After getting out of the bath, I sat down in front of my computer with a cup of coffee.
It felt like forever since I'd been in my own room. I suppose it's just my nature—even with everything going on, I feel most at peace when I'm alone in here.
Honestly, I'm not the most social person to begin with. Between meeting so many people and talking non-stop in Lucraella, I was probably more mentally exhausted than I realized.
Now then, things are about to get busy, so I figured I'd better get my current stock listed on the auction sites. First, I relisted the items I'd pulled down before the trip:
Bedsheets, clothes, sundries, junk.
While these all bring in a decent amount of cash, I'm starting to feel the itch to move to the next stage of the business.
Online auctions are essentially peer-to-peer transactions. If you take away the "online" part and the bidding format, it's no different from a neighborhood flea market. Items are generally used, and their condition varies wildly. Most sensible bidders understand there's an element of gambling involved.
As a seller, integrity is a must, but there's a very basic unspoken premise: Second-hand items are not new items. A rational buyer understands that condition is subjective. Of course, I never hide scratches or stains—that's the bare minimum of decency required to avoid unnecessary drama—but you don't necessarily have to disclose every single detail about an item's history. That's where the technique comes in.
『This was a cherished item of my late grandfather. He always said it was from the Edo period. I don't know its true value, so I'm listing it here. I look forward to bids from those who truly understand its worth.』
If you use a sales pitch like that, take detailed photos, and mention any physical flaws, are you at fault if the item sells for a fortune but turns out to be a cheap imitation?
Of course not.
All the seller did was list "an item my grandfather treasured, supposedly from the Edo period." They never once claimed it had value—on the contrary, they clearly stated they didn't know its worth.
Yet there will always be a certain number of people who want to believe. They convince themselves, "This has to be a treasure!" and bid high, only to end up with garbage. That's why sales pitches like this keep escalating on online auctions, and it feels like the "backstory attached to the item" is increasingly just tacked on afterward.
If there's a story that hints at authenticity, people become easier to fool. In the extreme case, the entire story could be a lie, and the item might actually be a brand-new fake made by a forger. Of course, not everything is like that—but it's also true that malicious sellers exist.
Still, the prevailing mindset on online auctions is "the one who gets tricked is at fault." In reality, even if someone realizes later they were scammed, they usually just have to eat the loss and move on.
In the end, people want to believe stories that are convenient for them.
For reasons like that—though not only because of them—items from another world, which sit in a gray zone, are incredibly easy to sell on online auctions. You could also say they're convenient. In fact, I myself list items with incomplete information.
No—strictly speaking, it's not a lie. I'm just limiting the information.
『Antique trinket found at an (otherworldly) antique shop.』
Something like that.
If I disclosed all information, the description would be something like:
『This is a shirt I found in another world!』
Doing that benefits no one. Sometimes, a necessary lie is the best policy.
Anyway, back on topic.
While online auctions are convenient, relying on them alone inevitably leads to income fluctuations. I basically set prices close to market value.
At first, while also researching otherworld goods, I tried 1-yen starting bids. Those get a lot of attention and tend to close near market price. Of course, as an auction format, some go cheaper or more expensive than expected, but it was still useful for gathering data.
Sheets: Start at 8,000 yen
Accessories: Start at 3,000 yen
These items are "genuine Western antiques" that are hard to find in Japan, so demand is high. Well... they aren't exactly Western antiques, but I believe they are high-quality, so there's no problem. None at all.
Since I can now somewhat predict my monthly take, I'm thinking about the next step:
Opening my own online shop.
The Advantages of a Web Shop:
1. It's easier to build a brand and attract "fans" of the store.
2. I can set fixed prices rather than relying on bid wars.
3. I can expect repeat customers and traffic from search engines.
The Disadvantage:
1. It's harder to dodge questions about the source of the products.
If I go through with a shop, I'll have to be even more careful about my product selection. Linens and clothes should be fine, but for other things, I'm planning to wait until the Master Smith's workshop is up and running.
If we co-create items and "manufacture" them, it becomes a legitimate product line. Once that's on track, I can expand into other departments. "Goods that sell in both Japan and the other world" would make the business much smoother.
