The Zilgs Kingdom is at the center of a large continent.
It borders demon territory but it’s land is very suited for agriculture. It’s climate is also warm. Under Remonaz, the current ruling King, Zilgs is a very stable country that is continuously growing.
There’s no official ranking on the countries strength, but if there were, the Zilgs Kingdom would be ranked very highly, near the top.
The capital, Mallad, is surrounded by two layers of thick walls, and has a population nearing 200,000. The royal palace at the center of Mallad can be seen from anywhere in the capital and the country’s land seems as if were radiating outward from the palace.
“Ho~ there’s so many peple! The people in this era look very prosperous!”
Sildonia was using magic to create an illusion of herself as she walked through the streets that were flooded with vendors.
Kyle and his friends just arrived at Mallad. Sildonia was right. The streets were flooded with people. “I heared Mallad has a population of 1,000,000.” Lize said that with such a large population, such a scenery wasn’t something to be shocked at.
“You’re right. But that’s only from what I’ve been told. I don’t know from experience. Sildonia herself had never walked through such a crowd and neither have I.”
“So that’s why…”
Kyle was wondering why Sildonia kept asking questions on the way. Her existence was a very unbalanced one: she was full of knowledge but lacked any experience whatsoever.
Sildonia was attracted by the scent and moved towards one of the vendors. Lize forced a smile on her face and followed.
“She’s like a kid from a rural village visiting the city for the first time.”
Seran is a whole different story, but in fact, Seran and Lize are very similar. Neither of them have left Rimaze for a long time, and it's the first time either of them have been to Mallad. The way they looked around the city made it very easy to tell that they were from out of town.
“Hmph, it doesn’t taste as good as Lize’s food, but it’s quite good. Let’s see…up next is that vendor…” Sildonia was carrying a meat skewer as she returned. BEcase she needed to convert the food to magic power, she ate a lot.
“Eat later, I want to go buy the stuff we planned.”
“Stuff…as in…weapons and shields?”
“Right, we wouldn’t stand a chance with the equipment we have right now. It’s better if we have higher quality items.”
Their current equipment consisted of Sildonia, working as Kyle’s sword. Everyone else’s equipment was just a little better than that of an average journeyman.
“We can upgrade our current equipment, but there would be limits. With our current strength, new, higher grade material will enhance our abilities exponentially.”
He added on that it’ll also reduce the chances of them getting killed.
Over the past year, Kyle had lost so many loved ones – he didn't want to lose any more.
“If we can avoid getting killed by buying better equipment, it’s a cheap price to pay. No need to be cheap.” In a big city like Mallad, there were several different places to buy goods from.
Of course, the stores had different levels: stores for novices, intermediates, and professionals. The place Kyle’s team was heading toward was without a doubt the highest class store around.
Only noblemen and journeymen who earn tens of thousands of Gadoru per assignment can afford the items there.
The store was built with stone, and had no signs.
There were no signs because signs weren’t needed. Only people with a particular purpose would come to the store. In other words, it wasn’t the type of store where one would just walk in randomly or by accident.
There were several armed guards at the entrance. Only one of them was wearing a uniform for the store. He spoke to Kyle as he approached the entrance.
“What can I help you with?”
“Ah, I want to buy items.”
“I don’t mean to be rude, but do you have a referral?”
“No.”
“Are you familiar with our policy of first time customers with no referral?”
“If I remember correctly, those without referrals who are completely new have to pay a deposit in order to enter the store.”
Kyle remembered from his previous life.
“You’re correct. I apologize for the inconvenience, but we ask all new customers to make a deposit of 10,000 Gadoru. Of course, it will be returned upon your departure from the store.”
The boy was somewhat apologetic, but firm nonetheless.
The store has many very expensive items on display. Noblemen have their identities confirmed, but most of the customers who visit this store are armed journeymen.
The store has to be on the safe side to prevent any armed robberies.
As a result, the store normally doesn’t allow customers without a referral to enter. However, that doesn’t mean that they turn all of them away. The deposit system ensures that only safe customers are let in the store. If they can’t afford the initial deposit, there is no way that they will be able to afford anything in the store. Hence, they have no purpose of being there.
“5 pieces of Zares gold. Is that enough?”
Kyle handed the boy Zares gold, a currency from the ancient magical kingdom period. It had very tiny engravings and even had a preservation spell. As a result, even a thousand years later, there are many of them in circulation. Many stores that sell expensive items also accept it as currency.
Zares gold has twice the value of the highest denomination, which was worth 1,000 Gadoru.
