Straf walks out of the palace and out onto the streets of the capital. The people appear nervous, glancing at the now barren metal poles that were once the vampire lamps, missing their actual lamp part. The streetlights appear to be carefully dismantled, rather than destroyed. A small glimmer of hope remains for the citizens hoping for the return to normal.

《Riiight. Since Lia is on verge of a default, I need funds.》

Straf navigates through the preafternoon crowd. With a confident grin on his face, he heads to the place he knows will earn him gold.

Ding ding.

「Hey! Old man! I'm back! Show yourself, I've got something for you!」

Straf shouts as soon as he enters the quiet, dimly lit coffee shop.

「Hm? Oh, it's you again. Is the queen not coming today?」

An old man's gaunt face peeks out from behind a wall. His steel-blue eyes blink at Straf, then glance at the door as it swings shut, ringing the bell hanging above it once more.

「Nope, she's awful busy lately. She's working hard, unlike the type of degenerates likely to come to places like these.」

Clunk.

Straf walks up to the counter, and noisily sets his coffee machine on top.

「…And what is this?」

The aging coffee shop owner asks, curiously looking over the metal contraption.

「It's a coffee machine. You'll love it. Want to give it a try?」

Straf leans onto the counter with his elbow, and grins at the gaunt old man.

「A coffee… Machine? Like a pulley and levers, and-」

He scratches the side of his head as he furrows his brows, trying to figure out a way how a pulley is involved in creating a cup of coffee.

「No no no. Not that kind of machine. Okay, look, how about I give you a demonstration? Got some really good beans here? Put them in here.」

Straf says, and opens the coffee compartment. The man tilts his head and furrows his brows further, but then he disappears into the back room briefly, and reappears with a small canvas bag of coffee. He empties what was left in the bag into the grinder, and Straf closes it.

「Now get me some water. Just regular water, doesn't have to be hot.」

Straf says, as he noisily grinds the beans with the crank. The man quietly obliges, bringing a pitcher of water.

「Pour that in here.」

Straf says, as he shows the man the water compartment. The old man fills it, and Straf shuts it tight.

「Now, what do you brew your coffee on? You have a stove top I can borrow?」

Straf nods his head towards the entrance to the back room as he asks.

「Yes… I do. I don't really let anyone behind the counter, but… I suppose I can make an exception if you personally know the queen. Come, but it better be good to justify all this trouble.」

The man waves his hand for Straf to follow as he disappears behind the doorway to the rear. Straf takes the coffee machine with him, and the old man is already waiting by a small stove top. A fire behind its metal hatch is quietly crackling away.

Straf places the coffee machine on the stove top.

「Well, put a mug right here, and wait.」

He points to the space below the portafilter, and puts his fist on his hips as they wait for the coffee. Straf shows the old man the rest of the machine's operation, and he's left with a hot cup of fragrant, freshly brewed coffee.

「…Well. No offense, young man, but I don't believe this has been at all worth it.」

The coffee shop owner says, while looking at the black liquid in his cup.

「Oh yeah? Have you even tried it yet?」

Straf scoffs, smirking smugly as he grabs his own coffee.

「No. Fair point. Let me judge it by its merit, then…」

Sssslurp.

With unimpressed, tired eyes, the old man takes a sip of the coffee. His steel-blue eyes snap wide open, and he lowers his cup with pure shock on his face.

「…Mercia's grace…」

The man mutters out, staring blankly ahead.

「Don't get a heart attack yet. How'd you like it?」

Straf asks with a smug grin, and splashes the entire steaming hot, freshly brewed content of his mug down his throat.

「This… Machine… Could put me out of work…」

The old man says as he stares at the coffee machine in complete awe.

「Yeah, that's modern life for you.」

Straf shrugs, setting his cup down.

「…And it'd be entirely justified! How is this coffee so good!? What is the secret!? I've ran this shop for over 20 years, and I have experimented plenty! Why have I not ever heard of anything like this!?」

The man exclaims and takes another sip of the coffee, stunning himself again.

