“I think I can actually read now! Thank you, Teacher!”
Lynn said with pleasant surprise.
Just moments ago, after Betty explained that Lynn was illiterate, Gray had looked quite surprised but quickly came up with a solution, casting a spell on him: Comprehend Languages.
This spell was originally just a First-Circle spell that could only help the recipient temporarily understand the meaning of written words, but with Gray casting it at a higher circle, the duration of the spell was extended to a full month.
For the next month, Lynn was temporarily freed from his illiterate status.
And after a month, he was confident that with the assistance of the spell, he would be able to complete his basic literacy training.
All he could say was that the mages of this world were simply too versatile!
After offering them a few words of encouragement, Gray did not keep them any longer.
...
Outside the Mages' Association, Lynn looked at Betty, who had a sullen look on her face, and asked, “Why do you look so unhappy?”
Betty glared at the frustrating guy and muttered, “What do you know, you dummy...”
She had originally just thought she met a fairly talented peer during her adventure and planned to give him a few pointers, but who would have thought this guy's talent was actually higher than hers!
It was fine if he did well, but he didn't have to do this well!
Even Teacher Gray, who had always been very nice to her, was clearly showing favoritism.
He actually offered to prepare the focus material for Lynn's staff!
Although a staff's focus material was usually not as precious as a magic stone in terms of monetary value, finding one that suited oneself was no easy task.
She had never received such treatment before.
It was only after her family spent a fortune posting a commission for the Adventurers' Guild to hunt dozens of ranked magical beasts that they finally found a suitable focus material for her.
Yet Lynn didn't have to do a thing, and someone was already preparing it for him...
Is this what a goddamn talent monster is like?!
Fortunately, Betty's frustration came quickly and left just as fast. She soon regained her energy and pulled Lynn toward a nearby shop.
“This shop is run by the Mages' Association. Everything sold inside is the work of association members. In the future, once you learn alchemy or rune enchanting, you can sell your creations here too.”
Looking at the magnificent entrance of the shop, Lynn muttered to himself, wondering if he could actually afford anything inside.
Just moments ago, he had received his monthly stipend from the Mages' Association—a single royal gold coin.
It did not sound like much, but it was already equivalent to a year and a half of Lynn's previous income.
Twelve gold coins a year was enough to support a family of six in the countryside, with some savings left over.
And according to Betty, once he became an official class-holder, the stipend would increase several times over.
Adding the seventeen silver coins he had saved up himself, buying a set of decent-quality equipment shouldn't be a problem.
“Let's go inside and take a look first!”
Betty pushed Lynn, who had started daydreaming again for some reason, into the shop from behind.
The moment they stepped through the door, the gear displayed in organized categories across three walls caught Lynn's attention; from half-plate armor, chainmail, and lamellar armor to longswords, war hammers, and longbows—every piece of equipment Lynn could think of was displayed in the store's glass cabinets, with the soft lighting casting over them only adding to their allure.
No boy could resist such things, and Lynn was naturally no exception.
But just as he was about to step forward to browse, the voice of an adventurer asking for a price reached his ears: “How much for this leather armor?”
“Two gold and eight silver.”
Lynn: “??”
Why is the gear here so expensive?!
He had never bought equipment himself, but he had heard from the militia captain, Rogan, that a set of leather armor usually cost just over one gold coin.
Here, it was directly 2.5 times more expensive?
Lynn's entire net worth was actually only enough to buy a single piece of leather armor here.
Betty indeed gave Lynn no chance to back out. Without even looking at the items on the first floor, she pulled him straight upstairs, explaining, “The items on the first floor are all ordinary gear forged by blacksmiths affiliated with the Mages' Association. They're sold here because their quality isn't high enough to be enchanted.”
They're selling them for so much even though the quality isn't good?!
Lynn complained internally.
Betty seemed to see through his thoughts and explained, “The blacksmiths of the Mages' Association possess smelting and forging techniques comparable to those of dwarves. Everything they produce is a masterpiece. Even their defective products are far superior in quality to the works of ordinary blacksmith shops outside. If there's any downside, it's probably the steep prices that deter most adventurers.”
“Uh...”
Upon reaching the second floor, Lynn stopped in his tracks. This time, no matter how much Betty pulled, she couldn't budge him an inch.
