The Extra Prince Sets Out To Conquer The World

I had to sell some expensive accessories and jewelry that I hadn’t anticipated at the Ziliville branch of Twilight Trading.

The branch manager, Zordic, tried not to show it, but it was obvious he was ecstatic about what I sold.

That was natural, as the items I sold were top-quality goods skimmed from Boutique.

They were items that could fetch several times more if exhibited at the upcoming continental auction rather than being sold at a mere branch office.

With his eye for quality, he would surely store them carefully and put them up at the continental auction.

That way, he could not only delay the timing of their release into the market but also prevent Boutique from tracing them.

Inquiring about the source of items exhibited at the continental auction was tantamount to a declaration of war against the Shadow Guild.

“It was a good deal.”

At my greeting, Zordic maintained his business smile and received the greeting.

“The pleasure was ours. Whenever you’re in Ziliville, please visit anytime. We will serve you with utmost sincerity.”

With that greeting, Precia and I left Twilight Trading.

Precia was wary of any potential tailing, but my spirits didn’t sense anything within their detection range.

As long as I had Eunha, the light spirit, nothing could deceive my eyes where light reached.

Only after getting far away from the guild did Precia remove Yard’s Thousand Faces nassj and ask,

“You seem to have earned plenty of money, are you really going to do stocks?”

The money I earned today was enough that even if I splurged, I wouldn’t run out of money within the year.

But I nodded with a grin.

“Of course. If I can multiply it dozens of times in a week, only a fool wouldn’t do it.”

Of course, money wasn’t the only goal.

Precia couldn’t hide her anxious expression at my confidence.

I put the Thousand Faces mask back on her and entered the original destination, the Ziliville Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Stocks in this era weren’t in the form of investing in companies.

The target of investment was none other than merchant ships.

More precisely, the trade goods the merchant ships would bring back.

The investment method was similar to that of the Age of Exploration around the 17th century.

Investors were gathered and money was collected, then the collected money was used to purchase luxury goods and send long-distance merchant ships.

The merchants sold the goods at high prices in that country, then used that money to purchase trade goods and return.

The sales profits of the returned goods were distributed according to the percentage invested.

No matter how magical the world was, without steam engines, the voyages of merchant ships were extremely long.

Even with magic, considering risk factors like pirates and sea monsters, it must have been a more perilous voyage than the Age of Exploration trade.

As such, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry issued rights certificates for trade goods and mediated the trading of those rights certificates.

It served the role of a stock exchange.

“It’s quite bustling.”

Precia looked around and exclaimed in admiration.

Except for the central counter and building pillars, the 1st floor of the huge building was wide open.

Each section had famous merchant guilds setting up shops with signboards or holding trade goods auctions.

“This place doesn’t just trade rights certificates, it also mediates arrived trade goods auctions and deals between merchant guilds. The customs office should be here too, right?”

“I see.”

More than half of the imports entering this country passed through here, so it couldn’t help but be bustling.

I scanned the densely written merchant ship arrival status, investment lists, and investor names covering the wall across the center.

“Ugh, it’s dizzying.”

Precia grimaced as if just looking at it gave her a headache.

Indeed, there were many numbers, and the wide wall was filled with small, hard-to-read text. It wasn’t a very user-friendly status board.

I didn’t even spare a glance at newly departed merchant ships or those with a long time remaining until arrival.

Those with a long period remaining were relatively cheap, but the risks were high and required a long wait.

The merchant ships I focused on were those whose rights certificates had plummeted and become half scrap paper as their expected arrival date had passed.

In other words, ships the Chamber of Commerce had stamped as failed investments.

My investment philosophy was to invest in a pile of junk and fish out treasures.

“Young master…?”

Precia looked at me with even more anxious eyes.

Certainly, investing in the list written here was tantamount to throwing money away.

That is, if I didn’t have the novel’s information.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. When have I ever made a wrong choice?”

Of course, the novel didn’t specify which merchant ships to invest in that would skyrocket or plummet.

What kind of boring novel would describe such things in detail?

Even if it did specify, it would be information I couldn’t utilize at this point.

…No, come to think of it, that could have been utilized in its own way?

I was lost in idle thoughts for a moment, then shook my head and focused on the merchant ship investment information.

“Yob Icicle, Baal Siklaerop, Ab Hologrira, Jelly Kerzmin, Gembl Zolophilin…”

I muttered the names while focusing on the investor list.

The names I muttered were all aliases of one person.

More precisely, they could be called fabricated identities.

I could find the names on the investor lists of merchant ships delayed anywhere from 5 months to 2 years from the expected arrival time.

I wrote down the names in my notebook in order of longest delay.

“How many of these will hit?”

Even if I found them in the investor names, it didn’t mean a 100% hit rate.

The hit rate was roughly 70% or so.

Of course, even if I purchased them all, the investment rights had already become dirt cheap, so the losses would be minimal.

Still, I hope as many as possible are correct.

Having finished writing in my notebook, I took Precia to the ‘Merchant Ship Investment Rights Certificate Trading Counter’ on the 2nd floor.

“I’d like to purchase merchant ship rights certificates on consignment sale.”

There are two types of certificate rights traded.

Either purchase items left on consignment sale at the Chamber of Commerce to be sold at any time, or leave a purchase intention with the rights certificate owner through the Chamber of Commerce.

I was purchasing the former.

At my words, the counter clerk, who had been engrossed in paperwork, asked with a business smile,

“Do you happen to have the registration numbers of the merchant ships you viewed?”

