After a few days of settling into our new house, I got called in by my father, and he stated,
"Dajit, go and get the wooden weapons and the books you like for the start of class. First, I thought I'd bring it myself and present it to you as a gift, but you're already this talented, so it'd be better to buy it yourself."
"Yes, father, and I'd want to bring the new butler along because he knows the most about this place.
"Alright, but do it by tomorrow." I left the room after that, thinking what to buy in this life.
In my former life, my father gave me a katana, and I attempted to train to be a wizard, but my aptitude was quite poor. The scroll rejected my chance of absorbing a skill, so I was taught Shadow Steps, which is quite useful for escaping and protecting myself. It was expensive, costing roughly 100 gold pieces to obtain the scroll.
I did learn assassin skills in my former life, and I could continue that, but I would prefer to preserve it as my trump card. I want to continue learning the katana and perhaps learn one more skill, which I tried in my previous life but was removed from the academy before I could fully learn it.
I went to the servants' quarters to meet Elgin and ask him to prepare for tomorrow's. From the butler Elgin has been here since growing up, I considered questioning him about the herbs and other topics and the best shops to find them.
When I saw the male servant, I approached him. "Do you know where the butler is?"
"Young lord, he is in the garden taking a break with a house guard," he replied with a polite bow.
Nodding, I walked towards the garden, my mind already racing with ideas for my purchases. I noticed the butler speaking with the guard, but something felt odd. Despite being within 10 meters, I couldn't hear their talk.
They became aware of my presence as I neared. The guard proceeded towards the main gate while avoiding eye contact with me, while Elgin approached me calmly. "Young Lord, you are here. What can I assist you with today?"
"What were you discussing with him?" I enquired, my gaze narrowing slightly.
"He's an old acquaintance of mine. We were just catching up as it was our lunch break time."
"Alright. Father handed me 100 gold coins to buy supplies for class, which begins in a few weeks. I need items such as wooden katanas and gifts for Mother; therefore, I need to go to an alchemy store. I also want to go to the library and get some books for myself and gifts for Luna and Seraphina, so I will be doing this tomorrow, so prepare everything accordingly."
"As you desire, young Lord. We can accomplish it tomorrow afternoon, not today, as I have a few more tasks to complete, such as arranging extra food supplies and furniture."
"And yes, give me a list of all the shops and the names of the top alchemists and alchemy stores in the city."
"Yes, young lord, I will ask someone to send it to your room by today itself."
Later tomorrow afternoon, when I was preparing to depart, Luna stopped me.
"Brother, what are you doing, where are you going, and why?" she enquired, her eyes bright with wonder.
"I am going to get my class supplies from some local stores," I responded, attempting to keep my intentions vague. I didn't want to reveal what I was going to do exactly.
"I would also like to go with you," she persisted, her desire palpable.
I couldn't take her with me since I was going to buy yellow grass again, and she recognised the fragrance. It would appear suspicious, and I didn't want to expose too much to Elgin while I was still unsure of his motives.
"Luna, you can't come because I'm going to surprise you when I return." I wasn't lying, as it was also a part of the plan.
"Then get me a good gift, okay?" After that, she walked away, stomping her feet as I went on my way to the market.
First, we visited a local weapon carpenter. Even though I knew I wouldn't obtain a nice katana because most of the swords here were blunt, I went ahead and checked it out. Then I asked Elgin to take me to a blacksmith, where I discovered a not-so-blunt wooden katana. We got 10 of them for ten gold coins, which was a reasonable price.
After that, we went to an alchemy store, where I asked about golden grass used to feed bull horses. Unfortunately, the owner knew nothing, and it was the same for many others that we went to, so we switched our search to something else for the time being.
We then went to a library, where I bought a few alchemical books, two hand-to-hand combat manuals, one for myself and one for women, and a combat book for the blind.
We searched many more alchemical stores till the evening. Elgin saw my tenacity and eventually questioned, "Young Lord, why are you searching for the yellow grass?"
"I want to make a potion for horses to make them faster," though it may sound stupid to an adult, but its still reasoning is believable for a seven-year-old.
Though it may seem ridiculous to an adult, it is still logic for a seven-year-old to believe in, so he should trust my bad reasoning.
Elgin grinned gently and walked me to the sole horse stable in the region. Why didn't he inform me about it sooner? At the stable, we met the worker.
"Do you have a yellow grassy-looking plant with a blue tip on its end used to feed the bull horses?"
"Yes, sir, we have them."
"Butler, give him the address and ask him to send us 1 kg every week," I believe it is an appropriate amount to use in my practice.
The worker paused ans said. "Sir, we can't offer you that much right now, but starting next week, we can. That will be 5 silver (100 silver equals 1 gold) every month."
"Yes, I am fine with the price," I responded, delighted with the agreement, and on my way back, I carried some Vigoroot, a popularly used fatigue recovery medication, as a present for my mother to use in her alchemy practice.