I Just Traded in the Forest of Monsters, but the World Changed - Chapter 39

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 39
One gold coin.
The nobles and merchants exchanged glances, minds already calculating.
“One gold coin?”
“Per pouch?”
Se Hui nodded and held up a package, beginning her explanation.
“Boil water, add noodles, wait four minutes, drain the water. Add the included Sauce Pouch, mix well, and you’re done.”
“That’s all?”
“Yes. That’s all.”
Baron Weltne folded his arms, studying the pouch.
“Simple enough for a single gold coin.”
“That Yogurt from yesterday was just a small bottle too.”
A nobleman nearby spoke hesitantly.
The atmosphere shifted at those words.
……
After a moment of silence, one merchant slowly raised his hand.
“I’ll take one.”
His voice still carried traces of doubt.
But that single phrase broke through the stillness that had held them.
As if it were a signal, three merchants standing near the front of the line raised their hands almost in unison.
Count Salt hesitated briefly before raising his, and Baron Weltne followed suit.
Se Hui, maintaining her business smile, handed out pouches one by one as she spoke.
“You’ll be preparing it yourselves, yes? Just grab water from that tap over there.”
Baron Weltne let out an amused chuckle and said, “Well, might as well try it.”
And so instant Jjapari preparation began on one side of the Open Ground.
The problems emerged quickly.
“How much water am I supposed to add exactly?”
Count Salt stood before the tap, pot in hand, frozen in indecision.
“Enough so the noodles are submerged.”
“How much is that exactly?”
“About… this much.”
Se Hui gestured with her hand at the height of the pot, and Count Salt nodded before filling it with water.
Bubble-bubble.
Count Salt immediately lifted the lid.
“……Is it done yet?”
Baron Weltne observed from beside him.
“You need to wait a bit longer. You just added it.”
Count Salt shrugged at those words and closed the lid.
Less than a minute later, he opened it again.
“This should be good.”
The noodles were still hard as stone.
Meanwhile, one merchant from a mercenary company background—already practiced in the art of preparation—skillfully drained the water and tore open the Sauce Pouch.
As the dark sauce flowed over the noodles, a rich aroma began spreading slowly through the air.
Mingled with the greasy scent came a peculiarly sweet undertone.
Soon after, Choco rose slowly and brought his snout to the empty air, beginning to sniff.
The aroma was potent enough to stir even a monster’s senses.
People nearby raised their heads one by one.
“This…… smell is anything but ordinary.”
The merchant standing right beside him wrinkled his nose.
“Is it rich or savory?”
The motion of mixing the sauce stopped.
The merchant slowly raised his chopsticks.
“……This is…”
The merchant froze, chopsticks in hand.
“What flavor is this?”
Another merchant watching from right beside him asked.
“How is it?”
“It clings to your mouth. You just…… keep eating.”
Before he could finish, more hands rose.

“One, please.”
“I’ll take one too.”
“Two here.”
As orders poured in, voices overlapped naturally.
The line dissolved in an instant, the boundary between front and back blurring.
Se Hui pulled out pouches rapidly, pressing them into waiting hands.
Her hands never stopped moving.
Stock drained away in moments.
Se Hui distributed pouch after pouch while scooping up gold coins pressed into her palm.
Clink.
The heavy weight of coins striking her skin.
‘How many is this, anyway?’
Even a rough count put it over ten.
Then a blue window flickered at the edge of her vision.
[Exchange Notification]
Detected: Empire Gold Coins x13
Converted: 13,000P
Fee (20%): -2,600P
Final Gain: 10,400P
‘Wow.’
Se Hui’s hands stilled for a moment.
‘It comes in this fast?’
As her expression brightened, Choco’s tail wagged vigorously, the monster’s joy matching her own.
For the first time, she’d earned Points in the ten-thousands.
She was turning that number over in her mind when—
“That’s odd. It tastes different from theirs.”
Count Salt glanced down at his own pot.
The noodles had swollen from boiling too long.
He took a bite and his brow creased.
“So much for simple instructions.”
He grumbled, yet ate another spoonful anyway.
The texture was ruined from overcooking, but the flavor itself was hard to resist.
“Next time, I’ll get it right.”
Erasmus, watching from nearby, let out a soft chuckle.
“What else would nobles do?”
The whispered remark was audible only to Se Hui.
Beside him, Viscount Weltne savored his properly cooked Jjapari before remarking, “Mine turned out well. Not a wasted gold coin, I’d say.”
That was when it happened.

