Crystal Threads

The three of them climbed the ladder behind Briny, and she started walking toward the middle of the store, saying, "What kind of clothes do you want? Casual, party, swimwear, tailored?"

And Lina said, "Casual clothes."

"Do you have any swimwear yet?"

"No, I'm all out of clothes, actually."

"What?! What do you mean?!"

"Well, it's just that Gen-"

Gen then said, "Let me explain, Lina. Pleasure, my name is Gen. I was in charge of taking care of our luggage on the way here, but I ended up losing it, so we are without any clothes."

And Briny said, "Gee, that's too bad, but look at the bright side."

"What bright side?"

"You will replace all your clothes with products from our store, and I guarantee you it will be worth it. Our products are known in the city for their quality and beauty."

"Wow ... that's great, hahaha ..."

"Well, since you lost all your clothes, I'll show you a little bit of everything."

"Ok ..."

They then started walking around the store, and after a while, Briny picked up a shirt and said, "Why don't you try this shirt on, Raja? I think it will look good on you."

The shirt was quite simple. It opened in the middle and had some flower designs on it.

Raja then said, "Sure. I love it. I think it will look great on me, too."

"Well, since you like the shirt, you'll love the matching shorts."

She then took a pair of shorts and handed them to Raja, and he said, "Wow, I really like those."

"Well, if you like those, you'll love these too."

"Wow, what a great outfit."

"There's this one too."

"I love it."

Briny then continued to show Raja various clothes, and Lina said, "Raja is no good at all. He's in the palm of her hand."

And Gen said, "Tell me about it. I bet if she offered him a woman's outfit, he'd say he loved it."

"Hahaha, that's true. I don't understand how he can't see that she is pushing him a bunch of clothes that he doesn't need."

"I don't understand it either."

Briny then said, "Lina, I was getting some clothes for Raja, and I found this blouse."

And Lina said, "Briny, I'm going to wait until we get to the fifth floor before I pick out any clothes."

"Too bad. I thought this blouse would look great on you."

"Unfortunately ... wow, this blouse is beautiful."

"Isn't it? I also brought a pair of shorts that look great with it."

"Wow, I love it. I'll be right back. I'll go over there and try it on."

Seeing this, Gen looked on in disbelief and thought, 'Honestly, I don't even know why I'm surprised by this.'

Briny then said, "Gen, I found an outfit for you too. What do you think?"

She then showed it to Gen, and he looked at it and said, "I like it."

"Good, I'll separate it for you."

"No, Briny, I'm not buying it."

"Why? You just said you loved it."

"I know, but unfortunately, we don't have much money at the moment. So I'd rather wait until we get to the fifth floor."

"Oh, why didn't you say so before, Gen. You don't have to worry about that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're adventurers, aren't you?"

"Yes, how do you know?"

"Well, I used to be a receptionist for the adventurers' guild, so I can identify adventurers very easily."

"I see, but what does it matter? Do you have discounts for adventurers?"

"No, but we have a credit system with the adventurers' guild."

"Credit system? What's that?"

"Let me explain. The system works like this: we sell our products to adventurers even if they have no money, and then we record the purchase amount on their rings. That makes it so that when they complete a mission in the adventurers' guild, half of the amount they would receive comes to the store, and so little by little they pay for the products they bought."

"Interesting. I didn't know that the adventurers' guild had such a system."

"It's something new that is slowly being implemented."

"I see, but it might take years for a person to pay, depending on their rank. Isn't that a problem for you guys?"

"No, because we have a maximum amount a person can spend based on their adventurer rank. That makes it so that you can pay off your debt in about ten quests."

"Hm, I see. It really is a good system."

"Yes. Now, if you don't mind, can I see your ring?"

"No problem, here it is, but it's outdated."

Briny took the ring in her hand and said, "Platinum rank? You look so young. How old are you?"

"Twenty-one."

"Wow, that's a pretty high rank for your age, but you said it's outdated. So, I guess you're at diamond rank now. How amazing."

