4-5. Flea Market (2)
Satou's here. Man who tries to scam with get-rich-quick scheme has the same atmosphere even in different world, I wonder why?
In the first place, in this world, having scam skill is enough to get you arrested...
◇
The Radar which has only been displaying white dots until now, suddenly shows a lone red dot.
It's near.
The man pretends to stagger while plunging straight at me. His hands are holding a box wrapped in velvet cloth. A scammer, or should I say a fraudulent extortionist.
He's coming with a speed and distance that normally would be unavoidable, but I avoid it naturally.
From the surrounding's viewpoint, it probably looks like a man suddenly falls down on his own. The fact that, it is, but...
"Aaah! My heirloom's pot!"
He cried out loud, we cannot not get involved now.
After I avoided the man, I confirmed that Liza and Arisa had completely ignored the man and kept walking, properly following me. Seems that Arisa had also noticed it with her Sense Evil.
"Hey, you! Don't run away!"
The man holds the broken pot with one hand, and grabs me with the other.
Matching the timing with when he grabbed me, I made him faint. The people around should see it as if he fainted because he was too exasperated.
If I only have the Fighting skill then I wouldn't have been able to do it this smoothly, thanks to Abduction skill, I did it without being noticed.
I put the fainted man to the back alley carefully. Before we leave him, I check his status because he might have friends, but he doesn't belong to any criminal guild.
He will probably loses all his belongings before he wakes up, but at least he probably won't die.
"The security here really is bad~"
"Yeah, when I first went into the east district, the content of my purse was quickly got stolen."
Come to think of it, even though this is a district with bad security problem, there sure are a lot of shops with expensive commodities. Is the crime prevention all right?
I begin to worry about other people's problems.
When I observe more carefully, there are several people with good physiques, who clearly aren't merchants, strutting along the area.
Checking on AR, they are called East District Vigilante Corp, one of the watchdog guilds. It seems that several groups are guarding the area together.
◇
Right now we are in the area of the flea market focused on pottery. I buy a bottle with lid to put medicine and ointment. The bottle is not made of glass but bisque. This is the same thing as the one from the alchemy introductory set, but won't the medicine have chemical reaction?
That remind me, I've bought an alchemy set yet I've never read the book even once.
A crowd is formed a bit in front of us.
"I wonder what~" Arisa says while briskly goes into the crowd, she comes back after a while with a bored face.
"What was it?"
"Since they said that it's a magic tool, I expected something good... but it's just a spinning top which moves after you pour it magic power. Furthermore it's 1 gold coin much, those people are also crowding just because they're curious."
What did you say?
"How did he pour the magic power?"
"There's a magic apparatus-like part on the disk section which he uses to directly put the magic power by hand, when he releases his hand the tool begins move. What? Are you interested with that toy?"
I leave Arisa who elatedly call me "Childish", and head toward the crowd. When the demonstration is finished, the crowd disperses.
According to Appraisal, the thing put on the stall is called [Rolling Ring]. Since the description is like usual, I don't read it. The disk diameter is about 20cm, it's big for a spinning top. The market price is 2 gold coins.
Some children pester the shopkeeper to spin the disk again but he refused since he has no magic power left.
"Hello, if you're fine with it, I could pour the magic power for you."
"My bad nii-san. Hold the disk with both of your hands, then circulate magic power from your right hand to your left. Blue line light will lit on the disk after a bit, you can stop pouring magic power then and gently place the disk on the stand."
It's completely filled after I pour 2 MP.
Looking at Timer, I release it after I found the right time.
The AR displays the number of rotation when I stare at the disk.
It's doing 600 rotations per 10 minute. Moreover the spinning speed is constant until it run out of magic power. Depending on its torque, it could be useful for a lot of things.
Some people who are interested like Arisa earlier are coming, but soon go away after hearing the price.
"Shopkeeper-san, I want to try something. I will buy it if it broke, so will you let me?"
"If possible, I'd like you to buy it before you break it..."
What the shopkeeper is saying is a matter of course, but maybe because couldn't sell it at all, for even the tiniest possibility of selling it, he allows me.
I ask Arisa to put her magic into the disk. It consumes 5 MP this time. Are there differences between individuals?
The rotation speed is the same as earlier. I press the spinning disk from both sides after 3 minutes has elapsed. The children are booing, but I ignore them.
The rotation is surprisingly strong. It has about the same power as a radio controlled motor.
>[Experiment Skill Acquired]
>[Verification Skill Acquired]
After I take out gold coins, the shopkeeper readily tell me the maker since he has nothing to lose. It seems that it's the work of Jahad, an old magician from the royal capital.
Seems that he's famous for creating useless magic tools.
I buy 4 for 1 gold coins. It looks useful for a lot of things.
