Isekai Yururi Kikou - Vol. 3 Ch. 21 - Cerulean Palace!

[kevinmul]

Where is the gym leader?

 

[deerafl]

those huge pearls are actually merfolk poops

 

[Ceiye]

Something about their tails really bother me

 

[TheTanJar7]

Lol one mermaids trash is a humans treasure

 

[AngelShade]

Those huge pearls are mermaid pee

 

[arashikitsu]

@Oeconomist

It's probably to them like us trying to sell food left overs, a rock found on the side of the road or something along those lines. As in they don't see the value in trying to sell it or give it away

 

[Oeconomist]

@arashikitsu—

But, if you learned that someone was willing to buy your left-overs, then you probably wouldn't continue to dump them in the trash; likewise for leaving rocks at the side of the road.

Now, before somebody says “Hey! They didn't know!” I'm going to point-out that, if they had no idea, then they wouldn't have taken him to the dump. (If I don't preëmpt thoughtless arguments, then I end-up in long back-and-forth exchanges in which the other person repeatedly insults me.)

 

[GridLite]

Well what can i say, "other man's trash is another man's treasure"

 

[WillTell]

one mermaid's garbage is another man's treasure

 

[shinyray01]

soooo, are those pearls merfolk poop?

 

[Mojo]

@shinyray01 Well, real pearls are just the oysters way of protecting itself from irritants like sand stuck in it's shell. So real pearl necklaces are like a oysters gallstones or something, definitely garbage.

 

[flannan]

@Oeconomist - most portrayals of merfolk have them being isolationists unwilling to talk to humans. Takumi and children are only invited because water god's retainer put in a good word for them.
There definitely is much to be gained from trade, but it's not easy to make it happen. And most heroic individuals who can earn an invitation, like Takumi, aren't particularly interested in trade. That is probably a major criterion - a greedy person would not find much welcome in such a culture.

 

[Oeconomist]

@flannan—

Yeah, some people are averse to trade. But, even if these merfolk reject the gains from trade, by instead dumping on the beaches, they could get the land-dwellers to consume the trash. In fact, the merfolk would then reduce incursions into the sea, by reducing the scarcity for land-dwellers of the things that have no value for merfolk in the absence of trade.

 

[MCX01]

A pearl the size of a fist is considered garbage by the mer folk.

 

[Goldenzeal]

@MCX01

Well, historically pearls have only ever been used as a decorations, we humans consider them pretty but it's not necessary merfolk do.
It have had very little practical use, so if the merfolk have a different sense of beauty then humans it's not unthinkable they would not appreciate pearls like we do.
It was only much later on when we learned how to use pearl powder as medicine, and again with a different physiology it might not be as effective for them or they have other better options.

That said, Trade would always be an option but its a fantasy manga so while its fun to consider the implications of the things the manga writers do, you should always take things with at least 7 spoons of salt.
Its not the most insane plot hole i have ever seen.

 

[arashikitsu]

@Oeconomist

I would agree that they probably know that there is some value in the objects they have. But to them the value that they believe the objects to have is probably small enough that it isn't worth the trouble of setting up a trade, basically the cost to value proposition is bad (to them anyways). That or they are lazy/don't want to trade with humans in the first place.

 

[GrimGriefer]

You know the old saying, one mermaids trash is another mans treasure.

 

[Oeconomist]

@arashikitsu—

First and foremost, if they thought that the value to land-dwellers were tiny, then offering it to the main character would be a bit of an insult. Beyond that, they would probably be able to infer the value of some of it (such as the pearls) by looking at what they found amongst the cargo of wrecked ships.

Not wanting to trade with land-dwellers is a plausible explanation (though not much of a justification), but recall that my original comment noted that, by dumping on the beach, they could outsource clean-up to the land-dwellers. (That point could be generalized to dumping near the shore.)

 

[0Ai0]

Thanks For Your Hard Work!!!! ♡♡♡ Can't Wait For More!!! ♡♡♡ And Stay Safe!!!!!

 

[dharman]

humanfolk's proverb: "merfolk's garbage-bin is humanfolk's treasure-chest."