Chapter 1 - Section 5: Border Defense
Satou (Kokei) Ekiken Age: 27
Race: Human Level: 18/30 (48) Class: Conjurer summons 9 max
Title: From Another World, Dungeon Conqueror (54-Pale Grotto), Dungeon Master (54)
Health E Mana C
Strength F Dexterity F
Vitality F Intelligence D
Agility E
Skill: Gamer: Yggdrasill, Magic Hand (1), Fire Magic (1), Lightning Magic (1), Dark Magic (2), Deception (1), Mana Sense (1), Mana Manipulation (1), Mana Vision (1)
Summon (3) Beast GFE, Insect GFE, Bird GF, Grass G
Professions: Alchemy (3), Blacksmithing (2), Cooking, (2), First Aid (2), Herbalism (2), Leatherworking (2), Mining (1), Scavenging (1), Skinning (3), Tailoring (2), Treasure Hunting (1)
We had journeyed back to the village, arriving before noon had even struck moving at our fastest pace the distance between the border and the village was a great distance but without enhanced stats the distance was covered in almost no time at all.
It still shocked me however to be able to travel the speed of a moving car while on foot but until a faster method of travel presents itself running on foot will be the method of travel when I'm in a hurry and for appearances sake travelling by carriage shall be undertaken when I publicly move around.
[Man I miss warp points, being free to jump from location to location with just a click of a button, well I mean I do have the spell call to home but it's as of yet untested so for all I know it would bring me right back to the cathedral where I started since I don't have any real method to register a new save point in this world to return to]
After our return the next couple of days proceeded rather normally, with my return to potion making, and working part-time in the smithy. There was a small uproar when I reported to Raisa that I had managed to create a new potion. A body strengthening potion which would give a strength rank buff for one hour, according to her something like this would fly off the shelves especially when adventurers were concerned as even lower ranked members of the guild could with use of this potion take on harder subjugation quests.
Heracles upon hearing of my new potion offered himself as a test subject to confirm the effects of the new potion but I brushed him off stating that the test had already been conducted and that the effects were confirmed to perform exactly as I'd stated.
Since we were back in the village my routine of cooking 2 meals a day at our little village hovel started once again though the first day we returned Raisa and Prim both ate as if they had been fasting, easily eating twice that which they had eaten before. All the while I continued to experiment recipes I knew from my life on earth and trying to recreate them here. Each successful recipes food came with it's own unique effect but none of them were really earth shattering, and the most useful effect of all was the same that the <CheezBurgs > I had prepared at the fort to fill ones stomach for an entire day.
Each morning on the way to work I passed through the Hellenic Temple and the number of worshippers continued to grow daily with regular mass being held twice a day with Heracles performing the duties as the temple priest. By his own report the Temple priests of Terra in the village had come by a couple of times but only voiced their displeasure once stating the affront to their Goddess would surely draw out her wrath. But the villagers themselves were the ones to drive the priests from the temple without Herc needing to intervene at all.
Bouying the support of the people was simple with Heracles operating a simple soup kitchen with the help of some volunteers, the food he made was nothing really special but for those to poor to afford enough food to fill their stomachs it was a true godsend. Something they claimed the other churches would never do, since all they knew how to do was take.
An update on Raisa's apothecary with attached smithy was given to me, and though it had only been almost two weeks since its opening the store was one of the most popular in all of the village
The profits I was received for producing potions and performing repairs was quite a decent sum, but as my work continued I could only come to the conclusion that it would be in my best interest to obtain more non-player characters for myself similar to Heracles since I was spending quite a lot of time just gathering materials, and while that did help increase my professions levels it did hinder my ability to work in the smithy to use the ores I had already obtained from the dungeon. But there was a hindrance which was that for the ideal NPC that I wanted to summon next I would need a sum of gold equal to if not greater than that which I had spent to create Heracles at our present pace so long as we remained in the village it would take pretty close to a year to obtain the amount required.
As I walked my way along the streets I was accompanied today by Raisa, Prim, and Ruby we all had first visited the Temple offering up our daily penance, and I performed the requested modifications that Heracles had asked for, now we were on our way headed to the shop to begin the days work. But as we approached the main street there was quite the commotion as a crowd had gathered and even from a distance I could tell that a palanquin had been setup with a trio of people standing above the crowd
[Damn did the nobles find out we are here, I mean we did draw quite the attention with our potions afterall]
As we moved ever forward and joined in with the crowd.
"As we already stated all adventurers willing to take up the country's call are to prepare yourselves and report to the eastern gate at midday, from there we will be journeying straight to the front." <Man >
The leader of the trio atop the stage seemed to be repeating himself, announcing some form of mass quest assigned to all available adventurers. Surely this must be it… the monster stampede is upon us.
