Market District

At the Market District.
 
Vivian accepted the Quest for gathering 15 tails of the Bukaroo this morning and had already gathered them yesterday while she was gathering for the 10 hearts of a Treebark but didn't want to be accused of over-hunting and lose her license as an Adventurer because that monster was supposedly not aggressive so she decided to wait for 2-3 hours before submitting it. And during those 2-3 hours, her plan was to go visit the Temple of Thieves and gather information.
 
However, since she was already done visiting the Temple of Thieves and still had time, she decided to go visit the Market District, specifically to the place where weapons and armors were being sold on the street.
 
As for the equipment being sold at the stores, she didn't even bother. After all, she couldn't afford them.
 
Vivian swept her gaze at the items on top of a cloth and laid out on the street. When she saw something that caught her eye, she immediately went over to the vendor before kneeling down on one knee and pointing at the item.
 
"Hi, how much is this?"
 
The item was a mace. It was about 1 and 1/2ft long. Its handle was about 5 inches and was wrapped with black leather.
 
The vendor, a man in his mid-30s, looked at the item Vivian was pointing to before looking at her.
 
"13 silvers."
 
At the moment, Vivian only has 5 silver and 7 copper coins. Even if she were to add the reward money from the Bukaroo quest, which was 20 copper coins, she was still nowhere close to affording it.
 
"I see. Thank you."
 
She got up and continued searching.
 
"Hi, how much is this?"
 
The item she was pointing to was a pair of brown leather gloves that had a rectangular metal plate on the knuckles.
 
"10 silvers," the vendor replied.
 
"I see. Thank you," she said and left.
 
"Hi, how much is this?"
 
The item she was pointing at was another pair of brown leather gloves.
 
"8 silvers."
 
"I see. Thank you.”
 
When Vivian was about to get up and leave, the vendor stopped her.
 
"Wait."
 
Vivian looked at the vendor which was a man in his early 30s.
 
"You're a fighter, aren't you?"
 
Vivian's brows knitted.
 
"I can tell from your boots."
 
Vivian glanced at her boots.
 
No shit, Sherlock…
 
Although the leather on her boots was worn out already, its overall condition was still good, including the metal covering her toes.
 
"And although it looks like you've recently just repaired them, there's already a slight bent on the metal covering your right boot."
 
Vivian glanced back at her right boot.
 
I didn't notice that…
 
She returned her glance to the vendor.
 
"I'll tell you what, I'll sell you these gloves for 6 silvers only. They're made with the hide of a Horuboru. It's not as tough as iron, but it's much better and tougher than using those fingerless gloves of yours."
 
Vivian glanced at her fingerless gloves.
 
When she first arrived in this world, her fingerless gloves were already worn out and had some cracks on them. But now, not only did they still look worn-out but it had more cracks. And compared to the gloves that the vendor was selling, the leather on her gloves was thinner.
 
6 silver coins…?
 
Even if he decides to sell it to me for 5 silver coins, where will I sleep tonight…?
 
The rent at The Silver Wing Inn is 2 silver coins…
 
And if I decide to go to Shirley's which is 1 silver coin, what if there wasn't any vacancy…?
 
Sure, I can add the reward money from the quest…
 
But I still want to have extra funds in case of an emergency…
 
Like they say, always save money for a rainy day…
 
"Thanks for the offer, but I'm gonna pass," she said and left.
 
Vivian once again found another item that caught her eye.
 
"Hi, how much is this?"
 
This time it was a pair of boots that had metal covers on their toes just like hers.
 
"12 silvers."
 
She compared them with her boots.
 
Compared to her boots, except for the condition of the leather and metal cover, the overall quality was more or less the same.
 
"I see. Thank you," Vivian said and left.
 
Hmm… 
 
The average price here is around 10 silvers…
 
How is it possible that I was able to buy my boots for only 1 silver coin…?
 
Does this mean I should go check the repair shops…?
 
Maybe they had customers who dropped their equipment there to get it fixed but somehow didn't return to pick it up because they died…?
 
She raised her head and looked up in the sky.
 
That man said around noon, right…?
 
Based on Vivian's estimate, it was still around 10:00 am.
 
I should check the potions now…
 
***
 
Vivian entered an apothecary shop.
 
