Chapter 4

In the morning, I woke up as usual, had breakfast, and then quickly finished my morning chores before dashing to Judy Noa. From now on, time is money. I need to work hard on gathering materials. My goal is to save up enough for school tuition by the time I turn six, but I don’t even know how much the tuition is, so I’ll aim for one large gold coin for now. Whether it’s cash or raw materials, it’s fine.

Judy apparently doesn’t need any materials other than mica mushrooms here, and she said I can sell the rest to the alchemist merchant when he comes around. Apparently, this forest has a lot of high-value dark-attribute mushrooms and moss. Some materials are better sold to specific alchemists for a higher price than if I sold them to a merchant who takes a cut.

...It seems there are factions among alchemists. The Spirit-Shadow faction, for example, studies undead and will buy dark-attribute materials at a high price. I don’t understand the complexities, but I was told to be able to identify high-value materials, and I’ve memorized them.

There are quite a few high-value materials even in the shallower parts of the forest, so I plan to focus on those for a while. I can’t afford to be careless until I have the items I need to get back. I need to gather materials and have items made as soon as possible.

While thinking about this, I arrived at Judy Noa. Today, I need to get some preservation bottles, maybe about ten, and fill them with well water, storing them in my "Extend Space" before I start gathering. My goal for today is two Earth Dragon Claw Grass and three Netted Vine Mushrooms or Yellow Bell Mushrooms. I need to find at least that much.

"Excuse me."

"Wait a moment!"

Feeling a slight sense of relief at the usual response, I took my usual seat. In front of the counter, there were several preservation bottles, each holding about a liter. Even though I knew these were the ones I ordered, I didn’t touch them yet. I might get scolded if I started working without permission. ...The fact that they were placed in front of the counter felt very considerate. I couldn’t reach them if they were higher up.

"Ah, I’ve prepared 50 preservation bottles as agreed. Please check them and store them in your 'Extend Space.'"

I counted and collected the bottles one by one. ...I’ve received exactly 50.

"Um, can I use the well?"

"Sure, it’s in the backyard. Feel free to use it whenever you need to. ...Try channeling magic power while you work. It will strengthen your body. Even with the pulley, drawing water from the well is quite a task. Here, this is a bonus, a regular iron short sword. You’ll need it for gathering."

"Thank you very much."

I thanked her and hurried to the backyard where the well was. Come to think of it, I hadn’t considered my body’s limitations. I needed to learn how to strengthen my body, but even if I did, could I work at the well? As expected, the well’s wall was about my height, and I struggled a lot to draw water. I spilled some well water a few times, but there was no damage. I just got a little wet. It’s fine since it’s this season.

When I entered the forest, it was dark even though it was early morning. The first time, I was so excited that I walked in smoothly, but now I wonder how I managed to walk so quickly in such a dim place. It’s slightly damp because the sun doesn’t shine through, but I’ll start gathering right away. I’ll confirm my goal again: two Earth Dragon Claw Grass and three Netted Vine Mushrooms or Yellow Bell Mushrooms. So, I’ll focus on tree roots and vines. I’ll also check the north side of the tree roots, where the sun never shines. According to the book, there are often good dark-attribute materials in such places.

I didn’t go deep into the forest, just to where I could see the edge, and I found a plant growing from a crack in a tree root. ...If the illustration in the guidebook is correct, this should be Earth Dragon Claw Grass. The flower is white; it turns yellow when the earth attribute is strong, but this one is white. ...It’s fortunate that there’s more than one in one spot. I cut off three with the short sword and put them in a preservation bottle. I don’t need to put each one in a separate bottle, so I put all three in one. Smooth sailing.

After gathering the Earth Dragon Claw Grass, I looked around. First, I checked if there were any materials nearby. No mushrooms. No moss. Flowers... only red ones. Red flowers are Fast Life Grass, which don’t sell for money. Okay, let’s look for the next material. I scanned the area and checked the vines around the trees. ...Is that a mushroom? I got closer, and it was a mushroom, but it wasn’t a material. ...Or rather, I couldn’t tell if it was a material. I don’t think this mushroom was in the guidebook. ...Just in case, I gathered it, put it on a sieve, and stored it in my "Extend Space."

