🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 8
Just as I was about to gather my sea snails back into the bucket and snap at him over the ridiculous price—
An older woman approached and spoke to the street vendor.
“Mr. Ben, give me three kilos of sea snails.”
So the vendor’s name was Ben.
The woman casually pulled out three silver coins from her purse and handed them over.
Three silver.
“……”
Ben glanced nervously at me before taking the money with a cough.
Yeah. So even he knew he was being shameless.
I glared at him with all my might.
While Ben deliberately avoided my gaze and began filling the scale basket with sea snails—
“Oh my, these ones look especially fresh. Couldn’t you use these instead?”
The woman pointed at the sea snails I had brought. One of Ben’s eyebrows twitched.
“Ah, they’re all the same. They just look shinier because they were splashed with seawater recently.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“I see. But the sea snails I bought last time—two of them had gone bad.”
“Oh dear! My apologies. The weather’s been warm lately, so sometimes that happens. I’ll add four extra to make up for the spoiled ones and as an apology.”
Ben hurriedly piled more sea snails into the scale basket.
“And since you’re a regular, I added one especially large one too. You can see the weight yourself, right?”
After checking the scale, the woman smiled in satisfaction.
“Oh ho ho, well, seafood can be like that sometimes. That’s why I only come here, you know? Still, if it keeps happening, that’d be troublesome. Be careful, alright?”
“Of course, ma’am. I checked everything carefully before packing it.”
Satisfied with Ben’s smooth-talking promise, the woman transferred the sea snails into her basket and left.
“Damn it, of all times…”
Ben muttered bitterly.
I immediately seized the opportunity and picked up my bucket.
“Goodbye.”
“Wait!”
Ben hurriedly stopped me.
“Twenty copper per kilo. I’ll specially double the price for you.”
“No thanks. I changed my mind.”
I narrowed my eyes and glared at him.
“These were caught this morning, so they’re incredibly fresh. You can tell just by looking at them. And you think twenty copper makes sense?”
“Of course they look fresh if they were just caught. But I could catch and sell those too.”
“Sure. Then you can stop drinking at night and go into the sea yourself to catch them. If you stop drinking, you’ll wake up early enough to catch them in the morning too.”
“Hey! Morning’s one thing, but diving into the sea at night to catch sea snails? Do you know how dangerous that is? Is it worth dying over a few sea snails?”
Apparently, Ben was the timid type.
Night diving was definitely more dangerous than daytime diving, but as long as you didn’t go too deep, it wasn’t impossible.
Ben smacked his lips while staring at our sea snails.
“Then how much do you want?”
“Seventy copper.”
“Hey now, even proper shops would only pay sixty copper at best. And that’s only if you bring over a hundred kilos.”
“Then I’ll just sell them myself. They should sell fine for ninety copper.”
“Huh? Sell them yourself? Who’s gonna buy them for ninety?”
“You sell them for one silver.”
“Bah, that’s because I’m a local here. If some girl nobody’s seen before tries selling them, nobody’ll buy.”
“If the product’s better and cheaper than yours, why wouldn’t they buy? People would line up.”
“Why would they line up? I’m telling you, they won’t buy!”
“Then I’ll pay ten copper per kilo as a stall fee. Watch and see.”
Before Ben could reply, I shouted loudly toward the street.
“Special first-come-first-served sale starting now! Giant sea snails freshly caught this morning—only ninety copper per kilo! Limit two kilos per person! Only accepting the first four customers!”
The results came quickly, and Ben’s eyes went wide.
It only took five minutes to sell all eight kilos.
Naturally, Ben was dumbfounded after earning eighty copper in stall fees in just five minutes.
“A-Ah… if you’re hanging around here selling things, how are you supposed to watch the kid?”
“Didn’t you just see me sell everything? I just have to sell quickly. Besides, my little brother is very smart. He does fine on his own. He reads well too. He even understands currency.”
Honestly, I didn’t know exactly how educated Baron was. But since he’d been born a noble, he must’ve learned reading and writing no matter how young he was.
“That’s basic knowledge. One hundred copper equals one silver. One hundred silver equals one gold.”
