Chapter 16: Effective Utilization of Knowledge, Part 4
After parting ways with Chloe, I headed towards the commercial district and made my way to Cynthia's shop.
"Oh, long time no see, Jin," Cynthia called out to me from the counter as I entered the shop.
"Yeah, it's been a while. Looks like you've been bored," I replied.
"Yes, some of my regular customers have been on an expedition lately, so I've had some free time. I thought going out to play would be a hassle, so I just opened the shop and idled around."
"...Don't you have any friends?"
"I do, but they said they're busy during this season."
In response to Cynthia's words, I simply said, "I see," and decided to have her show me around the shop.
The reason I came today was to check if there were any new items in stock.
In the game, as the story progresses, it is set that all shops have new items. This shop also had that setting.
To my surprise, Cynthia brought out a certain item.
"This is something that wasn't here before."
"I acquired it a little while ago. Wanna buy it, Jin?" Cynthia said and handed me the item, which was a stick.
This stick was an item that held a certain amount of magical power and could be used to replenish magic when it runs out.
In the game, hardly anyone used this stick.
Other items were more efficient for magic restoration, so there were some players who asked the developers why such an item was created.
The developers' response was that it was a discarded idea, but it had already been incorporated into the game, and they found it troublesome to remove, so it remained as a discarded item.
"May I ask how to use it?"
I asked Cynthia this to confirm if it was according to the game's settings, and she began explaining about this stick.
As a result, the effect of this stick was just as it was in the game.
"...I have candy, so I don't need it."
"...I guess you're right. I thought it wouldn't sell either, but it seemed interesting, so I bought some to try. But then, none of them sold, and I didn't know what to do."
"So, you thought of introducing it, thinking that if it was me who bought the candy, you might buy it too?"
"Yes, if I could find a use for it and introduce it to other customers, maybe it would sell a little. Want to give it a try?"
When Cynthia said that, she led me to the vacant lot behind the store.
Even if she said to find a use for it, I myself haven't used this stick in the game...
"Well, let's start by putting some magic power in to check its capacity."
Saying that, I imagined putting magic power into the stick.
Then, I felt the movement of magic power flowing from my fingertips to the stick, and after about 30 seconds, that sensation stopped.
"Hmm, well, it seems that the stick can hold magic power equivalent to a few magic spells for an ordinary wizard."
"Yes, that's what I've heard too. So if you break the stick when your magic power runs out, it can be instantly restored and used."
"Well, in that case, I think it's better to just drink a normal magic power recovery potion or even lick candy."
While thinking that, I decided to break the stick with magic power in it once and experience it for myself.
In a matter of seconds, the magic power I had lost was restored, and I felt that it was quite a useful recovery item.
"...It's not completely useless for beginner adventurers, but it's not something ordinary adventurers would use. It's definitely an item that people who come to this store wouldn't need."
"I see... I felt it was strange because it was being sold at a significantly cheaper price when bought in bulk, but I didn't know it was such an unusable item..."
Cynthia looked dejected by my words.
It seemed like there was a considerable amount of stock, and she was shocked by that.
Unable to bear seeing Cynthia like that, I made a suggestion.
"Hey, Cynthia, how much profit would you be satisfied with if you sold this staff?"
"The price I bought it for was one gold coin per box, so I guess I'd be satisfied with that much profit..."
"...In that case, why don't we talk to the Adventurers Guild? Do you know that the guild offers paid magic training for adventurers? My partner mentioned that they're running low on the magic recovery items used in those training sessions."
When I mentioned that, Cynthia raised her head and asked, "Is that story true?"
After that, Cynthia and I put the staff into the [Interdimensional Box] and went to the guild.
As I arrived, Fiene-san, who had returned a while ago, appeared from the back and looked surprised when she saw Cynthia next to me.
"Is Cynthia famous in the guild?"
"Well, just a little bit."
Cynthia, who had been filled with a sense of despair until a moment ago, said so with a bit of pride.
Afterward, we explained the staff to Fiene-san and demonstrated its usage. We also discussed the price they would buy it for.
As a result, they bought it for two gold coins per box.
"Is it really okay to buy it for two gold coins?"
"It's a request from Jin-san and Cynthia-san, so it's fine. Besides, we were quite short on supply for tomorrow, so it's helpful for the guild. Also, I'm interested in the restorative candies mentioned earlier in our conversation, so if it's alright with you, it would be appreciated if the guild could buy those too."
"That's fine! They're the things that helped us this time!"
With unnecessary items sold and the burden lifted off her shoulders, Cynthia cheerfully agreed and started negotiating with the guild.
Since I wasn't needed in that situation, I thanked Fiene-san and returned home.