Chapter 41

“What!?” The dwarf rocked and fell off his chair in his surprise. I heard a heavy thud from his impact but scarcely a moment later he had jumped up on the table and was now looking down at me. “You have to sell them! This is huge! These are unknown metals! Completely new! We have to study them! We have to learn all of their properties! Where did you find these!? Money is no object! I’ll pay a hundred gold, no, two hundred gold coins for each of these! Please sell them to me!” He started pulling coins out of a pocket on his vest and spilling them out onto the table. A lot more coins than could possibly have fit in there. A bottomless pocket? That’s interesting.

I held up my hands. “Hold on! Wait! Stop! I’m not selling these. I’m the one that needs to locate more of them! Are you serious that these are completely unknown?” I had been hopeful, but maybe this was a lost cause after all. With adamantite or etherinite rather, I could rebuild my engines but sadly not my warp drive. There was the possibility of mining chromanite or titanil out in asteroids in system, but that was a slim chance at best.

The dwarf hopped back off the table and righted his chair before sitting back down. “Indeed. Completely unknown. All my appraisal could pick up were their names. Orichalcum and Arcanium. I couldn’t pick up a single other detail! That has never happened to me before! That’s why I must know where you acquired them, and you must sell them to me! I need to study them as much as possible! They might possibly surpass even adamantite in quality!” He was getting all excited again and giggling madly.

“Wait! Seriously, calm down.” I said. “I’m not parting with these. They’re my important clues to what I need. If you can’t help me with these two, what about the third?”

“That?” He shrugged. “It’s just adamantite. Who cares about that? Especially when compared to these beauties!” He reached for the titanil and I smacked his hand before he touched it. He pulled it back and gave me a look similar to a child that was caught looting the cookie jar. I think I’m going to get a headache dealing with this dwarf. His thoughts are going absolutely nuts which doesn’t help any. Thinking about all kinds of theories about what these metals are, where they developed, and what they could be used for.

“Look. I’m not selling them or even parting with them temporarily.” I put them back in my pack. His face immediately fell into despair. “Can I at least put in a commission for more adamantite?”

“Yes.” His voice had gone monotone. “That will cost you five gold for putting up the commission. The final price will depend on the seller. Please be aware that it is rare that anyone sells adamantite. The only time it ever appears on the market here is in small loads from overseas, and usually even that is already owned before it ever got here. I don’t know what the chance of your commission actually being filled would be.” He sighed, stopped for a moment and then his eyes went wide. He slammed his hands on the table. “What are you using those metals for!? If you require them, then you must know their properties! You must tell me! Please! I have to know! Or at least where you got them! Some scrap of information! Anything!?”

Time for making up bullshit. “I found them in a dungeon on another continent. I’ve been wandering around the world for quite a while now. Their only property I know of is that they’re similar to adamantite. I was hoping I could use them as a cheaper substitute for adamantite. I’m still not going to part with them though, because there is always the chance I might find a place that knows of them and sells them. Here’s the gold for the adamantite commission.” I took out the coins. I might need to start being more careful regarding my money spending habits soon.

The dwarf took the coins and then left the room grumbling. I tossed a link on him as he left, but at least he doesn’t seem to be thinking about trying to steal from me. At least not yet anyway. I don’t know for sure where his thoughts will end up. Not like I could maintain this link forever and at any distance.

I cancelled it and then left the guild. Right after leaving I realized that I had forgotten to ask about the location of a good tailor. Well, there was something else I wanted to ask about too. It would look weird to go back, but they would be the best source for suggestions so I’ll just bite the bullet and do it.

Upon returning, the three men who had all been conversing again, looked at me surprised but the beastman from before came up to me once more. “Hello again Miss. Was there still some other business that you required the Merchant’s Guild for?”

I nodded. “Yes actually. I was hoping to be directed to a good tailor.”

“That isn’t a difficult request.” The man replied.

“I’d also like to know where the best desserts in the city can be found.” I said with a smile.

