Chapter 32: Haggling
Lysander walked back to the herbal shop, and opened the door, once he reached it. There was no one inside, yet, the potion's fumes were everywhere. He looked around, and decided to ring the bell on the counter. Soon, the same lady as before came.
"Huh, where is the blonde?" She asked, instead of greeting him.
"He is helping a satyr sell strawberries," Lysander said. He didn't know why she would care. In his experience, everyone who cared too much for children, when they weren't their own, was someone to be avoided.
"Well, I take it, you came in here to sell? What herbs do you have?" She asked.
Lysander took out a cluster of dried angel's tear, and some dried angel's tear fruits, and placed them on the counter.
"I have much, but just see the quality first, ma'am, and see if you want to buy the rest," he said, as respectful as one can be. The woman picked up the dried herbs, and placed them to her nose.
"Oh, these were purified by mana. How much do you want for them?" Lysander blinked. What he was doing was purifying. He thought that he had simply dried them. Wait, why didn't the shopkeeper not comment like this the last time?
"I am just a child," he said, careful to make himself as small as possible. This was a shop, where the owner knew his secret. If he wasn't careful, the priests at the temple might begin to yell for his blood. "So, I don't presume to give the price."
"Quite right. Yet, you will be swindled out of your top quality herbs if you do not. How about this, you tell me how many such bundles, and how many bags of fruit, you have, and I will tell you how much I'll pay for them, and throw in a book on potion brewing," Lysander's eyes went wide at that.
A book on potion brewing? This was too good to be true. Most master craftsmen guarded their techniques and secrets with their lives.
"But why? I mean, you don't owe me anything," Lysander asked.
"I am not in the business of robbing children," she said with a shrug. Lysander then quickly began to take out all the angel's tear bundles of herbs, as the shop owner began to ruffle through them. The counter disappeared under all the bundles. And this was not even half of what Lysander had for sale.
"As you can see, they are all dried," Lysander said. He wondered if she couldn't get better deals with fresh ones. Yet, angel's tear bloomed in autumn. The fruits were very bitter, during the spring. So, if she wanted to make something out of this herb, she needed to pick it up during the autumn.
"Hm, how about fifteen gold coins? I can see that there are fifteen bundles," she made her first offer.
Lysander knew that what he was selling costed more. For, she wasn't even counting the bags of fruit, he placed on the counter.
"The leaves and the fruit are sold separately," he said, as she hummed.
"And here I thought you'd make me a discount. I am going to give you a book, after all," she said, her eyes narrowing.
"They have different properties. The fruit can be used for slight healing effect. So, I think it is fair, that they are sold separately," Lysander said.
The two stared in each other's eyes for a while, and then the woman smiled.
"You'll rob my cash register, eh, boy? Fine, let it be thirty gold coins. That is my final offer," Lysander resisted the urge to dance in place. He had never seen this much money in his life. With the money, he could buy Erin something. Now that they had a bottomless bag, they could even buy furniture, or even cloths. He was sure that, if he only had a needle and thread, he could make more blankets.
"I agree. Plus, I have more herbs for sale," one by one, Lysander began to pile the herbs. The shop owner began to stash away the herbs, taking notes, so she knew how much she had to pay the boy. When he was done, he smiled brightly up at the woman.
"There is a slight problem, my boy," the shop owner didn't want to miss out on even a single leaf. The mages who had the kind of mana reserves to dry herbs in such bulks didn't bother. This was a premium product. And yet... "I just don't have 1,000 gold coins."
Lysander blinked. Did he really earn this much?
"One thousand," he said, amazed.
"Well, you did bring me twenty mandrakes, and even five golden root ginseng," she said. Lysander remembered how hard it had been to find these two roots. So hard, that he had taken one of each of them, to plant outside the hut. Now, there were at least ten of each, in the garden before the hut. But Lysander wasn't going to tell her that.
"Then, how many coins do you have?" Lysander asked. His eyes on the prize. For, he could always ask for books, to make up for the reminder of total.
She opened the cash register, and counted out one hundred coins. Then, she opened the safe under the counter, and pulled out a coin pouch, with 200 written on it. The another, bigger one, with 300 written on it. Lysander's eyes went wide.
"Now, before you begin to throw a party, know that the bag with the 200 are silver coins, and the bag with the 300 are copper ones. So, dear child, what are we to do?" Lysander didn't wilt when he heard that. After all, ten silver coins made a gold one, and ten copper ones made a silver one. This was still quite a bit of money.
"I will take all the coins, and you can give me alchemy making kits, and books, for the reminder of the money," Lysander said. The woman smiled brightly at that.
"I knew you were smart. Now, let us see. Do you have a cauldron?" She began, going to list things he might need from memory. After all, it hadn't been so long ago, when she was starting out on the alchemy path.
