Chapter 48

After a night's rest, I logged into [OSO] in the afternoon, feeling more mentally composed. I made potions and enchantment stones, stored them in the item box, and then leaned on the counter of the atelier, absentmindedly fiddling with a stone in my hand.

"I'm going to deliver to Mr. Magi. Please watch the store for me."

"Sure, thanks."

I responded absentmindedly to Kyoko's voice. All the while, I pressed my cheek against the cool counter and focused my gaze on the stone. This was the stone I had clung to until the end in the river yesterday. When I had some mental space, I started to wonder why I had been holding onto it, but I only noticed it this morning when I was organizing my inventory.

"This... is a gemstone."

I identified it with my crafting sense, but I still didn't know what kind of gem it was.

"There's no point in just moping around, so I'll polish it and see."

I started to polish the gemstone with the polishing kit I took out of my inventory. I didn't use the polishing skill to process it, in case of any accidental failure, to increase the success rate. I was worried that my skills might have dulled after a long break, but it seemed like my fingers still remembered well. As I kept polishing, a green layer began to appear through the gaps in the stone.

"Hello."

"…Huh?"

I stopped my work and looked in the direction of the voice.

"Oh, it's you, Luca."

"Hello, Yun. How are you?"

"You're my first customer today."

"What about the NPC clerk who usually handles the store?"

"I asked them to make a delivery. What do you usually want?"

"Yes."

I took out the necessary items from the item box: five each of Blue Potions, High Potions, HP Potions, and Enchantment Stones. Although I don't usually make exceptions for friends regarding purchase limits, Luca and his party don't rely on items in battle, so they understood.

"…"

"Hey, I'll finish the transaction."

"Oh, sorry."

"Are you curious about that?"

Luca's gaze was on the gemstone and the polishing kit.

"I was wondering what you were doing."

"I found a gemstone and was polishing it."

"Ah, this is it? I've never seen a raw gemstone before."

"You can't appraise mineral items without a crafting or forging sense."

I handed him the items as I spoke.

"If you have time, could you pick up some stones? I'll appraise and buy them."

"Sure, I'll keep that in mind."

"Thanks."

Luca left with a slightly exaggerated farewell, and I couldn't help but chuckle. I continued polishing while occasionally serving players who came in, but they all seemed to be beginners. Despite the interruptions, I managed to finish polishing a small gemstone.

"A small-sized jade. It's not suitable for skill enhancement."

If I had nine more, I could upgrade it to a medium-sized gemstone through alchemy, but I wasn't quite ready to dive into the water for that.

"I'm back."

"Ah, welcome back, Kyoko."

"I managed to get a good price for the Enchantment Stones."

"That's great. Yun here also sold some items to Luca."

The money I had on hand, after deducting tomorrow's expenses, would be enough to expand the store and buy a potion-making kit. However, my funds would be completely drained again.

"So, we've reached the target amount. If I go and make the request now, the production room should be ready behind the store by tomorrow."

"Then, I'll take a break from hunting this afternoon and go make the request. I have some questions too."

I stood up and left the store, passing by Kyoko. My first destination was the NPC who manages the sale of fields.

"Hey, are you free?"

"What's up, miss? What can I do for you?"

His tanned arms and overalls suited him well. I've bought expensive land from this guy many times. Thinking about it makes me bitter. Let's get this over with.

"I want to expand the store. I need a production room behind the store and a potion-making kit delivered."

"Finally moving forward from a counter store, huh?"

He muttered as he took the money from me. Apparently, expansions don't leave any seams. Fantasy games are truly unique.

"Oh, right. Can you grow chrysanthemums and this moss?"

I showed him the yellow flower and moss stone I took out of my inventory.

"Sure, you can grow chrysanthemums by planting seeds. The moss stone will spread on its own if you place it near a large enough rock."

"Wow, thanks."

I got the information I needed. Knowing that I can grow chrysanthemums and moss means I don't have to risk going to that dangerous river to gather them. With today's tasks mostly done, but still plenty of time left in the afternoon, I decided to do something in town. According to the old man's story yesterday, the library has information on potion recipes. I asked an NPC and found the library easily.

"It's in the academic building in the north district."

The academic building is just a school, but it's surprisingly large for a beginner town. The library, which is attached to the school, is a striking two-story red brick building. I took a screenshot here. Entry to the academic building is free, but you need to pay 10,000G per month to borrow books from the library.

"Excuse me, can I enter the library?"

"Yes, here's your entry card. The library closes at 5 PM. If you want to borrow books, you'll need to pay a 10,000G registration fee and a monthly insurance fee."

"I'll just read here."

"Sure, here you go."

I took the entry card and walked inside. The library was filled with a serene and cool atmosphere. I looked up at the tall bookshelves reaching to the ceiling. Most of the books were thick, and I couldn't understand the titles.

Right, this game has its own language. Publications are in this language, so I can't read them.

"…I came to the library and can't read the books?"

I was about to give up, but the game is kind and provides help. I went back to the reception and asked.

"Excuse me, how can I read the text?"

"To read the text, you need to learn [Linguistics]. If you're starting now, I recommend starting with the picture book section on the right."

Ah, right, I remember I had a Linguistics sense when my total SP exceeded 20. I searched for it among the available senses and acquired it.

SP: 16

[Eagle Eye Lv31][Speed Boost Lv16][Discovery Lv12][Magic Talent Lv34][Magic Power Lv32][Enhancement Lv9][Potion Making Lv4][Crafting Lv24][Production Sense Lv21][Linguistics Lv1]

On hold:

[Training Lv1][Synthesis Lv22][Earth Attribute Talent Lv3][Bow Lv22][Alchemy Lv24]

For the town, I put the bow on hold and equipped Linguistics. Instantly, I could read a small part of the text around me.

"I see, I can feel it. Linguistics is like a translation."

The readable text is at the level of hiragana in Japanese. I might need to level it up more to read the recipes.

"Ah~. Well, I'll start with the picture books."

I felt a bit embarrassed about reading picture books at my age, but I had no choice. I picked up a book titled "The Tale of Euphorius, Part One" and started reading.