Chương 35: Offer They Cannot Miss Out
On the second day of Nova Blacksmith, there is already a recurring customer.
"Boss, you've got amazing stuff here. Why did you set up a shop so far in District 9?"
"I'm not the Boss. If you're looking for him, he is right there."
Three contented orcs with their newly bought equipment asked Lucy to give their praise.
"A human…?" It was the second visit of Ryle yet he was surprised the man who he thought was a customer yesterday is the owner.
They were not surprised for the wrong reason. The three of them do not have any bad blood among humans.
What astonished them the most is the fact that it was not a dwarf who was behind the amazing creations displayed in the shop. The other two have already seen the katana in the middle that is why they are more surprised that a human, known to be people of magic, perfected the craft of blacksmithing.
"Nice to meet you, Boss! I guess you can't judge a person on their race."
"Glad to have you here. But I'm just the owner of this shop and not the blacksmith. So I can convey your praises to him later." Brian can only shake their false assumptions.
"That makes more sense. But to have a master blacksmith working under you is already amazing."
While Ryle was having a small chat with Brian, people in his party are fixated on the katana. "Wendell, you should start eating one meal to save for that Makaze. Don't let your drool fall on the glass. I bet even the glass container is expensive."
"Argh! If only I discover this blacksmith sooner, I would have saved a third of its price already! My sword looks crap compared to this."
Wendell was the only one who did not purchase a weapon in Nova among their group. From what Brian understand, he bought his very recently. It may not be as good as Makaze, but his current sword is still made out of magic steel. Much better compared to normal iron although Brian was not sure whether it was well forged.
The two companions of Ryle all bought a complete set of their steel armor while Ryle also completed his. Only the girl in their group includes a short sword on her purchase.
"I'm waiting for your next visit… Maybe during that time, we will have more things on the shelves."
Those orcs were not the only ones who visited the blacksmith today. Besides them, there were a total of six familiar people from his neighborhood that was curious about the blacksmith that just opened. Brian has met at least once before so he was friendlier than usual.
However, none of those people bought anything in Nova blacksmith. They were not a combatant so everything they offer in their shop was useless.
"The business is really slow. Just over 4 gold for two days…"
"We cannot really expect big profit on the first week. It's already good to have three customers already when we are a shop in nowhere."
"But those customers will not be visiting anytime soon."
Lucy stated the flaws of running a shop like a blacksmith. Unlike restaurants or anything that offers services and products that are day-to-day, their shop does not work that way. People do not purchase weapons just to buy another one next week.
Brian already recognized this weakness. But in the meantime, he cannot do anything except hope the word of mouth will spread like wildfire.
"It's been a couple of days already, System. You're not going to assign another quest?"
<System: No comment>
"I thought you wanted me to unlock more of your features so why the silence?"
<System: …>
"I'm going to address you Amazing for the whole day… Two days…"
<Quest Triggered: Meet the Quota>
<Even the weakest adventurer can earn more copper coins than you. This put a shame on the name of Legendary Merchant. For the next seven days, the User needs to earn a total profit of 1000 gold (excluding the System's share) from the blacksmith… And don't forget your promise>
<Penalty for failure: Amazing System will not provide materials for both Specialty Products anymore, and every item sold in Nova Initia Blacksmith would be charged with 10% instead>
<Rewards: Unlock Amazing Item Shop>
"… Sh*t" Brian was happy when the notification of a new quest was triggered. But reading the conditions of the quest, he can only swear at it.
'I was asking for ways to help me boost my store, and this damn System gave this kind of quest. There is even a failing condition!'
The main problem of the blacksmith has not been solved. Rather, the quest has endangered his business. Brian can only curse himself for trying to depend on the System.
If there is any positive thing right now, it is that the money he earned from yesterday is counted. But a four gold starting point will not change anything.
"How about we offer repair service." Lucy tried chiming in her suggestions.
"That's already a given for a blacksmith. But none of them ask us."
Brian was so lost in thought which made his voice quite cold. It was Lucy's first time to hear that kind of tone from him so she thought Brian was angry. With words that you can barely hear, she meekly said, "Sorry."
"I didn't mean to say it like that, but repairing the durability of an equipment can almost be done by any blacksmith. That is why it's pointless to attract customers from other districts with this. Our neighborhood might go to us, but we are too far for others."
Brian is panicking when she saw Lucy was becoming more dispirit with his explanation.
"... Actually, that plan is good!"
"But you just said it was obvious, Boss Bry…"
"Yes. But that does not mean we cannot do better even in terms of repairing. Let me get Richi first."
He gathered everyone in the store to tell his plans.
"Richi, how confident are you in repairing stuff?"
"With the help of teacher and the amazing workshop, I am confident to repair anything crafted by a blacksmith back to its peak condition."
"Say no more."
Brian went towards the counter and took some paper before writing. Both of his employees are curious why their Boss gathered them, but they can only wait for what he was trying to write.
[We repair anything back to what it was on day one. Guarantee to have your item back with 99% durability. Anything made out of metal, you name it. Swords, shields, helmets, and even kitchen knives will return to their former glory. Only for 3-10 coppers depending on item]
What he was writing can make any suspicious claims in malicious websites take their hands down.
"Boss. That's very…" Lucy cannot believe her Boss will be able to write that.
"Shameless, but this is all true. I trust Richi on his skills."
"Boss Bry…! I won't disappoint you."
"Good! Now Lucy, I want you to copy this and make a signboard outside. Make sure it can be seen when walking in our road."
Brian cannot tell to his employees that he was desperate to earn 1000 gold in a week because of some idiot. Promoting a near-perfect repair service will help, but it will impossible to reach a thousand gold before the end of the week.
"I'll leave for a while. Handle the shop alone for the meantime, Lucy. I believe you can now do it solo especially since you will be doing it every day in the future. You and Richi can take a break at lunchtime so don't forget to eat."
Now that there is no other choice, Brian can only do it the shameless way. Their repair service is a good money earner, but it can be better if there are more people who knows it.
Raju did promise to bring him, customers. However, from his words, people will be starting to come next week. And he does not have that luxury.
The orcs from this morning can help, but strangers are undependable.
There was a time in his gambling life when he needed to borrow money from people he even does not know. It is not his proudest moment although he learned how to make people take his words seriously.
He can only say empty promises during those times, but now it was different. Brian will make sure everyone he meets will be curious about Nova Blacksmith.
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