BXBX NOVEL Chapter 110: The Discerning Master Bard
Bonnie, however, was slightly displeased with Jeremy\'s decision.
"Do you really have to stay with her? Although Nina\'s mother did ask you to look after her, that doesn\'t necessarily mean you have to share a room with her."
Bonnie remarked, standing at the doorway with a hint of frustration in her voice.
Jeremy, with an innocent expression, nodded and replied, "In that case, are you suggesting that you stay in the same room with me?"
Upon hearing this, Bonnie turned on her heel without a word and slammed her door shut as she retreated to her own room.
Jeremy merely chuckled at Bonnie\'s reaction.
"My dear class representative always seems to be unable to take a joke." Jeremy remarked with a hint of amusement before heading back to his room.
Adjacent to Jeremy\'s room was that of Master Bard.
At this moment, Master Bard wasn\'t alone, Heber was also present.
"Don\'t forget the promises you made to me." Master Bard said, savoring the exquisite beverage provided by the hotel while addressing Heber.
Heber, with a touch of exasperation, replied, "Of course, I remember what I promised you! But we just arrived in Nocturne City today.
Even if we need to find a suitable location for your store, it has to wait until tomorrow. Besides, Jeremy won\'t be accompanying us, he plans to seek partnerships with other gemstone merchants."
Master Bard, however, remained indifferent to Jeremy\'s plans.
"I don\'t care about Jeremy\'s actions. My only concern is whether I can find a satisfactory location for my store. I am an exceedingly discerning individual, and if the place you find fails to meet my expectations, I will consider it a breach of your promise."
This statement from Master Bard successfully ignited Heber\'s ire.
"We are merely partners! Are you solely concerned with your own satisfaction while disregarding my situation?"
Heber\'s words effectively silenced Master Bard, preventing him from continuing the argument.
Thus, everyone in the caravan retired to their respective rooms for the night.
Though each had a myriad of tasks to address the following day, they could at least enjoy a moment of respite for now.
Early the next morning, Jeremy promptly escorted Nina to Bonnie\'s doorstep.
"You just need to wait here until she opens the door. She\'ll take care of you while I attend to more pressing matters."
Jeremy instructed Nina as he bid her farewell. Though Nina was reluctant to part, she understood that Jeremy had more important tasks to handle.
As Jeremy stepped out, Master Bard and Heber also set off on their own errands.
Master Bard, however, couldn\'t help but mutter incessantly as they walked.
"Did you bring enough gold coins? Besides renting the shop, we also need to purchase some basic herbs."
"I\'ve brought plenty of gold coins! And even if we run short, my reputation alone should be enough to get us some credit from other shops."
Heber replied, clearly nearing the end of his patience with Master Bard.
But his response failed to satisfy Master Bard.
The latter continued his grumbling, "If you didn\'t bring enough coins, we\'ll just have to come back to fetch more. Wouldn\'t it have been simpler to bring enough from the start?"
Unable to endure Master Bard\'s nagging any longer.
Heber returned to his room and gathered all the gold coins he had.
"Are you satisfied now? Surely this amount of gold is sufficient for our needs?"
"Since we have enough gold coins now, let\'s not waste any more time and get moving!" Master Bard exclaimed, hastening down the stairs as soon as he saw Heber had gathered all the gold.
Heber could only shake his head in resignation as he followed closely behind Master Bard.
Heber was well-acquainted with Nocturne City.
He knew that finding a shop with an ideal location at a reasonable rent was a formidable challenge. His strategy was to find a small shop situated at a prime location, preferably in a corner between two buildings.
Where the rent would be comparatively lower yet the location would still be advantageous.
However, securing such a perfect shop is a desire shared by many, and finding one would certainly require a bit of skill.
Heber didn\'t immediately set out to scour the streets in search of a suitable location.
Instead, he opted to meet with his fellow merchants in Nocturne City first. During these meetings, he casually mentioned his interest in finding such a shop, almost as if it were an afterthought.
