I didn't leave anything in the room, so I returned the key and left the inn right away. Once I have some money, I'll definitely find a better place to stay.
Welcome to the blue sky market! There are still plenty of spots available. Looks like I can join the vendors here.
I bought two mats at the market for six copper coins total. I spread one of the mats in an empty spot and laid out the silverware and candle holder I received yesterday. Then, I sat down cross-legged on the other mat.
I decided not to put up any price tags. I don't even have anything to make a sign with, and I have no idea what a fair price would be.
Soon enough, a somewhat decent-looking middle-aged man approached me.
"How much for this plate?"
Since it's a hassle, I'll just charge one silver coin for everything. They were gifts anyway.
"Any piece is one silver coin."
"Really? I'd buy everything then. Hey, isn't that profile of the goddess the emblem of the Akina Temple? You can't sell stuff like this. What are you doing selling stolen goods so openly!"
"What! I didn't know that. Thanks for letting me know."
"Get out of here before the patrol finds you."
Thanks to the man, I quickly gathered up the silver items I had displayed. I owe him one.
Looks like I can't sell the items I got from the temple as they are. Good thing I found out early.
Alright, let's turn the silver items into silver coins. I know counterfeiting is a serious crime, but it should be okay in another world, right? As long as no one finds out, there's no problem.
First, I'll move the silver items from my item box to the material box. Then, I'll take the two silver coins I have and start replicating them in the duplicate box, repeating the process to double the amount each time. I kept just a little bit of the silver items in the material box, and ended up with 2048 silver coins.
I feel a bit tired now. Without even realizing it, I seem to have filled in any gaps in the silver coins using material transmutation. Alchemy at Lv. Max is incredibly efficient. If I really put my mind to it, I could probably even perform the ultimate alchemy technique—transmuting pure gold. However, creating gold from nothing would definitely be exhausting, so if I ever attempt it, it'll be when I'm feeling energetic.
It's still before nine o'clock since the nine o'clock bell hasn't rung yet.
Next, I'll focus on making potions. Potions should be high-value items that can be made through alchemy. Based on my light novel knowledge, the adventurer's guild should have a shop where they sell potions.
This morning, I casually asked the lady at the inn's cafeteria, and it turns out there really is an adventurer's guild in this world. I should check it out first.
I rolled up the two mats and stuffed them into my item box, then set off for the Adventurer's Guild, asking for directions along the way. I found it pretty quickly. It was a decently sized building with its double doors wide open.
Once inside the hall, I saw a counter straight ahead with a few staff members sitting on the other side, dealing with people in front of the counter. As expected, there was a shop to the left of the hall, which probably sold consumables that adventurers use regularly. But would they have potions?
I went over to the shop and peeked at the shelves, but couldn't find any potions anywhere. I asked the auntie who was cleaning the shelves,
"Are you not selling potions?"
"Sorry, we're all out of potions."
"Will you have them tomorrow?"
"No, we don't have any restock planned. You see, our Adventurer's Guild buys potions at a fixed price and sells them at the regular price. However, the Alchemists' Guild is buying up all the potions at prices higher than our selling price. That's why no one except the Alchemists' Guild is selling potions. By the way, they're selling potions at three times the usual price."
"That's outrageous!"
"Well, nobody can stop them. If you go against the Alchemists' Guild, you won't be able to buy potions no matter how much money you offer."
"By the way, how much does a potion usually cost? I'm from the countryside and not familiar with city prices."
"For a Level 1 healing potion, it's ten silver coins, twenty silver coins for Level 2, or two gold coins. About 70% of that is the cost price. Of the remaining 30%, one-tenth goes to the Guild as a handling fee, and the other two-tenths are taxes."
"At the Alchemists' Guild, it's three times that amount? Got it. Thanks. By the way, I have a healing potion right now—would you buy it for seven silver coins?"
"If its quality is equivalent to Level 1, sure, I'll buy it."
"Do you have a sample of a potion bottle? It would be problematic if it doesn't match the one I have."
"Here's the standard potion bottle. It's empty right now."
The potion bottle was a ceramic container holding about 100 cc, with wax around the rim of the lid, indicating that when it contains a potion, it's sealed with wax.
After carefully examining the potion bottle, I tried making a healing potion in the alchemy lab. Although I didn't know the exact method or ingredients for making a healing potion, given my maxed-out alchemy level, I could imagine its effects and thought it would be easy to create—and indeed, it was. The potion bottle and wax for sealing were also simple to manage.
Since I don't know exactly what a Level 1 healing potion entails, I just went with my intuition. There weren't any materials besides clay for the potion bottle, so I must have supplemented the missing ingredients with my own energy, but I didn't feel tired at all.
