“Tort-sama, it has been quite some time! I am so glad to see you are doing well.”
“You as well, Luranna-san. It looks like the hamburger shop is thriving.”
“Yes, thanks to you. The profits owed to you have piled up considerably, so please do stop by Garond when you have a moment.”
“Ah, right...”
Technically, I was the owner of the hamburger shop. I didn't actually do anything for the business, so it was mostly a title, but I still received a small percentage of the profits as my share. Since I hadn’t set foot in Garond since we started, it seemed a tidy sum was waiting for me.
Luranna-san and I were currently in a private room within the local Merchant Guild.
While the Merchant Guilds of different nations were independent organizations, the ties between them were apparently quite strong. I had heard that one could receive a fair amount of leeway at a guild located in a friendly nation. In fact, Luranna-san had negotiated with this branch specifically to secure this room for us.
The other members of my party were currently out on their own, using the free time to gather information. Specifically, we wanted to know more about the lands to the east. I suspected there was something out there that Garnalava was concerned about, but at the moment, we were still in the dark.
“Are you planning to open a branch of the hamburger shop here in Berhes as well?” I asked.
“Yes. I have already finalized the arrangements. Since we will be hiring local staff, my next steps are recruitment and training.”
“Does that mean you’ll be staying here for a while?”
“It does. And since I am here anyway, I was hoping to find some new business ideas...”
Luranna-san looked at me with a mischievous smirk. It felt as though she viewed me as a business opportunity that had just walked through her door. She clearly had high expectations, but I wondered if I actually had any ideas that could turn a profit.
“But first, let us take care of your business, Tort-sama. You mentioned needing iron? How much are we talking about?”
“The amount, huh... If I make the whole thing out of solid iron, it’ll be too heavy, so I’ll make the interior hollow...”
I tried to calculate the necessary volume in my head, but giving her a specific weight was difficult. It would be a problem if I ran short, but since I could just keep any excess in my Storage Ring, I decided to request a generous amount.
“I see. Understood. I believe I can have that arranged within a few days. I will simply deduct the cost from your accumulated profits.”
The amount of iron I requested was substantial, yet Luranna-san accepted the order without a hint of hesitation. Even in a foreign country, her reach was impressive.
“Does that conclude your business, Tort-sama?”
“Yes, that’s everything.”
“Then, in exchange, please keep me company for some small talk. Oh, you do not need to worry about the business side of things. Just tell me about what you have become capable of since we last met.”
Despite her smile, I felt a staggering intensity radiating from Luranna-san. It was as if her sheer determination to extract a profitable idea from me had manifested as a physical weight pressing against my chest.
I felt a bead of sweat form. If I couldn't provide a lucrative idea, would she even let me leave? I knew she wasn't a tyrannical person, but the pressure was just that intense.
Fortunately, my concern turned out to be unnecessary.
“T-This is far more than I expected! So much has happened, I do not even know where to begin!”
For the time being, I focused the conversation on the things I had become able to do with magic, and Luranna-san seemed more than satisfied. Indeed, as I recounted my journey, I realized there were quite a few things that could serve as "business ideas."
Sugar refining using Special Clean. Carbonating beverages with Special Air Jet. Precision molding using Create Golem. Each of these was a potential gold mine on its own, and the potential for further application was endless. In Luranna-san’s hands, they would surely be put to good use.
However, there was a snag.
“But I think these rely on the Creativity skill. I wasn't able to do them well before I acquired it.”
“That is a bottleneck. If only you can perform them, Tort-sama, it cannot be scaled into a proper business. However... you are capable of producing Enchanted Magic Tools, correct?”
“I can, but... I can’t make them in large quantities.”
I could reproduce my magic within an Enchanted Magic Tool, but a Repeatable Type consumed a massive amount of mana. I couldn't make more than a few in a day. When it came to the arranged version of Create Golem, my mana pool wasn't even deep enough to create it as a Repeatable Type in the first place.
“In that case, could you produce ten Enchanted Magic Tools for Special Clean and ten for Special Air Jet?”
“Well, if it's only that many...”
Personally, I enjoyed seeing the world's cuisine become more diverse, so I was happy to cooperate with technologies that helped achieve that. Since I had discussed this with Luranna-san before, she had likely predicted I would be willing to help. She really was sharp.
After that, we ironed out the specifics. The price for the magic tools was set at one Large Silver Coin each. In exchange, I insisted on a condition of absolute secrecy—she was never to reveal who had crafted them. Since I was the only person capable of making them, things would get incredibly tedious if my identity got out.
To top it off, she agreed to provide spices and ingredients unique to Berhes as part of my reward. I planned to browse the markets myself later, but having a professional merchant source the best goods was a far more reliable way to fill my pantry.