CH.50 Shopping on the Way
<span style="font-weight:400">“Miss Alice, where are you going?” A guard at the estate gate asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Brian is taking me into town. I got permission from Mother.” Alice answered.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, if the madam allowed it I won’tin.” He told Alice.
<span style="font-weight:400">“That was easier than expected.” Imented. “Have you never tried that before?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“It won’t work if I’m alone or with a servant other than Henry. And Henry won’t do it. He is too loyal to Father.” Alice told me.
<span style="font-weight:400">“So Jenna or Nicole can’t take you outside?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No. Father set a rule where I have to have a male escorting me if I ever go outside. And no one will do it without a written order from my father.” She told me.
<span style="font-weight:400">“But when the nobody that appeared out of nowhere and decided to take you outside they won’t ask any questions?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“You have been staying in our estate as a guest, so the gate guards most likely assume you are a noble.” Alice told me. “They don’t want to question you and get fired. Theoretically they might even assume you are my fiance.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I guess that would make sense. And if I was your fiance it wouldn’t be weird for me to take you outside.” I said to Alice.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes!” Alice said to me as she took my hand. “So we better act the part.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Her hand is so soft. I guess this isn’t too bad. At least she is only holding onto it and not hugging it or something. It’s difficult to walk when someone hugs your arm and I wouldn’t want to make Alice sad by saying no.
<span style="font-weight:400">—
<span style="font-weight:400">“So, where are we going? I thought we were heading to the guild.” Alice asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I think we should stop by a few stores first. I need to buy some stuff.” I told Alice. In truth, the only thing I really desperately need is a water skin, or something like that.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Is there something you need?” Alice asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I need a new water skin.” I told her. I’m still holding onto hope that I can analyze Lucia’s magic sk and recreate it, but a temporary solution is still necessary.
<span style="font-weight:400">“New one? What happened to your old one?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“It broke and wouldn’t hold water anymore, so I threw it away.” I told Alice. It’s better to lie, than telling her I never had one.
<span style="font-weight:400">“But, I don’t know any stores in town.” She said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah, neither do I. My idea was just to walk to the guild and enter a store on the way if it looks promising.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“So we are on a date!” Alice got excited.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, I guess.” I answered.
<span style="font-weight:400">—
<span style="font-weight:400">“This looks promising.” I said as I was looking at a store called ‘Traveling wonder’. The name is a little strange, but I think it should have what I’m looking for. “Let’s go.” I pulled Alice by the hand.
<span style="font-weight:400">There was a little bell ring as we walked in. The store seemed empty, but I heard a yell from the back room saying. “I’ll be right there.”
<span style="font-weight:400">I look around and see a lot of camping supplies. Tents, sleeping bags, fire starters, portable cookware and even some weapons. Well I guess some would ssify those as survival tools and not weapons. This is a general store, or a traveler store, not a weapon shop.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hello there.” The shop owner greeted us. He was an older man, probably in histe forties. “What can I get you?”
<span style="font-weight:400">I was half tempted to respond with ‘General Kenobi’, but he wouldn’t get the reference.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I need a water skin. And a tent and a sleeping bag would be nice as well.” I told him.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Just one, or two?” He asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“For now, just one.” I answered. I have no immediate ns to steal Alice away from her home, so I can just get them if the need rises.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Sure. A water skin is 1 silver. For a tent and sleeping bag, that will cost you 2 gold. Is that fine?” The shopkeeper asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“That’s fine. By the way, do you hold any magic items like a magic sk?” I asked him.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I do have one sk, but it’s going to be expensive.” He told me.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Could I see it?” I requested. Even if I can’t buy it, I can analyze it. ‘That’s stealing’ is what someone would say, but to me it’s just copying. And I know how to make it not so obvious.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Sure.” He said as he pulled out a wooden box. He opened it up and inside was not a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It was actually a sk, like the one Lucia has. It seems to be made of a bluish metal.
<span style="font-weight:400">“May I touch it?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Sure, go for it. But don’t think you can run off with it. I’m faster than I look.” The shopkeep said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t worry,” I said to him. “I won''t run.”
<span style="font-weight:400">(Laura, please analyze it. If possible without him noticing.) I ordered Laura.
<span style="font-weight:400">(Master, please hold it in your left hand and buy me some time.) Laura told me. It did take a long time to analyze my card when I tried it, so let''s hope this won’t take that long.
<span style="font-weight:400">“May I ask you about its origin?” I asked the shopkeeper.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Ites from the great dungeon in the capital.” He told me. So it does originate from a dungeon as I assumed. “It was sold to me by a retiring adventurer a few years back. When I was still going around as a peddler.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“And now you have retired to run this store?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes. My son is now running this store''s carriage around the kingdom and I just hold down the fort.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I see.” I take a very close look at the sk, trying to make it look like I’m inspecting it. In reality, I have no clue what it should look like. “How much water can this thing hold?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I don’t know the exact measurement, but it held enough tost a one month trip for two people. It also keeps the water fresh and cool.” He was really selling it to me.
<span style="font-weight:400">“And how much would it cost?” I asked the big question. I probably won’t be able to afford it, but let’s check for it anyway.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I could let it go for fifty gold.” He told me.
