I arrived at the main street of Naut City. The street was notably busier that the other streets. Still invisible, I entered as the Accessory Shop, which automatically broke my invisibility. Upon entrance, the Shop Menu popped up immediately.
The Accessory Shop sold various miscellaneous accessories that may or may not have an effect on stats. Unlike the Inn, most shops had a clerk but could still be operated using the menu. The building had two floors. The first floor was the shop itself. Many different accessories were put on display. There was also a counter, a toilet, and a dressing room.
First I went to the toilet. Even in Reality, human needs still exist. Thankfully, toilets that were perfectly clean are in every store and every block. Just like Inn rooms, toilets were infinite; multiple Players could enter the same toilet door and be at separate toilets. The toilets all had the same design and were complete with a sink, bowl, and shower. Other necessities such as soap, towels, and shampoos were available. All bathroom needs were provided in infinite quantities.
I finished and went to the clerk. When I came close to the clerk, a new menu appeared that had options to Buy or Sell items. It was a standard shop menu with those options.
“Welcome to the Accessory Shop. Oh, a new customer!” greeted the woman on the desk.
The woman was around her 40s as one can notice that her appearance has begun to wane. She had long brown hair tied in braids and cheerful black eyes. During the peak of her days, she was probably quite the beauty. She was wearing a gown used by elderly people that made her seem even older.
“I’m Kimberly. I manage this Accessory Shop.”
“I’m here to buy a cloak.” I replied as I navigated the shop menu.
My goal here was to buy a cloak to cover myself so that less people would pester me. I managed to buy a brown one for 100 Fitts. The cloak gave no stats. The cloak covered my head with to my legs.
Before I equipped the cloak, I tried to sell it back. It showed that I would only receive half the price when selling.
I equipped the cloak and check the other contents of the store, none of which caught my interest. All the items had a Common Rarity.
“What are the different levels of rarity?”
“The Common Rarity and the Uncommon Rarity are the ones I know of. Generally, shops will have Common Items, but once in a while, an Uncommon Item appears.”
“Are there even higher rarities?”
“There probably are, but I’ve never seen them before.”
“Okay thanks.”
Kimberly stared at me for a while. It was not a stare of dislike, but one of curiosity.
“Is there something wrong?” I asked.
“‘Players’ talking to me is quite rare. Most of them simply operate the menu to buy stuff.”
I wonder why? Was it because it was simpler? No. It is probably because the Players treated the Characters as robots and not humans since they are parts of the game. Personally, Players should treat Characters as people as well. It is not as if it is a huge hassle or anything. Besides, interaction with Characters may lead to quests in the future as well.
As I was leaving the Accessory Shop, I heard footsteps sounding from the second floor of the Accessory Shop. I reflexively looked up.
“Don’t mind it. It’s just my children playing.”
When she said this, all doubts in my heart cleared. Characters were as much human as Players. They have emotions, background, and personalities. While people believe Reality to be a game, there is no confirmation. For all we know, this could be a different universe.
I currently have 904 Fitts. I should look at all the shops before buying anything. My next stop was the Equipment Shop.
The Equipment Shop had the same layout as the Accessory Shop. Only instead of Accessories, Equipment were being displayed. I entered the shop and removed the hood of my cloak.
“Yo! Welcome to the Equipment Shop!” greeted the clerk. The clerk was a muscular man around thirty years of age. He was bald and his skin was brown. His brown eyes were filled with spirit and enthusiasm. He wore a sleeveless white shirt with jersey shorts, giving off an informal appearance.
“What can I offer as service to you, my lady?”
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“There’s no need to be formal. I’m Dove. I’ll be your customer from now on.”
A large smile emerged from the man’s face. “I see. I’m Aldrich.”
I looked through the equipment. Most of it were basic weapons I already had equipped, but one Uncommon Item stood out.
Feather Boots 5000 Fitts
Increases the user’s movement speed and evasion.
Unlike other equipment that increases defense, the Feather Boots provided no Defense.
In Reality, equipment automatically transformed to fit the user, whether size or gender. Looking at the equipment, I noted that most of them were normal looking, unlike other games where equipment would be awkward to wear in public.
There was another Uncommon Item: the Iron Gauntlets. It increased the Attack but compromised Speed which was why I ignored it. It cost 4500 Fitts.
As I continued browsing at shop, Aldrich grinned at me non-stop. I felt not negativity but interest.
“Is talking to Characters such a big deal?”
“Yes. Only two Parties and one Player aside from you actively talk to me.”
I returned to checking through the equipment. Aldrich continued smiling at me until it seemed like he got an idea.
“What is it?”
“Why don’t you marry my son?”
“Ehh?!”
Surprised by the sudden question, I calmed myself to not panic. I straightened my body, looked up, and took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry. I refuse.”
