Chapter 4 - Letters are easy.
I finally managed to escape from the forest. With the help of a young merchant, I came to the walled city of Dahlia.
I stayed at an inn and fell asleep on the softest bed I've slept on in a long time.
「Haa! 」
I woke up on the bed and panicked. The area was already dark - what time was it?
「Oh no, oh no, oh no 」
Damn, it's too dark to see anything. Should I take out my headlight... or do a search on Shangri-La.
I have an LED headlamp that I put on my head when I rode my mountain bike through the woods, but I can't use that in the room.
The safest option is a candle, but it's a bit dark... I search again for a lamp.
「LED or... 」
LED lamps are cheap, but over-technological LEDs seem like a bad idea. Well, as long as no one sees it.
I wonder if I can fool them into thinking it's a magic lantern. No, I don't know if there's any magic yet.
On the same page, there is a kerosene lamp. I see, a kerosene lamp could be a good idea. But...
「Do they sell kerosene? 」
I did a search for kerosene, but there were none for sale, but there is white gasoline. On the same search page, there was a list of lamps using white gasoline.
The price was 12,000 yen, which was quite expensive. But it will work for a while. This way, I can disguise the fact that it's an oil lamp.
Of course, I don't think there's anything in this world that's this sophisticated, but… they sell consumable parts, so I should be able to keep using it as long as this status screen appears.
I bought a gasoline lamp and 4 liters of white gasoline - 2,500 yen together. I've spent money again, but everything needs an initial investment.
I press the buy button, and the lamp and tank of white gasoline fall out of the box with a loud bang.
「It's going to break! 」
If it breaks, can I return it? I had serious doubts.
My luggage arrived, but it was dark, and I couldn't make out anything. In the end, I took out an LED headlamp from the item box and attached it to my head.
I've used old-fashioned kerosene lamps before, but I've never used a pressurized gasoline lamp like this.
I read the instruction manual that came in the box.
「Let’s see~ 」
Apparently, you have to fill it with fuel first, and then pressurize it by pumping. Then...
「Put the mantle on and let it burn. 」
The mantle is like a net, and it glows when the flame hits it.
I lit the mantle attached to the center of the lamp with a cassette burner, and the fire spread quickly.
「The mantle is fragile and will crumble easily. Please be careful. 」
I closed the lid of the lamp and lit it on the burner, it immediately began to glow brightly. It is much brighter than a regular kerosene lamp.
Apparently, the brightness can be adjusted by turning the valve that feeds the fuel. When it is completely closed, it will extinguish.
「I did it! This is pretty bright. 」
I squinted at the brightness of the lamp and shoved the headlight into the item box.
I took out a bottle of milk instead. If I put the milk in the item box, it wouldn't spoil. It's really convenient.
The display in the item box changes to 【Milk (Drinking)】 x 1.
Then, I bought a deep plate for 800 yen, along with 1kg of granola for 900 yen.
I put the granola on the plate, poured some milk on it, and was about to eat it when I realized that I didn't have a spoon. Oh no…
I bought a set of three spoons for 900 yen. It's like when you move out of your parents’ house, you come to Tokyo with just a bag, and there's nothing in your cheap apartment.
I filled my stomach with a strange sense of nostalgia, sprayed the plate with alcohol, and wiped it with a tissue. That's enough for now.
If I go to a place with lots of water, I can wash them with detergent. Detergent and sponges can be found in Shangri-La.
I'm sure plates, spoons, and other daily necessities are cheaper in Shangri-La than in the markets in town.
In this world, everything is handmade. There is no such thing as a factory-made mass-produced product.
Now, what kind of sweets should I give to Azalea? …I think chocolate is a bad idea. I'm not sure what to do. What should I do?
「It's Sakuma-style drops, isn't it? 」
It's the Sakuma style of Roroppu Roroppu. The canned drops were 200 yen each. In addition, I bought a leather bag again, which I had bought before, and put about 10 drops in it.
The bag was much more expensive, but I had no choice. This is the only container I have. I searched for small containers, but the only ones I could find were small jars.
