I Got Transported to Another World, but Who Even Summoned Me? Chapter 34 The Merchant Guild and Savings

Series: I Got Transported to Another World, but Who Even Summoned Me? ~ Abandoned and Alone, I Use My Cheat Skills to Live Freely ~  

Chapter: 34 The Merchant Guild and Savings

Translated by: MTLing

Tags: Isekai, Cheat Skills, Abandoned Protagonist, Fantasy, ZapNovel

After finishing their meal, the members of Orochi stood and began making their way outside. Tenma quietly followed after them.

Once they reached the main street, Tenma caught up with the three heading toward the castle gate and asked Alf,

“Is the merchant guild this way?”

“Yeah. It’s right in front of the gate. We're going to deposit our earnings.”

Alf explained that Orochi maintained a shared account at the merchant guild, in addition to each member having their own personal accounts. Whenever funds were deposited into the shared account, the amount would be distributed to each individual account by the following day. As a result, the Orochi account always had a balance of zero, Alf said with a laugh. As they chatted, they arrived at their destination.

Inside the merchant guild, two women stood at the reception counter.

“Good morning. What business brings you to the guild today?”

One of the women, presumably a receptionist, greeted them. Alf answered bluntly,

“Deposit. This guy here wants to open an account and learn about the merchant guild. Show him the ropes.”

“Understood. The deposit procedures are over there—someone will guide you shortly. As for the account opening, would you kindly follow me?”

“I know the place. I’ll head over myself. Tenma, go with her. I’ll wait outside until you're done. If you finish first, Mario will be outside. Got it?”

Tenma nodded and followed the receptionist.

Behind the front desk was a counter with partitioned seating and two-person benches. Tenma was shown to one of the booths and took a seat. The woman sat down across from him.

“I’ll be assisting you today. My name is Marie. May I have your name?”

“I’m Tenma. Nice to meet you.”

“Mr. Tenma, you’re here to open an account and receive an explanation about our merchant guild services, correct?”

“Um, yes. I’d like to open an account, make a deposit, and exchange some currency. Also, I’d appreciate it if you could tell me more about the guild.”

“Certainly. To open an account, you’ll need to become a guild member. The membership fee is one copper coin. Do you have that prepared? Also, may I see your identification?”

Tenma took out a copper coin and his guild card from his “subspace storage” and placed them on the table. For a moment, Marie and a middle-aged man nearby gave him a sharp look, but Marie quickly returned to her professional demeanor.

“I’ll take these for processing.”

She disappeared into the back with the items. In her place, the middle-aged man took a seat.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Tenma. I’m Gadan, the deputy representative of the Gomena Merchant Guild. I’ll explain our guild’s operations.”

Gadan began his explanation.

The merchant guild had three main roles: managing merchant registrations, handling client assets, and issuing business loans and collecting repayments.

Merchant registration involved issuing licenses required to engage in trade. The registration fee was a source of guild income. Merchant ranks included Iron, Copper, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.

• Iron: Traveling or stall merchants

• Copper: Small shopkeepers

• Silver: Merchants serving nobles or running multiple stores

• Gold: Serving royalty, foreign nobility, or operating across all guild-designated cities

• Platinum: Serving royalty in two or more kingdoms

Registration fees were: 5 copper for Iron, 50 copper for Copper, 1 small silver for Silver, 1 medium silver for Gold, and 1 full silver for Platinum. Licenses required renewal every five years, with a renewal fee equal to one-tenth of the registration cost (5 copper for Iron merchants).

Client asset management involved more than storing money. It included real estate rental and brokerage, as well as investing or lending to businesses or individuals—with the client’s consent—and collecting those loans on their behalf.

Business loans and recovery covered loans issued to nations, territories, or individuals by the guild as a whole or its branches, with interest collected upon repayment.

“That sums up our guild's operations. Do you have any questions?”

“No, I understand everything clearly.”

As Gadan finished, Marie returned and sat beside him.

“Mr. Tenma, here are your card and membership confirmation. This is your transaction card for deposits and withdrawals. Please register your magic signature.”

She placed a silver tray on the counter. It held a card engraved with the guild emblem, a golden needle, and a cloth.

Tenma stared at the tray, unsure of what to do. Gadan, noticing his confusion, explained,

“To register your magic, we usually use a crystal or blood. Since you're not a full member of our guild, we’ll need you to register here. Prick your finger with the needle and let one drop of blood fall onto the card.”

