The next day.
Rosalina woke up when the sun was high in the sky. Her face was gloomy and wrinkled with puffy eyes.
Last night , Rosalina cried after watching a video message from her family. Not only that, seeing photos and videos in the phone's memory, made Rosalina even more unable to hold back the tears.
Laughter and tears accompanied her that night.
Unfortunately, it all had to end when morning came. By that time the smartphone battery ran out, and Rosalina could only stare blankly at the black screen. She never thought of a way to recharge the device's battery.
Let alone Rosalina, Theo and the Blumfields themselves forgot about this one issue. So in the end, the life of the smartphone only lasted for one day. It's a shame, and now the device is trash.
Rosalina looked at the smartphone lying beside her pillow. Seeing a screen that can't be turned on anymore.
She was impressed by the technological advances on Earth. Didn't think the phone camera could be as clear as a real camera. A touch screen that's more sensitive and smoother than it used to be, and a lot more memory.
Technological developments in her native world seemed to be increasing further and further. Meanwhile, she must be trapped in a world where there is no electricity.
In Etheria there is no electricity, but the light at night is still bright like a lamp. Not using fire or lanterns, but using glowing stones called Lumen.
The stone can shine when someone drips amber tree sap on its surface. One drop can make a Lumen the size of a baseball shine for one hour. The light from a rock of that size is the same or brighter than the lamps commonly seen in Earth's homes.
Altira city is a city far from war and not a city where strong monsters reside.
In this city, the people are mostly farming and raising livestock. In addition, in the entire Amberley Kingdom, Altira is the largest producer of amber sap in the kingdom.
Rather than technological developments such as electricity, Etheria seemed to be more focused on advancing magic and magical items.
Magic... something that Rosalina really dreams of when she's on Earth. But after arriving in the magical world, she couldn't use it at all.
"Sigh… if only I could use thunder magic, charging this phone would be so easy."
Learning magic is more expensive than learning martial arts such as the sword. Not to mention, the place to study is limited.
In Amberley, there are only three magic schools. One of the biggest is in the capital, the other two are just small schools.
Apart from studying through school, another way to learn magic is to visit a magician. In Altira, this is the only way if someone wants to be a magician. But unfortunately, the magicians in Altira are not extraordinary magicians, only magicians who can use basic magic.
Even then, if you want to learn, you usually still pay an expensive price. About three to five times the price of learning the sword art.
Rosalina once studied magic. However in that one day, the magician who became her teacher said that she doesn't have the talent to use magic.
From then on, Rosalina gave up studying magic. But, now... she might have to think about it again. Using only her physique and sword, Rosalina believes there will be a limit.
In order to defeat a Demon Lord, she did need to learn magic. Aside from strengthening herself, she might be able to recharge her cell phone. It's just... how? Rosalina did not know the answer to this problem.
Rosalina let out a long breath. Get out of bed, get some water and take a loaf of buff bread for breakfast.
Because yesterday she was in a hurry to return home, Rosalina forgot to buy food. So to temper her protesting stomach, she ate the buff bread.
[STA +10 for three hours.]
[FOC +10 for three hours.]
Looking at the system notification, Rosalina just smiled wryly. She then changed the window to today's mission panel.
There are three new missions, as usual, Theo always gives two hard difficulty missions and one normal mission. This time the normal mission was to sell 250 grams of pepper to the Merchant Union.
Something that Rosalina had promised to Frans yesterday. So this mission is not a problem. She took the mission, while looking at the reward.
"A cookbook for beginners…again, why does he want me to learn to cook?"
Just like magic, Rosalina felt she had no talent for cooking. So the thing Theo wanted was really annoying for her. Not to mention, the ingredients or materials that exist on Earth and Etheria have slight differences.
Can that book be applied to Etheria? Rosalina not sure.
[Not just me. Your mother also wants you to learn it.]
"…O great! My mom?! Sigh... Whoa, it's eleven o'clock in the afternoon. You're still up in the middle of the night like there?"
[Must plan your departure route. Don't have time during the day because I have to work.]
"...Oh, sorry... er, I mean, thanks."
[No problem.]
"Hey... Theo? Umm, are you planning a safe route? Not a dangerous one, right?"
[Heh, well, let's see...]
'Ugh, I have a bad feeling about this.'
Rosalina finished her lunch. Then wash herself, put on her clothes and armor. Picked up her sword and waist bag, then set off for the Merchant Union building.
Arriving there, Rosalina was immediately guided to Frans' room on the third floor of the building by the receptionist.
"You came, Miss Rosalina. Come in, come in…"
"Excuse me."
"How is it? Did you bring the goods?"
Rosalina nodded, she then took out the pepper that had been prepared in a small wooden bottle.
"250 grams of pepper as promised. You, Mr. Frans, can weigh in again if you wish."
"Hoho~ no need, I trust you for now. Let's see this pepper you brought…"
Frans opened the lid of the wooden container. Instantly the smell of fragrant spices tickled his nostrils. Frank's smile immediately blossomed. Because from the smell alone, he immediately knew that the pepper was of high quality.
"Hoho, it's been mashed up apparently."
Frans muttered, then slightly stuck his pinkie into the wooden case. Put a little pepper powder on the tip of his little finger.
He smelled the scent that piqued his appetite, then licked it.
"Ouh~ this is really good. I have to admit, this is probably the highest quality pepper I've ever come across. God, you got a jackpot!"
Rosalina, who saw the eccentric behavior of Frans, could only frown. It was the first time she had seen people treat pepper like this.
A high quality? Isn't that just cheap pepper sold in convenience stores, which may cost less than ten cents? Is it high quality? Really?
Rosalina has no words.
"So, how much do you want to sell it for?" Frans asked, causing Rosalina to pause in thought.
Because the circulation of pepper is very limited and rare. Rosalina's knowledge of this market can be said to be nil. So, when asked about the price, Rosalina honestly didn't know the benchmark price to give.
So, rather than confused, with a big smile Rosalina asked back.
"I got this pepper from a friend. So I actually have no intention of selling it. Therefore, what if Mr. Frans alone determines the price."
"...Oh~ I see. Ha ha ha ha!"
Frans immediately understood what Rosalina was implying.
"Hmm, usually a hundred grams of pepper is worth one gold coin."
"Hm?!"
"But the quality of your pepper is better than in the market. So, how about we buy it at a price of two gold coins per hundred grams. That way, for 250 grams, the total would be 5 gold coins. What do you think?"
"…five gold?"
"Yeah."
'Oh shit!' Rosalina's eyes opened wide, she then stuck out her hand, "Deal!"
'The fu*k?! This price of pepper equals half my salary a month?! So the words spice is gold are true!'