147-132 Kerg (2)

"That looked pretty nasty, the Order of the Sutomy Saints.

"Believers ...... are dollar geeks, mostly.

There are some powerful people there, right?　No way, does it include the nobility?

"The powerful dollar geeks ...... are out of control.

I'm not sure what to make of that.

I'm not sure what to make of that.

I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out.

No, not that much. ......

Does that mean you have something against them?

I've had some trouble with bad manners before, Natsuki.

I know it's just a few of them, but it's really bad for your image.

Yuki's words made Natsuki shake his head with a wry smile.

It is true that minor hobbyists tend to be looked at in that way. In fact, it is only the individual who is at fault.

"I think its influence as an original religion is limited in this world where God exists, but ......

No, dollar geeks are a religion of sorts.

The problem is that the Order of the Sutomy Saints sucks up an inordinate amount of money. To some extent it can be absorbed as a kind of economic activity, but if it becomes an irresistible skill-based money collection system, ......

Will there be greater social distortion?

Yes. The result will be social unrest, increased slavery, and worsening public safety. ......

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing and how you're doing it.

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what to do with it.　It's not going to do any good if we get involved.

"Well, I guess so. I'm not sure what to make of this.

It has not been determined yet that Takamatsu-san deceived Aella-san, though.

But there is no advantage to getting involved. Let's finish our business and return to Rafaan. If she tries to come to Rafan, then we'll have to think about it.

"Well, we don't have to be responsible for the actions of our classmates, do we?

If we dare to be responsible, it would be Adversus, but since it would be a 'does a knife kill' kind of argument, we can just say that Takamatsu himself is responsible.

So, let's head to the alchemy store as originally planned.

"Oh, corn.

"Oh, corn. It's ...... dry.

In the middle of going around some alchemy stores, Yuki stopped to say so.

The corn was piled up in baskets at the stall.

It was not the corn with ears and skin on it that you see in supermarkets, but a pile of neatly peeled corn, slightly smaller in size.

"Oh, by the way, you mentioned corn and flower seeds. Do you want to buy some?

"Yes. But will they still sprout if they're dry?

Corn seeds are dried and crinkled, so I think they'll be fine.　If they've been heated and then dried, they won't sprout.

I'll go buy some then!

I was also a little curious, so I followed Yuki to the stall.

There are so many different colors.

Yes, in Japan it's yellow or white, but around the world there are many different colors.

Red and other warm colors, but colors like blue are a little unappetizing. ......

Well, it's hard to get used to. I think I'll just buy the yellowish one and go home. I've heard that when you cross-breed, the colors get mixed.

By the way, I once heard a farmer say that in order to grow pure white corn, you have to be far enough away from the yellow variety to prevent its pollen from flying.

Corn with yellow and blue grains mixed in ...... color and taste may be different, but the appearance is also important, right?

"Are you guys buying?

I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea.

A merchant, perhaps?

He looked a bit frail for a farmer.

He asked, "Well, how do you eat this?

As expected, Yuki had never used dried corn before, so she asked the shopkeeper.

If it's regular corn, you can boil it and eat it, but if it's dried corn, you can grind it into ...... powder and eat it in tortillas?　No, the only thing I know is that tortillas are made from corn flour.

Oh, you don't know?　Well, they're not eaten as much as wheat around here. These grains are taken off the cob and cooked with soup, or ground into flour to make bread. It tastes so different from wheat, doesn't it?

Is it a crop that doesn't grow in this area?

No, I don't think so.　I don't think so. I think they just don't grow it because it's not eaten.　I mean, there are places nearby that grow it.

So, you're a hawker?

Yes, he is. He goes around to the towns around here. What you see here are crops he bought in other towns.

I see. Well, give me ten of each of these three.

From the pile of corn, Yuki selects three yellow ones and points to them to order.

Hi!　Do you like the yellow one, sister?

Well, it looks better when it's yellow, doesn't it?

Is that what it is?　Doesn't red look good?　It tastes a little different from yellow.

The merchant twisted his head as he filled the bag with the corn he had ordered.

If you say it's just a stereotype, you're right. Red beans are usually red, dark purple is a common color in fruits, and eggplant is purple. On the other hand, yellow and white fruits usually look like they are not properly ripe.

It is just a matter of the familiar corn being yellow.

Yuki understands this, so she smiles and opens her mouth.

It's just my personal feeling. Besides, if it's a dark color, it might get colored when you put it in soup or something.

Most of them are white inside, just the skin. ...... Well, do you care about the color of the skin?　You can get a little color.

He twisted his head a little, but I think he understood Yuki's point. He nodded, threw one of the colored ones into the bag, and held it out.

He nodded and threw one of the colored ones in the bag and held it out.

"Are you sure?　Thanks!　I'll come back for more when I get a chance.

Yeah. I open a store around here sometimes.

When we came back from buying corn, three other people were just coming back from buying something from the stall.

I was carrying a sack that I could hold in one hand, but Natsuki was carrying a sack that she could hold in the other. But Natsuki has a bag that she can hold with one hand, and it's big enough to hold a few kilos of rice.

Did Natsuki and the others buy something too?

Yes. They were selling rapeseed, so we bought that.

Rapeseed. ...... So-called oilseed rape.

