Advancing on the royal road of the small country of Brumund.
The streets give off an antique feel but leave a solid impression.
The people passing through the streets also have a bright atmosphere, and there's no sign of a dark and oppressive air.
It seems that the absence of the feared damage from monsters has had an effect.
As a country located on the border, even in the middle of the street, there are people walking around armed.
Judging from my emotional analysis, the quality of their weapons and armor is overwhelmingly poor on average. When I compared their skills, they didn't seem particularly strong either.
However, the air of the streets, which I haven't felt in a long time, makes my heart soar.
I buy some skewers from a street vendor and walk while eating them.
I can't tell what kind of meat it is, but it's surprisingly delicious.
Rather, if I were to analyze it, I could tell what kind of meat it is, but I don't do that. I analyze something else.
It's the sauce. Even something like this sauce can be helpful for research. It's a bit underhanded, but you can learn the recipe while eating.
I jot down the necessary ingredients in my mental notes.
While doing so, I advance through the streets and have three people guide me to a shop.
It's a magic tool shop.
The existence of a daily magic item shop specializing in daily items and a magic tool shop specializing in magic items is a big difference from my previous life.
It seems that adventurers often refer to a magic tool shop as simply a tool shop.
My purpose at this shop is one: market price research.
This time, I plan to sell mid-level recovery potions. I intend to sell them for 15 silver coins at the lowest, but I want to know how much lower-level recovery potions sell for.
There might be items that can be made from Dalgyeong flowers (幻妖花) or related items.
If sold to the guild, it seems you can get 10 silver coins per flower.
It's considered a high purchase price, but even if you deliberately go into the forest to find Dalgyeong flowers, if you can't find them, it's a waste of time, so there's no one who does that.
If you hire adventurers exclusively for the purpose of harvesting, you have to be prepared to pay a considerable amount.
It seems they gather what is harvested and sold by those who find them during their travels and deliver it to the client.
For that reason, it seems that collection requests are posted year-round. It's a rather relaxed story.
There seem to be many such herbs and flowers, so I want to research their prices as well.
I enter the shop I was guided to.
Inside, a unique smell wafted up, creating a somewhat mysterious atmosphere.
It feels like the home of an old wizard.
Indeed, the shop owner was an old lady, just as you'd expect.
I quickly look around and analyze. There don't seem to be any rare materials that catch the eye.
The stock of lower-level recovery potions (potions) is low, so the price has gone up.
The reason is simple: it seems that the neighboring country of Palmus has stopped the circulation of items from the Dwarf Kingdom.
While it's an exaggeration to say they've stopped, it seems that high tariffs on combat-related items have been imposed to prevent their circulation outside the country.
If high-quality potions made in the Dwarf Kingdom are not available, the only stock left is low-quality items made by the village's apothecary.
Even then, only items with minimal effects made by boiling herbs collected from forests or caves are available.
Hmm? This could be a good opportunity...
The current lower-level recovery potion [Quality: Average, Effect: 20% recovery] sells for 2 silver coins.
The mainstream product is the Inferior Potion [Quality: Low, Effect: 15% recovery], which sells for 1 silver coin.
Indeed, even with a slightly higher effect, the price has jumped significantly. It's understandable that you shouldn't skimp on the money spent on medicine when compared to your life.
If adventurers can't find herbs and bring them to the guild, the stock will run out in no time.
It's a popular item.
Next, Dalgyeong flowers.
From this flower, hallucinogens and enchanting perfumes are made.
The effects are:
Hallucinogen: Used as a catalyst for sleep magic. If taken directly, it induces a hallucinatory state. It has a high addictive property.
Enchanting Perfume: Enhances the effect of sleep magic (30% power increase). Increases resistance to sleep magic (30% resistance increase).
Of course, for a high-quality item, a regular one would have a 20% increase in effect.
The power increase means that the success rate, effect, and duration all increase. For a practitioner of that type of magic, it's a drool-worthy item.
Moreover, the addictive property is dangerous. It might be like a drug. It can't be sold to the general public.
Additionally, by analyzing the toxicity of this flower, my resistance to poison has slightly increased. If this continues, I might be able to acquire it as a skill.
I've collected a few appropriate poisons and had them analyzed. If ingested, they have a toxic effect, but if stored in the stomach, they don't.
So, poisoning me is impossible. Since there's no food poisoning in this world, I'm checking for poisons during my travels.
