63. A Move for Information Gathering?

Even though we’d just gained new companions, we were putting our usual adventurer activities on hold for the day. That didn’t mean we were taking a break, though; I suppose you could call this the "information-gathering phase."

Our immediate priority was twofold: obtaining the ingredients for the medicine to complete Spira’s spiritification, and finding clues regarding the Wingfolk and the location of their village.

Regarding the medicine, we were still missing two key ingredients.

The first was the Eternal Dream Flower. It was a phantom blossom said to bloom only once every hundred years. While a century was an exaggeration, the fact that it only appeared once every few decades seemed to be true. Records indicated it had once bloomed on a mountain north of Garond. Since the blooming season was fast approaching, I planned to head there and investigate when the time was right.

The second ingredient was a material harvested from a specific monster. However, it was a creature far beyond our current ability to defeat, so we had no choice but to wait for materials to pop up on the market after being slain by someone else. Lowell was currently out looking for leads on that front.

As for the rest of us, we intended to hunt for clues about the Wingfolk. Our method of choice? A food stall.

Soy sauce was a seasoning familiar to the Wingfolk. If we ran a stall and served dishes featuring soy sauce—with Halfa acting as our server—the news might eventually reach their ears. Even if we didn't attract a Wingfolk directly, anyone else who recognized the flavor could provide us with a vital lead.

The plan seemed solid, but getting it off the ground was proving to be a struggle. I’d spoken with an old man running a stall in the plaza, and he told me that all vendors fell under the jurisdiction of the Merchant Guild. You weren't allowed to set up shop without registering first. On the bright side, it seemed they would let you rent the equipment for a mobile stall once your application was approved.

The catch was the cost. Opening a stall required a monthly guild fee of five silver coins. That was actually quite a steep hurdle. Most stall food only cost a few copper coins per serving. Five silver coins converted to five hundred coppers. Even if we sold our food for five coppers a pop and completely ignored the cost of ingredients, we’d have to sell a hundred servings just to cover the guild fee. If we were doing this every day, it might be feasible, but doing it sporadically for information gathering almost guaranteed a deficit. I was planning to make meat skewers with a sweet and spicy glaze, which required relatively expensive sugar. The overhead was only going to go up from there.

Well, what should I do? I turned to Halfa and Shiroru, who were accompanying me, to see what they thought.

"I want to try it! Your cooking is delicious, Tort, so I’m sure it’ll be a hit!"

『I’ll help too! And since I’m helping, you have to let me eat!』

Halfa was enthusiastic. Shiroru, on the other hand... was just being a glutton. If I factored in how much Shiroru was likely to eat, making a profit felt even more impossible.

Then again, to be honest, did we actually need to make a profit? Not really. Back when I was a slave, I never imagined I’d be able to say something like this, but I wasn't exactly hurting for money. I could afford to sell at cost and operate at a loss if it meant getting the information we needed.

The only real concern was pricing. If I set the prices too low, I might end up undercutting the other vendors and causing trouble for the local market. However, even if I only added a small margin to the cost of materials, my prices would still likely be higher than the other stalls, so I probably didn't need to worry about it too much.

"Alright, then. Shall we head over to the Merchant Guild?"

"Yeah!"

『Lead the way!』

The Merchant Guild was located near the center of the Royal Capital. It was an area adjacent to the Noble District, populated by the wealthier tiers of the commoner class. Fortunately, there were still enough people who looked like adventurers around that we didn't feel entirely out of place.

The guild interior was bustling. I assumed most of them were merchants, though they spanned the entire social spectrum—from "big shots" in fine silks to petty traders in frayed, threadbare clothes.

We ignored the crowds and headed straight for the reception desk. An efficient-looking woman took charge of us.

"Oh, hello there. What business brings you to our guild today?"

"We're here to apply for a food stall permit..."

"I see. Why don't you step this way for a moment?"

The woman guided us to a lounge area. The guild was filled with these little nooks equipped with tables and sofas, presumably designed for quiet business negotiations.

Once Halfa and I were settled on a sofa, the receptionist sat down across from us. Shiroru promptly curled up into a ball on my lap.

I waited for the conversation to start, but the woman seemed to be completely mesmerized by Shiroru. I couldn't blame her; he was a master of enchanting fluffiness. I knew the feeling well.

"Um..."

"Oh, my apologies! Right, the food stall."

She gave a small cough to compose herself and began the explanation.

"To operate a stall, you must register with the Merchant Guild and pay a usage fee. The fee is five silver coins per month. This must be paid in advance each month, and please note that we do not offer refunds if you decide to stop partway through. However..."

She trailed off, her eyes scanning us. She was clearly gauging our reaction.

It was likely due to our appearance—or rather, our age. Normally, a five-silver-coin fee would be a massive burden for children. Even if they could scrape the money together, running a profitable business was hard work. A sensible adult would probably try to talk us out of it.

"It’s fine. Despite how we look, we’re actually C-Rank adventurers."

I produced my adventurer’s plate along with the silver coins. That should be enough to prove that a potential deficit wouldn't leave us starving in the streets.

"My, you really are. I don't think I’ve ever seen a C-Rank so young. Is the young lady one as well?"

"I am!" Halfa said, proudly holding up her own plate.

The receptionist let out a long, weary sigh. "You certainly are promising. Well, if that’s the case, I’ll proceed with the paperwork, but..."

She stopped again, looking at us with her brow furrowed in a concerned slant. She seemed to be hesitating.

"I know it’s a bit of a breach of etiquette to ask this, but... why a food stall? If you’re C-Rank adventurers, you could earn far more through your usual work than you ever will selling food."

She had a point. From a purely financial perspective, adventuring was much more lucrative. Unless we were planning to retire, there was no obvious reason for us to be doing this—and we were far too young to be retiring.

Still, there was no reason to hide our motives. In fact, if we wanted to find leads on the Wingfolk, it was better to be open about it. For all I knew, this woman might have some information herself.

I gave her a brief explanation of the situation, including Halfa’s background.

"I see, so that’s it. I have heard of soy sauce before. A traditional Wingfolk seasoning, wasn't it? I must admit, I’m quite interested myself."

The woman’s eyes suddenly took on a sharp glint.

The soft, professional impression she’d given off until now vanished in an instant. Suddenly, I felt a wave of pressure, as if I were sitting across from a predator.

"If you're starting a food stall, that implies you’ve secured a steady supply of this soy sauce, correct? Don't tell me... does the young lady know the secret to its production?"

"I don't know how to make it," Halfa replied. "Tort just creates the soy sauce with magic."

"...Ho. With magic, you say? How fascinating. Please, do tell me more about that."

She was hooked—completely and utterly.

Wait, weren't we here to talk about a food stall permit?