“Fufufu…”
Fujiwara gloats, gla.s.ses flashing.
Since customers can’t come due to the rain, Anemone did the closing job. Clearly, Black Ap.r.o.n was bored. All of the other seekers had already dispersed.
“Ahn, gla.s.ses…”
The joint Fujiwara is holding is a clutch, with it ringing ‘Gokyu yugokyu’. While the shop owner was immersed in that, Sora began to crawl away, with a “Ha~tsu…”.
“…”
When appraising, there are times where other people shouldn’t be allowed to see more, so you must be careful about others seeing. Causing funny misunderstandings for new customers is bad, especially if they think gla.s.ses get you aroused.
Fujiwara coughed, stopping his caress, and strived to return to his smiling ‘operating mode’.
“Well, can you appraise it?”
“Yes, of course.”
The child known as Sora gave off a relieved look.
From the unrefined look, you could guess a mid-teen. Sora has no real friends, and with little bruises he’s reluctant to get new ones over his antique, ready to bolt at any moment. While everything seems nice at first, it’s easy to stumble into trouble while inexperienced in the Seeker occupation. You can suffer many hardships.
“Now, let me ask one question first before I appraise it.”
Since they were very important to Fujiwara, Sora lifted the small mountain of gla.s.ses with only the middle and index finger. (tl: this entire segment was confusing as h.e.l.l)
“How will you get a Discrimination Card?”
“Ah, well, what is it?”
Sora had no idea what that was. Fujiwara, to explain, brought over a container of pills and showed the card enclosed by string to the bottle lid.
“This is a Discrimination Card. It has the item name, application, capacity, quality, as well as who made it, as I have noted the contents of the appraised item.”
“An ingredient list is also written on it.”
“For pills such as these, there’s dosage, usage, caution, and so on as well.”
This was because in the first place all items from the dungeon are unidentified goods.
For example, an item called Healing Potion. It has varied potency to increase healing, closing shallow wounds. It’s relatively easy to get near the surface of the dungeon.
However, it’s not possible to use it until it’s brought to the surface.
Until it’s appraised, it’s impossible to determine what type of drug it is. Most remain unlabeled, and there’s a high possibility of it not being a health potion. The containers vary too, from a vial to a test tube to a thermos, a wide variety. The color and smell vary greatly too. You can’t carelessly drink it without risking it being a poison mix.
So, back in Labyrinth City, professional knowledge, technology, and an ‘expert’ with professional tools are needed to appraise it.
“After the appraisal, I need this Discrimination Card for when you sell the item. Even if you buy it at the store that way you don’t need to re-appraise it, and you can get the a.s.sessment very easily.
“I see.”
“It also prevents people from haggling the price.”
“Well, thank you.”
“Certainly, you must be humbled.”
“-Excuse me?”
★
If you look behind the person Sora is talking to, you will see a figure approaching from the back. She, while wrapped in heavy equipment, was gracefully walking in a beautiful posture, carrying three to two, with a thermos cup as a bonus, holding it carefully.
Ah, it is the person who brought Sora to the shop, the wildflower. (tl: Anemone, pun on her name)
Since she had been soaked in rain, Sora hoped he could see her true face, but the armor and ap.r.o.n are the very same as earlier, though the color changed from gray to a reddened purple, with cute flowers on the ap.r.o.n.
“I have cups of tea.”
“Hey, it’s a nice copper full armor.”
“It was dusty at the depot so I felt like taking it out.”
“Please don’t put on stock so selfishly, yes?”
While ignoring the smiling Black Ap.r.o.n, Anemone began to prepare tea.
After pouring a thermos of contents into the mug, tossing in three sugars, mixing in a teaspoon, she gently put it on the counter near Sora. It’s a mug covered in small ill.u.s.trations of cats, glancing up at the steam coming out of the mug.
“Please try this Sora, here is a café au lait with a lot of milk. It’s bitter otherwise and I drink even bad coffee.
“Wow, thank you”
“I only have my coffee black.”
“Of course, the store manager is a f.u.c.king bitter black… Please.”