Though not produced anymore, there is an even more high value currency that is worth 10,000 Gadoru that uses precious gems. Those are often used for investments or rituals and are seldom found circulating.
“Thank you. Right this way please.”
Beyond the heavy door was a hallway.
At the end of the hallway was another heavy door.
For added protection, there were 2 doors. On the other end of the second door was a spacious floor.
There were no windows, but magic items with the *light* spell had lit up the room.
In addition, the moisture and temperature were adjusted perfectly to ensure maximum comfort.
And on the counters and were armor and weapons neatly organized.
Possibly due to the time, there were no other customers in the store.
The store wasn’t meant to attract large numbers of people at once in the first place.
“Welcome! I am Fesiba, the owner of this store.”
A wide man in his 50’s greeted Kyle and his friends as they walked in.
For first timers, either the owner of the store or one of the sales associates are assigned to stay with them at all times.
They determine the type of customer you are and whether the store can make money off of you. They then adjust their services accordingly.
Fesiba had a great smile on his face but watched Kyle with a keen eye.
“What can we do for you today?”
“We want to see your weapons and shields.”
“Certainly. We have a lot of weapons and shields. Let me show you.”
There are many kinds of magic items.
Some are simply enhanced while other are made lightweight. Some are speceially made for users of fire or ice, and still others are made to defend against those types.
There are several other types, but they’re not made that often these days.
To put magic in a weapon or shield takes more effort than a simple magic item. It also costs more, so most of the items on the market were made during the rule of the ancient magic kingdom.
“Whoa. I see lots of things from Zares. Oh! This one’s made by Melanis!”
Sildonia commented on some of the things she saw.
“You sure do know a lot. This one was indeed made by Melanis, one of the most famous craftsmen in the old days…”
“Not really. I mean, he did make some neat items, but when I criticized some of his work, he started tearing up. I’m sure he’s realized his mistakes by now.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, don’t pay attention, she’s kinda crazy.”
Kyle whispered to make sure she couldn't hear.
“Huh? Oh…Okay…I see…”
Fesba looked around the store and caught the attention of another store employee. She led Sildonia to a consulting table.
“Hm? What is it? Oh wow! These snacks look delicious!”
Since this store dealt with rich customers, their snacks were also top quality.
Sildonia began eating.
Kyle gave a light bow, apologizing for her behavior. Fesba also smiled. He presumably understood the difficulty that she was giving Kyle and his friends.
“Oh! Could this be?”
What caught Kyle’s eye was a light blue colored armor suit in a glass display case. It was probably the most expensive item in the entire store. It was displayed so that it would get everyone’s attention. It was known as leather armor, and emphasized speed. It also used a special type of leather.
“Dragon leather armor…and does it have magic on it as well?”
“Yes, it has magic to increase resistance, defense, hardness, magic resistance, heat resistance, cold resistance, and it’s also been made lightweight. Inside, phoenix wings are sewn.”
Fesba was probably asked the same question before; he knew what he was talking about.
“Phoenix, as in the phantom monster?”
Among the monsters, there exists a thing that uses intellect to command language and use magic.
They were their own category and were called phantoms.
The number of phantoms is extremely small, but most of them, including dragons, were very powerful.
“Yes, it is a phantom monster as strong as a dragon. It’s the epitome of life, so it has resistance against poison and sickness. Also, although it's a small amount, it does have an automatic health recovery function.”
The store owner did a fantastic job of selling the armor to Kyle. It was, indeed, one of the best armors around.
The price tag was under the display case.
3,000,000 Gadoru.
You could buy a castle with the land and several servants in the capital with that kind of money. For one armor, this price was an outlier.
“…And over here we have our armor….”
“Okay, I’ll take this one!”
“What?!”
Fesba’s eyes grew very wide, but Kyle had already started talking to Seran.
“Seran, this should fit you in terms of size. What do you say?”
Seran was busy talking to the female sales associate so he wasn’t too interested.
“Hm~ I’m not a big fan of the blue coloring…I want a passionate color like blue, red, or black. I’ll pass on this one.”
“Fine, then I’ll take this one. So now I have armor and a sword. I’m all set. Now there’s Ulza and Lize….Can you please show me the items for women please?”
Kyle was completely calm, but Fesba’s eyes were still very wide.
Afterwards, he bought Ulza a mithril silver breastplate and a dagger. Spiritual magicians don’t like metal like steel and bronze, so they often don’t have any defensive items.
However, magical metal like mithril silver was an exception.