"Actually, I'm an awakened one now. That's why it's outdated."

"You're an awakened one?"

"Yes, here, look."

Gen then showed her his rune, and Briny said, "Wow, that's true. You're even on the Outer level."

"You know the essence levels?"

"Well, I've attended many awakened ones back when I was a guild clerk."

"Oh, that's right. You just said that."

"Hahaha, yes, but lucky for you, Gen, awakened ones have a high credit base. Depending on your combat level, you might even get unlimited credit."

"Oh yeah? And how do you evaluate my combat level?"

"There's a test for that in the adventurer's guild. We base it on the results, and then we define how much credit the person can use."

"Hmm, I see. I was already planning to go to the guild to get some information and to register for the Water Temple event. I'll use the opportunity to take this test."

"You plan to attend the Gen event?"

"Yes, it looks interesting, and it might help me find what I'm looking for."

"Got it. Since you are planning to participate, why don't you take an outfit to wear to the event? After all, the event consists of a sand phase, a water phase, and a phase inside the ruins. So it's good to have a proper outfit for it."

"That looks good to me. I was really looking for a bathing suit in case I have some spare time to enjoy the beach."

"A bathing suit? No, Gen, you can't wear a beach outfit to the event."

"Why not?"

"It's simple. A lot of people fail to perform as well as they could every year because of factors outside the test. Like heat stroke and colds, for example, and normal clothes won't protect you from that."

"Well, I guess no clothes will protect me from that."

"You couldn't be more wrong, Gen. Let me introduce you to the Water acolytes' clothes."

"What?! What are these?"

"They are clothes made specifically for the water temple event. They cover a large part of your body, which will protect you from much of the sun in the first part. They are also waterproof, which will keep you from getting soaked during the second half. And on top of that, they also absorb, and preserve, some of the sun's heat to keep you warm throughout the event."

"Wow, they do all that?"

"Yes, and they are extremely popular with adventurers. Most of them already have one of these clothes for the event."

"Hmm, and how much does it cost?"

"The whole set is going for ten silver coins."

"Ten coins?!"

"Yes, after all, you only buy one of these clothes in your life. It is extremely durable and will fit you for years to come."

"Hmm, all right. I'll have one of those."

"Okay. They are in a special area, so I'll take you there later."

"Okay."

"What about the clothes I showed you earlier? Are you going to take it, too?"

"Well, I already bought an outfit for ten silver coins. I guess a little more won't change that much."

"Great. Let's go to the changing room so you can try them on."

Gen then thought, 'I misjudged her. She's actually kind of nice.'

Gen then followed Briny to the changing room and saw Raja and Lina talking, "What do you think, Lina? Does this outfit bring out my qualities?"

And Lina said, "For the thousandth time, Raja, it looks great on you, and you have nothing to worry about. The best way to bring out your qualities is to be quiet and smile, so there's no way the clothes can get in your way."

"I see, then look at me real quick.", he then made a seductive smile for Lina to see, and then said, "Am I looking good?"

And she said, "... Forget the smile. Just be quiet, that's enough."

"Why?"

"Well, you don't want women fighting over you, do you?"

"Hmm, that's true. I like it when that happens, but why fight over me when we can all have fun together?"

"It really is the dilemma of the century, Raja. Why fight over you."

Briny then said, "Lina, Raja, I have good news. Gen told me that you were out of money, and so we solved the problem. Now you can buy the clothes you want without holding back."

Lina then said, "Really? That's great. I passed by some clothes that I loved on the way here."

And Raja said, "That's great. Bri, could you show me some other clothes?"

Briny then said, "Sure, Raja. Come with me."

"Hey Briny, I'd like a recommendation. What's your favorite bar in town?"

"Well, there's lots I like, but if I had to say my favorite ..."

The two went on talking, and Gen stood alone in the middle of the store.

He then said, "Looks like I wasn't wrong. She really is a bad person!"