The magic crystal crunches as I grind it with my mortar and pestle. The sound isn't pleasant to listen to, but it's not unpleasant, either. I'm about halfway done turning it into a powder when I notice a pair of men approaching. Thomas and the chief. They ended up coming back two days after their return instead of the day after.
As with before, there's caution and skepticism in their mind. Wariness towards me rather than the forest around. Their outfits are the same as before as well, and the presence of the earth spirits accompanying them is the same.
They're definitely liked by the spirits.
"Are you grinding magic crystals?" Thomas asks when they draw close enough for him to see what's in the stone bowl.
"Crystal, singular," I say. "But yes. I can use it to make a magical paint or dye through alchemy, which is how basic enchantments can be set. Don't even need to know magic for it, just the runes to paint and how to connect them. More complex enchantments need more than just this, or even specialized magic crystals such as fire or holy."
They also make longer-lasting enchantments than just drawing through channeled mana will, which is why I'm preparing another batch of the paint. It's what I've been using for the enchantments on the freezing crates, but can be used for other things as well. Since I've been expecting their return, I wanted to prepare some of this paint so I can use it for another project. I need fire and holy magic crystals for that, which is why I asked for them to look into buying some.
"How was the trip to the town?" I ask.
"Uneventful," Chief answers. "We were able to acquire the nails and hinges you requested."
"But not magic crystals," Thomas pulls off his pack. "Those are far too expensive for a pelt to pay for."
Based on my knowledge of the town's economics, acquiring the crystals shouldn't have been a problem.
"Too expensive?" I ask as he holds out the pack.
"Yeah," he says. "The pelts only sell for around 500c, and that was how much the cheapest fire magic crystal cost. Holy magic crystals were far more than that. Specialized crystals are worth quite a lot compared to plain ones like those I got from hunting monsters around here. Since we only had one pelt, and you wanted us to save 200c, we couldn't afford that. And the nails and hinges seemed more important."
That's unfortunate for him and quite annoying to me. I wasn't planning on heading into town anytime soon but it seems I'll need to set time aside and do so. Those prices aren't right, so he's probably been getting ripped off for years and doesn't have the education to know it.
"They were," I start pulling things out of the pack.
Another batch of food, plus a small wooden box of nails and six hinges. The remainder of the earnings from the wolf pelt are stored in a small pouch, 273c in total. Some of that is transferred to one of my own pouches, but I leave 200c in there before handing the pack back to Thomas.
"You didn't take all of the coins?" He asks.
"Payment for helping me," I say. "And I based it on the actual value of the pelts – they're worth 4,000c when in good condition, not 500. Whoever you sold to, they scammed you. What I'm giving you is five percent of that. One for each twenty."
That last part was added on because he seemed to be a little confused by the percent comment, though I can tell both are more confused by my claim as to the real value.
Judging by the small look he gives the chief and the nervousness and touch of guilt in his mind, Thomas kept some of the change already. I kind of expected that, though, since they don't trust me and he probably felt owed for helping me out.
Even if it bothers me, it's better not to call him out on that. I could come up with an excuse as to how I know, and one that they would buy, I'd rather show that I'm willing to pay them for managing sales for me. That will help build up trust between us.
Throwing accusations right now will only make them dislike me.
"They're always sold for around 500," Thomas tells me. "Every time I go with one."
"Always to the same shop?" I ask, and he confirms it. "What shop is it?"
"It's near the southern entrance," he answers. "We don't generally have much to sell that's not basic when it comes to beast parts and that's a shop which buys up low-quality goods."
"What's the shop look like?" I ask. "Does it have a sign?"
While confused, Thomas answers my questions as I ask several more, to give me a good idea of where to go.
"I don't know why you want to know that," he says. "But on another note, it should be another few days before jars and bottles are ready. I don't know how long it'll take you to make the gloves, but I won't give them to you until they're ready."
