Starting from zero: growing up with knowledge from another world

Chapter 12

Completing my morning routine, I went to check on my garden and the spirit trees. The garden was doing well, the new sprouts had already opened their leaves and were growing strong. The Spirit trees were already a bit taller than me, so there wasn't much I could do for them anymore. I ended up having my slime excrete its fertilizer, mixing some into the garden and the rest near the roots of the spirit trees.

Next, I made a small box and transferred some soil, water, and two Golden Vine Snails into it. Then, leaving my slime in the kitchen so that my mom could give it any food scraps from cooking, as well as food that had gone bad, I left the house. It was still fairly early in the morning, and the merchants were just starting to set up their stalls and such in the market. I passed through without even glancing at the goods this morning, heading straight towards the merchants guild.

Once I had arrived, I gave my name to the receptionist and asked if she could pass a message to the Guildmaster, telling her that I had come to report as previously agreed upon. Livia would probably remember that she had asked me to inform her when I could make high-grade potions. Though the receptionist looked at me a bit dubiously, she did go to pass along my message while I waited on a nearby chair.

When the receptionist came back, she led me towards the usual reception room, not able to completely hide her surprise that an apprentice merchant child was being seen by the Guildmaster without an appointment. When I was in the room she asked me to wait for a little bit before she left to prepare tea and cookies. I had to hurriedly stop her, telling her that the cookies were not necessary, and just the tea would be fine. She looked at me oddly before nodding and leaving the room.

After tea was brought in, I pulled out my own cookies that I had prepared in advance, remembering the abomination I was served the previous time. In the baker's defense, it was probably only me that had a problem with them, and that was only because I knew how cookies were supposed to taste. My knowledge of cookies was hundreds of years more advanced than what this world has to offer, it would take tens of years, if not more, after transportation methods are improved, for this world to catch up with the food culture from my previous world.

After waiting for a few minutes, while sipping on the tea and eating a cookie, the door opened. To my surprise, it wasn't just the Guildmaster that showed up, but also a guy around my dad's age with black hair and rust-red eyes.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. This is Marco, a food merchant I have known since his father still ran the company." Said Livia as she walked into the room.

"I'm Marco Yamada, owner of the Yamada company, nice to meetcha." Marco greeted me in a very friendly and casual way, not what I would expect from a merchant.

"Don't pay him any mind, while he acts like this and has inherited his company, he is a very skilled businessman." Said Livia, obviously used to how Marco talks.

"I see, I don't particularly mind, I was just a bit surprised by his greeting. What brings you here, mister Yamada?" Not minding his friendly nature, I asked Marco why he was in Gale.

"You mean Gale or the guild? And no need to be so formal, call me Marco." He responded jovially, "I came because I heard rumors about a fluffy bread, and I was here looking for information, of course."

"You don't have to pay him any mind, he always jumps at any rumor he hears, hardly ever taking the time to substantiate the first. Even though he could have easily checked and found out that no such product has been registered at the guild, meaning it is probably just that, a rumor. Anyway, based on the message I was given, I guess you're here about getting materials for high-grade potions, am I right?" Livia was treating Marco like an impertinent child, believing anything he hears.