[Regular Customers Secured 6/20]
[Regular Customers Secured 7/20]
‘Back-to-back?’
Se Hui blinked, glancing toward Count Salt.
‘Ah, those two, then.’
[Regular Customers Secured 8/20]
Another window appeared.
‘It just keeps going up?’
Se Hui surveyed her surroundings.
A merchant some distance away was staring down at his empty bowl, muttering to himself.
“Two won’t be enough next time.”
* * *
Se Hui stood with arms folded, sweeping her gaze across the Open Ground.
The Jjapari’s first sales response had been far from poor.
In fact, it had been quite good.
Even Count Salt, who’d eaten the overcooked noodles, had bought the remaining two servings, promising to prepare them properly next time.
‘And that brings my Points to…’
[Current Points Held: 13,976P]
Se Hui then turned her attention to another window.
[Progress Status]
• Points: 13,976 / 100,000P (13%)
• Regular Customers Secured: 8 / 20
‘……Thirteen percent? In a single day, that’s not bad at all.’
It was progress worth noting.
Her gaze drifted naturally downward.
‘Eight regulars already.’
That had come faster than expected.
‘At this rate, I’ll fill the quota in no time.’
Se Hui caught herself, suppressing the smile that had begun to rise to her lips.
‘……But that’s the problem. I can’t keep selling like this every single day.’
Just then, a presence made itself known at the entrance to the Open Ground.
Choco, who had been quietly browsing the surroundings, suddenly lifted his head.
Erasmus, by contrast, turned his gaze toward the entrance as if he’d known all along.
“About time they showed up.”
At those words, Se Hui looked up in confusion, watching the figure that now appeared.
A young man with neatly trimmed hair and an overcoat bearing an unusual insignia.
Beads of sweat clung to his brow.
“Pardon me, but is this the place that’s been selling things in the Greenhal Forest?”
His voice was measured, though his breathing came a touch labored.
Se Hui nodded.
“That’s right.”
The man’s shoulders relaxed with relief, and he straightened his posture.
“I am Den, branch director of the Imperial Merchant Guild’s capital office.”
He offered a brief bow.
“I heard rumors spreading from yesterday and came to verify them personally.”
‘The capital branch director? Why would someone like that……’
Se Hui’s eyebrows rose ever so slightly.
“What brings you here?”
“To sell goods in the Empire, Guild membership is mandatory.”
Den’s gaze swept over Se Hui from head to toe.
“Yet there’s no registration record for you.”
“And?”
Se Hui’s tone hardened deliberately.
“Continuing sales without membership could become problematic.”
Den’s eyes briefly scanned the Open Ground.
“If an inspection is sent, operations could be suspended entirely.”
……
Someone cut in from the side.
“An inspection?”
It was Cassian.
Den’s gaze shifted toward Cassian.
And froze in place.
“D-Duke Valère! Why would you be here……!”
“Entry to this forest is under my authority,” Cassian said, looking down at Den.
Cassian regarded Den with cold displeasure.
“Any inspection would need my approval first.”
Sweat broke across Den’s forehead.
“……Of course, naturally.”
Den took a moment to steady his breathing and bowed low to Cassian.
“However, the act of selling goods and receiving payment falls under Imperial Commercial Law.”
Den adjusted his coat collar and continued speaking.
“Even within a duchy, there are no exceptions. Any merchant must register with the Guild.”
Den withdrew a thick bundle of documents from his satchel.
“So I’m proposing this: formal registration with the Guild, and we’ll handle distribution as well.”
He unfolded the papers as he spoke.
“We’ll manage pricing and distribution entirely. In addition, we can expand your sales across the entire Empire.”
Se Hui accepted the documents.
Dense rows of text spread before her eyes.
‘The terms themselves aren’t bad. In fact, they’re tailored almost perfectly.’
It was at that exact moment.
[Proxy Distribution Function unlocked.]
[Will you delegate distribution to the designated party?]
Se Hui’s hand stilled over the document.
‘I’ve never seen this before.’
It was a function entirely new to her.
If she handed off distribution, she could focus solely on supply.
The appeal was undeniable.
And yet.
‘…Wait.’
Se Hui tilted her head slightly.
‘I’m sure I got an offer like this yesterday too.’
But why now, of all times?
[Notice]
Direct sales within your current location are unrestricted.
However, external distribution will be subject to the commercial regulations of this world.
‘Ah…’
External distribution.
To expand across the Empire, she would have to abide by this world’s rules.
‘So guild registration is unavoidable after all.’
Se Hui glanced down at the documents again.
The terms were certainly not unfavorable.
If anything, they seemed generously tailored for a fledgling merchant.
When she looked up, Den was waiting with an even expression.
‘Still.’
Se Hui smiled faintly.
‘I can’t just sign right away.’

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