24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 110

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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24-Hour Friendly Market Specializing in Dimensional Items Episode 110

Episode 110. Adding Insult to Injury (5)

Floor 3 of Babel Square, as soon as I opened the door and entered, warm sunlight tickled my face.

I threw my suitcase on the floor and spread both arms wide.

The feeling of my chest warming up.

“This is it…”

This is it!

How long has it been since I returned to this home!

Old sayings are never wrong.

As expected, leaving home means suffering like a dog!

Somehow the air seems sweeter, there seems to be a good smell coming from somewhere, my tired body seems to be gaining vitality, and I feel younger.

During all that time struggling in a studio apartment just to hide my identity, I don’t know how much I missed this familiarity.

I did stop by briefly right after coming out of Floor 53, but that was no different from just passing through.

It was when I was taking a deep breath and enjoying the air of home sweet home.

Somewhere a door opened noisily and the sound of thumping footsteps could be heard.

I know the owner of these familiar footsteps without even looking!

“Alessandro-!!”

“Are you really here this time?!”

A response as loud as mine echoed throughout Floor 3.

“A whole two months! I never thought you wouldn’t come!”

He must have come out in such a hurry that his shirt buttons were misaligned and his socks were mismatched.

Since he hadn’t shaved while I was away, his bushy beard looked like some mountain bandit from the countryside.

My excited heart at seeing him after so long was the same, but I maturely suppressed it and responded with banter.

“Hey, strictly speaking it wasn’t two months. And I stopped by briefly earlier.”

“That’s hard to call returning. You’re still annoying. Do you know how much I worried about you?”

Alessandro looked at me with wistful eyes and smiled.

If he hadn’t said I was annoying, I would have completely believed him.

“I really waited.”

Well, still, returning after so long and having someone welcome me like this feels more satisfying than I thought.

The feeling of powerlessness I experienced on Floor 53 and the stuffiness of the studio apartment gradually melting away.

I smiled along and asked.

“It’s been a while, how have you been?”

Alessandro must have been lonely too.

Coming alone to a foreign place with only me to talk to, how lonely he must have been all this time.

Having spent a long time wandering dimensions, my absence must have felt even greater.

Alessandro opened his mouth as if he had been waiting.

“You don’t know how many inquiries have piled up.”

“I, I wasn’t asking about work…”

Even when trying to be emotionally touching, he’s not helping at all.

Regardless, Alessandro efficiently organized and poured out the backlogged work.

“Both repair and appraisal inquiry boxes were full, so I emptied them several times.”

“What about inquiries that came to the information desk?”

“I handled simple ones at my discretion. But there are several things you need to check personally, so I organized them into documents separately.”

“I’ll check after resting a bit.”

“There are things that need urgent processing, so please check as soon as possible.”

“Ugh.”

“You never read messages, so there’s no choice. If you had checked earlier, this wouldn’t have happened.”

The bearded mountain bandit who welcomed me is nowhere to be found, only a subordinate employee urging for approvals remains.

I couldn’t rest at all after the scenario ended, and the place I came to rest is also a workplace – what a hard life.

“While you handle urgent inquiries, I’ll make stew.”

“Let’s eat first?”

“Work first, then eat?”

Come on, how long does that take that you want me to work and rest…

Even when I glared at him feeling wronged, Alessandro was absolutely firm.

Being a former knight order captain of a country, he never gives in easily on anything.

Right, I should organize everything before starting the Quest so I can focus on that.

“There were also several disputes among the shops that opened.”

“Huh? There were fights?”

“When they opened, didn’t we put restrictions that each store wouldn’t sell anything other than the items they intended to sell? They violated that and brought in new items, which overlapped with other stores’ items, causing friction.”

“Was it resolved?”

“The two owners reached an agreement and limited the sales days.”

“It seems the agreement was reached quickly?”

Alessandro scratched his chin with an uncertain expression as if recalling something.

“What did they call it, soul match…?”

“…Soul showdown?”

I wondered where this old man kept learning strange words, and it turns out the Babel Square people were the culprits.

‘More than that, this is really absurd…’

They just had a refreshing fight and communicated with fists, isn’t that it.

I went through the trouble of chasing out the blacklist and organizing things, and now what, they’re not gangsters but they’re reaching agreements with fists?

It’s ridiculous, but since it was resolved well, let’s not stir up trouble unnecessarily.

I should ask Park Ji-woon to look into information about those two businesses later.

“What about other things?”

As if he had a responsibility to tell me everything when I came, Alessandro rambled about various incidents that happened in Babel Square while I was away.

Since Babel Square has a lot of foot traffic, there were all sorts of strange incidents.

“So the convenience store uncle on Floor 1 and the jewelry shop lady on Floor 2 are bitter enemies, but it turns out they’re divorced?”

“That’s right.”

“They started fighting because the son born between them wasn’t the uncle’s biological child, but it turns out the test results were wrong?”

“Correct.”

“But that son was supposed to marry the daughter of the woman the uncle remarried?”

“Moreover, that son grew up not knowing who his real father was, so when they had the meeting between families, they met each other’s parents for the first time.”

“Wow.”