Quick-witted as always, Baron answered immediately to play along, though he also grinned happily at the praise.
Ben scratched his head while looking at Baron.
“Well, he does look clever. Huh… I didn’t expect this from you, miss. You’re pretty capable.”
I didn’t say anything, but Baron puffed out his chest proudly instead.
‘Pfft. Why is everything this kid does so cute?’
People always say your own child looks cute only to you, but Baron was objectively adorable.
Even grumbling Ben couldn’t help smiling at him.
“Fine. If your sea snails stay this good, I’ll buy them for seventy copper. But don’t go selling elsewhere—just come here. I’ll give you good prices for other stuff too.”
If I really tried to run my own stall, there’d be too many things to worry about: stall fees, harassment from established merchants, wasted time, and more.
Considering all that, his offer honestly wasn’t bad for me either.
“Alright. I’ll come again next time.”
As we finished saying goodbye and walked away, Baron grabbed my hand tightly.
“Noona.”
“Hm?”
Baron’s eyes sparkled brightly.
“You’re really amazing.”
The look of admiration in his eyes made me feel unexpectedly pleased.
“It’s nothing much.”
I ruffled Baron’s hair affectionately and adjusted the bucket in my grip.
Alright, now let’s go shopping!
Baron and I wandered around buying various supplies together.
Soap and toothbrushes for hygiene, a sturdy netted scoop, floating baskets, rope, round glass bottles, and more.
Then that night, after eating a seafood dinner together, Baron and I set up a trap on the sandy beach near the house to catch a Flash Firefly.
But the more I looked at it, the stranger it seemed.
This was supposedly for catching fireflies, yet the trap made from a glass bottle and basket looked almost identical to the sparrow traps I’d used back on Earth.
Hidden behind a shabby fence, I quietly held the rope connected to the basket and asked Baron,
“Will this really work?”
Baron chuckled softly.
“Yeah. Trust me. You remember what to do after catching one, right?”
“Mm-hm.”
Apparently, if you gave it a name, kept it trapped inside a glass bottle for about two days, then released it, it would follow the person who named it and obediently listen to them.
‘Is there really an insect like that? No, wait—it follows the person who trapped it? Is that just because this is a fantasy romance world with magical beasts?’
As I tilted my head in confusion, one side of the beach suddenly lit up brightly.
A Flash Firefly.
Its light spread in all directions, as brilliant as the LED lamps used on fishing boats.
‘Wow, with that level of brightness…!’
It felt like I’d be able to see straight into the ocean even at night.
Praying desperately that we’d catch it, I watched as the Flash Firefly circled around the basket before slipping neatly into the glass bottle.
“Now!”
At Baron’s signal, I quickly yanked the rope.
Thunk!
The basket flipped over and covered the bottle. Holding the cork stopper, Baron dashed forward, swiftly lifted the basket, and sealed the bottle shut.
“Noona! Here!”
The moment Baron triumphantly raised the glass bottle, the light was so blinding I could barely keep my eyes open.
The Flash Firefly’s brightness was absolutely incredible.
“Whoa! Whoaa! This is insane! Oh my god!”
Excited screams burst out of me involuntarily.
As I took the bottle containing the Flash Firefly from Baron, my feet bounced with excitement on their own.
“First, let’s name it. You do it, noona.”
At Baron’s words, I held the bottle carefully and declared,
“From now on, your name is Search.”
I couldn’t stop grinning.
I had actually obtained LED-level lighting in this world!
“Noona, are you happy?”
I immediately pulled Baron into a tight hug and kissed his cheek.
“Yes! Baron, this is all thanks to you! Thank you so much!”
Baron’s eyes widened as he lightly touched the cheek I had kissed.
His face turned red, and his pupils shook violently like he’d been deeply shocked. Only then did I realize my mistake.
I’d messed up.
No matter how much Baron felt like a younger brother, he wasn’t actually my little brother.
“Ah, sorry. That surprised you, didn’t it? I kissed you without asking.”
When I apologized, Baron hurriedly shook his head.
“N-No, I liked it……”
“Hm?”
Baron, who had been staring toward the sea, lightly bit his lip before lifting his eyes as though gathering courage to say something.
