(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 10)

[Oldmansour]

>Not a trip to make casually, now. Better check closer sources first.
>How much soil did Minoriko give us? Check that, about how many seeds could we grow?
>Spare a moment to consider the potential profit in growing all kinds of things in areas and times that should be impossible to do so in.

[DracoOmega]

>Not a trip to make casually, now. Better check closer sources first.
>How much soil did Minoriko give us? Check that, about how many seeds could we grow?
>Spare a moment to consider the potential profit in growing all kinds of things in areas and times that should be impossible to do so in.

>Two days is more time than you're willing to spend without strict need at the moment. Few enough to spare as it is....
>The pouch of soil she gave you is around the size of your fist. You have no idea how strong its powers are, or how many things it could sustain. In terms of shear size, it doesn't seem large enough to sustain something like a tree, but could probably manage a small plant well enough - perhaps even more than one if they were diminutive enough.
>A business idea vaguely floats across your mind. Surely there's got to be some way you could make a few guilders off bending the harvest cycle a little, right? Of course, you have no idea how much 'juice' this soil even has.

[Oldmansour]

>Long as we have enough to do the job, then. We can milk more from Minoriko after the current crisis is over.
>"Well, with a bit of luck, that's a trip I won't have to make just yet."
>"Still, if there's no such seeds in the stores of the Academy here, I'll have to start visiting some nurseries."
>Bow. "Again, thanks for the information."

[DracoOmega]

>Long as we have enough to do the job, then. We can milk more from Minoriko after the current crisis is over.
>"Well, with a bit of luck, that's a trip I won't have to make just yet."
>"Still, if there's no such seeds in the stores of the Academy here, I'll have to start visiting some nurseries."
>Bow. "Again, thanks for the information."

>You thank the professor again and bow. She return the gesture with nearly as much flourish as the first time.
>"Seek well, Seeker."

[Oldmansour]

>Take our leave of her and head first for that nursery she mentioned, the one east of here.
>No, wait. May as well check while we're here, she may have been wrong about something.
>Return to the secretary's desk.

[DracoOmega]

>Take our leave of her and head first for that nursery she mentioned, the one east of here.
>No, wait. May as well check while we're here, she may have been wrong about something.
>Return to the secretary's desk.

>You turn and head out of the professor's office, but have only put a single foot outside her door before you hear the bird youkai's voice call out behind you.
>"Oh!" she cries. "I nearly forgot - how very impolite of me!"

[Hanzo K.]

>Turn and head back to the door. "Yeah?"

[DracoOmega]

>Turn and head back to the door. "Yeah?"

>You turn around to see the professor withdrawing a small wooden case from her outfit. She flips it open, revealing numerous tiny cubes neatly wrapped in brown paper.
>"Would you like to try a piece of chewing gum?" she asks. "It is gum... that you chew. My own concoction," she adds proudly. "Refined now and again over the years. Peppermint with a dash of wild raspberries, this is. Freshens breath and invigorates one's taste buds, yes - it's quite good." She holds the case out towards you expectantly.

[Oldmansour]

>Had we ever heard of chewing gum before? Or other kinds of gum?

[DracoOmega]

>Had we ever heard of chewing gum before? Or other kinds of gum?

>Well, there's the resin that comes from trees, but that doesn't strike you as something you'd normally want to chew on. It also doesn't tend to made of mint and raspberries, either.

[Hello Purvis]

>"What's it made of? Most folks wouldn't want to snack on tree resin."

[DracoOmega]

>"What's it made of? Most folks wouldn't want to snack on tree resin."

>"The base is derived from sap," she says, looking ever so slightly piqued, "not resin. Treated and process in various ways for consistency and texture, yes. It is, I assure you, entirely edible."

[Oldmansour]

>Well.... She WAS helpful. It's only polite, however.... odd, it might be.
>"All right, sure."
>"But, uh... do you eat it, or just chew on it?"

[DracoOmega]

>Well.... She WAS helpful. It's only polite, however.... odd, it might be.
>"All right, sure."
>"But, uh... do you eat it, or just chew on it?"

>You hesitantly accept her offer, for politeness's sake.
>"Just chew," she says. "It can also be eaten, of course, but that is... somewhat outside its purpose, yes." She smiles. "Go ahead, take one."

[Oldmansour]

>Reach in and grab one, then, since she looks like she expects it, pop it in.

[DracoOmega]

>Reach in and grab one, then, since she looks like she expects it, pop it in.

>You reach into the case and pluck out one of the small wrapped pieces. Peeling away the coarse paper, you find a small block of an opaque waxy-looking substance, pale pink in color. In all honesty, putting it in your mouth is not the first thing that would come to mind from looking at it, but the smell is pleasant enough and the professor's smile is so innocently encouraging that you almost feel guilty sizing up her creation with such skepticism. With a last dubious glance at the concoction, you toss it in your mouth and give it a chew, doing your best to keep a sour frown from your face.
>This turns out to be easier than you had feared. While the texture is... unusual - dense and rubbery and slightly slick - the flavor is quite a bit nicer. The moment you bite into it, you are stuck with a sharp zing of mint, tempered by a subtle fruity sweetness that grows only richer with each chew. You take a slow breath, feeling the air brush icily against your mint-tinged tongue. It's... actually not that bad at all. The professor smiles hopefully at you.

[Oldmansour]

>Blow out.
>"This is pretty good."

[DracoOmega]

>Blow out.
>"This is pretty good."

>You blow out, sending another wave of chill air across your mouth. Your tongue tingles slightly.
>The professor's smile widens. "Good, good. I am pleased that you find it to your liking, yes. You may have another, if you wish - for the road, yes."

