Chapter 82

Well, I was told that the riding beast is to the south, so I'll go look for it.

Since it's in the opposite direction, it would be faster to return to the capital Alzana first and then head south.

If I'm going to teleport anyway, I might as well go to Fagato, ask Garganos of Navi Grande to make me some equipment, and check on the status of Fast's shop before I do. I know the direction, but it might take some time to find the riding beast, so I'll take care of the things I already know about first.

Fagato, as always, has red and yellow primary-colored flowers spilling over white walls, and the bright sun casts deep shadows on the white city. The reflection is blinding.

When I'm in a good mood or feeling energetic, it's nice, but thinking that this scene is annoying might mean I'm just being picky. Please, at least give me some shade.

This scenery somehow makes me think of Vers, and I pick up the stone at my chest. The blue stone shows no particular change; Bahamut hasn't recovered yet.

When I arrive in front of Garganos' house, a well-dressed man is calling out to someone behind the door. I wonder what it's about, but he's holding a leather-bound case, so he's probably a business partner of Garganos.

"Garganos, come out! I know you're in there."

I hope he's not a debt collector.

"Please, don't ignore me. Just listen to what I have to say. It's a good offer."

Good, he is a business partner.

"Excuse me, is Garganos at home?"

"He's here, but Garganos doesn't come out unless he goes to buy alcohol."

The man looks at me suspiciously. Well, I thought he was a debt collector too, so it's even.

"Yeah, I know."

I turn to the man and call out to the door.

"Garganos, I brought firewine!"

"It's no use, I've been coming here for five days..."

Just as the man is speaking, there's a commotion from inside and the door opens.

"Hey! Long time no see!"

"Ah."

I enter the house, ignoring the man who is surprised by Garganos' easy appearance.

"Oh, Fast! Come back tomorrow! I'll listen to your request."

"Wait, you'll take it!?"

The man, Fast, looks surprised at Garganos.

"I'll listen if I like it. You never bring bad requests, so come back tomorrow. I'm going to have a drink now!"

He says this and cheerfully invites me in.

To Garganos, alcohol is something with a high alcohol content and a stimulating fizz. The alcohol sold around here is weak and barely better than water. He once asked for alcohol made by dwarves from his hometown, but it was difficult due to degradation during transportation. The firewine I brought last time apparently met his standards, and he liked it.

"Hey, you hate people, don't you?"

"I don't like people, but I like the alcohol you bring."

I tell the man, Fast, who is staring at me blankly, and follow Garganos into the house.

"Hey! Hey! It's alcohol!"

Knowing that Garganos drinks twice his belly, I bring the firewine in a barrel. I hand him the barrel, and he places it on the table, quickly drills a hole in the bottom with a chisel-like tool, fills a large mug without spilling, and skillfully plugs the hole with a small wooden peg.

"So? What is it? More practice?"

After a drink, he asks with a mug in hand, looking happy with foam on his beard.

Dwarves, unlike humans, can only distinguish between salty and meat flavors. Their favorite delicacy, apparently, is salted and grilled meat. In return, they are extremely sensitive to the taste differences in alcohol, salt, and meat. I hope the dwarves I play as have the same taste as humans.

I was a bit uncomfortable when he was deeply moved by the orc pork sprinkled with "Divine Salt." The "Divine Salt" is in a small bottle given by Rusa, but it never seems to run out, making it a convenient item. I used it after confirming with Rusa at last night's party that I could use it freely, and I was surprised to level up just from this dish. I might have been about to level up anyway.

Thanks to the gods, I can handle high-rank materials, and thanks to the "Expert Cooking" skill, I can get almost a 5 rating, and at least a 3, even with materials of an inappropriate rank. With the various skills I've received, I want to get a 10 rating and have the gods eat my cooking.

I made the pudding into baked pudding to improve the rating. I think I've covered most of the "Expert" ingredients, but I'm not good at "steaming" or "chilling." A 3 rating is considered bad, so I can't serve it. I was a bit stuck after finishing it, thinking about what to do. Most of the ingredients and cooking methods I'm good at overlap, so I thought I was fixed at a 5 rating. I need to reflect on that.

Even with the "Skillful Gloves," it's still difficult to cook the ingredients Dur prepared and get a high rating. I need to seriously improve my cooking skills.

By the way, Dur apparently started raising cows and chickens on the side of farming, not for meat but for milk and eggs. When he brought them to the party and pointed to the dairy cow, saying, "Squeeze it!" I didn't know what to do.

"Do you mind showing me how to make gauntlets and boots?"

I bring my thoughts back and express my hope in response to Garganos' question.

