Young man, let me tell you a story."
"About a year ago, near the harvest festival, I went to Kalin Port to buy goods one day, and suddenly felt very hungry on the way." "
But I had run out of bread. Luckily, I happened to meet an adventurer party that was on their way to the Lizard Swamp."
"They had plenty of supplies, so I asked if I could buy some food."
"The party leader was a respectable knight, and he gave me two pieces of coarse wheat bread and a jug of mare's milk."
"Then I paid the knight three copper coins and filled my stomach with the bread and mare's milk..."
Blackmos Town, Daffodil Alley.
The morning mist hadn't yet dissipated, and the first rays of sunlight shone on the moss-covered white brick walls.
As the town closest to the Gran Forest, it was also known as "the place where dreams begin," welcoming many new faces every day,
each carrying the cheapest short sword, wearing ill-fitting leather armor, and a map for a single copper coin. They would leave the inn at dawn, taking their first step towards becoming heroes with high spirits.
This brought Blackmos Town a large funeral business and a thriving trade.
"And then?"
Before the waist-high oak counter, Lu Wei waited earnestly for the story to continue.
After all, according to the customs of this other world, the stories told by elders often contain profound meanings.
But who knew that the old man behind the counter, who looked like a shrewd merchant, would say—
"I'm done telling the story."
"Finished telling the story?"
Lu Wei looked bewildered: "Mr. Joel, I don't quite understand what you mean, so you're agreeing to give me some goods on credit?"
"What I mean is, eat when you're hungry, and get lost when you don't have money."
Old Joel glanced at him and interrupted impatiently: "I'm very sorry about your father's situation, but a shrewd merchant never gives credit."
"...Alright then, sorry to bother you."
After hesitating for a moment, Lu Wei finally didn't say anything more, nodded helplessly, and turned to leave.
But he had only taken a few steps when Old Joel's voice rang out behind him again.
"Wait, help me take this junk that no one wants to buy to the alley corner and throw it away!"
...
...
[Bandage]
[Type: General Goods]
[Level: Common]
[Value: 2 Copper Coins]
[Description: Cotton bandage, can be used to treat some simple wounds, or can be used as a rope.] ——
[
Sleeping Powder]
[Type: Potion]
[Level: Common]
[Value: 4 Copper Coins]
[Description: Just rosemary pollen, will give you a good night's sleep.]
[Note: Double the dosage for orcs, halve the dosage for dwarves and elves. Do not use for other purposes.]
——
[Monocular Telescope]
[Type: General Goods]
[Level: Common (Slightly Worn)]
[Value: 55 Copper Coins]
[Description: Although secondhand, it still allows you to see goblins hidden in the bushes half a mile away.]
[...]
What a kind person.
Outside the general store, Lu Wei looked back at Old Joel, who was selling Dragon's Breath Chili Sauce to an orc, and felt a pang of emotion.
He had been transported here for five days due to an accident, and from the current situation, this new world full of fantasy was quite humane.
At least everyone had enough sympathy for him, an orphan who had long lost his mother and had just lost his father.
However, as a capable young man with all four limbs intact, Lu Wei couldn't rely on the neighbors' charity forever.
So, the day after his father's funeral, which was yesterday, he went to the town's police station to complete the inheritance procedures, becoming a legal freelance merchant,
essentially a vagrant peddler .
"Anyway, now I have the goods."
"Next, I just need to sell these odds and ends, then buy more, sell even more, and gradually grow stronger and bigger."
Muttering to himself, he carefully packed the "unwanted junk" into his animal-hide backpack. Lu Wei looked up at the rising sun just above the horizon, then walked out of the alley while opening the job panel in his mind.
Like all transmigrators, he naturally had a cheat—
and it was the "job" that all adventurers craved most, yet was extremely difficult to obtain.
However, unlike the usual [Warrior], [Ranger], [Priest], etc., perhaps due to the transmigration, his job seemed a little different.
