Chapter 150: Creating Demand

Chapter 150 -146: Creating Demand

When Lu Wei walked out of the grocery store, he looked so happy that Furen nearly thought he’d gone mad.

“Er, Lu Wei, you really don’t have to take it to heart. It’s inevitable for merchants to face some baseless accusations.”

“Just like my father, his reputation in Kalin Port isn’t great either.”

“Many people call him the Skeleton Viscount… Insulting a nobleman is illegal, and ‘skeleton’ sounds similar to the word for ‘greedy,’ so everyone came up with that nickname for him.”

“And not only is he unbothered by it, he actually seems to relish it. He’s even proud of it…”

Furen’s tone was grave as he watched Lu Wei with concern.

He was even willing to use his own father as an example just to comfort him.

All just to prove that ‘it’s perfectly normal for a merchant to be slandered.’

But Lu Wei had already worked through it, so he just gave a dismissive wave before Furen could finish.

“Furen, I’m fine. You don’t need to worry.”

“After all, they weren’t wrong. I am a Crafty Merchant.”

“…Huh?”

Furen’s eyes flew wide.

“No, that’s not it! Don’t just give up on yourself!”

“I know being slandered hurts, but you can’t just give up—or worse, sink to that level—because of what a couple of people say!”

“I’m not… Never mind. Thanks for the warning. Rest assured, I won’t give up on myself.”

Lu Wei couldn’t be bothered to explain, so he just shook his head and changed the subject.

“Where are Mirana and Bai Ya?”

“Oh, Bai Ya went to go over the last few days’ accounts with Anna.”

Furen shot him a few more worried glances before quietly answering, “Mirana is resting over there.”

“Okay, then you should get some rest, too.”

Lu Wei nodded and turned to leave. “I’m going to discuss the project with Theodore.”

“Okay… You have to get past this! A lion doesn’t concern itself with the opinions of sheep! The stars needn’t grieve for being unseen by the blind!”

Still rooted to the spot and apparently unconvinced, Furen yelled after him at the top of his lungs.

It was hard to tell which book he was quoting, but it was just as cringey as ever.

Still, you had to hand it to him. His concern for Lu Wei’s “mental well-being” meant that, as a friend, he was at least pulling his weight.

‘Sigh. Lu Wei is smart, but he seems to care way too much about what other people think of him.’

‘He’s nothing like my father in that regard, and he’s definitely no Freya.’

Furen watched Lu Wei’s retreating back and muttered worriedly to himself.

The instant the name “Freya” crossed his mind, he suddenly shivered.

Fear immediately filled his eyes.

He sucked in a breath. ‘Why did I have to think of that terrifying woman…’

‘If it had been her, those three would have had their tongues fed to the dogs by now…’

…

…

After leaving the grocery store, Lu Wei quickly found Theodore on the other side of the Dome Tree.

For him, the shift from ‘I’m not a Crafty Merchant’ to ‘I *am* a Crafty Merchant’ wasn’t just a change in mindset.

It was a fundamental shift in his thinking.

Before, his thinking was stuck on ‘how to make customers think I’m a good guy so they’ll willingly empty their purses.’

Now, it had evolved to: ‘Make them empty their purses willingly, even if they realize they’re being had’!

To put it bluntly, he’d gone from “fulfilling a need” to “creating a need”!

Take the “Equipment blind boxes,” for example.

That was creating a need for the thrill of “risking a little to win a lot”!

He wasn’t selling a product, but “hope”!

Or take the inn he was building in the forest.

That, too, was about creating a need: “the need to rest comfortably, even in the forest.”

People might not have bought into it at first.

But as time passed, and more people tried it and grew accustomed to it, he was sure things would be completely different!

That’s why the “commercial complex” had to be built!

“Theodore, here’s the final payment for this phase, 13 gold and 5 silver.”

“The grocery store turned out great. Just build the inn to the same standard.”

“But I have one small change: make sure every room has a window. Make them as comfortable as possible…”

Standing by the inn’s construction site, Lu Wei pointed things out as he discussed the next set of project requirements with Theodore.

