The next morning, early as it was, Hestia woke Aston up because they were going shopping today.
This was something he had agreed to last night, as the two of them hadn't properly gone shopping together since they met.
Since Aston had a day off today, Hestia suggested this event last night under the guise of fostering Familia bonds, a proposal to which Aston did not object.
He had plenty of time today, and he also wanted to buy some materials. With his enchanting abilities, Aston planned to upgrade his equipment. The "Excalibur" and "Avalon" didn't need upgrades, but his armor and knight sword did.
The armor and the knight sword were forged by Hephaestus but could only be considered high-quality, second-tier equipment in Orario. Aston, being an enchanter, could use his abilities to enhance his armor.
Attributes like cleanliness, breathability, lightness, counterattack, hardness, repair, invincibility, sharpness, and more were to be added, any attribute that benefited him.
This required a substantial amount of materials, but fortunately, Aston had a good harvest in the dungeon the past few days, totaling 800,000 valis. Additionally, Hestia's Familia had earned a significant amount from selling potions, and their total assets now exceeded 1 million valis, reaching 1.5 million.
Moreover, Hephaestus had collected many items at home, and among them were materials needed for enchanting, so he didn't need to replenish too much.
1.5 million valis were more than enough, and Aston estimated that he wouldn't even use half of it.
While Hestia was getting ready, Aston checked the items refreshed in the Shop today.
The items were slightly better than yesterday, but not by much. There was a modern-world lady's handgun, a bottle of Otaku's Joy Water, a rose, and a three-year college entrance exam and five-year simulation test, which Aston found amusing.
After that were five items, each involving extraordinary abilities. There was Bleach World's Level 4 Hadou - Byakurai, Academy City's Electromaster ability of Misaka Mikoto, Fate World's magical gem from Rin Tohsaka, One Piece World's Rokushiki - Soru, and Slip-Slip Fruit.
Among them, only the Soru from One Piece World seemed useful to Aston. However, he chose not to buy anything.
Firstly, these two were only slightly better than the previous three, and secondly, Aston didn't have that many valis to spend. With a 1,000:1 exchange rate, he didn't have that many valis at the moment.
Walking on the street, a plate of hot buttered potatoes appeared in Aston's hands. Hestia, with a radiant smile, fed Aston with them.
Aston didn't refuse and took a bite of the buttered potatoes. Hestia was delighted to see him accepting it without resistance.
Then, Hestia became even more enthusiastic, constantly feeding Aston as they strolled through the city. By the way, Aston and Hestia were currently in the North Street, where Hestia used to work.
This street had the most diverse food stalls. Aston received a feeding every ten minutes, as the food was freshly made and required some time. If not for that, the intervals would be even shorter.
Baked potatoes, grilled squid, beef mixed noodles, ice cream, and sweet treats resembling cotton candy, called "sweet balls" in this world, were just a few of the varieties.
Moreover, Hestia not only fed Aston, but each time she bought only one portion, took a bite herself, and then fed Aston before leaving the rest to him.
As they went along, Aston's hands accumulated more and more delicious food.
"Is it just my imagination, or does this feel nostalgic?" Looking at the large pile of food in his hands, Aston couldn't help but feel reminiscent, as if he were accompanying a girlfriend shopping in his past life.
Shaking his head, Aston didn't dwell on it too much, then looked ahead at Hestia, who was jumping around with a bright smile. A faint smile appeared on his face.
"As long as Hestia is happy." He muttered to himself quietly and took a bite of the grilled squid that hadn't been finished yet.
However, not even ten minutes later, Aston's hands were filled with another type of snack he couldn't name.
Aston: "..."
...
Aston and Hestia didn't spend the entire day in North Street. After two hours, they left and went to other streets.
Hestia brought Aston to a street specializing in various materials. The herbs Hestia had brought back twice before were chosen by Miach and her in this street.
I have to say, this street truly lives up to its reputation as the material specialty street in Orario, with all kinds of materials available.
However, it took Aston about an hour to select the different materials he needed.
Although it was a street specializing in materials, there were still several items Aston needed that he couldn't find, even after traversing the entire street.
"Don't they have the materials you need here?" Hestia asked as she looked at Aston, who furrowed his brows.
"Yeah, I've looked twice, but I still haven't seen a few of the materials I need," Aston nodded and truthfully replied.
"Are you looking for herbs or minerals?" Hestia asked, nodding in understanding before continuing her inquiry.
He had purchased not only herbs but also various ores, so Hestia didn't know exactly what Aston was missing.
As for the materials dropped by monsters, Aston had never touched any of them. While herbs and minerals were similar in each world, the materials dropped by monsters varied.
Well, I misspoke; blacksmiths do use those things.
"Herbs," Aston continued searching for the herbs he needed and replied without looking back.
"Herbs, got it."
"Aston, come with me. I'll take you to a place where you might find them." With the confirmed answer, Hestia nodded and pulled his hand, heading towards the exit of the shop.
"Huh? Are we going to Babel Tower?" Hearing that Hestia was taking him somewhere else, the first thing that came to his mind was Babel Tower.
Babel Tower gathered everything in Orario. Whatever was sold in the major streets of Orario could also be found in Babel Tower, albeit at a higher price.
After all, one was official, the other private; one had guarantees, the other didn't. Naturally, there was a difference.
"No, it's another place," Hestia smiled and shook her head, denying his guess.
Aston: "If not Babel Tower, then where?"
"Don't ask, just follow me."
"Alright."
***
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