Manager says "Greetings esteemed guests! How many we be of service?"
"I need charts of the northern waters, from here to as far west as you can get. I also need any of the materials on this list that you can get for me."
Manager says "These are all extremely rare materials. I am afraid that I only have one of them."
"Which one? Whatever it is, I will take it. Oh, anything the lady wants, I will take as well."
Manager says "We have a single Star Diamond. It is not cheap, are you sure you want it?"
"Yes, I am sure. What about the charts?"
Manager says "Those are no problem."
Lin chooses a few materials that are fabrics similar to silk from what I can see. It is only when the manager tells me the total that I remember I converted most of my gold to crystal coins. When I check my ring and my pouch I find some gold, but I come up a bit short.
Luckily, Lin is observant, realizes what is going on, and takes out gold to make up what I am missing. She does it so smoothly that the manager doesn't suspect anything. This saves me from being embarrassed in front of the manager, which I appreciate.
"Thank you. I had forgotten that I spent almost everything I had at the auction."
Lin says "It's fine. Money has never been important to me. Besides, some of these materials are for me anyway."
"Regardless, I appreciate it. I will pay you back soon."
Lin says "That's not necessary. I can feel your mana moving, can I ask what you are doing?"
"I am scanning the city around us for elves."
Lin says "You can do that? How do you tell if you find an elf?"
"Every living thing has a life aura. Members of a race will have similar auras to each other. If I was looking for a specific human it wouldn't be easy, but elves feel completely different from humans."
Lin says "What if you needed to find me? Is this something you can teach me?"
"I could find you easily, because I know you and your aura. If you are able to learn to use pure mana, then this will be easy for you to learn."
Lin says "Great! I look forward to it."
By now the manager has finished counting the gold and presents the materials to me. The Star Diamond is raw and uncut, but it is the size of an adult human's fist. It has a slight, sky blue tint to it and even raw is a very beautiful looking gem.
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However, what makes it valuable is that it can contain ten times the mana of a normal diamond. In the human world it is used to create mana batteries, but I have other ideas. Ever since Lin told me about how to create a spell matrix I have been wanting to experiment.
The method Lin knows builds the matrix out of pure mana, but I plan to use the Star Diamond. I want to create something more than a basic matrix, I want a control system. Not so much for right now, but for when I convert the ship into an airship.
That is when being able to control the enchantments will become really important. From what I can remember of the tower's matrix, I don't think it was made of just mana. Unfortunately, I didn't take the time to study it when I could, but I am fairly sure it had mass to it.
Of course, I can't be sure about how it was made, that is why this will be an experiment. I am glad the shop had the Star Diamond, otherwise I was going to have to use a lesser material. The experiment will have to wait, for now we leave the shop and wander around the market.
Lin goes into every single clothing store that she sees and she buys something in most of them. I am lucky that I have my pouch of holding or I would be carrying a mountain of bags. I don't have any idea why she needs so much stuff, but I am wise enough not to ask.
I just escort her around and stand outside the stores looking intimidating while she is inside. Despite me looking ready to kill at any moment, there are still men who approach her. Those men get a single warning, but when that isn't enough they get a punch.
I don't use my full strength, but it is enough to knock them unconscious. After knocking out a dozen such idiots, I hear the sound of marching feet. A group of twenty soldiers comes marching down the street behind an old man.
The old man looks to be in his fifties, he has well trimmed white hair but is starting to bald. He is overweight, although his expensive clothes try to hide it, and looks like he has never exercised. He is leading the soldiers straight towards me just as Lin comes out of the shop.
Noble says "The rumors were true for once, you are outstanding! I will even give you the honor of becoming my wife!"
Lin says "Not interested. I already have a husband."
Noble says "That doesn't matter, I will make you a widow and then my wife! If you do not accept this honor, then you can become one of my slaves!"
"Honey, have you finished your shopping?"
Lin says "Yes, I have."
"Good. Then I can make a mess!"
Before the arrogant noble can say anything else I grab him by the throat and lift him off his feet. His soldiers immediately draw their weapons and take up threatening stances. However, with their boss literally in my hand, they are too scared to attack me.
Seeing that all the soldiers are wearing metal armor I move my mana to the hand holding the noble. My scanning used up a lot of mana, but I still have enough left to create lightning. When I release it, a web of lightning connects all the soldiers to my hand.
Of course, the noble being held by that hand does not have a good ending. The lightning passing through him literally cooks him from the inside out. The lightning is so intense that the noble's eyeballs boil and then pop.
The soldiers don't fare much better and soon the street smells of burnt meat. When I let the lightning end twenty heavily charred bodies fall to the street. I toss what is left of the noble over to the other bodies and then look around.
1 Level 1 Human defeated! 100 Exp gained!
20 Level 3 Humans defeated! 6,000 Exp gained!
Other than Lin, everyone else has cleared the street, but I can see people watching from windows. I take the latest set of bags from Lin and put them into my pouch, then I pick Lin up. Holding her in a princess carry, I crouch down and then jump to the roof of the building.
Despite me jumping to the roof of a two story building Lin doesn't make a sound. In fact, she looks completely calm and relaxed as she lays in my arms. Turning towards the nearest city wall I start running and jumping from roof to roof.