Mr Black Ap.r.o.n’s liquid is poured into the mug, confirmed to be jet black, as he received it with a joyful face. Apparently it seems to love that bitter drink…
Even just sniffing the mugs, everyone was ‘Healed’, or felt ‘If I don’t have this I wouldn’t be able to work’. Anemone has no response, so only Sora showed any reaction.
Heat showed through the fingertip, which had become cold.
“Thank you for the meal!”
Sora lifted it with both hands, putting it to his mouth. The smell off coffee, sugar, and milk all spread. It was really delicious and warm. Sora recalled that he had barely even drank water while in the Dungeon.
“…Fu”
Sigh. Sora realized that his body was becoming loose as the cold stiffness faded. Almost like magic, the mug was emptied to about half.
Sora noticed Fujiwara, still smiling, and became somewhat embarra.s.sed.
“I’m sure it’s good, I like this coffee by far the most. It’s an original blend in the pub as ‘Mole Bowel’, and it’s in the neighborhood.
“I can also prepare a second helping, so please have more without reserve.”
“Thank you very much…”
Seeing the regretful Sora, Anemone poured a shower fall more into the mug right away.
★
“What kind of appraisal do you want, Mr. Sora?”
After Sora downed two cups, Fujiwara decided to advance the story.
Sora thought that the appraisal would be a different type, since the normal ‘verification’, wouldn’t capture the abilities of the sword properly.
The appraisal needed would probably have to be in-depth. Authenticity, survey of materials, and so forth to determine the producer if possible.
Which will you take, you’re itching to try, right? Fujiwara was waiting expectantly.
“I want to know how to use this sword.”
Sora removed the belt, again placing the sword that Fujiwara visually appraised earlier on the counter.
It had already become old, having been created at least 1500 year prior, but it must be understood that it is a Granting Tool.
Undeniably it is from the ‘Age of Ancient Supreme Mages’ that the Granted Tool was built in.
“This was the sword I’ve used for three months or more, but I cannot master it.”
“Have not mastered it?”
“There have been cases where I haven’t even been able to put out a spark.”
The Fire Sword strengthens its attack with fire. It can give damage by burning in addition to slashing, and it’s effective against things that burn like zombies. If not even a spark comes out, it’s as good as useless.
“Hmm. Do you understand basic handling?”
“Yea, I should cut my palm lightly and use it to grasp the sword?”
Fujiwara nodded.
In order to start a Granting Tool, the user must have a magic supply. It is possible to release this magic in the blood simply by touching it if one is a mage, but for untrained people they must cut themselves to apply it directly.
“I tried my best, but no matter what even while saying ‘I’ll do it one day’, I could not manage it. I think I do not have enough magic.”
“Hmm.”
“Actually, it’s delaying my dungeon capturing.”
“What floor have you progressed to?”
Anemone asked with interest. She was with a Fighter faction and originally a seeker. Despite working for the Good Old now, she had the nickname the ‘Footsteps of Death’ until a little while ago.
“To the third underground floor, and never further.”
“That place has Metalmordos, a slime monster with the hardness of metal and elasticity of a slime, which eat sc.r.a.p iron as a staple food.”
“Yes, they’re the problem. I can’t match them at all when slashing or hitting.”
To beat these hard monsters you require magic attacks, so it’s a natural enemy of the thief, swordsman, and hunter.
Generally to beat them you need a weapon or Grant Tool that has been coated in magic.
“I see, so you came here.”
“Yes. I absolutely cannot ignore how important the power of the flame sword is.”
Sora dropped his line of site. Its hands that held a sword were covered in bandages on both, meaning he ‘tried hard’ earlier with them. For the magic power supply, Sora must have had to make deep gauges with a knife, trying to Customize the sword desperately.
“Perhaps it requires other conditions.”
“Conditions, ha?”
“Eh, ’Qualification’ or ‘Compensation’ may be the issue, anyway… enough small talk, it’s necessary to check.”
Fujiwara finished his coffee, replacing the cup.
“Let’s start the Appraisal.”
(TL: New readers, it’s only to this point that I’ve replaced ‘Soarer’ with the intended ‘Sora’. Beware.)