Published: July 3, 2025
Gecko approached the two of them.
"A merchant must protect themselves first; that is essential. Moreover, if you can protect the lives of your subordinates, that would be even more wonderful, wouldn't it? Ryo-san's ice wall makes that possible. Even if it’s not feasible right away, I hope you can learn it."
Gecko said softly while watching the children practice.
"Hey, Gecko-san. What exactly are the qualities of an excellent merchant?"
Shaafi suddenly asked Gecko, who was gazing at his subordinates.
"What's got you asking that out of the blue?"
"Well, you see, if I were to be hired by this trading company as a guard, I would be traveling with the merchant caravan, right? I thought I should know a little about merchants and trade..."
Shaafi looked at Gecko as he spoke.
"Having the motivation is great. However... the qualities of an excellent merchant... that’s quite a difficult question. You see, there are various types of merchants, each with their own areas of expertise and preferred methods. But one thing they all have in common is that they face their trade sincerely."
"Facing trade sincerely... that sounds too vague."
Shaafi said, tilting his head.
In response, Gecko laughed and replied.
"Well, that’s true. It’s about whether or not you’re always thinking about your business, your customers, and your subordinates. To see if someone is constantly thinking about those things, you can simply ask them questions. If it’s something they’ve thought about before, they should be able to answer immediately. For example... Shaafi, what do you think is the basic principle of business?"
Gecko suddenly asked Shaafi a question.
"The b-basics of business... I suppose it’s about making a profit, right?"
Shaafi answered, still thinking.
"I see. That’s one answer. And it indicates that until now, Shaafi has been viewing and thinking about merchants and trade in that way."
"Ah, maybe that’s true..."
Shaafi mulled over Gecko's words repeatedly in his mind.
At that moment, Ryo returned.
Gecko then asked Ryo the same question.
"Ryo-san. What do you think is the basic principle of business?"
"Securing repeat customers."
Ryo answered immediately to Gecko's question.
"R-repeat...?"
Gecko didn’t quite understand the meaning of "repeat customers."
"Oh, I’m sorry... um, I mean securing loyal customers."
"I see. And why is that?"
Gecko showed a noticeably more interested expression than he had with Shaafi’s answer.
"If you have loyal customers, you can predict how much you’ll be able to sell in the next year or the year after that. It makes it easier to budget based on that. Having a clear outlook on management is essential. Moreover, loyal customers who recognize your good products and services will recommend you to their family and friends. When your reputation spreads without any advertising costs, and especially if it comes from trusted people who are close to them, the credibility is high. That’s why I think it’s important for a company... a trading company to continue to secure and increase loyal customers by continuously providing good products."
After saying this in one breath, Ryo left Shaafi and Raa in a state of astonishment.
"I see. Ryo-san, you have sincerely faced trade in the past."
Gecko said, nodding happily several times.
"Ryo-san, why not stop being an adventurer and come work with us?"
"No, that’s a bit..."
On the evening of the third day after leaving Halwill, Gecko's trading company finally arrived at Border Town Redpost in the Eastern Region of the Kingdom.
It had been twelve days since they departed from the City of Run.
Redpost is approximately the same size as Slanzewi, the second largest city in the eastern region in terms of economic scale.
It borders the Duchy of Inberri to the southeast and has developed into a city due to the good relations between the countries and the expansion of trade over the past decade.
Incidentally, it also borders the Handalu Federation to the northeast.
Redpost serves as a "border town" for both the duchy and the federation.