“The best desserts is it? What kind of desserts would the Miss be after?” He asked.

“Something sweet would be my preference.” I answered.

“I understand.” He said with a nod.

After a small exchange of coins, he described the route from the guild to reach a respected tailor and also an inn that made excellent tarts. Mmm, a strawberry tart sounded really good right now. I hope they make those. I feel like I could use some comfort food. I don’t like what that dwarf revealed about titanil and chromanite being completely unknown. Sure, I was starting to expect and fear something like this happening with Huvreck’s lack of knowledge of them, but it’s definitely going to make things difficult for me. Unless there was some other metal on this world I could substitute, it meant I’m going to basically be trapped here regardless of fixing Lullaby’s engines or not. There was no chance of us making the journey to another star system without a warp drive. It’s really not a pleasant thought.

I’m not going to give up yet though! That dwarf found names for them at least. Orichalcum and Arcanium. That must mean they exist on this world somewhere right? They have to! I mentally sighed. This could probably be seen as me denying reality.

The tailor shop was closer than the sweets producing inn, so I went there first. When I stepped into the shop, I noticed that I had once again made a very stupid mistake.

This was a tailor that specializes in gowns and dresses! I wanted to collapse on the spot. Why didn’t I realize that this would be the kind of place I would be recommended to!? A young in appearance female asking about a tailor? Of course, I’m going to be sent to a dress shop! Damn it! And now I have to listen to Lynn giggling because she knows why I wanted to find a tailor. Well, there’s still a chance it might work out!

I walked beyond the doorway and deeper into the shop. It was definitely a very clean and orderly place. There wasn’t actually that much clothing hanging around, so I assumed that they served more as examples of what the shop could produce than being on sale to buy. Lynn was busy providing me with a running account critiquing the styles of the clothing I was seeing. I was happy that most of the time I could leave that topic up to her. I’m not really all that good with fashion. If only I could trust her to not put me in only cute clothes. I don’t know if Seri was totally okay with it, but I don’t think I am just yet. In retrospect, I should have fought harder about the outfit I’m wearing now, but Lynn probably showed me that gown first for the very reason that I would accept this one easier without a fuss. She’s sneaky like that.

One of the shop assistants finally took note of me and came to greet me. I wonder why none of them saw me sooner? I’ve been in here for at least a minute or two and it’s not like the place was busy. I only saw one other woman in here that seemed to be acting like a customer. It wasn’t that easy to know for sure. I mean it’s not like people here have work uniforms. I’m just guessing by the way the older woman was acting toward the slightly younger woman she was discussing with.

The shop worker reached me and immediately bowed her head to me. “I deeply apologize Miss for not immediately coming to greet you upon your arrival to our store.” She raised her head and gave me a smile. “How may we serve you?”

“I was directed here from the Merchant’s Guild, but now that I see your goods, I’m not sure if you can help me or not.” I answered. “I was hoping to have some pants tailored and possibly the rest of an outfit to go along with them.”

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The worker looked surprised for a brief moment before putting back on her business smile. “It’s not a standard request here, but occasionally female adventurers arrive asking for the same, so it would pose no problem. I assume Miss is an adventurer as well? No matter. We have a small area to take measurements and you can describe what kind of outfit you would be wanting. I must say your current outfit is quite fetching. Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer a similar outfit or maybe a longer dress such as this?” She gestured at one of the displayed items. “A longer dress would flatter your figure and give you the appearance of being taller. Petite ladies like yourself tend to appreciate that.”

I internally winced and then felt annoyed. Being this short had been alright when I first started playing the game, since Seri was the same height as my character in the previous game I had played. As I grew up past being a teenager though, it started becoming more of an issue to go from my height as Aaron to Seri’s height in game. At this point I’d grown accustomed to looking up at people, but I didn’t really appreciate being reminded of it!

