Chapter 6: Temporary Home
Chapter 6: Temporary Home
"There's no doubt that it's a high-quality magical item."
Magic never lies, and Makarov could instantly tell that the pendant was indeed a magical item. It was quite possible that this pendant was the reason Rod managed to survive the beast tide, even though he didn't know how to use it.
Rod took off the necklace, the thin metal chain coiling in his palm, the pendant lying quietly with its golden letters and blue background reflecting the natural light.
He examined it from all angles, but apart from its aesthetic appeal, he couldn't figure out what made it special.
"Damn, Dazai didn't even give me an instruction manual!" Rod swore in his native language.
Makarov and Mirajane looked at him with confusion.
Rod handed the necklace to Makarov and asked, "Master, do you know how to use this thing to its full potential?"
"Using a magical item doesn't necessarily require understanding magic, but once you can use it, you can consider yourself a mage."
Makarov took the necklace and said a string of words that sounded like a tongue twister.
Rod pondered the logic for a moment, then watched as the seemingly ordinary necklace in his hand began to glow in Makarov's hands.
"I see, it's similar to a Spirit Key. This pendant can only be used by you."
"Spirit Key?" Rod was confused. What was that?
Mirajane helpfully explained, even using a light pen to draw a diagram for Rod:
"Spirit Magic involves making a contract with spirits and summoning them from the Spirit World to assist you. Those who use Spirit Magic need to hold a special key, making it a type of possession magic."
Mirajane's drawing skills were rather poor, almost abstract compared to Laxus's.
This made it hard for Rod to understand what a spirit looked like, but he got a general idea of what the magic entailed.
He used a term he understood: "Summoner?"
"Pretty much, that's the idea." Makarov returned the necklace to Rod.
"I'll teach you the basics of magic and the tricks I know about Spirit Magic. Additionally, the guild's library has materials on Spirit Magic... What do you think, do you want to learn this magic?"
"Yes, I do." Rod nodded.
A summoner, huh? With this pendant shaped like a League of Legends game icon, Rod had a pretty good idea of what he could summon. A hundred or so powerful champions should make him practically invincible, right?
"Alright, it's settled. I'll teach you magic later. For now, let's talk about some practical matters."
"Practical matters?"
---
Rod was kicked out of the infirmary.
His injuries had mostly healed, so he needed to move out and stop occupying the medical room.
Finding a place to live in a strange city, or rather, a strange world, made him a bit nervous.
Fortunately, the Master had introduced him to a house not far from the guild, less than a kilometer away.
Rod had already seen it; it was a street-front property with a shop on the first floor and living quarters on the second.
The landlord, Goodman Riel, was a young man in his late twenties.
He used to live there a few years ago but moved out after getting married, only coming back during the day to run the shop.
The house was fully equipped with a kitchen, bathroom, and even a bathtub. The bedroom wasn't large, but it was more than enough for one person.
The rent was 80,000 J per month. Rod wasn't very familiar with the local currency, but according to Mirajane, this price was quite cheap in Magnolia.
The landlord's reasoning was that the second floor would be unused otherwise, and having a mage live there would provide some added security.
Rod suspected that the landlord was doing this as a favor to the Master, who occasionally visited the guild's bar.
Even so, the rent was more than Rod could afford.
The money to pay the rent came from the Master, who lent him 150,000 J, with the remaining 70,000 J for food and daily necessities.
150,000J sounds like a lot, but after seeing the denominations of the bills, Rod felt a bit more at ease.
These thousand and ten-thousand J notes are probably worth much less than their RMB equivalents.
However, it wasn't until he borrowed this money that Rod realized he hadn't paid for the food and medicine he had used over the past few days.
Especially those medicines, which were so effective; they must have been quite expensive.
Then there was the fee for Mr. Hibiki, who had taught him the language. Technically, that should have been his responsibility too.
But at the time, he was so confused and his mind was in such a mess that he forgot to ask how much it would cost.
"Who gets into debt right after crossing over to another world?" Rod mused with a mix of frustration and amusement.
With a heavy heart, he went to nearby shops to buy towels and other toiletries, as well as a few sets of clothes.
But he soon discovered that this money didn't go very far.
A slightly thicker towel cost 500J, a set of toothbrush, toothpaste, and cup was 1000J, a bar of soap was 100J, and shampoo was 500J...
Add in essentials like toilet paper, sheets, a pillow, and a blanket, and he had already spent nearly 20,000J.
"Will the remaining 50,000J be enough for a month's worth of food?"
Rod recalled that Natsu's Flame Feast cost over 1000J, but regular food should be cheaper. If all else fails, he could always cook for himself.
Spending another 20,000J on clothes should be enough... or maybe half that, to leave 10,000J as a buffer.
"Thankfully it's summer," Rod thought, then realized he might need to buy a mosquito net as well.
His wealth shrank even further.
After a busy half-day, Rod finally gathered all the items he needed and returned to his new home.
Before it got dark, he decided to head to the guild for dinner.
The guild was less crowded than it had been during the day.
Most of the remaining members were there to have dinner, while a few were either passed out drunk or red-faced and arguing with each other, looking like they were about to start a fight at any moment.
Natsu, who had been chasing Rod with questions earlier, was nowhere to be seen. He must have already gotten his answers from the Guild Master.
Mirajane placed the dishes and cups on the table for a guest, then turned to Rod, "Rod, you're back. Did you finish moving in?"
"Pretty much. I'm planning to have dinner here. Is that okay?"
"Of course! What would you like to eat?"
Rod thought for a moment, "I'll have what that guy just ordered; it looked really good."
"Alright, one Super Devil Spicy Curry Rice." Mirajane gave him a look that seemed to see him as a brave warrior, even raising her fist to encourage him, "Remember to finish what you order."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Rod quickly interrupted, "I'm not very good with the common language yet. I think I heard something terrifying just now. What kind of rice is that?"
Mirajane blinked innocently, "Just curry rice."
"What about the modifiers?"
"It's just ‘Super Devil Spicy’ curry rice."
Rod raised a hand, "I don't think ‘just’ and ‘only’ are used that way."
Mirajane pointed to the person who had just ordered, "It's fine. See, he's enjoying it."
Rod was exasperated, "He's breathing fire!"
"Oh~~ I thought Rod would like that."
"Please, absolutely, definitely, and without fail, change it to a normal dish."
"What a shame, I was hoping to see an interesting reaction. Oh, and you only need to say ‘definitely’ in that sentence."
Mirajane left with a light laugh, even taking the time to correct Rod's language habits.
Rod couldn't tell if she was genuinely mischievous or just enjoyed the spectacle.
She wasn't like this yesterday...
Maybe it's because he doesn't need her help anymore?
Rod felt a mix of emotions, wishing he could have the kind and thoughtful Mirajane back...
(End of Chapter)
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