a year in the same way, placing orders and arranging collection well in advance. Planning ahead was a thing good merchants did as a matter of course.

"Well then, I'll go get your initial order ready and deliver it tomorrow." I said.

"Thank you." Lambert-san and Mary-san chorused as I left the shop.

Well, time to get busy, I thought to myself. I had to prepare the initial wholesale order for Lambert-san's shop. I wondered if I could supply the liquids in big bottles for delivery and they could refill the small bottles at the shop as trade picked up. Since bottles are to be priced separately, I felt it would be OK if I asked Lambert-san to do it that way. It would save me a lot of time and effort.

For the hair wraps, they were a special item so I  didn't think there would be that many to do... If I was in a hurry I could just put them all into a big jar and ask the Lamberts to refill the original hair wrap jars too. I still had to get that first wholesale order sorted out though. I'd talk to Lambert-san and Mary-san about how to speed up later deliveries after they had started selling the first batch.

On my way back to the inn I needed to drop by a grocery store and buy some more bottles.

Wednesday 2 May 2018

Ch 83 Tondemo Skill de Isekai Hourou Meshi

Ch 83 -- Lambert-san's Wife


Fer, Sui and I were having a relaxing breakfast in the courtyard of the inn when the landlady brought a boy aged about 13 or so to us.

"You have a visitor from Lambert Company." she said. I recognised the face of the boy when I looked closely, it was the lad I had seen assisting Lambert-san with his wagon on the way to Carerina.

"You see, the owner is waiting at the store ..." the boy seemed distracted by something. What's up? You're drooling, kid. I wondered if he was remembering the meal he had enjoyed while returning to town as he watched us eat. Okay then, growing kids have healthy appetites so your sempai here will treat you to breakfast.

"It's maybe a bit much for breakfast, but since you're young I think it'll be good for you." I said as I quickly grilled some Orc General meat pickled in miso, made a dish of Orc General miso-yaki-don, and passed it to him. The boy looked between my face and the miso-yaki-don, back and forth.

"Someone as young as you are will never get enough of something like this." I reassured him.

"Oh, it's that good, is it?" He was still unsure.

"I made it for you." I pushed the bowl at him.

"Oh, thank you!" The boy began gulping down Orc General Miso-yaki-don.

"Oh, it is tasty ..." he said, eating it with a happy face. Once he finished the bowl I gave him some roasted green hot tea. I warned him to blow on it before drinking since it was something he hadn't encountered before.

"The food was very delicious and this tea is also delicious. Thank you so much." the boy bowed to me in thanks. Yeah yeah, he's a pretty polite kid. Having to work for a living when you're his age, this other world is a tough place to grow up in. Work hard, kid and don't give up.

"Oh, the store owner is waiting for you..." the boy suddenly remembered why he had been sent to meet us.

Of course, Lambert-san wants me to call on him. I accompanied the boy to Lambert-san's store along with Fer and Sui.

* * * * *

Lambert-san hurried out to greet me as soon as I entered his store.

"Mukouda-san, you finally came, I'm saved..." he blurted, a relieved expression on his face. A woman suddenly appeared from behind Lambert-san. She was about 30 years old, a determined-looking beauty with long olive-brown hair put up in a complex style.

"Dear, you promised to introduce me," she said, elbowing him in the ribs.

"Oh, ah... Mukouda-san, this is my wife..." he stuttered. Pushing past Lambert-san, his wife took over.

"I am Lambert's wife, Mary. I am very pleased to make your acquaintance." she said, curtseying in her long skirt in a very refined manner.

"I owe much to Lambert-san so I am similarly pleased to meet you too." I replied, rather flustered as Mary-san slowly approached me, silently staring into my eyes.

"What is it?" My heart pounded as such a beautiful wife came close to me.

"You see, these items are..." She held out a basket containing the soap and rinse-in shampoo I had given to Lambert-san yesterday to try out. It turned out that Mary-san had noticed a nice smell from Lambert-san after he had a bath last night. Lambert-san had tried to conceal his use of the soap and shampoo because he was planning to surprise her with them on their wedding anniversary, but Mary-san would not be deterred from discovering the truth. Truly a determined lady.

"The fragrance of the soap the master of the household used while bathing was astounding." she explained. "There are no issues with hair loss in our family line so I said that I was fine with trying the hair treatments. I hadn't really bothered with taking care of my hair before now,  but when I saw how clean and glossy my lord and master's hair was after his bath I couldn't wait to try it. As you can see my hair is smooth and glossy too." She looked down shyly but I wondered, given her forcefulness and assertiveness before whether it was only an act. Her "lord and master" was clearly under her thumb... "I don't believe there is a woman anywhere who wouldn't wish for such hair too."

