Kousuke, who had created two magic tools, immediately took them to Schmidt and Gazeran.
Gazeran was present because both magic tools were primarily for adventurers.
The place where he showed the magic tools to the two was not Crown Headquarters, but a meeting room on the management layer.
Since he was currently working as an adventurer in the Fifth Floor, he wanted to avoid being strangely suspected.
Schmidt, who was called by Kousuke upon the completion of the new magic tools, initially had his face lit up with expectation, but now wore a merchant’s expression.
He had been taught how to use them by Kousuke and was now scrutinizing whether they would actually sell.
However, as Kousuke had predicted beforehand, Schmidt was not particularly enthusiastic.
Unlike the innovative magic tools of the past, these were not items that could be sold widely, so it was only natural.
Conversely, Gazeran looked at the magic tools with great interest.
Gazeran, who was originally a seasoned adventurer, understood the convenience of the two tools well.
Of course, Schmidt also understood that these were tools that would make adventurers’ lives easier.
It was just that he was able to view them calmly because they wouldn’t generate much profit.
After finishing his examination, Schmidt asked.
“Certainly, there seems to be a certain demand, but… what is your selling price range?”
“Hmm. Rather, I want to know how much you think they will sell for. By the way, the cost price is about this much.”
Upon seeing the price Kousuke presented, both Schmidt and Gazeran wore displeased expressions.
Both magic tools were intended for novice adventurers to purchase, but the price was too high for that.
Of course, adventurers of a middle class would be able to afford them, but at that level, they wouldn’t need to take on requests for carrying luggage or subjugating field raiders.
“At that price, very few people will be able to buy them.”
“Indeed. While we understand they are convenient, many people would choose to manage on their own if they had to pay that price.”
Kousuke did not show any change in his expression at their negative feedback.
This kind of reaction was within his expectations.
After all, these were tools he came up with after properly accepting requests.
He had a good grasp of how much commission novice adventurers received.
Considering that, Kousuke understood that the price he had just stated was out of reach.
However, Kousuke had no intention of lowering the price any further.
“I suppose so, but considering the materials used, it’s impossible to lower it further, isn’t it?”
“Well, I suppose so.”
Schmidt nodded at Kousuke’s words.
Looking at the materials used on the outside, Schmidt could tell that the price Kousuke had just stated was the bare minimum.
And precisely because of that, Schmidt’s reaction had been rather lukewarm.
Kousuke, aware of this, shifted his gaze to Gazeran.
“And that’s why calling Gazeran here has meaning.”
“What do you mean?”
Gazeran had simply thought he was called to confirm whether the magic tools would be useful to adventurers.
Therefore, he didn’t understand why Kousuke was saying such a thing.
“I was wondering if the Adventurer Division would be interested in purchasing these magic tools.”
Kousuke was considering whether the Adventurer Division could purchase them and then lend them out to adventurers who accepted requests.
If that were the case, the price issue would be resolved, and the Adventurer Division would also benefit from reducing the number of requests they typically tried to avoid, such as luggage carrying.
Gazeran understood Kousuke’s intent but folded his arms and put on a thoughtful expression.
“…I see. It’s not impossible if it’s like that, but… it’s quite difficult.”
Even if requests were decreasing, it would be difficult for the Adventurer Division to purchase tools without any collateral and lend them to adventurers.
This is because adventurers are generally responsible for their own actions when completing requests.
It meant that adventurers were responsible for providing their own tools to complete requests.
If they started lending out tools for novice adventurers here, it was quite possible that they would start demanding that Crown provide their own tools as well.
Considering that, Kousuke could easily understand why Gazeran couldn’t give immediate permission.
However, there was one point that Kousuke believed was a blind spot.
“Isn’t that because you’re thinking of lending out the tools for free?”
“What? What do you mean?”
Gazeran spoke up, but Schmidt, sitting next to him, also tilted his head at Kousuke’s words.
“I think it feels unfair because you’re thinking of lending them out for free. Why not charge a fee for lending them out?”
For Kousuke, charging money for the lending and borrowing of items was an entirely normal and feasible concept.
However, in this world, such “rental shops” did not exist.
Walking around the town for the past few days, Kousuke had reconfirmed this fact.
Of course, borrowing and lending items between close acquaintances occurred.
But the reality was that shops for such rentals were nowhere to be found.
Upon hearing Kousuke’s remark, Gazeran and Schmidt exchanged glances.
“Lending out magic tools for a fee?”
“If you set the per-rental fee low, it would be within the reach of novice adventurers, wouldn’t it?”
Seeing their expressions of complete surprise, Kousuke, in turn, looked at them with a puzzled expression.
“I had a feeling, since I didn’t see any around the town, but there aren’t any of these tool rental shops, are there?”
“…Even if you charge a fee, lending out expensive magic tools that might be broken would be questionable as a business, wouldn’t it?”
If there was a risk of them being broken, or of them not being returned, few people would try to do business by lending out expensive tools.
It was likely that the cost of purchasing the tool would be recovered before an accident occurred, but there was also a high probability that this would not happen.
Furthermore, this was a world where it was extremely difficult to track down individuals once they left the city.
Considering all that, lending out items could be considered a very risky business.
However, in Crown’s case, the risk would be reduced compared to operating a regular shop.
After all, to belong to Crown, one had to issue a Crown Card.
In other words, it was no different from borrowing items with a membership card.
Furthermore, within Amamiya Tower, there was no concern about escaping outside.
In a sense, it could be said that the environment was perfectly set up to start lending out items.
Hearing Kousuke’s thoughts, Gazeran said with a hum.
“Indeed, it sounds like it could work if I listen to you, but…”
“We need to carefully consider whether it’s truly alright.”
“That’s good. What I’ve said so far is just a spur-of-the-moment idea. Besides, other good methods might emerge, you know?”
What Kousuke had thought of was a regular rental shop, but he hoped that some other unique method specific to this world might come from other staff members.
In fact, Kousuke was also hopeful about that.
For the civilization to develop, it was necessary for the residents of this world to come up with ideas on their own and put them into practice.
In the end, Gazeran and Schmidt, who had accepted Kousuke’s proposal, decided to discuss it within Crown and make a decision, and Kousuke accepted that.
The birth of a rental shop!
Although it’s not a completely independent shop, it will just be a lending service at the adventurer counter lol.
I think it’s perfect for novice adventurers to use expensive magic tools.