Chapter 32: Haggling
Lysander walked back to the herbal shop, and opened the door, once he reached it. There was no one inside, yet, the potion's fumes were everywhere. He looked around, and decided to ring the bell on the counter. Soon, the same lady as before came.
"Huh, where is the blonde?" She asked, instead of greeting him.
"He is helping a satyr sell strawberries," Lysander said. He didn't know why she would care. In his experience, everyone who cared too much for children, when they weren't their own, was someone to be avoided.
"Well, I take it, you came in here to sell? What herbs do you have?" She asked.
Lysander took out a cluster of dried angel's tear, and some dried angel's tear fruits, and placed them on the counter.
"I have much, but just see the quality first, ma'am, and see if you want to buy the rest," he said, as respectful as one can be. The woman picked up the dried herbs, and placed them to her nose.
"Oh, these were purified by mana. How much do you want for them?" Lysander blinked. What he was doing was purifying. He thought that he had simply dried them. Wait, why didn't the shopkeeper not comment like this the last time?
"I am just a child," he said, careful to make himself as small as possible. This was a shop, where the owner knew his secret. If he wasn't careful, the priests at the temple might begin to yell for his blood. "So, I don't presume to give the price."
"Quite right. Yet, you will be swindled out of your top quality herbs if you do not. How about this, you tell me how many such bundles, and how many bags of fruit, you have, and I will tell you how much I'll pay for them, and throw in a book on potion brewing," Lysander's eyes went wide at that.
A book on potion brewing? This was too good to be true. Most master craftsmen guarded their techniques and secrets with their lives.
"But why? I mean, you don't owe me anything," Lysander asked.
"I am not in the business of robbing children," she said with a shrug. Lysander then quickly began to take out all the angel's tear bundles of herbs, as the shop owner began to ruffle through them. The counter disappeared under all the bundles. And this was not even half of what Lysander had for sale.
"As you can see, they are all dried," Lysander said. He wondered if she couldn't get better deals with fresh ones. Yet, angel's tear bloomed in autumn. The fruits were very bitter, during the spring. So, if she wanted to make something out of this herb, she needed to pick it up during the autumn.
"Hm, how about fifteen gold coins? I can see that there are fifteen bundles," she made her first offer.
Lysander knew that what he was selling costed more. For, she wasn't even counting the bags of fruit, he placed on the counter.
"The leaves and the fruit are sold separately," he said, as she hummed.
"And here I thought you'd make me a discount. I am going to give you a book, after all," she said, her eyes narrowing.
"They have different properties. The fruit can be used for slight healing effect. So, I think it is fair, that they are sold separately," Lysander said.
The two stared in each other's eyes for a while, and then the woman smiled.
"You'll rob my cash register, eh, boy? Fine, let it be thirty gold coins. That is my final offer," Lysander resisted the urge to dance in place. He had never seen this much money in his life. With the money, he could buy Erin something. Now that they had a bottomless bag, they could even buy furniture, or even cloths. He was sure that, if he only had a needle and thread, he could make more blankets.
"I agree. Plus, I have more herbs for sale," one by one, Lysander began to pile the herbs. The shop owner began to stash away the herbs, taking notes, so she knew how much she had to pay the boy. When he was done, he smiled brightly up at the woman.
"There is a slight problem, my boy," the shop owner didn't want to miss out on even a single leaf. The mages who had the kind of mana reserves to dry herbs in such bulks didn't bother. This was a premium product. And yet... "I just don't have 1,000 gold coins."
Lysander blinked. Did he really earn this much?
"One thousand," he said, amazed.
"Well, you did bring me twenty mandrakes, and even five golden root ginseng," she said. Lysander remembered how hard it had been to find these two roots. So hard, that he had taken one of each of them, to plant outside the hut. Now, there were at least ten of each, in the garden before the hut. But Lysander wasn't going to tell her that.
"Then, how many coins do you have?" Lysander asked. His eyes on the prize. For, he could always ask for books, to make up for the reminder of total.
She opened the cash register, and counted out one hundred coins. Then, she opened the safe under the counter, and pulled out a coin pouch, with 200 written on it. The another, bigger one, with 300 written on it. Lysander's eyes went wide.
"Now, before you begin to throw a party, know that the bag with the 200 are silver coins, and the bag with the 300 are copper ones. So, dear child, what are we to do?" Lysander didn't wilt when he heard that. After all, ten silver coins made a gold one, and ten copper ones made a silver one. This was still quite a bit of money.
"I will take all the coins, and you can give me alchemy making kits, and books, for the reminder of the money," Lysander said. The woman smiled brightly at that.
"I knew you were smart. Now, let us see. Do you have a cauldron?" She began, going to list things he might need from memory. After all, it hadn't been so long ago, when she was starting out on the alchemy path.
