Materials Acquired
"Appraisal..."
"Skill..."
It sounded kind of similar to mine.
I could hear the voices of all things, while this Farel could apparently know everything about all things.
If someone had a power like that, it wouldn't be strange if they were famous for it somehow.
But I'd never even heard the name.
… Or was that just me? Maybe they were well-known and I was simply out of the loop?
I looked at Lufen. She shook her head.
Even the networking monster didn't know them.
So they probably weren't very well known...
Either way, if we wanted to uncover the truth about this thing, we'd need this Farel person's help.
"Thanks. We’ll head to the Royal Capital then."
"Yeah. Let me know if you find anything."
The old man flashed a hearty grin and gave me a thumbs-up.
He was seeing us off so cheerfully. What a nice guy.
As I appreciated the kindness hidden beneath his scary face… well, putting that aside.
"Hey, old man. I haven't forgotten. Sell me that iron for blades."
"... Tch."
Oi. This guy just clicked his tongue. Can I punch him?
"Haha, come on, kid. You think I'd forget? Hahaha!"
"Forget selling it. Just let me punch you once."
"My bad, my bad. Let's talk this out."
"You know, I'm not very good at talking."
As I closed in on the old man, who was now breaking out in a cold sweat, Lufen stepped between us.
.. .Feels like this exact thing happened recently too.
"All right, break it up. Mister, if you made a promise, keep it. Otherwise I'm going to be angry."
"If Lufen-chan's going to scold me, I wouldn't mind… ah, just kidding. Fine, I'll sell it. I will."
Apparently defeated by Lufen's icy glare, the old man raised his hands in surrender and reached for the crate.
"The blade iron costs sixteen gold coins. Half price makes it eight..."
"... But I'll just give it to you."
"... Huh? Really?"
What brought this on? There wasn't some catch, was there?
As I eyed him suspiciously, the old man shrugged.
"What happened earlier was just a little joke. Now let's talk business. Forget the mystery ore for now. Hand over all the other ores you found."
… I see. So he wanted to trade goods instead of money.
"Sorry. I can't."
"I'll pay the full sixteen gold coins."
I looked him straight in the eye.
Neither of us spoke for several seconds.
The old man smiled and closed his eyes.
"So you really do understand what these guys are worth. In that case, I'll throw in another twenty gold coins on top."
Twenty gold coins.
That was an enormous amount of money. Even Lufen's eyes widened.
No surprise there. Free materials and twenty gold coins? Most people would've jumped at the offer immediately.
But... no. That wasn't it.
I picked up a piece of Holy Lava and gently stroked it.
Like I was admiring it. Like I was cherishing it.
"These guys… they spent all that time abandoned in the dark. They were finally born into this world... and nobody ever used them. I think the former owner of that mansion just collected them as a hobby."
These ores… the accessories too...
They'd all said the same thing. Being left unused was lonely.
"I don't want to sell them to someone who'll treasure them. I want to find someone who'll actually use them with care."
I met the old man's gaze again.
Everyone around us had fallen silent, watching the exchange.
"So... I can't sell them. Sorry."
I bowed deeply.
I stayed that way for a while. Then the old man let out a long sigh.
"... Kid. Look up."
I did as I was told.
The old man smiled with an exasperated look and rested a hand on my shoulder.
"You're terrible at business."
"... Yeah. I’m aware.”
"But I don't hate that way of thinking."
… Huh?
I stared up at him blankly.
The other merchants were looking at me too… like fathers watching their son.
"All right then. Sixteen gold coins. Not a coin more, not a coin less. And don't bother trying to negotiate now. It's too late."
"Y-yes, sir! Thanks!"
Lufen, who was shaking her head with an amused smile, and I exchanged a high five.
All right. For now… we'd secured our materials.
"So, kid. Lufen-chan. How are you planning to carry all this home?"
"Where's your handcart?"
"”Ah.”"
………
"... Take this handcart."
"You can have it."
"”T-thanks…”
What do you think about this chapter?
