Chapter 7

It's the height of summer, and I hope you are in good spirits. I, Hermann, am having a very refreshing time gathering materials. The forest is so cool because the sun's rays barely penetrate, making it very comfortable for gathering. It's even hotter at home, so my gathering is progressing smoothly.

Moreover, with the days getting longer recently, I've been able to secure a lot more than in early spring. ...I wonder if a traveling alchemist will come soon. Having a lot of materials feels like holding inventory, which makes me uneasy. According to my calculations from last time, I think it's about four silver coins. I'm gathering quite a bit, right?

Additionally, following my mother's instructions, I've also been gathering mushrooms that can be used as materials but have weak effects. I received an order to bring back edible items when I go gathering in the forest, so I'm also gathering mushrooms that I won't sell. Well, it's easy because I just throw them into the 'Extend Space' without the hassle of putting them in preservation bottles. Thanks to this, there have been more mushrooms on our dining table recently. It's great that our diet has become more colorful. I'm really glad it's a sacred site where poisonous mushrooms don't grow. It would be terrible if I made a mistake.

Also, a few ordinary traveling merchants have come by. I thought I'd try selling materials to them as well, not just to traveling alchemists. If they bought them at about the same price, that would have been fine. ...But the attempt failed. One merchant tried to haggle, and another refused, saying they couldn't determine the value. It seems that only traveling alchemists can handle these materials. It's a shame; it would be a good business opportunity if they learned.

I wonder when a traveling alchemist will come. According to Judy, one comes every season, so I think it should be soon. ...But I wonder about the idea of an alchemist being a traveling merchant. Apparently, it's a rather popular profession. The key is how to set up the routes, but if you can visit a few sacred sites, alchemist shops, and the alchemical academy in the capital, you can make a profit without much trouble.

Moreover, if you become a town magistrate's or a domain's employed merchant, you won't go hungry and can earn a stable income, so many merchants have such contracts. This applies not only to traveling alchemists. If logistics stagnate or money stops circulating, the domain will inevitably decline. There is a certain demand for traveling merchants.

However, the main commodity for traveling merchants is salt. This kingdom faces the sea, and distributing the salt harvested there throughout the domain is the duty of the noble who holds the land, so they employ many merchants. There are no nobles who hoard money and commit evil deeds. If there were, the domain would suffer, and the king wouldn't stand for it. Immediate replacement of the noble would occur. That's why this country is relatively stable in its internal affairs, according to Judy. ...Though it's all Judy's words.

I've reaffirmed that there are various types of alchemists, but what kind of alchemist will I become? I really want to be an alchemist. I don't skip my prayers at the church, and I don't skip making money. However, if asked if I want to be a traveling alchemist, I would say no. I want to enjoy more magical alchemy, to live a life of creating alchemical items. In the future, I want to open a shop and practice alchemy. Staying at the academy and doing research isn't bad, but it feels a bit off. It's vague, but it just doesn't feel right. Well, I don't know much about factions yet, so it's hard to say how things will turn out.

Speaking of the future, my older brother Edwin, the second son, has started swinging a stick, saying he wants to become an adventurer. Apparently, it started when a second son from somewhere, who was going to be kicked out anyway, heard a bard's saga and decided to become an adventurer. Influenced by this, Edwin and his friends formed an adventurer party and are eager to have adventures like those in the sagas.

In my mind, adventurers are just a group of dirty people gathered in the church square. However, since he's my brother, I don't want him to become like that. So, I had my mother tell Edwin to study prayers, reading, writing, and arithmetic at the church. He might receive talent, and it would be a good experiment for me.

Without the ability to read and write, one can't become an adventurer. Can people who can't read request slips become adventurers? ...There are probably many. Adventurers who can't read or write. But the truth doesn't matter to Edwin, who doesn't know it. If he believes the secrets his mother tells him, he will take them seriously. Now, he and his friends are studying hard at the church.

Incidentally, all my siblings are being sent to the church to study. The church is as busy as a kindergarten these days. ...My father and mother said they can't read or write, but it's a skill farmers don't need. It would be convenient if they could, but they can farm without it. Exceptionally, the children of the village chief need to read and write to do their jobs, so it's a necessary skill. ...Seeing the parents send their children to study when this opportunity arose, they are quite shrewd. Studying alone progresses but can be lonely, so it won't last for children.

Teaching reading and writing is actually part of the church's duties. I was told to go to the church, not to Judy, to learn reading and writing. Apparently, the church increases the number of clergy by teaching reading and writing and explaining what God is. A certain number of clergy is necessary; otherwise, the star-drawing ceremony can't be performed. The village's outcasts have a place to go, not just becoming adventurers but also joining the church.

...I wonder if outcasts who can read and write join the church, while the others become adventurers. If so, the quality of adventurers would inevitably decline, and perhaps the low quality of adventurers is partly due to this. Of course, there are many, or at least some, adventurers who are not like this.

