Chương 234: B4–Chapter 13: Sorta Loot

After breakfast, we were drinking coffee on the porch when Mahya said, "It's time to put on armor and go." Al lifted his hand in a halting gesture.

"I would prefer if we waited a few days before tackling the next dungeon."

"Why?" I asked.

"What you did yesterday in the elemental dungeon made me realize that I am not fully utilizing my Alchemist class. I don't have any recipes suited for dealing with monsters, but we have plenty of books from Lis. There are a variety of dungeons for us to clear, and I want to find potions that might make some of them easier."

"That's actually a good idea," Mahya said, turning to me.

"You could use the time to go to Lumis and buy more scrolls."

"More? Why?" I asked.

"We still have a ton left."

"Let's check how many we have first, and then decide," she said. We took out all the scrolls and counted them. Flame Wave (14) Ice Wall (29) Blade Storm (261) Stone Prison (29) Thunder Strike (29) Solar Flare (59) Quicksand Sink (119) Ember Wave (18) Ice Slick (9) Stone Shard (31) Hail Barrage (291)"We need more Flame Wave and Ice Slick," Mahya said.

"Especially the Ice Slick—it worked great on those murder ostriches."

"They're not ostriches. They look more like cassowaries," I replied.

"What is a cassowary?" Al asked, tilting his head.

"An Australian bird that looks like a short ostrich..." I trailed off. Mahya rolled her eyes at me and slapped my head. Yeah, okay, I deserved that.

"The Ember Wave might be effective against the hairy enormous monster," Al said, his tone thoughtful.

"But we need more Flame Wave either way. It would be wise to buy a larger supply of scrolls and search for additional types. You dismissed the Ice Slick as useless, but we found otherwise. There could be other scrolls that prove useful in specific circumstances."

"Yeah, I can see that. I'll take care of it," I said, nodding.

"Do you need more herbs from the Potion Emporium?"

"Yes, I can think of some. I will make you a list," Al replied, tapping his leg.

"Need anything?" I asked Mahya, turning her way.

"Baked goods, maybe?" she said with a smile.

"We're running low with Rue's appetite."

"Rue big! Rue need lots of yummy!" Rue said, his voice sounding indignant. I scratched his ear to appease him.

"Yes, buddy. You do." With the shopping list in hand, I rose into the air to fly to the Gate. As soon as I was in the air, the wind surrounded and swirled around me. It was a hug. She didn't send the feeling of a hug; I just knew it was a hug without the need for communication from her. The connection between us reached new heights that I hadn't experienced before. I smiled at her in greeting and flew toward the Gate. The first stop was Crystaledge at Tollen's store.

I flew directly to the city and became visible in an alley behind Tollen's Scrollhouse. As soon as I entered, he smiled widely.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, esteemed merchant."

"Good to see you, Tollen," I replied, glancing around at the packed shelves.

"I'll take your entire stock of single-use scrolls." Tollen's eyebrows shot up but quickly masked his surprise with a broader grin.

"All of them, without even inquiring what they are?" He sounded scandalized. I shrugged.

"Doesn't matter. I'll find a use for them. Just tally up the amount, and I'll pay in the same coins as last time." His eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly recovered, nodding eagerly.

"As you wish! A rare kind of customer indeed," he said, reaching for the first batch of scrolls. This shopping stop netted me four cloth sacks full of scrolls, costing me 62 kilograms of coins. Before leaving the store, I asked, "Is there a Consistory of Solaria in the city?" Tollen shook his head.

"No. Only in the capital." I bid him farewell, then slipped back into the alley where I'd first appeared. As soon as I was out of sight, I became invisible and took to the sky, flying toward Crystalspire. At Crystalspire, I systematically emptied all the stands of scrolls and picked up five more pairs of each magnification level of the magical glasses for Mahya. She hadn't asked, but since I was already here...

This shopping spree netted me a few more sacks and crates full of scrolls, costing me over two hundred kilograms of coins. Still, it was an excellent deal. It was already late, so I took a room at an inn close to the emporium and the bakery. In the morning, I faced a dilemma: should I change my glamor back to what it was when I first visited the emporium, or stick with my current glamor and merchant class? In the end, I went with the contemporary glamor.

It made sense that a merchant would also have some odd coins from his travels. I made my way to the Potion Emporium, its familiar carved facade welcoming me back. Inside, the cool air and the scent of herbs filled the space. I approached the counter and located a free clerk.

"Good day, esteemed merchant. How may I assist you today?" the clerk greeted me in a courteous and professional tone. I handed him Al's list.

"I'd like to buy the entire stock of everything on this list," I said, glancing around at the display cases with the potions. The clerk blinked at me a few times.