Before long, one of his merchant friends tipped him off about a shop that precisely matched his requirements.
"Master Bard, I\'ve found a shop that will meet your expectations! Let\'s head over there immediately!"
Heber was determined to prevent the shop he had painstakingly discovered from being snatched up by someone else.
As soon as he obtained the relevant information, he hurriedly led Master Bard to the location.
The shop his friend had mentioned was situated on the busiest street in Nocturne City. The reason it hadn\'t been claimed by anyone else was its exceedingly narrow space. Nestled between two massive auction houses, the shop was barely a meter wide, seeming insufficient even to accommodate a single crucible.
Upon seeing the shop, Master Bard\'s expression turned sour.
"You can\'t seriously think this shop will meet my needs, do you? This space is so cramped that it can\'t even fit a crucible for potion-making. Is this really where you expect me to set up my store?"
Heber, fully aware that the shop wouldn\'t satisfy Master Bard.
Responded straightforwardly.
"Of course, we need to rent this shop, but that doesn\'t mean you\'re limited to just this small space. You can collaborate with the neighboring auction houses.
If you manage to strike a deal with them, you\'ll have ample space for your store. Not only will you be able to fit one crucible, but you could even accommodate several."
Master Bard, skeptical of Heber\'s proposition, retorted.
"Do you think collaborating with auction houses is a simple task? As a merchant, you should know a thing or two about them.
The people running auction houses are notoriously money-minded. If a partnership doesn\'t promise substantial profits for them, they won\'t even consider it."
Master Bard was, of course, acutely aware of the challenges he mentioned.
Heber\'s suggestion to collaborate with the auction houses was not made lightly; it was rooted in his personal connections.
"My network is quite extensive. I happen to know the owner of this auction house, which means I can arrange for some additional space." Heber explained.
Hearing this, Master Bard\'s anger began to dissipate.
Although he was notoriously picky.
The prospect of securing a spacious shop at an affordable rate appealed to him.
"Are you certain your friend can assist us?" Master Bard inquired.
"Absolutely. I once saved his life, and I\'m also prepared to offer him a profit he can\'t refuse. Besides being the owner of the auction house, he is also a gemstone merchant." Heber elaborated.
Heber\'s plan was to leverage Jeremy\'s gemstones to persuade the auction house owner to grant them a favor.
After listening to Heber\'s strategy, Master Bard couldn\'t help but express his admiration.
"You truly are a consummate merchant! You\'ve managed to coordinate your resources so perfectly."
Heber chuckled.
"I\'ll take that as a compliment. I\'ve already informed my friend in advance, so he will be expecting us at the auction house."
With newfound resolve, they proceeded toward the auction house, the bustling streets of Nocturne City buzzing around them.
The conversation between Heber and his friend was remarkably straightforward.
In less than ten minutes, they had ironed out all the details of their collaboration.
Master Bard hadn\'t anticipated that Heber would have such a friend.
As they left the auction house, Master Bard remarked to Heber.
"I never would have guessed that a profit-driven merchant like you would have a friend like that. It looks like you really did save his life at some point."
Heber nodded but didn\'t elaborate further.
He needed to return to the hotel as quickly as possible to inform Jeremy about the decisions he and his friend had made.
After all, it was ultimately Jeremy who had the authority to decide to whom the gems would be sold. Heber was merely acting as the intermediary between Jeremy and the gemstone merchants.
At that moment, Jeremy was not in the hotel. He had already ventured to the commercial district of Nocturne City, where a multitude of gemstone merchants could be found.
Jeremy hoped to find enough gemstone merchants to buy all the gems he had in his possession.
If he could sell all the gemstones and rare weapons he had, the energy crystals and soul crystals he would obtain should be sufficient to restore the class-changing goddess Janna to her most powerful state.
"There have to be enough gemstone merchants! I can\'t afford a repeat of what happened in Dawn City. If I can\'t find enough energy crystals in Nocturne City, my entire plan will fall apart." Jeremy thought to himself, determinedly.