Chapter 61: Shopping

Chapter 61: Shopping

I dropped down in the merchant district and made my way out on the bustling streets. Unfortunately, since I didn’t know my way around the place, I ended up wandering aimlessly until I stumbled upon a store that appeared to sell clothes aimed at nobles.

It’s not exactly what I’m looking for, but perhaps I could ask for directions here.

I entered the store and was greeted by a bubbly young woman.

“Welcome to Regal Attire,” she said with a warm smile. “Is this your first time here?”

“Uhm, yes. Yes it is,” I replied.

“Wonderful,” she said, still giving off the same warm smile. “My name is Elyria. How can I assist you today?”

Would it be rude to ask if she knew of a store that sold fabric right away? I suppose I could look around a little.

“Uhm, I just wanted to have a look around. Is that alright?” I asked.

“Most certainly. Feel free to browse our wares,” Elyria answered, giving a slight bow. “Most of the clothes we have on display are just models, so we can freely alter any part to fit your taste when making the final product.”

“I see, thank you,” I replied before making my way further into the store.

So this is the latest fashion among the nobles? At least half of them look uncomfortable to wear. It’s a bit too much for me. But what is that over there? Maybe coming here wasn’t a bad idea after all.

I continued with steady steps toward the back of the store until I arrived at what had caught my interest. As I was looking through the different options, Elyria appeared behind me.

“Does our lingerie selection interest you?” She asked.

“Uhm, yes?” I replied, slightly taken aback by the fact that I had been so engulfed in staring at underwear that I didn’t notice her sneaking up on me.

“We rarely need to alter these, so we have the most common sizes in stock,” Elyria explained, glancing at the bra in my hand. “If I may, I do think a bigger size would fit you better.”

“Oh, it’s not for me,” I smiled. “But I don’t know what she would like.”

“I understand,” she nodded. “Would you like me to give you some recommendations?”

“By all means, please do.”

Elyria began showing off different sets of underwear, ranging from more modest to alluring to outright daring. After imagining Liz in each of them, I decided on four pairs. None were from the modest options.

I almost caught myself drooling there. This isn’t what I came for.

After paying a most likely insane sum for underwear, Elyria packed each pair in a separate box, each with a ribbon tied around it.

“I’m sure she will love them,” she said as she put the four boxes on the counter. “Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

“Actually, I do have an unrelated question,” I answered. “Do you happen to know if there is a store that sells fabric somewhere around here?”

“There certainly is!” Elyria replied. “A short distance from here is a lovely shop called Weaver’s Haven. It is where we get most of our fabric. Do you want me to draw you a map?”

“That would be most helpful,” I said with a smile. “There are so many shops here that I would get lost otherwise.”

Elyria took out a paper, hastily drew a simple map, and gave it to me. “The store owner is called Derek. Tell him I sent you, and he will take care of you.”

“Thank you very much,” I replied and took the paper. “I will come again sometime.”

“You are more than welcome back at any time,” Elyria replied, once again giving me the same warm smile.

I left the store and made my way toward the Weaver’s Haven.

I should have asked what kind of fabric they sold. Well, it’s too late now.

After a short walk, I saw a sign that had a picture of a loom on it. Underneath the loom, Weaver’s Haven could be read. I put away the map and entered the store.

“Welcome to Weaver’s Haven,” a man who was putting away a roll of fabric said. “What can I help you with today?”

“Elyria from Regal Attire said a man called Derek could help me here,” I replied.

“Oh? Elyria sent me a customer?” He chuckled. “I am Derek. Are you looking for something particular?”

“Are you, by any chance, selling fabric made from monster materials?”

“Indeed we do!” Derek replied, eyeing me curiously. “Any specific kind?”

“I’m looking for fabric made from the silk of aqua spiders and shadow spiders,” I answered. “Is that something you have for sale?”

“We have both,” he said, glancing at a shelf next to the counter. “If you would follow me, please.”

We made our way over to the shelf, which was stocked with an impressive number of different fabrics.

This is a shop, right? There aren’t that many houses that have signs, after all. If nothing else, I might be able to ask for directions.

