Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 46

Jumping into negotiations right away would leave me vulnerable. I decided to start by counting the amount and types of leather that came in and out of Leather Street. Fortunately, there’s only one entrance large enough for big wagons, so by watching it, we wouldn’t miss anything.

Sara and I paid for a spot in a house with a view of the entrance and started marking the size and number of wagons coming in and out on a board.

“Hey, why are we doing this?”

“To get good leather at a cheap price. We’re novices when it comes to leather. If we just go to the big shots or craftsmen, we’ll either get kicked out or ripped off. We need to have some rough numbers on our side. How much leather comes in daily and turns into rawhide? What types of leather are plentiful, and which are in short supply? How much of the chemicals and salt are being consumed? The more we know, the better our negotiation position will be. Is business booming or sluggish? Are the craftsmen satisfied with their current conditions? Who’s in financial trouble, and who are the skilled masters? We need to gather all these details before we start negotiating.”

“That… sounds troublesome.”

“You idiot! I brought you here to get that troublesome information.

“You idiot! The reason I brought you here is to get that troublesome information. Today, we’re going to observe the overall situation, figure out what to count to understand the state of Leather Street, and decide on the framework for our investigation.”

“What’s a framework?”

In response to Sara’s question, I pointed to a wagon that had just entered.

“Look at that wagon. Normally, wagon traffic is restricted in the city, but transport wagons that shuttle between the Adventurers’ Guild and Leather Street are an exception. There are monster hides loaded on that wagon. By looking at those, you can figure out the types and quantities being delivered.”

Next, I pointed to another wagon loaded with barrels.

“Look at those barrels on that wagon. The barrels are darkened, and the craftsmen are wearing leather gloves and masks. It’s probably a strong chemical used for processing. By counting those barrels, we can estimate the number of hides being processed.”

I pointed to another wagon leaving the street.

“That wagon heading to the second-class district is well-made and has a workshop mark on it. It’s probably high-quality material. Judging by its shape, it’s likely direwolf hide. They’re bundled in groups of three, so there should be about fifteen pieces. It’s probably for making armor.”

I turned back to Sara.

“By counting the wagons, their loads, and their destinations, we can understand what’s happening on Leather Street. If there are many deliveries but few shipments, it means the hides aren’t selling or there’s a shortage of craftsmen. If there are few barrels of chemicals coming in, it definitely means there’s a shortage of craftsmen. If there are few shipments to well-known workshops, it means the products aren’t selling, and the economy must be bad.”

Sara folded her arms and pondered for a while, then said, “Aren’t you overthinking this? I’ll just go ask!” and dashed off.