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An Otherworldly Scholar - 62
🕑 Added 2023-10-13 22:33:35 +0000 UTCThe streets had transformed into small rivers. However, unlike the Monster Surge alert, that didn’t stop the city folk from going about their daily business. As the days passed and the Monster Surge never arrived, the city had reclaimed its normal routine. Merchants rolled their carts full of goods and street vendors set up long tents to protect their wares from the rain.
With Byrne’s dark cloak around my shoulders, and my sword hanging from the belt, I felt like Captain Alatriste walking through the streets of Madrid.
The merchants eyed me like vultures circling over a fresh carcass. The city’s economy had been frozen for weeks and the merchants craved making the money flow again. Smelling inflated prices, I brushed them off and headed towards Nasiah’s store.
The bell chimed as I opened the door. Nasiah raised her head from the accounting book on the counter.
“How is my favorite Scholar doing? Come in, it’s pouring outside.”
Her words caught me off guard. If I had to guess, the person in front of me was actually a Shapeshifter who killed the original Nasiah and wore her skin as a suit. My limited knowledge of Farcrest’s bestiary prevented me from jumping into conclusions.
She seemed to detect the change in my expression.
“What? I can’t be happy seeing the Scholar who made me win solid gold in less than a week?” Nasiah asked, almost accusingly. “Take the wand on the pedestal and touch the top of your head once before entering. As much as I’m glad you are here, I don’t want you to wet the floor.”
On top of a wooden pedestal, a knotty wand with a small gem embedded in the center caught my eye. It looked as if the branch had grown around the gem. Even with my murky mana sense, I could see the magic emanating from the crystal. I grabbed the want and tapped the top of my head.
A sudden gust of wind pushed the water drops trapped on the surface of my cloak down the mat. I did it again, and then a third time, not because my cloak was still wet but because it felt more like magic than the System skills.
Nasiah looked at me as if I was the biggest simpleton of Farcrest.
Maybe I was, but I didn’t care.
“Elincia is the Alchemist, you should thank her, not me.” I pointed out.
“Don’t bring up the Discount Dryad now that I’m celebrating.” Nasiah grunted as she pulled a small chest from under the counter. She let her mana flow into the lock and the lid burst open, revealing a brimming treasure of gold.
“Elincia wasn’t responsible for Risha joining the King’s army and you know it. He probably took a liking for leveling up and made his own decision.” I replied.
Nasiah glared at me.
“Live through three Monster Surges like I have, and you'll understand. I don’t know from what pampered court you crawled out from, but here in the frontier sacrifices have to be made. Sometimes you have to protect your loved ones from themselves.” Nasiah said with a calm voice.
“I didn't crawl out from any court, and I’m not here to force anyone to do anything.”
“And yet you act like the whole world should bend to your own ideals.” Nasiah sighed. “Anyway, here’s your money. We sold at the right time, Scholar. Everyone was too concerned about securing the potions that nobody cared if they were from a Guild approved source.”
The old woman pushed the chest across the counter.
I stuttered. The whole thing was ours?
“Can you divide it for me in ten small bags? One of them with silver if possible. I rather not walk around the Northern District with a box of gold.” I said, still recovering from the initial surprise.
“Smart. One bronze per pouch.”
“Deal. Credit.”
Nasiah rummaged through a box of miscellaneous items until she gathered ten small cloth bags. Then, she opened another box full of silver coins. We exchanged the money and carefully placed the coins inside the pouches.
“Aren’t you gonna count it?” Nasia raised an eyebrow.
“I’m convinced you are a reliable business partner.” I replied.
Nasiah sighed.
“Merchants gain experience even if they swindle their customers, you know that?”
“I want to believe people are generally good.” I shrugged my shoulders.
“Then you are a hopeless idiot.” Nasia replied with an annoyed voice that was more like her. “Now, get out of my store and don’t come back unless you have something to sell or need to buy something.”
I opened Byrne’s coat and put each money bag in a different pocket. Then, having completed my mission of annoying the merchant, I said goodbye and got ready to leave the store, but not before using the wind wand one last time.
“Can I buy the wand?” I asked with the doorknob still in my hand.
“It’s not on sale.” Nasiah grunted. “And good luck finding an Arcane Craftsman in this shithole of a city. Have a nice day.”
Despite my crushed hopes of obtaining a magic wand, I felt very optimistic about the future of the orphanage. Maybe it was due to the weight in my pockets. Then, a sudden idea struck me. Money wasn’t only for indulging in tasty food and buying pretty dresses. With this amount of money I could probably ‘persuade’ the Marquis to spare the kids from getting drafted into the King’s army.
All I needed was to ask Captain Kiln. Grinning, I walked down the street whistling to the melody of Fortunate Son. There was one more stop I needed to make before returning to the orphanage. Ginz’s workshop.
I moved slowly to prevent the coins from jingling, however, the thick cloak and the rain splatter concealed any sound coming from my pockets. My encounter with the Courier girl, Corin, served as a reminder to be careful.