After that, I continued to gather mushrooms and flowers not in the guidebook. I’ll leave it to Judy to decide if they’re materials or not. If they’re not valuable, I can just throw them away. I gathered carefully, checking the edge of the forest frequently. ...There, I recognize that mushroom. I got closer to confirm. Yes, it’s a Magic Mushroom. Magic Mushrooms grow in places with high magic power, like York’s forest. The cap is blue with a yellow star-shaped pattern in the center. However, if the yellow changes color, it indicates a specific attribute. There are six Magic Mushrooms here, and two of them are dark-colored, so they’re high-value. Yes! I put them in a preservation bottle happily. I’ll store the high-value and regular Magic Mushrooms separately for clarity.

I looked around the gathering spot again. I don’t want to miss anything. No moss, no flowers, no vines... Oh, is this a Netted Vine Mushroom? It’s growing from a vine and has a net-like pattern, so it must be. The number... two? No, there are more on this vine. Five, I’ve met my goal for today. With this, I have enough materials to have items made. ...Judging by the sun, it’s probably still morning. This is a good start. It’s great to have things go smoothly.

After that, I gathered Earth Dragon Claw Grass, Magic Mushrooms, and Mica Mushrooms smoothly. Since the basic materials are all gathered, I didn’t leave any behind. I put about ten Magic Mushrooms in each bottle, and I have four bottles. I found a few high-value Magic Mushrooms, but there’s still room in the bottles. Hmm, it’s a bit scary to have such a smooth first day.

...Oh, I’ve found a new material. Purple moss that floats on mud. It’s Mud Creep Moss. The characteristic is the coil-like vine on the moss... yes, the vine is there. ...But the storage method is a bit troublesome. The book said to dry it in the sun for more than three days before storing it in a preservation bottle. Grr, all four of the straw sieves I brought are full. One sieve has a mix of potential materials, so it’s good that I gathered all the moss, but I need to get more sieves.

That... is probably a Yellow Bell Mushroom. A yellow mushroom that looks like a bell. It’s a strange mushroom; the cap gets smaller when the earth attribute is strong. Is the cap small here? I can’t tell because I don’t know the normal size. But there are eight here. It’s helpful to find so many in one spot. It’s easy to store them in a preservation bottle as they are. I hope I can find more at this rate.

Gathering is going incredibly smoothly. I didn’t think I would gather seven Mica Mushrooms in about three and a half hours yesterday. I gathered a lot of Magic Mushrooms, to say the least. ...I’m putting ten in each bottle, and this is the eighth bottle from this spot. Even the dark-attribute Magic Mushrooms are in the second bottle. ...Is it okay to gather this much? I’m on the fifth bottle of Earth Dragon Claw Grass and the fourth bottle of Mica Mushrooms. I’m on the second bottle of Netted Vine Mushrooms, and I have four bottles’ worth of Mud Creep Moss in the sieves. I’m on the third bottle of Yellow Bell Mushrooms. Is this forest a gold mine? ...It’s about time to head back to Judy Noa. I’ll report my results. If this is normal, I might run out of bottles to store in my "Extend Space." ...Maybe that’s an exaggeration.

On my way back, I gathered more... it took about an hour. Even though I could see the edge of the forest, there were too many Magic Mushrooms. I’m confident I’ve earned more than my parents’ annual income. What is this? The sound of silver coins seems to be laughing at me for deciding to become an alchemist. If I can gather this much every day, no one would ever be short of money. ...I hope the prices don’t drop.

"I’m back."

"Wait a moment!"

Feeling a bit relieved at the usual response, I started taking out what I gathered today. 103 regular Magic Mushrooms, 16 dark-attribute Magic Mushrooms, 64 Earth Dragon Claw Grass, 12 yellow flowers, about four bottles’ worth of Mud Creep Moss, 36 Yellow Bell Mushrooms, 52 Mica Mushrooms, 9 blue Mica Mushrooms, and 28 Netted Vine Mushrooms. I used more than half of the bottles I brought. ...Is this okay? Isn’t it too much?

