Chapter 12

Let's head to replenish the ingredients.

After the intense morning breakfast rush, Yūri and Yack went out to do the shopping together. After all, the ingredients were in dire straits. They needed to restock to keep going. On this occasion, Yūri made one request to Arie, who had given them the money.

It was to let him buy seasonings.

Arie furrowed her brow for a moment, but understanding that the kitchen's supply of seasonings was minimal, she nodded. However, she instructed Yack to make the purchasing decisions, as Yūri, who was unfamiliar with the prices, might not grasp the basics. It seemed that Yūri, who was too laid-back, had been labeled as "naive." And to some extent, it wasn't wrong. He was completely unfamiliar with the common sense of this world.

Thus, Yack was the one who handled the money and decided on the stores. Yūri had no objections. Carrying the shoulder bag handed to him, Yūri followed Yack, who was leading the way. Incidentally, this bag was a magic bag given to them for shopping. In simple terms, it could hold various items, even exceeding its capacity, making it a magical bag.

While it was a valuable item, most adventurers had one. Their performance varied, and they were said to be crafted by alchemists or dropped from dungeons. Yūri thought it was a fantasy world, but in reality, this world wasn't the magical place he had imagined. Neither humans nor monsters could use magic. They were all skill-based.

This fact slightly disappointed Yūri, but various magical tools and devices existed, made using attribute-infused magic stones. Things like hot water in the bath and stoves in the kitchen fell into this category. Alchemists and blacksmiths created such tools. Calling them "magic" was simply because magic appeared in fairy tales in this world. Since they couldn't use magic, stories often featured magic users.

It was similar to how science had developed in modern Japan, Yūri thought, just with magic stones as the raw materials. He didn't care about the complexities; the fact that there were convenient items was enough.

...By the way, Yūri, as an explorer with the "Divine Eye," could theoretically create such tools if he wanted, but he was unaware of this.

So, the two were heading to a place in the lower and middle layers of the capital. It wasn't about the location but the social class. Yack walked confidently, and Yūri asked various questions. Yack, seemingly happy to have a new, junior teammate for the first time, explained everything without a frown.

The capital Drahlen had the area where adventurers lived closest to the city gates. This was partly for defense in emergencies and partly to keep unknown troublemakers away from the general public and city buildings. However, the adventurers in Drahlen had built a friendly relationship with the capital's residents. In some countries, adventurers were seen as troublemakers.

Yack brought Yūri to a market that catered to the common people. The bustling scene, with vendors shouting to promote their goods, reminded Yūri of a shopping street. Some stores were in buildings, while others were in tents or stalls. Despite this, everyone was lively, shouting to advertise their products, reminiscent of a traditional shopping street.

"Hey, Arie's kid! Shopping again today? We've got some good meat in."

"Oh, it's Yack. I've got some cheese today. How about it? I've got butter too."

"Yack, we've got some seasonal vegetables. Come take a look!"

"Yack, it's been a while. I just got back from restocking. How about some fish?"

Voices called out from all directions. Yack was quietly popular, partly because he was a serious apprentice in the "Crimson Lynx" treasure hunter clan. People who paid attention noticed. In such a market that catered to the common people, building good relationships was very beneficial. You could get bonuses or discounts.

So, Yack introduced Yūri to various stores, saying he was a new member of the "Crimson Lynx" who had just joined yesterday and was a very good cook. Yūri's modest denial only made him seem more humble, and everyone welcomed him warmly.

Moreover, when they heard that he was a good cook and would use the ingredients properly, everyone's eyes lit up.

After all, as merchants, they wanted their products to be handled well. Yūri, oblivious to the attention, was choosing items based on their quality and price. Since he didn't understand the local prices, he chose the better quality items among those with the same price.

Why could he do this? Thanks to the "Divine Eye" skill. The appraisal skill was very useful, and the "Divine Eye," being the highest level, was no exception. Just by looking, he could tell the condition of the items. Therefore, Yūri always chose the best quality items, which surprised the sellers.

...But he didn't care.

After doing this several times, Yack, seemingly struck by a thought, asked Yūri, who was seriously examining two similarly sized cabbages.

"Yūri, are you really good at picking out the best stuff?"

"Huh?"

"Well, you always pick the best ones, and the store owners are surprised."

"Oh, I'm an appraiser. Sorry, I'll take this cabbage."

"Huh?"

Yūri casually pointed to the cabbage on the right. The young store clerk smiled, intrigued. The two cabbages looked almost identical, but the one Yūri chose had a slightly better color. It was a subtle difference that even professionals might miss.

Beside Yūri, Yack was frozen. "Appraiser?" he muttered, his voice stiff. He was clearly shocked. ...It was understandable.

In this world, the appraisal skill was considered very rare. Not only were there few people who had it, but it was also incredibly powerful. Of course, at a low level, it was almost useless, but the higher the level, the more it could reveal. It wasn't just for detecting traps or appraising treasures.

For example, if a new poison was discovered, a high-level appraiser could determine its effects and even analyze its components. With that knowledge, they could figure out how to neutralize it. Appraisers were highly valued.

Appraisers with lower-level appraisal skills.

Appraisers with higher-level appraisal skills.

And those with the even higher "Divine Eye" skill, known as Authenticators.

There were only three types, but their influence was immeasurable. The possibility of an appraiser becoming an authenticator was extremely low. While the "Divine Eye" skill could be acquired later in life, only a few could reach that level even after honing their appraisal skills. In fact, 90% of the known authenticators were born with the "Divine Eye" skill, making it incredibly rare.

...So, Yūri, who had casually dropped this bomb, continued to inspect other vegetables without a care. He was unfazed.

After selecting more vegetables, Yūri called Yack over for the payment. Since Yack was holding the wallet, Yūri only chose the items. Normally, this worked fine, but Yack was still frozen. So, Yūri took the wallet from Yack and checked the contents.

There were three types of coins: small copper, copper, and silver. In this world, there were also gold and platinum coins, but gold coins were rarely seen by ordinary people, and platinum coins were used only by the extremely wealthy or nobility. So, the wallet Arie gave them contained only up to silver coins.

A small copper coin was worth 1 gold. A copper coin was worth 10 gold. A silver coin was worth 1000 gold. Gold (G) was the unit of currency in this world. The currency and language were universal, which Yūri found incredibly convenient. He didn't know if this world was larger or smaller than the Earth he knew, but with the same language and currency, it seemed very convenient.

Following the price, Yūri paid and, out of curiosity, stared at a small copper coin. The skill activated, and a status-like explanation appeared before his eyes.

--- Small Copper Coin

Currency. Value: 1 gold. The most common coin among the common people.

Circular. The symbol of the god of commerce, Rude (a diamond with a line through it), is engraved on the front.

Note: 1 gold = 10 yen in Japanese currency. Size: 10 yen coin.

"Hmm?"

There was an additional, seemingly trivial note at the end. But Yūri didn't mind the details. He also got a rough idea of the price differences between this world and Japan. The prices here seemed about ten times higher. For example, the cabbage he bought earlier was 150 gold, which would be 1500 yen in Japanese currency. That was scary.

Still, this was this world, and Japan was Japan. Since Yūri would be shopping with this world's currency, he decided not to worry about the details. Such complex matters weren't his concern.

"Yack, let's go to the next store?"

Yūri, who had stuffed the vegetables into the magic bag, shook the still-frozen Yack to bring him back to reality. Yack, finally regaining his senses, sighed and led Yūri to the next store.

A story about how convenient appraisal skills are?

Yūri is as laid-back as ever.

The next chapter is also planned to be a shopping episode.

Looking forward to your comments and feedback.