The Value of Magic Tools
After finishing lunch, the girls decided to take a look at the other street vendors and shops they hadn’t yet looked at.
“Do you know any magic tool stores, Frau?”
“I do. Did you want to take a look?”
“Yeah. I thought I’d take a look at the market prices of some magic tools.”
Frau nodded and then gave Ellis a little wink. “Alright, but you can’t sell a Bag of Gluttony. If you pull one of those out, it will definitely cause a panic.”
“I understand.” Ellis nodded obediently.
So far, Ellis had made due with the magic tools she had found scrounging through the street vendors, but it will probably become necessary to eventually find a magic tool with a specific effect. At that time, she will probably have to buy it from a magic tool shop.
The store that Frau brought them to was at the center of the town with other luxury goods shops. Before letting them enter, though, Frau stopped and turned to face Ellis and Reeve.
“Before we go in, you should both remove any magic tools that you are wearing.”
“What, why?”
Frau furled her eyebrows. “The owner of this shop is a troublesome person with quite the nose for magical tools. He will almost certainly be able to sniff yours out.”
Ellis and Reeve followed Frau’s instructions and put all their magic tools inside their Bags of Gluttony, but the question remained about what to do with the bags themselves.
Reeve is the one who found a solution to this problem. “Give me your bags. I will wait out here with them and listen to your conversation with my Intelligence Piercings.”
“Oh.” Ellis and Frau had to clap for Reeve’s idea. They happily gave their bags to Reeve, and Reeve handed over her wallet before activating her piercings.
“Then we’re going, Reeve.”
“Un. Have fun, ladies.”
“Let’s do it.”
Ellis and Frau made their way into the shop.
There were no actual goods set up in the shop, though. Instead, there was just a variety of papers posted onto the walls.
“Where are all the goods?” Ellis mumbled unintentionally.
“There are various reasons for, but the biggest one is to make sure n.o.body can switch the magic tools with a look-alike.” Frau explained.
Well. I guess this means I can’t get the items cheaply like with the stalls… …”
Then the old shop owner came out from the back.
“Oh Frau. It’s been a long time. Have you brought in a request from the adventurer guild?”
Frau greeted the shopkeeper and smiled as if she was seeing her grandfather after a long time.
“No, I just came to see what kinds of tools you had today.”
“Ah, so that’s why. Feel free to take your time. Oh, I don’t believe I’ve ever met this cute young lady before.”
The shopkeeper finally noticed Ellis as well, but he had so much trust in Frau, that he did not feel even an instant of suspicion for the little girl.
“h.e.l.lo.”
Ellis introduced herself to the shopkeeper before being taken by Frau to read the explanations on the wall.
Flame Bomb Ring–Shoots a flame bullet at the opponent. Basic damage: 10. Required MP: 5. Price: 10 million ril.
This was the content listed on the paper. According to Frau’s supplement, the average adult male has 10 HP and 10 MP, so this ring which deals 10 basic damage is quite powerful. Of course, the price is quite powerful as well.
“Offensive magic tools are great for self-defense.”
“You’re right, but 10 million ril is really expensive.”
While listening to Frau read off the explanations for the items, we continued through the papers. Other offensive magic tools were listed there, but they were all roughly 10 to 20 million ril. Ellis decided to give up on attack magic for now and wait for them to appear in the stalls.
The shopkeeper motioned to a different wall on the other side of the store. “Auxiliary magic tools are over there.”
Amulet of Silence–Seals the magic of one person. Required MP: 5. Price: 1 million ril.
The price difference between auxiliary magic and offensive magic was huge.
“Isn’t this profitable?”
When Ellis asked, Frau shook her head. “Although auxiliary magic is certainly powerful, its use is limited to only certain opponents and certain situations. It also uses half of your total MP, so generally the usability of it is bad.”
So that’s why it is only one-tenth the price.
Ellis took a keen look at the next bulletin.
Spirit Ring-the wearer"s MP is increased by 10, and any MP consumed is drawn from the ring first. Required MP: 0. Price: 100 million ril. None in stock.
It’s the same as three of Kevin’s houses!
Frau noticed Ellis’s excitement and tried to clarify for her. “The Spirit Ring has no drawbacks, and it would allow even an amateur to be able to fire off two fireb.a.l.l.s for free. It is a popular magic tool that is usually bought up by the rich.”
Ellis whispered into Frau’s ear, “How many could I sell?”
