Konbini Ossan Volume 3 Chapter 6 — A Lineup of New Products
Thanks to entrusting delivery work to Joan-kun, the development of new magic tools — that is, new products — progressed even faster.
The self-defense magic tools I made are already complete as products, so I plan to line them up in the store as they are.
As for the self-defense robes, thanks to earlier publicity, buyers have already begun to appear.
The ones I made from ragged cloth were all trial pieces, so I handed them out for free to several adventurers.
Officially, it was to hear their impressions, but in truth, it was a word-of-mouth strategy.
Thanks to that, the robes are now in short supply.
From the beginning, the stock wasn’t large. Still, I set each one at a fairly high price.
Only C-rank or higher adventurers with money to spare can afford them.
Even so, buyers keep coming. They are sturdier than heavy armor, yet serve properly as robes.
For mass-produced items, their performance is exceptional.
Of course, some magic tools excavated from dungeons and ruins include armor that surpasses even these robes.
But those are not things ordinary adventurers can ever obtain. They either become national treasures or end up in the hands of A-rank or higher adventurers.
This robe, however, is mass-produced. There’s no risk of it becoming a national treasure or being snatched away by higher-ranking adventurers.
Which is why wealthy adventurers are all eager to buy them.
Even among younger adventurers, some have begun setting their sights on obtaining these robes in the future, rather than chasing after dungeon- or ruin-born magic tools.
The anti-crime candies, on the other hand, don’t sell much, since they’re just something I put out on the side without much promotion.
That said, from time to time, it’s not adventurers but ordinary customers who buy them.
I distribute them not only to the orphanage but also to Maria, and it seems they’ve become a bit of a topic among housewives.
In fact, it was hearing such requests from housewives, passed on through Maria, that led me to put them up for sale in the first place.
These days, during relatively quiet hours, after the peak has passed, more parents with children have begun stopping by.
As a result, our customer base has broadened.
An unexpected effect, but a good one. The wider the variety of products that sell, the greater the profits.
As for the protective magic stones, these are purchased by both adventurers and ordinary people.
However, since in my store they’re luxury items second only to the robes, they don’t sell in large numbers.
They’re usually bought by wealthy families for their children, or by C-rank adventurers as insurance for emergencies.
If Shuri-kun put his mind to it, he could probably mass-produce such enchanted tools without limit.
Court magicians are truly terrifying.
Well, the very title of court magician exists precisely so the royal family can monopolize such power.
With these magic tools, I’m merely making use of Shuri-kun’s abilities in a loophole-like way.
In reality, such superior magic tools would never circulate in the public market.
Now, aside from the anti-crime magic tools, a few other new products are already on the shelves.
One is portable food for adventurers.
Food itself is, of course, sold in other shops too.
But ours is treated with a purification spell — a form of healing magic — that sterilizes it, allowing it to last longer than ordinary rations.
On top of that, I imbued it with the skill «Sweet Dew», so it can actually be enjoyed as food.
The skill «Sweet Dew» is possessed by monsters that capture prey with sweet nectar.
In exchange for a little mana, it produces a juice that imparts sweetness.
Thanks to that, the natural mana emitted by the eater’s body draws out a tiny bit of nectar, giving the food a sweet flavor.
The truth is, this product originated back when I was still an active adventurer.
I once made it experimentally, and it turned into a product.
The result was a collaboration of moderate sweetness with kneaded nutritional food.
Thanks to that, it ended up tasting like a kinako stick rather than rations — oddly addictive and delicious.
I decided to name the product Sweet Dew Mochi.
In addition to portable rations, I’ve also begun selling street foods resembling sandwiches and hot dogs.
Such foods are often used by adventurers for breakfast or lunch.
Sometimes they spend the entire day engaged in adventuring, leaving no time to sit down for a proper meal.
I too often went gathering herbs with a sandwich in hand.
However, most food stalls don’t open from early morning. Adventurers, on the other hand, sometimes head out to work before dawn.
As a result, some adventurers had no choice but to skip breakfast on busy mornings.
So I decided my shop would carry stall-like foods from early morning.
Before sunrise, the night-shift worker prepares and puts them on display. This way, adventurers can buy food even at dawn.
It’s not very profitable for the effort involved, but it gives many adventurers a reason to stop by regularly.
Moreover, after experiencing the convenience they can’t get anywhere else, adventurers have started recognizing my shop as a particularly useful one.
In short, it was a move to improve the shop’s reputation.
At present, I alone handle the night shift, since I can work without sleep. So the labor is no burden.
(E/N: We'll start calling him "Freaky Insomniac Uncle" from now on 🤣)
The lineup consists of sandwiches and several kinds of fried foods. Both procurement and preparation are simple, which is why I chose them.
In the morning, I slice bread and fill it with ingredients, or fry chicken or potatoes.
That’s all it takes. In the future, even if I hand the night shift over to someone else, it won’t be an issue.
At the same time, I also started selling containers for preserving food — two types: leather bags and wooden boxes.
Both are enchanted with the same three skills:
«Constant Temperature», «Moisture Retention», and «Purification».
The «Constant Temperature» skill is possessed by some monsters living in snowfields. It keeps temperature stable.
Thanks to it, warm things stay warm and cold things stay cold. Originally, it’s a skill for maintaining body heat, but in this case it works like a magical thermos.
The «Moisture Retention» skill comes from desert monsters, preventing the skin from drying out.
When applied to a bag or box, it keeps internal humidity from escaping. Thanks to it, stored food doesn’t dry out.
Lastly, the «Purification» skill. This is possessed by spirits living in holy springs or forests, keeping their surroundings clean.
It purifies water and air, which significantly delays food spoilage.
With these three skills, the preservation time of food extended nearly a hundredfold compared to before.
I confirmed this by storing identical sandwiches in an enchanted container and a regular one, and observing the difference.
At first, sales were slow since I didn’t advertise them. But word of mouth about their usefulness gradually spread.
Recently, adventurers have started buying the bags, while ordinary customers purchase the boxes.
Since many housewives visit our store, this matched their needs perfectly. I expect the product will eventually become quite popular.
I priced them affordably, on par with everyday magic tools used in households.
Setting them too high would not be good for such practical living goods.
Besides, there are no competing products.
Perhaps these will even surpass the popularity of glowstones.
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E/N:
The amazing products of the Cave Dwarf's Magic Tool Shop has increased! Sales will keep increasing! Keep it up, Ossan!
I edited the chapter while sitting near the window while it was raining outside~ The feels! Enjoy the rainy season or whatever season is there where y'all live~
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