Chapter 81

The shop owner pushed me with his thick hands and guided me towards the display shelves that filled one side of the store.

I glanced at the personal shopper standing behind me. She looked conflicted, unsure whether to dissuade the shop owner or to welcome the introduction of items that piqued my interest.

Personal shoppers, usually reserved for VVIPs at department stores, are for customers who spend a significant amount of money, right?

If so, there should be a lot of big data on the tastes of such customers. However, the personal shopper, who was forcibly assigned to me by the administrative manager, seemed to lack the necessary information to function as a 'personal shopper' and was understandably struggling.

VVIP Jay, the one who wields an infinite diamond, a blank check in itself. Under the blessing of the dwarves, he buys everything that piques his interest until his inventory is full.

I even bought a parasite with money, so is there anything I can't buy? Now, if I can persuade someone that a pebble is a limited edition, I can easily spend four-digit diamonds. The big data on me being a pushover will soon pile up, won't it?

On one side of where we moved, four druids seemed to be in a party. They were gathered around a corner where the regular potion display was, and I was in front of a sparkling display of special items, which seemed to be dusted by the minute.

They were whispering seriously, and I inadvertently overheard their conversation.

"We might be short on diamonds…."

"Then, should we return this and get more of that to earn a coupon? If we do it right, we might get a free potion. And I think it's more cost-effective to buy mini potions, don't you?"

"Until now, we didn't have any major battles, so we used potions sparingly. But once we divide the potions, they can only be used on specific parts of the body… If a crisis suddenly arises…."

"Ugh… How long are we going to stay stuck in the potion shop? We still have a mountain of things to buy."

It was a normal conversation among regular druids without infinite diamonds. Just as I was about to ignore it, a loud, angry stomping sound was heard. The shop owner, in a panic, clung to the display of special items.

"It's all because your kid used the inn's commission to travel! I told you to put away the goblin needle at the inn, didn't I? You made holes in the bed sheets, so I had to buy a new one!"

"But you know our child gets lonely easily. I just wanted to give a goodnight greeting and send them back to the artifact quickly."

"Don't lie! Do you think your druid only messed up the bed? The carpet and curtains were also full of holes. If that had been discovered, we would have had to go to the next terrarium naked."

As the commotion grew, the shop owner quickly approached them. He warned that if the commotion caused any damage to the items, they would have to buy them all, and the druid party quickly quieted down.

"Ah, I'm sorry to have caused you trouble, sir. Would you like to see these special items? Oh, your druids have such beautiful and lovely petals."

"Huh, yes. My druids are very lovely and beautiful."

Go on, go on. Indeed, it wasn't just me who found our children lovely! Others saw them as beautiful too! I felt my pride swell. The shop owner, with his skilled flattery, made me feel like I was on top of the world.

"The most essential thing for growing druids is this plant nutrient! …that's it!"

The shop owner showed me a sign on the display, explaining that there were different plant nutrients for various fields. For example, the nutrient for desert field druids helps store water more easily….

"Oh! I know what that is!"

I had given the nutrient to all my druids except for Bagot in the 26th terrarium. I received it as a lucky draw prize and distributed it evenly. I think it boosted their defense stats. But I remember it was called 'Special Druid Nutrient' rather than just 'Plant Nutrient'.

"This is different from regular druid nutrients. It provides sufficient nutrition to the mother plants and makes the petals fresher…!"

"That's just water with a little medicine. It's expensive, and you need to give a lot to see any effect. With the money to buy this, you might as well go to an orchard and buy authentic nutrients or nutrient fruits…."

A woman from the druid party whispered this deliberately loud enough for me to hear.

Oh, is that so? When I put the sign back in its original place, the shop owner's face changed dramatically.

You judge the nutrients from the orchard too? Why didn't anyone tell me this? If I had known, I could have bought a few boxes. The special items no longer seemed special, and my interest waned. I was about to lead my children out.

"Hey! Sir! If you touch it, you have to buy it! These are special bottles, and once they are handled, their value drops!"

The shop owner suddenly shouted, and I almost bumped into the display behind me, but the personal shopper skillfully caught me.

