Chapter 6 : Greeting The Neighbors Ⅰ (part 2)

 

After we left Geberg-san’s house, Ells-san and I went to the blacksmith.

However, due to budget constraints, I didn’t order anything, I only greeted the person.
The blacksmith’s name was Jizdo-san.

Next, we went to the general store.

「The only store in this village is this general store. A married couple runs it, but they often go out purchasing items, so usually their daughter, Lorea, is the one who manages the store.」(Ells)

The store building seemed to be about twice as large as the other houses.

I think the living space will be about the same as the other houses, so that means… the size of the store space alone is about one house?

Compared to this store, the size of my store including the living space was about the same as a normal house.

Uhh… It’s not that we are competing, but I feel like I’m losing…

「Excuse meー」(Ells)

Unlike Geberg-san’s place, this store had a signboard.

Like before, Ells-san entered immediately just like that.
Now that I knew it was a store, I followed Ells-san inside without hesitation.

「Welcome~」(girl)

The one who welcomed us was a girl who was probably the same age as me or a year younger.

She had a lively expression and also, her smile was cute!

「Ah, Ells-san. Good afternoon! Is there something you want to buy?」(girl)

「No, I’m not here for shopping. Today, I’m this girl’s guide」(Ells)

「I’m Sarasa. I will be opening an alchemy store in this village. Nice to meet you」(Sarasa)

「I, I’m Lorea. Nice to meet you too! ………Uwaa… A real city girl!」(Lorea)

「Ci, City girl?」(Sarasa)

City girl? Me?

Compared to the other girls in the royal capital, I was a potato, you know?

Since I was busy studying, I didn’t have time for shopping.
Besides, I didn’t want to waste my savings on fashion.

*/ potato or imo (芋 / イモ) means a person who looks like a lame villager.

「Ah, but your outfit! Your gestures! They’re different from girls’ around here!」(Lorea)

「Is… that so?」(Sarasa)

Actually, I bought this outfit because my two senpais took me shopping.

They were concerned about my usual lame outfit, so they took me to the shopping district sometimes.

Considering my wallet’s condition, they took me to a second-hand clothes store and coordinated this outfit for me.
They were really good senpais who care about their juniors.

And for the gestures… Are there any differences?… How am I supposed to know…?

「Because, you know? In this village, clothes are basically hand made, so it was like, “as long as you can wear it, it’s good enough.”」(Lorea)

「Eh? But, Lorea-san’s outfit is cute in my opinion. It’s not even strange if you are wearing that in the royal capital, you know?」(Sarasa)

Yes. Her outfit is cute. And I think she is more fashionable than me.

You know? Even in the royal capital, there were a lot of people who were wearing clothes like “as long as it covered my body, it’s good enough”.
Me for example.

「Royal capital!? So you’re from the royal capital!? That’s super-urban! Sarasa-san, if you have some free time, please tell me your story next time!」(Lorea)

「O, Okay」(Sarasa)

After the “royal capital” words came out of my mouth, Lorea-san’s eyes immediately sparkled.

Well, compared to this village, it’s indeed ‘super-urban’, but… is that even a thing that can make you yearn so much?

Poor people are still poor even in the royal capital. Let alone wearing fancy clothes, they wore rags!
There were many slums and not-so-pretty places in the royal capital.
But… I don’t know if it’s okay to tell her about this.

「Hey, Lorea, calm down. You’re still working, right? Sarasa-chan wants to buy something, so get back to work.」(Ells)

「Ah, that’s right. Ahem! And, what do you need? I’ll give you discounts!…..within the reasonable range though…」(Lorea)

「But… Are you sure?」(Sarasa)

「Yes! I can’t give you too much, but you can consider it as an extra gift.」(Lorea)

「Thank you! Then, I need a large basin, a futon, and some groceries.」(Sarasa)

「You can choose the basin over there. The wooden one is cheaper.」(Lorea)

As she said that, Lorea-san pointed at a pile of basins.

There were two types of them.

One was made by processing a metal plate, and the other was made of wood. Neither was bad, both were really well made.

If Geberg-san and Jizdo-san were the ones who made these, it seems that I didn’t have to worry about the quality.

