#408 - Capture level? Rare ingredients also have different levels!

Rare ingredients are inherently expensive, so you might feel secure coming here.

However, when you purchase a large quantity of rare ingredients to take back, the safety on the road becomes questionable.

Hiring the Gourmet Merchant Association's door-to-door delivery service can avoid such situations, but correspondingly, the already expensive rare ingredients, plus handling fees and shipping costs, will naturally become astronomical.

"Seiya, look quickly! They also have the meat of those Gluttonous Rabbits we saw outside.

The price is 5,000 yen per 100 grams! That sleazy fat guy was going to sell it to us for 40,000 yen! He was practically treating us like fat sheep to slaughter!"

When Seiya and Minezaki entered the Gourmet Merchant Association, they discovered that compared to the crude stalls outside, the equipment and environment inside the association were significantly better.

Rows upon rows of display cases, each over ten meters long, showcased various rare ingredients, with price tags thoughtfully attached below.

The dazzling array of rare ingredients, to be honest, was an eye-opener not just for Minezaki, but even for Seiya.

When she saw Minezaki eyeing the Gluttonous Rabbit meat, a saleswoman who noticed that Seiya and Minezaki were first-time visitors proactively stepped forward to introduce it, saying, "Esteemed customers, as you can see, although the Gluttonous Rabbit is only a rare ingredient with a capture level of 1, its delicious flavor makes it an excellent choice for making grilled meat.

Although the price we sell it for in the association is 1,000 yen more per 100 grams than those vendors outside, the quality and freshness of the ingredients are absolutely guaranteed.

Hearing the saleswoman's words, Minezaki couldn't help but ask curiously, "How much is 'a bit expensive,' approximately?"

The previous incident had left Minezaki somewhat shaken, so if possible, she would rather spend more money than have Seiya risk himself in such places again.

"Well... for ingredients under 100 kilograms, the delivery fee is 100 million yen per trip. If it exceeds that weight, we add ten percent to that base price for every additional 100 kilograms."

"One hundred million yen..."

Hearing the saleswoman's quote, Minezaki, who had been somewhat mentally prepared for it to be expensive, was still shocked speechless.

She had previously thought that the Gourmet Merchant Association was a business with a conscience compared to those black marketeers outside, but now, hearing this outrageous delivery fee, Minezaki realized that this was the real black market!

Seeming to notice Minezaki's displeased expression, the saleswoman quickly explained, "Our association's delivery fee is actually quite fair.

And generally speaking, no one would buy Gluttonous Rabbit meat for delivery services anyway.

Delivery services are usually used for more expensive rare ingredients, after all, the Gluttonous Rabbit is just the lowest-level rare ingredient with a capture level of 1."

Actually, it was because of this reason that the saleswoman's tone became hesitant when she introduced the delivery service earlier.

Because she felt she had made a rather foolish suggestion, recommending the association's delivery service to a customer who wanted to buy Gluttonous Rabbit meat. Wasn't that just being completely clueless?

100 kilograms of Gluttonous Rabbit meat would only cost five million yen, while the delivery fee would be 100 million yen. The customer's reaction was predictable.

After listening to the saleswoman's explanation, Minezaki swallowed her saliva, admitting that her horizons had indeed been too narrow in the past.

She used to think she was a small tycoon when she had tens of millions of yen to her name, but she never imagined that she couldn't even afford a delivery fee here, let alone support Seiya.

No wonder the wealthy Totsuki Academy can only purchase rare ingredients from here once a month. If they did this a few more times a month, Totsuki Academy's finances would be in the red!

Compared to Minezaki, who was shocked by the price, Seiya was attracted by the "capture level" that the saleswoman had repeatedly emphasized from the beginning, and he raised his doubts.

And this saleswoman was clearly a service staff member with excellent professional qualities, because she knew that Seiya and Minezaki were here for the first time, she now explained very carefully, saying, "The so-called capture level actually refers to the difficulty of obtaining and the rarity level of the rare ingredients.

Like this Gluttonous Rabbit, it is the lowest-level rare ingredient with a capture difficulty level of 1.

And don't think that a capture level of 1 is nothing special.

Because even this Gluttonous Rabbit with a capture level of 1 requires at least ten ordinary soldiers to subdue it.

Since the higher the capture level of the rare ingredient, the higher the difficulty of obtaining it and the rarer it is, its price will naturally be more expensive."

As she spoke, the saleswoman led Seiya and Minezaki to the side, then pointed to some frost-marbled meat slices preserved with ice in the display case and said, "This is the most expensive and best meat in our camp association.

It's the meat of the Mammoth Bear, a dangerous creature that resembles a cross between an elephant and a bear, commonly known as the Woolly Mammoth Bear.

Because these Mammoth Bears store nutrients for hibernation before winter, and as omnivores, their bodies store various nutrients and fats.

So the meat is completely a concentrated super delicacy, with the tenderness of top-quality fish and the sweetness of various fruits. It is said to be delicious enough to bring tears to your eyes."

Although she hadn't eaten it, as a salesperson, her eloquence was clearly remarkable. This introduction caused Minezaki, who was already a carnivore, to look at the frost-marbled meat slices through the display case with sparkling eyes.

"What's the price? How much does this Mammoth Bear meat you're talking about cost?"

The saleswoman's previous description made Minezaki salivate. She couldn't even imagine how delicious the dish made with such high-quality meat and Seiya's amazing cooking skills would be!

"The Mammoth Bear is a large and dangerous creature that lives in highland areas, and its capture level is as high as 20.

Although its tens of tons of body weight makes its meat yield quite considerable, this is the best part to use, so the price is as high as 200,000 yen per 100 grams."

200,000 yen per 100 grams, which means one catty (500 grams) requires one million yen!

Although she had been somewhat mentally prepared, Minezaki suddenly felt like she was a poor person after hearing this price.

Currently, her and Seiya's assets are about ten million yen, and if they were to buy this Mammoth Bear meat, they could only buy about ten catties...

Ten catties sounds like a lot, but in the gourmet world, everyone is a big eater. Before, Erina and the others directly devoured a sea bream in front of Seiya, leaving tens of catties of meat after removing the head and tail.

That is to say, these ten catties of Mammoth Bear meat, with Minezaki's large appetite, would at most only be enough to eat about 80% full?