「It does a thing with pressure, and there's a nice foam. If I tell you how it works, you'll probably make something better. Anyway, want to stay in business? How about buying this off of me?」

Straf slaps the coffee machine's top with his hand, grinning at the man.

「…How much do you want?」

The coffee shop owner asks, taking another sip of his coffee.

「How much do you have? I mean, this is a game-changer for coffee, isn't it? You really think I'll let it go cheap?」

「How does 160 gold coins sound? I have 180 total, but I need the rest to stay afloat for a month or two.」

「Hundred and fucking sixty!?」

Straf asks in utter disbelief, almost shouting at the man.

「Yes. It's all the savings I have gathered up so far.」

The man nods, and drinks the last of his coffee. He sets the cup down with a ceramic clink.

「You have 80 years worth of living in savings, and you're still working!?」

Straf shakes his head, spreading his hands.

「80 years? Not in the capital, young man. That's more like 30. It should last me for the rest of my life, but… I don't work because I have to. I work, because I enjoy this.」

The man shakes his head, and looks at the machine again.

「So, 160 gold. Take it or leave it, it's all I have.」

He turns his gaze towards Straf, and delivers his final offer with a serious face.

「…Fine. I hope that's enough for everything I've got planned.」

Straf sighs, and shrugs with his hands.

「Could you wait at one of the booths? I have to get the gold out of my hiding spot.」

「Fine, whatever.」

Straf puts his hands in his pockets, and leaves the backroom. A creak of wood emanates from the back, then heavy clinking of bags of coin. The old man shows himself, and places two heavy bags on the table.

「That's 160? Seems a little light.」

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Straf pinches the top of one of the bags, and effortlessly lifts it up.

「I am not done yet.」

The old man says, and returns to the backroom. He emerges again, and places two more bags on Straf's table. He repeats this a few more times, then places a single bag more on his final trip to the table.

「Count it if you want.」

The old man points his hand to the coin sacks, but Straf scoffs.

「Yeah, no. I'll just come back to reposition my machine if you scammed me.」

Straf says, and starts throwing his coins sacks into [Portable Storage].

「What in the-」

The old man squints at the purple vortex, but it closes before he can ascertain its nature. Straf stands up and heads for the door.

「To recoup your investment quick, set up some boards proudly stating 「New and improved coffee!」 outside. And hire some waitresses, dress them up as slutty maids. You'll die a rich man, trust me.」

Just before opening the door, he snaps his fingers. He points at at the old man, and leaves with a grin.

Ding ding.

The bell above the door chimes again.

「…Why maids?」

The old man furrows his brows at the door, staring at it with a confused expression…

…

Greaves and his party take a seat around a table in a roadside inn, somewhere between the capital and another major city…

「Ahhh… Finally somewhere to sit…」

Will groans as he takes his seat, wincing. As soon as he's seated, he lets out a large and relieved sigh.

「If walking is doing you in, Will, then that sword isn't going to help you much. Why'd you even buy that?」

Greaves looks at Will's sword with ridicule on his face.

「Because I don't want to have to burden Lian, or constantly rely on you to protect myself! The staff just doesn't work in close quarters!」

Will explain with a raised voice, and a frustrated tone.

「You're not a burden, Will. If anything, I still owe you for watching out for me in the capital.」

Lian smiles softly at Will.

「N- No, it's not a big deal at all…」

Will glances at Lian, then immediately breaks eye contact and starts adjusting his glasses.

「It is. Mages are quite rare in my homeland, and so we have very little experience fighting them. All I know is that they're cunning creatures, and facing them head-on is a recipe for disaster. Seeing you fight, I now know I was told the truth.」

Lian smiles at Will with a slanted mouth, almost as if smirking.

「No, really, it's not a big deal… Mages are supposed to deal with other mages, that's how it is in battles involving magic…」

Will shakes his head, only attempting quick glances at Lian while she's propped up on her elbows against the table.

「Heh.」

With narrowed and smug eyes, Greaves grins at Will.

「Shut up!」

Will shouts at Greaves, angrily adjusting his glasses.

