"What do you need?"

The dwarf girl asked, gazing up at me. She was wearing an orange leather apron over normal clothes. It looked like she had been working in the forge.

"I am looking for the owner of the shop."

"Yer talking to her." She said, with a piercing gaze.

"Ah-ahaha, I see. I was just looking for some ores to buy."

"Ores, huh?"

"Yeah, if you had Mithril or Adamantine, I'd like to purchase some."

"I do have some Adamantine but Mithril is hard to come by. Ever since the Nulin mine depleted, the Mithril coming into Astrya has reduced due to logistical issues."

She said with a scrutinising gaze.

"I-I see. Is that the mine belonging to Astrya?"

"Yea, it belongs to the country. They are searching for a new vein of Mithril right now, but it is taking longer than what was initially announced by the royal family."

"Ah, in that case, I'll take some Adamantine and some iron. May I know how much those ores will cost?"

"Sure. Adamantine is valued at 1 platinum coin per ingot, iron at 5 gold coins per ingot, and the lighter yet more durable sky iron is set at 20 gold coins per ingot but it has lower magic conductivity. Additionally, the rare meteoritite, obtained from meteors, is priced at 3 platinum coins per ingot, although I have very little of it. I have copper and bronze as well, though it doesn't look like you want them." She said so proudly, laying out the ores she had in stock.

(Master, I would suggest you buy everything.)

(Well, I don't know if she will sell them.)

(Let's ask)

"I-I see. It seems you have a diverse collection of ores."

"Tell me which ones you want to buy."

"Let's see. I'll take 2 ingots of Adamantine, 5 ingots of iron, 5 ingots of sky iron and 1 ingot of meteoritite. Will that be possible?"

"Hmm, of course. Are you buying for a noble?"

"No, it's for me."

"I-I see. Are you a blacksmith, perhaps? I've never seen you before."

"No, I'm an alchemist. I've just recently arrived in Astrya."

"I see. So, you want to mix the ores with potions or something?"

"No, I'm thinking of making a sword. I can shape metals with Alchemy."

(Master, don't.)

"Wh-what did you say? I have never heard of Alchemy being used to make weapons."

Her gaze became interested, and she looked me up and down, and slowly her gaze fell on the sword hanging from my hips.

"That sword on your hip. Did you make it?"

"Ahaha, yes, I did. It is made from iron."

(Master........your Alchemy is vastly different from the one they call Alchemy in this world.)

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

(What? Why didn't you tell me sooner?)

(...........)

"May I see it?"

She said extending her hand as if she'll grab it at the slightest hint of refusal.

"S-Sure."

I took out the sword from the scabbard and gave it to her. She took out a magnifying glass from somewhere and began to examine it. She was flipping the sword from time to time and waving it other times.

"Hmm....I see. Oh..like that. Oh, oh...and this purity."

After some time, she gave it back to me. The magnifying glass disappeared on cue as if it never existed.

"That's a finely crafted sword, though it still needs some work. I didn't know you could make swords with Alchemy. I have never heard of such a thing. And that purity of iron, where did you buy it?"

She peered at me interestedly. She even went around in a circle, staring at me.

"Ahaha, the iron was a gift from someone."

"I see. Even then, to shape metals with Alchemy. If someone else learns of this, you'll probably become famous."

"I guess my Alchemy is a little different. I would be really grateful if you didn't tell anyone."

"Hmph, of course. We don't disclose our customer details." She said, looking up at me.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"By the way, will you be able to pay the amount? It will come to 3 platinum and 625 gold coins. I only have half of an ingot of meteoritite so I'll just charge for the small amount.

"Yes, of course. I took out the money from the item box, counted it, and gave her 4 platinum coins."

She almost gasped when she saw the item box.

"You have an item box as well. Another rare thing. Just who the hell are you?"

"Ahaha, I'm just a normal adventurer."

"Normal doesn't even cut it!"

"Haha!" I laughed nervously under her gaze.

"An adventurer, you say. I've never seen such a peculiar adventurer able to take out platinum coins at will. And you even have an item box. Not a lot of people have that."

"Haha, I guess I got lucky."

"Hmph, well whatever. Just wait here for a moment."

After saying that, she went through a door that led to the inside of the shop. After some time, she brought the ingots. She even brought a glowing ingot that didn't look like Adamantine or iron.

(Master, that Aether!)

I asked her what it was in spite of Airi telling me, and she confirmed that it was Aether.

"I don't have much change, so you can take this as compensation. The price is usually 2 platinum coins per ingot, but since you have purchased so much, I'll throw this in for the rest of the change. Maybe you'll be able to use this. It was gathering dust anyway. Though the price is high, this ore is pretty useless in anyone's hands other than an elf's."

(That's a very rare ore, Master. It has one of the best magic conductivity, second only to Mithril and Orichalcum.)

"Thank you. I'll gratefully accept it," I bowed politely.

"Hmph. It's fine. Just become a recurring customer."

She said it with a unique smile on her face. I felt a shiver run through my spine.

"Ah-ahaha. Of course."

"And, if you don't mind, I would also like to ask about that dagger."

"Which one? Are you talking about the one you had been eyeing?"

"Ye-yeah."

She was right, of course. I felt myself stealing glances at the dagger even when I was conversing with her.

"It's just something an adventurer sold to me a while back. I tried to melt it at the forge but it was impossible. It's pretty useless. As you can see, it quite dull. I'll sell it to you for 20 gold coins. It looks more like an ornament for nobles with strange symbols carved into the dagger."

"You mean those letters?"

"Yea, those. Wa-wait. Did you just say letters?"

"Y-yeah."

"You mean you can read those symbols?"

"Y-yeah."

"I-I see. Can you tell me what it says? I had been curious for a long time about what those symbols meant."

"Of course."

I glanced at the dagger again.

"For ye who wandert, the darkness shalt divide. Hold me tighte, ye shalt see the light."

"Hmm, doesn't ring any bells. It seems like a twisted poem. Can you tell me which country's language is that?"

"I-I'm not sure."

"Then, how can you read it?"

"I'm sorry. I can't explain it. It seems like I know those letters, but I cannot place them."

"I see." She said. She seemed to be even more interested in me.

"Well, doesn't matter. It's useless here anyway. You can take it."

"Is that so? Thank you."

She retrieved the dagger and gave it to me.

The dagger seemed to whisper to me as I held it in my hands. Airi was strangely silent.

"My name is Mathilda, by the way. If you need any more ores or weapons, come to me. Don't go to anyone else. You hear me?"

She said brandishing a small hammer she took out from somewhere.

"I'm Rayce. I-I'll keep that in mind."

"Pleasure doing business with you, Rayce. I hope to see you soon."

She said it with a glint in her eyes.

"Ye-yeah."

I put everything inside the item box and bid her farewell and exited the shop. I looked up, and the sun was almost in the middle of the sky. I looked at the watch I was wearing, and it was almost 1 o'clock. The watch was something I had bought from my shop skill. It was a pretty expensive watch, but since I had money, I didn't mind it that much.

Navigating through the busy streets filled with people, I slowly made my way to the city gate that loomed in the distance.