NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23
Rey, the young noble, bit into the chocolate with a small, eager bite. His tiny mouth moved as he chewed, clearly savoring the sweetness and aroma of the chocolate.
The guards surrounding Rey watched him with concern, but they seemed to relax slightly once they realized there was no immediate issue.
“This is amazing!”
“I’m glad it pleases you.”
Though his speech was slightly muffled, likely because the chocolate hadn’t fully melted in his mouth, Rey expressed his enjoyment of the treat.
“Rey-sama, it’s impolite to speak with your mouth full.”
One of the guards, noticing Rey’s excitement, gently reprimanded him. Meanwhile, people in the 13th area, curious about the commotion, began to gather around.
(It seems Earth’s sweets are a hit here too.)
Whether it’s Western-style or traditional Japanese, there’s a vast variety of sweets on Earth. If I have the time, I might travel around and collect them.
“How much for a box?”
“We sell a box of eight chocolates for 30,000 gold.”
I bowed slightly and informed him of the price. This high-end chocolate would sell for about 5,000 yen in Japan.
While there were more expensive options, I decided to start with one of the most popular items in the store to gauge interest.
“30,000 gold for this? That’s quite reasonable.”
“We’re offering it at a special price to introduce chocolate to a broader audience.”
“Really? Then I’ll buy them all. I’d like to give them to my father, mother, sister, and other acquaintances.”
Rey then looked at one of his guards, signaling him to make the payment.
“…Are you sure you want to spend this much?”
“Don’t worry about it. Consider it payment for surprising me.”
The small pouch handed over by the guard contained about 500,000 gold.
I had prepared ten boxes of chocolate, so the total should be around 300,000 gold, but Rey paid 500,000 gold upfront.
(That’s some impressive financial sense, as expected of a noble.)
It seemed that after tasting the chocolate, Rey became interested in other items on display and began asking for explanations about them.
His curiosity was pure and childlike, and he could become a valuable customer in the future. So, I carefully explained each item.
***
“And what’s in this paper bag?”
With the power of nobility on display, Rey ended up purchasing almost everything I explained, spending over a million gold by now.
In Asphiar, gold, the common currency, has a similar value to Japanese yen.
For example, the pork skewers sold in the first area cost 700 gold per skewer, which is roughly the same price as at a Japanese festival. This made it easy for me to understand the value of things here.
So, in terms of Japanese currency, it’s like a middle school-aged boy spending about a million yen at a slightly upscale festival stall.
“These are trading cards. Each paper bag contains five random cards. The cards are used in a game where players compete using decks of 40 or more cards. The detailed rules are in this booklet…”
“I’ll buy all of them too.”
“…Thank you for your purchase.”
Speaking of card games, I already knew this world had playing cards.
I assume some Earthling brought playing cards here, which is why the concept of card games is already established, making it easier to explain the M◯G game.
That said, I’m not very knowledgeable about trading cards myself, so I also sell an official rulebook alongside the card packs.
Even with some basic understanding, trading card games can be quite complex.
For example, in M◯G, there are various colored magics with different traits, a mana cost system, abilities unique to each card, and a rich backstory woven into the game.
Even among identical cards, there are variations in illustrations and rarity.
To be honest, even as the seller, I haven’t memorized all the rules. That’s why I sell the rulebook, but having someone buy the cards without question makes me feel a bit conflicted.
“Wow, these illustrations are beautiful.”
Rey opened one of the card packs he had just purchased and quickly glanced at the five cards inside.
“…To think five cards with such artwork cost only 3,000 gold.”
“Is this another special price? If so, I might buy a pack as a souvenir.”
The guards surrounding Rey also looked at the cards in awe.
(Yeah, these wouldn’t sell at all in my original world.)
A pack costing 3,000 yen would be considered overpriced and might even become a topic of controversy. But in this world, values are fundamentally different.
Food, for instance, is similarly priced to Japan. In fact, food in Asphiar might even be cheaper.
On the other hand, precious metals like gold and silver are cheaper here, but books and paintings can skyrocket in price.
Given this, trading cards with beautiful illustrations might actually be considered a bargain in this world…