As it turned out, doing business wasn't as simple as Lu Wei had imagined.
Although the goods Old Joel had given him on credit weren't exactly obscure, and were mostly easy to sell, he hadn't sold a single item after setting up his stall at the town's free market all morning.
Judging from Lu Wei's business knowledge from his previous life, the problem must be with supply and demand.
After all, Blackmos Town was a typical "adventurer's town," with five general stores alone.
In addition, there were three weapon shops, two potion shops, and even a small auction house.
Compared to roadside stalls, the shops not only had standardized prices but also a full range of goods of good quality, so most adventurers would choose these places to buy equipment. In
short, consumers had too many choices. Therefore, Lu Wei's stall naturally had no competitive advantage. "Sigh, I'll eat something first." Looking at the blazing sun overhead, Lu Wei reluctantly put the goods back into his backpack and decided to fill his stomach first. After comparing prices, he went to a nearby food stall and bought the cheapest bowl of meat soup. Meat was almost nonexistent, but chickpeas and potatoes were plentiful. Two copper coins was a bargain; one couldn't ask for more. Holding his large wooden bowl, Lu Wei found a tree stump to sit on. He took out the black bread he'd bought that morning, tore it into small pieces, and dipped it in the meat broth to eat lunch. While eating, he pondered how to sell his goods. Clearly, the simplest way was to lower the price. But the problem was, his current prices were already very low. If he lowered them further, even if he sold them, there would be no profit. Therefore, he could only start with supply and demand. Since he couldn't sell them in town, he should try places where demand exceeded supply. Like a bottle of water. Worthless in the city, but easily sold in the desert, even fetching a high price. This is the change in commodity value caused by changes in supply and demand. And thinking about it carefully, there really seemed to be such a "desert" around Blackmos Town… Watching a small group of adventurers pass by, Lu Wei hesitated for a moment, finally making up his mind. He'd set off after lunch! To the Grand Forest! Setting up a stall in the treacherous forest doesn't seem like a wise choice, unless the customers are goblins and kobolds. However, Lu Wei didn't make this decision on a whim. First, since the Grand Forest is where most adventurers in the northern part of the kingdom begin their journey, it means the monsters there are very weak. This is indeed the case. According to the latest edition of the *Grand Forest Adventure Handbook* in Blackmos Town, most of the monsters in the forest are low-level creatures like goblins, kobolds, tree spirits, and giant spiders. Although there are also bear goblins and trolls, they only appear deep within the forest. Therefore, staying on the outskirts, while not absolutely safe, isn't too dangerous. Moreover, risk and reward go hand in hand. After all, the first sentence of the *Grand Forest Adventure Handbook* is— [In the forest, what often takes your life isn't monsters, but getting lost!] For many newcomers, finding their way in a forest with extremely similar scenery is very difficult. And if they unfortunately get lost and run out of supplies, their situation becomes extremely precarious. In this situation, a suddenly appearing freelance merchant is practically an angel. Those lost souls would surely be willing to empty their pockets for a loaf of bread or a roll of bandages. "That's what a real shrewd merchant does." "Perhaps I could expand my guiding business." Half an hour later, Lu Wei stood in the small square in the town center, carefully selecting his first customer. Adventurer parties usually have one experienced member, making the need for a guide very low. Therefore, Lu Wei's target was those solo travelers with seemingly good equipment. Soon, after some observation, he locked onto a young human with blond hair, wearing brand-new leather armor, hesitating in front of the notice board. "Hello, do you need a guide?" Time was precious, so Lu Wei stepped forward and got straight to the point: "I'm a resident of Blackmoss Town and very familiar with the Grand Forest. I can take you to the outskirts of the forest." "A guide... great! I just need a guide!" The blond youth turned around and agreed happily without hesitation. Huh? He agreed already? Did he think he was offering a free service? Lu Wei paused for a moment, then whispered a reminder: "Uh, you might have misunderstood. I do charge money." "Huh? I know I charge." " ...Then won't you ask about the price?" "Oh, so how much is the guide fee?" "Ten coins..." The price he had already prepared was on the tip of his tongue, but Lu Wei suddenly hesitated, tentatively changing his answer:
"Twenty copper coins, is that alright?"
