CH 40

Chapter 40 from “Miniature Garden Chemister part 2 – Miniature Garden”

Well then.

I had just arrived at a very unusual building. Its name was “Geezer’s Appraisal Shop.” (*** T/N: Not exactly sure on this translation. It said Jīji-ii appraisal shop which can be gramps’ appraisal shop, or Gigi, or maybe even something else. I just went with ‘Geezer’)

It is a small shop on an alleyway street, with a signboard with an eyeglass mark on it. It was entirely made of wood and had a relaxing atmosphere. An old man who looked like a fortune teller was sitting in the shop. Because the space was not large, it felt similar to the fortune teller businesses back in Japan.

Yes, as the name suggests, this is a shop where one can get a detailed appraisal of items. Anyone can see the simple description of an item like its status, but detailed information can only be seen by those who are skilled in ‘appraisal.’ People tend to think that appraisals are rather crucial in games, but in fact, it is a difficult skill to learn and not many people have it. That’s why there are people who make businesses out of it.

I’ve heard that larger business associations have their own appraisers, but small shops and adventurers without the skills often use them.

Neither Ikuru nor I have such useful skills, so I came here to have a thorough appraisal done before opening a shop this time. The idea was that if I was going to open a store, I could have a certified appraiser prepare a “certificate of authenticity” and place it next to my products to reassure customers. By the way, if the certificate is forged, the color of the “white magic tool” would become cloudy, so customers would easily recognize it.

“I’m so nervous about being appraised for my potions…!”

“Ho-ho! So young lady, you’re a chemister?”

“Oh, yes!”

I take out a potion from my backpack and hand it to the old man, the appraiser. His beard stretched down to his chest, making him look like a wizard. He fiddled with his beard with his fingers and took my potion in his other hand.

“Oh-ho! This is a very good potion!”

“Oh, is that so?”

“I’m an ex-adventurer, so I used these a lot.”

So he had been an adventurer…! Does that mean he retired and then became an appraiser? I glanced at Ikuru but he seemed to be uninterested or in a daze.

I heard a clinking sound and looked to see that the grandpa appraiser was starting to prepare. He laid a sheet of paper inside the box and placed my recovery potion on it. As I looked at him curiously, the old man explained to me as he continued his preparations.

“There are two types of appraisals. The first is the method where the appraiser verbally gives the results directly, and the second method is transcribing the results on a piece of paper. If you give a verbal explanation, it could be a lie, right? The appraisal skill is to transcribe the appraisal content onto paper. I have to look at the paper to see the results of the appraisal. In this business, there are some things you don’t want people to know, so I’ll give you a copy of the appraisal results. Doesn’t that put your mind at ease?”

“Certainly! I mean, the results are on paper…it’s amazing!”

“Ho-ho! That’s why I pour magical water here and transfer the magical power to the paper.”

The old man pours magical water into the box containing the paper and the potion.

“Well then…‘O heart that dwells in this item, reveal the truth in my medium.’ <Judgement of Truth>!”

“Oh…!”

At the old man’s incantation, the box was engulfed in a dazzling blue light.

It’s a little embarrassing that I couldn’t help but involuntarily scream.

“Hoho! A success!”

“Oh, thank you very much…!”

The grandpa hands me a piece of paper.

As he said earlier, he did not read through the paper.

I also asked him to appraise the other potions, and he gave me a piece of paper for those as well. The size of the paper would be about A5 in size. Not too big and not too small.

“Thank you!”

“Hoho! It was nice to see you again.”

Because all the appraisals were completed, we left the appraisal shop. I had appraisals done on the products I planned to sell in my store…8 in total. If I put them side-by-side when I sold them, the buyer would be able to know about each of their detailed effects.