As for Japanese taxes... I'll use the techniques I learned during my "Black Company" days, along with a little help from a professional tax accountant. If the recorded income stays relatively low, the chances of an audit are slim. As long as the money is handled correctly, the fact that the "sourcing" is a bit gray shouldn't be an insurmountable hurdle.
With those thoughts in mind, I finished relisting my items and opened up a message board for the first time in a while.
It felt like it had been ages since I checked the forums.
[Serious] The Mirror in My House is Connected to Another World – Thread #11 [Talk]
571: Anonymous Fairy
How can OP understand the language in the other world?
Is there anyone who can logically explain this?
572: Anonymous Fairy
Compared to the miracle of Earthlings being able to survive on another planet, language is a trivial matter.
573: Anonymous Fairy
Oxygen concentration 21%, nitrogen 78%, others (argon, etc.) 1%.
Just a slight imbalance in this can make survival difficult.
574: Anonymous Fairy
The gases are more dangerous than oxygen concentration, right?
Even 1% carbon monoxide would be instantly fatal.
575: Anonymous Fairy
(Licks) This is cyanide gas!
576: Anonymous Fairy
'[Serious] You Die the Moment You Step Through the Mirror – Page #1'
577: Anonymous Fairy
A world where dangerous particulates are floating in the air would wreck your health too.
578: Anonymous Fairy
So in other words... it's a world designed specifically for OP...?
579: Anonymous Fairy
It's the "custom-made world" theory. I get it.
580: Anonymous Fairy
No one can deny that the world was created five minutes ago.
No one can deny that the world was created and is being operated solely for you.
581: Anonymous Fairy
Once you go that far, it's just a thought experiment and nothing more.
582: Anonymous Fairy
If the world was built for OP, then being able to communicate is a given, in a way.
583: Anonymous Fairy
To be precise, it's just a computer-generated world created by OP.
584: Anonymous Fairy
So OP got his brain digitized and is diving into a digital world...?
585: Anonymous Fairy
That pastoral fantasy world is actually a cyberspace created by OP?
586: Anonymous Fairy
Personally possessing a mirror to another world
vs.
Personally owning the tech for full-dive digitalization and cyberspace?
Which is more impressive?
587: Anonymous Fairy
No comparison. The otherworld wins.
A digital world is just something artificial.
588: Anonymous Fairy
Regarding the language, OP said "they do, somehow" understand him.
Since he said "somehow," it's probably not Japanese.
If it were Japanese, he would’ve said something like “For some reason everyone is speaking Japanese,” right?
589: Anonymous Fairy
It's a pre–Tower of Babel world.
An era where humans, as children of God, had no trouble communicating.
590: Anonymous Fairy
So... God really exists?
591: Anonymous Fairy
Maybe the world OP is in is a parallel Earth "not abandoned by God."
And the world we’re in is the "Earth abandoned by God."
592: Anonymous Fairy
From an oxygen concentration standpoint, that theory isn't entirely unconvincing.
Right? Right right right right right?
Well, things are the same as always.
I can understand why the board members are curious about the true nature of the other world. To me, it's still a place full of mysteries. I wonder if the day will ever come when I get those answers.
I idly scrolled through the thread while thinking about everything I'd gained during this trip. It was only three days, but the haul—both in terms of people and items—was massive.
There were Ion-san and Shamash-san, of course. Rebecca-san and I Classed Up, and my Rusty Sword became a Holy Sword. By defeating Arges, our Clan Rank went up, and I got the new Mjolnir Hammer. I picked up a massive Magic Crystal and a ton of regular-sized ones. The Master Smith is going to be my exclusive blacksmith, and from Marco, I got that rare ore...
"Oh right, I was going to look into this."
I muttered to myself and pulled out the cloth bag containing the white ore.
The "White" ore found mixed in with gold dust. It was the stuff Marco had been collecting for his scams—the stone they call "Shiro" in Lucraella, discarded because it's useless.
According to my Appraisal with the Mirror of Truth, it's a rare ore with a Rarity of A.
I thought about searching for it online, but the chances of the exact same ore existing on Earth were low. That said, since gold and iron exist in that world, the physical properties of the two worlds clearly have a lot in common.
If so, it wouldn't be impossible for the same mineral to exist here too... maybe. Well, given the whole Mithril situation, it's a fifty-fifty shot.
