"Here you are, young master Luca," Louis set out the journals that covered our current business before me. "Just so you know, there are additional runes on these, so they won't be able to leave this room."

I nodded and took a seat at the table. I was well aware of the security precautions in place.

I was below the Frey Manor in one of the rune-locked rooms. Despite being underground, it was a rather cozy space, with wooden shelves lined with notebooks and ledgers. White light stones covered the ceiling, providing ample lighting to the office.

Father cared deeply about the Frey Merchant Guild and took any threats to the business seriously. Even now, he was away from the capital and could not attend my grandmother's funeral because of a rather significant development.

I frowned.

And yet my favorite information broker obtained information on our dealings. It was both impressive and concerning.

"These highlight the most recent transactions having taken place," Louis explained and pointed to the notebooks to my right. "The further left you go, the older the ledgers are."

"Thank you, Louis. You may leave," I told him.

Louis hesitated as if about to say something but changed his mind.

"Very well. Call me if you need any assistance," he said.

He bowed and closed the door behind him.

"Peep!"

What are you going to be looking for?

She jumped down from my hair and inspected the leather-bound journals.

"What lines of business the Frey Merchant Guild is currently involved with. Depending on our connections, some items will be easier and more lucrative to sell off than others," I explained and pulled open the rightmost ledger. "I don't know what my family was involved in at this time, so I'm getting familiar."

This was something I could have asked Louis or one of the other employees, but I figured that as the official heir to the Frey Merchant Guild, it was best that I took a look with my own eyes.

Or rather, the System's.

I flipped through the pages of the journals, giving my eyes just enough time to review the contents before moving on to the next page.

"Peep!"

Luca, can you read that fast?

Leona's golden eyes stared wide-eyed at me.

I chuckled.

"Hardly," I said, explaining what I was having the System do for me.

"Peep!"

How peculiar. But it sounds like it saves a great deal of time.

I nodded my head and reached for the next ledger.

"It does."

Had I attempted to read the contents myself, it would have taken me hours to pour over the words and make sense of everything. It was infuriatingly frustrating. So I never even bothered in my original life. Because even if I managed to decipher a sentence, it often lost its meaning before I could fully grasp its significance, bringing it back to square one. Reading was like trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces. No matter how hard I strained, I could never see the whole picture.

However, with the System's help, I felt like the dancing words were strung into obedience. I could finally see and understand.

"System, did you get all of that?" I asked, having finished running through the first ledger.

[ Of course. Would you like me to recite the contents for you? ]

"No, not yet. Let me get through all of the ledgers first."

I closed shut the first ledger, placed it on a table behind me, and moved on to the next one.

"Peep!"

I suppose this will take a while.

Leona's beak stretched open, and she produced a large plate of pastries.

Care for a snack yourself? I'm not greedy.

She motioned with her yellow wing at a poppyseed-covered pie slice.

"No, I'm quite alright," I replied, focused on getting through the ledgers.

More for me.

***

A large yawn escaped my mouth as I reached for the final ledger. A little over two hours had passed based on the last time Louis had come by, offering help.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

I stretched my tired hands above my head, trying to relieve the tension that had settled within my muscles. Sitting for so long was surprisingly tiring. It hardly helped that I had somehow sat through Professor Whistle's lecture before coming down here.

The silence of the cellar was broken only by the faint breathing sounds of the sleeping Leona, who had rested herself atop the completed journals on the table behind me. Looking at her, I felt a tinge of envy, also wanting to rest up.

Oh well. Just one left.

With a deep breath, I straightened my back, and my hand grasped the oldest of the ledgers, a blue leather-bound journal. My fingers expertly swiped through the pages, having had plenty of practice with the slew of ledgers currently sitting behind me.

My fingers finished moving, and I smiled.

I didn't get a wink of information yet myself, but the System had diligently been observing the pages. It would be able to provide answers better than any attendant or employee of the Frey Merchant Guild on the contents of these ledgers. I could have had it go through just the first ledger. Still, by having it read all of them, now, rather than having to go through one of the ledgers ever again, if I ever had a question about my family's business, I just had to ask the System.

<< System, based on what you know about the Frey merchant guild's business and what is in the Game Store, can you identify what I should buy to make the most profit? >>

I spoke using the Whispering Necklace, not wishing to wake Leona from the nap.

[ Luca, are you hoping that I not only read on your behalf but also make decisions as well? That would make for a very dull Game. Besides, you have only covered the ledgers and only some of the items in the Game Store. ]

I shrugged. I half expected this, but I considered it worth a shot to test the boundaries of what the System could do.

<< Can you list the five most lucrative products the Frey Merchant Guild has sold in the past year? What has provided the highest return on investment? >>

Despite all the business that the Frey Merchant Guild engaged in, one interesting phenomenon I discovered was that even if we traded thousands of different types of goods, a handful were responsible for most of our profits. This rule held steadfast, no matter the year or season.

I stood up from my chair and walked the small room, stretching my legs.