“No thank you. I am just here for what I specified. If that is too much of a problem, then I will take my business elsewhere.” I stated coldly. Coa picking up on my anger, hissed at her. I glared and she flinched back from the combined assault before I calmed back down. She’s just doing her job after all. I sighed. “I’m sorry about that.”

“Oh no! I apologize if I offended you, Miss! Let’s move to the back for those measurements.” She hurried me to a curtained off area. There was even a tall mirror placed back here! As I gazed at my reflection, the shop worker pulled the curtains shut behind us. “If you could just undress, Miss.” She requested.

I didn’t mind the request and began taking off my clothes. I placed my pack on the ground by my feet and laid Coa on top of it. It was a bit of a shame that I was taking off my clothes with a passably cute female in close proximity, but not for any fun purposes. This setting could be interesting. I mean sex in the fitting area of a clothing store where you might be intruded upon? Could be an enjoyable time.

No! Bad Seri! No naughty thoughts right now! I’m starting to think I might need to find some relief. At the same time though, I don’t believe I’m comfortable doing that yet. That’s a pretty gigantic step for me to take.

Wait, the woman was being pretty quiet. I paused my undressing to glance at her. She was staring at me with her eyes wide. I looked down at myself. Oh fuck! I completely forgot about all the marks running along my body. I’m so used to them that I didn’t even give it a second thought.  Shit. Shit. Shit. They’re clearly unnatural and there’s no way I could just pass them off as odd injuries. They’re too uniform looking for that.

I slipped my clothes back on, though I left my cloak and boots off. She’d just have to ignore the marks on my legs. “Can we just do the measurements over my clothes?” I asked.

“Oh, yes. That should not be an issue.” The woman finally came out of her daze. She pulled a few items off a rack along the wall. One was a long, thin piece of what looked like leather that had markings on it and the others were a piece of paper and what looked like a pencil. It was obviously some kind of writing utensil at least. She gestured for me to raise my hands. She went along my legs first with the leather and then moved up my body. She jotted down numbers on the paper as she went. “What style of outfit are you looking for, Miss. You stated that you wanted pants, but do you want them to be sturdy and made for wearing under armor? Do you have a preference for the material you’d like them to be made out of? Linen or wool are the most available. I’d personally recommend linen.”

“I’ll accept your recommendation then. Just to be clear though, I don’t intend to wear them under any armor. I just would like two pairs of pants made and a top that would match them.” I figured I could always wear them under my dress if I wanted to as well. “My main concern is comfort. I want them to be comfortable and last. Also, I’d like them to be a darker color if that would be available.” I said.

“Would Miss be alright with a dark blue?” She asked and I nodded in acceptance. “Understood. Your measurements have been completed. I’ve also noted your specifications down for the order. There is still the matter of payment. For two pairs of pants and two blouses, the charge would come to a single gold coin and ten silver coins.”

There was no way I was going to pay that much money upfront, not for items I was having made. “I’ll pay half the price now and the other half when I’m satisfied with the product.” I said while taking fifteen silver coins picking up my pack off the floor. I draped Coa back around my neck while doing so.

“That would be acceptable. Please return in three days for a fitting to see if Miss likes the result or would like further adjustments.” She responded while accepting the coins. She then bowed her head slightly to me and showed me out of the shop. There was a new customer group in the shop as I walked through. One of them was a young woman wearing pretty high class clothing from what I could see. She had a cloak that covered most of her body other than her face. She had a older looking maid next to her and behind her back was a guy wearing full knight armor.

I didn’t give them much more than a passing glance since they had nothing to do with me. I had something more important to accomplish now! The quest for sweets! Mmm, I wonder what types of tarts the inn makes? I’m looking forward to it!

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I finally managed to draw myself away from the sweets after a few hours. I had been suffering a severe sweets drought, so I made up for it and then some! Coa had eaten an entire strawberry tart by herself too! I almost wanted to turned around and go eat some more, but I’m already completely stuffed and Lynn will nag me if I actually get sick from all of this. I’m honestly surprised she wasn’t already nagging!

