The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 61
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- Chapter 61 - The Three Messengers
Chapter 61 The Three Messengers
Medes, having finished showing Laurent around, took a moment to catch his breath.
(Whew. What a hassle. Showing people around the atelier is such a bother. Outsiders can be so troublesome. After all, we’re the only ones on this island capable of handling large guild orders. Well, it can’t be helped. Work from outside is lucrative, so I can’t just dismiss it.)
Medes sank deep into his chair, lit his pipe, and took a puff.
(That said, it seems like Laurent was satisfied with the tour. This deal is practically sealed…)
“Guild Master,” a voice interrupted as a clerk knocked on the door and entered.
“What is it at this hour?” Medes said, sounding annoyed.
“There’s a representative from the guild ‘Sword of the White Night’ here to see you.”
“Oh? From ‘Sword of the White Night’?”
‘Sword of the White Night’ was a renowned guild from the northern continent, its fame echoing across the seas. This was their first visit to ‘Fire Dragon Island.’
“They said they are very interested in making a significant deal with us and wish to meet with you.”
“What!? Bring them in immediately!”
(If a major guild like ‘Sword of the White Night’ wants to make a deal, the rewards will be extraordinary. This could be a huge opportunity.)
A middle-aged man with a flushed face, a beard, and a muscular build then entered. He looked every bit the warrior he was.
“I apologize for the sudden visit. We are not yet accustomed to working on this island. Please forgive our rudeness.”
“Oh, no, not at all. So, what is the job you want to request from us?”
“This.”
He took out a document.
(This, what!?)
Written there was an offer that was twice the usual reward for half the amount of work compared to Laurent’s request.
“What do you think? I feel sorry to offer such a reward, but…”
“No, no. It’s incredible. With such a reward, we’d be happy to take on the job.”
“Oh, I’m grateful to hear that. It’s an urgent matter, you see. We were having trouble finding a guild that would take it on.”
“Well, well. You were lucky to find our guild. We guarantee high quality and on-time delivery.”
“Oh, that will be a great help.”
The conversation between the Guild Master and the bearded warrior continued pleasantly, and the messenger from the “Sword of the White Night” left in high spirits.
(To get a job like this at this time… We’re lucky. We’ll have to prioritize this over Laurent’s request.)
As the Guild Master was thinking this, there was another knock on the door.
“Guild Master, excuse me.”
“What is it? Again? What is it this time? I’m quite tired…”
“There’s another customer who wants to request something. This time, they’ve come from the major northern continent guild, ‘Glacier Hunters.’”
“What!? Really? Let them in immediately.”
In came a nervous-looking young man wearing glasses.
He appeared to be an appraiser.
“Sorry for the sudden visit. We’ve been looking for an alchemy guild that can handle this amount of work.”
(This, what!?)
Again, it was a request with half the workload of Laurent’s but promised three times the reward.
“The deadline might be a bit tight, but what do you think?”
“We’ll be happy to take it on.”
“Really? That’s great. I was wondering what we would do if you turned us down. Suddenly, there’s been a surge in demand for equipment using ‘Ice-Repellent Ore Ice Rest’ on the northern continent.”
“Rest assured. Our atelier is more experienced with rare metal processing than anywhere else in the world. We’ll complete the work perfectly and on time.”
The messenger from the “Glacier Hunters” left in high spirits.
(To think such lucrative opportunities would come rolling in. We must complete this work before the ‘Sword of the White Night’ and the ‘Golden Hawk’.)
As the Guild Master was thinking this, there was another knock on the door.
“Guild Master, may I have a moment?”
“What is it this time? I’m exhausted. I’m not going to work another minute today.”
“Well, someone from the major northern continent guild, ‘Knights of the Hail,’ has come to request a large job.”
“What!? Let them in immediately.”
In came a young man with a carefree smile, holding a halberd.
“I apologize for coming at this hour without an appointment. Suddenly, we have a job that needs doing.”
“Oh, no need to worry. So, what’s the job you want to request from us?”
“Actually, it’s this.”
“This!?”
Written on the document the man with the halberd produced was a job offering four times the reward for half the workload compared to the ‘Golden Hawk.’
“The deadline is a bit tight, though…”
“No, no, it’s fine. We’ll gladly take on this job.”
Medes accepted with almost a bow.
“Really? That’s a great help. We’ve been in a bind due to a shortage of equipment made from ‘Ice-Repellent Ore Ice Rest.’”
Medes recalled the previous client at those words.
Now that he thought about it, the messenger from the ‘Glacier Hunters’ also mentioned a shortage of ‘Ice-Repellent Ore Ice Rest.’
It might be this shortage on the northern continent that’s causing these unusually high-paying requests.
This idea took hold in Medes’ mind.
The meeting between Medes and the man with the halberd proceeded amicably.
The man with the halberd left in high spirits.
Medes remained in a state of euphoria for a while afterward.
With this much reward, he could buy new clothes, pay off the carriage loan, and purchase a stylish villa, with some money left over.
(I absolutely must secure this job. Anyway, there’s no time to waste. The jobs from the ‘Glacier Hunters,’ ‘Sword of the White Night,’ and ‘Golden Hawk’ will have to wait…)
As Medes thought this far, he finally realized that there wasn’t enough time to complete all the jobs.
To take on the ‘Knights of the Hail’ job, he would have to give up one of the other requests.
The next day, Laurent, along with Dylan, visited ‘Dragon’s Ember’ again.
It was to finalize the contract details.