But the real question now is how should we perform during the stampede? With my powers I could easily farm experience and level myself up but the rewards from monsters are fairly low depending on which beasts are apart of the stampede, though on the other hand even if I do not fight I can still farm a considerable amount of drop items thanks to my skill, so rather than fight we should perform some field commercialization that will allow us and especially me to earn a tidy sum that I can put towards my newest companion.
As the crowd started to disperse with newfound energy the adventurers were all running around parties moved to the street side to hold impromptu meetings, me and my team meanwhile made our way to the shop, having entered rather than starting to setup for the day we kept the door closed to hold a meeting of our own.
"So it's finally here" <Raisa >
"Looks that way." <Satou >
"Fight?" <Kurama >
"Not this time…" <Satou >
""Huh?"" <Raisa ><Primrose >
"Well when I say that I mean I will be going to the battlefield but I'm not going there to fight, we've drawn a bit of attention lately and well at present my goal would be to gather more money which the defense won't bring in, rather what I'd prefer to do is become a travelling shop, Kurama and I will run around the battlefield where we can sell potions to those in need and since their being purchased in the field we can charge a higher than normal cost for them as well." <Satou >
Her eyes beginning to glint as a sly grin crept onto her face
"Gonna use that wanderer knowledge to make and even bigger mountain of gold?" <Raisa >
"Well you know, one can never have enough gold" <Satou >
"Isn't that the truth" <Raisa >
Her obsession with gold and money amazed me that she wasn't a dragon or dragonkin species.
"So keep the store open then since everyone is gearing up?" <Raisa >
"No, it's better if we stay closed that way there'll be a bigger demand in the field" <Satou >
"Well that certainly makes sense but how exactly do you plan to sell these in the field?" <Raisa >
"Well I'm thinking a kinda lemonade stand, mixed with stadium vendors" <Satou >
"Huh?" <Rasia >
"What're those?" <Primrose >
"Oh well uh.. lets see, ones like a tiny stall to do business out of, which we will setup at the camp during the night since once the potions effects spread there'll be a line to obtain them, and the as for the vendors it's a sort of open box that's carried as you run around from place to place." <Satou >
"Hmmm, well I'm sure with your skills we could manage all this in time, but will there be enough time to train for this type of selling?" <Raisa >
"It should be easy enough I can create signs detailing price and what we can offer, and beyond that I've got experience performing hard sales" <Satou >
My experience was obtained in the most grueling of places, holiday retail where the most voracious type of customers exist, attempting to make sales in an actual battlefield should be not much different if not even possibly safer.
"Well sign'd work for those that could read but most can't you know, plus it's great you've got experience but what about us?" <Raisa >
"You?" <Satou >
"Well yeah, or what you planning on leaving us behind?" <Raisa >
"Well I mean… it is going to be a battlefield afterall!" <Satou >
"And it's fine for you to go, but not for us?" <Raisa >
"Ugh Not fair, I got a lot stronger so I can fight!" <Primrose >
"Uh well no I mean…" <Satou >
Am I just forcing my earth values on then I can't see then as anything more than teenagers who don't belong on a battlefield with their lives on the line.
"You don't need to worry about us" <Raisa >
'Urk'
[Did I show it on my face?]
"We're choosing to go, and just like you we're not going with the intent to fight but should it come to it we're prepared to defend ourselves, besides how else would I know if you're swindling me out of my profits" <Raisa >
"… Raisa" <Satou >
"Tell me not to go, and I'll still go yknow" <Primrose >
Sure enough even if I didn't let them come with us on the leave they'd set out to follow at a slower pace all on their own.
"Fine, but on conditions." <Satou >
"Yay!" <Primrose >
"See told you, we could win!" <Raisa >
---
The rest of our morning leading up to the midday launch time was spent by me rapidly creating Health, Stamina, and Strengthening potions in vast quantities, at the same time I did prepare a couple mana potions but since these are uncommonly rare the chances of getting to sell them would be risky since one could purchase dozens of health potions for the cost of just a single low mana potion.
While I was busy working away bottling all the potions I could, Raisa, and the others quickly set about creating a mix of potion trays I had created first. They were a simple design that would have the tray hang like a reverse backpack but be fitted so as to not allow much movement seeing as the potions are still within glass vials afterall and then a simple stall stand that we could operate the mobile shop once we'd made it to the camp.
Each tray was filled to bursting with an even mix of Stamina, and Health potions, with a single row of strengthening ones. Wooden plates were places on all three sides of the tray, with a forth being attached to the straps on the back detailing the prices and what was available from the vendors.
Our "battleplan" was also drawn up. We would charge twice as much for all the potions as we did here in the village, with me playing the crucial role as the store house since once ones tray was empty or exhausted of a single potion type they would need me to got to them or have me come to them to exchange for a fresh tray, and then at night we could refill the trays.