I just needed to know what that five or so were and, hopefully, find more of the same in the Game Store to source.

[ Based on the records of the Frey Merchant Guild, the five most lucrative products in the past year are as follows:

Golden Canary Tea from the United Republic of Nalas

Ember Spice from the Bakarian Empire

Moonshadow Silk from Zarez

Keemun Black Tea from Zarez

Glimmersteel Scrapmetal ]

The Golden Canary Tea made sense. Even though prices hadn't skyrocketed with the land's fast-moving infection and complete destruction of the tea fields, the United Republic of Nalas had already experienced the effects of the spreading infection. Supply was low, while demand remained high as ever. My family was one of the few that could secure large quantities of the tea before the infection had begun.

Ember Spice also was of no surprise. It was a highly sought-after spice found in the heart of the Barakian Empire's volcanic regions. It was used by cooks across the continent because of its unique ability to intensify the natural flavors of ingredients. Just a pinch transformed a mundane meal into a culinary masterpiece. Of course, some considered it sacrilege to cooking because of how potent it was, and there were concerns about its somewhat addictive nature. It was thus outlawed in much of the continent. Not that this stopped cooks from using it, nor my family from continuing to source and supply it.

As for the Moonshadow Silk and Keemun Black Tea, Father was from Zarez and had deep connections to the goods' growers. If I asked the System to list our next most lucrative five, I had no doubt more goods sourced from Zarez would appear.

The one that confused me was the fifth item.

<< System, what is the Glimmersteel Scrapmetal? Where is it sourced from? >>

[ According to the ledgers, it is sourced within Genise, the capital of the Adovorian Kingdom. Glimmersteel scrap metal is collected from the garbage pile in East Genise, cleaned, and resold to workshops. ]

I frowned.

This was news to me.

Knock. Knock.

"May I come in?" Louis called out.

"Yes, go ahead," I replied.

"Peep!"

How long has it been? Oh! You're done!

Leona awoke and chirped enthusiastically at the sight of all the ledgers.

"Louis, we've been involved in the trade of Glimmersteel scrap metal? And it's our fifth most profitable good? Can you explain how this came to be?"

Louis' eyes widened and shifted to the ledgers on the back table.

"It was young master Micah's ingenious idea to clean up East Genise while turning a profit," Louis said. "The cost of the goods is next to none, as they aren't purchased through regular means and are scoured from the trash heap on the far south end of East Genise. Instead of our people rummaging through the pile, the locals are paid a few coppers by the weight of the scrap metal they bring over."

"But what's the use?" I frowned. Glimmersteel that had corroded was next to useless. It was the equivalent of using a torn-up umbrella against the rain.

"Ah. Your sister Elda had found an arcane technique of cleansing corroded Glimmersteel and restrengthening it, making it easy to repurpose. Given its demand in manufacturing various goods, it has proven to be a highly lucrative venture."

Louis smiled.

"Fortunately and unfortunately, the trash heap has been cleaned of most scrap metal the past two years, so it's unlikely to remain as one of our top profit drivers."

He turned his back and began tidying up the ledgers.

I took the opportunity to pull up the Game Store. My hand swiped through hundreds of broken and corroded basic weapons up for sale at a mere one or two Nexus Coins.

"Peep!"

What's with that scheming-looking grin of yours?

Leona fluttered over and sat atop my shoulder.

"Louis," I called out. "If I happened to procure more corroded Glimmersteel? Would we be able to utilize and make a profit on it?"

"Of course!" Louis lugged the ledgers to their proper shelves. "Did you have a source in mind?"

I flicked my hand and opened the description of a suspiciously blue-looking shield.

[ Corroded Basic Shield ]

[ Item Description:

This corroded and broken Glimmersteel shield is a mere shadow of its former glory. Time, neglect, and countless battles have taken their toll on its once-magnificent form. The surface is marred by deep scratches, rust, and decay, rendering it useless for its intended purpose of defense. ]

I ignored the rest of the lengthy description and stats. I only needed to see the composition.

"Yes, I do."

***

My feet tapped against the quartz floors. Looking out the window, a golden glow was cast over the Frey Manor. It was summertime, so the sun hadn't set yet, but it was likely past dinner time.

Purchasing and having all the Glimmersteel scraps to be moved about the cellar took a bit of time. I obviously didn't do any manual labor of moving the metals myself. That I had Frey employees take care of. Still, the selection took some time, requiring me to go through the Game Store and check the item descriptions each time before purchasing. Just because the metal was blue didn't always mean it was Glimmersteel.

"Young master, Luca."

Remlend rounded a corner, appearing like a shadow before me.

"I was just coming to attend to you," he said.

I frowned.

I could never fully interpret Remlend's expressions, but there was something peculiar to it now. It felt like stepping into a room and sensing a slight shift in the floor beneath my feet as if the carpet had subtly moved.

"Lady Sedna Ozeryn of the Ozeryn Dukedom has arrived and has requested an audience."