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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: It's Something I Made
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It's something I made.
The trading post was bustling with people as usual today.
A neatly dressed middle-aged woman stared at the sign hanging in front of the stall.
"Discounted to 40 runes for a week?"
"Yes, it'll go up to 50 runes starting next week."
I'd judged that the most urgent task was to get people familiar with my herbs.
That's why I'd lowered the price to 40 runes and added a discount sign to draw attention.
The woman raised one eyebrow, looking displeased.
"50 runes? That's even more expensive than incense candles."
"Well, it's way more effective than incense candles!"
It might not look like much, but this herb was originally traded for 500 runes.
But since I looked young, the woman seemed skeptical of my words.
"You can try it once and decide for yourself!"
"Hmm..."
After pondering for a long while, the woman finally pulled four silver coins from her pouch and handed them to me.
"I'm buying this because you have such a pretty face. Got it?"
"Thank you, ma'am."
I waved goodbye to today's last customer with a big smile.
Then I pulled back the black cloth hanging beside me and turned to Sierra.
"Sierra! We sold out today."
"You worked hard."
Her flat response came back, but I was just thrilled.
It had been a week since I'd started setting up at the trading post. Today was the first time I'd sold out of all the herbs I'd prepared.
"Once word spreads, even more customers will come. It won't take this long then."
I hummed a little tune as I carefully packed my magic books into my bag one by one.
Sierra gave a faint smile and helped me organize the luggage.
"Oh, right. Is there a shop nearby that sells magic tools?"
"Magic tools, you say?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Sierra's usually impassive face.
"Yeah, there's something I want to buy."
"There is one nearby, but... magic tools are quite expensive."
"It's fine. I'm not buying the magic tool itself."
Sierra blinked a few times, looking puzzled. Going to a magic tool shop without buying a magic tool didn't make sense to her.
But with my finances, I couldn't afford something that pricey anyway.
I could, however, afford one of the materials used to make them.
The material used as fuel for magic tools.
Refined mana.
※
A certain shop displaying exorbitantly expensive magic tools that a kid like me could never dream of affording.
"Th-three hundred runes..."
The price was much higher than I'd expected, and I muttered under my breath with my mouth agape.
"That's a fairly standard price."
The magic tool shop owner looked at me curiously.
The item he'd offered was a glass vial filled with a blue-glowing liquid.
If Earth had oil, this world had mana processed into an energy source.
This liquid, called refined mana, was the main fuel used to power magic tools.
It was also a key ingredient for crafting mana potions in the game.
"May I ask what you'll be using it for?"
I hesitated at his question but figured there was no need to hide it.
I pulled a few sheets of parchment from my backpack and handed them over. They were covered in complex circuits tangled like a maze.
"A disposable circuit diagram, huh."
The shop owner immediately grasped it and tilted his head.
"The material's nothing special, and the circuit itself is a mess. This is practically unusable..."
His blunt assessment made my body flinch involuntarily.
"Who on earth gave you such a shoddy circuit diagram?"
At his genuinely baffled question, I lowered my head.
"I... I made it myself..."
A three-second silence fell over the shop. The air in the store grew stiff.
"Haha! The first try's all about the challenge!"
The owner burst into hearty laughter and offered some encouraging words like a blessing, but the bead of sweat on his forehead betrayed his true feelings.
It's okay, mister.
I know my circuit diagram is pretty sloppy too.
"Anyway, I want to buy mana for this circuit diagram."
"Hmm... For a circuit like this, you won't need much. A few drops should do."
The owner stroked his goatee thoughtfully, then pulled a small vial from a drawer and carefully filled it with the mana liquid.
"How about 50 runes for this amount?"
The vial was about the size of a finger joint. The quantity was reduced, but enough for ten sheets of my circuit diagrams.
50 runes was an amount I could handle.
"Sounds good. Deal."
I handed the owner the money and carefully stowed the mana liquid away.
