ITSUJITA ~ C9: The value of a match is

 

 

Chapter 9: The value of a match is

 

"Bro, what's that?　How did you do that?

 

The young man is shocked.

He was shouting so loudly that even passersby stopped and looked at us.

If it were in Japan, they would surely suspect me as a fraud.

 

"Please, show me one more time!"

 

"Sure."

 

I extinguish the lit match in my hand and take out another one from the box.

 

"Please observe."

 

"Ooooh!"

 

I rub the tip of the matchstick against the side of the box and light it.

 

This time, the passersby are also watching and screaming.

Most of them are adventurers, but some of them look like a merchant.

 

"What the hell is that?"

 

"You just rubbed it, and it lit up, didn't it?　Right?　Right?"

 

"How did you do that?　Is that magic?"

 

"You fool. Who uses magic to make a fire? This guy just used that tool to start a fire."

 

"Bullshit! I've never seen or heard of such a tool!"

 

"I just saw it with my own eyes!"

 

And so on...

 

The match had caused a small commotion.

 

"Hey bro, can I also... use that to light fire?"

 

The young adventurer asks me with a serious face.

I nod my head.

 

"Yes. Of course, you can. Look here. The tip of this stick is red, isn't it? This red part is coated with flammable chemicals, and it is made so that it will catch fire when rubbed against the rough file part of this box."

 

"Would you like to try it?"

 

"Oh, is it okay!?"

 

"It's okay. You have to try it yourself. Feel free to try it."

 

"Isn't it going to cost me some money?"

 

"Ahaha, I won't take your money just for this small demo. Come on, give it a try."

 

I hand the matchstick and box to the young man.

The young man holds a matchstick with his trembling hands and rubs it.

 

"...... really lit up. I can light a fire too!"

 

"Uuuuoooooooh～～～～～～～～～～!!!"

 

The screaming started again.

Though it doesn't sound like a scream anymore, it was more like a cheer.

 

"Anyone else wants to try it?"

 

I asked, and everyone answered immediately.

 

"Me!"

 

I gave them matchsticks and asked them to light them in turn.

Some of them couldn't light the match on the first try, or the matchstick broke, but they can light the match on the second or third try.

In other words, everyone here just experienced the usefulness of matches.

 

"It's amazing how easy it is to make a fire......."

 

The young adventurer is so impressed that he is trembling.

I quickly give him a sales talk.

 

"Doesn't it take a long time to start a fire with flint?

 

"Yeah. Yes, you're right, bro. I'm not very good with flint because I have a short temper. However, I don't have enough money to buy fire magic tools.

 

The young adventurer nodded at my words.

 

"That's right. But with this match, anyone can easily make a fire. There are 40 matches in this small box. 800 matches in the big box. How about one? I'm sure it will be useful for your adventures."

 

The young man gulps.

And then...

"As you said, that match would make my adventure much easier. But ... how much do you sell? It's so convenient. Isn't it expensive?"

 

　Finally, the question I had been waiting for has come.

　The same question was written on the faces of the people gathered in front of my stall.

I moved my face closer to the young man's.

 

"How much do you think it cost?

 

I dared to ask him.

I wanted to measure the value of the match in this world by asking him to guess the price.

 

It's so convenient, and ...... it even has chemicals on the tip, right?　So it's more expensive than flint, isn't it?"

 

When I looked around the market yesterday, the cheapest flint ignition set was 50 copper coins (5,000 yen). The most expensive was 2 silver coins (20,000 yen).

Maybe it's because they are indispensable tools for life and adventure, but they seem to be reasonably priced.

 

"I guess so..."

 

The young man pointed to the small pack of 40 matches.

 

"This little box contains 40 sticks of Matches, right?"

 

"Yes. That's right."

 

"Then it cost at least 40 copper coins, right?"

 

I see.

So the adventurers thought that each stick was worth a copper coin.

As proof of this, the other adventurers in this place were nodding their heads in agreement.

But on the other hand, the town residents, especially the housewives, have dark expressions on their faces.

It's as if they can't afford the price the young adventurer mentioned.

Well, this is where the game begins.

 

There are two primary business methods: selling valuable things at a high price or selling a lot of cheap things.

In the first method, the amount of money per transaction is large, but the number of buyers is limited due to the high price.

In the second method, many people can buy, but the profit margin of each item is small.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

The one I chose is...

 

 

"Too bad, wrong guess. The small ones are 4 copper coins each, and the big box of 800 matches is normally priced at 55 copper coins, but for three days only, I'm offering them at a special price of 40 copper coins!"

 

The young man immediately shouted at my words, which sounded like a presenter in a mail-order TV show.

 

"Sold!"

 

[Current amount of money]

0 gold coins

1 silver coins

52 copper coins

 

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