Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 157 Foolish Gold - Pigeon Feather
Pigeon Feather Tailor Shop.

An ordinary tailor shop located on Fookin Street in Newme.

The shop is small, much smaller than the neighboring Stone Oven Bakery.

The interior decoration was nothing special, and the shelves filled with various fabrics even made it seem a bit crowded.

Business, however, was surprisingly good.

The shop owner most likely conducted thorough market research before opening the shop.

Just like the shop's simple and unpretentious decor, the goods in the shop are mostly inexpensive and durable.

This aligns well with the positioning of "Yujin Street" as a residential area for ordinary workers' families.

In addition, its location is rather tricky; the nearest competitor is three blocks away.

All of this has resulted in a large number of repeat customers even though the store has only been open for a short time.

If nothing unexpected happens, given the current booming business trend in the store...

It won't take too many years to recoup the initial investment and start making a profit.

This is almost Jeff's dream retirement life.

Just a few months ago, during what seemed like an ordinary delivery mission, he lost his left leg and felt that his future was bleak.

At that time, lying alone in the Church of the Sun in Caranfor, he even considered whether to end his life like this, so as not to become a burden to his children.

Fortunately, the kind and gentle pastor in the church comforted him and helped him to cheer up.

He realized that the reason he hadn't died at the hands of that undead creature that night, but had been saved by the two adventurers who accompanied him, was that he had only lost a leg.

They couldn't be luckier.

He then resolutely announced his retirement in the tavern and sold the racing team he had run for many years.

Back in Newme, he moved up his plans and opened a tailor shop with his wife and daughter.

Now, several months have passed.

Caranfor has been reduced to ruins, and the former Church of the Sun is now nothing but a pile of scorched walls and broken ruins.

As for the two adventurers who saved him back then...

One of the halflings is now missing, presumably having gone far away.

The other one... seems to have made a name for himself.

A while ago, I was drinking and chatting with an adventurer I knew at a tavern, and he mentioned this situation to me.

Thinking that after a while, the business in the shop would completely stabilize.

He then found some relatively free time, took a few gifts, and went back to River Valley Town to thank the other party properly, and also to catch up with some old acquaintances in the town.

"Hey, do you still have that green one? I see there's only half a roll left on the shelf."

Inside the tailor shop, a short, plump middle-aged woman stood with one hand on her hip, pointing to the shelf in front of her and asking a question.

“Yes, sir, it’s in the back warehouse,” Jeff replied enthusiastically, his wooden prosthetic leg tapping the floor with a crisp sound.

"Please wait a moment, I'll go get it now."

He turned around, gave a few instructions to his daughter "Lilina" who was in charge of settling accounts behind the counter, and then went into the inner room.

Standing by the shelf, I watched Jeff's figure disappear behind the door.

A shrewd and cunning glint flashed in the middle-aged woman's eyes, which appeared somewhat narrow beneath her fleshy face.

He reached out and took the last half roll of fabric from the shelf, then quickly walked to the counter.

"That's too much trouble, I'll just take this one, I'm in a hurry."

"How about I get a 50% discount?"

Lilina, holding the bag she had just taken from under the counter, was about to help the other person pay.

Upon hearing this, he paused for a moment, then hesitated and said:
"Sir, the price listed in our store is already..."

"Hey, why say so much? We're all neighbors, just give me a discount."

Before the girl could finish speaking, the middle-aged woman waved her hand to interrupt her.

"You're not the only shop in this city, I can buy things anywhere else."

"The quality of your products isn't necessarily that much better than other shops. I'm just patronizing your business, understand?"

"Besides, if you sell it at a lower price today, and I find it useful when I get home, I'll definitely come back. Who knows, I might even bring a few more customers to the store. You'll make a profit!"

"Hurry up and give me a straight answer: sell or not!"

"If you don't sell, I'm leaving!"

I have no idea where this middle-aged woman, who hasn't even had much formal education, learned this whole process from.

She first pointed out her identity as a "neighbor" to show that Pigeon Feather Tailor Shop was not her only option and that she did not have to spend money there.

Then he explained the benefits to the tailor shop after selling it to her cheaply—it might bring more customers in the future. He also implied that she could influence the tailor shop's reputation among the nearby residents with just a few words, thus putting pressure on her.

