BSS 53

BSS

Chapter 53

$O v er t h ere, M a s t er! T h e d i s pl a yc a seo n t h e f a rr i g h t .$

It was a shelf tucked away in a corner.

As I walked closer, I saw the transparent glass shelves filled with all sorts of colorful gemstones.

What caught my eye immediately was a blue stone that gave off a strange aura… No, it was a spirit stone.

At first glance it looked transparent, but inside it held deep and pale fragments of blue light swirling subtly.

Spirit stones always gave you that hazy, entranced feeling, like your mind was emptying out just from looking at them.

$I see i t . T ha t b l u eo n e, r i g h t ?$
$C orrec t .$
$B u tt ha t ’ ss t r an g e .$
$Wha t i s ?$

The shelf with the spirit stone had a small sign that read: “Sale! Various Gemstones.”

$I t ’ s a s p i r i t s t o n e, an d an yo n eco u l d t e ll i t ha s a s t r an g e a u r a \dots so w h y i s i tt h ro w nin t h ere w i t h or d ina rys t o n es a s i f i t ’ s n o t hin g s p ec ia l ? Do p eo pl e n o t re a l i ze w ha t i t i s ?$

$O r d ina ry p eo pl ec an ’ t se n se an y a u r a, a f t er a ll .$

$B u tw o u l d n ’ t ama g e b e ab l e t o f ee l i t ?$

$Wha t yo u ’ rese n s in g i s n ’ t ma g i c a lp o w er . I t ’ s t h e a u r a o f a s p i r i t . O n l y a s p i r i t ma s t erc an f ee lt ha t .$

$H mm ?$

$A n d e v e n t h e n, t hi s a u r ai s f ain t . U n l essso m eo n e i s a s p i r i tl ik e m e w h os p ec ia l i zes inm e t a l, t h ey w o u l d n ’ t se n se i t a t a ll .$

…Meaning we got incredibly lucky.

No one capable of recognizing the stone’s true nature had gotten their hands on it before it ended up here in Rlemalie.

And really, why would the already-rare spirit masters come work in a jewelry shop identifying gemstones?

“What caught your eye? I can take anything out and show it to you.”

A diligent employee had appeared behind me without me noticing.

I already knew exactly what I wanted.

“That one. Show me that!”

“This one?”

“No, the one next to it. Yes, that one!”

Why did his slow, fumbling hand inside the glass case feel so aggravating?

I grew impatient. The moment he took out the spirit stone, I reached out with both hands.

“Give it to me!”

“You’re supposed to wear gloves when handling—”

I couldn’t wait and snatched it straight from him.

The moment the stone touched my bare hand, I understood its aura.

A chilling cold.

Not a cold felt through my hand, but a soft, mental chill that seeped straight into my head. If my guess was right, then this was definitely—

$I t ’ s ani ces p i r i t .$

$\dots I w a s g o in g t os a y t ha t!!$
$A h, sorry .$
$I s “ sorry ” a ll yo u ’ v e g o t ?!$

I could’ve figured that out myself! I’m a spirit master too!

“You must really like it. You have good taste!”

While I examined the stone closely, the shop attendant rubbed his hands together eagerly.

He clearly intended to sell it no matter what.

“That blue stone—its hardness is a little low, but its size makes it perfect for a necklace. If you purchase the stone from us, we’ll also give you a large discount on the crafting!”

“Heh.”

“And if you buy it now, the stone itself is at a special price—”

“What gem is it supposed to be?”

“Uh—A-aquamarine, most likely. A raw stone version.”

Your pupils just shook.

I’m the owner of a metal spirit, you know!

I may not like gems, but I know plenty about them.

“It’s way too pale to be aquamarine. And you said it’s soft? Aquamarine is a hard stone.”

“Haha, miss? You can’t judge its full potential before it’s cut. Buying a raw stone means buying potential. It’ll look completely different once crafted!”

“Hm… But the color is too deep to be topaz. So what is it? Are you selling it without appraisal? Or did you check and not know what it is, so you’re just making something up?”

“That is…”

He trailed off and avoided my eyes.

If you couldn’t identify what kind of gem it was, it was nothing more than a shiny rock.

But because he couldn’t sell a gem he couldn’t identify, he was trying to deceive me.

“It’s aquamarine!”

Nice try. He obviously thought he could fool a kid.

I didn’t know exactly what ancient methods or materials were used to make it, but I did know one thing: this was not aquamarine.

“Well, fine. Let’s say it’s aquamarine. How much is it?”

I was buying it anyway, so arguing was pointless.

Them not knowing the stone’s true value was good for me.

I just wanted to make it mine and return to the inn as soon as possible.

