Elega is the largest and most magnificent bookstore and stationery center on Einburg Island. The Elega building itself resembles a tower that gets smaller as it goes upward. True to its name, being the largest and most magnificent, Elega has nearly all copies of books from various genres in the market. In addition to selling books and stationery, Elega also sells artifacts and new technologies developed, such as the subspace ring.
Elega has three spacious floors, the first floor contains various stationery and science-themed books. The second floor contains martial arts-themed books and artifacts. And the third and smallest floor contains fiction-themed books and new technologies being developed by scientists in the Chronus Empire.
"We've arrived at Elega, the largest bookstore and stationery center on Einburg Island! Do you need assistance navigating inside Elega?" Tom asked with a slight smile.
"No need, I can go in on my own. Thank you for guiding me this far, even though the time promised in the contract has passed," I replied, pointing to the darkening sky.
"It's okay, I'm guiding you not as a private employee but as your acquaintance, Tom. But if you insist on refusing, there's not much I can do," Tom said, shaking his head.
"No need, get enough rest. The events today must be quite challenging for you to process in one day," I said, smiling and patting Tom on the shoulder.
"Thank you for your kindness, Ryan. If you require a guide's service again, contact me. I'll give you a discount," Tom said, extending his fist as if suggesting a fist bump.
"Sure, Tom," I said, reciprocating the fist bump.
"Well then, I'll take my leave. See you later, Ryan. Oh yes, I'll be watching the new students' induction ceremony at Etherea, so we might meet again!" Tom shouted while waving from a distance.
"Goodbye!" I exclaimed, waving back.
'Now, it's shopping time!'
***
I then entered Elega, although it looked big from the outside, inside it seemed smaller because almost all the space was filled with neatly arranged bookshelves. As I glanced at the shelves, I noticed that the book titles were organized by genre and alphabet. The areas not surrounded by bookshelves were filled with a variety of stationery.
I headed to the stationery section, buying some pens and ink, pencils, erasers, and rulers. After purchasing sufficient stationery, I moved on to the bookshelves with the beginning letter 'E' because I was curious if there were books discussing Etherea.
After browsing, my curiosity was proven right. I found a book titled "Guide to Enter Etherea and Tips to Survive Until Third Year" written by an alumnus named William Edward from the Ether Element Application department.
Upon closer inspection, the cover had a bestseller sticker, likely due to the Etherea topic, making it one of the bestsellers in Elega.
Without much thought, I took the book and continued to search for other books. Due to my puzzled expression, an employee approached and inquired about the book I was looking for.
"Excuse me, can I help you? You seem confused searching for a book," the employee said.
"Haha, is it that obvious? It's my first time seeing a bookshelf this big!" I replied, scratching my head.
"Some customers are like that at first, that's why we're here as staff. Feel free to ask anything about books," the employee offered.
"In that case… I'd like to ask about books on general subjects not related to the Etherea major department. I heard that, aside from major subjects, Etherea students still study general subjects, right?" I asked.
"Ah, in that case, how about this? "Encyclopedia of General Subjects for Academy Beginners" by Marcel Reid, an Etherea alumnus who is now an influential scientist in the Capital," the employee said, holding a recommended book with a smile.
"That sounds good enough. I'll take it," I replied.
"Sure, I'll get a tote bag for you first."
"Ah, thanks."
After the employee provided a tote bag, I asked about the stairs to go up to the third floor. The employee explained that there were two ways to reach the third floor: using regular stairs or utilizing a new technology called a lift that could transport you from the first floor to the third without climbing stairs. I then thanked the employee.
'It's decided; I'll take the lift.'
***
The third floor of Elega, unlike the first floor filled with bookshelves, had significantly fewer bookshelves, making this floor seem even more extensive. I wandered around and found the new technology area. I hurriedly went there and was greeted by a booth attendant.
"Hello, can I help you?"
"I'm curious about the subspace ring. May I take a look?" I asked, intrigued.
"Of course, you can even try it!" the attendant exclaimed enthusiastically, continuing the explanation.
"But… you can only try the basic model."
"That's fine, I'm just curious about how it works."
"All right, I'll prepare it. Please wait a moment."
The attendant then handed me a silver ring and instructed me to place it on my finger. After that, the attendant explained how to use the subspace ring.
"First, channel ether into the ring. Then imagine a flat structure, like a circle or square, around you, with the smallest size being about 20 × 20 cm. And voilà, the subspace from the ring is now open and ready to retrieve items from it."
I followed the attendant's instructions, and as the attendant said, a subspace in the shape of a square appeared beside my hand. The subspace was still empty, of course, as this was just a test item. Amazed, I then inquired about the price of the ring.
"If I may ask, how much is this ring?"
"Because this is a new technology, the price is likely to be high. Even the lowest model costs about 500 gold coins!" the attendant said, grumbling.
"Ah, I see. Thanks for letting me borrow it!" I said, placing the subspace ring on the booth table and thanking the attendant.
Next, I continued searching for reading material to pass the time if I got bored. I looked through the shelves for action or fantasy genres and found one book that caught my attention. The book was titled "Red Dragon Knight" written by an author with the pen name Y.K. I read the synopsis and decided to buy it. The book was divided into four volumes, and I intended to purchase all four volumes.
After placing the books in my tote bag, I returned to the first floor and approached an empty cashier counter. I then put the books and stationery on the cashier's table. The cashier asked if there were any additions.
Once Ryan's shopping items were counted, the cashier continued.
"All right, sir, your total purchase is 5 gold."
I took out the bag of gold coins that my master had given me and handed 5 gold coins to the cashier.
"Very well, sir. Thank you for shopping at our store. Come again next time," the cashier said with a friendly smile.
"Of course, and thank you," I replied, returning the friendly smile to the cashier.
It was already evening, and I hadn't eaten since noon. My stomach was very hungry, but the only open place at this hour was the grocery store. Because I was so hungry, I reluctantly entered the grocery store and looked around for something substantial to eat. My attention was drawn to sausages and chicken on a table next to the cashier, so I asked.
"Excuse me, can I take the sausages and chicken to go?"
"Of course, sir. One sausage costs 1 silver, and one chicken costs 1 silver and 10 bronze."
"In that case, I'll order one sausage and 2 chickens."
"Sure, the total is 3 silver and 20 bronze."
"Ah, I don't have small change. Is that okay?" I asked worriedly.
"No problem, sir, we're about to close, so we have enough change!"
"In that case, I'll pay with 1 gold coin."
"Sure, I'll prepare the change."
I then received the sausages and chicken along with the change. The cashier said, "Thank you for shopping, please come again!"
***
I later arrived at the inn and entered my room. After entering, I placed the books and stationery on the table. After that, I immediately unpacked the food and devoured the sausage and chicken. Then, I read the book "Encyclopedia of General Subjects for Academy Beginners" that I bought at Elega and practiced some example formulas. However, I genuinely didn't understand any of the formulas.
"This is difficult, I have no foundation at all. Subjects that don't require formulas seem to be understood more quickly," I said, sighing.
I then tried to study other formulas in the book. This time, I could solve them, but I still didn't understand the meaning of these formulas.
"Hah… I'm finished," I said, sighing and scratching my head.
Tired from a day of strenuous activities, Ryan then fell asleep amid a pile of books and papers on his bed.