You can't just hand them over in a plastic case or a stainless-steel case just because you don't have a suitable container.
「Wait a second ... 」
I searched for "wooden boxes" and found a nice one, an unpainted jewelry box for about 300 yen.
It looks like an unpainted jewelry box for about 300 yen, which would be perfect for storing sweets. I put the wooden jewelry box in my cart and clicked the buy button.
Then, to learn how to read and write, I would need paper. Copy paper and neutral paper would not be good, so I searched for Japanese paper.
I searched for Japanese paper.
「Oh, there's Japanese paper for printers. 」
It's 500 yen for 50 sheets. That's right, maybe I can sell paper. Paper is probably valuable, right?
「 Click and... bought! 」
Just as I was putting the drops into the jewelry box, I heard a knock on the door.
Hurriedly, I took the printer paper out of the bag and shoved the package into the trash.
“Come in. It's open.”
The door opened and Azalea, holding a candlestick and some sort of utensil, peeked out, her eyes agape.
“What is it? What's this bright thing?” she asked.
“It's a lamp made of oil.”
“Really? But kerosene lamps aren't this bright, are they?”
“Do you have a kerosene lamp?”
“Would you like me to bring it? There's an extra charge.”
“No, it's fine. I got this thing.”
「Right. 」
Oh, she has a kerosene lamp? I wonder how much kerosene costs in this world.
I asked her, “What's the price of kerosene here?”
“Well, 2 silver coins for a jar about this size”
The size of the jar she showed me was about the size of a human head. I'm not sure what to make of two small silver coins, but I've heard that the lodging with food here is one small silver coin, so it's two days of lodging.
That's pretty expensive. If that's the case, the white gasoline I bought in Shangri-La is cheaper.
Azalea came trotting over and peered into the lamp.
“It's not magic, is it?” she wondered.
That caught my attention, “Is there such a thing as a magic lamp?”
“I've seen them before, but the light wasn’t this color. It was more like a blue light.”
Oh my god, there is magic after all. That's right, this is another world! But the status openings I'm using can also be called magic, if you want to call it that.
“You don't have work today?”
“Yes, I'm free,” Azalea answered.
She sat on the bed and swung her legs in the air.
I offered her the candy I had prepared, “Here's your candy reward. They're sweet.”
“What? Really?”
Without even checking, Azalea plucked one of the drops and tossed it into her mouth.
“It's sweet!” she exclaimed.
“Is it okay to throw it in your mouth without checking it like that? What if I’m a bad guy?”
“In this business, I see a lot of people, so I know what they're like. I don't think Kenichi is a bad guy.”
“Well, thanks. Now that we have that out of the way, please don't tell anyone about this.”
I pointed to the glowing lamp, and she silently held out her hand after hearing my words.
I wondered what she was doing, but I guess she was asking for hush money.
「Here, I'll add some candy. 」
I took out the can of drops and filled up the jewelry box. A drop in a jewelry box - it looks pretty good.
“Ehehehe…” she giggled.
“You're good,” I wearily praised.
“My mother always told me I should be able to win men over.”
As she talked about her mother, she picked up another drop and popped it in her mouth.
“Hmmm!! I feel like an aristocrat, being able to eat such sweets.”
After throwing the drop into her mouth, Azalea put her hands on her cheeks and squirmed.
“There are nobles?” I asked.
“Yes, there are. It's best not to get too involved. If they find out you're carrying these things, they might take you away and lock you up.”
“That's a problem… You'd better teach me how to read and write.”
“Okay!”
She prepared a piece of paper and a pen. She had brought them all the way from home.
“The paper must be expensive. I have my own, so use this,” I offered.
“Oh no. I was going to charge you extra for the paper too.”
“Hahaha,” I laughed, “You're really good at this.”
The two of us used paper and pen to write out the letters and put them together. It's nothing, it's almost the same as the Roman alphabet, with a couple of differences.
The numbers are also decimal, and the digit system is the same as Arabic numerals. If you make a chart, you can easily remember this.
“Let's take some notes.”
“What the heck. Kenichi, you can read and write.”