「We don’t have mattresses, so it will be made-to-order but… Well, it actually will be made by the women in the neighborhood. We sell the materials, so you can make it yourself if you want.」(Lorea)

I see. So in a village like this, basically you make everything by yourself.

By the way, I can make a futon.
When I entered the school and was about to move to the dormitory, I made it together with the orphanage caretaker.

That was my only experience making a futon, but since I’m good at sewing, maybe I should make it myself?

Why am I good at sewing?
Well, because I always repair my clothes and my futon. Throwing them away would be a waste, right?

「For groceriesーーit’s for a regular meal, right? Umm… we sell preserved foods, but it’s usually for the Collectors who camp outside. Other than that, we only sell grains. In this village, people usually buy food ingredients directly from the people who produce it. I can introduce them to you if you want.」(Lorea)

Hooー Buying directly from the producers… it’s so village-ish!
In the royal capital, we buy groceries at stores, so of course, we don’t even make contact with the producers.

「But, why don’t you just sell them here?」(Sarasa)

「Food ingredients won’t last long if we keep them in our store, and we didn’t know if they would sell out or not. Besides, you will get fresh ingredients from the producer, right?」(Lorea)

「Ahh. I see.」(Sarasa)

「Lorea, about introducing Sarasa-chan to the producers, I’ll do it. Sarasa-chan will live in this village, so it will be better if I’m the one who accompanies her around greeting people , right? 」(Ells)

「Ah, you’re right.」(Lorea)

「Thank you very much, Ells-san!」(Sarasa)

 

After that, I looked around the store for a while.

I bought a wooden basin, a cloth, a lot of cotton for the futon, and some miscellaneous goods such as tableware.

However, it would be difficult to carry them all at once, so I left the things I bought in the general store, and would pick them up later.

「Umm… is there anything I forgot to buy…?」(Sarasa)

I tried to remember what items I needed.

Umm…..

Ah! I forgot the bucket for the well and the stove!

「Lorea-san, do you have a well bucket and a portable stove?」(Sarasa)

「Well bucket? A normal bucket plus a rope will do, right? Because, if you want one with a pulley, you have to order it from Geberg-jiisan」(Lorea)

「Yes, that will be just fine」(Sarasa)

For the time being, a bucket with a rope will be enough.

However, I wanted to put a roof and pulley on the well in the future.
And maybe I would make it into an artifact.
Hmm… I have to think about it.

However, I had to think about whether to put a roof with a pulley on the well, or just make an artifact to use the well.

It would be more convenient if I used an artifact, but I wonder if I can craft it.

I will definitely need it, because it would be a pain if I have to pour water into the bathtub every time I want to take a bath.
But… I’d hate to buy an artifact from other alchemists. It would hurt my pride as an alchemist.
I have to try to craft it myself first.

「If you need a well bucket, that means there’s a well at Sarasa-san’s house?」(Lorea)

「Yup, because water is needed in alchemy.」(Sarasa)

The only people who owned a well in their house were rich people, people with large families, or people who use water frequently for their job.
Generally, people in this village used the public well.

Alchemy was a profession that used water frequently.
Therefore, buildings that had an alchemy workshop inside usually also had a well.

It would be awesome if I had an artifact that could automatically draw the water, but… it would be hard.

Because the well was on the outside, there would be a risk of it being stolen if I left the house unoccupied.

「And for the stove, unfortunately we don’t have any. If you want the type made from clay, you have to order it from another village, but if you want the metal one, you can visit Jizd-san’s place」(Lorea)

「I see… Then, I’ll put it on hold for now.」(Sarasa)

If I can’t get a stove soon, maybe I really should try to make the artifact stove.

Well, it depends on the cost though.
I have to prioritize the items that are more important than a stove first.

「Alright, it should be all… Maybe?」(Sarasa)

「If you forgot to buy something, come anytime! As long as you didn’t come at midnight, I’ll always be available!」(Lorea)

Anytime!?
Hooー that’s the countryside for you!

In the royal capital, the store won’t serve you after it closes.

「Thank you! I’ll be grateful if you can help me the next time I need it」(Sarasa)

「Of course!」(Lorea)

 

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