[13] Advertising

Chapter 13: Advertising

The orc girl in the distance looked somewhat flustered as she glanced in his direction, and Durin, who had never seen an orc before, wore a surprised expression. He couldn't help but instinctively ask, "Um... can this child be sold?"

"Hehe, please don't make such jokes, sir..."

Though the shopkeeper was momentarily nervous, upon seeing Durin's seemingly unintentional remark, he explained, "In the South, you rarely see orcs, so it's understandable that you wouldn't know. This child is an orc, not a monster, so she cannot be bought or sold."

"An orc?"

Although Durin had heard similar rumors in the capital and had watched many anime featuring beast girls, seeing a real orc for the first time, he couldn't help but be curious. While Winry and the others didn't show their curiosity as explicitly as him, they were also somewhat intrigued.

Seeing their reactions, the shopkeeper smiled and said, "Since you haven't been to the Western Frontier, you wouldn't know. Beyond the empire's borders lies a kingdom of orcs, where various kinds of orcs reside. It's even said that there are sub-races like half-elves. However, due to the empire's recent trade disputes with the orc kingdom and the militant faction's attempts at colonization, relations between the empire and the orc kingdom have become increasingly tense, and it's becoming harder to see orcs within the empire."

"As for this child, I found her in an orc village while traveling to the Western Frontier. It seemed she had been abandoned by her original parents, and since I happened to be searching for rare monsters at the time, I ended up taking her in. Although she had to leave her family, she doesn't seem to mind."

The shopkeeper's gaze softened as he spoke, and even though the orc girl he had taken in looked to be around fifteen or sixteen, in his eyes, she still seemed like an ordinary child.

"I see."

Nodding, Durin couldn't help but recall some anime scenes in his mind as he looked at the orc girl. Considering potential future filming opportunities, he attempted to address her, "May I know your name?"

"..."

Not receiving a response, and seeing the orc girl's large, watery eyes shrinking back at him, the shopkeeper quickly interjected, "She doesn't have a name yet. It seems she's unwilling to recall her past, and no matter how much I ask, she won't reveal her former name, so I didn't dare arbitrarily give her one."

"I see. Then, may I know your name, shopkeeper? My name is Durin Edward."

"Of course, Mr. Durin. I'm Lawrence, the manager of this monster shop."

Hearing this, Durin, aware that the conversation about orcs had reached its conclusion, still had some questions but realized the importance of the matter at hand. He quickly asked, "Well then, Manager Lawrence, the purpose of my visit this time is to find a creature called a Giant Slime. Given your travels, I assume you should know some clues."

"A giant... slime?"

Upon seeing Lawrence's surprised expression, he pondered for a moment before speaking, "Well, there are some, but these creatures not only have a certain corrosive nature but also can't be kept as pets like ordinary slimes. Initially, I hunted them purely because I felt it would be a waste not to collect such unique creatures, but I regretted it after realizing that no one was willing to buy them."

"Really? Don't worry, I'll take all the Giant Slimes you have, price is not an issue."

Durin, surprised at how easily the issue was resolved, smiled, while Lawrence nodded and murmured, "Alright, but to be honest, fewer and fewer people are willing to spend money on monsters lately. Previously, nobles from the city were interested in buying young Silver Grey Wolves from my shop, but due to some unforeseen accidents resulting in his son being bitten, and with the spread of rumors, even fewer people dared to come and buy monsters. If no one is willing to buy monsters in a few months, I've already planned to travel to other towns with this child to seek a new opportunity."

"I see..."

Following Lawrence into the actual monster room, Durin was surprised to find that the variety of creatures in this monster shop far exceeded his imagination. Whether it was cute slimes, Silver Grey Wolves, or slightly terrifying goblins and giant spiders, almost every kind of monster was gathered here.

Seemingly aware of Durin's surprise, Lawrence just smiled and said, "Are you surprised why there are so many monsters here? In fact, I used to love traveling and caught various monsters during my travels. Although taking care of them is troublesome, I don't find it bothersome. However, if this shop eventually goes under, I'm afraid I'll have to bid farewell to these monsters as well, as taking care of them is quite a financial burden..."

Upon hearing Lawrence's words, Durin, feeling excited, quickly said, "That's fantastic! If we have so many 'extras,' Lawrence, would you be interested in hearing a proposal from me?"

"A proposal?"

Perplexed by the man's words, Durin smiled and continued, "Yes, a proposal, or rather a deal, a deal that could save this monster shop. In simple terms, it's advertising, yes, advertising, Mr. Lawrence, have you heard of advertising? It's something that can earn you money by putting up flyers."

"You mean those papers posted on walls?"

Clearly, in this world, with the invention of papermaking and printing technology, small advertisements posted on walls had emerged. However, Durin's notion of advertising naturally went beyond that.

Seeing Lawrence increasingly unable to grasp his words, Durin explained the concept of video advertising and pointed out that if Lawrence was willing to rent out his monsters to Durin, then Durin would appropriately incorporate some monster-related advertisements into the films he made. Of course, he wouldn't insert them into the main film, but rather intended to place them in the interludes or at the end of the film.

This approach would not only help monsters gain popularity, saving this endangered monster shop, but also provide Durin with a large number of monster 'extras,' a win-win situation.

Upon hearing his explanation, although he didn't fully understand what 'filming' and 'advertising' meant, Lawrence, who could vaguely sense Durin's enthusiasm, generously said, "If it's for rental, then of course it's possible. After all, if we can't resist these few months, this shop is likely to go bankrupt directly. Compared to that, what Mr. Durin said, although I can't fully understand it, at least it's a possible way to save this monster shop, right? I agree."

"Haha, don't worry, if the film really gets made, remember not to be scared by the crowds that will flock here! You can always count on us for help when that happens."

"I hope so."

Although Lawrence didn't say it explicitly, he clearly didn't fully believe Durin's words. After all, the idea that countless people would come to his monster shop to buy monsters just through an advertisement seemed too good to be true.