"No problem, a very reasonable price."
The blond youth agreed immediately without any intention of haggling, then eagerly asked,
"When do we set off?"
"..."
Confirmed!
He's definitely the rich man's foolish son!
Lu Wei flashed a bright smile: "Anytime, as long as you're ready."
The blond youth nodded excitedly: "Ready! I was ready five years ago."
"Five years ago..."
"That's right, that day I had just finished reading 'The Poem of Netheril.'"
"Is it a novel?"
"Yes, from that day on, I vowed to become a great warrior."
"Good luck... By the way, I haven't asked your name yet."
"Fren, but I gave myself a nickname."
The blond youth said proudly, in a very childish way:
"The Golden Dawn Piercing the Darkness!"
...
...
First of all, giving himself a nickname is awkward enough.
Secondly, it's a short phrase of nine characters.
Such an embarrassing act reminded Lu Wei of the scene when he was a child, standing on his bed, raising his right fist, and shouting "Ultraman, transform!"
"You've been reading too many fantasy novels..."
But from another perspective, the only person who would so easily believe the heroic tales in novels and remain "unwavering in their original aspirations" for five years is probably a pampered rich young master.
After all, anyone can have dreams, but "persisting in one's dreams" is often a privilege reserved for the wealthy.
"Are you from Kalin Port?"
On the way to the town gate, Lu Wei secretly glanced at the family crest on Fren's chest.
A combination of scales and a two-masted sailing ship.
The latter indicated that Fren was most likely from Kalin Port.
The former suggested that his family was involved in maritime trade.
"Yes... By the way, how big is the Gran Forest?"
Fren seemed reluctant to discuss his background, answering briefly before abruptly changing the subject.
So, you secretly ran away from home?
"I'm not entirely sure either, I only know that if you cross over there, you can go directly to Seaview Fortress."
Lu Wei shook his head. "There was a merchant guild that wanted to open a trade route in the forest before, but unfortunately they didn't succeed."
"Why? Was it because of the monster attacks?"
Furen suddenly became interested again, clearly more interested in this kind of thing.
"Hmm... probably."
Lu Wei tried hard to recall some rumors that his former master had heard.
"At first, things went quite smoothly. The merchant guild recruited many professionals and orc laborers, planning to build a dirt road from north to south large enough to carry horse-drawn carriages." "
But about two months later, everyone suddenly withdrew."
"The guild said it was due to a shortage of funds, so the plan was temporarily shelved."
"However, it's been several years now, and there's still no sign of progress."
"Many people say the real reason is that there's an elven tribe in the forest..."
"An elven tribe!"
Before Lu Wei could finish speaking, Furen suddenly interrupted excitedly, "Are there really elves in the Gran Forest?"
"Uh, some people say they've seen them, but no one has ever brought back any elven-related spoils."
Lu Wei shook his head: "So they're probably mistaken, maybe goblins or something dressed up."
"I see."
Furen muttered somewhat dejectedly, "It's strange, how could anyone confuse goblins with elves?"
What's so strange about that? Anyone can brag.
In his previous life, someone even claimed to have seen a dragon.
Lu Wei glanced at Furen, increasingly feeling that his skull would soon become a goblin's meal.
Born into a wealthy family, blond, passionate and innocent, fascinated by elves, and likely with the life goal of slaying dragons...
While such characters are often protagonists in bard stories, in reality they usually don't survive more than three days.
Hmm... but that could just be my own stereotype.
After all, he's been preparing for five years; he must know some basic adventure knowledge and skills.
Looking at the deerskin scabbard and exquisite hilt on Furen's back, Lu Wei felt slightly relieved, thinking that the former shouldn't die easily.
Furen, however, was completely unaware of his worries, and continued to ask with a face full of curiosity:
"By the way, how do goblins reproduce? Are there female goblins?"
"Do kobolds really have dragon blood? Their heads clearly look like lizards, so why are they called kobolds?"
"Also, do tree spirits need to eat? Or is sunbathing enough?"
"..."
Lu Wei: ???
So what exactly have you been preparing for these past five years?