"I can have them finished in a couple of days," I tell him. "I take it this means you asked about the magic weapons?"
"Yeah," there's reluctant acceptance in his mind. "The adventurers we asked said the same thing… though some of the mercenaries said it didn't matter."
"But with all adventurers saying it," the chief says. "Or at least, the ones who seemed experienced and not fresh, it's hard to deny the claim."
"That's good," I say. "The fewer monsters killed without magic, the easier it'll be to undo some of what's resulted from their decaying bodies. Though I can't make any promises about the mines, that really might be partially because of the proximity to the Mistwood."
"I'll wait on returning to those until the gloves are done," Thomas says. "And our business here is now as well, so we'll be heading out."
"Before we go," Chief says. "Have you met anyone else yet?"
There's curiosity in his mind, and it spikes in Thomas's as he remembers and realizes something. Is there an expectation that I'd have met someone else by now, even though I'm trying to stay alone for the time being?
"Anyone else?" I ask. "If you're talking about people, then no. Only the two of you. I've met some of the local spirits, though. They're pretty grateful to me for taking care of the problem up at the spring."
The comment about the spirits only mildly surprises them. Out in the sticks like this, there are enough spirits that even the common people will eventually see one. It seems that's not who they were expecting me to have met, though, judging by the feeling in their minds.
"Alright," Chief says. "Just wanted to see if you've met anyone else. We'll be going now, there's other stuff for us to check on."
"May the spirits and gods guide your paths," I say.
"May the spirits and gods guide your paths," they both return.
They leave and once I'm sure they're well out of sight, I frown. I was hoping for those crystals now rather than later, and I'm not sure where to go to find them around here. That shop really screwed things over for me.
I top up my mana with a little bit of potion, then pull on my tunic and boots, fix my knife and pouches onto my belt, then stick a jar filled with mana potion into my pack.
"Aluci," I say as I strap a wolf pelt and a few rabbit pelts to my pack. "I'll be back in a bit. I need to check something out and purchase a couple of items."
The wolf gives me a small nod from his napping place by the fire, then rests his head on his paws once more.
There's nothing else I want to take with me, I don't think, so I pull on my pack and cast [Teleport]. It's an extremely complex spell and I'm not sure why I haven't used it before while out here. I'm essentially guaranteed Levels from it early on, with more Skill Experience being awarded the further one travels with it. It's around ten miles from here to the southern edge of the mountains, and the mountain range, while long, is only about thirty miles from the north to the south. The reason it takes so long for people to travel across it is due to the terrain and the very winding path it has.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The town north of the road exiting the mountains here is only about a mile further up than that. Unlike Mistwood Village and its population of less than one hundred, the town has a population nearing three thousand. Its proximity to the Mistwood has nothing to do with that, though – the mountains effectively create a barrier, preventing much influence from the magical forest from going further north.
So naturally, I receive a Skill Level upon arriving halfway to the town from here.
[Spatial Magic] is now Level 1! +100 MP +1 Magic
It's cold up here on the peak I'm on, but I ignore that as I pull out the mana potion and recover most of my mana. The spell costs a decent chunk of MP and I can't make the trip in full just yet. Once I've recovered, I teleport into the town, right into an alley and the arrival of another Skill Level notification. I drink more mana potion to recover most of it, then put the jar away. There's little chance of danger here, but I want to be ready just in case.
Thank goodness I brewed more potion this morning or I wouldn't have been able to make this trip immediately.
I exit the alley and locate the loot shop Thomas told me about. It looks fairly cheap, in my opinion. Sure, the exterior walls are painted over and look fresh, and the inside is maintained well and only has a few animal heads, horns, and antlers mounted, but… all of the best shops I've been to actually look a lot more cluttered than this.
Most loot shops of quality also have glass cases with special strips illuminating their insides. This one just has wooden shelves. I can see why villagers would prefer it, but it's not my kind of place.