Let's change the subject.
I refined it quite lightly. How much would this be worth?
"Ah? Hallucinogens or enchanting perfumes? We don't deal with such high-end items here.
You can't buy them unless you go to a major country in the central region!"
The old lady shop owner glared and said this.
She might have thought I was treating her like an idiot or teasing her.
However, just knowing about such drugs suggests that this old lady is a great apothecary.
It seems the recovery potions in this shop are handmade by the old lady. She appears to have considerable knowledge.
"No, I'm sorry. I just got my hands on something and was wondering if it's genuine.
Moreover, I received it as collateral for 1 gold coin. It's been bothering me!"
I made up a story to get by.
"What? Show me. I'll appraise it for you.
I won't charge you, so don't worry!"
The old lady said.
With no choice, I put the amount of hallucinogen I refined from one flower into a small pouch and gave it to her.
I had a few small pouches left over from making them to hold small amounts. The hallucinogen is a powder like sugar, and it's red.
The old lady looked at it and cast an appraisal spell.
"This is amazing! It's genuine! You're lucky.
This pouch alone could fetch 2 gold coins at a premium.
However, it's too difficult for amateurs to use, so selling it is prohibited.
It's a restricted item that can only be sold to licensed illusionists, so be careful!
If you ever need to dispose of it, I'd be willing to buy it for 2 gold coins."
She said, surprised.
One flower can be submitted to the guild for 10 silver coins. Just by refining it, it's worth 2 gold coins. The price has jumped 20 times.
Moreover, one bottle of enchanting perfume can be extracted from one flower. It's just a diluted essence, but it has its own value.
It was a good idea to collect it.
Magic items are often said to be expensive, but they are my source of income. There shouldn't be a problem.
Since I got it appraised, it would be a shame to leave without buying anything.
Is there anything that looks good...
I already know there are no rare items, so I look for something that seems necessary.
A book titled "Beginner's Guide to Elemental Magic" caught my eye.
It has a feel of a scam magazine that you often see, but is it published here too?
It's possible to read, and just looking at the text is a form of study. I decided to buy the book.
"What? Are you aiming to be a wizard, little girl?
That book is a beginner's guide.
It's for those aiming to pass the entrance exam for a magic school.
Even if you read it, you won't become a wizard without studying at a school. Is that okay?"
Magic school! That's great. I want to visit one someday.
I want to learn all the magic I can by using the "Great Sage" skill.
"Ah, no problem. How much is it?"
"You have a cute voice, but your tone is like an uncle's...
Never mind. Unfortunately, it's not cheap. Magic is a hobby for the rich.
Commoners find it difficult to learn magic without connections.
The book costs 1 gold coin. Can you afford it?"
Is that so... "Little girl"? I thought she wouldn't know because I'm wearing a mask, but it's my voice.
I usually don't pay attention to it. I should pay attention to my voice and try to sound more adult...
But it's too late now. It's a hassle, so I'll just leave it as is.
I'm about 150 cm tall, so I'll go with the setting of a slightly small boy.
My actual age is a bit confusing, but I've always felt like a boy.
Even if I look like a boy, there's no problem.
A mysterious boy in a mask. It's fine. In this world, there are mountains of characters like demons, heroes, and mad soldiers.
I won't stand out. From now on, I'll go with this setting.
Magic is a hobby for the rich, I see. Even if you don't have talent, aiming to be a wizard is impossible.
1 gold coin, probably around 100,000 yen.
Printing technology is surprisingly advanced, so is it just that the number of printed books is low?
"No problem. I'll buy the book for 1 gold coin. It's quite expensive, but why?"
"It's simple. Magic-related books can only be written by hand.
There's a printing technique called spirit engineering, but it erases the magic from spell books.
So, all magic-related books in circulation are handwritten.
Additionally, this book is a copy I made when I was young. Please cherish it!"
"Indeed. I didn't know. Thank you. I'll take good care of it."
I said and took out 1 gold coin. I completed the payment.
"You don't look like a rich person... Are you still a child?
Your parents must have given you a lot of money to give to a child like you..."
Muttering these words, she handed me the item.
Magic books have to be handwritten. It makes sense why they're expensive.
If there are magic-related books at a magic school or on the royal road, I'll gather and analyze them all! I vowed in my heart.
The three of them also bought items from the shop and completed their payments. It was just replenishing recovery potions and enhancement potions, so it was quick, and they waited for me.
