Twilight Alchemist 64

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64. Seeing Changes Reveals Progress, Isn't It?

I received a mansion as an unbelievable surprise.

And not just any mansion, but a huge one that looks like twins, next to the Kyle estate.

Using spatial storage, we transport packed boxes.

The alchemy room in the new mansion, designed as Professor Jabil intended, is meticulously crafted down to the smallest details.

Come to think of it, the alchemy room in Gandarl, where the Viscount lives, seems similar to the one Professor had.

There are alchemy rooms on both sides of the mansion, but since we don't plan to use both, we decided to seal one.

The alchemy room has a basement and hidden rooms, making it quite elaborate and challenging to remember.

I thought it would be quite a task to organize the luggage, but as we unloaded the packed boxes, the maid Ryuuko quickly arranged them.

Even though it's the first time she's seen the layout, it's an exquisite arrangement that perfectly understands my living patterns.

Yeah.

That maid is amazing.

Thanks to Ryuuko, the move went smoothly without any trouble.

Was it really a good idea to receive such a splendid mansion?

No!

That must be like an advance payment of expectations towards me!

I just have to show the results worthy of this gift!

Alright! I'll do it!

◆

Today, the main focus is the Adventurer's Guild, with shopping around the street vendors.

Basically, monsters and rare materials are usually obtained through adventurers, as the Adventurer's Guild manages them, but sometimes rare items appear at street vendors.

When I go to Golden Dawn's street market, there's a bustling market that doesn't seem like a frontier settlement.

"It seems quite lively."

I slowly make my way through the bustling street market.

There are an unimaginable number of people and goods lined up since the pioneer village days, bustling with vitality.

Seeing Kyle's achievements firsthand, I feel happy too.

"Hmm? What's this?"

In a corner of the material-focused stall, I find a store with a different lineup.

"Oh, you've got a keen eye, young man. These are all rare items that are hard to come by around here."

"Hmm."

Indeed, as the shopkeeper said, there are rare items lined up.

"Are these materials from aquatic monsters?"

"Oh, you've got a sharp eye. That's right. These are materials from monsters living in the northern seas."

"Oh, the sea."

I know about the sea as knowledge.

It's said to be larger than a river or lake and filled with water containing a large amount of salt.

It's envy-inducing to be able to freely obtain salt.

"Did these come from the northern region?"

"Yeah, from the small nations squeezed between the three major powers. I heard a pretty populous city was built, so I came aiming for a big break as a merchant."

"I see. How's this city?"

"It's indeed impressive, being one of the three major powers, the Kingdom of Maugaria. Wasn't this area always a habitat for monsters? I never thought that colonization would progress so rapidly. I was skeptical, but it's good I believed the rumors and came."

"That's good. Shall we develop it even further?"

"What did you say?"

Oops. There's no way a traveling merchant from another country would know about me.

"Oh, it's nothing. Anyway, about the sea monsters."

"Yeah, there are some powerful ones among the sea monsters. These are materials from them. I thought they were valuable around here, but..."

The shopkeeper grimaces.

It seems they're too rare to sell.

"These scales are larger than those of fish."

I pick up a fist-sized scale.

"That's a Sea Serpent scale. It's quite a big one, and several sturdy hunters sacrificed themselves to capture it."

"I see. I feel some power from it. Can I appraise it?"

"You're an appraiser? You seem to have an extraordinary crest I've never seen before."

"Oh, I'm a Twilight Alchemist."

"That's amazing! I'll do one for you. Can you write down the appraisal result?"

"I don't mind... [Appraisal]"

As the shopkeeper said, the scale is indeed from a Sea Serpent.

At the same time, new knowledge flows in from the crest. It seems this material can be used to make reinforced thread.

Clothes made from reinforced fabric are extremely durable, enough to be used instead of armor.

The high-defense clothes given to the orphanage children were made from this.

I wanted to mass-produce them, but I couldn't gather enough material, so I could only make enough for personal use.

"How much of this do you have in stock?"

"This bag is full."

"Alright, I'll buy it all."

"What? Are you sure you want to help me out?"

"Yeah. It seems useful for something."

"Hmm?"

The shopkeeper's eyes seem to say, "If it's a precious material I don't know about, should I sell it to you at a high price?"

"Oh, of course, if you don't want to sell it for a high price, that's fine too. It's not something necessary, and I'll figure out how to use it from now on."

Of course, that's partly a lie.

I already know it can be used as a material for reinforced thread.

However, it's true that often through research, new uses are discovered.

Implied that if he plans to sell it at a high price, I won't buy it The merchant chuckled once.