(Now, here we go. Judging by yesterday’s impression, there shouldn’t be any problems, but you never know what can happen during negotiations. I need to stay sharp.)
Laurent informed the receptionist at ‘Dragon’s Ember’ of their arrival.
“Oh, it’s you,” Medes said as soon as he saw Laurent.
Laurent had a bad feeling.
(Is it just my imagination? Medes seems more dismissive than he was yesterday…)
“Mr. Medes, about the contract…”
“Yes, yes, about that.”
Medes scratched his head in annoyance while searching for the documents.
“Uh, oh no.”
Medes suddenly frowned.
His behavior was quite theatrical.
“Sir Laurent, I’m very sorry, but could you extend the deadline for this contract?”
“What? Extend… the deadline?”
“Yes. I completely forgot that a few of our staff have been unwell. We simply cannot meet the deadline you proposed.”
“I see…”
“So, could you please grant an extension?”
“…Alright. I’ll check with the guild for approval.”
“If you’re extending the deadline, Mr. Medes, you’ll have to give us a substantial discount on the fee.”
When Dylan said this, Medes frowned in displeasure.
“Didn’t Medes seem different yesterday?”
On the carriage ride back, Laurent shared his sense of unease with Dylan.
“Laurent, you thought so too? I was also suspicious. Why would he suddenly want to extend the deadline? Yesterday, he seemed eager to finalize the contract as quickly as possible.”
“It felt like he was treating us with disdain…”
“No way. You’re overthinking it. Treating important business partners like that…”
“Do you think there’s a chance this deal might fall through?”
“Impossible. ‘Dragon’s Ember’ is not busy at this time of year. We’ve thoroughly investigated that, so there’s no mistake.”
“If you say so…”
“You’re worrying too much. Even Medes might not always feel like working. It’s not good to be too pessimistic. Let’s stay positive.”
“You’re right.”
When they returned to the inn, Laurent started working on a report.
He wrote about the client’s need to extend the deadline, the extended stay, and requested approval from the guild.
He sent the letter to the ‘Golden Hawk.’
While waiting for a response, Laurent spent his time researching local dungeons and monsters.
In the meantime, the expenses for his stay kept increasing.
A week later, Laurent received the guild’s approval and went back to see Medes.
However, Medes’ response was dismissive.
“You want to raise the price?”
“Yes, I’m very sorry. The price of ore suddenly increased. The proposed budget is no longer sufficient. So, we need to raise the price.”
“And by how much, for example?”
“Roughly four times the original amount.”
“Four times!?”
Laurent exclaimed in astonishment.
“Medes, that’s unreasonable!” Dylan said.
“We agreed to extend the deadline at your request, didn’t we? You should at least offer a discount. Instead, you’re raising the price? What are you thinking?”
When Dylan said this, Medes frowned in displeasure.
“If you’re so dissatisfied with our proposed price, why not take your business to another alchemy guild? We don’t mind not doing business with you. We’re not a charity, you know.”
Laurent and Dylan exchanged glances.
The thieves’ guild members Jamil and Rodo visited ‘Dragon’s Ember.’
“Hey, Raoul.”
“Oh, Jamil.”
“My gear got damaged by monsters in the dungeon. Can you fix it?”
Jamil showed his damaged equipment.
“Okay. Hey, you, take these two’s equipment to my workshop.”
Raoul instructed a lower-level employee.
Then, voices could be heard from the hallway.
“Please wait, Mr. Medes. Raising the price fourfold suddenly, what’s going on? Explain properly.”
“As I said earlier, if you’re unhappy with our price, you don’t need to do business with us. Goodbye.”
“Wait a minute…”
Jamil looked towards the voices and saw Laurent and Dylan pursuing Medes.
Jamil noticed the ‘Golden Hawk’ emblem on Laurent’s attire.
(That’s… the one I saw at the tavern…)
“Hey, Raoul, are you guys going to make a deal with him?”
“Yeah, he’s an envoy from the guild ‘Golden Hawk,’ which recently gained prominence in the ‘Adventurer’s Town.'”
“‘Golden Hawk…”
“I don’t like him. For an adventurer, he doesn’t even wear a single piece of equipment. Who knows how much he actually understands about alchemy.”
“That guy’s a weakling.”
“What?”
“I appraised his status. I didn’t recognize the guild emblem, so I checked him out. He was disappointing. Probably a C-class or D-class at best.”
“Really?”
“He says he’s an envoy from ‘Golden Hawk,’ but is he really someone important from such a big guild? Maybe you’re being tricked.”
“Impossible… that can’t be…”
(But now that you mention it, it does seem odd. He’s too humble for a high-ranking member of a major guild, and his status is just what the intermediary said. If our guild master hasn’t thoroughly investigated and is just proceeding… No, that can’t be…)
Although Laurent and Dylan tried to follow, Medes got into a carriage and went somewhere.
Laurent and Dylan were left behind.
“Damn it, what’s going on all of a sudden?”
“No way. Asking for four times the price. What should we do, Laurent?”
“It seems Medes isn’t keen on dealing with ‘Golden Hawk.’ That means he must have found another partner.”
“That can’t be… surely not…”
“Anyway, with Medes saying that, we have no choice but to request additional funds from the guild. We’ll find a way to gather four times the budget.”
“Got it. I’ll also make sure Medes doesn’t change the conditions any further.”
“Yeah, please do.”
“That old man is messing with us. After all this, there’s no way we’re letting him back out of signing the contract.”