Chapter 8
Just as I was about to gather my sea snails back into the bucket and snap at him over the ridiculous price—
An older woman approached and spoke to the street vendor.
“Mr. Ben, give me three kilos of sea snails.”
So the vendor’s name was Ben.
The woman casually pulled out three silver coins from her purse and handed them over.
Three silver.
“……”
Ben glanced nervously at me before taking the money with a cough.
Yeah. So even he knew he was being shameless.
I glared at him with all my might.
While Ben deliberately avoided my gaze and began filling the scale basket with sea snails—
“Oh my, these ones look especially fresh. Couldn’t you use these instead?”
The woman pointed at the sea snails I had brought. One of Ben’s eyebrows twitched.
“Ah, they’re all the same. They just look shinier because they were splashed with seawater recently.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“I see. But the sea snails I bought last time—two of them had gone bad.”
“Oh dear! My apologies. The weather’s been warm lately, so sometimes that happens. I’ll add four extra to make up for the spoiled ones and as an apology.”
Ben hurriedly piled more sea snails into the scale basket.
“And since you’re a regular, I added one especially large one too. You can see the weight yourself, right?”
After checking the scale, the woman smiled in satisfaction.
“Oh ho ho, well, seafood can be like that sometimes. That’s why I only come here, you know? Still, if it keeps happening, that’d be troublesome. Be careful, alright?”
“Of course, ma’am. I checked everything carefully before packing it.”
Satisfied with Ben’s smooth-talking promise, the woman transferred the sea snails into her basket and left.
“Damn it, of all times…”
Ben muttered bitterly.
I immediately seized the opportunity and picked up my bucket.
“Goodbye.”
“Wait!”
Ben hurriedly stopped me.
“Twenty copper per kilo. I’ll specially double the price for you.”
“No thanks. I changed my mind.”
I narrowed my eyes and glared at him.
“These were caught this morning, so they’re incredibly fresh. You can tell just by looking at them. And you think twenty copper makes sense?”
“Of course they look fresh if they were just caught. But I could catch and sell those too.”
“Sure. Then you can stop drinking at night and go into the sea yourself to catch them. If you stop drinking, you’ll wake up early enough to catch them in the morning too.”
“Hey! Morning’s one thing, but diving into the sea at night to catch sea snails? Do you know how dangerous that is? Is it worth dying over a few sea snails?”
Apparently, Ben was the timid type.
Night diving was definitely more dangerous than daytime diving, but as long as you didn’t go too deep, it wasn’t impossible.
Ben smacked his lips while staring at our sea snails.
“Then how much do you want?”
“Seventy copper.”
“Hey now, even proper shops would only pay sixty copper at best. And that’s only if you bring over a hundred kilos.”
“Then I’ll just sell them myself. They should sell fine for ninety copper.”
“Huh? Sell them yourself? Who’s gonna buy them for ninety?”
“You sell them for one silver.”
“Bah, that’s because I’m a local here. If some girl nobody’s seen before tries selling them, nobody’ll buy.”
“If the product’s better and cheaper than yours, why wouldn’t they buy? People would line up.”
“Why would they line up? I’m telling you, they won’t buy!”
“Then I’ll pay ten copper per kilo as a stall fee. Watch and see.”
Before Ben could reply, I shouted loudly toward the street.
“Special first-come-first-served sale starting now! Giant sea snails freshly caught this morning—only ninety copper per kilo! Limit two kilos per person! Only accepting the first four customers!”
The results came quickly, and Ben’s eyes went wide.
It only took five minutes to sell all eight kilos.
Naturally, Ben was dumbfounded after earning eighty copper in stall fees in just five minutes.
“A-Ah… if you’re hanging around here selling things, how are you supposed to watch the kid?”
“Didn’t you just see me sell everything? I just have to sell quickly. Besides, my little brother is very smart. He does fine on his own. He reads well too. He even understands currency.”
Honestly, I didn’t know exactly how educated Baron was. But since he’d been born a noble, he must’ve learned reading and writing no matter how young he was.
“That’s basic knowledge. One hundred copper equals one silver. One hundred silver equals one gold.”