By the way, I also had the antidote appraised at the same time. I had bought the ingredients at the store in the usual way, and then used the <Angel’s Sanctuary> at the inn. I was amazed that the bottles I bought at the store had also transformed…

***

Using the Mana Potions as a substitute for tea, Ikuru and I returned to the inn and started a strategy meeting. The house…or rather, the place to open our shop, had been decided upon. The only thing left to do now was to prepare for the opening. However, the Merchant’s Guild would be making a final check on the property, so it would be on the day after tomorrow.

“Hmm. It’s delicious…”

While drinking tea, I was wondering about a variety of things would have to think about. Ikuru had made a list of things we need for the time being, so I decided to go and check it out tomorrow…I’d buy them the day after tomorrow and take them straight to the store.

The things I needed were…

—A sign for the store

—Decorations

—Price tags

—Money box.

—Change

Oh, it might actually be less than I thought.

Incidentally, it is not customary in this world to give the things you buy in a bag except in high-class shops. Apparently, everyone has their own eco-bag or something like that, so they put their purchases in tose. It’s very eco-friendly!

I wanted to decorate the shop with flowers as well, thinking that there wasn’t much needed to buy, since it was already equipped with a desk and shelves.

“As for the sign…there are those that use regular wood and those that use magical wood.”

“Magical wood?”

“Ah…Magical wood is from a tree that can grow as a ‘tree’ even if you cut it down. There are specialized craftsmen who use it to make furniture and shop signs…it’s used in many ways. If you were to make a sign out of it, the tree would grow and blossom. Of course, the craftsmen would adjust the amount of growth so it wouldn’t overgrow.”

“Wow…those trees are amazing.”

As expected of a different world…! I didn’t know there was such a tree like one of the seven mysteries. But have a signboard that grows…it’s kind of exciting!

“Oh, but it costs a lot of money. I don’t know how much it costs, but I’m guessing it would be at least 10,000 Rill.”

“Mmm…that’s right. After all, it’s a special tree…”

“I think a regular sign would be cheap. Well, I guess a regular sign would be fine too, wouldn’t it?”

“No! Make it a growing sign!”

“Eh…well, that’s fine.”

No, no, no…once you know there’s such a thing as a growing sign, you can’t just use a regular sign! Even if it’s a bit expensive, I can’t give up on it. Although, if he had told me that it would cost 10 gold coins or something like that, I might have given up because it was definitely too expensive…Perhaps sensing the conflict in my heart, Ikuru said, “Let’s go see it tomorrow.”

“Hmm…I hope it works out.”

“Yes. By the way, is the rest of your money okay?”

“Ah…now that you mention it…”

I checked the money and found that I had about 50,000 Rill left.

“I’m a little uncomfortable, but…it’s okay.”

“Is that so?”

“As long as I don’t buy expensive jewelry and stuff like that, we’ll be fine.”

“I see.”

We were still in the process of opening, and wouldn’t need anything that expensive…it was a small shop after all.

The second floor was not being used as part of the shop and is currently on hold. So only the first floor will be used. Considering that, the space isn’t that large and there’s not a lot of things that need to be added.

“Well, the only thing left to do is to see if customers will come…”

“Indeed. In terms of pricing…we’ll have to make them more expensive, right?”

“Yes.”

Hmmm. It was not going to be good enough for me if we were going to be deserted from the first day it opens. Should I advertise something…but how?

“Do you want to sell them at the marketplace for a little bit cheaper before we open and hand out some flyers?”

“Oh, like a discount right after opening!”

Sure, that might be a good idea. Well, in this case, it would be before the store opens.

In the meantime, Ikuru and I have discussed and decided on the prices for each product. In addition, there are results of the earlier appraisal.

<Health Recovery Potion (High Potion)> 1,000 Rill.

HP recovery: 1,300Effect: Heals injuries by applying it to the affected area and heals damaged internal organs by drinking it.Note: It is impossible to cure an illness or a mutilated body. The same is also true for conditions that are similar.

<Crimson Recovery Potion (Garnet Potion)> 1,600 Rill.

