Chapter 2052: Arrived at Twinwave Town
The group safely arrived at Twinwave Town some days later, though with a lot of injuries. This was normal, even for big caravans coming from Towns.
It was actually amazing that no one had died, and a lot of it was thanks to the beast-repelling potions and stickers the couple sold to the caravan.
The couple figured that since they would be heading home after this, they could start selling some of the excess consumables in the space.
The price was not low, but it elevated the couple’s position even more, and no one antagonized them anymore.
Throughout the trip they had, more than once, mentioned that they had a number of products in their spaces, and they might be willing to sell after arriving at Twinwave.
A lot of them had recognized these as the exalted Alterran products, and the couple was so kind to sell them for cheaper than how they were usually sold back home!
They had no idea it was still several times more expensive than the actual selling price, but they didn’t need to know that.
This also caused more people to be amicable with them, and they found out the couple really weren’t bad at all. They were not only strong but also admirable.
By the time they reached the gates of Twinwave, a lot of people happily received their goods—it ranged from sauces, cookies, candies, beast repelling patches, and so on.
Since there were a lot of them lusting for the items, a strict purchase limit was placed, too, with a person only allowed to buy one item! This also allowed Althea to sell at an even higher price because a person was willing to pay more since they only had one item to buy anyway.
The mercenaries automatically received the payment after at least 60% of the employer’s side entered the target territory.
In missions like these, where a group of possibly-unrelated mercenary groups had to guard possibly-unrelated groups of people, there was usually one organizer among the employers who’d post the mission.
However, they also had to register in their missions the approximate number of people coming in. Regardless of how many people actually get escorted, the 60% would depend on the declared number of people.
If there was a mismatch in the numbers, the two sides could either negotiate or the mercenary could back out.
Changing the numbers after posting the mission could go either way.
After all, if the number of people to protect increased, then it was more work for the mercenaries.
However, the chances of failure—due to the 60% requirement—might actually be higher because there were more people to reach the quantity requirement. It would ultimately depend on how strong or weak the employer was.
The worst kind of client would be those that would bring more people than the declared number, and there were more weak people than strong ones. If the pay didn’t match up, then one could imagine the fights that could happen.
It was just that there was no checking mechanism to confirm the employer lied, so it would ultimately depend on the mercenary’s negotiating skills. At worst, they could just announce and expose the ’scam’ and then leave, though they’d have to suffer suspension from use of the Hall for ’failing’ the mission.
Anyway, after getting paid, they separated from the rest. They decided to go around Twinwave first, while the other non-locals decided to head straight to the Mercenary Halls.
As for the locals, like Chell, they happily offered their assistance, though they refused. Garan stayed there for a while, after all.
Since they had a place to head to, they didn’t have to spend the night and book any accommodations. Besides, accommodations in Alterra, according to investigations, were much more affordable and value for money than anywhere else. They’d just head home after sightseeing for a bit.
"So this is the first town you had been to," she said, referring to the first town Garan had ever landed on.
This was the nearest town they stayed in after months of struggling, losing comrades every day. Whenever she thought of those times, she felt heartbroken.
Garan felt her hold on him tighten a little and had an idea what was going on in her pretty head. He kissed her temple and smiled, and that was all he needed to do.
They observed the place, and Althea saw that the town was the rightful commercial center in this region, indeed. It was fairly developed with better average amenities and invested in proper housing modules as well.
The streets were very lively, and the market particularly so. Because there were quite a number of territories—villages and towns—connected through here, the market was the biggest they had encountered so far, even larger than Ferrol.
From the ground level, she couldn’t even see the end. It was a permanent market, too, and they apparently held weekly events at the plaza right next to it.
There were some performances there, and even a few elementalists performing, though their pay was naturally not low.
The place was vibrant, the air was filled with the cacophony of chatters, sales pitches, and even children’s laughter.
What surprised them a little was that the most popular store—one with a crowd consistently around it—was a shop abutting the main roads called ’Alterran Goods’!
It was likely owned by the Rolan Mercenary Team, and it sold various things in retail like selling paper per sheet, pencils per piece, et cetera.
Of course, selling Alterran items was not limited to the Rolan Mercenary Team. Their distribution deals were on a per-item basis, and some things were secured by the Rolan Mercenary team’s rival, the Swagen Mercenary team.
There were also plenty of individuals who made a business out of Alterran goods despite not securing distribution deals. Alterra never signed strict exclusivity deals, just exclusivity for dealer prices, but individuals were free to buy what they could afford within their (limited) purchase limits.
This brought about some interesting sales methods.
For example, there was a street auction...selling Alterran sauces...by the spoonful.
"..."
"One Spoonful of Special Alterran Vinegar! Starting price 30 silver!"
"A Hundred Drops of Soy Sauce! 50 silver! Going once! Going twice!"
One spoonful was probably a hundred drops.
"A helping of Floo Powder for sale! Give me 30 silver and it’s yours!"
"One teaspoon of hoisin sauce for 25 silver! NO Purchase limit!"
And so on.
The key here was that the queue for each item was long.
At this point, Althea didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
