Chapter 37

Since then, for some reason, an accessory merchant has been traveling with us.

Although he is paying for his fare, I have no complaints, but I can't understand his motives.

It seems that for some reason, he took a great liking to me after the incident with the bandits, and the accessory merchant revealed his identity and offered to lecture me until we reached our destination.

Apparently, his purpose was to memorize the faces of the merchants causing trouble in the area and to warn them off, acting as an assassin for the merchant guild.

He claimed that he recognized my potential and wanted to hone it...

Moreover, he was a powerful accessory merchant within the guild, known for being strict with his apprentices, despite his seemingly kind demeanor, as I later learned from a merchant acquaintance.

The content he taught me included the procurement of materials for gemstone attachment, for which he arranged for me to visit a mining site he knew.

Next was the process of crafting precious metals into accessories. It seems that intricate designs are currently in demand. Since I am a bit of a geek, I have some knowledge of drawing, and when I tried to create something that looked somewhat like it, he was pleased.

He then sold me the tools for processing at a discount.

These were magical tools unique to this world, fueled by magic stones similar to coal.

Although the shield reacted to them, the cost was too high to absorb them.

There were a few items similar to what we call grinding machines and burners in my world, which I used to make accessories.

For the processing of hard metals like iron, it was standard to have molds made at a foundry. Thanks to my crafting skill, I received a bonus for this.

The main topic was yet to come.

The task of imbuing magic.

This, of course, required the ability to use magic.

As I grumbled over the magic book, unable to use magic, the accessory merchant approached me.

"Sir, you can't use magic?"

"Yeah, I was told to synchronize with the magic of my subordinates, but I don't really understand what that means."

"I see... I understand."

The accessory merchant took out a small, transparent fragment from his pocket and handed it to me.

"What's this?"

"A fragment of a rare mineral. It's expensive."

"Wow..."

"Can you read text?"

"Sure... simple ones, at least."

After nearly a month of exposure to the script of this world and serious study, I had learned to read simple texts, though I still struggled with complex phrases.

"In that case, all that's left is to learn magic. It's enough to sense magic."

Hmm... quite a difficult task.

As I thought this, I rolled the fragment in my hand.

It began to glow faintly.

It was... how to describe it? It felt like another hand, one I didn't know I had, was starting to move.

It was as if I was being confronted with the existence of an organ I had never known I had, like a bird that had never flown before suddenly learning to flap its wings...

"It feels strange."

"Actually, you can sense magic without such an object, but since you grew up without knowing about it, I thought I'd try this as a test, and it seems to have worked."

"...Is that so?"

I opened the concept in the magic book that had been deciphered and began to chant.

I aligned the magic, which felt like another arm, with my own arm, and focused.

The text began to glow. This was a magic inscribed on me, readable only by me.

"By the power of the Shield Hero, I command you to read the truth and protect this person!"

"Fast Guard!"

A target marker appeared in my vision. I tried it on myself.

A faint glow enveloped me.

Checking my status, I saw that it had increased.

"Wow..."

"It seems you've learned it. Now, I'll teach you how to imbue magic."

The accessory merchant, ignoring my amazement, began his lecture.

It was a bit disappointing to have my hard-earned achievement so easily dismissed.

Following the accessory merchant's instructions, I learned how to imbue magic.

It involved giving magic to processed gems and controlling the direction of the power inherent in the gems.

At first, it was difficult, but with the ability to use magic and the bonus from the shield, I was able to create something decent after a few tries.

For more complex tasks, it was possible to mix the power of different gems or even extract magic from other sources, such as potions, and imbue it.

"Well, that's the basics. From now on, you'll have to learn on your own and put it to use in your business."

With that, the accessory merchant got off the carriage.

Thus, I learned not only alchemy but also crafting skills.

I needed crafting minerals, so I arrived at a town with a mining site arranged for me.

"Wow... an introduction from that person?"

A well-built man, resembling a miner, looked at me suspiciously, but when I showed him the letter of introduction from the accessory merchant, he was surprised.