We said our goodbyes and left the shop. It was a beneficial time.
After leaving the shop, I called the three of them to a stop.
"You guys. You know, right?"
"..."
The three of them quietly handed over 10 Dalgyeong flowers each.
I gave each of them 1 gold coin. This brought my total gold coins to 16, but I still have some leeway.
It's more profitable to cultivate Dalgyeong flowers myself. It's a waste to hand them over to the guild.
I noticed that the three of them were looking at me as if they wanted to say something while I was talking to the shop owner.
"Wait a moment! Mr. Rimuru, when did you refine hallucinogens?
Moreover, refining Dalgyeong flowers is quite difficult.
If hallucinogenic gas is released, it can lead to accidents where researchers die from addiction!"
Is that so? Indeed, it's a dangerous magic item. It makes sense why it's expensive.
"Hehehe. For me, refining such herbs is a simple task!"
"That's cheating! I can't do it..."
"Indeed, young master. Now, I can accept it without surprise."
"I also believe that young master can do anything."
The three of them, envious.
However, it seems that the two of them, other than Eren, have already distinguished this.
We've already finished researching the prices of recovery potions and other items, so we head towards the guild.
We arrived at the Free Guild Brumund branch.
The magic tool shop was on the main street of the shopping district, while the Free Guild was located at the end of the street.
It's a solid-looking building made of stone. In this world, it's rare to have a five-story building.
Moreover, it's the first time I've seen a building over three stories.
In the Dwarf Kingdom, they used underground spaces, so three-story buildings were the norm.
There are magical windows for lighting, so it's as bright as the outdoors, unlike the lizardman houses.
So, I thought there were no high-rise buildings. Well, a five-story building might not be considered a high-rise.
Inside, the air is regulated, and the temperature is comfortable.
The temperature doesn't affect me, but I can sense the ambient temperature with heat source detection, so I can immediately tell the difference from the outside temperature.
It seems this building is equipped with a magical temperature control system. It's surprisingly advanced.
I thought the civilization level would be low in this world, but it seems to have developed in a different direction from my previous life.
If there were no demons or monsters, it might have developed into a more magical civilization.
However, conversely, all this development is aimed at combating monsters.
It's said that the demons were given fertile land, so if the power balance were to reverse, a counterattack by the monsters might be possible.
I've also heard that this is the main argument of the Western Holy Church.
For now, the monster side might be stronger. To protect the rights of our village, I think policies are necessary at an early stage.
It was a good decision to come.
Seeing a human village and understanding the humans of this world greatly influences future policies.
I planned to observe various things.
Just standing here won't do anything.
Guided by the three, we move inside. The interior looks like a city hall reception area.
There are counters similar to the check-in counters at some airports, with signs that say "Purchase Reception."
There are three main counters:
The purchase counter.
The general guild member counter.
The adventurer guild member counter.
These are the three distinctions.
The purchase counter is for receiving and processing items collected or submitted to the guild.
The general counter is for beginners or guild members living in the village. It seems to be used for joining or leaving the guild.
The adventurer counter is only for recognized adventurers.
An adventurer is a guild member in the fields of collection, exploration, and extermination. While they can belong to several guilds, they are generally referred to as adventurers because their main activities are outside the village.
To be an adventurer, you must have at least some combat ability.
For example, there's a magic guild. Only those who can use some form of magic can join, but they can only use the general guild.
Just being able to use magic isn't enough. You need to belong to one of the fields of collection, exploration, or extermination and be active outside the village to be recognized as an adventurer.
So, what are the benefits of being recognized as an adventurer?
Free guild members are clearly divided by their affiliated country, but adventurers have the benefit of being able to freely change their affiliated country.
Moving to a different village and crossing borders is relatively simple. Of course, there are restrictions during wartime, but traveling through other countries is easy.
In other words, compared to guild members affiliated with a country, adventurers have the freedom to choose their country. However, the only real difference is the tax collection authority.
The original name "Free Guild" comes from the fact that adventurers, who can freely move between countries, form the base.
However, in reality, there aren't many who change countries frequently.
The three of them explained this to me at each counter.
After roughly taking my name, I was guided to a room inside.
"Hey, I'll be guiding this person inside."
"Ah, Mr. Kabal. You're back. Who is this?"
"Ah, a guest of the branch manager. Please treat them with respect."
While having this conversation, we moved inside through a passage next to the counter.