Toma: Reincarnated as the Knight's Adopted Son

Chapter 25: Adventurers and Merchants
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Ben and I made steady progress exploring the dungeon. We ran into a few adventurers along the way, and they were all good-natured people.
When we exited the dungeon, a soldier greeted us with a beaming smile, relieved that we were safe.
I truly feel grateful to have come to Ashud Territory.

Ben and I headed to the riverbank near the mansion. Since the dungeon was discovered, several permanent dismantling tables have been set up here for adventurers to use freely.
As we were dismantling the monsters we had hunted, other adventurers arrived.
“Oh, dismantling too, boys? Not bad catches you’ve got there.”

It was Kozmi, one of the adventurers we’d met in the dungeon. He’s thirty-two, with a B-rank, a “Warrior of the Battlefield” blessing, a level of 220, and uses a battle axe. Despite his fierce look, he’s friendly and easy to talk to.
A level of 220... that’s comparable to the soldiers in our domain.
The Roxfall family has a reputation as a martial clan, with an average soldier level around 230. During winter, Father and the others often retreat to the mountains for monster hunts, rapidly increasing their levels. Going hunting with Father, who is over level 320, must make it easier to level up.

“You’re quite a big deal, Kozmi.”
“This is nothing; it’s not even close to big game.”
Even as he says this, he stands tall with pride.

Kozmi ventures into the dungeon with a team of four around his age.
The creature Kozmi brought back was a Red Boar. I remember Ben drooling just at the thought of smoked Red Boar meat.
“The skin of this Red Boar is fire-resistant. It sells for a good price.”

“Where can we find Red Boars in the dungeon?”
“They’re on the third floor. But it’s dangerous, so don’t go there, alright?”
"“Yes, sir!”"
While Ben and I explored only the first floor, Kozmi had gone down to the third to hunt.

The Red Boar’s skin is worth more than its meat because of its fire resistance, as Kozmi mentioned. A two-meter-long Red Boar hide sells for about 2,000 G, while the meat goes for around 500 G.
The currency in the Kingdom of Kuldia is as follows: 1 G copper coin, 10 G copper coin, 50 G copper coin, 100 G iron coin, 500 G iron coin, 1,000 G copper coin, 5,000 G copper coin, 10,000 G silver coin, 50,000 G silver coin, and 100,000 G gold coin.
To put it in perspective, 1 G seems to be worth about ten yen.

The Horse King I produce sells to merchants at 6,000 G per eighteen-liter barrel. Recently, demand has been so high that we can barely keep up with production.
We’ve started selling half of the horse barley sake brewed by Jin and Ram, which is normally sold at a discount to villagers, to meet the demand. The remaining half is still sold at reduced prices for the villagers.
My Horse King is labeled as premium sake, while Jin and Ram’s best batches are labeled as first-grade, and the lesser ones as second-grade. Premium sake is priced at 6,000 G, first-grade at 4,000 G, and second-grade at 3,000 G.

A typical wine barrel in general circulation costs between 2,500 G and 3,500 G, making it comparable to second-grade sake. Premium wines go for over 10,000 G, so our premium sake is relatively affordable.
Wine typically has an alcohol content between 8-15%, while second-grade Horse King has 20%, first-grade has 30%, and premium has 55%.
Returning to the matter at hand, after dismantling the monsters, Ben and I took the materials to a merchant.

Ben wanted to keep the meat for himself, so I decided to take some home to the mansion as well.
“Five Long Rabbit pelts, correct?”
Slimes also inhabit the dungeon’s first floor, but they aren’t worth selling. So we only brought in the Long Rabbit pelts.

"Each pelt goes for 200 G, so five pelts make a total of 1,000 G."
“Does that sound good, Ben?”
“I’m fine with it.”

Just then—
“Hey now, don’t go scamming kids like that.”
The voice came from above—it was Kozmi.

“With pelts in that good condition, you should be paying at least 400 G each. If you keep pulling tricks like this, rumors will spread.”
“Oh, Kozmi! Ahh, no contesting that. Alright, I’ll buy them for 400 G each, so five pelts come to 2,000 G. Does that work for you?”
“Good. Make sure you pay a fair price next time.”

It seems we almost got scammed by the merchant.
After receiving 2,000 G, Ben and I split the earnings.
“Thank you, Kozmi.”

“Thanks, old man.”
“No problem. Next time, use the merchant over at the corner. He’s got a rough mouth but won’t try to shortchange you.”
“Got it. We’ll do that. Thank you again.”

I learned that different merchants offer different prices—another valuable lesson.