As a side note, regarding the currency of Shimulir, it uses Cole as its unit. The smallest denomination is one Cole, made of copper, with one copper coin worth one Cole. Above that are silver coins, made of the relatively valuable metal silver, worth one hundred Cole each. Even higher are gold coins, made of the rare precious metal gold, worth ten thousand Cole each.
Notably, these currencies are not issued by the Pasara Empire, but by the Seven Heavens Church, an authoritative organization spanning the entire continent.
In the past, some countries did attempt to issue their own currencies to reap huge profits. However, their prestige was simply no match for the Seven Heavens Church, which had existed for countless years. As a result, other nations, and even many of their own citizens, refused to recognize the local currencies, leading to their rapid disappearance.
However, the most critical reason for their failure was that the Gumora copper used to manufacture the most widely circulated copper coins was almost entirely controlled by the Seven Heavens Church. Under sunlight, this specific copper reflected a unique blue-purple luster that made it highly recognizable and incredibly difficult to counterfeit.
Lacking Gumora copper but still wanting to issue their own currency, almost every nation was forced to use substitutes. In the end, these substitutes could not solve the rampant issue of counterfeiting, which repeatedly caused economic collapses. Eventually, those nations had no choice but to abandon issuing their own currencies.
... ...
Ding-ling~!
The wind chimes at the entrance jingled.
In a dark corner of the bookstore, the shop owner, an old man known to everyone as Old White, was dozing on the counter. He turned his head toward the door.
Upon realizing it was just a little girl, he instantly lost interest.
“Hey, kid, this is no place to play hide-and-seek. Go play outside!”
Shulim looked around the bookstore with curiosity. Situated on a street corner where sunlight rarely reached, the entire shop was dimly lit, illuminated only by an old desk lamp with an unstable magical connection that emitted a practically useless, faint glow.
Such a dark environment was hard to associate with a place where people were supposed to acquire knowledge and broaden their horizons.
Hearing Old White's voice, Shulim looked up at the counter.
“I'm not here to play. I want to buy a book.”
“Buy a book?”
Old White froze for a moment, then finally took a closer look at Shulim.
“Oh, are you from the Hayeral family?”
Judging by her clothing and appearance, Old White guessed she was a child of the Hayeral family, though he couldn't quite tell which one she was.
“Yes, my name is Shulim. Shulim Hayeral.”
“Shulim, yes, that's right! The youngest of the Hayeral family is named Shulim!”
Now completely certain of her identity, Old White immediately stood up from behind the counter. An enthusiastic smile spread across his wrinkled face, though it only made his wrinkles look even more prominent.
“What kind of book are you looking for? Storybooks? Well, you've come to the right place! Don't look down on my bookstore just because it's small—we have all kinds of books here. I dare say even some nobles' private collections can't compare to the scale of what I have here. Oh, my apologies, I forgot your family is noble too...”
Shulim ignored his warm yet highly impolite chatter and cut straight to the point: “I want to buy a magic book that can teach me magic.”
Old White's voice faltered for a second, and then his eyes gleamed.
“A magic book? Yes, yes! Of course I have them!”
Old White rubbed his hands together in excitement. He felt his luck was truly excellent today. Although he had only opened the shop in the afternoon, his very first customer of the day was a major client.
“Young Lady Hayeral, please follow me!”
Shulim followed him.
Old White led her to a locked bookshelf deep in the back of the store. He unlocked it, revealing an entire shelf lined with magic books.
Seeing the shelves full of magic books, Shulim's eyes immediately lit up with fascination.
Shulim's reaction made Old White even happier. Rubbing his hands together, he began to introduce them with excitement.
“What kind of magic book would you like? I have every elemental system here! I highly recommend this series. In addition to containing Second-Tier spells, it also covers a significant amount of knowledge regarding magic circles.”
Old White pointed to the bookshelf in front of them.
“Really? It even has knowledge about magic circles?!”
Shulim was tempted the moment she heard this, immediately wanting to purchase it.
“Of course! Though my shop is small, its reputation in Mente Town is impeccable. There's no way it's fake!”
Old White patted his chest reassuringly.
“You only need to pay two gold coins, which is twenty thousand Cole, to take home any elemental-system magic book from this series!”
“Two...”
Shulim's smile stiffened slightly.
She silently weighed her small purse. Twenty thousand Cole minus one thousand nine hundred and fifty-two Cole...
It seemed like she was still... just a little bit short.
“...Um, do you have any other magic books?”
Shulim looked up and asked.
“Of course.”
Old White didn't think much of it and continued walking forward.
“Do you not need books on magic circles for the time being? That's fine, let me recommend this other one to you! Although this series doesn't have other extra knowledge, it contains First-Tier to Third-Tier spells for every elemental system. If you buy this kind of book, learning Third-Tier spells won't be a problem at all!”
Old White pointed to the books on the second shelf as he introduced them.
“They have First-Tier to Third-Tier?!”
Shulim was tempted once again, wanting to buy it.
At the same time, she calculated in her mind. Since she was just about to start learning First-Tier spells, if she got these books, wouldn't they last her for a very long time?