「I didn't say anything.」

「Tsk, who cares!? Stop staring at me like that!」

Will begins loudly arguing with Greaves over nothing in particular. Alicia sighs, and turns her gaze to Lian instead.

「…Are you not worried about Shien, Lian?」

Alicia asks, starting a side conversation with Lian.

「Well… I'd be lying if I wasn't a little concerned, but at the same time…」

Lian straightens out and crosses her arms.

「…My idiot little brother isn't exactly a pushover. I hold him to high standards. Standards, which most of you wouldn't even hope to live up to.」

Lian smirks smugly at Alicia in response.

「I know he's strong, but… How can you be so sure he'll come back safe?」

Alicia tilts her head, asking with genuine concern in her voice.

「I'm not. I simply decided to trust his abilities. The most vicious way I could harm my brother is to assume he's hopeless, and that will get himself killed without me there to watch over him.」

Lian looks away from Alicia back to Will and Greaves, as they continue arguing. The shouting abruptly stops when food is delivered to their table…

…

In the capital, in the empty warehouse marked by the Dragon Cult…

Straf enters through the now-fixed door, carefully closing it behind himself.

「I get that it couldn't stay like this without a door, but man… What a piece of shit this is. It looks like it'll fall apart, if I as much as look at it wrong.」

Straf walks further into the warehouse, looking at the shoddy door over his shoulder.

「Riiiiight… Materials bought… Time to clear space here.」

Straf looks around at the boxes cluttering the warehouse, and starts haphazardly throwing them out of the way, creating a large area of free space.

「Good enough. Craft.」

The crafting screen appears, and Straf looks at its search bar.

「Print.」

He utters out, and starts scrolling through a list of print-related items.

「Nope… Nope… Nope… Man, how about a thing that doesn't need fucking electricity? How long do I have to scroll for that?」

Straf scrolls through a long list of computer printers, printing ink, laser printers, copy machines… Until he eventually reaches the antiques.

「There. Perfect. At least for now.」

Straf grins, and taps the movable-type printer. He looks through the required materials, and chuckles when he sees he's ready to craft. He taps the [Craft] button. A large, complex shape appears in the air in front of him.

「Uhhh, should this really be in the air?-」

Straf furrows his brow, looking at the glowing printer. The glow subsides, and the wooden printer starts plummeting to the ground.

「Oh shit!」

Straf shouts, and catches the printer before it smashes onto the warehouse floor. He exhales with relief when he gently sets it down onto the ground.

「Fucking crafting… What if I made a fuckton of nitroglycerin, huh? Neighborhood decrafting?」

Straf puts his fists on his hips, shaking his head at the crafting screen. He looks at the printer, and starts circling around it.

「Hmmm… I see. It's just the printer, no types. Makes sense. How about I make myself the prototype, then? And some ink, while I'm at it…」

Straf rubs his chin while appraising the printer. He then turns his eyes back to the search bar, and crafts a pad for stamp ink, the ink itself, and a prototype metal print type.

《Prototype crafting experience gained. New prototypes available.》

A female voice announces in Straf's head.

「Really? That's all it takes? Huh.」

Straf furrows his brows at the dark ceiling, then shrugs. He pulls out a large sheet of paper out of [Portable Storage], and sets it on the printer. He pours the ink into the ink pad, presses the metal type into the ink, staining it a bright yellow, and mounts the type into the printer.

「Okay, here we go…」

Cla-clack!

Straf operates the printing machine, and leaves an impression on the paper. Plagiarizing the painting he saw in the palace, Straf looks at the small golden dragon, spreading its wings in the corner of the paper sheet.

「Nice. It's almost good enough to use as is. But I'd still have to cut this out with scissors, or a little paper guillotine, or something… And the ink process is so cumbersome. I need to streamline this a bit. Experiment a little, maybe…」

Straf rubs his chin as he looks at the printed dragon, and the printing machine.

「Let's see… Movable type with a paper guillotine… Is that how this works?」

His gaze returns to the search bar, and he demands to see a printer that does not exist. Surprisingly, a result appears on the list…