He speaks very fast, progressing step by step.

With just a few words, he completely took control of the game's rhythm.

This caused Lilina, a naive girl who had only recently graduated from the academy, to be swayed by the words and lose her ability to think.

It was as if refusing the other party's request for a discount would completely ruin the tailor shop's business.

Seeing the middle-aged woman turn to leave, he quickly raised his voice and pleaded with her to stay:

"Wait, guest, please don't leave yet!"

Having already made preparations, the middle-aged woman's face showed a triumphant expression. She immediately turned around, placed the coins she had prepared on the counter, and forcefully pushed them to Lilina.

With his left hand, he casually placed the half-roll of cloth into the basket he was carrying in the crook of his arm.

"Young ladies, wouldn't it have been better if you had done this sooner? Don't worry, you won't be shortchanged."

"It's okay, I'm in a hurry, no need to pack it for me."

As he spoke, he glanced at the tightly closed door to the inner room, then hurriedly turned around and walked towards the shop entrance.

But after taking only two steps, those short, chubby legs suddenly stopped in place.

Before anyone knew it, several menacing men with sneer-like faces and tattoos on their chests had already blocked the shop entrance.

They ignored the middle-aged woman who was frozen in place in fright.

The bald, burly man who appeared to be the leader, standing at the very front, slowly walked into the tailor shop with his hands behind his back.

He didn't say anything.

He seemed like just an ordinary customer, his gaze sweeping over the colorful fabrics and clothes on the shelves.

Lilina stood behind the counter.

She turned around instinctively, her lips slightly parted, as if she wanted to call out to her father in the inner room.

But then, as if remembering Jeff's instructions during this time, he forced himself to straighten his back, forced a stiff smile, and greeted:

"Welcome to Pigeon Feather Tailor Shop. How can I help you, sir?"

Seemingly surprised by Lilina's performance, the bald thug raised an eyebrow, stopped, and without looking at her, continued to casually scan the surrounding shelves, slowly saying:

"Please introduce yourself."

Lilina didn't dare to breathe. Hearing what the other person said, she quickly perked up and her brain raced as she recalled the lines she had practiced countless times at home.

"This is old flax from the village of Sheephoof near Newme. It's excellent for making grain sacks or for hanging cured meat. It's so tough that most people can't cut it with a knife." "On the shelf to your left is reed cotton from the lower reaches of the Silverscale River. It grows naturally from seeds carried by waterbirds from velvet grass. It's as soft as cotton. If you have children at home, it's perfect for making swaddling cloths."

"Then there's the area in front of the counter..."

Seeing that Lilina was getting more and more fluent in her speech, the bald, burly man coughed to interrupt her and said quietly:
"The Lunar Feast is coming soon, and I want to make some clothes for my brothers. I need a comfortable material, like that cotton stuffing I just saw. Can you make those?"

"Of course!" Although he looked fierce, he seemed to be just a customer who came to buy things, which made Lilina breathe a sigh of relief and nod repeatedly.

"Could you please tell me the approximate dimensions and quantity?"

Two hundred items.

The bald, burly man stared at the stunned girl in front of him, and a sinister smile that should have appeared long ago finally surfaced on his face.

He grinned and held up three fingers.

"You have three days. I'll have someone come and collect the goods by then. If even one item is missing..."

His smile grew increasingly ferocious, and his eyes, deep-set beneath his eye sockets, seemed to melt into shadow.

"I'll smash this shop to pieces, you hear me?!"

"But two hundred items... two hundred items, even the big shops in the city center... and only for three days, I..."

Clearly, the sudden turn of events, the unexpected outburst after a period of relaxation, finally snapped Lilina's nerves.

In her panic and confusion, she babbled incoherently, not even knowing what she was saying.

Only then did Jeff emerge from the inner room, carrying several large rolls of cloth and limping.

Having traveled all over the country and run a caravan for so many years, he didn't need the girl to explain. A glance at the people in the shop was enough for him to roughly figure out what had happened.

He casually placed the green cloth in his hand on the counter, a fawning smile appearing on his face.

He moved his prosthetic leg, crouched down, and took the initiative to step forward.

