I went to the shop where I heard from the boy that even street urchins could be bought and sold.
The old woman’s hidden money and the money that woman had amounted to 15 silver coins and 8 small silver coins. Copper coins were excluded because they were used as weights for weapons. I had left half of it with the other luggage at the campsite, so I only had 7 silver coins and 8 small silver coins on hand.
The shop was located somewhere between the slum district and the low-income area. It didn’t seem too dangerous here, but I was still on guard because I occasionally felt unpleasant gazes.
Inside, there were a few groceries on the right side of the shop, and miscellaneous goods on the left. In the back, there was an old man with a nasty look in his eyes, who glared at me as I entered.
“A nasty, creepy brat.”
“…………”
We’re both giving each other nasty looks.
Perhaps because I was suppressing my presence, or perhaps because he smelled the “scent of blood,” I wasn’t chased out and told to go home, but I was definitely being watched warily.
“I want a small blade that I can use for throwing.”
“Only the ones lined up there. If you want something else, tell the blacksmith.”
On the shelf indicated by his chin, there were kitchen knives and iron blades for dismantling. There were small ones, but they were a little too heavy for me right now.
“Do you have an Appraisal Orb?”
My main purpose in coming to town was to get an ‘Appraisal Orb’.
I would have to use it dozens of times to learn Appraisal, but more than that, I judged that it was necessary to grasp my current strength and conduct verification, even if it meant using my few silver coins.
“One is 4 silver coins.”
“…That’s more expensive than the market price.”
Feld said the market price was 3 silver coins.
“This is that kind of shop. If you don’t like it, buy it at a proper shop.”
I see. That kind of shop, huh?
“Then do you have any discarded ones?”
The shopkeeper frowned when I asked that.
I knew it. New Appraisal Orbs are transparent, and apparently become cloudy little by little as they are used.
Most orbs can be used about 10 times, but what happens to Appraisal Orbs that were used halfway by adventurers who died along the way?
I figured that common adventurers, day laborers, would sell them without using them if they picked one up.
I didn’t come up with this from scratch. When I learned about Appraisal Orbs, I remembered that woman selling an orb she had picked up.
When I said discarded items, it was because I didn’t know if they could still be used until I actually used them. A proper shop wouldn’t handle such things. So, I thought that people who wanted to learn Appraisal were buying them in bulk, and it seems I was right.
“There’s a box rolling around over there. 8 silver coins for the lot. 1 small silver coin each if you buy them separately.”
“Can I choose?”
“You got the money?”
“I do.”
I took out a silver coin and showed it to the shopkeeper. That didn’t mean he trusted me, but he said, “Do as you like” when it came to choosing the discarded items.
In the case of discarded Appraisal Orbs, there are “duds” that have a slight amount of Mana left but cannot be used at all. And there should also be some “hits” that can be used three or more times.
There are about 100 discarded orbs in the box. It would be a big win if I could buy them for 8 silver coins and use them 50 times, but there was also the possibility that they would all be duds, so I couldn’t take such a gamble.
“…………”
As expected, I can’t distinguish the faint remaining Mana of the orbs because there are Mana Particles in the atmosphere. That’s why it’s a gamble, but I picked out about twenty discarded orbs from among them and lined them up on the counter where the shopkeeper was.
“I also want a sturdy backpack, do you have one? Put these in it.”
“Don’t complain if they’re duds. The orbs are 2 silver coins in total. The leather one over there is 8 small silver coins.”
“I won’t complain. The items and prices are fine. A small copper water bottle, some of that portable food and salt, and a whetstone and… I’ll take this too.”
“An iron skewer, huh…”
There were three slightly thick iron skewers for sale, so I bought them too.
Did a cook who got fired from his job come to sell things he stole from work? They’re covered in soot and completely black, but they might be steel.
Certainly, only a cook or someone who camps out every day would use such things, but why are you selling them if you’re surprised that they’re selling?
For food, I bought one small bag of salt, one chunk of dried deer meat, and one bag of dried vegetables for 4 small silver coins.
The small copper water bottle was a little expensive at 7 small silver coins.
The iron skewers and whetstone were 2 small silver coins.
“That’s 41 small silver coins in total.”
“Here, 4 silver coins and 1 small silver coin.”
“You can do arithmetic even though you’re just a kid?”
Now that I’ve earned money, I’ve started practicing calculations using my “knowledge.” I can only do addition and subtraction, and I can’t calculate anything more than that without writing it on the ground, but the shopkeeper muttered as he checked the weight of the silver coins on the scale, after I figured out the money in my head.
“What can you buy?”
“I’ll buy anything, but don’t bring me herbs that grow everywhere like those brats. Go hunt rabbits outside like a good kid. I’ll buy them for 1 small silver coin if you process them properly.”
“Okay.”
As I was about to leave the shop with the things I bought packed in a large backpack, the shopkeeper suddenly called out to me.
“Hey, ‘Ash-covered’. If you want a decent weapon, go to the dwarf blacksmith at the end of this street. He’s a cranky old man, but if you say you were introduced by the old man at the general store, he’ll make one for you if you pay him.”
“……Okay.”
Ash-covered… is he talking about me? And how cranky is a dwarf who’s called cranky by this old man?
And when I went outside the shop.
“……What?”
The brother and sister were waiting for me outside the shop.
Do they still need something? When I glared at them, the older brother looked slightly intimidated.