For someone like me—a water spirit master—an ice spirit was extremely enticing.

Water and ice. The perfect combination.

When I asked the price, the employee beamed.

“It was originally 8 gold, but I’ll discount it to 5 gold and 30 silver, miss.”

“Five… gol—?”

“Gasp!”

Hansen and Philo were more shocked than me.

With 5 gold, you could buy an older but healthy horse—not top grade, but still a proper adult horse.

This employee definitely thought I was an easy mark.

Trying to charge that kind of money for a stone he couldn’t even classify.

$M a s t er, yo u d o n ’ t ha v e t ha t kin d o f m o n ey .$
$I kn o w .$

All the money I’d brought from the Academy had melted away summoning Ador.

I’d earned a bit helping the Chavel Mercenary Corps, but not much.

Rai regularly made silver shards, but even all of those together wouldn’t add up to 1 gold.

“It seems a bit expensive?”

“That’s the discounted price.”

“Discounted… to 5 gold?”

“5 gold, 30 silver.”

Absurd.

This wasn’t a discount—it was robbery.

“Miss! A raw aquamarine this large is rare! Each raw stone is unique—its charm is that there’s only one in the world! You won’t find anything like it anywhere else!
Only here! At Dunhel Jewelers!”

What a scammer.

Watching his practiced ‘sales smile’ gave me a brilliant idea.

“You’re really not going to lower the price?”

“Haha, it’s already discounted.”

“Before I decide, can I go to the restroom for a moment?”

“Of course. I’ll hold onto the stone for you.”

Hansen and Philo shook their heads fiercely, basically screaming don’t buy it, but I trotted toward the restroom anyway.

Sometimes my brain was genius-level.

*******

“Rai.”

$Y es, M a s t er!$

“This is a jewelry store, right?”

$C orrec t .$

“So of course they’ll have gold bars.”

$I f yo u o p e n t h e i r v a u lt, t h ey ’ llp ro bab l y b e l y in g a ll o v er t h e pl a ce .$

“Go fetch one.”

Sitting regally on the toilet, I gave my command. Rai tilted his head.

$Wha t a reyo u pl annin g ?$

“Don’t absorb it—just bring it. Turning it into gold pieces doesn’t take much mana, right? It’s not creation, it’s transformation.”

$T ha t ’ s t r u e .$

“I’m going to pay for the spirit stone with that. Shops always accept gold pieces.”

Ah, what a brilliant mind I have.

This wasn’t stealing. This was… resource circulation.

$T h e n w o u l d n ’ t o n e 5 - g o l d p i ece b ee n o ug h ? A g o l d ba r i s w or t h se v er a lt im es t ha t .$

“That’s exactly why you need to bring a gold bar, you idiot!
If I buy a stone worth 5 gold and only 5 gold goes missing, I’d be the number one suspect!”

$B u t yo u * a re * t h ec u lp r i t .$

“You want your master thrown in jail for something so unfair?!”

$T h e w or d ‘ u n f ai r ’ \dots I d o n ’ tt hink t ha t ’ s — n o, yes, t ha t ’ s a p er f ec t u s a g e! I n cre d ib l e l in gu i s t i c abi l i t y, M a s t er!$

I lifted the toilet lid and dangled him over the writhing maggot-filled cesspit. Rai instantly changed his tone.

“Rai, put your hand—well, metaphysical hand—on your conscience and think.”

$I d o n ’ t ha v e han d s \dots or a co n sc i e n ce \dots K Y AA H! Pl e a se, m ercy!$

Talking back only made me lower him further.

“Those guys stole from that kid without paying a single copper! Not even 10 won!”

$A aaah!$

“And I paid that kid properly! Technically this stone was mine from the start! Them trying to sell it to me for 5 gold—pure villains!”

$S - so b \dots I d o n ’ t kn o ww ha t ‘10 w o n ’ i s b u tpl e a ses p a re m e t hi so n ce!$

I momentarily wondered who the real villain was… but surely not me. I was righteous.

Sighing, I closed the toilet lid and put my foot on it.

“Rai, I only get rough because of you. You provoke me too much. I’m originally a graceful person.”

$S o b so b \dots$

“I said, do you understand?”

$M a s t er, yo u ’ reso m e an \dots!$

I opened the lid again.

Rai flapped furiously.

$K Y AAAA! A N Y T H I NGB U TT H A T!!$

“What? I can’t hear you.”

$Y o u ’ re g r a ce f u l! M a s t er i s t h ee p i t o m eo f g r a ce! I l o v eyo u! M i l k y - w hi t e p er f ec tM a s t er! B es t in t h e w or l d!$