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Chapter 7. Plastic Bottles In The Wilderness

"Honestly, it's an unbelievable story, but..."

Hagg continued to fiddle with the plastic bottle.

"In fact, it's not a completely unheard-of story."

"Huh?"

I raised my gaze from the fire, intrigued by the branches bursting into flames.

"I'm not a priest, so I don't know the details, but apparently, new gods are occasionally born, and their followers or priestesses are chosen. I wouldn't think that people, individuals, create gods, but it might be a coincidence when a god is born, you know?"

I see.

It seems my chuunibyou delusions are not exclusive to me.

They coincidentally align with the timing of the birth of gods in this world.

That's easier to accept than the idea that gods are only born from embarrassing histories.

Creating gods would be a tricky thing to translate into English. 

If it's translated as GOD or something similar. It might be awkward.

I'd prefer it to get translated as KAMI.

Well, no one's going to bother translating it anyway.

"As I mentioned earlier, I'm curious about the details. Anyway, there's a god. She helped me, I got sent to this continent, and I can buy some items. A kind of superpower, I guess? That's all I know."

"Superpower?"

"Huh? Oh, a mysterious power, maybe?"

"I see..."

Hagg thoughtfully stroked his chin. 

It seemed to be his habit when deep in thought. 

After contemplation, he slowly voiced something he had been holding back.

"You shouldn't casually tell that story to others."

"But I was forced to say it."

"Don't mix things up. If you do that in town, it could be trouble. Next time, pass it through something like a bag. If it's in an item bag, they're common, and people can buy it in a decent-sized town. By the way, this bag can hold about three times the volume of its size."

"I see, that's clear."

I don't fully understand whether it's my ability.

But there seems to be an item with the ability to function as a container.

"Traders usually aim to get this item bag as their first goal. Next is apparently a carriage."

"Huh, that seem like the order is reversed."

"A carriage is much more expensive and has higher maintenance costs. First, get the item bag, accumulate funds, and then go for a carriage. That's the strategy I heard. It's made in large quantities because there's demand, and although it's relatively expensive, it's easy to obtain. So rather than directly grabbing things, it's better to put your hand in the bag and then take them out."

"Yeah, I'll do that. I don't want any strange misunderstandings."

When I arrive in town, I've decided to buy a bag that looks the part. 

I take out the carry-on bag once and make a note in my notebook.

"W-What's that?!"

"What now?! ... This? It's a bag. Don't you use these here?"

"A backpack... I guess? Normally, you'd carry something like what I'm using. There's a size difference, but..."

Next to Hagg, there's a sturdy backpack about the same size as his body. 

It has many small belts with a small frying pan, a metal cup, a hammer, a rope, and other items hanging from them. 

I probably wouldn't be able to stand up if I put that on my back.

"It's similar, right?"

"The materials are way too different... This is like a pet bottle. It's quite fascinating."

Hmm, I have no idea about the cultural level of this world. 

Hagg mentioned a horse-drawn carriage instead of a car earlier.

"Oh."

I noticed something important—or rather, something I forgot.

I only have Japanese yen to buy the bag.

This is a major problem.

After thinking for a while...

"Hey, Hug. Do you think this can be sold?"

I took out a water-filled PET bottle and showed it to him.

"It should sell. Finding a buyer might be a bit difficult. Not if you bring it to a merchant guild, you should manage. I'd like one myself. As a token of gratitude."

"How about I give you one?"

"Hmm. I'll graciously accept that as a token of appreciation. I'd like another one, though."

"I see."

After a moment of thought...

"Well then, Hagg, I'll sell it to you for half of what you think is an appropriate amount."

Since I don't know the local currency and its value, I leave it up to him. 

Somehow, I feel like Hagg will give a fair price.

 Am I the type to trust strangers like this? 

Well, he did save my life; even if I get ripped off, it's a small price to pay for my life.

"Hmm... One silver coin, no, two... Five would be too much, but... However, it's too unfamiliar. Hmm..."

He was fidgeting with his beard more vigorously than before, then suddenly slapped his knee.

I was slightly surprised by the sound.

"I'm not good with money calculations! So I'll decide on a random amount! Half of that!"

He said that and handed me a bunch of coins rattling in his massive hand.

Coins that looked like enlarged ten-yen coins.

There were a lot, maybe around fifty? And there was one coin that resembled a 500 yen coin.

"If you sell it to a merchant, 3,000 yen should be enough. That would make the selling price around 7,000 yen, right? So, what I gave you is 1,500 yen."

As Hug took the water-filled PET bottle from my hand...

-Divinity level has increased to 2 -

-Container capacity has increased to 15 slots -

I heard that mechanical voice again. 

Huh? What? 

For a moment, my mind went blank. I didn't understand. 

No, there are too many points to address.

"W- Wait, is the currency in yen?"

Let's put aside the divine level and container capacity for now.

"Huh? Of course."

So that's how it is.

But the coins he handed me don't look like Japanese coins. 

Am I seeing things? 

A large pile of coins was in my hands. 

It seems to be exactly 1,500 yen.

I don't get it.

My current funds are 17,723 yen. 

Let's store the silver coins and see if my funds increase. 

Indeed, my funds increased to 18,723 yen.

"Oh, right."

I thought of something to try. I took out exactly 500 yen in the local currency this time. 

Copper coins poured into my hands and spilled to the ground.

There are around 50 in total.

"What did you do this time?"

Hagg looked down at the coins while fidgeting with his chin.

"No, I just tried taking out exactly 500 yen in this currency."

"Hmm."

Hagg seemed puzzled, but that was a minor issue.

The important point was something else.

The mutual exchange rate between the Japanese yen and the local currency!

If I earn local currency, I can buy items from the SHOP list! 

From the conversation with Hagg, the civilization level here is low. 

So, being able to buy things like underwear and toothbrushes is a big deal.

Yeah, it's a real lifesaver.

And it seems like I can increase the items on the SHOP list over time. There are still many mysteries, but a significant concern has been resolved.

However...

The issue of divinity remains untouched.