NOVEL NEXT Chapter 113: Negotiation and Realizing the True Value of Money
I went to the guild and gave them all the information they wanted, of course with a few things hidden since I would never mention the kiss I had with Ylya, or all that perverted stuff with Arial, among other things.
Since S-Rank cores are a step above A-Rank, I don't need to notify the guild for the sale; I just need to go to someone specialized to buy them! And that's exactly what I decided to do!
As soon as I finished giving my report to the guild about the dungeon and updated the information on my adventurer card, I went looking for someone to sell the S-Rank core.
And luckily, I found someone quickly. He's a noble directly linked to my father's kingdom, and as such, he can offer me a great price if I negotiate well! On another great piece of news, Ylya and Syl'Vyr reached Rank B at the guild, and so did I!
The fact that we survived that situation boosted our standing, so now all three of us are B-Rank adventurers, which is undoubtedly great!
And now I'm in one of this noble's mansions to sell the core! Eve and Syl'Vyr are in the next room while I'm here in front of this guy who is a bit strange, but that's fine.
He's a strong man with red eyes and black hair. He has a thin, somewhat tired-looking face with a calm and focused gaze, very pale skin, and visible fangs when he opens his mouth.
He's dressed in a black suit that's a bit too ceremonial for my taste, and his physical characteristics make it obvious that he is a [Vampiric Demon], which is interesting.
"So you're the one who was looking for me... I'm Ernes Yliord," he says while observing me analytically. I found him when I was asking around the city where I could find someone to buy monster items outside the guild, someone legitimate.
"Yes! I'm Evelyn Ashcroft, and I want to sell an S-Rank water elemental core! It's in perfect condition and it's a drop from a Naiad-type Nymph!" I say hurriedly.
He isn't surprised by the S-Rank part, but he is surprised when I say it's from a nymph.
"Perfect condition, you say? And it's a nymph's core..." He strokes his chin thoughtfully.
"For how much would you sell this to me?" He asks a dangerous question here.
'If I say a low price, he'll agree to buy it and I'll be at a loss... but if I say a price that's too high, he'll know I don't know anything and will negotiate until he can buy it for much cheaper than it's worth...' I think about the value I want for it.
To begin with, it's not uncommon for strong bosses to drop more than one core, but I don't want to reveal the other core, so I'll negotiate based solely on the price of a single core.
Because the existence of two cores would make the value drop a little. Even if I'm not going to sell the second one, the mere fact that it exists here would lower the value, and since he doesn't know I have two, I have the advantage.
"I want a thousand Dadyon coins or 2 million gold coins!!" I say with confidence. A thousand Dadyon coins are equivalent to 100 million dollars.
And 2 million gold coins are equivalent to 200 million dollars. In this world where the symbolism of the currency holds value, even though the amount in Dadyon is less valuable in numerical terms, its noble symbolism has value in itself.
'Hold on... something doesn't add up here... OH MY GOD!! LAPLACE PAID ME 30 MILLION GOLD COINS!!!?' I finally realize the insanity of the absurd amount of money Laplace paid me for the escort mission. I knew it was a lot, but I forgot that this world uses a different monetary scale.
Laplace paid me 30 million gold coins; that's equivalent to 3 billion dollars. With his stupid joke, Laplace made me "rich," and I hadn't realized it until now because I forgot they are two different monetary values.
And with that, I realize I'm asking for an absurdly low price for the S-Rank core, because nobles would pay much more for it.
I look at the noble in front of me, realizing the foolishness of the price I proposed. It's WAY too low, so I quickly invent something to change it.
"Of course, that's the price only a stupid fool would ask for! However, the price that a beautiful and intelligent negotiator like me wants is 60 thousand Dadyon! No negotiation," I say with inflated confidence. 60 thousand Dadyon is equivalent to 6 billion dollars.
'If we calculate this world's money using the dollar exchange rate, a rich person in this world would have between 100 and 600 billion dollars...' I feel like I'm going to faint as I correctly calculate how this world's economy works.
Because if a rich person has 100 to 600 billion dollars, then the richest people in this world have money above a trillion, which equals the entire economy of planet Earth.
'My god, how could I be so stupid... I almost sold the S-Rank core for almost nothing just because I forgot we don't use dollars, yen, or any other Earth money in this world.' In the modern world, the dollar is a very stable currency, so people often use it for comparison.
But in this fantasy world, money works differently. Beyond the currency's value, its symbolism matters, and that's why even though 60 thousand Dadyon coins are worth 600 Cryan Obsidian coins, few would accept the exchange.
Because Cryan Obsidian has an absurd symbolic value, and symbolic value is something nobles and important people highly prize.
"60 thousand Dadyon, you say?" he says, hearing the number I stated.
"I want to see the core," he says with a certain coldness but doesn't refuse the value, indicating that I made a relatively correct offer. I take the core out of my storage ring, and his eyes gleam.
"The quality... is impressive. Most S-Rank cores are depleted because of the fight to kill the boss..." he says, taking the core in his hand and analyzing it.
"I'll take it..." He doesn't even try to negotiate, which makes me uncertain if I could have charged more, but I won't be too greedy when I'm someone who doesn't have that much money.
Adding the 30 million gold coins I received from Laplace's payment to the 60 thousand Dadyon, I have a total of 9 billion dollars. It's not something that makes me "rich" in this world, but it's an amount that places me above any commoner.
And considering the monetary value and the symbolism of the currency, me having 60 thousand Dadyon would make me a mid-level noble. Meaning, I'm not considered a financially powerful noble, but I am a noble who cannot be underestimated by those at the same level.
"That's it?" I ask, somewhat confused that we're already done.
"Yes, I am someone who makes quick and brief deals. After you, I have to see 12 more people, so I can't spend more than an hour with each person," he says as if it's all just business.
"Ah... I see. Where's the contract?" I ask as he hands me a sheet of paper and a pen. I read it briefly and see it's just a simple sales contract with no extra or harmful clauses.
I quickly sign the paper; I just want to get out of here and go enjoy the small fortune I just discovered I have.
"Your money will be deposited within 12 hours, which is the time I'll spend attending to the others before notifying the bank to make the transfers," he says, placing the core into his own storage ring.
"One question, Ernes... how do you know about the core's quality?" I ask, confused, since it could be a scam.
"I have a skill for it. Besides, the price you offered was relatively fair; it's within the average market value. Although, if you had sold it at a black market auction, you could have gotten up to 10 times the value," he says with a smile.
'...'
"It's not worth the risks." I don't want my father knowing about that kind of thing. If the Demon King found out I was selling expensive stuff there, I could have problems.
"Of course. Then I wish you good luck... and if you have a second core, you can sell it to me," he says as if he knows I have one, but it's just a bluff.
"If only I had one, right? After all, I'd want more money!" I say with a satisfied smile, happy to realize I have quite a bit of money. Strangely, it gives me a sense of peace in my heart.
Along with a strange desire to hide the money. My bank card shows numbers based on the money I have and its source, so when I use the card, people know if I'm paying with Dadyon, gold coins, or any other currency I use.
That way, if I go to the bank, I can withdraw the money. I know the money is safer in the bank, but I really want to take some out and hide it somewhere; it's just a strange, sudden desire to hoard.
But I quickly dismiss this cloud of desire. I won't waste time on that! I need to think about what I'm going to do and create my new puppet.
"Well, I'll be leaving now. It was good doing business with you," I say my goodbyes politely with a slight bow and a small lift of my skirt, a reflex of the noble etiquette I've seen and copied.
"Of course... close the door on your way out," he says with a slight nod as I can barely contain my excitement.