"Need anything else? I sell nodes too."
The shop owner pointed to a corner of the store. There, metal pieces shaped into various geometric forms were on display.
Nodes. An item from the game as well.
They were materials mainly used in magic scroll crafting. Depending on which node you embedded in the circuit, it altered the properties of the mana.
It was the key technique that allowed scrolls to produce magic of various elemental attributes.
"I'm good for now. Don't need nodes yet."
All I'd studied so far were circuit diagram basics and simple design principles. I was still a long way from using nodes.
"I see? I could've given a cute young lady like you a discount. Heh heh."
At his joke, Sierra, who had been quietly standing in the corner, furrowed her brow slightly.
Noticing her gaze, the shop owner gave an awkward laugh and waved his hands flusteredly.
"Haha, no misunderstanding. I meant nothing weird."
Since we were already here, I decided to browse the shop.
It was lined with outrageously expensive magic tools that made my eyes widen. Armor and blunt weapons infused with mana energy, equipment engraved with intricately crafted runes.
But the one that caught my eye the most was the item in a case at the center of the store.
It was covered in red cloth, so I couldn't tell what it was, but it gave off a strangely familiar aura.
"What's this?"
"Hooh... Sharp eyes."
The owner smiled meaningfully and pulled a small key from his pocket.
"Normally, I wouldn't show this to just anyone... but for a young lady like you, a special peek."
The shop owner unlocked the case and carefully lifted out the mysterious object covered in red cloth.
He confidently pulled back the cloth. An object of familiar yet unfamiliar shape revealed itself.
It was a plant.
The root resembled ginseng, and atop it bloomed a blue flower glowing with light.
Its form was so distinct that I instantly recognized what it was.
"M-Mana Herb?"
"Hooh, you know it. I splurged and got one recently."
I stared wide-eyed at the rare plant right in front of me.
Mana Herb.
A plant grown by absorbing mana and life force from deep underground over long years.
The brighter the blue glow on its petals, the greater the amount of mana accumulated within.
In the game world, consuming a mana herb boosted max mana and magic power.
It provided a whopping 5% increase early on, but the effect dwindled as your character's specs grew.
By the time you were challenging the final boss, it was practically meaningless.
But that didn't diminish the mana herb's value. It was a precious herb that sold out instantly.
"Wh-what's... the price?"
The shop owner raised a single finger with a serious expression.
"Ten thousand runes."
"T-Ten thou..."
It matched the tuition for one semester at the academy.
I'd have to earn five times what I'd saved so far just to afford it.
"...That's expensive."
"It's a mana herb."
He was right.
Even at ten thousand runes, buyers would line up at the magic tower.
But for someone like me saving for academy enrollment... it was completely out of reach.
'If only I could cultivate mana herbs myself...'
That would change everything, but I still didn't know the conditions for making them bloom.
I'd run various experiments, but so far, all I could grow was Silver Flower Herbs.
In this situation, investing ten thousand runes in a single mana herb was too big a risk.
"...When I make a lot of money later, I'll come back to buy it."
"Heh heh, if it's still here then, I'll gladly sell it to you."
Even after giving up, my gaze lingered on that flower glowing with blue light.
I knew it was beyond me, but I couldn't easily look away.
And for some reason, from the moment I saw the mana herb, an inexplicable sense of déjà vu washed over me.
[I want it.]
"Eek?"
I jumped at the sudden voice and looked around.
It wasn't the shop owner's voice. I glanced at Sierra, but she was looking back at me with confusion.
'...A hallucination?'
Looks like staying up nights working on magic circuits had taken a toll on my body.
Hallucinations at my age—maybe I'd pushed too hard.
"Thanks for showing me. We'll head out now."
I bowed to the shop owner, who had kindly shown me the mana herb, and turned to leave with Sierra.
Was it my imagination?
Sierra's gaze seemed to linger on the mana herb for quite a while.
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