<span style="font-weight:400">Fifty? Well I was actually expecting it to be more. “I see. That’s not a bad price, but I don’t have that much at the moment.” I told him.
<span style="font-weight:400">(Master, the analysis isplete and the sk can be recreated.) Laura told me.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I’m sorry to have wasted your time showing it to me.” I told him. “But I would like the water skin, tent and sleeping bag, thank you.” I say to him as I pull out my money from my magic fanny pack.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Sure. That would be two gold and a silver. ” The shopkeep said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Here you go.” I told him as I handed him 2 gold and arge silver.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Thank you. Here’s your change.” He handed me back 4 smaller silver coins. So 1rge is five smaller ones. Or would it be normal ones?
<span style="font-weight:400">“Here is your tent. It’s great quality and can fit up to four people. And the sleeping bag is high quality as well, so you won’t get cold.” He told me. “Will you be able to carry them?” He asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I can manage.” I told him as I shoved both into my fanny pack. The tent and the sleeping bag don’t even take much space from it.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Is that a magic bag?” The shopkeeper asked. “I’ve never seen one like that.” He said to me.
<span style="font-weight:400">So fanny packs don’t exist? Or ones that are magic bags don’t.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes it is. I got it as a gift.” I told him. Better to say that, than to tell him it’s from a brand new dungeon. I’m sure he will find out about it eventually.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Would you consider selling it to me?” He asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No, at least not now. But for reference, how much do you think it would cost?” I shoot back.
<span style="font-weight:400">“That would depend on its size. Howrge is the inside?”
<span style="font-weight:400">(Laura?)
<span style="font-weight:400">(It’s one cubic meter, Master.)
<span style="font-weight:400">I knew it was sizable, but that’s more than I expected.
<span style="font-weight:400">“It’s about a cubic meter.” I told the shopkeeper.
<span style="font-weight:400">“For being as small as it is, it definitely has some storage space. At that size, I would value it at 100 to 120 gold coins.” He told me. That’s a lot. I’ll get rich in no time if I mass produce these with the dungeon. But then again, I might just crash the market. And I would need to find a way to mass produce the dungeon generation points. I don’t think there is a cheat I can use to mass produce it.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, thank you for your information and thanks for showing that sk to me.” I said to the shopkeeper.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Of course. And if you change your mind or just need some quick coin, doe back and sell that bag for me. I’ll pay 100 gold for it.” He told me as we left the store.
<span style="font-weight:400">—
<span style="font-weight:400">“You were quiet in there Alice. Is something wrong?” I asked her.
<span style="font-weight:400">“It’s just… I’m not used to it.” She told me. “And I almost gave away your secrets by ident.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I see. Thank you for not telling.” I thanked Alice.
<span style="font-weight:400">“But why do you need a tent and a sleeping bag?” Alice asked. “Are you nning on leaving town?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Not yet.” I told her. “But it’s better to have them in case I need them. It’s much nicer to sleep in a tent than under the sky. And I have a bag to carry all of that stuff in.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I see.” Alice said quietly. “I don’t want you to ever leave.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I have to leave eventually.” I told her. “I’m not nning on staying here forever.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Would you … take me with you?” Alice asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“If you really want toe.” I answered. “But we will have to deal with the demon lord Brandon, who is keeping you prisoner.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hehe.” That got a little giggle out of Alice. “I’m sure Mana could deal with him.” She said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well you are not wrong, but sometimes the way to win is to not fight.” I told her. “Sometimes you need to take down your opponents with words only.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I see.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“We wouldn’t want to get wanted posters or something, after all.”
<span style="font-weight:400">I led Alice by the hand towards the guild (Thank you Laura that we don’t get lost) as a system window opened up in front of me. What’s this? I didn’t do anything.
<table style="border-copse:copse;width:60.3015%;height:250px">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width:100%"><span style="font-weight:400">Emergency Mission: Protect the Town</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:100%"><span style="font-weight:400">Information: A pack of wyverns has followed the scent of their fallen brethren to this town. Help in bringing them down and protect the town.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:100%"><span style="font-weight:400">Goal: Take down the wyverns</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:100%"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:100%"><span style="font-weight:400">Reward: Opens a new set for each wyvern you take down.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:100%"><span style="font-weight:400">Daily ‘Pack tokens’ increase by 1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:100%"><span style="font-weight:400">If no wyverns are taken down, or the town gets severe damage,
no reward will be given</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:100%"><span style="font-weight:400">If no-one dies, an extra reward will be granted</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<span style="font-weight:400">A mission? And an emergency mission at that.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Alice, we need to run.” I say to her and try to pull her along at a faster speed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“But, why?” She asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“There is an emergency. We need to get to the guild. And fast.” I told her to try to pull her into a sprint.
<span style="font-weight:400">“What emergency?” She asked and was finally taking some quicker steps.
<span style="font-weight:400">“A pack of wyverns is going to attack the town.” I told her. Well, that got her attention.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Then… “ I think the rest of her words didn’t leave her throat as she began to sprint next to me. Hopefully we won’t run too quickly and end up winded like I did with Zayaan. Well, we do have a lot shorter of a trip, as the store was close to the guild.
<span style="font-weight:400">System mission, why couldn’t you give me a time frame on when the wyverns are going to be here.