“Do you mind if I ask why?”
“I have no intention of staying in this world. One day, I will return. I believe marriage should something both sides can commit to for their life. Also, I don’t want to become meet and become friends with someone with the intention of marriage from the beginning. Love should be a natural occurrence where no plans have been made.”
“You answered just like that brat… interesting. I was joking anyways. Just to see you reaction.” replied Aldrich with his smile larger than ever.
“Changing the topic, can I reserve the Feather Boots?”
Unlike the Accessory Shop, the Equipment Shop Items were not infinite. There was only one pair of Feather Boots currently.
He seemed to like me very much. Maybe he would consider it. I didn’t want to a user, but opportunities were opportunities.
You really are similar to that brat.”
“Really?”
“I’m sorry, but I must refuse. That would be against our code as shopkeepers.”
“It’s fine.”
I was a little bit sad, but I knew this was fair.
The third and last shop I visited was the Item shop. It also had the same layout as the previous shops. Once again, I lowered my hood upon entry.
The clerk this time was a beautiful blonde girl in her late teens. She had shoulder length straight hair and crystal clear blue eyes. Her beauty leaned more on the normal beauty side of things. The type of beauty guys wanted to go along with instead of the model-like beauty guys admired. She wore a brown blazer over her white sleeveless shirt and a knee-length white skirt. Her body was not particularly curvaceous, but it was still attractive.
“Can I see your selection of items?”
The girl looked at me with a surprise face. “You are talking to Liza? You can use the Shop Menu to see the Items.”
“Liza?”
“Liza is sorry. The person you are speaking with is Liza.”
She…refers to herself with her name… weird… I recalled my elder sister mention that some Japanese girls did that to be cute, but it felt weird to me…
“I’m Dove.”
“Would you like to be… Liza’s friend?”
“Friend? Why me?”
“Liza wants to be friends with Players, but most male Players approach Liza with hidden motives. Female Players always come with male Players. Liza does have a male Player friend, but there are complications. You are the first solo Female Player here to talk to me.”
I grabbed both her hands, causing her to blush in embarrassment. Wow! She was even prettier when embarrassed. I answered with a smile, “Of course.”
The Item Shop sold 4 kinds of items.
Potions 50 Fitts: Heals 20% of Health 1 Use
Antidote 40 Fitts: Cures Status Effect: Poison 1 Use
Fairy Dust 100 Fitts: Removes nearby Invisibility. Lasts 1 Minute. 5 Uses
Tent 1000 Fitts: Summons a Tent for Sleep. Can only be used in Safe Areas. Reusable
Since this was the last shop, I bought 4 Potions, 2 Antidotes, 1 Fairy Dust. I was left with 424 Fitts.
“Thank you very much for the purchase.”
“The pleasure’s mine.”
With this, I concluded my shopping streak. My next monetary goal is to buy that Feather Boots before anyone else does.
The next building I went to was the Quest Guild. The Quest Guild was a large building that was designed like a bar. There were numerous tables where people ate and talked. Quest Guilds, as well as Inns, provided free food for Players. While the food may not be amazing, they were tasty enough to satisfy everyone.
Approaching the counter, I saw a man sitting behind it. The man was around his twenties and was quite handsome. His body was thin and he wore bartender clothes.
“Welcome to the Quest Guild.”
A new menu appeared with a selection of quests. I clicked on the first quest and more details appeared.
Quest: Find Neko
My pet cat is missing. It is white with brown stripes on its belly. It has a pink collar with two yellow bells on it.
Requestor: Oken Difficulty: * Reward: 50 Fitts
“Requestors… are they actually Characters in this city?”
“Yes. Sometimes interacting with them help in completing the Quests.”
“Could I get your name?”
“I am Romer.”
“You don’t seem as surprised as the shop owners that I am talking with you.”
“Unlike them, Players commonly ask me for clarification.”
Browsing through the list of Quests, I notice something peculiar. All of them were limited to Naut City.
“Are there no Quests outside the city?”
“You don’t know?"
“No.”
“It has been two weeks, but the city gates are yet to be opened.”
“Ehh? Why?”
“I don’t know.”
Since people likely had done a lot of Quests from the Quest Guild, that was unlikely the reason. There’s probably… Hidden Quests or something like that. Quests acquired outside the Guild from Characters or something along those lines.
I left the Quest Guild and approached the City Gate that was at the end of the Main Street. There lied a map of the city. Naut City was a circular city around 150 KM in diameter. The further you were from the Gate, the poorer the living conditions. Well, from what I could see, even the poorest areas were well off compared to the squatters from the country I came from.
Even after two weeks, no progress had been made… We had yet to leave the city… Would we really be able to return to our world?