He also bought an amulet using a precious stone that is said to be found only in the spiritual world.
It is said that putting this on reduces the distance between the user and the spirits.
In fact, Ulza recalled that she felt a special relationship form with the spirits the moment she put the amulet on.
“I heard that the leader fo the village neighboring mine owned one…but the quality of this one is unheard of…With this, I’ll probably be able to form contracts with high level spirits.”
Needless to say, Uzla was quite excited.
For Lize, he bought gauntlets to protect her arms.
There were also made of mithril.
They also had magic to make it sturdy yet lightweight.
With these, Lize would be able to dispel simple sword attacks with ease.
For her body, he bought cloth armor, to put emphasis on ease of movement. The cloth armor also had the *protect* spell cast on it, so it was actually sturdier than the average metal armor.
“Feels great!”
Lize made several steps and jumps to check the fit, and confirmed that there were no problems.
“Do you have any other armor made of dragon leather?”
Kyle asked Fesba.
If possible, he was looking for dragon leather armor that even Lize would be able to move comfortably in.
“Unfortunately, we’re out of stock at the moment…these items rarely come around, so even in our store, we only have a limited supply.”
“I see…”
Kyle continued, and whispered to Sildonia who was still eating.
“Didn’t we have dragon leather?”
“Um..yeah..we have enough to process. In fact, we have the leather from the old dragon, like the armor here, that uses young dragon leather. If we’re talking about armor, we can easily make 10 or even 20.”
For some reason, Sildonia seemed proud of herself.
She would’ve sounded much cooler if she didn't have chocolate all around her mouth.
“Then itd be easier if we have them made to order. But then again, there are only so many leather craftsmen around these days…”
Kyle lamented the difficulty of simply finding someone who could process the leather and make something out of it.
He let out a small sigh.
Now all that’s left was Seran.
“Do you have armor that would make a girl as pretty as you fall for me just by putting it on?”
Kyle shook his head at Seran, who was dead-serious.
“For this guy, can you prepare a one-handed longsword, and for defensive armor, can you get some leather armor? If you’re out of stock, some used rag would work as well.”
“Hagh….Yes sir.”
The female sales associate dealing with Seran in a strictly professional manner replied with a tight face.
“Also, we need some magic stones and magic medicine.”
“Yes sir..”
Magic stones are stones that are fined and have magic placed in them. Because they are a single use item that cost quite a lot, they’re not used often. However, because it allows even a low level magician to cast high grade spells, most journeymen carry one or two with them just in case.
“For attack spells, we have in stock the *explosion* stone.”
Fesba took out a small black stone that fit on his palm. There were magic letters carved into the stone.
*Explosion* is a mid level magic that causes an explosion.
It’s used best against groups of enemies.
“Read the magic letters as you trace your finger over the. The letters will light up and the magic will take effect in 5 seconds. During that time, throw the stone towards the enemy.”
Fesba explained how to use the stone.
“Magic medicine is normally ingested through drinks.”
As he said this, he showed Kyle several small vials containing a liquid substance.
There are medicines that heal injuries, cure sicknesses, and the highest level medicine can regenerate lost limbs in an instant.
Magic stones and magic medicine are both single use items, but the ones in this store all cost at least 1,000 Gadoru.
“So many useful items. By the way, do you have any magic stones that are effective against reptiles?”
“I heard fire isn’t that effective against them, and neither is lightning…I suppose your best bet is an ice type. Not only will it damage the enemy but it will also slow it down. It won’t always be effective on dragons, but it should work against Wyverns and Hydras.”
“I knew it had to be an ice type…Do you have magic stones with the *blizzard* spell?”
*Blizzard* is a mid level magic spell that creates an icy blizzard over a certain area. Kyle has the ability to use this spell.
However, using this spell requires tremendous amounts of focus and concentration.
Casting it in the middle of an intense battle requires lots of practice. Given the current circumstances, that would be hard for Kyle.
To compensate, he would use the stones which requires no concentration.
“Yes, we do. However, putting ice spells in magic stones requires advanced technology, so they’re slightly more expensive…”
“Great, we’ll take everything you have. They’re all useful.”
“Huh?!”
Fesba took a look at the over 100 stones lined up on the countertop.
“Also, I need magic medicine. Since we have no healers in our party. I’ll take all of those too.”
“….”
“Also,”
“Yes!?”
Fesba was clearly in shock.
“We’ll probably be returning quite often, so if you could, can you please stock up on everything?”
“….Huh……..”
That’s all Fesba could say at the moment.