You want to press oil?　We certainly don't have vegetable oil. We have plenty of fat from animals, so we didn't have a chance to buy it.

It's true that lard is a bit on the sticky side, and it would be nice to have salad oil.

Yes, the rape blossom field is nice. It's a big garden, so it's worth seeing!　And you can plant them in places other than flower beds!

They were not for eating, but for viewing.

It seems that ornamental flowers are not sold very often. It might be easier to plant crops that can also be enjoyed with flowers.

I guess I'll just have to get them myself. If you go to the forest at the right time of year, you might find some lilies. If it's a bulb type plant, it's easy to transplant.

"Lilies, that's good, too. Bulbs don't require much work. Do you have any tulips?

There might be natives, but I'm not sure about .......　In that forest.

I don't remember seeing many flowers. ......

I don't remember seeing many flowers in that forest, but I don't remember being aware of them either.

It's possible that you simply didn't see the flowers because you didn't have time to love them, but is it that convenient for you to see them in the forest?

I don't remember if there are tulips or not.　There may or may not be tulips, though.

In Japan, it's bad manners to pick wild flowers, but here it's probably okay.

Natsuki and Haruka seemed to have noticed.

I looked at Toya and asked, "Did you notice? I'm not sure if that's a difference between men and women's awareness or not.

Recently, I've been collecting herbs only for my own consumption, so I don't have many opportunities to pay attention to plants.

So, are you done with the flower seeds?

"I'll buy them if they're available, but I don't need to look for them?　Is that okay?

I guess so. It's just a hobby, that's all.

Okay. Let's go to the alchemy store.

I'm sure you'll agree that it's a good idea to have a little more time to think about it.

This is the first time I've ever been to an alchemy shop.

There are four alchemy stores in this town, as far as we could tell.

We went to these four stores to buy the materials we needed.

We got all the materials we needed at the second store, but since we had some money to spare, we planned to visit all the stores to buy more materials and to look for magic activators.

However, he was not able to find a magic trigger until the third shop, and then, hoping for a ray of hope, he asked the same question at the fourth shop.

"Do you have a magic trigger?

"No.

The owner, an old woman, replied in the same curt manner as in the previous stores.

But there was more to the shopkeeper's words.

That's the kind of thing you deal with in a weapons shop, isn't it?　Why are you asking me here?

"Oh, no. I'm not looking for weapons, I'm looking for rings and things like that. Do you have any idea what it is?

I asked at the weapon shop I visited in the morning, but all I got were wands and staff-type activators, no rings.

If they were still very effective, I would have bought one, but they looked too delicate and were very expensive. If you're going to buy them, you might as well spend your money on normal weapons and armor, and you'll have a better chance of survival.

The other members of the group were of the same opinion, and in the end, they did not buy any of them.

Not the weapon type?　I think that's a little difficult.

Is that so?

Activators don't come around very often. Not many magicians can make them. You also need precious magic stones.

It is alchemists who make the triggering body, but the number of alchemists who can actually make it is quite limited.

Even the triggers that we rated as subtle are quite difficult to make, and that seems to be reflected in the price.

I see. ...... By the way, where's your grandmother?

"Me?　I can't do it. She wasn't good enough.

The shopkeeper shakes his head and sighs. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.

I'm sure you're not the only one.

I'm not sure if you've ever heard of it, but I'm sure you've heard of it.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea. You can get it at a local store, and it's just about the same.

"Just a feeling?

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I'm not sure what to make of that. I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out if you're using a certain level of high quality magic stone.

The reason why he felt it was too subtle when he saw it in the weapon shop was because it was indeed too subtle.

I'm not sure what to make of it.　I'm not sure what to do. We're not going to be doing any "that little bit can mean the difference between life and death! We know that we have experience.

By the way, what is the level of high level?

"At least the level of a phantasm--a gryphon or something like that. I've heard some eyebrow-raising stories about dragons being able to consume half as much magic power, or being able to use magic one or two levels higher.

That's great.

If you're in the market for a brand-new pair of shoes, you're in luck.

The only problem is that it's 'spiteful'.

"How can it be spiteful?

No, no, no. There's no such thing as a magic stone activator in circulation. It would be a national treasure. Even if it's made of phantasmal magic stones, it would be auctioned off in the capital.

Incidentally, if it were to be auctioned, it would be a story of pure gold coins flying around.

Pure gold coins -- as the name implies, these are gold coins of pure gold that are not normally in circulation. Ten gold coins are worth a large gold coin, and a pure gold coin is worth 100 large gold coins.

The size of the coin is said to be as huge as the palm of your hand. I don't know, because I have never seen one.

Basically, it is a coin for stockpiling, so it is almost impossible for ordinary people to see.

It is pure gold, but if it were circulated normally, it would be easily scratched and shaved, and would be very useless.

With our current savings, we could get our hands on it, but I don't think we'd be able to compete in a 'fly-by-night' auction.

I'm sure you'll be able to find something that you can afford. ....... I'm not sure what to do.

It depends on the item. There are some that you can buy without having to pay pure gold, but there are not many in circulation.

So it's difficult to make them yourself.

If you're at that level, the need for the activator is already low.

I understand. Thank you for everything.

Thank you for everything. Come again.