"Indeed, it's that person's letter. An introduction from someone so strict about money...?"

"What do you mean?"

According to the story, the accessory merchant was known for being very frugal.

The miner was suspicious of me for having a letter of introduction from such a frugal person, but he was surprised to see the real thing.

"Since it's an introduction from that person, it's fine. How much will you pay? I can be flexible since you have the letter."

"Hey, can you let me do some mining? That way, I can get it cheaper, right?"

"Huh? Oh, well... I can give it to you for almost free..."

I had an interest in mining skills.

I left the business to Raphatalia and Filo and entered the cave with a pickaxe.

The sound of the pickaxe echoed in the cave. Honestly, it was noisy.

The air was stuffy and hot.

But, being in another world, the walls were exposed with crystals emitting a faint light.

"Inside this cave, it's generally safe to mine anywhere, but there is a risk of collapse, so be careful."

That makes sense.

The miner must have guided me to a sturdy part of one of the several caves.

I slowly raised the pickaxe.

Then, a cross-shaped point on the wall began to glow.

What? Do I need to strike here?

"Go!"

I swung the pickaxe with force.

A loud thud echoed, and cracks appeared in the wall.

The cracks spread and the wall collapsed.

"Whoa!"

This wall is really fragile.

"Huh?"

The miner was staring at me in shock.

"To break through that solid rock with one swing...?"

...Is it solid?

Thanks to the mining skill, the wall crumbled with each swing, and before I knew it, raw gemstones were rolling out.

However, due to the low level of the skill, there were walls I couldn't break no matter how many times I hit them.

"Then I'll take these."

"Y-Yes."

I filled a bag with the raw gemstones and quickly left the mining site.

Incidentally, near the mining site, I could dig up raw gemstones as easily as plowing a field.

It seemed that this area was prone to yielding gemstones.

The problem was that gemstones near the surface tended to be of lower quality in terms of magic.

According to my knowledge from my world, in famous gemstone mining areas, gemstones could be found as easily as plowing a field.

This must be because this is another world, where high-quality gemstones are buried deep underground.

I made a Ruby Bracelet!

Quality: Good → High Quality

When I tried it, the original quality was good, so I was able to create a high-quality item.

I also tried to imbue it with magic.

Ruby Bracelet (Fire Resistance +)

Quality: High Quality → Normal

Hmm... the quality dropped significantly after imbuing it with magic.

I started to dabble in accessories, and my merchant journey continued.

Incidentally, making accessories in the carriage was quite difficult, and I could only do it before resting at night.

Moreover, whether it was raw gemstones or finished products, the shield couldn't absorb them due to insufficient skill levels and levels.

I had to sell them.

Incidentally, the bracelet I made took two days to complete and sold for 80 silver coins. The time to make the base bracelet was the longest.

The value of gemstones in this world seems to be lower than in my world.

The value lies in how innovative and trendy the design is. It's a somewhat contradictory concept.

Apparently, this is a current trend. Even in another world, there are trends.

Moreover, the high-value gemstones seem to be ones I don't know.

However, considering the time it takes to make them, it's a delicate line.

Still, I've earned a fair amount of money. It might be a good time to seriously upgrade my equipment.

The conditions for the Iron Shield have been unlocked.

The conditions for the Copper Shield have been unlocked.

The conditions for the Silver Shield have been unlocked.

The conditions for the Lead Shield have been unlocked.

Iron Shield

Ability Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Smelting Skill 2

Copper Shield

Ability Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Smelting Skill 1

Silver Shield

Ability Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, 2% Reduction in Demon Attacks

Lead Shield

Ability Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Defense 1

A skill appeared that I could leave to a weapon smith. It's not something that can be done just by doing it.

It seems that the Lead Shield has something replaced.

I probably won't use this skill.

One day, while continuing my merchant journey, I heard a reliable source, through the accessory merchant, that a certain region was in need of a large amount of herbicide.

Apparently, only a divine bird like Filo could reach there in time.

Although we weren't death merchants, the prospect of a large sum of money led us to rush to the village in the southwest.