13

Rilcar stared at the boy, it seemed that despite his bad temper there was good wood to carve beneath all the layers of spoiled, pampered and unbearable child that the boy had.

It was approaching midday, so it was not a bad time to stop and eat something. Rilcar chose a tavern away from the main square, this was not a dive, but it was not anywhere where a noble would sit. Rilcar ordered chicken for two, a beer for himself and water for the boy. He paid without worrying the few coins they asked for.

"Master... why did you not haggle?"

"First rule, never haggle over the food or drink you're going to be served. You might be able to pay less, but nothing saves you from being spit on... Remember, in a tavern or inn, haggle only over the room. Tavern keepers are a bad-tempered bunch..."

Gael looked at Rilcar skeptically, but when he thought about eating something with a spit on it, he understood the master's reasons.

"To summarize, in this world there are three basic rules that you must understand. They are the copper rule, the silver rule, and the gold rule. When you buy something that's worth only a few coppers, think about how little profit the shopkeeper will make. Bargaining hard for things that are worth copper is something that only a fool, a nobleman without sensitivity, or an evil person would do. So don't try to get whole numbers in the price, only fractions..."

"Fractions?"

"Let's take for example that soap you bought, it cost you 35 coppers, you can try to buy it for 30 or for twenty-eight if you are clever, but forcing them to sell it to you for less than 25 coppers would be in bad taste..."

"What if it's only worth two coppers?"

"In that case, don't even try to haggle..."

"What about silver?"

"Items that sell for silver have a higher margin, shopkeepers live better, in those cases you can get several times their price, the used doublet you paid 11 for could have been sold for 8 or even 5 if the shopkeeper had been in need..."

"And how can you tell if someone needs to sell?"

"Did you notice what Claudicus did when you said you weren't interested in the price?"

"The old man just said goodbye..."

"There's the bait, if someone is interested in selling and the client rejects the price and shows no interest, if he's desperate he'll make a counteroffer to get it at a better price immediately, there you can squeeze and get real bargains..."

"And if he doesn't make an offer..."

"Well, in that case, your negotiation margin is smaller..."

The boy was reflecting on what Rilcar was telling him, he didn't realize it, but he was so entertained that he was eating the half chicken with real voracity, and that had nothing to do with the delicate dishes that were served in the castle.

"So with Gold there will be much more profit..."

"No, in things that are worth Gold they have two rules actually, the first is never negotiate for things that are worth Gold in public, you risk being robbed, it is like putting up a sign that you carry in your pocket the salary of several months of any commoner"

"And what is the second?"

"The second is worse ha ha ha, if you do not really know what you are buying, and it is worth Gold coins do not trust it, seek help, there is nothing more common than fleecing a noble or a rich man with something that is only worth a few silver coins disguising it as a panacea..."

"How can I negotiate now with the old man without seeming desperate?"

"Bahhh that's easy, ask a high price for just three of the stones and let the old man make his offer, then you'll know how much margin you have, and it will be as if you had leftovers at the end, leave the dagger at your side, let him think you've already bought all the equipment and don't need cash..."

"Let's go see that bastard..."

Gael and Rilcar headed to the alchemist's shop, the old man's expert eyes examined the boy's new equipment at a glance, it seemed that he already had everything...

"Good to see you again, young master g... I mean apprentice Mark, have you thought better of it?"

"Not exactly, Mr. Claudicus, I just don't have any use for three of the small stones, if you give me twelve silver for each one they are yours..."

"Twelve silver? I think you are not aware of how little value they have, and with only three less they are worth..."

"Well, in that case don't worry, I will absorb them and the matter will be settled, thank you for helping me."

The boy turned around with the intention of leaving the shop.

"Wait boy, don't be in such a hurry, for you those stones will hardly bring you anything, but for the soldiers or rangers they may be of good use... what do you say about fifteen silver for the three? It's not a bad deal, it's more than double what I was offering you before..."

Gael snorted theatrically, and looked at the old man carefully, okay, the game was starting, the shopkeeper had made his offer...

"Ten for each one..."

"Seven..."

"Nine..."

"Eight, but it's my last offer, sir..."

"Deal, but you have to buy all five then..."

The old man began to laugh, it seemed that Rilcar was teaching him the ins and outs of the trade from the very base.

"Done... now, come on, take out the big gem and don't waste my time, it's getting late, and I want to take a nap, I offer you fifteen silver for it..."

"thirty?"

"Eighteen and I will give you this..."

The old man put a black stone on the table... Gael was about to reply, but Rilcar stopped him.

"We accept the deal, thank you very much Claudicus..."

With the fifty-eight coins he had earned, his bag now had more than when he started, sixty-one silver coins and twenty coppers. Outside the shop, Gael was about to reply to his master when he looked at him.

"The old man was giving you a gift, and a good one..."

"But it was just a stone..."

"It wasn't just a stone, it was a bezoar, a universal antidote to poison, that black and dull stone is worth twenty silvers by itself, and that's if you're lucky enough to find it..."

"But why...?"

"This is your city boy, the old man wants to get on your parents' good side, but you've done well, in other places it won't be so easy... and now if you're ready let's go to the armory..."