"Thanks!"
I finished my breakfast quickly. Next up was finding some money.
I didn't have anything in my room, so I returned the key and left the inn right away. Once I have some cash, I'll find a place with better food.
Here I am at the Blue Sky Market. The place isn't overcrowded yet, so it looks like I can join the ranks of merchants.
I bought two mats that caught my eye for six copper coins. I spread one mat out in the designated area and displayed the silver dishes and candleholders I received yesterday on top of it. Then, I laid down the other mat and sat cross-legged on it.
I intentionally avoided putting up a price tag. I had nothing that could be priced, and no idea what the fair market value might be.
After a while, a somewhat better-dressed man approached me. "How much for this plate?"
No idea how to price it, so I thought I might as well make them all one Silver Coin each. After all, they were gifts. "Everything's just one Silver Coin," I said.
"Really? In that case, I'd like to buy them all. Wait, isn't this mark of a goddess's profile the emblem of Akina Temple? You can't sell something like this. What nerve you have to sell stolen goods!"
"What? I had no idea! Thanks for letting me know."
"Make sure you get out of here before the patrol shows up."
I hurriedly gathered the silver items I'd spread out on the straw mat. Thanks to that man, I had escaped a sticky situation. I was grateful.
It seemed I couldn't just sell the items I received from the temple. I was glad to have realized that early on.
So, I decided to turn the silver items into Silver Coins. I knew minting my own currency was a serious crime, but in this different world, it might be fine. If I wasn't caught, what did it matter?
First, I moved the silver items into the materials box within my item box. Then, I transferred my two Silver Coins to the duplication box and repeatedly made copies, doubling my coins each time. After leaving just a small amount of silver items in the materials box, I ended up with a total of 2048 Silver Coins.
I feel a bit worn out. Although it wasn't intentional, it seems I filled the gaps in the Silver Coin with some alchemical material. The alchemy at Level Max is incredibly powerful. If I really wanted to, I could probably perform the ultimate alchemical feat of creating pure gold, but conjuring gold from nothing sounds exhausting, so if I do challenge myself, it will definitely be when I'm feeling energetic.
The time is just before 9 o'clock, as the bell hasn't rung yet.
My next plan for making money involves potions. They should be valuable items that can be crafted through alchemy. Based on my light novel knowledge, the adventurers' guild should have a shop that sells potions.
This morning, I casually asked the innkeeper in the dining hall about it, and it turns out there really is an adventurers' guild in this world. So, I should check it out.
After rolling up two mats into a cylindrical shape and storing them in my Item Box, I started walking toward the guild while asking for directions. It wasn't long before I spotted it.
The building was fairly large, and the double doors stood wide open. Upon entering the hall, I saw a counter at the front with several staff members attending to customers. To my left, just as I had expected, was the shop selling various supplies that adventurers typically use. I wondered if they would have potions available.
I walked over to the shop and peered at the display shelves, but I couldn't find any potions anywhere. I asked the store clerk, who was cleaning the shelves, "Do you sell potions?"
"Sorry, we're all out of potions," she replied.
"Will you have any tomorrow?"
"Well, we don't have any stock coming in. Our adventurers' guild procures potions at a set price and sells them at retail, but the Alchemists' Guild is buying them all up at prices higher than what we sell for. Because of that, potions are only available through the Alchemists' Guild. By the way, they're selling potions for three times the normal price."
"That's outrageous!"
"Unfortunately, no one can stop them. If you oppose the Alchemists' Guild, you won't be able to buy any potions, no matter how much money you have."
"By the way, what's the retail price for potions? I'm just a country bumpkin and not familiar with city prices."
"A Level 1 Healing Potion is ten Silver Coins, a Level 2 is twenty Silver Coins or two Gold Coins. About 70% of that is the wholesale price. Of the remaining 30%, 10% is the guild's fee and 20% is tax."
"So the Alchemists' Guild is charging three times that price? Got it. Thank you. By the way, I have a Healing Potion. Would you buy it from me for seven Silver Coins?"
"If the quality is level one, then of course I'll buy it," she said.
"Do you have a sample of the potion bottle? If it's different from the one I have, it could be unpleasant."
"This is the standard potion bottle. Right now, it's from Sky," he replied.
The potion bottle was a ceramic vessel, about 100 cc in size, with wax sealing the edge of the lid, suggesting it contained a protective seal when full.
As I examined the potion bottle closely, I decided to attempt crafting a healing potion in the alchemy workshop. Although I didn't know the exact recipe or ingredients for a healing potion, I was an alchemist at max level. I could easily imagine the effects of the healing potion, and it felt simple enough to create one. Sure enough, the process was straightforward, and preparing both the potion and the sealing wax was a breeze.