[Oldmansour]

>"Sure, why not."
>Snag another piece.
>"Something to chase trail rations if I have to hit the road."
>Hmm. "Have you thought about marketing this?"

[Hanzo K.]

>"Bet you'd make a mint from selling different flavors of this stuff, you might've hit on something pretty good here."

[DracoOmega]

>"Sure, why not."
>Snag another piece.
>"Something to chase trail rations if I have to hit the road."
>Hmm. "Have you thought about marketing this?"

>The bird youkai nods as you take another piece of gum from the case, then she shuts it closed again and puts it back in her pocket.
>"Yes, yes, it is an enjoyable diversion, so I find, myself."
>This question seems to catch the professor off-guard, and she gives you a flustered frown. "I, um... well, no. No, I cannot say that I have. It is... just a little personal project of mine, you understand - something experimented with and iterated in my free time, yes, here and there over the years. My primary work concerns something altogether different - isolation of active botanical components and their somatic applications, yes, and also certain matters of soil quality and cultivation - to enhance their use in those very same applications, of course. It is an exacting and slow discipline, to be sure, but a rewarding one. But perhaps I digress. In any event, this?" She gestures at her pocket. "It is really just a trifle, yes - without any of the sort of true rigor to it." She pauses. "Still, I find myself to enjoy somehow the enjoyment of others as this is concerned. Yes, I suppose I do at that."

>"Bet you'd make a mint from selling different flavors of this stuff, you might've hit on something pretty good here."

>She gives you a surprised look. "You... think it might truly have value of that sort to someone?" The professor's brow deepens and thoughtful look comes across her eyes. "I have... never much concerned myself with matters of money, to be frank - a tedious roadblock to be sometimes negotiated, but... I suspect someone of your profession might understand it better, yes? At least, so I hear of your association and the associations it itself has - fortune seekers as much as any other kind, yes?"

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "Might take some doing for a more exotic flavor like chocolate, but you should be able to manage the various fruits. If I'm any measure, you could market the stuff as an after-meal thing. That should work pretty good, and I bet kids will love the sweetness."

[DracoOmega]

>Nod. "Might take some doing for a more exotic flavor like chocolate, but you should be able to manage the various fruits. If I'm any measure, you could market the stuff as an after-meal thing. That should work pretty good, and I bet kids will love the sweetness."

>"You... you think they might?" There is an oddly withdrawn and even self-conscious expression on the professor's face, quite unlike her bearing for most of your meeting. "I... I suppose it is possible, yes - one becomes sometimes so engrossed in one's discipline that affairs outside it grow quite foreign. Yes, quite foreign indeed - an unfortunate effect of the single-minded rigor which such studies call for,  perhaps, but one that rarely can be avoided. A sacrifice to a worthy cause, one might say. A strange thing it is, then, to think of this in those terms - beyond a minor outlet for mental idleness and a ameliorative for..."
>She frowns and shakes her head. "Well, it is of no matter. Though here I must admit that I have... no true conception of how one goes about such a thing - pursuing viability among the less academic of venues, I mean. No, no true conception at all - beyond that which is obvious, of course. Forgive me here for transposing, a moment, the role of interlocutor with you, but... might one of your profession and the professional wisdom that follows it suggest... how best I might go about this? Should I ever, perhaps on some idle day or another, decide to entertain such a venture, of course."

[Oldmansour]

>Have we ever disseminated marketing advice before? And if so, were we any good at it?

[DracoOmega]

>Have we ever disseminated marketing advice before? And if so, were we any good at it?

>You've never really had cause to do so before, no. You do have a good sense of market valuation for common objects and some skill in driving a hard bargain and avoiding being ripped off, courtesy of your Seeker training and natural shrewdness, but you've never been personally involved in running a business. For that matter, the guild's own reputation takes care of most of your marketing needs.

[Oldmansour]

>"Hmmm..... Sure, I can give you some pointers. Up to a point, at least."
>"A place to start, in your case, might be to offer a few samples to staff members you know here on campus, or people around town, that you know have kids. Then, their kids will see them enjoying this new thing, or the parents will mention it to them, either way will work. The kids'll be curious, they'll want to try a piece themselves. And in my experience, parents'll pay to make their kids happy. Especially if they're paying for something they like themselves."

[DracoOmega]

>"Hmmm..... Sure, I can give you some pointers. Up to a point, at least."
>"A place to start, in your case, might be to offer a few samples to staff members you know here on campus, or people around town, that you know have kids. Then, their kids will see them enjoying this new thing, or the parents will mention it to them, either way will work. The kids'll be curious, they'll want to try a piece themselves. And in my experience, parents'll pay to make their kids happy. Especially if they're paying for something they like themselves."

>The professor frowns thoughtfully. "Hmmm... yes... yes, perhaps I will give that an attempt of some sort or another - when circumstances present themselves, of course," she adds hastily. "You understand, yes?"
>She leans towards you and speaks in an oddly guarded tone. "Given such circumstances, this is posed in a... purely theoretical sense, of course, but... what value do you think might be fairly placed on such a thing by a citizen of... more common means? In a... monetary sense - not that I value such things intrinsically, yes, but the realities of reality are such that it cannot, perhaps, be wholly ignored." She looks as though she might start profusely apologizing at any moment.

[Hanzo K.]

>How much do candies usually sell for?

[DracoOmega]

>How much do candies usually sell for?

>That depends very much on the kind of candy, but you could pick up a fairly sizable bag of plain hard candy for a guilder or two and an individual lollipop for half a guilder at most.

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "I'd think that since it's sweet, you'd want to sell it for about one-to-three guilders a tin, like what you've got here. Maybe more if the stuff's hard to make."