At the clerk’s question, I checked my memo and answered,

“There are quite a few. First, A34-0023497, B12-0000459, B23-006…”

“Ah, one moment please. Take it slow, please.”

The clerk wrote down what I said.

Having written it all down, the clerk searched for the merchant ships I mentioned on the list and asked,

“How much are you thinking of purchasing?”

“I’m thinking of purchasing all available items.”

“Are you in your right… Ahem! I apologize.”

It was natural for the clerk to be surprised.

A fool had come to buy what was clearly scrap paper at a glance, so I would have asked if they were in their right mind too.

Of course, I was in my right mind.

“I will bring the requested consigned certificates. Please wait a moment.”

The clerk entrusted the work he had been doing until just now to his colleague next to him and headed to the restricted area with the memo and list.

It took quite a long time, perhaps because searching for each one took a while with so many merchant ships coming and going.

If it were computerized, a single search would have brought results quickly. This is where I miss modern civilization.

While waiting, I chatted with Precia about this and that, and before I knew it, the clerk who had entered the warehouse returned with a box of documents.

“This is the plan for the merchant ships, and this is the contract for the investment rights certificate trade. Do you have identification?”

“I have a merchant permit here.”

Upon seeing the merchant permit I presented, the clerk skillfully filled out a few additional documents.

“Yes, Mr. Jade Heightfil. You’ve been verified. Please fill in your personal information here, sign here and here on each transaction document, and write your current residence here.”

I diligently signed as the clerk instructed.

As I was purchasing such a large quantity, my hand started to go numb midway through.

After filling out the documents for a long time, I placed the purchase amount and transaction fees on the counter.

Each one was dirt cheap, but adding them all up amounted to a large sum exceeding half of the money I earned at Twilight Trading.

Merchant ship investments inherently involved large sums of money coming and going, so even when they became dirt cheap, they were expensive.

The transaction fees were per transaction rather than a percentage, so the transaction fees ended up being more.

The clerk checked the money and asked, looking at me like a sucker,

“With this, all transactions are complete. What will you do regarding consignment of the rights certificates?”

Consigning meant the intermediary could sell them at will.

“I won’t consign and will take them with me. Well then, good work.”

As Precia packed the box containing the investor rights certificates, I left without hesitation.

“Young master, I still don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Ahahaha! Everyone will think that way. Except me.”

At Precia’s concern, I snickered and stopped by a newspaper company near the port to subscribe to newspapers and merchant ship arrival information sheets.

Now the newspaper company will deliver newspapers and information sheets to my lodging every morning and evening for a month.

I wanted to subscribe for just a week, but a one-month contract was the standard.

It was an insignificant amount of money, but somehow it felt like a waste.

******

My companions gathered at the lodging by evening.

“Did everyone finish the tasks I assigned?”

At my question, Silua answered energetically,

“Yes! We fully rented out the blacksmith shops as you instructed.”

“They didn’t dislike it?”

Jade sighed as he placed a sack of mana stones he bought from the Magic Tower on the bed.

“You gave us quite a lot of money, so they all liked it, saying it was a paid vacation. The Zillian series should be refining right about now.”

Despite it being good news, judging from his sigh, the Magic Tower items must not have been to his liking.

“I had high expectations for the famous Magic Tower, but I was disappointed. I knew there were information restrictions for public disclosure, but it was too severe.”

“That’s right! At best, they only sell basic grimoires! The ones Mother wrote are much more detailed and better!”

I threw the magic books I obtained from Twilight Trading to the two of them.

“Tsk tsk, I knew this would happen. Here, take it.”

Receiving the magic books, Jade and Silua’s eyes sparkled at the mana emanating from them.

They were items that couldn’t be obtained even at the Magic Tower, no, items the Magic Tower would rush to acquire with wide eyes.

“As expected of Yuan! I’ll take a good look!”

“Ah! I want to look first!”

Since there was only one copy, Jade and Silua started arguing over who would read it first.

“Don’t fight and read quietly. Otherwise, I won’t get them for you again!”

I kicked Jade’s butt, shoving him into the corner of the room, and spoke to Precia and Gilbert,

“Once the magic metal refining is done, let’s have armor made for you two first. My guard knights should at least have decent armor.”

Thinking ahead, the two who would be swinging swords at the very front needed good armor to protect them.

We had sufficient materials and there was a dwarf living in hiding nearby, so we could make something quite nice.

“Young master…!”

The two looked at me as if moved.

I waved my hand, saying it was nothing, and tried to check the errand I had Gilbert run.

Knock knock!

“Is Jade Heightfil here?”

At the voice knocking on the door and looking for Jade, Jade, who had been reading the magic book with Silua in the corner, got up with an annoyed face and opened the door.

The one who knocked was a Draconian girl with light purple hair and horns on her head.

Draconians were a race so rare that they could be counted on one hand even across the entire continent.

At her appearance, I smiled.

“I’m Jade Heightfil, what business do you have?”

At Jade’s question, she looked at Jade as if interested.

“Hmm, so you’re Jade? Congratulations. The merchant ship ‘Crystal Fish’ just docked. You’ve become rich.”

The Draconian girl handed Jade a merchant ship arrival information sheet.

It was the information sheet I had subscribed to.

I received the information sheet instead of Jade and grinned.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Yob Icicle.”

She looked at me as if wondering what was going on.

I looked at her with a sly smile and asked,

“If not Yob, what should I call you? Baal? Ab? Jelly? Or should I call you Lord Bahamut? O great dragon.”

The girl before my eyes was the great master of magic and the representative of all dragons on this continent.

And a bold swindler active in the era of big stocks, the Purple Mist Dragon Bahamut.