In this other world, a tavern is not just a simple pub.
It serves as a refuge where workers wash away their fatigue with a cold beer,
and a place where families build happy memories while enjoying delicious meat dishes.
Adults and children, parents and kids all mingle together,
enveloped in the aroma of life filled with alcohol, laughter, meat, and joy.
That is precisely what a tavern is.
However, in such a fragrant place, a game bomb called [Tetric] was dropped.
What would happen?
“Tootie-Titti-Ditti♩ Tootie-Titti-Ditdi♫”
“That’s right! Keep it up!”
“Just a bit more! Just a bit more!”
The addictive sound, the unfamiliar screen, and the crisis that continues as blocks disappear and new ones appear create excitement.
A sense of wonder, tension, cheer, and amazement—all these made everyone playing Tetric feel the fun, overflowing in front of the tavern’s Tetric crystal ball.
Soon, this spectacle naturally caught the attention of many, including the young nobles.
“Dad! I want this!”
“Owner, how much is this?”
Loving noble parents were ready to buy their child a toy at any price, and they started negotiating with the tavern owner.
Considering the eyes around, the owner initially refused.
“This isn’t for sale, dear customer.”
“500,000 Gold.”
“So this is…?”
“1,000,000 Gold.”
The owner hesitated.
One million gold for such a toy? It was hard to understand, but there was no need to comprehend.
What mattered was that he was earning money.
Seeing everyone having so much fun, though…
“I’m sorry, but…”
“3,000,000 Gold.”
“This crystal ball is yours.”
Overwhelmed by the large sum, the owner eventually caved in.
A noble child happily took the Tetric crystal ball to play while others watched with eager eyes. The outcome was obvious.
“Mom! I want one too!! Buy me!!!”
“Honey, I want one as well…”
“Owner, where can I buy this?”
‘If you want to purchase this, please contact the Commerce Guild about the Tetric crystal ball.’
It seemed like someone had anticipated this situation, as a wizard had previously said that.
The owner contacted the Commerce Guild the very next day to order more Tetric crystal balls.
All twenty tavern owners did, in fact.
What will happen to the Tetric crystal balls sold like this?
The noble children would play together.
“Wow! What is this?”
“This is the recently released Tetric crystal ball game; you guys have never seen anything like it!”
The noble child boasted about the Tetric game they owned, showcasing their excellent play as they fitted the blocks together.
There were no hierarchies among noble children.
But at this moment, anyone who owned a Tetric crystal ball became the king among friends.
“Can I play just one round?”
“Let me try one round too!”
“Hmm… what should we do?”
Boasting breeds admiration, and admiration breeds desire.
In just four days, more than fifty Tetric crystal balls released into the market skyrocketed in value to several million gold, and those in charge of the guild all headed to one place.
“Let’s go to the Irene School! Hurry!!”
*
…this was what happened, and as a result, it seems that merchants from the southern region gathered here.
Suddenly, memories flooded back of anecdotes I heard from seniors during my early days in the game industry.
When Galaxy Craft imported by One Light Soft was a hit, PC cafe owners and peddlers flocked to the company with bags of money.
I imagined that the scene back then must have felt something like this.
“Alright! Please form a line.”
“Write down the quantity you wish to order and your auction price.”
Jiren and Karen organized the quantities and prices desired by the guild’s trading agents.
Ranging from 1,000, 1,400, 500, etc., the total approximately added up to around 22,000 pieces.
The prices varied. There was no guild shameless enough to write down 50,000 gold.
Some listed a base price of 150,000 gold, while others marked down a maximum of 1,000,000 gold.
Selling all 2,000 units at 1,000,000 gold would yield 20 billion gold.
If they sold 10,000 at 1,000,000 gold, it would amount to 100 billion gold.
That sum could settle debts, provide new clothes and wands for our kids, fulfill the master’s dreams, and allow us to run our school without worries for five years.
But that couldn’t happen.
“I will sell them for 200,000 gold.”
I gathered the trading agents from the guild and announced.
Seeing my unexpectedly low price, the guild members looked baffled.