"Welcome, welcome!" The man behind the counter greets me, unrestrained glee in his mind upon spotting a new person. "Looks like you've got a bit of-"
That's when he notices the color of my eyes. His mind freezes for a moment as the color drains out of him. The last thing any scammer wants to do is mess with someone like me.
"Is it true you're buying stoneseeker wolf pelts for only 500?" I ask the pale merchant upon reaching the counter, my gaze fixed firmly on him.
Panic fills his mind at my question.
"I'm not sure where you heard that," he says. "But no. We provide a fair price to everyone here. They're valued at around 4,000c depending on the quality and state of the hide."
A lie, which I would know even without Thomas telling me otherwise. My [Empathy] does let me determine the difference, and even the best of liars can't trick it. I'm simply too good at wielding the passive magic for confidence to fool me.
"Odd," I say. "Because I'm fairly certain I've heard that you only buy them for 500. It's a reliable source as well. You're also displaying all of the signs of someone who has been caught scamming your customers.
"I'm not your usual victim," I say. "I wouldn't normally be found in a shop like this one due to its lower quality. The reason that I am here is because I asked someone to sell a stoneseeker wolf pelt for me as I did other things, and he was paid an eighth of its value. Young man, came here two or three days ago. He's from the Mistwood region. You know him?"
The shopkeeper nods vigorously as the panic in his mind spikes.
"Good," I say. "I'd like all of what you shorted him. Not just on my pelt, but everything else he sold here. I'm sure you'll understand what will happen if you don't."
The shopkeeper pulls out a locked box and opens it, then quickly starts pulling out coins. There's the roughly 3,500 from my pelt, and close to 8,000 more for the other stuff Thomas sold. It seems this man undercharges heavily on any unknowing customers. There were two more pelts of a different wolf type Thomas had, along with a bundle of magical sticks, the claws and fangs of a cat-like beast, and a few other miscellaneous items he'd acquired over the winter.
"Pleasure doing business with you," I tell the shopkeeper, then start to leave. When I reach the door, I pause and look back. "Oh, and if I ever hear about you scamming customers again, I will burn this place to the ground."
The fear which fills his mind is more than enough to know that he'll do his best to avoid angering me. How long that lasts is up in the air, but it should still ensure that Thomas is treated properly in the future… if he returns here.
I'll recommend somewhere different for him to sell things at in the future.
I leave the shop and make my way deeper into the city, into a proper market district rather than a market street that's close to the slums. Upon entering, I'm greeted by the sight of stalls set up with various goods for display along the sides of the streets. Sacks of grain, jars of preserved foods, wheels of cheese, sticks of butter, jewelry, and more. Merchants call out to passerby, any not with a customer immediately calling out to me upon seeing me.
A handsome face draws people's gazes easily enough, but my vivid green eyes catches their attention more once they're looking. Green eyes are both not natural and typically a sign of someone who has plenty of money to spare. I ignore them for now as I look for the shop I want, which is… there!
I approach a building with glass windows at the front, preserved animal forms sitting in them. Not just preserved animal forms, but bundles of sticks, magic crystals, various stones, fangs, claws, scales, and more displayed on their shelves.
Inside the shop is just as full as the shelves in the windows. Or at least, the parts behind the glass display counters are as well as the shelves within said displays. The window displays have glass backs to avoid anyone stealing the items within, and said protections are no doubt enchanted to resist damage. The windows in front are strengthened as well.
"Hello!" The clerk behind the counter greets me with a friendly enough smile, even with his mind being filled with boredom. "How may I help you today, sir?"
"I'm looking to sell some hides," I pull off my pack and unstrap the pelts, then set them on the counter.