“I think the equipment here might not be very suitable for me.”
Betty was taken aback for a moment before quickly realizing. “Are you worried about the cost? Don't worry, since I brought you here to shop, I'll definitely pay for it.”
Is there really such a good deal?
Lynn hesitated.
Although this seemed like a stroke of incredibly good fortune, he felt that his relationship with Betty had not yet reached that level.
Furthermore, his Charisma attribute in this life was only six points, just slightly above average. He was far from having the kind of presence that would make people instantly fall to their knees in admiration.
Betty's overly attentive attitude made him a bit uneasy.
Without hesitating for long, Lynn ultimately declined Betty's kindness.
“I'll prepare my own equipment.”
Betty froze for a moment and looked at Lynn. The boy's gaze was firm, showing no signs of pretense.
After a few seconds, Betty suddenly smiled, her grip on Lynn's hand tightening slightly for some reason.
“Alright, since you insist, I suggest you go to Blackstone Street and find Old Henry. He has a lot of good stuff there, and most importantly, it's very cost-effective.”
For some reason, when Betty said this, she suddenly gave Lynn a very familiar feeling, as if they had known each other for a long time, but this inexplicable sense of familiarity vanished in an instant, and Betty once again became just an ordinary friend he had recently met.
Just as the atmosphere between them was growing a bit awkward, a woman nearby suddenly spoke up in pleasant surprise: “Miss Fleure, what brings you here? You didn't even let me know!”
The two turned their heads and saw a woman dressed in a shop receptionist uniform, apparently some kind of clerk.
The newcomer seemed to know Betty.
Betty also smiled upon seeing her. “It's good that you're here. Go grab me a bottle of Life Potion.”
The clerk quickly complied, jogging to the back and returning with a wooden box, which she handed to Betty.
Inside the box was a round-bottomed flask filled with a red liquid, glowing with a translucent red light under the lamps, looking highly alluring.
The clerk leaned in and whispered in Betty's ear, “This is the work of Master Minari from the School of Transmutation. Its effects are much better than an ordinary Life Potion, but it's only one gold coin more expensive, costing just four gold. Many people have been trying to buy it lately, but I specially kept a bottle for you.”
Betty was slightly surprised. “Oh? Master Minari? I heard she was researching a new potion formula and hadn't brewed these ordinary potions in a long time.”
The clerk covered her mouth and giggled. “Even masters need research funding, after all.”
The two beautiful young girls burst into giggles at the joke.
After laughing for a moment, Betty took the Life Potion and handed it over to Lynn.
“Just pour it on the wound when you're injured. You should have seen me use it yesterday.”
Lynn wanted to refuse this as well, but looking into Betty's watery eyes, the words of rejection simply wouldn't come out.
Furthermore, he was indeed quite envious of the Life Potion's effects; to an adventurer, it was practically a second life.
It's just four gold coins. It's not like I can't afford to pay her back later.
Comforting himself this way, Lynn accepted the Life Potion gifted by Betty.
The clerk was quite sharp-eyed. Seeing that Lynn had nowhere to put the potion, she quickly brought over a tactical belt.
Lynn asked, “How much is this?”
The clerk giggled. “It's free, sir. Consider it a freebie with the potion.”
Relieved to have saved some money, Lynn let out a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, a crystal beneath Betty's robe flashed, as if alerting her to something. Betty's expression changed when she saw it, and she cried, “Oh no! My teacher is coming to my house for an assessment today, and I completely forgot!”
With that, she waved goodbye to Lynn, hopped onto her carriage, and departed.
Lynn touched the potion pouch hanging from his waist and smiled helplessly.
Now he finally understood why Hal hadn't immediately accepted the Life Potion that day; for Hal, completing a quest and killing a few goblins probably only earned him a few silver coins, whereas the price of this single bottle of potion was enough for him to go on more than a dozen quests.
Low-tier adventurers only went on a dozen or so quests in half a year.
The unlucky ones might not even earn that much by the time they retired.
This was quite a favor he owed her. He would have to repay her when he had the chance in the future.
Next up was heading to 36 Blackstone Street to find Rogan's cousin and deliver the message, and while he was at it, buy the equipment he needed for tomorrow's adventure!
Rate on N.U.
