Chapter 40

Well then.

I have arrived at a mysterious building called "Gee Gee's Appraisal Shop."

It's a small shop on a side street, with a sign marked with glasses. The whole place is made of wood, giving off a warm and cozy atmosphere. Inside, an old man who looks like a fortune teller is sitting. The space isn't very large, similar to the fortune-telling spaces in Japan.

Indeed, this shop, as its name suggests, provides detailed appraisals of items. While anyone can see a basic description of an item, like its stats, detailed information can only be seen with the "Appraisal" skill. Although it's often thought to be a common skill in games, it's actually difficult to learn, and not many people possess it. Therefore, some people make a living out of it.

Large trading companies apparently have their own dedicated appraisers, but small shops without the skill and adventurers often use such services.

Neither I nor Ikl have such a convenient skill, so we came here to get a proper appraisal before opening our shop. If you're opening a shop, getting an "appraisal certificate" from an appraiser and placing it with the items for sale can make customers feel more secure. By the way, if the appraisal certificate is falsified, the "White Magic Tool" will turn cloudy, and customers will immediately notice.

"My recovery potion is being appraised... I'm so nervous!"

"Ho ho! Are you a potion maker, young lady?"

"Yes, that's right!"

I took out the recovery potion from my backpack and handed it to the old appraiser. He had a long beard that reached his chest, making him look like a wizard. He took the potion from me while playing with his beard.

"Ho ho! This is a fine recovery potion!"

"Is it really?"

"I used to be an adventurer. I've relied on many potions like this."

He was an adventurer...! So, he must have retired and become an appraiser. I glanced at Ikl, who seemed uninterested and was spacing out.

I heard a clattering sound and saw that the old appraiser was starting his preparations. He placed a sheet of paper in a box and put my recovery potion on top. As I watched curiously, he continued his preparations and explained.

"There are two types of appraisals. One is where the appraiser... I, directly see the results. The other is writing the results on paper. If I just explain it verbally, it might be a lie, right? The appraisal skill writes the results on paper. This way, I can't see the results until I look at the paper. In this business, there are things people don't want to be known, so we write the results on paper and hand them over. It's reassuring, right?"

"Indeed! And the results appear on the paper... That's amazing!"

"Ho ho! For that, I pour magic water into the box and transfer the magic to the paper."

The old man poured magic water into the box containing the paper and the recovery potion.

"Alright... Reveal the truth of this object on my medium. True Appraisal!"

"Wow...!"

As the old man's incantation echoed, the box was enveloped in a bright blue light. I couldn't help but let out a silly exclamation, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Ho ho! It's a success."

"Thank you very much...!"

The old man handed me the paper. As he mentioned earlier, he didn't look at it himself.

I received papers for the appraisals of other recovery potions as well. The papers were about A5 size, neither too large nor too small.

"Thank you!"

"Ho ho! See you again."

With all the appraisals completed, I left the appraisal shop. The items appraised were the ones we planned to sell in our shop... a total of 8 types. By displaying these appraisals when selling, customers can know the detailed effects.

By the way, we also had antidotes appraised. We bought materials from a store and used "Angel's Voice" at the inn. I was surprised that the bottles we bought from the store had changed...

◇ ◇ ◇

Using magic recovery potions as a substitute for tea, Ikl and I returned to the inn and started our strategy meeting. We had decided on the property for our shop... now we just needed to prepare for the opening. However, the final check would be done by the Merchant Guild, so the handover would be the day after tomorrow.

"Phew. It's delicious..."

While drinking the tea, I let my thoughts wander. Ikl had listed the necessary items, so we planned to go and check them out tomorrow... and buy them the day after tomorrow to bring to the shop.

By the way, the necessary items are...

Shop sign

Decorations

Price tags

Money box

Change

Hmm, there might be fewer items than I thought.

By the way, in this world, the custom of putting purchased items in bags is only found in high-end stores. Everyone has eco-friendly shopping baskets, so they put the items in those. It's very eco-friendly and good...!

The shop has built-in tables and shelves, so we don't need to buy much. I also want to decorate with flowers.

"The sign... there are regular ones and ones made of magic wood."

"Magic wood?"

"Yes... Magic wood is a type of wood that can continue to grow even after being cut. There are specialized craftsmen who use it for furniture and shop signs... It has various uses. If we make the sign from this, the wood will grow and even bloom flowers. Of course, the craftsmen will adjust the growth, so it won't grow too much."

"Wow... there's such a magical tree."

Indeed, this is a different world...! To think there are such wondrous trees. But a growing sign... it's very exciting!

"But it's more expensive. I don't know the exact price, but it's probably around 10,000 ril."

"Mmm... That's true. After all, it's a growing tree..."

"A regular sign would be cheaper. I think a regular sign would be fine."

"No way! I want a growing sign!"

"Uh... Okay, if you insist."