Wanting to believe in the goodness of people wasn’t enough to delude me from the practical truth that some individuals were capable of great evil. I pulled the cloak over my face and walked down the main street towards Ginz’s workshop. The idea of contacting an Arcane Craftsman to potentially transform my Slime Core into a wand accompanied me all the way through the boulevard.
My happy thoughts were quickly interrupted. Right outside the workshop, Ginz was being confronted by three men. While they were not yelling, their body language was enough to tell they weren’t on good terms. The man who was arguing with Ginz, was dressed in a nice blue cloak so I assumed it was a merchant of some sorts. Maybe the landlord? The other two looked like his bodyguards. The sword handles poking from their worn cloaks made me think so.
The nearby vendors looked at the scene with interest, yet no one dared to intervene. Some of them were even entertained. The silver lining was that none of the group wore the Marquis colors.
As I approached, I noticed they were arguing about money. I didn't get close enough to hear details because the bodyguards suddenly turned around and they put their hands on their swords. Could they hear me over the sound of the rain, or did they have a special bodyguard detection skill?
They cast glances at my sword and examined my appearance.
“Move along. Nothing to see here.” Mustache Bodyguard said with a hostile tone.
I wondered if street thugs rehearsed the same lines across all the multiverse.
“Hey, Ginz! Are you going to take much longer with these gentlemen?” I said out loud, ignoring the bodyguards and catching the merchant-like man's attention.
He turned around and examined me with a sly expression on her face.
“A customer?”
“A customer, and a friend. Robert Clarke, at your service.” I introduced myself deliberately leaving my class out. The nice cloak and the sword on my side made me look like something I wasn’t. A high-class swordsman, I hoped.
“Kellaren Odrac-Aias, debt collector, at your service.” The man said with a small, almost mockingly, bow.
His name entered through one of my ears and went out the other, however, the last name remained.
“Aias? Like the famous mercenary family?” I asked.
“We prefer the term ‘sellsword’. The word ‘mercenary’ implies we lack the moral backbone to fulfill our part of the bargain.” Kellaren replied.
I examined the man’s face but didn't find any resemblance to Firana.
As far as I knew, Firana’s family had joined the King’s army and headed to the frontline to fight against the Farlands. Since then, no news about them had arrived, and Firana had the [Aias Heir] on her character sheet. I looked at the man once again. The chance he was a distant relative wasn’t zero.
“Are you interested, perhaps, in helping Craftsman Ginz with his debt? It will expedite the process if you are in a hurry.” Kellaren said as an artificial smile was drawn on his face.
“I’ll pay the interest, if that’s enough to ‘expedite’ the situation.” I replied, knowing the debt collector smelled blood in the waters. Maybe I should’ve stuck with my old, ragged cape.
“It will certainly do.” Kellaren’s smile quickly mutated into an annoyed grimace.
He totally expected the main prize. It was probably safer to flaunt money in front of a thief than a loan shark.
“Six pieces of silver and nine copper.” The man said.
I looked over his shoulder towards Ginz.
“Six pieces of silver and four copper, actually.”
“Naturally, my bad.” Kellaren replied, barely hiding his annoyed voice.
Rather than directly giving the money to Kellaren, I passed by his side and handed the coins to Ginz. With the corner of my eye, I saw the bodyguards gripping their swords but a subtle movement of Kellaren’s hand was enough to dissuade them. For a simple payment request, the atmosphere had turned surprisingly hostile.
Kellaren then pulled out an enchanted money box and Ginz put the coins one by one until a small bell rang inside.
I resisted the urge to ask about the enchanted item.
“We will be back next month.” Eyepatch Bodyguard said, his words came out almost like a threat.
I turned my back to the group and entered the workshop.
Ginz was quick to follow me.
“Debt, uh?” I said.
“The ‘Monster Surge’ screwed up my delivery schedule. People didn’t want to pay for the stuff they commissioned so I was at a momentary deficit.” Ginz replied, locking the door behind us. “Don’t look at me like that. It’s usual for crafting classes to be deep in debt until they reach enough level to make actual profit. The key is to scrap enough to make the monthly payments.”
One perk of being sent to another world was not having to pay college loans anymore.
“In any case, thank you. I’ll pay you. Eventually. Tea?” Ginz said as he grabbed a singed kitchen cloth and put the kettle on the brazier. It seemed like the craftsman had already forgotten about the debt collectors.
I sat at the workbench and accepted the tea.
“So, Elincia didn’t kill you for grounding her?” Ginz asked.
“Very few people can endure my overwhelming masculine presence.” I replied.
Ginz almost dropped the kettle as he laughed.
“Sure, sure. I have to say you are something though. Not even Mister Lowell managed to get Elincia in line most of the time.” Ginz pointed out.
“I’m sure Elincia has matured since Mister Lowell passed away. You should see her dealing with the kids. She’s awesome.” I mindlessly replied.
