Chapter 9

"Hard to believe, isn't it..."

Hag fiddled with the plastic bottle as he continued.

"Actually, it's not something unheard of."

"Huh?"

I raised my gaze from the crackling branches in the bonfire.

"I'm not a priest, so I don't know the details, but it seems that occasionally new gods are born, and their followers or priestesses are chosen. I don't think a person, let alone an individual, can create a god, but perhaps it just happened to be the timing for a new god to be born, and your strange imagination got caught up in it?"

I see.

It wasn't just a product of my otaku delusions; it seems my painful imagination coincidentally aligned with the timing of a new god being born in this world.

Yeah, that's easier to accept.

I don't want to think it was born from a dark history.

Translating something like 'giving birth to a god' into English would be quite troublesome. If it were translated as 'GOD,' it would be too much. I hope they stick with 'KAMI.' But no one would actually translate it, right?

"As I explained earlier, I have as many questions as you do. Anyway, there's a god, and they helped me, and I was sent to this continent, and I was given some kind of... superpower? That's all I know."

"Superpower?"

"Hmm... mysterious power... something like that?"

"Hmm..."

Hag stroked his chin, deep in thought. It seemed to be a habit of his when he was thinking. After a while of silent contemplation, he slowly exhaled.

"It's best not to talk about this to just anyone."

"I was forced to tell you, though."

"Don't mix things up. If you had done that in the middle of town, it would have caused a big commotion. Next time, use a bag or something. Item bags are pretty common, you know."

"What did the thief say about that? What kind of thing is it?"

"Hmm? This."

He pulled out a bag from his waist, about the size of a soccer ball, and started taking out items one by one. There were iron blocks, hammers, chisels, and other tools, but the volume of the items clearly exceeded the size of the bag. No matter how you packed it, it would be at least twice the size of the bag.

"As you can see, it's a container that can hold several times its size. It's quite valuable, and you can buy one in a decent town. By the way, this bag can hold about three times its size."

"I see, that makes sense."

I'm not sure if it's part of my ability, but there are items with container-like abilities in this world.

"The first goal for a traveling merchant is to get one of these item bags. Next is a cart."

"Hmm, that seems backwards, doesn't it?"

"Carts are much more expensive and have higher maintenance costs. The standard is to get an item bag first to save up money. Since there's demand, many are produced, and while the price is reasonable, they are easy to obtain. So, you should put your hand in the bag and take things out from there, not directly."

"Got it. I don't want to cause any misunderstandings."

I decided to buy a similar bag when we get to town. I took out my carry bag and made a note in my notebook.

"What is that!?"

"What now! ...This? It's a bag. Don't they use these here?"

"Backpack... right? Usually, people carry something like what I use. There are differences in size, though."

Next to Hag was a sturdy backpack as big as his body, with many small straps attached, holding a small frying pan, a metal cup, a hammer, a rope, and other items.

I doubt I could stand up if I tried to carry that.

"Isn't it similar?"

"The material is too different... This seems to be made of a material similar to a plastic bottle. Interesting."

Hmm. I have no idea about the cultural level of this world. They mentioned carriages instead of cars earlier.

"Oh."

I realized something important, or rather, something I had forgotten. I only have Japanese yen, and that's a big problem.

After thinking for a while,

"Hey, Hag. Do you think this would sell?"

I showed him a plastic bottle filled with water.

"It would sell, but finding a buyer might be a bit difficult. You could try bringing it to a merchant guild; I'd like one too."

"Here, have one."

"Sure. I'll take that as a thank you. I want another one, though."

"I see."

After thinking for a while,

"Then, how about selling it for half the price you think is appropriate?"

I don't understand the currency here, so I'm leaving it up to him. I have a feeling Hag will give me a fair price.

Am I the type to trust people like this?

No, he saved my life. Even if I get cheated, it's a small price to pay for my life.

"Hmm... one silver coin, no, two... five is too much... but I'm not familiar with this at all..."

He was fiddling with his beard more intensely than before, and he slapped his knee. The sound surprised me a bit.

"I'm not good with money! So I just decided on a price! Half of that!"

He handed me a bunch of coins from his big hand. They looked like ten-yen coins but were a bit larger, and there were about fifty of them. There was also one coin that looked like a five-hundred-yen coin.

"If you sell it to a merchant, it would be worth about 3,000 yen. So the selling price would be around 7,000 yen, and you gave me 1,500 yen."

The moment Hag took the water-filled plastic bottle from my hand,

[Your Divine Rank has increased to 2]

[Your Container Capacity is now 15]

I heard the usual emotionless voice.

What? Huh?

My head went blank for a moment. I didn't understand. There were too many things to question.

"Is the currency here yen?"

Let's put the divine rank and container capacity aside for now.

"Huh? Of course it is."

Is it really... but the coins he gave me don't look like Japanese coins at all. Is there something wrong with my eyes?

The large number of coins in my hands.

It seems to be exactly 1,500 yen.

I don't understand at all.

My current balance is 17,723 yen.

I decided to try storing the silver coin.

Sure enough, my balance increased to 18,723 yen.

"Right."

I had an idea and tried it out.

I took out 500 yen worth of this world's coins.

Copper coins poured into my hand, and I couldn't hold them all, so they spilled onto the ground. There were fifty in total.

"What did you do this time?"

Hag looked down at the coins, stroking his chin.

"I just took out exactly 500 yen worth of these coins."

"Hmm."

Hag looked puzzled, but it was a minor issue.

The important point was different.

Interchangeability between Japanese yen and the local currency!

This means I can earn the local currency and buy items from the SHOP list!

From the conversation with Hag, I predict that the civilization level here is low, so being able to buy things like underwear and toothbrushes is a big deal.

Yeah, it's really helpful.

And it seems like the items can be increased.

Eventually, more convenient items will be added.

There are still many mysteries, but a major issue has been resolved.

However,

The issue of divine rank remains unresolved.