Since I already have the thread open, maybe I'll post a picture. It'll make for good "story" material, at least.
593: OP ◆ Xc544iUoWE (Jirou)
Long time no see.
I finally visited another town for the first time.
Well, it's just the neighboring town, though.
Cleared a "Monster Outbreak" quest and stuff.
Anyway, does anyone know what this is?
Found this "Object X" in a river along with some gold.
〈image link〉
594: Anonymous Fairy
What, it's not a nymph picture...?
595: Anonymous Fairy
I was hoping you fished up a river goddess along with a golden axe or something!
596: Anonymous Fairy
It's OP! Long time no see.
Isn't that the stuff you melt and solidify to make slimes or something?
Also, what the hell is a "monster outbreak quest"? lol
597: Anonymous Fairy
Might be the origin of an Undine.
Collect enough, stick 'em together, and make your very own water spirit!
598: Anonymous Fairy
>> 596
Are you trying to say solder?
Well, it does kinda look like it...
599: Anonymous Fairy
OP-chan, long time no see.
Got any bigger pics?
Can't really tell; it's too small.
600: Anonymous Fairy
Isn't it just silver?
601: Anonymous Fairy
Nooo! I want it to be a dream-filled fantasy metal!
It has to be Orichalcum or Hihi'irokane or I'm out!
602: Anonymous Fairy
It's brass.
603: Anonymous Fairy
If the specific gravity is the same as gold, it's gotta be "white gold."
In other words—'Platinum'.
604: Anonymous Fairy
ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!
605: Anonymous Fairy
Arrivederci!
606: Anonymous Fairy
That's the wrong part.
607: Anonymous Fairy
Exactly! Sono toori de gozaimasu!
608: Anonymous Fairy
Did a little digging.
It seems to be a collection of mineral elements similar to platinum.
In river panning, it's apparently called 'placer platinum'.
609: Anonymous Fairy
Yep. This ore is rare.
To turn it into pure platinum, you'd need a serious refining process.
But even as "placer platinum" it's a rare mineral collection.
So if you have the right connections, you could probably sell it as-is.
610: Anonymous Fairy
Expert spotted.
But for OP, who's basically a NEET, selling raw ore sounds like a nightmare.
Platinum is pretty expensive, right?
What a shame.
611: Anonymous Fairy
Places like gold-buying centers do buy platinum too, but...
They probably never expect someone to walk in with raw river ore.
612: Anonymous Fairy
It's basically the same as walking in with raw gold nuggets...
Yeah, that's impossible...
613: Anonymous Fairy
If you try to cash in a huge amount of something as expensive as platinum, you're gonna get traced.
How would you even explain it's from another world?
614: Anonymous Fairy
Ding!
Just say you picked it up in a bamboo grove!
615: Anonymous Fairy
That's a decades-old reference, old man.
616: Anonymous Fairy
But strictly speaking, is it even the same elements as Earth's?
It's from another world, after all.
For example, what if it's made of something like magical energy, and once you bring it to Earth, after a certain amount of time it can't maintain its form and disappears?
617: Anonymous Fairy
I've read something like that somewhere before.
618: Anonymous Fairy
If there's a way to materialize CG and cash it in,
I'd like you to tell me too.
619: Anonymous Fairy
If that's the case, I'd rather have elves than platinum...
620: Anonymous Fairy
Transmuting life is a whole different hurdle, though...
621: Anonymous Fairy
Water 35 liters, carbon 20 kg, ammonia 4 liters, lime 1.5 kg, phosphorus 800 g, salt 250 g, saltpeter 100 g, sulfur 80 g, fluorine 7.5 g, iron 5 g, silicon 3 g, and trace amounts of 15 other elements.
I saw in a manga that with just that you can make a human!
622: Anonymous Fairy
The raw materials for an elf are sap, leaves, and dirt.
623: Anonymous Fairy
That's basically a golem!
624: Anonymous Fairy
Please use the traditional method: semen + horse manure.
625: Anonymous Fairy
Wait, if it's born from your own "seed," is it technically your daughter?
626: Anonymous Fairy
So that's why homunculus girls call their alchemists "Papa"...