Meanwhile, Bai Ya had finished reconciling the accounts.

Her homemade ledger lay open on her lap, filled with carefully listed columns of numbers.

Over the past 12 days, Anna had sold a total of 8 gold, 6 silver, and 30 copper worth of merchandise.

The total revenue wasn’t that high—it didn’t even match Old Yor’s grocery store. And don’t ask how Lu Wei knew such a trade secret; that “business spy” he’d planted earlier wasn’t just for show.

But while their revenues were similar, their profits were worlds apart.

The average profit margin of the Golden Sword Hu Grocery Store was 80%.

Old Yor’s grocery store, however, had a margin of 10% at best.

So the current profitability of the Golden Sword Hu Grocery Store should be second only to the brothel and the church in Heitai Town.

This revelation left Bai Ya both shocked and secretly delighted.

‘I’m going to be a Wealthy Merchant’s wife!’ she thought. ‘I’ll get to wear silk dresses and high-heeled boots, and I might even have servants!’

‘Yep, given how things are going,’ she mused, ‘it’s a sure thing.’

‘After all, Lu Wei himself said that the War Lizardman, Nick, was just a client.’

‘As for my number-one rival, Mirana…’

Bai Ya stole a glance at Mirana, who was resting quietly under a nearby tree with her eyes closed, looking as if the grocery store’s business had nothing to do with her.

‘She has absolutely no sense of being the lady of the house!’

‘Plus, her interactions with Lu Wei these past few days have been limited to just “discussing quests.”‘

‘So it was all just a misunderstanding!’

Satisfied, Bai Ya looked away, closed the ledger, and carefully counted the coins before skipping over to Lu Wei’s side.

“Captain, it’s all tallied up!”

“Anna sold a total of 8 gold, 6 silver, and 30 copper!”

“Zovir bought back 6 pieces of Equipment. Like you said, at 50 Copper Coins apiece, that came to 3 Silver Coins.”

“The rest of the money is all here!”

Slightly out of breath, Bai Ya handed the money pouch to Lu Wei, their fingers brushing for a moment as she did.

This sort of casual touch happened all the time.

But this time, perhaps because she’d already convinced herself that she was about to become a “Wealthy Merchant’s wife,” a faint blush crept onto her cheeks.

Then, without waiting for Lu Wei to say anything, she shyly lowered her head and scurried away.

Leaving only a single sentence behind—

“I’m going to make dinner!”

“…”

?

‘What’s she blushing for?’

Lu Wei watched her go, completely baffled.

The worldly-wise Theodore, however, frowned slightly, seeming to ponder something.

A moment later, his gaze shifted to Lu Wei, and he suddenly remarked:

“Aryan will be 16 next year.”

?

‘What’s he talking about now?’

Lu Wei was even more baffled. “Er, so?”

“Nothing, just feeling a bit nostalgic all of a sudden.”

Theodore smiled and looked at the sky.

“She was only five when her parents passed away. Back then, she was just a little tyke, not even as tall as a Dwarf.”

“To think ten years have gone by so fast.”

“It feels like I blinked, and now she’s about to be 16—old enough to be married.”

“…”

‘Oh, for crying out loud. All that buildup was just for that last line, wasn’t it!’

“Yes, time really does fly,” Lu Wei said, looking up at the sky as well, pretending he hadn’t understood a thing.

Seeing this, Theodore immediately doubled down, letting out a theatrical sigh.

“Sigh… but as you know, a girl her age is at her most innocent.”

“If she were to have her heart broken, I imagine she’d be sad for a very long time.”

“But Aryan is so hardworking and kind. I can’t imagine anyone would have the heart to deceive her.”

“Anyone who did would have to be a real scumbag… wouldn’t you agree?”

“…Of course!”

Considering the project wasn’t finished yet, Lu Wei hesitated for less than a second before nodding in solemn agreement.

“Absolutely.”

“A total scumbag!”