So it seemed I had guessed correctly, women liked such scented things but as a result of Mary-san's sensitive nose Lambert-san's plans were uncovered.

"I was really surprised when I tried the soap my husband had used." Mary continued excitedly. It seems the cheap soaps I bought at the Net Super were like high-class soaps in this world, they foam up well and leave a smooth feeling in the skin and the scent is superior too. The shampoos do a better job of cleaning and treating hair than just soap and water, the usual way to wash hair in this world.

Mary then held out a small jar, the one with the hair masks. "But this product is the truly amazing one." She stroked her long hair tenderly.

"When I heard that Mudouka-san told my lord and master that this item 'makes any type of hair look beautiful just like magic', I just had to use it immediately. After all the soap and shampoo were so wonderful how could I resist? When I actually used it..." She stroked her long hair repeatedly.

"Before, my hair had been dry and stiff and a great problem for me but now it is smooth and shiny and soooo soft..."

Mary-san was dreamily stroking her hair over and over again ...Mary-san, do you love your hair that much now?

"I was also surprised at this," Lambert-san explained, looking at his entranced wife with tender eyes. "Mary's hair has become impossibly smooth and glossy and it smells so wonderful too. She is even more beautiful than I could wish for."

Mary-san punched Lambert-san's arm lightly, saying "My darling..." and his cheeks reddened.

............ Normies, go figure.

"So then, actually..." Lambert-san seemed distracted by his affectionate wife cuddling up to him. I guessed I had a sale. So how much soap and shampoo and hair treatments will you buy for your wife then?

"Mukouda-san, will you please let me sell these items in my store?"

Huh...? Did Lambert-san just ask to sell these things in his own store? I blinked, had I misheard him? Lambert-san owns a leather goods shop, it's not somewhere that you'd expect to sell soaps and shampoos and the like.

"I understand your surprise Mukouda-san, I wasn't sure myself whether it was a good idea but..." Lambert-san looked over at his wife.

"You are still worried about that?" Mary-san interjected. "You don't understand. These items will be very popular and you're a merchant, aren't you? Are you going to let another shop get all the profits from their sale?"

She poked him in the arm again, all business now. "If you sell these items in the store all the aristocratic ladies as well as my friends and ordinary women and girls will come to buy them here." She stroked her hair again. "No woman who sees my hair could resist buying such items."

"But, we sell leather goods..." Lambert-san muttered.

"Yes dear, the store specialises in leather goods but you can allocate a small area to showcase Mukouda-san's goods. You don't have to have all of the stock on display at one time after all." Mary-san explained.

"Yes, that's true..." Lambert-san said, obviously thinking hard about it.

"If you don't want to sell them yourself, dear I will deal with those customers personally." Mary-san went on, pressing her attack.

"No, no, that's not it, ummm." Lambert-san sighed and then gave up, overwhelmed. "Very well, we'll do it your way. Mary, I entrust the selling of Mukouda-san's goods in our store to you."

Mary muttered "Heh heh heh, just watch me." as a greedy expression crossed her face. M-, Mary-san?

Lambert-san coughed. "Mukouda-san, will you please wholesale these goods to me?" Thank you Mary-san, I didn't want to sell these items to people directly. I don't have a shop and I didn't want to do any complicated customer service.

"Of course I will." I bowed to Mary-san. "I would appreciate it very much if you would sell my goods in your husband's shop."

"Thank you very much! It is very kind of you to agree!" Mary said happily. I couldn't refuse, could I, in the face of a woman's obsessive desire for beauty. To say no was, well, unthinkable.

"Well then, let's discuss the details in the back room." Mary-san said commandingly and Lambert-san and myself followed her there like obedient servants.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

[A short digression on plumbing in this world]

"Lambert-san, how do you drain the bath after use?" I was puzzled about how this world dealt with such things.

"The drainage is dealt with by a tank under the bathroom, buried in the ground." Lambert-san explained. "There is a magic tool inside the tank to purify the water held there. After the water is clean it is released through a drain pipe out into the river."

"Oh, so they have things like drain tanks and drains in this different world too..." Mukouda-san thought to himself.

"It's advisable to hire a user of earth magic to deal with such things when installing a bath in your home." Lambert-san went on.

"Oh, earth magic. Isn't it expensive if it's for that sort of complicated work, tanks and drains and such?"

"Yes of course. I hired an earth magic user to install the tank and its purifying magic tool. The final total including the bath itself was more than 500 gold coins..."

"500 gold coins, really?" I was amazed.

"Yes, it was a lot to spend but I have worked hard to provide such things for Mary, the love of my life."

"Ah, of course." I murmured. It probably will not be so expensive for me because I have Sui who has water magic and purifying water should be a snap for her especially since she's a Slime. Hooray for Sui-tan!