Karen gave me the same confused look.
Look at Karen; she’s grown up to make such faces…
“Karen, I have my reasons for doing this, so stop staring at me like that. It’s scary!”
I wasn’t selling them cheaply because I was foolish.
This was an investment.
An investment to create a gaming market.
If I sell at 1,000,000 gold, the guild would turn around and sell them for 2,000,000 gold.
Such a price would limit Tetric enjoyment to a few nobles, and if the crystal ball game was branded as an amusement only for nobles, it could lead to all future games being abandoned by the people.
200,000 gold was the most appropriate price now.
“However, you must promise that you won’t sell the Tetric crystal ball for more than double the purchase price.”
“Oh, that’s a bit…”
At my statement, the guild members wore faces resembling someone biting a lemon.
It could seem overbearing.
Taking advantage of having a hot product, it might have appeared that I was trying to pull rank, but there was no choice.
“We currently only have 2,000 pieces. We will distribute these 2,000 fairly among you. We will ensure to prepare 20,000 by next week.”
To ensure that our 2,000 are forwarded to as many people as possible, a bit of unfairness was necessary.
“However, if any guild sells for more than double the price, I won’t sell to that guild and will sell to another instead. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Although everyone exchanged cautious glances, it seemed they understood to a certain degree.
They likely reasoned that if we cooperated and succeeded, they could raise the prices later and still earn plenty from it.
If they couldn’t calculate that, they shouldn’t be working in the guild.
“Then it’s settled. I look forward to seeing you all next week.”
After distributing the Tetric crystal balls to the guild agents and receiving the contracts and transaction payments, Jiren, Karen, and I tidied everything up before announcing to everyone.
“But Yuren, can we really make 20,000 pieces? Making even 2,000 was really tough…”
Noirin’s worry was true. The other apprentices seemed more concerned about having to produce an incredible quantity of 20,000 than about the 4 billion gold we now possessed.
But…
“Let’s give it a shot. This time I have Jiren, Karen, and most importantly, Master is here!”
“Ahem!”
Master only participated in the crystal ball production for a day while saying she would visit the association.
Additionally, an elf’s magical power is ten times that of a human.
If a sage like Master puts in her full strength, producing 20,000 shouldn’t be impossible.
“Let’s give it a shot, my disciples! I shall show what I can do!!”
“Oooh!”
“Master, you’re amazing!”
As we watched Master roll up her sleeves, the apprentices gazed at her with admiring eyes.
It had been a while since we saw the awesome Master Jin mode.
Puffed up with pride, she spoke as the head of the Irene School.
“Alright! Let’s do this, my disciples! We can definitely do it!!”
“[We can do it!!]>”
With Master’s shout, we all dashed into the lab.
The lab was set up like an industrial revolution assembly line, with everyone sitting down to extract magic from scrolls and create smaller Tetric crystal balls.
Master demonstrated her capability by crafting ten at once, showcasing her level as a sage.
Our Master is truly impressive!
…I couldn’t help but worry that the Master’s appearance gave off a child labor exploitation vibe from the industrial revolution, but that aside, it was a good start.
Yes! With this atmosphere, we can do it!
Shall I give it a try as well!
………………
…………
……
– Three days later –
“I can’t do it… I’m useless…”
It was too much.
Despite surviving on mana potions and jerky, working day and night in shifts, the Irene School had stalled at 12,000 pieces.
In the lab, our apprentices and Master lay defeated as they succumbed to the Tetric crystal ball.
Master mumbled about being useless while Jiren overused restorative spells to care for the apprentices, becoming a walking mummy.
Noirin and the younger apprentices had long since collapsed and fallen into a deep sleep.
Only Karen and I were barely holding it together.
And even we were barely hanging on, with no mana left to create even one crystal ball.
“Yuren, what should we do… If this goes on, the deadline… The money…”
“There’s no choice but to use that method…”
“Yuren, do you have a plan?”
There was one last resort.
It was a method I seldom wished to use.
This was the ultimate secret move that had saved me in similar crises in my previous life.
It was none other than…
…‘Outsourcing.’