Following the instructions, Tenma dropped blood onto the card. It glowed faintly for a moment.

“With this, the card is now registered exclusively to you,” said Gadan.

Marie then continued,

“This card can be used for transactions at Silver-ranked or higher member stores. A transaction fee of 0.1% will be deducted from your account. The main benefit is that you don't need to carry large amounts of money, though it may be unnecessary for you since you seem to have an item box. Now, please look at the back of the card.”

Marie flipped the card to show currency denominations and sections labeled for savings and investment deposits.

“This shows the current balance of your deposits. For example, if you deposit one copper coin, a ‘1’ will appear in the copper section. Smaller denominations automatically convert upwards. For instance, depositing 11 medium silver coins will display 1 silver and 1 medium silver. However, 100 copper coins won’t convert to a small silver coin—please be aware.

Savings means setting aside money for six months to ten years in exchange for a guaranteed return.

Investment deposits, as Mr. Gadan mentioned, are funds we use for business investments. These range from one month to thirty years. They offer higher returns than savings but come with the risk of loss if the investment fails.”

“How much would you like to deposit today?”

Tenma placed 300 copper, 50 silver, and 1 gold coin on the counter. He also set aside an additional silver coin.

“I’d like to deposit all of this. Please exchange the spare silver coin into 8 medium silvers and 20 small silvers.”

Both Marie and Gadan were momentarily stunned by the mountain of coins.

“Mr. Tenma, are you sure you wish to deposit all of this? Marie, fetch a coin pouch and the exchanged currency. I’d like a word with Mr. Tenma.”

Startled, Marie got up. Gadan rubbed his hands together as he spoke,

“Let me add a few things about savings and investments. Suppose you place 10 silver coins in a savings account. You can still borrow up to 90% of that amount. A six-month term gives a 3% return. This increases by 0.5% monthly, reaching a maximum of 60% after 10 years.

As for investment deposits, they yield 1% monthly for the first month, increasing by 0.5% monthly up to 11 months. From one year onward, the return starts at 6%, growing by 0.5% monthly. After 10 years, the return starts at 60%, increasing by 0.2% monthly. At 20 years, it starts at 85%, rising by 0.15% monthly, and caps at 100% over 30 years. These aren’t guaranteed but offer high returns.”

Gadan smiled encouragingly. Tenma wasn’t opposed to investing. However, he still didn’t fully grasp the value of the coins.

“Mr. Gadan, what can I buy with one silver coin? And how much is one gold coin worth? Back in my village, no one really used money, and I got all this as a parting gift. I was told the coin types, but I don’t really get it.”

Gadan’s eyes widened a bit before he answered.

“One silver coin could buy a small estate with a garden. Running a small territory or a major city for a year would cost one gold coin, plus a few to several dozen silver coins.”

Hearing that, Tenma finally realized he was incredibly wealthy.

“I have a question about the savings. What if I borrow 9 of the 10 silver coins I deposit? Do I still get the full return?”

“If you repay them before maturity, yes. For example, you’d get back 16 silver coins after 10 years. If not, your return will be based on the remaining 1 silver coin—about 1 silver and 6 medium silvers.”

“Then I’d like to invest the gold coin for 10 years as savings. I’ll invest 5 silver coins for 1 year and 10 silver coins for 10 years.”

Gadan suddenly stood up and bowed deeply.

“Thank you very much.”

Marie had returned with a coin pouch and stood behind him.

She placed the bag on the counter. Gadan wrote the investment details on it and asked Tenma to confirm. As Tenma checked, Marie counted the coins, which Gadan verified. He recorded the total on the pouch, asked Tenma for one last confirmation, then sealed the pouch.

Gadan and Marie both passed their hands over the pouch. Tenma felt a strange movement in the air between their hands and the bag.

Marie took the pouch to the back, and Gadan explained it would take about 30 minutes for the deposit to appear on the card. With that, Tenma stood up. Gadan also stood and offered his hand for a handshake, which Tenma accepted before heading out.

Gadan and Marie walked ahead, opened the door for him, and bowed as they said in unison,

“Thank you for your business. We look forward to serving you again.”

Tenma nodded.

“Likewise.”

He turned around—only to be greeted by the cold, deadpan stares of the Orochi members.

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