Chapter 28: Shopping spree without a packing muleLuna Pov

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  After several minutes, the nky smith comes out with a sword in a leather sheath that is connected to a belt. After I put it on, I inspect myself. The belt fits wonderfully with the rest of the body, its grey colour blending in with my equally grey shorts. Then, I draw the sword and inspect it as well. A longsword, slightly longer than half my body length, greets my eyes. Its shiny surface reflects the light hitting it, making it almost seem like a distorted mirror.

  "Is there a pce to test the sword?" I ask the smith.

  "Indeed. If the young swordsman would be so kind as to follow me."

  The smith leaves the smithy and then leads me through the alley right beside the smithy. There, behind the smithy, is a field with many wooden dummies.

  "Thank you very much. Are there any rules I must follow here?"

  "It was my pleasure. The young swordsman is free to wield her sword here according to her wishes."

  "Okay."

  I approach a wooden dummy and slice at it with the sword. It gets stuck several centimetres in.

  I pull the sword from the wooden dummy and put it back into the sheath after making sure there are no splinters left on it. Then I turn toward the smith.

  "I am very satisfied with the sword. How much do I need to pay?"

  "If the young swordsman were inclined to pay 1000 mon, I would be more than satisfied."

  "Sure," I answer, not pnning to haggle. I never liked to haggle anyway. These official shops won't be able to deceive me about the price because there is a w of minimum allowable price increase. It only allows someone to increase the price by 30% of the standard price. This standard price is calcuted through magic. It takes into account bour costs, material costs, quality of the product and other important factors. If I feel that I was misled after purchasing the sword, I can naturally report it to the authorities. They will then use magic to verify my cims before, if needed, taking suitable disciplinary actions.

  After taking out ten silver coins, I bid farewell to the smith and continue walking through the city, taking in the various sights. During lunch hours, I find a restaurant to dine in. The menu has far more dishes than expected. After some thought, I conclude that they're cooking monster meat here and have access to various monster meat through the dungeon.

  After ordering some dishes, I wait. Soon, my food gets served, and I start eating. As I do, I hear a conversation from the table to the side.

  "Hey, did you hear? Apparently, a new monster overlord was born in the north of the kingdom recently."

  "You mean those monsters that mastered magic or Aura to such an extent that they're able to dominate a whole region?"

  "Yes. One of those. Apparently, this one is called the Ice Queen, and she is said to have awakened Ice Aura. They say she is a demon snow fox."

  "So, aside from the Forest King to the east of the kingdom, the Beach King to the south of here and the Weather King to the west of the Kingdom, we now have a fourth overlord? Where did you even learn of this?"

  "It was written in the national newspaper. But stingy guys like you can't part with such money, can they?"

  "Hey! That comment was unnecessary! Or should I tell everyone how you tried to woo-"

  At that moment, the speaker was held down by the other person, stopping them from speaking.

  Having eaten my food, I am in a bit of a prankster mood. I pay for my food and approach the two before starting to speak.

  "Hello, you two gentlemen. You seem to have a small conflict. Would you tell me what it's about? Maybe I can help you solve it."

  "What can a little child do?"

  I turn toward the first person. "Maybe I can call you stingy." Then I turn toward the second person. "Or I can tell everyone how you tried to woo-"

  My mouth gets covered before I finish speaking. I free my mouth before speaking again.

  "Such ungentlemanly behaviour towards a dy. No wonder you got rejected."

  "Hahaha! Good one! Just like that!" the second person ughs out while patting my shoulder.

  I turn toward him, before saying, "Such ungentlemanly behaviour towards a dy. No wonder you didn't even try to court her."

  "You!"

  Now, both show hostility toward me.

  "Look at how fast you set aside your differences. Seems like I am really good at mediating. I helped you realise that you have many simirities. For example, you're both losers who will never get to hold the hand of a dy. I hope you will remember this. After all, losers need to work together to hold out against this harsh world."

  After I say that, I joyfully skip out of the restaurant, but not before giving one st comment.

  "If you really want romance, you could consider each other!"

  I continue exploring the city and eventually come across an armourer. After a moment of contemption, I decide to buy an armour. After all, now that I'm not using magic, I should try to get just a little more protection. I enter the shop. This one has a clerk in the front room. I approach and ask for a light leather armour that is very cut-resistant and light. The clerk brings out a leather armour. However, instead of one piece, it is more like many pieces strapped together to ensure a smooth movement at the joints.

  I try it on, and it fits me perfectly. Satisfied, I pay ten silver coins for the armour. After exploring the city a bit more and buying a few necessities, like a tent and mattresses, I go back to the adventurers' guild. It's where I agreed to meet with Gninthgil. Soon after, the red-haired dy appears as well, and we find an inn to rest for the night.

  Tomorrow, it's finally time to go dungeon exploring!

  HidingInTheNovels