“Looks like the writing in this country is not so different from my country,” I said, “I think it will be easy for me to register with a commercial guild.”
My fears of illiteracy seem to be unfounded.
「If Azalea can read and write, she should be able to do business. 」
She quizzed me, “Do you know what's important in a business?”
Let me think about it.
“Maybe it's buying?”
“Yes! I don't know where to buy all these candies and lamps. I'm too old to be apprenticed somewhere to learn to trade.”
I nodded along, “I see.”
“But I'm sure Kenichi will succeed in business. Maybe I should become your mistress or lover.”
“Don't be with such an old man. I'm probably as old as your father.”
“I don't have a father.”
“Oh, I see... Sorry.”
Oh, shit, that's a landmine.
“ No problem. Kenichi is a good guy.”
I decided to draw a portrait of her to cover up the fact that I had made the air somewhat awkward. I may be an amateur at business, but I'm a pro at drawing.
With a pen and paper, I started to draw a sketch.
“Azalea. Don't move for a bit.”
“Okay, sure~”
After about ten minutes, I finished the drawing and showed it to her. The portrait of Azalea was illuminated by a lamp.
“Wow! It's amazing! To have my portrait drawn makes me feel like a noblewoman.”
She's holding the painting to her chest and is very excited. I didn't expect her to be so happy.
It's good that she's happy, but for some reason, Azalea started to take off her clothes. Her white naked body floated in the light of the lamp.
The clear black and white shadows made the shape of her body stand out even more.
She was already naked after taking off her jacket and skirt, so it seemed that there was no such thing as underwear in this world. Maybe that's why all the women in town were wearing long skirts.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
“You gave me candy and drew me a portrait. I'm getting too much. “
Is that so? I wonder if this is the right thing to do as soon as you arrive in another world...
------◇◇◇------
The next morning.
I ended up doing it... Lying on the bed, a naked Azalea is lightly breathing in her sleep.
「Haaa~ ... I wonder what I’m doing with such a young girl?」
There's no point in being depressed, there's work to be done. I woke Azalea up and gave her some granola with milk on it.
「What is this? It's crispy, sweet, and delicious! 」
「It's a preserved food for travel. It's dried, so it will last a long time. 」
A naked Azalea is munching on the granola. I'd like her to put some clothes on before we have this conversation...
“I'm sure these will sell well,” I said, “It's made with sugar and fruit--the city people won't buy it if it's expensive, right? And the nobles don't want to deal with it.”
Azalea said she felt like a noblewoman when she ate the sweet stuff, so I guess sugar is also a precious commodity.
Therefore, it will not be sold cheaply.
“I don't know, it's so delicious. I'm sure it will sell to rich people,” Azalea affirmed.
“If it becomes popular among the rich, the nobles will definitely hear about it.”
“That's true, too.”
The 18-year-old girl was eating normally.
In addition, I asked her about the coins. According to my former sense of the world, a copper coin is worth about 1000 yen.
Five copper coins are worth 5,000 yen, ten small silver coins are worth 50,000 yen, and four silver coins are worth 200,000 yen.
I heard that the currency system also varies from country to country.
So that means the rent here is 3,000 yen a day. Well, 3,000 yen for a night's stay is about right.
However, I spent money yesterday, so I need to earn some cash as soon as possible. I'll have to go to the commercial guild after I finish eating.
Besides, I noticed something interesting while I was talking to my new girlfriend last night. It seems that she can't see my status screen.
Apparently, it's something that only I can see. Also, if I put a piece of paper with words written on it in the item box and select it, it would appear on the screen.
This way, even if you have to take a test when you sign up for a guild, you can cheat all you want and just leave the notes in the item box.
After I finished eating and changing clothes, I paid Azalea for today's lodging with silver coins and got some change. I still had some copper coins, but I wanted to exchange them.
I put all the money in the item box - it's handy because it counts and displays the number of items.
When I take out an item that has a lot of the same items in it, 【How many items do you want to take out? 】 is also displayed.
The guild's registration fee is one silver coin, so it's about 5,000 yen... It's pretty expensive, but it can't be helped.
The first thing you should do is register with the guild and do some market research.