For now, I decided to keep a few potions on hand and sell the rest to the Merchant’s Guild.

I thought about setting aside some for Zeke and the others, but since I don’t own a shop yet, it seems like I’m required to go through the guild whenever I sell goods.

However, since Zeke and the others became my guarantors when I joined, as a benefit, they can buy what I make at the wholesale price.

It doesn’t cost much to make a potion, so I wouldn’t mind parting with one for about a silver coin.

Once I open a shop, it seems like I’ll be able to set my own prices, so I do hope to have my own shop one day.

“Please place your hand on this plate.”

There was a silver plate, similar to the one Zeke had shown me.

Zeke’s plate had a design of a crossed sword and staff, but this one had two snakes entwined around a winged staff.

That’s the same symbol I saw on the sign. Maybe it’s the emblem of the Commercial Guild.

Thinking that, I placed my hand on the plate, which briefly glowed blue.

“Your name has been registered to the plate. If you ever need a reissue, it will cost one gold coin, so please be careful not to lose it.”

Apparently, this plate records your name and any monetary transactions with the Merchant Guild.

In other words, if you deposit money with the guild, you can conduct transactions at any Merchant Guild across the land without having to carry large sums of money. It’s essentially like a bank.

And just like the Adventurer’s Guild plates, it seems to also record the monsters you’ve defeated.

Not that I expect to be slaying any monsters… I mean, Koko, the mightiest of all, is protecting me, after all.

“You can also use this plate to prove your identity, so make sure to bring it with you when traveling to other towns.”

Wow, I’ve got an ID card.

You definitely need one in case something happens.

“This plate is quite mysterious.”

I turned the plate over and examined it.

Setting aside the bank card functionality, I wonder how it records the monsters defeated.

“They’re sent from headquarters, but the materials are iron and wheat, I’ve heard.”

“What!?”

The mysterious metal is made from iron and wheat!?

“People often misunderstood it as a special metal, leading them to break or melt it, so now the ingredients have been made public.”

“But even if you bake iron and wheat together, can you really get a metal like this?”

Oh, could it be alchemy?

If it’s made through alchemy, it wouldn’t be strange for such a mysterious metal to exist.

That would mean there are alchemists in this world… but didn’t they say that no one here has the talent for alchemy, which is why they summoned me from another world?

This is a mystery…

“There’s a rumor that a family entrusted with a divine secret by the goddess is the only one capable of making them. It’s also said that the family founded the Merchant Guild.”

I see.

…The goddess isn’t referring to the Witch of Realms, is she?

“We should also stock antidotes.”

“Antidotes?”

Victor tilted his head at Zeke’s suggestion.

“She can make top-grade antidotes.”

“Oh, that’s fantastic.”

Top-grade? It was just a regular antidote, though…

Maybe there’s some misunderstanding.

I took out an antidote from my bracelet while thinking that.

“I don’t have many right now, but I can make more if necessary.”

Just like with the potions, Victor drank a little of the antidote to check its effect and, after confirming it, nodded approvingly. “This is remarkable as well.”

“Then I’ll purchase it for one gold coin.”

What…

One gold coin!? Isn’t that way too overpriced!?

If they’re buying it at that price, it means they’ll sell it for even more.

But antidote ingredients are just antidote grass and water! The antidote grass grows in my garden, so the cost is basically zero!

“The antidote is strong enough to counteract the deadly venom of a King Snake. It’s a fair price.”

“Have you already verified the effect?”

“Yes. Cloud was bitten by one. Although, thanks to that, I was able to meet Mei.”

“It’s fortunate that good came from it.”

“Indeed.”

Somehow, Zeke and Victor settled on the price themselves.

But is it really okay to sell it at such a high price? Wouldn’t it be better to make it cheaper so everyone could use it?

When I suggested that, they immediately rejected the idea.

They explained that making a top-grade antidote is extremely difficult, and even for skilled pharmacists, you might only get one good batch out of a hundred. If there were others like me who could easily make it, the price could be lowered, but since I’m the only one, reducing the price isn’t possible.

When they put it that way, I suppose it makes sense. If the price drops, pharmacists might stop making them altogether…

And while I’m able to make them now, if I ever can’t, there’d be far fewer antidotes available on the market.

I guess running a business is harder than I thought.