"Alright, that should do it."

I walked through the market and managed to put together a complete outfit. The upper half is a white collared shirt, and the lower half is brown trousers, fastened not by a belt but by a drawstring. I couldn't tell what material it was, but it didn't seem like silk. It looked like it was woven from the fur of some wool-like creature unique to this world. The shoes were made from some kind of leather.

Altogether, it cost me one gold coin and five silver coins. The clothes and trousers weren't too expensive, but the shoes alone cost a full gold coin, making them relatively pricey. Well, they are leather goods, so I guess it makes sense. At least with this, I shouldn't stand out too much in this world's fashion.

"Ah!"

"Oh, sorry! Are you okay?"

Shoot. While I was distracted by looking around the market, I accidentally bumped into someone.

"Y-yes, I'm fine."

The girl I bumped into looked like she was part beastfolk. She had two cute, brown animal ears on her head, and a large, fluffy tail that swayed behind her. Unlike Nicolet, the cat beastfolk I met before, this girl seemed to be a fox beastfolk with that big, bushy tail.

"Oh no..."

"Oh dear..."

I followed her gaze and saw that two loaves of bread had fallen onto the ground.

"I'm sorry, it’s my fault. I'll compensate you."

"N-no! I was running, so... and look, see? It's fine if I do this."

She patted the dirt off the bread and put it back into the basket she was holding. The people of this world are pretty resilient.

"Still, I was the one not paying attention while walking. How much did they cost?"

"They're just five copper coins, but... really, it's fine."

"Five copper, huh? Well, let me add a little extra. Here, one silver coin as an apology. It'll ease my conscience, so please, just take it."

"...O-okay. Then, I'll gratefully accept it! Thank you, mister!"

"You're welcome. Take care."

"Yes, thank you!"

The girl happily took the silver coin, smiled, and ran off. Phew, I'm glad I didn't bump into someone rough-looking. Seeing that cute beastfolk girl smile was worth more than one silver coin.

After that, I wandered around the market some more and grabbed a bite to eat, combining breakfast and lunch. The meat in this world is delicious, comparable to the well-raised beef and pork from my old world. Most dishes are seasoned with salt, and some skewers were cooked with a fish sauce-like seasoning, which tasted pretty good. I'm really relieved that the food culture in this world isn't disastrous, as it often is in other fantasy stories.

"Next stop, here."

After touring the market, I headed to the commercial guild, where I sold the spices yesterday. I now had a good idea of which products would sell, so it was time to register at the guild and get my license to trade.

"Welcome! How may we assist you today?"

The same receptionist from yesterday greeted me.

"I'd like to register with the commercial guild to start a business."

"Ah, new registration? Please proceed to that window."

Following her instructions, I walked over to the registration desk. Unlike the buyback counter from yesterday, this one wasn’t crowded, so I was able to get assistance immediately.

"Please fill out your name here. Afterward, you’ll need to take a simple test. Upon passing, you'll be required to pay a registration fee of five gold coins, and then your registration will be complete."

"Got it."

I already knew about the test from the innkeeper. She had mentioned that even when opening her inn, she had to pass a simple test. It makes sense since you need to be able to handle things like making change in order to run a business or inn.

The only potential issue could be literacy, but thanks to the mysterious translation ability, my Japanese writing gets automatically converted into this world's language. That’s a real lifesaver.

"Alright, I'm done."

"Oh my, that was quick. I'll grade it right here, so please wait a moment."

Well, it was just basic arithmetic. A kid from elementary school back in my world could have passed the merchant's test.

"Congratulations! You answered everything correctly. You've passed."

"Thank you."

Yeah, I figured messing up such simple problems would be hard to do.

"Now, may I have the registration fee of five gold coins, please?"

"Sure."

"Thank you. We'll prepare your guild card, so please wait a moment."

After a short while, the staff returned.

"Thank you for waiting. Here's your commercial guild card, Mr. Tetsuya. It can also serve as your personal identification."

"Thanks!"

I looked at the guild card and saw that it listed my name and age. Having a proper ID is convenient. This should save me from going through tedious checks when leaving the city.

"With this card, you're authorized to engage in business. You can also arrange to rent a shop space over there. If you plan to establish a permanent store, you'll need to register it with the commercial guild, so feel free to consult us anytime."

"Understood."

So if I just want to open a temporary stall, I can do so as long as I pay the rental fee. But if I want to set up a permanent shop, I’ll need to go through the official registration process.

"That concludes your registration with the commercial guild. If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to visit us. We wish you great success in your business endeavors, Mr. Tetsuya!"

"Thank you very much!"

Alright, the test was a breeze, and now I’m officially a merchant!

Although my registration with the commercial guild is complete, I won’t be opening my shop tomorrow just yet. There's still one more thing I need to do first.

This is a city where adventurers begin their journeys. Naturally, my target market will be the novice adventurers. Every day, new adventurers come to the city, and those who have graduated from being novices move on to other towns.

I want to check if the items I can buy through my outdoor shop ability are actually in demand among these novice adventurers. Plus, there’s something else I want to confirm, so I’ll need to head outside the city and visit the forest where these rookie adventurers usually operate.

Which brings me to my next stop: the adventurer's guild! As expected of a guild in a city known for adventurer beginnings, it's even larger than the commercial guild building and bustling with people.

Of course, I’m not registering as an adventurer. I’m here to hire one.