Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Rules of the Store

"So, what's the first thing that you want to know?" Theus asked as he leaned forward over the counter. He crossed his arms and stared at me from behind his glasses with excitement in his eyes. "I've been in the business of... well... business for my entire life!"

"I hope I don't sound rude, but if you're such a great businessman, then why are you working in a shop in a village like this?" I asked after a bit of hesitation. I felt a bit bad about asking such a personal question, but I could tell by his demeanor that he probably had an answer prepared for a long time.

"I'm glad you asked!" he boasted. That was a bit of a relief, but I knew that it was the kind of question he was just waiting to answer. "There's one prime rule when it comes to making money. I tell this to every person that has even a passing interest in making a profit."

"I know what it is," Yusha said. 

"I know that you do," Theus said to her. Then he looked at me. "Tell me. What do you think that rule is? I love to hear other people's thoughts on the matter. 

I paused. Scratched the back of my head a bit as I stared at the floor. My mind went back to my Intro to Economics class. Thought about the introductory lesson and one of the sayings my professor told me. "Uh... buy low, sell high?" I said. Wasn't confident with my answer. 

"No. Not a bad rule, but it's definitely far from the first rule you should keep in mind if you ever decide to go into the shopkeeping business." Theus walked out of his counter and headed towards his wife. As she was sweeping, he embraced her in a big hug. Theus gave Xiya a small peck on the cheek. "Happiness over profits, son. Happiness over profits," he said to me. Figured. Should have thought the golden rule of shopkeeping would have been some philosophical stuff. 

"Oh. Makes sense," I said. 

"That's right. Money doesn't mean anything if you're not happy. All it does is buy you comfort, not happiness." Xiya blushed as Theus let her go to return to his counter. "Too many times in my life have I seen people chasing the almighty profit only to end up destroying themselves in the process. They lose their friends. Family. Even their own lives. Money can only do so much for you."

"Yeah. That's something I understood back at home too. Seems like most people back there don't understand that."

"Most people don't, son. Took me decades to figure that out." He smiled and spread his arms as he looked at the wares of his shop. "But I finally figured out the perfect balance between happiness and profit. Never been more satisfied with my life."

"I'm glad to hear it!" I said with a nod.

"Thank you for the standard introductory lesson, Theus," Yusha said. "But I think Adrien here could really use a bit of info on how money works in this world."

"Oh. Got it. Sorry if I got a bit too carried away with the happiness spiel."

"No worries," I replied. 

"But let's get to the basics. Yusha ever introduce you to shards?"

I reached into my gi and pulled out that purple stone I got when I first killed an entity. "This thing?"

"Yeah. That's what I'm talking about. It's called Aurexium, but most people call them shards for short."

Thank goodness. I had a rough time pronouncing that in my head. Nice to know that even the people of this world don't want to call it that all the time. "Yusha already told me a little bit about it."

"So, you know just how important these things can be." Theus picked up the shard out of my hand eyed it close. He held it between his thumb and pointer finger, carefully rotating it so that it sparkled from the light of the candle. "It's the most common and the most essential resource in the world. They're found everywhere. Fallen foes. Underneath the earth. Stored in everyone's cabinets or chests. And they're also used in just about everything as well. Enchantments. Healing spells. Potions. If magic is involved, then there's a good chance you'll need a shard or two to use it."

"So, they must be pretty cheap then, right? The demand is high, but the price has to be low if the supply is high." Another bit of info I learned from that economics class.

"Yeah. But even the poorest of beggars can earn themselves a bit of money by looking for these for an hour or two. If you're even strapped for money, you can always resort to searching for shards."

"Got it. I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

"Seeing as how you're a recently summoned Champion, I think it's safe to assume that you know no enchantments?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Govessa never said anything about enchantments."

"Then this shard isn't of much use to you then. Would you like to make your first sale today?"

I looked at Yusha. She bobbed her head and smiled. "Sure."

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"Wonderful. Even though we are technically closed, I think I can make an exception for such an important individual." Theus placed the shard on the counter before turning and digging through a chest on the shelf behind him. He faced me again while holding some shiny bronze coins. "This is for you."

I stretched out my hands and the salesclerk dropped the money in my palm. Three shiny coins glistened as I rocked my palm back and forth. "Thanks!" I said with enthusiasm. The coins themselves were rather plain. A solid brown color. A few scratches here and there, but nothing that ruined the imprinted character on the center of the metal. Looked like something written in Chinese, but if I had to guess, I'd bet it was some character from this world.

As I stared at my hard-earned money, Yusha put her hand on my back. "Congratulations! You made your first sale."

"Thanks. Now I'm three coins richer!" 

"That's almost enough to buy an arrow!" Theus said with a chuckle. "If you find a few dozen more, you might be able to buy a bow to go along with it."

I put the coins in my gi and crossed my arms. "It's a start. We have a saying back where I'm from. A penny saved is a penny earned." I could tell that phrase resonated with the old man. Underneath his thick beard I saw him smile.

"Wise words. But another thing to tell you about shards. They're not always worth three coins. I gave you a bit extra seeing as how you're a special customer. But the price fluctuates with how much I have in stock and how much people are buying. Between one and five usually. Although during real rough times I've seen them go for ten."

I jostled the money in the pouch beneath my gi. Even though they had been there for less than a minute, my mind was already thinking about it would become a distraction. With just a few coins, I already noticed a difference in weight. I couldn't imagine trying to fight while carrying enough money to buy something worthwhile. Theus must have noticed me thinking about it too because he kept looking at my hand as I tried to find a comfortable position for money.

"Another thing about shops, son," he said. "We can hold onto your money too."

"Like a bank?" I asked.

"Essentially. Not every shop can do that though. Only those certified within Govessa's territories. But believe me, it beats hauling around hundreds or even thousands of coins around everywhere."

"You're telling me."

Theus disappeared underneath the counter and emerged with a massive book in his hands. It was bound in a frayed brown leather. It spanned the size of a small desk in terms of height and length and was about as thick as the palm of my hand. The salesclerk struggled a bit with lifting it up, but after a bit of finagling, he managed to lay it flat on the counter. "This here is a fund-keeper. Keeps track of everyone's money." He opened the enormous book halfway through. 

I leaned forward and stared at the page. A long chart filled the sheet from top to bottom. There were other names and totals scribbled on there, but they only reached about halfway down the page. "How far back does that go?" I asked.

"I'd say about a year and a half. Give or take a few months. I've got plenty more in the back if you want to take a look."

"No thank, but I appreciate the offer."

Theus pulled out one of those old-timey fountain pens and hovered it over the first blank spot on the page. "Now then. What's your name?"

"Adrien Mong."

"And how much would you like to deposit today, Mister Mong?"

"Three whole coins."

He slowly wrote out my name and then the number three with one hand and outstretched the other. I dug the coins out of gi and handed them over. "Thank you. Pleasure doing business with you."

"Likewise," I said.

Theus shut the book and slid it underneath the counter once more. "Perfect! I think that's enough teaching for tonight. What do you two think?" he said before stretching his arms above his head and yawning wide. 

"You did a good job of explaining things as usual, Theus," Yusha said.

"I'd love to tell Adrien more about how transfers work, but it's getting late. I need to get some sleep." He headed to the rear door and held it open. "Feel free to stop by whenever. I'm more than happy to answer any questions."

Yusha bowed before heading to the door. I bowed too, albeit not as gracefully, and followed her out. We both gave the old man a wave before closed the door behind us. After that, Yusha led the way back to her dojo.

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