It wasn't the same shop where she bought the green stick and was given soap for free the other day, because she was too embarrassed to go there and ask without buying anything.
 
Vivian looked around.
 
There was a man in his early 40s sitting behind a counter and writing on a logbook.
 
She went over to the man.
 
"Hi, excuse me."
 
The man stopped what he was doing and raised his head.
 
"What are you looking for to buy?"
 
"I want to ask what the prices of your Healing Potions."
 
"Healing Potions? The Low-Healing Potion is 5 silvers, Medium is 10 silvers and High is 20."
 
"Can I ask what's the difference between a Low, Medium and High-Healing Potion?"
 
"Depending on the wounds, the Low is used for healing small injuries like tiny cuts and sprains, Medium is used for healing slightly larger cuts and other injuries, and Large is for critical injuries like broken bones."
 
"Can potions repair lost limbs?"
 
"The potions I mentioned can't. But there are rare potions that can."
 
"Oh, how much is it?"
 
The man thought about it for a moment.
 
"There's a potion called the Full Rejuvenation Potion which heals wounds, mana and other ailments. As for its price, it depends, because they're usually made-to-order so the buyer must provide the necessary ingredients first. And if you can't provide the ingredients, you can buy them at an auction."
 
"Let's say you have the necessary ingredients, is it hard to make one, like if you were to compare it to the Small, Medium and High-Healing Potion?"
 
"Of course, I can, little lady."
 
Vivian knitted her brows.
 
This was the first time someone referred to her as "little lady". Ignoring her current gender, back in her previous world, she was a tall and muscular man there. So ever since she stepped into high school, no one referred to her as "little".
 
Well, I guess from this person's point of view, aside from the age, I'm really small…
  
"I have one last question: Do potions have an expiration date?"
 
"That depends on the creator of the potion. My potions last 6 months. After that, its effectiveness slowly deteriorates."
 
"I have one last question."
 
"Little lady, did you really come here to buy or just ask questions? You can't flirt with me. I have a loving and beautiful wife and a daughter your age."
 
Vivian almost coughed out blood but managed to compose herself.
 
She cleared her throat.
 
"I'm not flirting with you at all. To be honest, I don't know much about potions and would like to know more."
 
"Huh? Then why don't you ask at the Adventurer's Guild? You're an Adventurer."
 
"True, but I prefer to ask someone whose livelihood involves the creation of potions. I believe no one knows more about potions better than you."
 
"Aren't you a little smooth talker? But let me tell you this: I didn't set up this shop to be a teacher."
 
Vivian didn't sense any hostility from the man's tone. It was actually playfulness mixed with a little bit of annoyance. 
 
Nevertheless, she couldn't help but feel confused.
 
I've never experienced this kind of banter from men…
 
Usually, it's just straight-up business and straight to the point…
 
Should I take advantage of it…?
 
Well, it's not like this is the only store…
 
I might as well test this hypothesis…
 
"So about my last question."
 
"It better be."
 
"How is healing magic compared to potions?"
 
The man thought about it for a minute.
 
"If it's [Heal], then I believe it's comparable to Medium-Healing Potions. There's also [Greater Heal] which is comparable to a High-Healing Potion. It's also able to repair lost limbs and only Priests can use it."
 
"Are there other Classes that can use [Heal]?"
 
The man didn't say anything and gave her a deadpan expression.
 
"I promise this is really the last question."
 
"To answer your question once and for all, anyone with the [Light] Affinity can learn [Heal] and the legendary healing spell [Sanctuary]. But when it comes to healing type Class Magic, Monks, Herbalists and Bards also has some sort of healing magic but they can't repair lost limbs like [Greater Heal]."
 
"Is --"
 
"And if you're going to ask me if [Sanctuary] can repair lost limbs, I honestly don't know because that's a legendary or mythical healing spell that only people with an extremely high level of [Light] Affinity have reached and I'm not the type who likes to bet on hearsay and rumors. I have a reputation to protect."
 
"I see... Thank you."
 
"So you're not going to buy?"
 
Vivian pulled out a coin pouch and said, "No. But for your troubles, let me give you --"
 
The man raised a hand.
 
"Forget about it. Just make sure to buy something here the next time you visit."
 
"Okay, I promise," Vivian said and smiled before leaving.
 

Chapter end