I sighed softly and clapped.

Not being able to see that directly is truly lamentable.

A makjang drama unfolded right in front of me and I missed it!

* * *

Alessandro’s cooking skills had improved even more in a month.

The fantastic taste of the stew with its rich flavor that made my tongue dance still lingered in my mouth.

Before Alessandro brought the inquiry documents for repair, appraisal, and the information desk, I had a truly brief rest time.

I was entrusting my whole body to the incredibly soft and comfortable sofa, completely different from the plank I rode all day on Floor 53.

Thanks to the heater running gently, the house was warm and just the right temperature.

‘I should think ahead about how to handle the Quest.’

I firmly resisted the urge to just lie here and take a nap.

Ahn Yeon-seo is enough for pushing things aside and ignoring them.

[Title Job Quest (8)

To successfully operate and expand the market, complete the following requirements.

1) Import and sell 100 types of items from other dimensions. (0/100)

2) Sell 100 types of items from this dimension to other dimensions. (0/100)

3) Repair B-Grade or higher items. (1/10)

4) Appraise A-Grade or higher items. (0/10)

However, do not interfere with scenarios while performing the Quest.

Reward: New title skill unlocked

Penalty: Title disappears]

I brought up the Quest again and quietly read through the contents.

Repair and Appraisal seem possible just by handling the requests Alessandro will bring, but the problem is numbers 1 and 2.

If it were just selling 100 items, maybe, but having to sell 100 types feels overwhelming.

You can’t just randomly put up anything and expect it all to sell.

Of course, I have a track record of smooth-talking Dark Mages into buying Vita100, but I can’t go around sweet-talking every single item.

I’d collapse from exhaustion doing that.

A true merchant should know how to stimulate consumer desire…

“What should I sell that would sell well…”

I was muttering quietly when Alessandro entered carrying a fairly large box.

I stared at Alessandro blankly and blinked.

Even though he’s essentially a fallen kingdom’s knight captain, Alessandro looks quite modern now.

A shirt bought for 29,900 won from a spa brand, pants bought for 42,900 won, and 2,900 won socks.

He’s probably washing his face with the cleansing foam I bought him and shaving with a razor.

Come to think of it, this person is the perfect sample.

Since I know this dimension’s situation better, Alessandro can be the best source of information about consumers from the other dimension.

He’s trustworthy and honest too, so the data would be plenty reliable.

“Alessandro.”

“Do you have some concern?”

“Among the items I’ve provided here so far, was there anything particularly good? Something you’d never seen where you lived?”

Alessandro, who had set the box down on the table with a thud, answered without hesitation.

“First, the best thing is the blanket.”

“…Blanket?”

“The blankets we used back home were made of coarse fabric, so they were rough. But that blanket called microfiber was incredibly soft and warm.”

“Microfiber.”

“Yes, and the cloth for wiping the body was also very soft.”

“Towels?”

“Ah, that thing called carbonated drinks was also fascinating. The sensation of the drink popping in my throat was new.”

Alessandro, who had finished his kindergartener-like innocent description, smacked his lips.

I knew he’d be perfect for market research.

Of course, it’s bewildering that he only mentioned things completely different from what I expected, but they’re sufficiently helpful information.

‘Come to think of it, even that polite Manti went crazy for Churu and cat toys.’

In the end, regardless of dimension, comfort and quality beat novelty and newness.

When I first received the Quest, I thought I’d have to buy and sell completely new things to succeed.

For example, something like the Green River.

But the Green River was a one-of-a-kind limited edition invention with no other alternatives.

Unless I could directly commission Nokton to make them.

‘Surprisingly simple things might sell well too?’

If I could buy a 50,000 won blanket and sell it for 100 Gold, that would be pure profit.

Since it’s an item that can be bulk ordered, continuous income generation is totally possible.

“Then what about disappointing things?”

“It would have to be the sword.”

“Huh, sword?”

“The blacksmith’s skill level doesn’t seem very high. I feel it every time I cook.”

I had forgotten since he wears an apron and packs lunch boxes, but Alessandro is a former knight captain.

A swordsman’s eye is different.

When I use it, it feels like it cuts just fine without catching on anything.

“Let’s continue talking while checking the documents.”

“Anyone watching would think Alessandro is my boss.”

“I do seem to do a bit more work.”

Having no words to refute, I quietly opened the box.

Numerous documents classified with post-it notes labeled with three words – Repair, Appraisal, and Consultation – were packed tightly inside the box.

“I thought other things would be more surprising…”

The moment I saw the first page of the document bundle with the ‘Consultation’ post-it, I froze.

[Request for Guild Baekdan Weapon Appraisal]

Am I seeing… an illusion?

The moment I saw it, a certain face hidden in the depths of my memory suddenly surfaced.

‘Then I’ll make a formal request. I’ll prepare a contract too.’

The face of Baekdan’s guild leader Lee Hwa-yeon, who had smiled at me with a ‘look at this’ expression.

The on-site request I had thrown out with the intention of getting kicked out of the appraisal office and avoiding the situation had snowballed back.

As an official document that I couldn’t ignore or pretend not to see.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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