I wasn't sure how effective a level one healing potion would be, so I took a casual approach. I had no materials other than the ceramic for the potion bottle, but I likely supplemented any shortfall with my own willpower or stamina; I didn't feel fatigued at all.
"This is the healing potion. Please examine it," I said as I made it look like I pulled the potion bottle from my jacket pocket, retrieving it from my item box instead. I opened the lid and handed it to her.
She brought a dropper from the counter, drew a small amount of potion from the bottle, let a drop fall onto her wrist, and tasted it with her tongue.
The woman paused for a moment, her tongue moving as if tasting something, before exclaiming, "Wait...! This is a Level 3 Heal Potion! They're rarely available. How did you get this?"
Uh-oh, should I downgrade it? I decided to lower the level again and create another potion. "I made a mistake," I said, handing her back the potion bottle she had just given me. "This is what I have for sale."
After wiping the dropper's tip with a handkerchief, she took a taste of the new potion. "This is quite high quality too. It seems to have effects between Level 1 and Level 2. Are you really going to sell this? Are you a high-ranking alchemist?"
"I'm not sure if I'd call myself high-ranking, but I consider myself an alchemist. Of course, I'm selling the potions. I have nine more just like this one, so I appreciate your interest. And if you could refrain from digging into my background, I'd be grateful."
"Understood. So, ten Heal Potions will cost you seventy silver coins, which means seven gold coins. If you bring that, I'll buy as many Heal Potions as you have. I'd prefer Level 2 potions or higher, if possible."
"I'll have those ready for you soon. By the way, do you know of any inns with good food?"
I made some pocket money selling Heal Potions at the Adventurers' Guild shop.
Having an adventurer's certificate seems incredibly useful. I can't be sure if that's true, as my knowledge comes from light novels, but I figured I might as well register as an adventurer, so I joined the line at the counter.
After a brief wait, without any interruptions from the usual veteran adventurers, it was finally my turn.
"Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild," the guild lady greeted.
Ah, the classic phrase!
The guild lady was the first stunning beauty I'd seen in this world, her golden hair shimmering. Those cute dimples at the corners of her mouth made her all the more charming.
"I'd like to become an adventurer," I said.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but for a moment, she looked at me with a puzzled expression. I guessed it was unusual for a 27-year-old man to be registering as a new adventurer. Nevertheless, she was a professional.
"First, we need to register you. Please fill out this form. The registration fee is three silver coins. Do you need assistance with writing?"
"No, I can write it myself."
If assistance is typically needed, it might just be a reflection of the country's low literacy rate. I handed her three silver coins and took the form.
Name: Zenjiro
Origin: Nihon
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: "I'm 27 years old, born on May 6th. What year do I put for my birth year?"
"Today is May 4th, 652, so you'll subtract 28 to get 624."
Date of Birth: May 6, 624
Occupation: Alchemist
Special Skill: Staff Technique
I handed the completed paper back to the guild receptionist.
"We'll prepare your guild card, so please wait a moment."
Stepping away from the line, I found myself in a daze until a voice called out to me. A different receptionist at another window handed me my guild card. She was quite beautiful as well, with dark brown hair that bordered on black—what you might call a blue-black. Her features were a bit sharp, but they were just to my taste. The guild card gleamed like a brand new ten-yen coin, appearing to be made of copper.
The card was engraved with my name and date of birth. To prevent losing it, I pretended to tuck it into my pocket and instead stored it in my item box.
"Zenjiro, you are registered as an F-rank adventurer. Registered adventurers can take on permanent missions and quests no higher than one rank above their own. As an F-rank, you are eligible for F-rank and E-rank quests, as well as permanent missions. Your rank can rise or fall based on your contributions to the guild. While your F-rank won't decrease, a continuous negative contribution may lead to expulsion from the guild. By the way, if you complete your tasks diligently, you can be promoted from F-rank to E-rank in as little as six months, or at most a year."
It's been a year, perhaps. That feels like quite a while.
"Understood. Thank you!"
With that, I left the Adventurers' Guild. While I was disappointed there wasn't any initiation hazing for newcomers, it was a good sign that the quality and morals of the adventurers here seemed high.
Next up was the Alchemist Guild, which had been mentioned at the shop earlier.
I arrived after asking a few passersby for directions. The building was far more impressive than the Adventurers' Guild. Clearly, things were going well here.
Upon opening the large doors and stepping inside, I was struck by the lavish interior. Was the floor made of marble? The hall at the Adventurers' Guild was nothing but dirty wooden planks.
To my surprise, it was quiet inside. Perhaps the offices were located further back; this seemed just to be the entrance hall.
"Excuse me! I'd like to sell some potions!" I called out loudly at the entrance.
"Are you here to sell potions? Please come this way," a well-dressed young man said as a door to what looked like an office opened.