Chapter 82

After leaving the Rebi Trading Company, Al, as usual, visited the adjacent store that sold spellbooks. It seemed that the staff had become familiar with Al's questions, for as soon as he showed his face, they replied, "We haven't received any new flying spellbooks." Since earning money with Raindrop, his earnings hadn't been as substantial, and he hadn't saved enough to buy other spells from this official store.

He had a set destination after that. It was Lala's stall in the same area near the South Gate. Coming here had become a habit, especially on days when he didn't venture outside the city as an adventurer, such as when there was a tea party at the Rebi Trading Company. In fact, there was a reason for this. Since buying the spellbook for dispelling magic, Lala hadn't told him about any new spellbooks arriving. Indeed, there hadn't been any rumors about the discovery of new ancient ruins, which were the main source of spellbooks, for about half a year, and there weren't many mages who sold spellbooks to Lala.

"Lala, have any new spellbooks arrived?"

"Nope."

Lala's response today was as curt as ever.

"More importantly, how's your magical artifact training going? Have you been reading the magical circuits of the artifact I gave you the other day?"

Al smiled at Lala's question.

"Yeah, it's quite similar to spellbooks, so it's easy to read."

"Surely you haven't finished reading it already, right? If you're just saying that, I won't sell you any more spellbooks."

Lala looked surprised. The magical artifact she had given Al as homework was quite complex, and it had taken her about a week to analyze it herself. She was sure she had given it to Al just three days ago.

"I'm not lying. There were a few symbol images I hadn't seen before, so it took some time, but I finished reading it. It's a magical artifact that can raise or lower the temperature of the surrounding air. Is it meant to be worn on clothes?"

"Hmm, that's correct. Even though you're used to reading spellbooks as a mage, it seems you have a special aptitude for magical artifacts. Come by when you have time, and I'll check how far you've gotten. But it seems you're doing well."

Al scratched his head. He enjoyed reading spellbooks, and the magical circuits in artifacts were similar. Recently, it had become even more enjoyable because Grii helped him with the symbol analysis.

"Then, why don't you try to investigate the magical artifact you wanted to commission? There shouldn't be any risk of it malfunctioning."

"Yeah, but... the magical circuits are so intricate and densely written. It's quite a challenge."

Lala smiled wryly. Al's words were almost a confession that he had already started analyzing the magical circuits without waiting for her recommendation. Normally, analyzing magical artifacts could be dangerous for amateurs, as there was a risk of parts malfunctioning, and it should only be done with the permission of an instructor. However, it was unlikely that Al would stop even if she told him so.

"During this period, until the festival, there won't be many spellbooks to buy. Use this time to study magical artifact analysis thoroughly. And help me out, will you?"

Lala said this as if it were a big deal, nodding to herself. Perhaps she wanted Al to help with the analysis of magical artifacts. If he could earn money by analyzing them, it would be a welcome opportunity for Al.

"Ten silver coins per item, right?"

"Once an artifact has been analyzed, it's easy to identify. We call it appraisal, and we don't give such tasks to you. We only give you the more difficult ones that haven't been analyzed. That's a tough job. If you can analyze them and explain the results to me, I'll pay you fifty silver coins per item. But there won't be many such cases."

Lala continued with a serious expression. According to her, most of the magical artifacts brought in for appraisal were ones she had already seen, and there was no need to analyze them in detail. That's why they were priced at ten silver coins each. However, about one in a hundred artifacts was something she had never seen before, and analyzing them took a lot of time. She wanted to commission Al to do this. Normally, it would be a troublesome task, but Al smiled.

"That sounds fun. I'll do my best to take on such tasks."

"Hehe, I'm counting on you."

-----

That night, Al had dinner at the usual Red-Faced Sheep Inn. Maddock and Nijela were out on some guard duty, and the other long-term guests were only Al and Orson.

"Al, Cody has another job for you."

Orson called out to Al while taking a bite of the meat on his fork.

"Yeah, the one to collect the stones used for tanning hides? It hasn't been six months yet, right?"

Al answered while spooning a carrot from the stew into his mouth.

"It seems tanning the hide of the Mutsashidora was quite difficult. They used a lot of high-quality materials. They want more."

Al chewed thoughtfully. He remembered he needed to talk to Malachi, Tempest's assistant, about the crystal from the necklace he had taken from the Goblin Mage. He had been so engrossed in learning spells and analyzing magical artifacts that he had forgotten about it. He hadn't had a tea party with Patricia for about a month, and although it was a bit far, he could make a round trip before the Mushroom Festival.

"Want to go with me? Or should I go alone?"

Orson thought for a moment but shook his head.

"It's quite far. Since it's not in the frontier, Al can handle it alone. Can you take the job? I'll let Cody know."

Al nodded. There were towns along the way, so he didn't need any special preparations.

"Then, I'll leave tomorrow."

Al said this and reached for a piece of bread.

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