"Gauntlets and boots? I make jewelry. I've made a king's armor before, but it's not suitable for adventurers to use in practice. To be honest, my work is only aesthetically functional, and the best I can do is extract abilities from existing magic stones. I can't provide the kind of defense you're looking for."

"When I saw the grip of the staff and the paper knife you showed me before, the craftsmanship was flawless and very practical. That's what I want."

When I reiterate my request, he tells me how to make metal gauntlets and iron boots, explaining that leather processing is outside his expertise. Normally, such skills can't be learned in such a short time, but thanks to the skills, it's possible. However, if the skills don't manifest, I'll have to learn them the hard way, just like in the real world. I need to decide whether to prioritize the unseen "Barrier Magic" or "Magic Circles."

As before, Garganos teaches me while drinking, and gives me a book with diagrams of gauntlets, iron boots, and greaves that he collected when he made them. Gauntlets with five fingers are called gauntlets, and those with two fingers are called mittens. I thought mittens were pot holders, but it seems they refer to all two-fingered gloves.

"Why gauntlets and boots? Wouldn't a breastplate be easier to make?"

"I'll tell you, but you have to keep it a secret."

"Sure, I can keep my mouth shut. I don't have any close friends here anyway."

I received an inappropriate coat.

Compared to the coat, I have better gloves and boots, but they don't match the coat's design. I have a skill to change the appearance of equipment to match, so I want to get something that matches the coat's design.

"You have a rare skill. But why make them yourself?"

"It's a bit difficult, but I feel bad about just changing the appearance of different equipment. If I explain the skill and ask, they might agree, but I don't want to reveal the skill and get involved in various requests. I also don't want to show the coat to someone to have it made, so I decided to try it myself. If there were a craftsman who could make a design prototype, it would be easier, but I can't think of anyone."

If there's a drop item that matches the design, I could fight the enemy until it drops.

By the way, I can change the gloves to gauntlets, as the option appeared for the Griffin gauntlets, but I didn't actually change them. I can't replace the coat with gloves, so it seems to be a per-equipment slot replacement.

"Should I make them for you?"

"Is that okay? It's just borrowing the appearance."

"If I make them, you'll show me the coat, right?"

"If you see it, you'll make them, right?"

"Sure."

I equip the "Tasha White Leaf Hat," "Verna White Night Robe," and "Faru White Stream Underwear."

I don't have gloves, and being barefoot is a bit silly.

Oh, I'm wearing the white pants I usually wear.

The White Stream Underwear is a percentage increase, so the effect becomes greater as my level and other equipment improve. Thanks to the Master Ring, the effect is already exceptional. The notation of "Master Ring's double" seems to multiply the base stats.

I'm worried about physical defense, but if I'm not mistaken, I can wear Bahamut over it. It's more like being covered, but it's a subtle point. Perhaps the three gods anticipated this and gave me this equipment. I'll confirm with Bahamut when he recovers.

Until then, I'll avoid combat.

"This is... interesting..."

Garganos falls silent as soon as he sees the equipment.

His eyes are like Ruba's when she saw the silver Leo.

I feel very uneasy wearing it.

"Hmm, it looks like a coat, but it also looks like a robe when you don't move."

"The color is like the white moon."

"The reflective color is like snow under the moonlight."

"The flowing hem is neither heavy nor light."

"The pattern on the hat is white leaves and branches."

He keeps muttering as he circles me, or rather, the coat and hat, like a hungry bear. Garganos, being a dwarf, is shorter than my chest, so there's no pressure, but I feel a strange tension, wondering when he'll grab the hem of the coat.

"Should the accent color be green to match the leaves... gold to match the other moon... or purple to match the hair color..."

"No, adding color here would be tasteless."

"Then, use a different white material."

Sorry, I can freely change the color of this skill, but I can't say it in this atmosphere.

By the way, I can't change the color of the coat, hat, or underwear. They are "Artifacts" with "white" in their names. I wanted to change the underwear to black, but it's not possible.

By the way, the armor was changed to white by Vers, but did Bahamut himself also change from black to white? Black dragons were cool.

By the way, Ruba lamented the lack of silver in the market, but how is it now? Should I deliver the silver I got from digging Tigar's star dust?

By the way, I feel like my staff is almost complete...

By the way, I want to go to the guild's library and the used bookstore...

By the way...

I was trying to distract myself from Garganos, who was circling and muttering, but it seems he's finished looking and is now standing still, muttering.

Am I done?

"Garganos, are you done?"

No response.

I called out a few times, but there was no response, so I left two barrels of firewine and quietly left Garganos' house. I wonder if the man he said would come tomorrow to discuss the request will be able to talk to him.