Quick-witted as always, Baron answered immediately to play along, though he also grinned happily at the praise.
Ben scratched his head while looking at Baron.
“Well, he does look clever. Huh… I didn’t expect this from you, miss. You’re pretty capable.”
I didn’t say anything, but Baron puffed out his chest proudly instead.
‘Pfft. Why is everything this kid does so cute?’
People always say your own child looks cute only to you, but Baron was objectively adorable.
Even grumbling Ben couldn’t help smiling at him.
“Fine. If your sea snails stay this good, I’ll buy them for seventy copper. But don’t go selling elsewhere—just come here. I’ll give you good prices for other stuff too.”
If I really tried to run my own stall, there’d be too many things to worry about: stall fees, harassment from established merchants, wasted time, and more.
Considering all that, his offer honestly wasn’t bad for me either.
“Alright. I’ll come again next time.”
As we finished saying goodbye and walked away, Baron grabbed my hand tightly.
“Noona.”
“Hm?”
Baron’s eyes sparkled brightly.
“You’re really amazing.”
The look of admiration in his eyes made me feel unexpectedly pleased.
“It’s nothing much.”
I ruffled Baron’s hair affectionately and adjusted the bucket in my grip.
Alright, now let’s go shopping!
Baron and I wandered around buying various supplies together.
Soap and toothbrushes for hygiene, a sturdy netted scoop, floating baskets, rope, round glass bottles, and more.
Then that night, after eating a seafood dinner together, Baron and I set up a trap on the sandy beach near the house to catch a Flash Firefly.
But the more I looked at it, the stranger it seemed.
This was supposedly for catching fireflies, yet the trap made from a glass bottle and basket looked almost identical to the sparrow traps I’d used back on Earth.
Hidden behind a shabby fence, I quietly held the rope connected to the basket and asked Baron,
“Will this really work?”
Baron chuckled softly.
“Yeah. Trust me. You remember what to do after catching one, right?”
“Mm-hm.”
Apparently, if you gave it a name, kept it trapped inside a glass bottle for about two days, then released it, it would follow the person who named it and obediently listen to them.
‘Is there really an insect like that? No, wait—it follows the person who trapped it? Is that just because this is a fantasy romance world with magical beasts?’
As I tilted my head in confusion, one side of the beach suddenly lit up brightly.
A Flash Firefly.
Its light spread in all directions, as brilliant as the LED lamps used on fishing boats.
‘Wow, with that level of brightness…!’
It felt like I’d be able to see straight into the ocean even at night.
Praying desperately that we’d catch it, I watched as the Flash Firefly circled around the basket before slipping neatly into the glass bottle.
“Now!”
At Baron’s signal, I quickly yanked the rope.
Thunk!
The basket flipped over and covered the bottle. Holding the cork stopper, Baron dashed forward, swiftly lifted the basket, and sealed the bottle shut.
“Noona! Here!”
The moment Baron triumphantly raised the glass bottle, the light was so blinding I could barely keep my eyes open.
The Flash Firefly’s brightness was absolutely incredible.
“Whoa! Whoaa! This is insane! Oh my god!”
Excited screams burst out of me involuntarily.
As I took the bottle containing the Flash Firefly from Baron, my feet bounced with excitement on their own.
“First, let’s name it. You do it, noona.”
At Baron’s words, I held the bottle carefully and declared,
“From now on, your name is Search.”
I couldn’t stop grinning.
I had actually obtained LED-level lighting in this world!
“Noona, are you happy?”
I immediately pulled Baron into a tight hug and kissed his cheek.
“Yes! Baron, this is all thanks to you! Thank you so much!”
Baron’s eyes widened as he lightly touched the cheek I had kissed.
His face turned red, and his pupils shook violently like he’d been deeply shocked. Only then did I realize my mistake.
I’d messed up.
No matter how much Baron felt like a younger brother, he wasn’t actually my little brother.
“Ah, sorry. That surprised you, didn’t it? I kissed you without asking.”
When I apologized, Baron hurriedly shook his head.
“N-No, I liked it……”
“Hm?”
Baron, who had been staring toward the sea, lightly bit his lip before lifting his eyes as though gathering courage to say something.