[Name: Lu Wei]
[Job: Shrewd Merchant (Unique Special)]
[Strength: 7]
[Agility: 9]
[Constitution: 8]
[Intelligence: 11]
[Perception: 15]
[Charm: 14]
[Skills: None]
[Job Talents: Precise Appraisal (Gold), A Little Bit of Everything (Gold)]
[Precise Appraisal: You can see detailed information about an item simply by touching it!]
[A Little Bit of Everything: You can learn all job skills (Tier 1 only)!]
[Job Advancement Requirements:]
[1. Earn 100 gold coins through a mutually agreed-upon genuine transaction (legal or not). (0/100)]
[2. Master at least three other job skills. (0/3)]
[3. ??? (Unlocked after completing conditions 1 and 2)]
Strength, agility, and constitution are barely enough.
Intelligence, perception, and charm far exceed those of ordinary people.
Speaking of which, these should be the attributes of a mage, right?
Perhaps I can learn one or two basic arcane spells in the future, then join the Arcane Mage Association, and "change jobs" to become a noble mage that various adventurer teams are scrambling to recruit.
After all, the name "profiteer" sounds too awful.
"Mr. Lu Wei, welcome to the Professionals Association. We will use True Sight Potion to verify if you are a professional."
"Uh, can I skip the verification?"
"Sorry, it's a necessary procedure."
"Okay then..." "
Alright...okay, so you're a shrewd businessman, right?"
"..."
So embarrassing!
Just thinking about the scenarios he might face in the future sent chills down Lu Wei's spine.
But now was clearly not the time to worry about that.
Because right now, he could barely afford to eat.
Oh well, shrewd businessman it is.
At least his two talents are quite strong.
"Good morning, Mrs. Bertha."
Shaking his head to stop thinking about these random things, Lu Wei turned into a small bakery on the side of the road.
"Little Luwei, it's been a long time since you've been here."
The old woman, busy by the oven, turned around and comforted him with a regretful expression. "I heard about your father's situation. May God bless him forever, whether he is on earth or in heaven."
"Thank you for your blessing."
Luwei nodded and stated his purpose: "I'd like a loaf of black bread."
"No problem, here you go."
Mrs. Bertha wrapped a loaf of black bread in newspaper and handed it to him, asking with concern, "What are you planning to do now?"
Luwei took the bread and answered truthfully, "I just got some goods on credit from Uncle Joel, and I plan to sell them today."
"Is that so? So you're a free merchant now."
Mrs. Bertha smiled kindly and gently advised, "You must be honest and fair; only then can you become a respected merchant."
"Thank you, I will remember that."
Thinking of his profession, Luwei felt a little embarrassed, put down a copper coin, and then left the bakery amidst the old woman's farewell of "Good luck."
A cool breeze was refreshing, and the golden sunlight gave the whole town hope and vitality for a new day.
In short, everything at that moment gave Lu Wei the illusion that "the world is a wonderful place."
Until he accidentally glanced at the details of the black bread in his hand...
[Black Breadstick]
[Type: Food]
[Grade: Inferior]
[Value: 0.2 Copper Coins]
[Description: A typical inferior bread, mixed with a lot of wheat bran and tree bark. It's called food only because it's edible.]
"..."
Inferior?
Lu Wei's eyes widened slightly, somewhat surprised.
The townspeople all knew that Mrs. Bertha was a devout follower of the goddess of justice.
But this kind and amiable old woman would actually mix wheat bran and tree bark into bread to reduce costs?
And she had just lectured him on the importance of honesty and fairness in business?
This was too unexpected...
Looking down at the black breadstick in his hand, then back at Mrs. Bertha busy at the oven, after the initial shock, Lu Wei lowered his head, looking thoughtful.
He wa
sn't angry at all; instead, he felt a little grateful.
After all, this is valuable experience from a senior –
"On How to Become a Qualified Shady Businessman"
1: No matter how black-hearted you are, you must look like a good person!