"Oh, I see. How about five gold coins for all?"

"Hmm... Alright. But since I bought everything, I won't write an appraisal."

"Deal."

I pay the gold and receive the bag filled with scales.

With this much, I should be able to make a fair amount of reinforced thread.

I'll ask Leafan to make reinforced fabric with it.

"I've been giving clothes to Kyle, Mina, the Kendal siblings, and Persia and Alfred. Maybe it's about time I make some for me and Leafan too? ...I should give some to Jitaro too, or he'll sulk."

Since I've been told by Kyle and Persia that I'm too neglectful of my well-being, if I say I'm making reinforced fabric cloaks, they might be happy.

Kyle's catchphrase is "Craft-oniisama is putting himself last", after all.

Feeling light on my feet, I continue shopping.

◆

One day, Raidoc said he would stay in town for a while, so I invited him to dinner.

The place is a cafeteria and tavern near the Adventurer's Guild. It's crowded with adventurers inside.

When I go to the tavern, Raidoc is already there, beckoning me over.

"You seem to be quite active, Raidoc."

"There's plenty of work to do. But if we're talking about being active, you're the more active one."

I joke as I take a seat and clink cups with Raidoc.

After exchanging the usual greetings, the counter's owner notices us and calls out.

"Oh, if it isn't Mr. Kraft. Long time no see."

The owner serving dishes and drinks behind the counter is Dezail, a pioneer who participated since the early days.

He used to run a tavern on the ground floor of the first inn built in the village before Golden Dawn moved, and he's the one who ran the tavern.

He's gotten quite fat compared to those days, so I didn't recognize him immediately.

"Isn't it Dezail? Haven't you gained a bit of weight?"

"Not a bit. As you can see, I've gained so much weight it looks like I'm about to give birth."

Dezail laughs and pats his stomach.

It made a good sound.

"I used to do manual labor in the early days of colonization. But now I've settled down as the tavern master, so I'm completely lacking in exercise."

"That's a sign of prosperity."

"To some extent."

This time, Dezail and I laugh together.

It seems things are going well.

When Dezail returned to work, I turned to Raidoc.

"By the way, there's something I wanted to ask. How's the sword we made with Leafan, the one with dragon material mixed in?"

It's a sword Raidoc obtained as a reward for defeating a dragon, but since it's made of a new metal, I wanted to hear the opinions of someone actively using it.

"Of course, it's excellent. It hardly needs any maintenance."

"Hardly? Is there any maintenance needed besides polishing?"

Since it's practically fully utilizing the characteristics of mithril, I thought it could be used without maintenance forever.

"Basically, no. But when fighting dungeon boss-level monsters, it might dull."

"What?"

"Leafan has taken it for repairs before, so she should know. Mithril is far harder than steel, but the fate of being a metal can't be avoided. Adamantite rarely dulls even then."

"Adamantite, huh. I'd like to get my hands on that too. Though the fact that it's heavier than gold is a drawback."

"That reminds me. One of the few drawbacks of this mithril sword is its lightness."

"Is being light bad?"

"It's both good and bad. But for using it as a sword, a bit more weight would be better for balance. The one I'm using can be wielded with one hand or two, so it's a two-handed type."

"Is it insufficient as a weapon?"

"Absolutely not! I can compensate with swordsmanship! And the sharpness is excellent! Speaking of which, about sharpness, it seems this sword isn't very effective with sharpening oil."

"What?"

That's completely new information.

"Well, it's not that there's no dramatic increase in sharpness like when you apply it to an iron sword, but the sharpness itself increases. But since the original sharpness is good, the increase is slight."

"I see. It's something you wouldn't know without an appraisal."

That's what I wanted to hear. He seems to understand what I wanted to ask, given his long history as an adventurer.

"I want to give Moda an adamantite shield. Any idea where to find it?"

"I don't know. I have some free time lately, so it might be a good idea to go looking."

"In that case, please invite me when you do."

"I'll consult Kyle next time."

Adamantite is the metal with the highest hardness.

Mithril is also a very hard metal, but it's no match for adamantite.

Although its drawback is its weight, when used for certain tools, it makes processing higher-grade materials easier.

There are countless uses for adamantite, such as adamantite chisels and planes.

There are even mighty warriors who master adamantite hammers and axes with crest powers.

It's too heavy to handle.

Moda is a decent warrior, but since he doesn't have a crest, I wonder if he can't wield an adamantite shield, but I understand Raidoc's feelings.

Perhaps because we were talking about that, I was summoned by Kyle that evening.