Anyway, while thinking about various things, the time to finish gathering arrived. I gathered a lot today. Mainly magic mushrooms, as they are the most abundant. They are also reasonably priced at two small silver coins each, making them a great product. Oh, there's a golem-drawn carriage. That means a traveling alchemist is here. Finally, they've come. I was happy to have inventory to sell.

So, I finished my prayers at the church and headed to the merchant. It's a big deal.

"Excuse me, I want to sell materials. Is it better to come tomorrow morning?"

"Welcome. I'll be leaving tomorrow morning, so if you want to sell, do it today. I also run a stagecoach, so I don't stay long."

"Understood. ...Um, it might take some time, so is it okay if I come at night? I want to eat dinner with my family first."

"Sure. I'll be up as long as it's not an unreasonable hour."

"Thank you. See you later."

Since I was told to do it today, I had to get my mother's permission first. I also had to deliver the mushrooms for dinner. So, I handed over today's harvest, got permission, finished my usual tasks, and had dinner. The mushrooms here are really delicious. After dinner, I told my parents I was going and headed to the traveling alchemist.

"Good evening."

"Yes, good evening. Come, come into the carriage."

I was told to enter the carriage, where I was hung with an item that changes color if I lie, and then I started selling my harvest. I began with the most abundant magic mushrooms, 10 at a time, 5 rows by 2 columns. Hehe, I can take them out without using my hands. I'm growing, even if it's just a little. I explained that 10 fit in each bottle and kept taking out the materials. The merchant quickly put them away, one after another. It took about an hour to go through everything, checking each item. Last time, it took a lot of time because I had to take them out and put them back by hand.

"Phew, that's it."

"Right, right. Then the amount is four silver coins and nine small silver coins. You're doing a great job. They're all in preservation bottles, and the numbers are consistent. I think it's a fair price. I rounded up the small silver coins."

"Are there people who don't use preservation bottles?"

When I asked, the traveling alchemist first looked surprised and then burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. ...I didn't say anything that strange.

"Ouch, my stomach hurts. Ah, yes, people who don't use preservation bottles are indeed fools. But most adventurers are those fools. They can't even distinguish between items and don't use preservation bottles, let alone sort them by type. Evaluating materials from such adventurers is exhausting. So, it's lucky for me to get materials that are properly stored in preservation bottles, especially the mica mushrooms, which are properly soaked in water. This is a good buy. This carriage is heading to the capital, so these materials will likely fetch a high price. I've had a good day, getting good materials and a good laugh. ...Don't tell other adventurers about the prices here. It will just hurt their pride. The materials from the others before you were terrible."

"Understood. I don't want to be hated, so I won't tell."

"Good. Stay well. I'll be happy to see you again when I pass through here, but I go to various places depending on the requests. It might be years before I come back."

With that, I left the traveling alchemist's carriage. ...Maybe, entering the carriage is to prevent others from seeing or hearing how much I earned. Last time, I also entered the carriage, and I wondered why. It might be to keep the evaluation amount confidential.

However, ordinary merchants don't have carriages. They usually move on foot with 'Extend Space' and don't have to worry about bandits. The only scary things are monsters, but you rarely encounter them, just occasionally in forests or woods. It's more likely in monster-infested areas. Maybe the presence of money is related. Maintaining a carriage is expensive, so they can't handle material transactions. Hmm, that seems likely.

More importantly, I can't hide my surprise that adventurers don't even use preservation bottles. 'Extend Space' can hold many preservation bottles, and putting them in isn't that much trouble. What's more, not being able to distinguish between materials is incomprehensible.

No wonder adventurers have a bad reputation according to Judy. They are all bumbling fools who don't understand materials. What are they even doing in this sacred site? They don't handle materials properly, can't even distinguish them, and I don't understand what they are gathering for. No wonder they are dirty. Proper adventurers should be able to wear better clothes. If they don't handle materials properly, they should go to monster-infested areas and gather materials and magic iron through combat, which would make them more useful adventurers.

I should tell Edwin if he becomes an adventurer. I'll tell him that capable and successful adventurers all do this. He'll believe it, and it's probably true. Adventurers who look good and care about their appearance are proof that they are making money. To make money easily, you have to enter monster-infested areas or sacred sites. For adventurers in areas without monster-infested areas or sacred sites, their jobs are probably like errands. Or they have to go far to gather materials.

Edwin and his friends will likely start as adventurers in this nearby town. It would be great if they become famous for supplying proper materials from sacred sites. Well, that's probably a few years away. I hope they become proper adventurers.

Thinking about all this, I returned home on the dark road, relying on my somewhat improved night vision. The training to extend 'Extend Space' into the air hasn't shown much progress yet.

Whether you found it interesting or not, I'd appreciate your feedback. If you could include your evaluation, it would be great. If you could point out any issues in your comments, it would help me improve my writing.

...Probably.