"Here's the healing potion. Please take a look."
Pretending to pull it out of his jacket pocket, he actually retrieved the potion bottle from his item box and handed it to the auntie after unscrewing the cap.
The auntie brought over an eyedropper from the counter, drew a small amount of the potion, and dropped a single drop onto her hand before tasting it with her tongue.
She stayed silent for a moment, savoring the taste, then exclaimed, "Wait, what?! This is an Lvl 3 Healing Potion. They're pretty rare. What's going on?"
Uh-oh, should I lower the level? I'll try making another potion at a lower level.
"Sorry, that was a mistake."
Taking back the potion bottle he had just given her, he said, "This is the one for sale," and handed her the potion made at a lower level.
After wiping the tip of the eyedropper with a handkerchief, she tasted a drop of the new potion. "This is still quite high quality. It seems to be somewhere between Lvl 1 and Lvl 2. Are you really selling this? Are you a high-level alchemist?"
"I'm not sure about being high-level, but I consider myself an alchemist. Of course, I'm happy to sell these potions. I have nine more if you're interested. Also, I'd appreciate it if you didn't pry into my background."
"Alright. For ten Healing Potions, that'll be seventy silver coins, which is seven gold coins. Bring me as many as you want, and I'll buy them all. Ideally, I'd like Lvl 2 or higher potions too."
"I'll get that ready for you soon. By the way, do you know of any inns with delicious food?"
I sold some Healing Potions at the adventurer's guild shop to make a bit of pocket money. It seems having an adventurer's card is quite convenient. I learned this from light novel knowledge, so I'm not sure if it's true, but since I had the chance, I decided to register as an adventurer and joined the queue at the counter.
After waiting for a while, my turn came without any typical veteran adventurer trying to pick a fight.
"Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild!"
There it is, the standard greeting! The guild receptionist was the first beautiful lady I'd seen in this world. Her golden hair sparkled, and her dimples were adorable.
"I want to become an adventurer."
I might be imagining things, but I think the guild receptionist gave me a puzzled look when she saw my face. I guess it's rare for a 27-year-old man to come in for a new adventurer registration. Still, she was professional.
"Let's start with the registration. Please fill out this form with the required information. The registration fee is three silver coins. Do you need someone to write it for you?"
"No, I can write it myself."
If needing a scribe is common, then maybe in this country literacy isn't very high. I handed over three silver coins and took the form.
Name: Zenjiro
Place of Origin: Nihon
Gender: Male
Date of Birth
"I'm 27 years old and was born on May 6th. What year would that be?"
"Since today is May 4, 652, subtract 28 and it's 624," he mused.
Birthday: May 6, 624
Occupation: Alchemist
Special Skill: Staff Combat
He handed the completed form back to the guild girl. "I'll make your guild card, so please wait a moment."
After stepping away from the line and spacing out for a bit, someone called out to him. At a different window, a different guild girl handed him his guild card. She was quite a beauty, with black hair tinged with dark brown—what some might call a brunette. Though her features were slightly sharp, she was right up his alley. The guild card seemed to be made of copper and gleamed like a brand new ten-yen coin.
His name and birthday were engraved on the card. He pretended to put it in his pocket but instead stored it in his item box to keep it safe.
"Mr. Zenjirou, you're registered as an F-rank adventurer. Registered adventurers can take on standing quests and any quests up to one rank above their own. As an F-rank, which is the lowest, you can currently accept F-rank and E-rank quests, as well as standing quests. Your rank can go up or down based on your contributions to the guild. Of course, you won't drop below F-rank, but if your contributions stay negative, you may be expelled from the guild. By the way, with diligent work, you could be promoted from F-rank to E-rank in as little as six months to a maximum of one year."
It could take up to a year. Man, that's a long time.
"Got it. Thanks," I said as I left the adventurer's guild. It's a bit disappointing there weren't any rookie hazing events, but on the bright side, it suggests the adventurers here have high standards and morals.
Next on my list was the alchemists' guild, which came up in the conversation at the store earlier. I asked a few people along the way and finally made it there. Compared to the adventurer's guild, this building is much fancier. They must be doing really well for themselves.
I pushed open the big doors and stepped inside. The interior was impressive too—was that marble flooring? The adventurer's guild had just dirty wooden floors.
To my surprise, there wasn't anyone around. Maybe everyone is in the back offices. This must just be the entrance hall.
"Excuse me! I'd like to sell some potions!" I called out loudly at the entrance.
"If you're selling potions, please come this way," said a well-dressed guy who appeared from what looked like an office door.
He led me up a staircase off to the side of the entrance hall and into a room on the second floor. There was a low table and some sofas. This must be the waiting room.