novelxo
Chapter 166: Preparations Complete (1)
「I guess this is about it.」
A variety of grains for the bulk of her food, frozen fish, and spices. Mira had bought anything that caught her eye, and now she was satisfied with her haul as she trotted back to the Dinowal Store, finally being able to enter and check it out.
「Oh ohh, so these are all the newest items. There’s so many!」
There were stars in Mira’s eyes as she looked at the corner with newly made items. She could see multiple shelves and carts filled with items, with a large banner above that read ‘New Release, Opening Sale!’ contemporary romance
Quite some time had passed since Mira had met Thedrick, the son of the company’s president, on a train station. Apparently this was the release he had mentioned that time, a lineup meant for adventurers of higher level with Operator’s Bracelets.
「I see, this seems quite thought out.」
The sleeping bag she obtained that time had worked perfectly, which gave her high expectations for the other products. That was why she headed straight for that special section, like it was calling to her.
First she saw a large tent. It could easily house six adults lying on the ground, and it was around two meters tall too, making it so spacious that it was easy to forget it was simply a tent. On top of that, according to the manual, the tent was made of a fire-proof material and had insulating properties, so it could be paired with a magic kitchen and chimney set, sold separately, to safely cook inside the tent.
Looking further in, there was a device in a corner of the tent. There was a bright sticker on it that said ‘Enjoy every season!’ The device was essentially an air conditioner, which ran on the Magic Batteries sold by the Dinowal Store.
The air conditioner was somewhat large, but light-weight. According to the manual, it was perfectly sized for the tent.
「This is so splendid! And paired with my sleeping bag it’ll be even more perfect!」
A tent was propped up inside the store, as a sample piece. The air inside was rather refreshing, and once she lay sprawled out in the center of it, the comfortable air made her imagine spending the warm days of summer there.
「And the frames are made of mithril, it’s clearly meant for higher level adventurers.」
Mira looked at the frames supporting the tent. They had a light greenish sheen, which showed they were made of mithril, as they reflected the white light from the sample lamp affixed in the tent. That meant the tent would be rather resilient during harsh weather.
If she had this tent when going to the Ancient Underground City, she would be able to spend the nights with much more ease.
(Sturdy and lightweight mithril, such a spacious room too. And it can become even more useful with extra add-ons sold separately. This really is a gem.)
Mira examined the tent with a keen eye, and then she started rolling around the floor, wondering just how much she could relax in there. Barely a moment passed when the tent was opened, and a man that looked like an adventurer peeked inside.
Mira completed a roll and raised her head, finally locking eyes with the adventurer, freezing in shock. After a bit of hesitation, their eyes still focused on each other, Mira finally said 「…I’d recommend this. It’s truly the pinnacle of comfort.」
「Ah, yeah, it seems that way. Err… sorry for intruding.」
He had wanted to check out the sample tent, but was shocked to find a young girl rolling on the floor inside, who did not seem to care about her skirt being rolled up from the movement.
The adventurer looked really apologetic and awkward, either because he had interrupted her when she looked so happy, or because he had caught an uninterrupted view of her underwear, or maybe both.
(It was so comfortable I completely forgot I was inside a store…)
Mira quickly stood up and straightened her clothes, and after a bit of introspection, she decided to go check the tent’s price as a way to regain her spirits. But then she almost yelled 「7,800,000?!」
(I truly underestimated the quality of items for high level adventurers…)
Mithril was a metal in high demand in various fields, due to its sturdiness and light weight. The tent was made with a cloth interwoven with crystal fibers, which had a strong resistance against fire, insulated heat, and even resisted cuts. The tent used plenty of both materials, and had been released just one week before, officially titled the ‘All-purpose assembled tent 1, Bearhouse’. Its high price reflected the expensive materials used in its construction.
Mira had thought she had no option but to buy the tent, but that feeling vanished completely the moment she saw its price tag. Something else also dispelled that desire even more.