“W-we threw it away properly!”
“Okay.”
Is that it?
“A-and, …we won’t tell anyone.”
“Okay.”
“A-and!”
Does he still have something to say? The boy looked around, and his younger sister pulled on his sleeve.
“I’m Jill! Remember that!”
“Huh?”
“I’m Shuri!”
The younger sister said that from behind her brother, who wasn’t making any progress.
Why the sudden self-introduction? Do they want to know my name?
I don’t know why these two, who were threatened to that extent and almost killed, approached me, but I thought I could tell them my name if they didn’t get any strange ideas.
“I’m Ali…”
No, maybe I shouldn’t use my real name.
There might be someone in that orphanage who remembers my name, and it would be troublesome if a noble claiming to be a relative got involved in that ‘Otome Game’.
“I’m… Aria.”
It’s pretty random, but it shouldn’t be too different from my real name, ‘Alicia’. When I said that, the older brother, Jill, muttered, “That’s a girly name…” and the younger sister, Shuri, nodded with a bright red face while hiding behind her brother.
“……?”
Why is she blushing? Shuri’s eyes, which were staring at me, were somehow sparkling, and I felt strangely uncomfortable.
Well, whatever. It won’t be a long relationship anyway.
After that, I checked what other shops were there, and bought a small loaf of black bread from a bread stall. It’s small but heavy. But it will last for a while.
Perhaps because the slums were nearby, I felt like I was being watched because I was a child and had money.
Unlike that drunk, it’s still impossible for me to fight an adult who intends to attack me from the beginning. When I have money, the town seems much more dangerous than the forest.
There are many things I need in town, but I thought it would be better to stay in the forest and train until I get stronger.
“…………”
“……”
Even while I was doing that, the brother and sister were following me at a slight distance.
Do they want a street urchin friend? I would consider it if they were trustworthy and could fight, but I’m too busy with my own survival right now, so they’ll have to give up.
I consciously suppressed my presence and shook them off, then went out of town through a hidden hole and finally took a breath.
Is it a sign of the end times that I feel more at ease in the forest than in a town where people live safely?
I thought I could make this area my temporary home, but the area north of this town is close to the Demon Forest and Monsters may appear, so I thought it would be better to return to the campsite along the highway, where there are few dangerous creatures and there is a watering hole.
But let’s do what I need to do before I go back. I took off my backpack and took out one of the discarded Appraisal Orbs.
I can hardly feel any Mana from the orb that was used halfway. But my ‘eyes’ could see the ‘color’ of the Mana leaking from it.
The twenty Appraisal Orbs with strong ‘colors’ that exude multiple attributes can probably be appraised three or four more times. I feel bad for the shopkeeper, but no one is stupid enough to buy duds when they can tell the difference, so I had him let me choose.
I can’t use it dozens of times before learning it as a Skill. I want to read the attributes of this color and, if possible, learn Appraisal using only the crystals here.
And as I gaze into the crystal again, I focus and think “Appraisal,” my current Status is displayed.
【Aria (Alicia)】【Race: Human Female】
【Mana Capacity: 37/45】32 Up【HP: 24/32】6 Up
【Strength: 3】【Endurance: 4】【Agility: 5】【Dexterity: 5】
【Stealth Lv.1】New【Night Vision Lv.1】New
【Utility Magic x6】New【Mana Control Lv.1】New【Detection Lv.1】New
【Overall Combat Strength: 23】2 Up
…I’m surprised. I didn’t learn any combat Skills, as expected, but the 【Skills】 that should have been empty suddenly increased.
Probably, by being able to see the attributes of Mana Particles as ‘colors,’ magic-based Skills like 【Stealth】, 【Night Vision】, and 【Detection】 were unlocked.
If I learn Dagger Arts Skill with this, I’ll be like a Thief or Assassin apprentice…
The reason why my HP has been constantly decreasing is probably not because I received damage, but because I’m not recovering from fatigue in my current life.
Will my HP increase a little if I learn a close combat Skill?
The reason why my Mana Capacity has increased so much is probably thanks to Utility Magic and magic-based Skills. I guess that by having Skills ‘burned’ into my soul, a ‘foundation’ is created that allows me to accumulate that much Mana.
But it’s a good thing that my Mana Capacity has increased. This way, I can increase the training of magic-based Skills.
Mana is 45. With this Mana Capacity, 4 will recover per hour.
It’s almost noon, but I nibble on some dried meat and black bread shaved with a Knife, put all my luggage on my back, and start moving while practicing Body Enhancement diligently.
As expected, the luggage is heavy, but I managed to return to the Campsite in about the same time as when I came.
I’m… growing little by little.
The name the main character usually uses has become “Aria.”
The old man is not a good person, but he is not a bad person either.
His mouth and eyes are bad, though (laughs).
The value of currency is calculated roughly like this:
Large Gold Coin: 1,000,000 yen
Gold Coin: 100,000 yen
Silver Coin: 10,000 yen
Small Silver Coin: 1,000 yen
Copper Coin: 100 yen
One piece of black bread for one meal is 1 Copper Coin.
A meal at a stall costs 3 to 5 Copper Coins.
A meal at an inn costs 4 Copper Coins to 1 Small Silver Coin.
One night at an inn costs 2 to 5 Small Silver Coins (3 on average).
Next time, I will return to the Forest and begin Magic training.