"The full stock? That's quite an order," he said, eyeing the list again.

"It may take some time to gather everything."

"No problem," I replied.

"I'll wait."

"Of course, esteemed merchant. Please follow me, and I'll show you to the waiting room while we prepare your order," the clerk said, recovering quickly from his surprise. He led me down a familiar hallway to the waiting room I'd used during my last visit.

"Please make yourself comfortable. We'll bring you some refreshments shortly," he added with a polite bow before leaving. I settled into one of the plush chairs, and soon enough, an attendant arrived with a tray of tea and a plate of pastries. After a while, the clerk returned, accompanied by two assistants, each pushing a cart stacked with crates of herbs.

"We've gathered the entire stock as requested," he said, gesturing to the crates lined up in the room. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. I took out a chest of Earth coins and put it on the table. When the clerk saw them, his eyes lit up with excitement.

"Ah, those coins... We've encountered them before, though they're not common around here. Collectors and certain traders seek them out." I nodded, meeting his gaze.

"Good to know. Let's use these for the payment, then." The clerk eagerly weighed the coins, his enthusiasm evident.

"It's always a pleasure to see something different in trade." This transaction cost me 136 kilograms of coins, and I left the emporium with dozens of crates of herbs, pleased to have crossed another item off my shopping list. My next stop was the bakery. I stepped up to the counter, my eyes gleaming at the delicious array of pastries.

"I'd like to buy as much stock as you're willing to sell from all five storefronts," I said The clerk glanced around at the bustling bakery.

"That's quite a request. Are you sure you can handle that much?" I nodded firmly.

"Absolutely."

"That would require a significant amount of gold." I displayed an assortment of coins from Earth.

"Do you accept these coins?"

"I will need to check," he replied, taking the coins and disappearing into the back. After about ten minutes, he returned with an apologetic tone.

"Unfortunately, we only accept the local currency. It's store policy." I sighed.

"How much would it cost?" He did some calculations on a page.

"For that amount, you're looking at nearly 200 gold coins." I grimaced but nodded.

"Fine. I'll still take the full stock." He gave orders to the other workers, and the store became a maelstrom of activity. The sellers packed my order into boxes while other workers brought boxes of goods from the other storefronts. My total "loot" amounted to over four hundred of the strange boxes they had, made from some large leaves. The total cost was also higher—it came to 283 gold. I wasn't a miser and had plenty of gold, but I still didn't like paying with it.

Paying with Earth coins and crowing about the exchange difference was much more fun. The purchase at the emporium should have cost me almost a million dollars based on Earth's gold exchange rate, but instead, it cost about $4, 500, according to the price of out-of-circulation coins. My last stop was the Consistory. Again, I emptied all their scrolls, this time paying with Earth coins. I spent so many coins on this shopping spree I was close to depleting the second batch of coins I ordered in Alaska.

I still had almost a ton of coins left, and Mahya and Al had some more, but they were running out fast. For a fleeting moment, I considered going to Earth to order more coins but quickly told myself not to be an idiot. A thought crossed my mind while looking for an empty, secluded alley to turn invisible. Al got herbs, Mahya got glasses—never mind that she didn't ask for them—but Rue got nothing. My boy deserved some treats.

I spent the rest of the day visiting various plazas that sold grilled or smoked meat, buying out the stock of the delicious items I found. And yes, of course, I tasted everything; I had to verify the quality, after all. By evening, I had spent another 320 gold and 49 kg of Earth coins, but at least Rue was set for a while—or so I hoped. His food intake was insane. Shopping done, I zoomed back to the Gate.

"Welcome back!" Mahya exclaimed, a smile spreading across her face.

"How was the shopping trip?"

"Good. I got you something." I handed her all the glasses.

"Thank you!" she said, hugging me.

"Where's Al?" I asked.

"He found something good against monster bugs and disappeared into his lab. He'll probably resurface at some point."

"Really?" I asked, intrigued.

"What did he come up with?" She shrugged.

"I think it's some potion he's working on. He says it might fumigate them."

"Good. They're too fast and annoying." I moved over to Rue, who was wagging his tail enthusiastically. I presented him with a selection of smoked and grilled goodies I had picked up.

"Look what I brought for you, buddy!" Rue's eyes lit up as he sniffed the treats, and before I could even set them down, he dove at me, giving me a face tongue bath.

"Alright, alright! Enough of that!" I laughed, wiping my face. Once Rue settled down with his feast, I returned to Mahya.

"Let's get to work on those scrolls. We need to identify and count them."

"Good idea." I took out all the sacks and crates I bought, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Wow! You bought a lot!"