As I entered the store, I saw that I was most likely proven right. Sturdy shelves stacked with ingots of various kinds lined the walls of the store. Since I didn’t see any sign of a clerk, I walked up to the shelves and looked through their wares.

Let’s see here... iron, blacksteel, aurumite, copper, tin, bronze, plumulium, and cobalt... this is all standard stuff. Maybe I need to find another store.

I walked up to the counter and peeked at the open door behind it. “Excuse me?” I called out.

After a moment, a burly, bald man in a leather apron came to greet me.

“I didn’t hear you enter,” he said, eyeing me from top to bottom. “Not often someone like you visits my store. What can I help you with, little miss?”

“I’m looking to buy some mithril,” I answered. “Do you happen to sell that?”

“Mithril, you say?” He replied, further sizing me up with his eyes. “Do you have a permit?”

“A permit?” I asked. “Do I need one to buy mithril?”

A permit? That sounds annoying. I might have enough mithril for the cloak, but I would prefer to stock up since I use it so often.

“There’s never enough mithril and other rare metals, so we aren’t allowed to sell any without a permit,” he explained. “Unsavory types or people from other countries could buy out our stock otherwise.”

“I see,” I muttered. “And how do I get a permit?”

“Are you in the service of a noble, by any chance?” he asked, supposedly done sizing me up.

“No, just an adventurer,” I replied. “Can only nobles get permits?”

“No, but a few noble households have permanent permits,” he explained. “Adventurers can get a permit for a certain amount, but only if they are A rank or above.”

“I see,” I smiled. “Could you tell me where I would have to go to get a permit then?”

The man eyed me suspiciously. “Can I see your guild card?”

“But of course,” I replied with a smile, pulled out my card, and held it up in front of me.

His eyes widened, and his jaw basically hit the ground. He stared at the card, then at me, then back at the card. This repeated a few times before he regained his composure.

“So, am I allowed to purchase mithril?” I asked, batting my eyelashes.

“With that card, you are allowed to buy anything we have in stock, even without a permit,” he chuckled. “Follow me.”

I followed the man through the door behind the counter and arrived at a sturdy metal door with three locks. He unlocked the locks one at a time and pulled open the heavy door, allowing us to enter. Behind the door was a vault with rows of ingots stacked on shelves. I glanced over the various ingots as we walked through.

Now, this is more like it. There’s silver, gold, platinum, mithril, and adamantite. They even have stormsteel. And is that sylvanite? Good to know where I can find stuff if I need it.

The man stopped in front of the shelf with mithril ingots. “How much do you need?”

I glanced down at the floor where crates of ingots were stashed under the shelves. “A crate?”

“A crate holds eight ingots,” he frowned. “People usually buy one or two ingots.”

“I guess I’m a little bit unusual then,” I smirked. “Am I allowed to buy that much?”

“You are allowed to buy everything in here if you so want,” he chuckled. “The monthly quota does not apply to someone like you.”

Reaping some more of those SSS rank benefits.

“That’s good to know. However, a crate is enough for now,” I grinned. “I will come back if I need more.”

He pulled out a crate from under the shelves and picked it up before we made our way back to the counter. After putting the heavy crate on the counter, he took out a piece of paper from a drawer.

“Eight mithril ingots cost fifty-six large gold coins,” he said. “I also need you to sign this.”

I still have enough on me, and this was only a part of the money I got from the materials. Did I get overpaid? Though, I don’t know how much I have at the guild... If Liz heard me, she would probably scold me for being irresponsible with my money.

“What is that?” I said as I pulled out the coins from my [Inventory].

“We need to keep track of everyone we sell mithril and other rare metals to,” he replied. “King’s orders.”

“I see,” I said and took the paper, holding it up in front of me.

Let’s see... Bla bla bla, nothing other than proof of purchase. No harm in signing.

I signed the paper and gave it back to him. After putting away the mithril ingots, I took my leave and teleported back to the telenode outside Baruda.

I found everything I needed, and I didn’t kill anyone, offend anyone, or get into any fights. Overall, it was a successful trip. I told Liz she worried too much.

But is it bad that I count acting like a normal human being as a win? If anything, it’s other people who can’t behave.