"Welcome back. Wow, you gathered quite a bit. ...Hmm, about 5 to 7 large silver coins. Not bad for a day’s work."

‼ This much gathered for only 5 to 7 large silver coins? I thought it would be more. ...So, if my goal is one large gold coin, it will take 200 days. I’m two years old now, and there are 360 days in a year, so it’s about 1440 days until I’m six... huh? If I can keep this up every day, it should be easy, right? No, there’s a possibility that today was an exception. If the prices drop... even if it’s easy, it could be difficult, right?

"Um, will the prices drop with this much material?"

"Prices drop? This level of gathering won’t cause a price drop. You’d have to gather 100,000 times this much every day to cause a price drop."

"Really? But is there a chance that today was an exception? At this rate, I’ll need 50 bottles by tomorrow..."

"You studied well in York’s forest. This level of gathering is normal. ...It’s a bit troublesome to make 50 preservation bottles every day. I’ll prepare about 500 a day, so come once every few days."

"...Understood. Also, this isn’t in the guidebook, but is it a material?"

"Hmm? Some of them are, but the purchase price is below a medium copper coin. You’d earn much more gathering Magic Mushrooms than these small coins. Understand? Magic Mushrooms are worth at least two small silver coins from a merchant. Dark-attribute ones are about one medium silver coin. Earth Dragon Claw Grass and Mud Creep Moss without attributes are small coins. Yellow Bell Mushrooms and Netted Vine Mushrooms vary in size, from one to five small silver coins, but merchants will probably buy them for a flat one small silver coin. I’ll buy Mica Mushrooms for five large copper coins. This is the alchemy guild price. Dark-attribute ones are probably worth about two small silver coins, so sell them to merchants."

Mushrooms are crazy. They’re so profitable.

"Also, the really valuable one is this. It’s called Dark Spirit Moss. It’s in the guidebook, right? From a merchant, a bottle full is worth about five medium gold coins. If you sell it to the right place, it could be several large platinum coins. At least three large platinum coins if you sell it to the Spirit-Shadow faction. Also, black mushrooms are valuable. The completely black ones. They’re in the guidebook, so I won’t go into detail."

...I haven’t even gathered the really valuable materials yet, and I’m already making five large silver coins. Knowledge is power, and knowledge is money. This forest seems ordinary, but once you know, it’s a gold mine. I’ll consider this my privilege for studying and being able to use "Extend Space."

"Then, I’ll make something with what you’ve gathered."

She took two Earth Dragon Claw Grass and three Netted Vine Mushrooms and went to the back. ...Come to think of it, my goal today was to gather materials to make an item to prevent getting lost in the forest. I got carried away with the large silver coins. My immediate goal was overshadowed by the lure of distant wealth. ...By the way, if I get 500 bottles tomorrow, I don’t need to come here for a while. I can just enter the forest from the village. I only need to come to get more bottles. Anyway, I’ll clean up for now. After a few minutes, Judy came out from the back.

"Here, it’s a Directional Magic Stone Necklace. The stones attract each other, so if someone in the village wears one, you can always find your way back. When you use it, channel magic power. Then—look, the crystal will point in the direction of the other crystal."

Wow, the crystal is moving as if pulled by some force. ...I’ll give it to my mother. She won’t leave the village, and it can be used as an accessory.

"Then, I’ll buy the Mica Mushrooms. 52 minus the small silver coins for the item, so two medium silver coins and three small silver coins. I’ll need more Mica Mushrooms in the future. See you tomorrow."

With that, I put the money in the preservation bottle and headed home. I did my chores as soon as I got home and gave the Directional Magic Stone Necklace to my mother. When I demonstrated how the paired crystals attract each other, she was surprised, but she agreed to wear it to prevent getting lost. I plan to work hard and earn money from tomorrow.

Whether you found it interesting or not, I’d appreciate your feedback. If you could point out any issues in your review, it would help me improve my writing.

...Probably.