This was a natural question. With Ellis’s hands, she could photocopy an endless supply, but Frau shook her head.
“The adventurer guild would pay you 50 million ril for a ring, but the guild would thoroughly check the ring upon its delivery. The second you turn one in, it is suspected to be a stolen item.”
In other words, it was impossible to get rich quick. Ellis’s plans for ma.s.sive sales with the Spirit Rings ended as quickly as it began.
There were many other types of auxiliary items with a price range generally around 1 million ril. There were no tools that stood out to Ellis specifically until she found another familiar name.
Sacrificial doll-In the event that an attack would cause someone"s HP to fall to zero or below, the doll takes all damage and crumbles. Required MP: 0. Price: 100 million ril. None in stock.
“It’s a very useful magic tool. With it, it’s like you have two lives. That’s why it is also at the highest price of 100 million ril.”
Ellis chewed on her fortune; she was satisfied with this amount.
Ellis then asked the store owner a few other questions she still had.
“Generally, healing magic tools like ‘recovery’ or ‘detoxification’ sell for 100 thousand ril.”
Frau explained. “It’s because these magic tools are found frequently in labyrinths, and since those tools can be subst.i.tuted for potions from the guild, the price is quite reasonable. Adventurers still like to equip them just in case of emergencies after all.
If the price for them is 100 thousand ril, then the selling price is 50 thousand ril. It would be boring to duplicate and sell these.
Although Ellis was becoming disheartened, she eventually found a posting that caught her interest.
Fever Stone–This stone glows red. Necessary MP: 1. Price: 100 thousand ril.
“What do you use this stone for?”
Frau obediently answered Ellis’s question. “This is an alternative magic tool for coal. Adventurers use it to cook food while exploring the labyrinth.”
To cook. As in, to boil water. Ellis laughed and then whispered in Frau’s ear once again.
“If you were to have enough of these, could you warm up a bath?”
After thinking about it for a moment, Frau nodded. “True. With your ability, you could certainly get enough stones to pull it off.”
“If so, then buy it.”
“Certainly.”
Frau took Ellis’s hand and headed back toward the shopkeepers position behind the counter and told him they wanted one Fever Stone.
“Just give me one moment.”
The shopkeeper disappeared into the back of the shop and returned after awhile with a big box. Several stones were lined up in the box and each one was the size of a fist.
“First of all, is there anything you like from this affordable size?”
Apparently these were the smallest stones. There were bigger stones, but their price went up accordingly. If its Ellis though, as long as she has one, she can make another at whatever size she needs.
“Then this one!”
Ellis picked up the smallest one that was only the size of her little fist.
“Little miss, are you sure? Just so you know, the bigger a stone is, the hotter it can become.”
Frau replied on Ellis’s behalf. “This is fine. Since it’ll just be used for a fire, this size should be adequate.”
“If that’s so then the price is 100 thousand ril.”
Frau took out the money from the wallet given to her by Reeve. At the same time, the shopkeeper grabbed Ellis’s stone with a tong and called the command word.
“{Turn red}.”
The stone began to glow red.
“{Blacken}”.
The heat from the stone began to rapidly cool down.
“Grab the stone with a dedicated tong and then say the command word. Be careful not to touch the stone while it’s still hot and red.”
“How long will it stay hot?”
The shopkeeper smiled to Ellis’s good question. “It will stay on until you give it the second command word. Some of these stones are used to melt iron, but they will never become hot enough to melt the rocks themselves.”
If you don’t stop it, it will be hot forever. What kind of perpetual energy is this?
Ellis and Frau left the shop satisfied after buying one Fever Stone.
“Welcome back. Did you have fun shopping?”
Ellis smiled. “Yeah. I can make something cool with what we bought.”
Quite a bit of time had pa.s.sed while Ellis was in the magic tool store, so the three girls decided to take a break at a nearby cafe.
While sipping on the drinks they had ordered, Ellis explained to them her plans of making an outdoor bath.
Frau had a realistic view about the project. “It is a difficult place for me to picture the actual design.”
Meanwhile, Reeve was rather carefree. “Why not just make a large facility and make it open to customers?”
But Reeve’s carefree words played across Ellis’s heartstrings. “Wonderful Reeve! I hadn’t thought that far ahead!” She then turned to Frau and asked if she knew anyone who was involved in construction.