HP recovery: 3,500Effect: Heals injuries that have not been cut out of the body, and heals slightly damaged internal organs by drinking it.Note: It is impossible to cure an illness or a mutilated body.

<Magic Recovery Potion (Mana Potion)> 2,300 Rill.

MP Recovery: 700Effect: Restores MP and increases MAG value by 10 for 5 minutes after taking it.

<Deep Sea Recovery Potion (Marine Potion)> 3,300 Rill.

MP Recovery: 2,300Effect: Restores MP and increases MAG value by 15 for 5 minutes after taking it.

<Princess’ Divine Protection Potion (Princess Potion)> 1,500 Rill

Effect: Increases the maximum MP value by 1.5xDuration: 1 hour.

<Detoxifying Antidote> 800 Rill.

Effect: Removes abnormal status, poisonous, and highly toxic conditions. Also slightly increases resistance to poison for 5 minutes after taking it.

<Paralysis Antidote> 700 Rill.

Effect: Removes abnormal status and paralysis. Also slightly increases resistance to paralysis for 5 minutes after taking it.

<Sleeping Antidote> 700 Rill.

Effect: Removes abnormal status, sleep is released, and a slight increase in resistance to sleep occurs for five minutes after taking it.

“I mean, it’s horribly high quality.”

“Yeah?”

“Most potions and antidotes don’t even have an ‘Effect’ section.”

Ikuru tells me so while looking at the appraisal certificates.

Normally, for example, the mana potions are listed only for MP recovery, and there is no ‘effect section.’ Considering that, I think my potions are pretty impressive. No, rather, the way they’re made is way easier than it is for others though, right?

As for the price, it is much higher than the market price. I said it could be a little bit cheaper, but Ikuru refused to budge on this one.

“For now, there’s no problem with this one. The rest is just getting a signboard and a flyer.”

“That’s right. What about the marketplace?”

“Hmmm…let’s sell a few things cheaply. It seems like you’re free to open your own stall.”

“Okay. I’d prefer the morning, but…well, the evening’s fine. I’ll make a flyer and sell things cheap to promote them.”

I nodded at Ikuru’s suggestion…Oh, come to think of it, how do I make a flyer?

“Ikuru, how do you make a flyer?”

“Oh…you can make copies of your flyer at the magic tool shop on the Main Street. You take a piece of paper that you’ve written one on yourself, and they’ll duplicate it for you with their magic tools.”

“Well, that’s convenient.”

“Well, yeah. But it takes magic to replicate them, too, so you can’t handle it unless you’re used to it.”

So that’s it.

Just like the water supply in your house, you can get water by pressing a button! Isn’t it possible with such a simple specification? But it’s a lot easier to copy than I thought it would be. Hmmm, I thought that a fantasy world would be inconvenient, but it’s surprisingly convenient. It looks good in the environment, and if it’s not good, it’s still better than Japan…or is it? Hmm, well, it’s subtle.

“Well, that’s about it for today for the time being. We’ll be busy getting ready tomorrow, so wake up early, okay?”

“Uh, I’ll do my best!”

I was slightly pressured by Ikuru to not oversleep, and I grew excited in my heart.

After confirming that Ikuru went back to his room, I took out my exchange diary from my backpack. I had a lot of things to report to God today since I bought a property.

I crawl into bed and raise my upper body up and wrote various things in the exchange diary. The ribbon on my head is still intact without morphing into a ring, and I’m slightly worried that it won’t deform today…but for now, I’m going to focus on writing in the exchange diary. I’ve never been in the habit of keeping an exchange diary like this with anyone or keeping a diary by myself, so I regret not being able to write more thoughtful sentences, but God is always kind enough to reply to me with beautiful handwriting.

I gently close the diary I’ve finished writing in, looking forward to hearing from him in the morning, then I curl up in bed. Immediately, the ribbon morphs into a ring and settles on my finger. I whispered to the ring, “Good night,” and closed my eyes.