“That's right, they have it all! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this series is the most suitable for a noble family's collection! And it only costs five gold coins per book!”
Old White said loudly.
Shulim's smile froze slightly once more. She weighed her little purse again.
This one seemed to be a little short as well...
“Is there anything else?”
Hearing Shulim's question, Old White raised an eyebrow.
Oh? She's turning up her nose at these? Looks like I need to bring out the big guns.
“Hmph, since you put it that way, I'll have to show you the real deal!”
With that, Old White walked to the final bookshelf and solemnly retrieved a box.
Shulim watched curiously.
Old White carried the box back to Shulim and carefully opened it, revealing an exquisite magic book inside with a glowing, fiery red cover.
“What is this?”
Shulim asked, puzzled.
“This is a Fourth-Tier magic book.”
Old White replied with a solemn expression.
“What?! Fourth-Tier magic!”
Shulim was shocked. She was no longer the complete novice she had been a few days ago, so she understood perfectly well that although the Fourth Tier was seemingly only one tier above the Third, they belonged to entirely different realms. After all, Fourth-Tier magic was already considered High-Tier magic.
“Is it really a Fourth-Tier magic book? Amazing! I can't believe you have such an incredible magic book!”
Facing Shulim's shining eyes, Old White felt a little embarrassed for a moment.
“Ahem... Well, although it is indeed a Fourth-Tier magic book, it does have a small issue.”
“A small issue?”
“Uh... well, how should I put it? The magic recorded in this book is a Fourth-Tier fire-element self-destruction spell...”
...
The sparkle in Shulim's eyes instantly died out.
“—So it's a completely useless book then.”
“No, no, no! How can you say it's useless?!”
Old White vehemently argued.
“Even if it's... that kind of spell, you can't deny that it is indeed a genuine Fourth-Tier magic!”
“Oh, I see... Do you have any other magic books?”
Shulim had already lost all interest.
Seeing the sucker who had finally walked into his shop about to slip away, Old White steeled his heart, grit his teeth, and said, “How about this! If you're willing to buy this book, I'll sell it to you at a dirt-cheap price, even if it means taking a loss! What do you think?”
“A cheap price?”
This indeed caught Shulim's attention. She secretly weighed her little purse. If it was cheap, it wouldn't be impossible to buy it...
“Normally, a proper Fourth-Tier magic book would cost at least dozens of gold coins, if not over a hundred. For this one, I only want ten gold coins! How's that for cheap?”
If it's cheap...?
Shulim froze on the spot.
After a long pause,
“Do you have any other magic books?”
Looking into Shulim's eyes, Old White sighed with regret in his heart. Was a sucker really that hard to catch?
“Of course there are other magic books, but exactly what kind is the adult in your family looking to buy? I'll just find it for you.”
“Hmm? It's not my father or mother who wants to buy a magic book,” Shulim shook her head. “I'm the one buying it.”
“What?”
Old White's eyes widened, staring intently at Shulim. Then, with a hint of uncertainty, he asked, “Are you sure you're the one buying it, and not your father?”
“I'm the one buying it. Is there a problem?”
Shulim asked in confusion.
“A problem...”
There was a huge problem!
Old White let out a heavy breath, trying his best to speak in a milder tone.
“Did you bring money?”
“Of course I did!”
Shulim took out her small purse and showed it to Old White. The copper and silver coins inside clinked together, making a crisp sound.
Old White's eyes lit up, and he happily took the purse, beaming with joy.
“It's good that you brought money!”
However, the moment he opened the purse and looked inside, his smile instantly froze.
“...This is the money you brought?”
“Yup!”
Shulim nodded firmly.
“You want to buy my magic books with this tiny amount of money?”
“Mm-hmm!”
Shulim nodded once again.
The wrinkles on Old White's forehead twitched continuously as he took a deep, deep breath.
Snap!
Then, he slammed the box containing the self-destruction magic book shut.
Thud, thud, thud!
He marched back to the bookshelf at the very end, his heavy footsteps thudding loudly on the wooden floor as if he were trying to stomp right through the floorboards.
After returning the box to its original spot, he walked over to a cluttered corner. After a loud clattering and clanging commotion,
Old White, his face now completely cold, returned holding a yellowed, dusty old book.
“This is the magic book you want.”
Saying this, he reached into Shulim's small purse again, picking out all the silver coins with a few quick moves.
“A total of nineteen silver coins! Your money is only enough for this.”
“Wait, this book...”
Shulim looked at the tattered book in her hands, which looked vastly different from the other beautifully packaged magic books. She couldn't help but want to protest.
“That's enough, kid. My place isn't a free advice center. If you have questions, go home and ask your parents! And also—”
“Take your candy-buying allowance and get out of my bookstore!”
... ...
Bang!
The sound of the door being slammed shut echoed from behind her.
Shulim had been thrown out.
Extremely dissatisfied, Shulim glared back at the bookstore, then looked down at the magic book in her hands, its cover so worn that even its lettering was peeling off: 《Detailed Explanation of the Seven Basic Elemental Magics》.
Well, although the process had been quite unpleasant, Shulim had ultimately obtained what she wanted most right now.
Rate on N.U.