Frau suffered for a bit, but she eventually struck her hand with a pon. “I have an acquaintance who might be able to help. I bet that girl would love to do it too.”
But Frau quickly became anxious. “But in order to ask for a design and a.s.sist with production, I will have to explain to her Ellis’s ability.”
“No, we should be fine. If they can design and construct the building along with the flow of the water, we should be able to handle the heating issue ourselves.”
Ellis quickly finished off her fruit juice and set the cup back onto the table. Reeve and Frau panicked and tried to finish off their cocoa and tea as well, but the hot drinks burned their tongues.
“Let’s go!”
The three girls flew out of the store and Frau guided them to a part of the city called Blacksmith Alley. Frau took them down the street and stopped in front of a certain workshop.
“h.e.l.lo master. Is Claire in?”
As Frau walked in, she greeted a giant, burly old man.
“Oh Frau, it’s been a long time. And you have two beautiful girls along with you. You’re going to make this uncle jealous.”
The old man’s voice boomed like a hammer pounding metal, and Ellis hurriedly hid behind Reeve who silently put her hand on her shamshir. However, it seems the man in question did not notice their reactions.
“Hey Claire! You have a customer!”
Then, a girl with long black hair who was only about a head taller than Ellis peaked into the workshop.
“What do you want from me?”
The girl responded oddly however Frau laughed not minding it.
“It’s a request for work. Is that OK?”
“Job?”
“Yes. Design and construction work.”
The girl showed interest at Frau’s words and then, after looking at Ellis and Frau, she seemed to have confirmed something and then stepped forward into the workshop.
Then the master came to Claire. “You can do whatever you want as long as you turn a profit!”
With such momentum, the girl invited the three further into the shop. “I understand. I will listen to your request.”
The three girls were led into a meeting-like room and were sat down at a table.
After introductions were finished, Ellis began to explain the details of her plan to Claire. Claire listened to the explanation for awhile and then suddenly breathed out.
“It sounds fun!”
“Are you interested?”
Ellis confirmed that Claire had a lovely smile.
“Yes, but I would like to check the site once.”
“Then you can come over tomorrow.”
“Yes. I just finished my last job I was in charge of.”
Good. Claire seems to be interested in the plan.
“Then if you don’t mind, please bring some supplies over. You can stay at our house tomorrow night.”
For some reason, Frau and Reeve went rigid at Ellis’s words. They took a look at Ellis’s face, and sure enough, she wore a truly disgusting smile. It was a smile that belonged to the King of Sc.u.m. An expression she usually only shows during “night-time activities.”
Clair did not notice. Reeve and Frau faced each other once again and sighed at the same time.
On the way home from the blacksmith, Reeve worked up the courage to ask Ellis.
“Miss, are you perhaps trying to make Claire one of your toys?”
Ellis responded instantly. “Are you complaining?”
After a momentary silence, Frau worked up the courage to ask Ellis, “Will you have enough pa.s.sion?”
Ellis gave Frau a full smile. “For Frau who needlessly worries about silly things, I’ll have to be sure to teach you thoroughly tonight.”
But this time, Reeve was feeling a little worried. “Don’t worry. Reeve will be next.”
Reeve couldn’t help but to give a shy smile at Ellis’s follow-up.
On that day, they went around the stalls and bought a variety of items to turn into magic tools including a new doll for Frau.
The two people agreed with Frau’s proposal to have vegetable stew for supper, and they bought the materials on their way home.
First, they started cleaning up all of Angus’s mementos from the room that Frau would be sleeping in. While Ellis and Reeve packed away the mementos, Frau brought in her own items from the women’s dormitory.
As they were finishing up, Ellis noticed that tears were flowing down her cheeks. Was this because she had read the diaries, or is this just a natural reaction from Ellis’s body. Ellis-Eiji did not understand. But she could not bring herself to wipe the tears away.
After they finished tidying up, Frau began preparing dinner in the kitchen, and Reeve prepared the bath in the washroom. Ellis was immersed in production and experimentation of magic tools on the living room carpet.
After that, the three had their meals. Bathed in the tub. And they went to bed. Hee Hee.
Frau was shamed deeply as a reward for all the hard work she put in that day, and Reeve was dealt with much more severely than last night as remuneration for being left alone for so long while shopping for magic tools.
“I slept in Reeve’s room yesterday, so I should go to bed with Frau tonight.” Ellis one-sidedly makes the rules for the night.