Become A Profiteer In Isekai

Chapter 17: Chapter 17: You’re Truly a Good Person

”S-Something else?”

Hearing this, Bai Ya instinctively clutched her chest.

A poor girl’s parents die in an accident. To pay for their burial, she takes out a high-interest loan. Unable to repay it, she’s sold into slavery by her creditors, only to die in pain and torment... stories like that are all too common. With just a few minor changes, they could be the life template for most slaves.

And Bai Ya’s experiences over the past two months fit the beginning of this tragedy perfectly, making her worry that her story would follow the same path.

”Mr. Lu Wei, please give me a little more time! I will, I’ll definitely pay you back!”

”I can pay you back double—no, triple! Even five times the amount!”

”I’m begging you! Please don’t sell me!”

Leaning forward, clutching the IOU tightly, Bai Ya pleaded urgently. Her eyes were filled with panic; she never imagined things would turn out this way.

After all, from Aryan’s description, Lu Wei was supposed to be a kind, good-hearted person.

Of course, she didn’t think a ”kind, good-hearted person” should help her without expecting anything in return.

But she certainly hadn’t expected the price to be so steep.

’If I had known, maybe it would have been better to die at the hands of those Kobolds.’

’It would have been a gruesome death, but at least I would have kept my dignity...’

As she thought this, Bai Ya’s heart sank, and the light in her eyes gradually faded.

But just then, Lu Wei suddenly pulled a familiar gray Pendant from his shirt.

”Th-This is...”

After a moment of shock, Bai Ya’s eyes widened. ”It’s my Pendant!”

”Yes, I found it next to you last night when I was bandaging your wounds.”

Lu Wei lied without batting an eye. ”Things were hectic, so I just stuffed it into my pocket... Miss Bai Ya, do you know the Value of this Pendant?”

”I don’t know...”

Bai Ya was still a bit dazed. She shook her head blankly. ”It’s a memento my mother left me. She only told me that if I ever hit rock bottom, I could sell it to a fair and honest merchant...”

’Wow, your mom was pretty scam-aware.’

”Miss Bai Ya, I am a fair and honest merchant.”

Lu Wei’s expression was grave as he looked at Bai Ya earnestly. ”To be honest with you, this Pendant does have some Value. Its buy-back price should be around 5 Silver Coins.”

”Of course, this is just my appraisal. If you don’t believe me, you can have someone else evaluate it.”

”No, no, of course I believe you!”

Afraid of offending Lu Wei, Bai Ya nodded vigorously. ”If you really wanted to trick me, you wouldn’t have told me you found the Pendant in the first place!”

’Alright, you’re the one who said it.’

’Don’t blame me for not giving you a chance, then.’

”In that case, there’s no problem.”

”You owe me three Silver Coins, and the Pendant is worth 5 Silver Coins. So, I’ll give you two silver coins, and we’ll be even.”

”This way, you’ll have paid off your debt and also have money for food and lodging. It should be enough to tide you over until you find a job.”

”And I won’t have to worry about the payment for the goods. This seems like the best solution right now.”

”What do you think?”

With a sincere smile, Lu Wei spoke in a relaxed tone, certain that Bai Ya had no reason to refuse.

But her reaction was not what he expected.

The brown-haired girl looked down at the IOU in her hands, then up at the Pendant in his. She didn’t immediately agree, instead looking like she wanted to say something but was holding back.

But it seemed she was afraid of making him angry, so she hesitated, not daring to speak.

’What’s this? Does she want to haggle?’

”Miss Bai Ya, you still don’t trust me, do you?”

Lu Wei’s face hardened as he feigned displeasure. ”If that’s the case, you can just say so and sign the IOU. I would never force a sale.”

”No, no, Mr. Lu Wei, you’ve misunderstood me! I absolutely trust you!”

Bai Ya’s face flushed as she explained in a panic, ”I-I just have a small request.”

Lu Wei frowned. ”What request?”

”It’s just... could you please not sell this Pendant?”

Bai Ya answered timidly, then quickly added, ”What I mean is, if you need the money urgently, you can pawn it, just please don’t sell it outright.”

”It’s the only memento my mother left me. If possible, I’d like to keep it...”

”Ah, of course, once I save up enough money, I’ll go buy it back myself. I’ll pay the interest too, so it won’t be any trouble for you!”

”You just need to tell me the name of the pawnshop.”

”W-Would that be okay...?”

Looking pitifully at Lu Wei, Bai Ya’s voice grew softer and softer. Her gaze was pleading, almost to the point of being servile.

She couldn’t refuse the request of the man who had saved her life.

But on the other hand, she still wanted to hold onto her mother’s memento if at all possible.

Pawning it was the only solution she could think of.

And frankly, it wasn’t an unreasonable request at all.

After all, under normal circumstances, doing so wouldn’t cause Lu Wei any loss... if the Pendant was truly only worth 5 Silver Coins.

But in reality, the Pendant’s Value was 37 Gold Coins.

So if he agreed to this request, he would only have two ways to handle it—

1. Go full black-hearted, sell the Pendant directly, and when Bai Ya wants to buy it back, make up some excuse or just disappear.

2. Actually pawn it, and before Bai Ya saves up enough money, buy it back himself and return it to her.

Frankly, for any Crafty Merchant, this wasn’t even a choice that required thinking.

The problem was, Lu Wei hadn’t fully adapted to this identity yet. A sliver of conscience still remained in his heart.

Especially when he met Bai Ya’s gaze, he even felt a twinge of guilt.

’Damn it, why are you so gullible!’

’You’re making me feel bad about scamming you!’

”But pawning it will only get you half its market price, which is two or three Silver Coins.”

”Even if that’s enough to repay your debt to me, what will you do after that?”

”You can’t find a job right away, especially since you’re still injured. Without any money, are you planning to beg on the streets?”

Avoiding Bai Ya’s gaze, Lu Wei tried to persuade her to give up the idea of pawning it, so he could pocket the Pendant with a clear conscience.

But her answer only made him feel more conflicted.

”Mr. Lu Wei, please don’t worry about me. No matter how hard it gets, I believe I can survive.”

”As long as the money from pawning it is enough to cover the cost of your goods, that’s all that matters.”

”If it’s really not enough... it’s okay if you sell it then. I believe that even if my mother’s spirit is watching, she wouldn’t blame me for it.”

The last rays of the setting sun streamed through the window. Bai Ya placed her hands quietly on her knees, her voice soft but Firm.

It was as if she had made some kind of resolution.

’Hey now, aren’t you a little *too* keen on repaying kindness?’

’And why did you have to bring your mom into this again?’

’I don’t know if she’d blame you, but if she’s really watching from above, I’m definitely screwed.’

”Well... alright then.”

After a moment of silence, Lu Wei still couldn’t decide what to do, so he could only agree reluctantly.

He really had no reason not to.

’Anyway, it’ll be a long time before Bai Ya saves up enough to buy it back. I can take my time deciding whether or not to be a decent human being.’

’Or maybe by then, I’ll have become a proper, stone-hearted Crafty Merchant.’

’I hope so, sigh.’

”I’ll do my best to hold onto this Pendant for you.”

Sighing inwardly, Lu Wei nodded and made the promise listlessly.

On the other side, when Bai Ya heard him say this, her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

Then, she began frantically wiping away her tears while thanking him over and over:

”Mr. Lu Wei, th-thank you!”

”You’re such a good person!”

”I-I’ll definitely repay you!”