Chapter 86

I received a letter of introduction to an alchemist who makes bullets from the shop owner. They said that if I deliver the letter to the reception desk of the alchemy tower, they would arrange a meeting with him. I put the neatly sealed letter in my pocket and pondered. It felt like I had a mountain of quests to complete. I was the type of player who would click on every NPC with an exclamation mark above their head to fill my quest log with side quests. When should I go meet the alchemist…?

I bought a belt to store my gun and wore it, feeling like I finally looked the part. While practicing to quickly draw my gun in an emergency, I accidentally dropped it on the floor. “How much did that cost…,” the shop owner’s face turned pale, and I tried to avoid his gaze.

Oh, how embarrassing… My mind was clearly in action movie mode, but my body was in a documentary, one about sloths.

Pretending nothing was wrong, I checked the list of shops I needed to visit next. The grocery store with a restaurant and the long-awaited artifact workshop were left. Since I had already stockpiled emergency rations, I planned to just leave the sign at the grocery store.

I wanted to eat a proper meal, but I was planning to stay at a VIP-only inn, where I expected a feast far superior to what a regular restaurant could offer.

As I left the weapon shop, I saw Iris and her party running towards the potion shops.

“Hey, you pig! We’ve been waiting for you to finish eating all that! We need to buy everything today, and time is tight!”

“Have you ever seen a chocolate fountain? Have you ever enjoyed the luxury of three layers of whipped cream on a strawberry? We might not get to eat such things in the future, so we should enjoy them while we can!”

“It might give you a stomachache….”

“You said you don’t like sweets, but you ate an entire green tea cake!”

“I only ate what was in front of me, but you refilled your lemonade three times and drank it all! Do you even have room for all that?”

“It’s been so long since I’ve had a tasty drink!”

The party was still noisy. Seeing how often our paths crossed, I wondered if there was some connection between us. The taciturn man, Notos, who somehow spotted me, gave me a quick nod.

I tried to wave, but he quickly pushed the bickering couple away, looking somewhat embarrassed.

After visiting the grocery store and simply passing on the sign, the personal shopper looked a bit surprised. He had been enthusiastically explaining the store’s special service, which included a skilled chef preparing various dishes using high-quality ingredients sourced from the 18th terrarium. I had just given a cursory nod and left. Did I expect to show off my wallet skills here as well?

Hehe, don’t be disappointed. The highlight will be at the last shop!

“Did the interior not suit your taste? If you have any suggestions, we can try to accommodate them….”

“The interior was clean and nice! The owner was very friendly, so I didn’t feel bad about not buying anything. I just didn’t have anything specific to buy. I already bought plenty of delicious emergency rations from the previous terrarium. Even if I bought ingredients, I’m not interested in cooking and my skills are terrible.”

I was a cooking disaster, as recognized by my mother. My father, who ate everything and even drank expired milk when my mother gave it to him, only took a sip of the spicy tteokbokki I made. He’s the type who puts a few green chilies in his hangover soup…

I agreed with my mother’s advice to marry a man who can cook and go out to earn money. Speaking of which, I wonder if my parents are doing well. They were so individualistic that they wouldn’t even text if I disappeared for three days and four nights without telling them about a school trip.

I’ve been playing this game for a long time, but even they wouldn’t have reported me missing, right…?

But do I want to go home? Not really. I’m enjoying every day so much. Somehow, things will work out. Right now, I don’t have to commute, do assignments, take exams, write a thesis, study for TOEIC, do mock interviews, or worry about employment.

I was told I could play all I wanted after high school, but that was a lie. After the college entrance exam, I only had a couple of months of freedom. I had to work part-time as well.

Now, I’m collecting many dryads, leveling up, and spending diamonds to raise them, and it’s incredibly fun. Looking at my phone, which is like a cheat key, I smiled, and Daisy, who always looks at me, smiled beautifully in response.

Yes, I have Daisy too. When I ran my hand through my red hair, the red daisy flower at my ear shook prettily.

After finishing my thoughts, I arrived at the final destination of the guide quest, the artifact workshop. Finally, the moment has come. The huge building made my heart race, like visiting the headquarters of a famous toy company. After passing through the small mob-like shops, it felt like entering a boss raid.

The red carpet on the floor, the staff standing on both sides, the bustling people, and the products displayed up to the ceiling made it seem like Elder’s dream paradise.

Like in the 26th terrarium, the artifact furniture corners were arranged according to the habitats of the dryads. Each corner was as large as the shops I had visited so far.

The artifact furniture, packaged in transparent glass spheres, sparkled under the lights, each one trying to be chosen. In the desert field corner, I found a white temple model, about the height of a person.

The best house for desert field dryads! Let your precious dryad feel like a guardian of the field! ‘Temple of the Sun’ limited release.