Huh? What did I touch? I didn't touch anything except the sign… Looking at his trembling finger, I saw Bagot holding a small glass bottle, his face pale.

Bagot, who had been outside the swamp, found everything in the world new and fascinating. Everything he saw was new, like the floating duckweed he stared at for a long time.

The shiny bottle on the display, filled with liquid, must have seemed very interesting to him. He must have picked it up, mimicking me as I chose items….

"Don't talk nonsense! I've never heard of a nutrient that loses its value just because the bottle was touched!"

The woman from the druid party, who had been giving advice, suddenly came to my defense.

"T-This is different! These are special bottles made by a special order from the Alchemy Tower!"

"You must have touched them when you moved them, right?"

"N-No, I always wear special gloves to handle the items carefully!"

I glanced at my personal shopper. Despite her poker face, I could tell she was very skeptical. In other words, the shop owner was barking up the wrong tree. Woof woof.

So, this nutrient display is full of overpriced items, and since I'm not buying anything based on the party's advice, you're trying to pin it on Bagot…?

Honestly, even with the druid party's advice, if the shop owner had praised our children more enthusiastically, I might have felt good enough to buy something.

Bagot, thinking he had done something wrong, looked like he was about to cry. Although a disaster-level cry wouldn't happen because of the staff fragment, it was ridiculous for my druid to be intimidated by just a bottle. I knelt down to Bagot's eye level.

"Our Bagot, you're so clever. You wanted to grow taller and stronger, didn't you? You were thinking of growing quickly to protect me, weren't you? Come on, let's try the nutrient you picked."

The bottle containing the nutrient had a fancy cap, like a wine bottle. It seemed like they were trying to add value by packaging the contents. I easily popped the cap with my thumb, and it rolled on the floor.

"You're so good. Our druids should desire everything that helps them grow and become stronger. You're a true druid."

I stroked Bagot's head and held the bottle, which was about the size of my two thumbs, to his mouth. The liquid inside was barely a half-finger's worth. Bagot, who had been on the verge of tears, quickly swallowed and looked puzzled.

When I held the bottle to his lower lip, he gulped it down in one go. If there were any changes in my druids, I would immediately feel them in my body. Since our souls are connected, I can sense changes like stat increases or level-ups. But I didn't feel anything.

"Would you like to try, Daisy?"

I swept a row of bottles from the display with one hand and gave them to Daisy.

"Sir!"

The shop owner's features twisted in distress.

"I can't feel any changes. Bagot, try more."

I gave Bagot the top row of bottles, and the room fell silent. The only sound was the rolling of the bottle caps. I felt a slight change when the children had drunk about five or six bottles.

"Exactly! You need to give a lot to see any effect! It's better to buy nutrient fruits from the orchard."

"Y-Yes, that's true."

I said this to the woman who had given me advice, and she nodded, looking flustered.

"Druid… This tastes bad…. I'm sorry…."

Daisy, who had been drinking enthusiastically at my command, looked dejected before she could finish the bottle.

"Our Daisy, don't apologize! The problem is with the store that sells such bad-tasting things! Medicines are supposed to be bitter, but this is bitter and not good for you. Don't drink it, don't drink it. Stop drinking."

I collected all the bottles Daisy and Bagot were holding and threw them in the trash can next to the display.

"Sir, all of these…."

"I don't know how much they cost, but I'll pay for them all! I'll consider the diamonds as a loss! I don't want to come back to such a terrible place! You said I can evaluate the store if I buy something here, right? I'll give it the worst review!"

I didn't even look at the shop owner. I turned to my personal shopper, who had returned to her poker face, and she took out her wallet.

"I'll reflect it immediately. The cost of the diamonds used for the purchase will affect the evaluation…."

Suddenly, a loud noise was heard. It was the shop owner's bell. He took out his wallet and looked pale, even more so than Bagot had earlier.

"Especially since this evaluation is from the administrative manager of the 28th terrarium of the World Tree, one of our most valuable customers, the importance of this cannot be overstated."

I thought it was just a simple star rating terror, but the atmosphere felt like the value of a five-star hotel had been reduced to zero.