With all the things Kyle had to do, he was glad that he could find both the inscriber and blacksmith of the Alsa village in one building complex!
It was a rectangular wooden complex with a small terrace and two entrances.
There were two large rooms inside that were connected to each other behind the counters, which was an interesting sight!
From what Kyle had heard, the inscriber and blacksmith were a married couple that relocated and settled in the Alsa village a few years ago.
This was great news because it explained lots of things, such as how two rare occupations- both an inscriber and blacksmith were in a small village!
There was no way that auxiliary occupations like blacksmiths, inscribers and alchemists earned a lot with the few villagers as their customers who didn't necessarily have the wealth, need, or desire to purchase something from them!
Knowing this, Kyle grew exhilarated as he entered the left door that led him to a young-looking woman who greeted him and Selene in a friendly way.
Her clothes looked ordinary, but based on the belt Kyle saw around her waist, he could immediately tell that she was not only a self-taught inscriber, but a ranked one at that.
This caused his eyes to gleam in joy, which the bulky, but equally young-looking man, who had just walked out, saw.
He was standing right next to the inscriber and frowned before placing the hammer he had been holding on a nearby desk.
This caused the desk's legs to creak as it trembled under the weight of the heavy hammer.
Realizing his mistake, he quickly lifted the hammer, but not before earning a glare from his wife.
Only when he lifted his head to look at the customers again, did the man with short brown hair notice that Kyle's eyes were glistening in joy while looking at both of them!
Gard, the blacksmith, didn't expect that, and he sized up the young, weak-looking man, who was wearing shabby clothes that were soiled and had food stains.
'Does he not cultivate? That's a rare sight...he looks poor too.'
While he was assessing Kyle, his wife was staring at the young, malnourished Lohar, who was hiding behind the young man.
Her bunny ears were limp and it was obvious that she felt uncomfortable being stared at.
Thus, she decided to greet them once again.
"Hello dear customers, how may I help you?"
Kyle didn't expect her to be so formal and polite, in a village where most villagers he had encountered so far were straightforward, self-centered and somewhat barbaric.
Thus, he was lost in thoughts for a few seconds, and only regained his senses when Selene gently tugged at his shirt.
Shaking his head, he looked at the couple and got straight to the point.
"Hello, I'm interested in knowing the price of a small expandable backpack, or pouch...the cheapest one, if possible."
Right now, Kyle and Selene were only carrying around a backpack and the small pouch with his entire fortune inside.
It was not much, and not enough to purchase what he wanted, but knowing the price was important to set a certain goal.
However, when he saw how the blacksmith smiled oddly at him with his lips pressed together in a thin line and furrowed eyebrows, Kyle couldn't help but feel that he had been overestimating himself.
To his utter dismay, he was proven right, when the young woman told him the cost of the small backpack which she picked up from one of the shelves. A disappointed sigh escaped his lips to hear her quote the price.
The small backpack was not bigger than a large pouch, but its price was 200 small Pryr crystals at the lowest quality.
Selene's eyes widened in shock and she exclaimed "So expensive!!" before she realized that the words had left her mouth.
Quickly shutting her mouth, she placed both her hands to cover it and tried to disappear behind Kyle while mumbling, "I'm sorry, master...I made a mistake again!"
However, Kyle only shook his head and pulled Selene in front by holding her hand so that she was forced to endure the married couple's stare.
"I don't like being called Master, Selene!" He reminded her again before turning his head back to the young woman.
"Please don't mind her! Unfortunately, I can't afford the expandable backpack. I'm sorry to have bothered you."
After that, he began to ponder on what he should do next.
"The backpack is too expensive...and it's already the cheapest...In the next three days, I won't be able to procure the required amount of Pryr crystals either...and I need two weapons too...they're probably too expensive and not something I can afford right now.
To think that I encountered both a ranked inscriber and a blacksmith but cannot afford to buy anything from them...is that supposed to be a blessing or my misfortune?"
Kyle didn't even realize that he was not thinking all of this in his head but saying everything out loud!
It was only when Selene tugged him at his sleeves again that he looked at her in confusion as if he was asking her what was going on.
Suddenly, he heard the blacksmith, who looked at him with a spark of interest.
"You can tell?"
They weren't actively hiding it, but both Gard Jar, the blacksmith, and Mell Jar, the inscriber did not expect Kyle to be knowledgeable enough to know the ranking differences of auxiliary occupations!
Based on his ragged appearance, he did not look like someone who had enough time, money or the resources to study.
Kyle was about to turn around and leave when a thought crossed his mind,
"Your tools seem extraordinary and what kind of novice inscriber is capable of inscribing such a complex rune on a simple leather backpack, let alone demand 200 Pryr crystals for the cheapest expandable pouch?
Most newly ranked inscribers should be able to inscribe basic runes and not a rune that allows a pouch to distort space and store more objects of varying sizes!"
Mell nodded her head in acknowledgment, thinking that Kyle was somewhat different from the other villagers she had encountered within the Alsa village.
"I've never seen you before. Are you from Vila town, the Nat village, or someplace nearby?"
She just named a few places that were more than a week's trip away on foot before recalling Kyle's appearance and his non-existent cultivation foundation.
This was confusing because the closest shelter other than the Alsa village was Vila town!
Kyle was unsure how exactly to answer the question.
Saying 'I reincarnated, next to a tree near the hidden Nasga tribe' would only make him look like a fool, and cooking up another story wouldn't make sense either.
"It's somewhere further away." He thus answered without going too much into detail.
Hearing her question perked Selene's interest in knowing where Kyle came from as well because he seemed to be very knowledgeable, despite looking exceptionally ordinary.
The Emerald Fox she had seen occasionally was also something she couldn't understand, while his ability was confusing too.
To sum it up, Kyle was a mystery to her!
Gard had been temporarily annoyed to see the look of excitement on Kyle's face when he saw his wife the moment he and the Lohar had entered the shop.
However, this had been his misunderstanding and he quickly comprehended that Kyle was only interested in their equipment and not leering at his wife.
Thus, he threw a short glance at his wife who returned Gard's gesture with a faint smile as she asked Kyle,
"Are you interested in a deal?"
When Kyle heard her, he couldn't help but become suspicious of the married couple but Mell Jar's next words caused him to look at her dumbfoundedly.
"What?!?"