To calm my own nerves my enforced condition for their participation was that I would provide gear that was to be worn at all times. This was a risky move on my part since they did know about my skill however I did not as of yet tell them just what I could buy from the store.
Raisa was already equipped with a full complement of low level ranger equipment but it had been weeks since then and thanks to me she had been power leveled to 4 times what her original level was, and it was similar for Primrose as well.
So I had purchased a full set of level appropriate gear for the pair of them, compared to the others I'd seen walking around the town. The girls were equipped with what would be seen as high-level equipment since short of the knight commanders everyone had basic iron, or hide equipment with a scattering of mid-tier monster hide armor. But the armor I chose was not based on what their respective classes were.
Raisa was trained as a ranger, since she had high agility and dexterity. Prim was being trained as a swordswoman for now since her stats were pretty even overall but lacking in magic potential.
The armor chosen heightened ones defense, and stamina and agility. This was armor commonly found by broken players who according to some in the game had bad builds, having chosen to drop their increased status points into the wrong fields for their classes, the most notorious of all would be healers who chose to raise their Agility, rather than mana or intelligence. The strategy was sound since no matter how good a healer was typically one or two hits and they're dead, but with a high enough agility and they can dodge just about anything that comes their way, allowing them to heal for longer.
Of course the girls complained a lot when I presented the new outfit of armor declaring it was far from being stylish, so I reabsorbed it into my inventory closed my eyes and performed some silent meditation, all the while digging my way through the store looking in a very specific area.
'Skins' this was a specialized area of the game that allowed you to customize the appearance of all of your gear, from clothes to weapons, and armor. Since they opposed the gear I had chosen for them due to lack of appearance I opted to change them from something only a gamer would wear, to something else.
Having selected and applied numerous skins to all the gear I once again pulled it out, this time to be met with a host of 'Ah's' 'Ooooo's', and 'It's so Cute'
For Raisa her gear, now looked like a cross between the tighter cloth equipment a ninja would be seen wearing but paired with a kneelength skirt, and leggings. According to here it was the perfect complement for a warrior merchant.
Primrose on the otherhand I had chosen something less eye catching giving her equipment the look of olive cloth armor, with an front opened skirt, pants, and leather casing he exterior of the arms. This style was modeled using mercenary skins, giving her a cross between casual and fighter vibes.
Also I hand to the both of them an item pouch which would be secured to their belts, inside of which was a selection of potions for their own use, as well as their weapons which would be hard to carry or weild while we we're doing our commercial work.
As for myself, I opted to go for the full blown trader route chosing to wear bright colored robes that just screamed look at me. My intent being to perform like a walking billboard since once the fighting started and the chaos began if anyone was in need I wanted to be sure they could find me if they need a potion desperately.
But of course compared to the girls who were wearing much closer to traditional garb they laughed at just how flashy my own equipment turned out to be.
[To bad I can just whip up a bunch of human summons to fill the role with appropriate sales experience but I don't have time nor money to create characters like that, and I'm not even sure that would be possible through my summoning magic]
---
The time to meetup had come, so the five of us circled up and headed for the eastern gate to answer the call placed before us, technically only I 'had' to be here since I was the only licensed adventurer so if anyone asked they were temp members of my party, while at the same time I would surely be looked down upon for being an adventurer but since I didn't plan to participate in the battles unless I had to.
The crowd was about half the size as the one that had gathered before the stage in the morning, but all members present now were fully armed and armored. Various parties and solo's were mingling and conversing with one another. But eventually the crowd started to move, from our position near the rear of the crowd from what I could see the parties were being verified before climbing aboard wagons which then set off.
Only a short while passed before the crowd had been processed and sent off before it was our turn. The registration was simple enough I only had to provide our party name and record how many members we had, afterwhich I was instructed to head for the nearest wagon and climb aboard, but after discussing we were allowed to make our own way just so long as we made it in time to checkin at the camp within 4 days from now when the rest of the adventurers would complete the first wave of the stampede.
Looking over my shoulder at the girls, I informed them that we would make our own way there.
Of course this was met with some light groans, but before we could setoff after leaving the village there came a familiar call from behind us
"Good Day Milord" <Heracles >
Clad all in his priestly robes Heracles came waving an arm high above his head at us.
"You're heading out as well?" <Satou >
"That is correct Sir, the gods go where the people go, and no gods love a battle field with honor and glory better than Ares, and Zeus." <Heracles >
"Well that is surely true, are you taking the wagons or would you care to accompany us on a run?" <Satou >
"Run!" <Primrose >
Shock filled her shrill scream, which was understandable she'd never really gotten a chance to test herself since leveling up raising her stats by a wide margin.