No, no... Once you know there's a growing sign, a regular sign just won't do! If it's a bit expensive, I can't compromise on this. Well, if it cost 10 gold coins, I might have given up... but Ikl said, "Let's go see it tomorrow."

"Let's hope it goes well."

"Right. By the way, is the remaining money enough?"

"Oh, right..."

Checking the money, we had about 50,000 ril left.

"A bit tight... but it should be okay."

"Is it?"

"It will be fine as long as we don't buy expensive decorations."

I see.

Since we're just opening, we don't need very expensive items... it's a small shop, after all.

The second floor is not being used as part of the shop and is currently on hold. So, we'll only use the first floor. Considering this, the space isn't very large, and we don't need many items.

"Well, the question is whether customers will come... Right? Price-wise... we can't make them too high, can we?"

"Right."

Hmm. If we have a quiet opening day, it will be a problem. We should probably do some advertising... but how?

"Maybe we can sell them at a lower price in the market before opening and hand out flyers?"

"Ah, a discount right after opening!"

Indeed, that might be a good idea. In this case, it's before opening.

We've already discussed and decided on the prices with Ikl, along with the appraisal results.

"HP Recovery Potion" 1,000 ril

HP Recovery: 1,300

Effect: Heals injuries when applied to the affected area and heals damaged internal organs when consumed.

Note: Cannot heal diseases or severed body parts. Similar conditions are also impossible.

"Deep Red Recovery Potion" 1,600 ril

HP Recovery: 3,500

Effect: Heals injuries that haven't been completely severed and heals slightly damaged internal organs when consumed.

Note: Cannot heal diseases or severed body parts.

"MP Recovery Potion" 2,300 ril

MP Recovery: 700

Effect: Restores MP and increases MAG value by 10 for 5 minutes after consumption.

"Deep Sea Recovery Potion" 3,300 ril

MP Recovery: 2,300

Effect: Restores MP and increases MAG value by 15 for 5 minutes after consumption.

"Princess's Blessing Potion" 1,500 ril

Effect: Increases maximum MP by 1.5 times.

Duration: 1 hour

"Antidote" 800 ril

Effect: Removes status abnormalities, poison, and severe poison, and slightly increases resistance to poison for 5 minutes after consumption.

"Antiparalysis Potion" 700 ril

Effect: Removes status abnormalities, paralysis, and slightly increases resistance to paralysis for 5 minutes after consumption.

"Antisleep Potion" 700 ril

Effect: Removes status abnormalities, sleep, and slightly increases resistance to sleep for 5 minutes after consumption.

"By the way, they are of incredibly high quality."

"Really?"

"Regular MP recovery potions and antidotes don't have an 'Effect' section."

Ikl explained this while carefully examining the appraisal certificates.

Usually, for example, an MP recovery potion would only list MP recovery, without an 'Effect' section. Thinking about it, my recovery potions are quite impressive. Well, the method of making them is much easier compared to others, but...

The prices are quite high compared to the market. I suggested a lower price, but Ikl wouldn't budge.

"Anyway, with this, the product side is fine. Next, we need to think about the sign and flyers."

"Right. What about the market?"

"Hmm... Let's try selling them at a lower price. It seems we can open a shop freely."

"Okay. Ideally, it would be better in the morning, but it's fine in the evening. Let's make flyers and sell them at a lower price to advertise."

I nodded in agreement with Ikl's suggestion... but, by the way, how do you make flyers?

"Ikl, how do you make flyers?"

"Ah... You can get them duplicated at a magic tool shop on the main street. You write one sheet and have it duplicated using a magic tool."

"Wow... that's convenient."

"Indeed. However, duplicating requires magic, so only experienced people can handle it."

I see.

It's not as simple as pressing a button to get water from a tap. But it's surprisingly easy to make copies. Hmm, I thought the fantasy world would be inconvenient, but it's quite convenient. It seems to be environmentally friendly, and it might even be better than Japan... Hmm, it's a bit of a mixed bag.

"Anyway, that's it for today. We'll be busy with preparations tomorrow, so wake up early."

"Ugh... I'll try my best!"

Feeling a bit of pressure from Ikl to wake up early, I put some determination into my heart.

After confirming that Ikl had returned to his room, I took out the exchange diary from my backpack. Since we had decided on the property today, I had a lot to report to the god.

I sat up in bed and started writing in the exchange diary. The ribbon on my head remained as a ring without transforming, which made me a bit anxious... but I focused on writing the exchange diary. I'm not used to writing exchange diaries or keeping a journal, so I couldn't write very sophisticated sentences, which was a bit regrettable. However, the god always replies with kind and beautiful handwriting.

I gently closed the exchange diary, looking forward to the reply in the morning, and got into bed. The ribbon immediately transformed into a ring and settled on my finger. I whispered, "Good night," to the ring and closed my eyes.