627: Anonymous Fairy
A daughter born from fertilized horse manure... poor thing.
628: Anonymous Fairy
"Whoa?! For some reason, a centaur was born!"
"That's because you used horse manure..."
629: Anonymous Fairy
You're all talking about this like it's normal, but...
Where did the horse manure idea even come from...?
630: Anonymous Fairy
It's basically Paracelsus's fault.
631: Anonymous Fairy
Did alchemists back then seriously collect their own semen and genuinely try to make homunculi?
Like saying, "With this semen, I..." while being totally serious?
632: Anonymous Fairy
Apparently, they sometimes used "seed" from young men.
For research purposes, they probably said stuff like, "A youth's first pressing is the freshest and best."
633: Anonymous Fairy
Sounds like a setup straight out of a medieval-themed ero manga...
634: Anonymous Fairy
A virgin's blood and a boy's seed: the two great magical catalysts.
635: Anonymous Fairy
The Middle Ages were seriously twisted...
We're just perverts who imagine things...
But they actually went and did it...
636: Anonymous Fairy
More importantly, hurry up and post pictures of the new girl!
Who cares about rocks!
637: Anonymous Fairy
What kind of monsters show up?
Capturing one and selling it in Japan sounds like a gold mine.
Platinum...?
So this stuff is platinum?
Now that I think about it, back when I was working at a black company, I might have been shown a tiny, speck-like grain of raw platinum ore mined in Hokkaido.
Yeah... looking at it now, this looks similar. It might be the same thing. Maybe.
Platinum... platinum...
I reached for my kitchen scale and placed one of the bags on it. A single bag weighed 573 grams. If the current retail buying price for platinum is around 5,000 yen per gram... Since it's not 100% pure, let's lowball the estimate to 4,000 yen per gram...
"Urgh... 2.29 million yen..."
And I have four bags of this right now.
"That's... 10 million yen worth... No, no, no, no."
No way!
Either way, there's no realistic way to cash this out. Ten million yen is an incredible sum.
If I had advanced money-laundering skills, maybe—but I don't, and I have zero intention of learning them.
Man. Talk about a wasted treasure... If this were worth the same amount in the other world, I could turn it into gold coins, but for now, it's worthless over there.
Well, I got it for cheap anyway, so I'll just have to let it sit. Maybe one day I'll find a use for it or a way to exchange it. I'll make sure Marco keeps collecting it.
Now that they've told me what the ore is, I should post something as a "thank you." I have that one photo of Shamash-san on my camera. Let's go with that.
638: OP ◆ Xc544iUoWE
Thanks, everyone.
Never thought it'd turn out to be platinum.
Since I can't really cash it in here in Japan, I guess I'll just find a use for it over there.
Anyway—
I've made a new companion during my trip!
〈Image URL〉
639: Anonymous Fairy
It's here! A demon girl!
640: Anonymous Fairy
Wha!?
Wooooah!
Wooooooooooooah!!!
641: Anonymous Fairy
Gunuuuuuuuu!
Daaaaaaamn itttt!
Are you serious right now?!
She is! Totally! My! Type!
642: Anonymous Fairy
She's got horns!
And generous assets, too!
643: Anonymous Fairy
Oh... God...
Is this kind of injustice really allowed...?
Why does only OP get all these blessings...?
644: Anonymous Fairy
Is this girl a slave too?
Is she one of OP's "personal" slaves?
645: Anonymous Fairy
She's got that tattoo, so probably.
Damn it, I'm jealous...
If you don't post something more erotic...
I might not be able to forgive you, OP!
646: Anonymous Fairy
Why is she wearing such erotic clothes?
Is that OP's fetish? Or her own?
647: Anonymous Fairy
Tanned skin, white hair, horns, and a huge chest.
It's literally the perfect template for the demon girl we all want to be seduced by.
648: Anonymous Fairy
I bet OP has already been "seduced" plenty of times.
649: Anonymous Fairy
He's probably already bottled that moment's semen together with horse manure.
650: Anonymous Fairy
Another "new companion" and it's another girl!?
Give it a rest already!
No—keep going!
651: Anonymous Fairy
I'm about to snap because there are no R-18 pics!
I'm gonna have to report you for that platinum hoarding!