Something in my voice must’ve given up my feelings for Elincia because Ginz instantly raised an eyebrow.
“Are you into elves or something?” Ginz said just to quickly add. “I don’t judge. I’m not judging.”
It sounded like he was totally judging me.
“What’s wrong with liking elves?” I asked.
“Granny hair? Looking barely mature even if they are actual grannies? I know Elincia is almost my age, but she could easily be in her fifties. Don’t you think it's unnerving?” Ginz poured steaming tea into two cups.
“We are not having this conversation, Ginz. I just want to let you know, however, that your take on mature women is factually, philosophically, and metaphysically wrong.” I replied.
“Whatever.” Ginz said, handing me one of the cups. “The deck of cards is ready, by the way. Want to see it?”
I nodded.
Ginz pulled a small ornate box and put it over the workbench. Inside there was a handcrafted standard card deck. I left the cup by the side and shuffled the cards. I could do the overhand, the double riffle and a surprisingly convincing faro shuffle. Ginz wasn’t surprised by any of them.
The cards felt great, not quite as good as the plastic-coated cards from Earth, but Ginz had coated them with a protective substance similar to plastic. I noticed he had taken the trouble to sign every single court card with his initials. G.L.
“Confident that this is going to be a banger?” I asked.
“Nobleborns love this kind of stuff, trust me.” Ginz replied with a wide grin on his round face. “I took the liberty of portraying the Marquis as the king of diamonds. King Ebros is the king of spades, Lord Tirno the jack of clubs, Sir Janus the jack of hearts, and Captain Kiln is the jack of diamonds.”
I had to admit Ginz had a good nose for marketing. The kings, except for the king of diamonds, were the emeritus rulers up to King Ebros’ grandfather while the queens were their respective spouses. The jacks featured Farcrest prominent nobility.
The jokers, in general, weren’t as flattering as the rest of the court cards. One of the jokers was eerily similar to me but Ginz denied it. The second one looked like Kellaren but with his eyes looking in different directions. It kinda resembled my old boss.
I put the deck inside its box.
“What about the shotgun shells?” I asked.
“Just a couple prototypes so far. I still need a proper primer and propellant. If you want to recreate the exact substances then you probably need a Transmuter or a high-level Tinkerer.” Ginz said, displaying the paper hulls he had prepared.
I wasn’t sure about how much assistance the System provided to crafting classes, but Ginz’s work was impressive for someone who wasn’t familiarized with fire weapons.
“How much money do you need?” I asked.
“It depends on how much you want me to experiment. Explosive components usually come from expensive monster loot. Advanced chemist mixtures like the one you described aren’t as common here in the frontier. We might want to order something from the inland or I could try to go cheap, but it might not be the best solution.” Ginz explained.
I should’ve majored in chemistry instead of math, but it was too late now.
“Can you do something with ten gold?” I tentatively asked.
Ginz’s eyes shot open.
“Are you selling drugs or something? Of course I can make things happen with ten pieces of gold. I could build you a functional flying ship if you were a Sky Pirate! Although a small one.” Ginz replied, suddenly excited.
I had a hunch I had to put a leash to Ginz’s excitement before he could brag about the project with other craftsmen.
“If you want to order anything unusual, go see Miss Nasiah. Don’t use your regular suppliers, this needs to remain a secret. Okay?” I asked.
Ginz nodded.
“I’ll keep it a secret.”
“Good.” I said. “Next time you have free time come to the manor, I have some schematics for you. Just make sure to put a helmet on before you say anything stupid.”
Then, ignoring Ginz’s avalanche of questions, I said goodbye and departed from the workshop. As I made my way back to the Northern District, the city gradually became silent. Even the guardsmen patrols became less frequent, but that was life in the abandoned side of the Farcrest. Other than a drunk man sleeping under the porch of a house, the streets were empty as ever.
If anything, the leaning buildings were often enough to block out the rain.
I took a turn to cut through a narrow alley. The rain had washed away the stagnant puddles of putrid water left behind by the previous storm and replaced it with clean water. At least the smell was better. I was deep in thought when suddenly a cloaked figure detached from the darkness and stood in the middle of the path, blocking the entrance of the alley. My heart skipped a beat, however I quickly tried to rationalize the situation.
Nobody knew I was carrying an obscene amount of money.
I squinted my eyes.
‘Awareness hasn’t warned you, it’s probably just a drunkard trying to find protection against the rain.’
My train of thought was abruptly cut by a stabbing pain in the back of my brain. It felt like someone had stabbed me with an icepick through the eye, but I instantly recognized it as the corrupted skill trying to warn me. I turned around.
A second figure had emerged from the shadows and blocked my only escape route.
Then, I noticed the sheen of metal as the shadowy figure pulled out a long curved blade.
___________________
AN: thanks to dovahcreed/sheogorath/death for their help on this chapter
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Something malicious is brewing