"Yep!" We identified the scrolls, made a list, counted them, and added the scrolls we had from before to the mix. The final loot was: Flame Wave —Unleashes a wave of fire that spreads out from the caster, scorching enemies in its path. Effective for area damage and crowd control. (452) Ice Wall —Creates a barrier of ice that blocks movement and projectiles, slowly melting over time. Ideal for defense and controlling enemy movement.

(125) Blade Storm —Summons a whirlwind of spinning blades that cut through enemies in a targeted area. Great for dealing damage to multiple foes at once. (631) Stone Prison —Traps a target in a stone cage, immobilizing them for a short duration. Useful for crowd control and isolating threats. (192) Thunder Strike —Calls down a bolt of lightning to strike a single target, dealing electric damage. Effective for high single-target damage.

(155) Solar Flare —Releases a burst of intense sunlight, blinding enemies and dealing radiant damage. Good for disorienting foes and inflicting damage. (242) Quicksand Sink —Creates a patch of quicksand that pulls enemies downward, slowing their movement. Ideal for trapping and hindering enemies. (465) Ember Wave —Releases a wave of small embers across a short range, capable of igniting flammable objects and causing burns to exposed skin. Useful for creating distractions or forcing enemies to retreat.

(151) Ice Slick —Creates a slippery ice patch on the ground, causing those who step on it to lose their balance. Ideal for controlling the battlefield or slowing down pursuers. (103) Stone Shard —Summons a sharp stone shard that can be launched at an enemy with precision. Effective against lightly armored opponents and can target weak points. (143) Hail Barrage —Summons a storm of hail shards that pummel enemies in a wide area. Great for area damage and to hinder enemy movement.

(585) Blazing Spikes —Summons a ring of fiery spikes from the ground, dealing fire and piercing damage to enemies in the area. Useful for area denial and damage over time. (167) Gust Barrier —Creates a temporary shield of swirling air around the user, deflecting incoming projectiles and reducing wind-based damage. Ideal for protection and evasion. (201) Shadow Veil —Envelops the user in shadows, granting temporary invisibility and muffling footsteps for a short duration. Great for stealth and surprise attacks.

(92) Stalactite Fall —Causes sharp stalactites to drop from above, dealing heavy damage to enemies in a targeted area. Effective for area damage and surprising foes from above. (334) Thunder Clap —Releases a loud, concussive blast of sound, disorienting and stunning nearby enemies for a few seconds. Useful for crowd control and disrupting enemy actions. (248) Acid Rain —Summons a brief downpour of corrosive rain, damaging and weakening the armor of enemies caught in it.

Effective for damaging multiple foes and weakening defenses. (227) Frostbite —Coats a target in biting cold, slowing their movement and inflicting minor frost damage over time. Useful for slowing foes and controlling their movement. (173) Sandstorm Swirl —Whips up a small, localized sandstorm that blinds and disorients enemies while reducing their accuracy. Ideal for disrupting enemy attacks and providing cover.

(104) Briar Bind —Summons thorny vines that wrap around a target, immobilizing them for a short duration. Useful for crowd control and restraining foes. (175) Molten Spit —Hurls a ball of molten rock that bursts on impact, splashing lava and setting the ground ablaze. Great for dealing damage and area denial. (206) Lightning Rod —Conjures a temporary lightning rod that draws nearby electrical attacks towards itself for a short period. Ideal for protecting allies and redirecting damage.

(97) Earthquake Step —Triggers a slight tremor centered on the user's location, knocking nearby enemies off balance. Helpful in disrupting enemy formations and causing chaos. (165) Sonic Piercer —Fires a concentrated sound beam, dealing damage that bypasses armor and protection. Effective for penetrating defenses and targeting weak points. (161) Vapor Mist —Releases a cloud of dense mist that obscures vision and grants temporary water resistance. Great for providing cover and aiding in escape.

(164) Gloom Burst —Emits a burst of dark energy that temporarily weakens the magical abilities of affected enemies. Useful for disrupting spellcasters and lowering their effectiveness. (99) Quake Punch —Empowers the user's next melee attack to deliver a shockwave, dealing damage in a cone in front of them. Ideal for close combat and area damage. (133) Toxic Smog —Releases a cloud of poisonous gas that lingers in an area, slowly damaging and poisoning anyone who breathes it in.

Effective for area denial and continuous damage. (174) Wind Vortex —Creates a localized twister that disrupts enemy movement and draws in nearby debris. Useful for crowd control and manipulating the battlefield. (135) The Shadow Veil was useless with our invisibility, but the rest sounded promising. Monsters and dungeons, here we come!