"Oh dear, these esteemed gentlemen are coming, why didn't you send someone to let us know in advance?"

"I'm so sorry, old cripple, I just saw this now."

As he spoke, a money bag that had been prepared beforehand was stuffed into the burly man's hand.

His gaze swept over the tattoo on the burly man's chest, and he chuckled:

"So it's the gentlemen from the Badger Gang. Look at me, I've been driving a sports car for so long that I've almost forgotten the rules."

"Consider this small amount of money as a candle for all of you at the Moon Festival. I, the old cripple, will personally visit you another day to apologize."

The burly man didn't refuse. He took the money bag, weighed it in his hand, and glanced down at Jeff's prosthetic leg.

"The old man is quite sensible."

"But... with so little money, do you think I'm a beggar?"

Jeff's expression remained unchanged, his humble smile unchanged, as he replied:

"How could I dare to say that?"

"I drank a couple more drinks with 'Stubborn Donkey' at [Iron Bucket Toad] last night and lost control, ordering an expensive bottle and spending all the money I had."

"When I got home, my wife scolded me, haha."

As if he had mentioned a key word, the bald, muscular man's expression suddenly turned cold, his eyes narrowed, and he stared at Jeff in front of him.

He knew, of course, that it was a tavern nearby.

"Stubborn Donkey" was the nickname of the tavern owner.

It is said that he worked as an adventurer in Riverdale for a few years when he was young, and later saved up some money and returned to Newme to open a tavern.

He has many connections and knows quite a few people; the tavern is a regular gathering place for many adventurers.

Then I recalled what the cripple had mentioned earlier: that he had worked with a racing team for a while before.

It's not impossible that he might have some connection with the "stubborn donkey".

but……

He still had some hesitation in his heart.

And with so many people in front of them, it's impossible to just let it go like this.

He deliberately lowered his voice and said in a deep voice:

"Are you threatening me?"

"Of course not!" Jeff quickly denied, taking two steps back, about to say something.

Suddenly, a noise came from outside the door.

The three of them, including Lilina, the burly man, and him, all looked towards the shop's entrance.

What came into view was a young man with sharp features and a head of short, black hair.

His gaze swept over the overly young face, and the bald, muscular man frowned slightly.

Then there were two longswords behind him, one long and one short, and a fine metal chainmail on his body.

His expression gradually turned serious.

But when he watched this black-haired youth, dressed like a seasoned adventurer, walk straight into the shop.

The underlings who had been blocking the doorway at his command suddenly seemed to be pulled by something invisible, staggering back a few steps to make way.

Pupils suddenly contracted!

"Jeff, why didn't you tell me you were opening a shop?"

"If I hadn't happened to be in Newme on a mission, I probably wouldn't have known until next year."

Xia Nan greeted his old friend with a smile, his tone tinged with complaint.

The moment the words fell.

Then the bald, burly man changed his ferocious expression and a warm smile appeared on his face, a stark contrast to his previous one.

He forcefully shoved the money bag back into Jeff's hand, then put his arm around Jeff's shoulder in a seemingly affectionate manner.

"Hey! You should have said so earlier! I know 'Stubborn Donkey' too, we're like brothers. I came here today specifically to support your business, and you're being so polite with me!"

"Are you treating your younger brother like an outsider?!"

As he spoke, he directly called over the underlings who had just regained their balance outside the door and were somewhat confused.

"What are you all standing there for? Have you forgotten why we came here today?"

He casually took a roll of cloth from the shelf, took out his purse, and carefully placed it on the counter.

"Keep the change, please!"

He waved to Lilina in a deliberately generous manner.

Under his threatening gaze, the underlings, who still hadn't figured out why their attitude had changed so drastically, could only comply and line up at the front desk to pay.

With a smirk, the bald, burly man seemed to remember something.

His expression suddenly turned cold, as if he had suddenly returned to the moment when he first entered the shop.

However, the target of his threat changed from Lilina and Jeff to the middle-aged woman who remained in the shop because of their sudden appearance.

"The prices at this tailor shop are already so reasonable, and you're still asking for discounts? Are you trying to make it impossible for them to do business?!"

"Go, give me the rest of the money!"

(End of this chapter)