「This costs 3,000,000…」
The air conditioner to make the tent comfortable even during hot summer days was also expensive. There were other accessories like the magic stove, and monster alarms, all of which cost tens of thousands, ballooning the tent’s cost even more.
Mira had lost all desire to buy it, so she carefully checked she had not scratched anything and silently snuck away from the tent.
「Well, it’s just because I don’t have that sum in cash right now. Once I recover all my properties and assets this will be just a drop in the bucket, nothing more…」
Mira tried to console herself, giving excuses to no-one in particular, and headed to a different section of the store, which looked less expensive.
As she reached the end of the section with high level items, Mira noticed something very familiar.
There was also a bright sticker there that read ‘Recommended by Rikka Petal Heinrich!’ It was the special sleeping bag Thedrick had gifted Mira. Its price was 1,000,000 Rils, also a rather expensive item.
「I remember he was quite interested in it, that time…」
Heinrich, he was one of the adventurers that went with Mira to the Abandoned City in the Sky, and had shown a keen interest in anything sleeping related. Mira had received her sleeping bag as a free sample, and Heinrich had seemed impressed by it. Seeing the sticker, it was clear he had liked it quite a lot.
(So I guess my advertising paid off, all things considered. Maybe I should pressure Thedrick a little if I ever run into him again.)
Mira grinned to herself as she schemed something in front of the special sleeping bag. The adventurer who had seen her earlier spotted her again, and watched her with worry.
After that, Mira went around the sections aimed at lower and middle level adventurers, which quickly reignited her desire to buy, eventually driving her into a shopping spree.
She got a full suit of add-ons for the cooking set she bought before, a ‘Magic washing bag that works just by pouring water in,’ followed by anything that caught her fancy. Lastly, she grabbed a set of thirty Magic Batteries, which were used to power all those magic devices, and placed everything on the check-out counter.
There she obviously showed her complimentary ticket, which gave her a twenty percent discount, and left the Dinowal Store in good spirits, forgetting about the expensive tent.
Her preparations to enter the Ancient Underground City were complete now, so as the sun started to set, Mira searched for an inn to spend the night.
Wherever adventurers gathered, there were also plenty of inns. Mira asked a nearby guard for the location of a nearby inn, who pointed her to a street in the commercial district with many inns.
Mira thanked the guard and continued walking through the commercial district. She reached a crossing lined with open air stores that handled all sorts of items imaginable, which Mira looked at with great curiosity as she walked by.
Getting out of the crossing, she saw a similar sight to that from the Station City, multiple inns built one next to the other.
「This looks rather lively too.」
The night was nearing, so this part of the city was also full of people, almost as much as the commercial district.
A part of the delights of traveling was spending each night in a different inn. Mira looked around, wondering just which to pick for the night, walking along in high spirits, until she noticed many inns had a ‘No rooms available’ sign on their entrances.
「Hmm… it’s the same here…」
The inns, which according to fantasy fashion offered both bedding and food, were packed full of adventurers.
Many of the inns had a pleasant appearance, being regular inns for travelers, where the night cost 5000 Rils, making them popular amongst adventurers. Even more so when the night was near.
This was also the city housing the Ancient Underground City, considered the biggest dungeon in the continent, so there were many adventurers who stayed there for prolonged times. Especially low level adventurers who earned a living by clearing the first floor of the dungeon every day, and then returning to an inn for the night. One of the inn’s shopkeepers told Mira that, and then smiled brightly because that meant more business for him too.
「Take a turn there and just keep going, the more fancy and expensive inns are over there. That’s the only place where you’ll find an empty room.」
The shopkeeper signaled with his head, while his hands skillfully handled a frying pan.
As the inns reached middle to higher prices, the guests staying over were also higher level adventurers or merchants. The city had a lot of adventurers in it, including higher level ones, but they were after the lower floors of the Ancient Underground City. Such trips went far underground and could not be completed in a single day, so the inns they used would have empty rooms often as well.