652: Anonymous Fairy
Hurry up and start running a brothel already.
I'll spend my entire life savings there.
653: Anonymous Fairy
As far as I know, OP is surrounded by tons of cute girls
and is in a position to enjoy them on a rotating basis.
Homunculus jokes aside, we might see a pregnancy announcement soon.
654: Anonymous Fairy
But didn't OP say he hasn't actually done anything yet?
Who knows if that's true, though.
655: Anonymous Fairy
If I were in that environment...
I'm confident I'd do nothing but lewd stuff all day.
656: Anonymous Fairy
Well, it's a precious other world after all.
You'd want to go on adventures too, right?
If it were me, I'd limit the lewd stuff to just 12 hours a day.
657: Anonymous Fairy
Twelve hours means half a day, you know...
That's basically the whole day.
658: Anonymous Fairy
Just do it three times a day: morning, noon, and night.
It only takes three minutes anyway.
659: Anonymous Fairy
Impressive rapid-fire technique!
660: Anonymous Fairy
Once in the morning and afternoon is fine.
But at night I'd want to go for round two or three.
661: Anonymous Fairy
Nights are long in another world, after all.
No electric lights either, right?
662: Anonymous Fairy
You’ll need a potion that makes you tireless.
Magic should be able to handle that.
663: Anonymous Fairy
I want a magic potion that makes semen gush out nonstop.
664: Anonymous Fairy
I feel that.
665: Anonymous Fairy
Speaking of which... didn't OP own a horse?
Which means...
666: Anonymous Fairy
If a daughter suddenly appears, that's bingo.
667: Anonymous Fairy
Stop with the horse manure jokes already lol.
668: Lonely Me ◆ 4noig329de
Now that's one sexy girl!
I'm jealous of your luck, man!
I want to squeeze those too!
669: Anonymous Fairy
Way too direct. Gross.
670: Anonymous Fairy
By the way—
What are those horns based on?
Any animal experts here?
671: Anonymous Fairy
They look like a sheep's.
If she had sheep eyes, she'd be perfect.
She looks like a beautified version of a lesser demon.
672: Anonymous Fairy
If a girl actually had sheep eyes,
you might get a physiological rejection reaction.
673: Anonymous Fairy
Just the eyes—please post them without any blur.
674: Anonymous Fairy
Just the nipples—please post them without any blur.
675: Anonymous Fairy
Careful, or we're gonna get a close-up of OP's nipples...
676: Anonymous Fairy
Didn't he say he was starting a knight order?
She doesn't look like a knight at all.
677: Anonymous Fairy
He calls them "companions," but he's just collecting slaves!
What does he think human dignity is!?
A girl like that as a slave... a slave...!
I-I'm so jealous...!!
678: Anonymous Fairy
Honestly, I'm at the point where I have to believe it's all CG just to keep my sanity.
The idea that OP is the only human on Earth hogging all this fantasy for himself is unforgivable.
Seriously, what a total bastard!
679: Anonymous Fairy
OP looks like a laid-back guy, but he's a legit fighter who wipes out bandits and mows down monsters.
Of course he's gonna have girls surrounding him!
680: Anonymous Fairy
If I ever met OP in that world...
There's a real chance he'd kill me just to keep it secret.
681: Anonymous Fairy
First of all, why is OP even posting pictures on a bulletin board?
If he wants to keep it to himself, he should hide it.
What's the benefit of deliberately showing off?
682: Anonymous Fairy
That's why I'm saying it's CG...
Well, if it is real, it's probably because he's an idiot.
He probably finds it hilarious to watch us thrashing around in envy over his photos.
It's like those attention seekers on Twitter.
683: Anonymous Fairy
Don't poke around too much.
He might delete the pics.
As expected, Shamash-san was wildly popular.
On the Fairy Board, horned girls are a major genre—no surprise there.
A classic demon-girl design, huh... Now that it's mentioned, that's true.
She's from the Nightmare race and commonly called a demonfolk, so calling her a demon girl isn't wrong. If she had wings, she'd be absolutely perfect.
But... why am I posting these photos?
Why, indeed... For fun, maybe?
...Yeah, I guess it really isn't much different from those people who post dumb stuff on social media for attention.
