AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 179
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Maria : Mebius World Online
Ouren/Yuuzen : I Was a Small Fish
Episode 13-19
Day 63 of Managing the Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store.
The discussions with the group of elves, mainly Chloe’s family, and the merchant association from Francine’s family home had finally wrapped up.
Navigating through the unusually crowded food court, I made my way toward the third group.
“Sigh… This is weighing on me.”
“Hang in there, Naoya-san. Do you need some medicine to lift your spirits?”
“That sounds super sketchy! I’m good, I’ll manage on my own!”
“Fufu, I’m just joking.”
“Well, that’s a relief… I guess.”
Anna-san covered her mouth and chuckled softly. Undead jokes really aren’t funny. Or in this case, is it an isekai pharmacist joke?
Either way, thanks to Anna-san, I felt a bit more relaxed… I think.
For this business meeting, Anna-san was supporting me. Usually, I’d get advice from Chloe, the former manager, or Francine-san, who’s quick on the uptake, but both were off catching up with their families.
A runaway daughter and one who was disowned but… came back? Got forgiven? Either way, I wasn’t about to interrupt their long-overdue conversations.
Even though Chloe kept glancing my way, clearly signaling for help… nope, still not interfering.
“Thank you for waiting.”
“Oh no, don’t worry about it. It seems your previous meetings went well—that’s good to hear.”
When I sat down in front of the third group, the man who seemed to be the representative gave me a sly, scheming smile.
Well, not just “seemed”—he was the head of the Merchant Guild.
“So, what brings you here today?”
“My, my, straight to business without the usual pleasantries? But fine, I’ll humor you.”
“Uh… okay…?”
“It’s nothing major. I’ve brought some folks who are interested in becoming tenants.”
“Wait, really?”
“These fine people right here.”
At his words, the folks seated at the next table stood up and bustled over.
They were all short.
But they had glorious beards.
“Take a look at this.”
“Check this out first.”
“Top-notch work.”
“Still can’t beat the original.”
“How was this made?”
“It’s not magisteel.”
“Is it holy silver?”
“Nope, the color’s off.”
“Uh, could you all calm down a bit? You’re the dwarves who visited Aion before, right?”
“Indeed. They were quite impressed by the items sold here. It seems it really inspired them. Now, they want to improve their craft while selling their goods.”
“I see. So they’re separate from the guild, huh? That makes four groups total.”
The dwarves, still chatting excitedly, had brought over a wheelbarrow—a single-wheeled handcart—and a foldable shovel.
Now that I thought about it, they did buy some when we sold them before. Are these the same guys? Hard to tell with all the facial hair hiding their faces.
“Whoa, these are really well-made… How did they even craft this without modern machinery?”
“We learned a lot.”
“The ideas sparked inspiration.”
“There’s more, right?”
“Give us a challenge.”
“We’ll hone our craft.”
“And sell as we go.”
“Fufu, calm down, everyone. If you join as tenants, you’ll have plenty of opportunities. More than you think.”
“Anna-san?”
“Dwarves getting this talkative means they’re really excited. Seeing things they’ve never seen before and trying to craft something entirely new… That’s what makes them happiest.”
“So that’s why they said ‘give us a challenge.’ They’re convinced Aion’s got even more hidden treasures.”
“I believe that’s exactly it.”
The bearded little men sparkled with excitement, nodding eagerly—and edging in way too close.
“Alright, alright! I’ll go over the terms properly, so let’s take it easy for now. After that, I’ll prepare more items you might find interesting, okay?”
“OOOH!”
“Much appreciated!”
“Interesting items!”
“Maybe weapons?”
“Or armor?”
“I saw a pot over there!”
“With built-in mechanisms!”
“WHAT?!”
“Hold it.”
“I’ll leave the negotiations to you, boss.”
“Handle it.”
“WE’RE OFF!”
“YEAH!!”
The dwarves stormed off, leaving one guy behind as their representative.
They crowded into a corner of the food court, chattering away.
“Ah, I see. That store has an open kitchen style, so you can see inside through the glass. Guess it’s a good thing they weren’t open for business.”
The dwarves were pressed right up against the glass, pointing and speculating, “What’s that?” as they discussed their guesses.
With that kind of energy, if the store had been open, they might’ve just barged right in. Good thing I locked the door.
It seemed one dwarf was left behind for the actual discussion.
He sat slumped in a chair, clearly drained.
“Let’s leave the details for later. For now, just tell me about the tenant fee and what you plan to sell.”
“I’m grateful!”
The dwarf—who had been called the representative—perked right up, grabbing my hand with his massive one for a firm handshake.
The Guild Master next to him was grinning smugly.
At least I managed to get the key points out of him.
Just like he’d hinted before, the dwarves had taken an interest in products from my world. They bought some, tinkered around trying to replicate them, and apparently had a great time doing it. Plus, the high standards pushed their skills to improve.
That’s why they decided, “There must be more interesting stuff,” and wanted to stay close—definitely not to spy on me. Nope.
They planned to sell their replicas of things like wheelbarrows and folding shovels, along with cookware like pots and knives, and various tools—basically, anything made of metal.
As for weapons and armor? Just repairs. Apparently, they didn’t have the equipment to forge new ones.
Yeah, well, obviously I can’t have a forge inside Aeon Mall. Not that fire codes exist here, but still.
“Hmm… maybe underground? Or near the employee apartments? If it’s on our property, no one’ll complain—oh, but the noise might be an issue.”
Once we wrapped up the conversation, the dwarf sprinted back to his group.
I wondered what in the kitchen caught their attention. The mana stone stove is from this world… Oh. I forgot to put away the knives and the pressure cooker I used for cooking. That’s gotta be it.
“Thanks for the introduction. Looks like this will turn out well for both of us.”
“I’m glad to hear that. It’s rare for dwarves to want to open a shop without blood or local ties, after all.”
“Huh. Well, I’m sorry, but I need to head off. I’ve still got three more tenant negotiations to get through.”
“Ohhh? And you don’t want to talk with me?”
“Talk with you, Guild Master? About what? Oh—do I need to submit some paperwork for the tenants or something?”
“My trading company is also thinking of becoming a tenant, you see.”
“Ahh, I get it. That’s what this is abou—wait. Huh? Did I hear that right?”
“My trading company is also thinking of becoming a tenant, you see.”
“…Huh. But you’re the Merchant Guild Master. Isn’t that like… the head of the entire trade organization still actively running a business? I mean, I guess it could happen in Japan too. It’s just the whole Guild Master image throwing me off.”
“Take a deep breath, Naoya-san. Inhale… exhale… Should I fetch you something to help you calm down?”
“So this world’s got energy-boosting potions and calming potions, huh? I’m good. I don’t even want to know what’s in the calming one. Probably safer that way.”
Anna-san’s calm demeanor helped me relax a little.
Day 63 of Managing the Aion Mall Otherworldly Branch Store.
The caravan I thought was a merchant convoy headed for the mall?
Turns out it was just a swarm of groups hoping to open shops.
And instead of three groups, there were four.
…That fourth one’s probably going to be a pain. Maybe they’ll back out if the conditions don’t suit them. I can only hope.