"You, such things "Arisa You're being rude to master."
Arisa is rebuked by Liza. She was unreserved with me all this time but it seems that [You] is unacceptable.
"U~ I'm sorry master."
Arisa is unusually obedient.
Because Liza's anger has force. I'm glad that she is usually mild-mannered.
"Then, what did you want to say?"
"Rather than toys, I want master to buy me magic books."
"I have books for Life magic, do you want it?"
"I'd like something more useful for battle!"
Yup, I could understand the lament of the Life magic author for a bit.
I want a recovery magic user from the present members.
I promise to bring her along when I go buy map. I think that the magic shop is still closed now, but she still insists.
◇
"Young master, could I have your time for a bit?"
I didn't think that I was the one who got called, but when I ignore the caller, he looks troubled.
He looks like a gentlemen from the outside, but his eyes are like snake.
"Can I help you with something?"
"Does young master familiar with an alchemy material called Dragon White Stone?"
"No, I'm uneducated with it."
The gentleman keeps talking with exaggerated grieving gestures.
"I think you might know this but in making antidote, one need different materials for each type of poison."
"However, this Dragon White Stone, processed with alchemy, could be used to cure all type of poison!"
"Of course, if you live normally, then you probably won't ever get poisoned."
"Yet, for Explorers who enter labyrinth, they don't know when they will encounter monster with poison so antidote is necessary."
"But, for the sake of bringing the loots back, Explorers are compelled to bring as little supply as possible."
"Therefore, antidotes made from Dragon White Stones are traded at high price in labyrinth city."
Without letting me cut into it, he had begun a solo sales talk.
I've been ignoring it, so I want him to just get to the point.
"This Dragon White Stone, especially! Especially for the young master (...), I'll give you special price for it!"
In short, you want me to buy the Dragon White Stone because it's selling well in labyrinth city, that was long just for this.
"I understand the story now, but why don't you go to the labyrinth city yourself?"
"That's what should have been but I must go to the south after this. Therefore, I will hand it over to young master who overflows with business talent."
On what basis is he saying that I'm overflowing with business talent?
Beside, he should sell it to a firm rather than an individual in a place like this. Suspicious, doubtlessly.
"This is a sample, I also have the certificate."
He takes out a pebble sized item, it's a Dragon White Stone according to appraisal. I still don't know if this is really an ingredient for cure-all antidote. I want reverse look-up too.
The market price for that size is 1 copper coin.
I try to properly decline it, but the sham gentleman strongly press on it. I can't separate away easily.
In the end, we decided to go to his carriage to look at the stocks.
On top of the carriages, clusters of very small rocks wrapped in waterproof cloth are put.
The sham gentleman pulls the cloth to show off the white rocks(...) and continues the sales talk.
I see a person, who's just right for this, coming here. Let's drag him into this.
"How is it, this quality here. If you bring this to the labyrinth city then it's going to worth close to 100 gold coins. Because of the brilliance shown by young master, I will hand it over."
"Unfortunately I don't have 100 gold coins on hands. At most, I only have 20 gold coins."
The sham gentleman looks slightly bitter. But I saw the corner of his eyes moving slightly.
"This is difficult, If it's 30 gold coins then I would've yielded..."
"Is that so, too bad. Well then, let's end this talk here."
And so I pull straight away.
The sham gentleman hurriedly get back.
"No, let's count on the future of young master, I will yield for 20 gold coins this time, for investment."
Ignoring the sham gentleman, I call the gnome who's passing through on the side. It's the manager of the alchemy shop.
"Hello manager-san"
"The heck are you?"
"I'm the beginner who bought the alchemy set in your shop the other day."
"Oh yeah, how's your training?"
"Yes, It's still quite difficult."
"Well yeah, it's not something that could be done overnight."
"Right manager-san, this gentleman here is trading something called Dragon White Stone. How about stocking some for manager-san's shop?"
Saying so, I point at the lumps of rock salt(...) on the carriage. That's right, the sham gentleman scam tactic is by first showing the real Dragon White Stone pebble to someone and then sell rock salts as the real thing.
"What are you saying, those are rock salts."
"Eeeeh~! So those are rock salts!"
I exaggeratedly act surprised and say "What is the meaning of this!", sending the fraud into panic.
If he run away, then I thought of letting him go but the manager's bodyguard with big body quickly constrict the fraud and drag him away.
You guys are too quick...
"I got dragged into a boring farce."
The manager looks truly indignant.
"Thanks for your help."
"Fuhn, you bastard must've known it from the start with appraisal. Just when I went to flea market for finding bargain on raw materials, I was made to dispose small peon instead."
To soothe him, I tell him about the thing with spinning top earlier, after hearing that he leaves me alone and quickly goes to that stall.
He probably got an idea to use it for mixing materials.