Let’s see, my next destination would be the cathedral I suppose. I wanted to check and see if I could attend that midnight mass. I felt like it would give me a good glimpse of the religion and how it and its followers behave. I’m less than optimistic of my chances though. I’m pretty sure a religious event on the eve of a big festival would have pretty hefty requirements in order to attend. At least the cathedral wasn’t that far away from my current position.

I was hardly more than a few steps out of the inn when I felt the ping of someone watching me with more than a casual interest. There was no hostility in it, but it was clear that they were observing me very closely. They were out of range for me to get an accurate feel of their thoughts to learn the reason, but I could at least tell the location they were watching me from. They were in one of the nearby building’s uppermost floor. It was the tallest building around here which likely gave them a very good view of this area. That was an odd place. Obviously whoever it was, wasn’t intending to follow me. Unless there was a quick way to exit that building, which was always a distinct possibility.

I continued on my way and the observer faded away as it was no longer in my detection range. It did not attempt to follow me as I suspected. Due to the range, I had gotten only a cursory feel for that person, so it was unlikely I’d be able to pick them out of a crowd. The only bright side to the encounter was at least this means someone in the capital is keeping an eye on me already. I just have no idea who that someone was! If they’re part of or hired by that Ghost organization then good. The sooner they took a deep interest in me, the sooner they might step slightly out of the shadows to extend feelers toward me.

If I had to bet on who it was though, I’d say the Merchant’s Guild. They knew where I would be since they were the ones that recommended that inn. Of course, the other likely suspect would be someone associated with those paladins that heard about my prowess. I don’t have anyway of knowing which, but I’m pretty sure they weren’t involved with that Ghost organization. I doubt that group would be making any moves regarding me. For now at least. It was too soon.

While I had been preoccupied with my thoughts, I had arrived at the cathedral. It was just as fanciful as yesterday. It was a lot busier today though. I wasn’t really familiar with religious events, but I thought a midnight mass would be happening at, well midnight? I must have been mistaken because it looked like the cathedral was already filling up and it was only early evening. There was a number of people dressed like nuns and priests ushering people inside. I also saw a number of paladins wearing similar armor to the ones I met before. They didn’t appear like they were on guard duty though. Their behavior seemed to be more along the lines of decorative purposes. A ‘See the majesty of our mighty paladins!’ kind of idea.

I did notice that all the people going inside were showing some shiny object to the priests before they were allowed in. That definitely didn’t bode well for my chances. Expecting rejection, I walked toward one of the entrances that I saw more commoner types entering by. As I got near, I could see what was being used to gain entry was a silver medallion of some kind.

A priestess called out to me. “Spirits’ blessings to you fellow daughter of the world. Please display your Spirits’ Emblem and you may join the mass. If you do not possess one, I deeply regret that you will be unable to attend. The Grand Cathedral has already reached capacity for those poor souls without emblems.”

“I understand.” I nodded at her. No reason to make a fuss. This was the outcome I expected. “I’ll be on my way then.” I started to turn around to leave.

“Hold a moment, fellow daughter.” The priestess requested. I returned my attention to her in response. “I shall bestow upon you a blessing of the Spirits’ grace to console you.” She closed her eyes and then she raised her left hand and it began to glow. She then waved it in the air between us in a pattern. I took note of the fact that most of the people nearby had closed their eyes and lowered their heads upon seeing this act. Her hand finally topped and for a brief instant there was the a symbol drawn in light in the air. The symbol resembled three infinity signs tied together. The air was still sparkling slightly when the priestess opened her eyes again and gently smiled. “Spirits’ blessings to you!” She stated again, before going back to her other charges.

This was a bust and it's already evening. I might as well go back to my inn. I want to have Lynn teach me how the written language works so I'm not reliant on her for it. Tomorrow, and possibly the next few days, I’ll be hitting the library for research. I’m quite curious about what I’ll learn.