"Hm…" he inspects each hide carefully, his mind shifting to paying fully attention to the task. "It looks like four forest rabbit pelts and a stoneseeker wolf pelt. Minimal damage to them and treated well. The fur's still soft while the leather is workable. No traces of dirt, grime, or blood on them and they have an even thickness throughout, so you treated them well after curing them. Since they aren't raw anymore, the value is a little bit higher. I can offer you 50 per rabbit hide, but the wolf pelt is worth a lot more. I'll say 4,100 for it, for a total of 4,500 for the five. Does that sound fair to you?"
I could try to haggle a better price – and he'd probably accept giving me more – but I don't want to bother. Those are pretty fair prices for the pelts, something he offered at the start thanks to my green eyes. He even raised the pay a little before any haggling could begin, probably in an attempt to curry favor without being scummy.
A quality loot shop, indeed.
"That sounds fair to me," I say.
"Give me one moment, sir," he heads into the back of the shop, then returns with a small wooden try with a soft lining, coins glittering on it. "Here is 4,500."
I double-check the coins and verify they're authentic, then slip them into my coin pouch as he hands the pelts to a boy of around eleven who comes out from the back just to take those. The boy returns to the back as the man moves the tray to the side.
"Will that be all for you today?" He asks. "Or would you like to make purchases as well?"
"Purchases," I answer. "I'm in need of magic crystals. Fire and holy. Do you have those? The holy ones aren't as important if you don't."
"I do," he answers. "Any particular type you're looking for?"
"Half-inch or twice that," I say. "Grade 2 or 3."
"Mind if I ask what they're for?" He asks.
"They'll be used to create an enchantment for heating and cleansing water," I answer. "I'm setting up a new home at the moment and would like to have my own bathing spot rather than needing to use the communal one."
In the village, the "communal bathing spot" is probably the stream which flows through the center of the settlement. The enchantments for the necessary plumbing for heated bathing are a bit on the expensive side and are a rather recent invention. It wouldn't be worth it for them to try and afford even a small bathhouse to be set up for them. The cost to maintain it would be fairly high as well, and the village is simply too small. Either they'll wash in the cold of the stream or they'll boil water and wipe themselves down with it.
That might work for a commoner, but I enjoy the feeling of a proper scrubbing followed by soaking in steaming-hot water.
"Will you be in need of mana crystals as well?" The clerk asks. "We have those here as well."
"My new home is in an area with enough ambient mana to supply the enchantments without causing problems," I inform him. "So I won't need crystals to keep them charged."
"Very well, then," he says. "I'll be back in just a minute."
He heads into the back and returns with another tray, this one with crystals sitting on it.
Each one is half an inch to an inch in size and the feel of the energies within are all either Grade 2 or Grade 3. While the System doesn't give such values, we give them to the crystals based on how potent their magics are. The crystals on the left are reddish-orange fire magic crystals, the golden-yellow ones with white flecks on the right are holy magic crystals, and the one in the center… is not one I was expecting to find. It's reddish-orange in color at the base, but has swirls of golden-yellow with white flecks spread throughout it.
[Holy Fire Magic Crystal] A magic crystal filled with the essence of holy fire.
It's also far beyond my budget at the moment as a result of both its special trait of holding a combined magical energy and being Grade 3. Even the money I acquired for Thomas wouldn't give me enough for that, and I'm not planning on using those funds. Those are his.
I inspect the other crystals for a few minutes, debating how much I need, then settle on seven: four half-inch fire magic crystals and three half-inch holy magic crystals, all at Grade 3.
"I'll admit I want that one," I indicate the holy fire magic crystal. "But it's outside of what I have on me at the moment and I don't plan on returning here for awhile. The trip is on the costly side."
"I understand," the clerk says. "That's 600 per fire magic crystal you've selected, and 1,500 per holy magic crystal you've selected, for a total of 6,900c in total. Does that sound fair to you?"
"It does," I answer. "That'll be all, thanks."
I pay the clerk and slip the crystals into my pouch, then thank him and leave.
"A pleasure doing business with you, sir!" He calls after me as I exit the shop. "Please come again!"
Time to head back home and work on the bath.