Chapter 19 – Cleanup and Shopping

“Speaking of which, what exactly were those black Transference Stones those guys had?”

“That’s still under investigation. But we’ll handle the rest ourselves. It must have been… quite difficult for you?”

Heather said this with a somewhat apologetic expression.

“Well… it was troublesome, I suppose.”

When Heather said “difficult,” she was probably referring to the psychological aspect.

“For that reason, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t speak too much about those stones. Have you told Forestbird and the others?”

Heather whispered this to me quietly, as if sharing a secret.

Ah… So they said it was a walk or showing us around, but was their real purpose actually to ensure our silence?

Judging by her tone, the Guild might already have some information about those black Transference Stones. For example, if they investigate the performance or origin of the black stones, it might lead them to the group’s backers.

Whether it’s due to issues with the black stones’ performance and nature, or their connection to the group’s backers—they must have decided it was necessary to go around ensuring silence.

“…We’ll handle the rest ourselves,” huh?

If there are still accomplices out there, not involving any more victims than necessary is… well, a reasonable judgment.

Subjugating criminals is quite different in meaning from delving into labyrinths, which is why Heather is sympathetic toward us. Since getting involved would mean more “difficulty,” they’re saying they’ll handle the rest themselves.

“…I don’t think they know anything. We only learned about it from asking Rosetta-san.”

“Understood. I’ll be visiting Rosetta-san next… Well, she only told you because you were involved parties, so she probably won’t go around spreading it carelessly either.”

So it really is about ensuring silence. Well, Rosetta did say she might tell us depending on the content.

The black Transference Stone… is probably a magically processed version of the Red Transfer Stone. In BFO, it’s confirmed that processing Red Transfer Stones can improve usability or change their performance. As for the black stone’s performance… you could guess through process of elimination.

Whether returning from a stone monument with a Transference Stone or escaping a labyrinth with a Red Transfer Stone… the destination is always the stone monument at the labyrinth entrance.

For example, if the black Transference Stone could change the normally fixed “human transfer destination.”

Then kidnapping, confinement, human trafficking—such criminal acts would become possible. That makes more sense than them targeting us for whatever money we had on hand.

…Well, this is less speculation and more based on what BFO players were clamoring for.

The reason such an item didn’t exist in the game is simple—an item that could enable kidnapping between players would never be allowed.

The same goes for magic. Curses and similar things that restrict others’ actions long-term were types of magic that BFO players couldn’t learn. Lead Mind, used for Magical Inquisition, was also unlearnable for the same reason.

Magic that reads opponents’ thoughts, emotions, or lies would obviously cause trouble if used between players. In a VRMMO that reads brain waves, mind-reading magic might be possible, but that’s exactly why it can’t be ethically reproduced.

Naturally, a Transference Stone that could freely set players’ transfer destinations probably wouldn’t be allowed in the game either.

“Let me confirm one more time—it’s alright to leave this to you?”

“Yes. With Snake Bite captured, we believe similar methods won’t be used for a while.”

…Well, that makes sense. Grace and I should proceed with our shopping plans as scheduled.

Though it’s called shopping, we need self-defense items, a Staff… furniture—all high priority items. If there are security concerns, we need to acquire them even more.

“Welcome.”

When we entered the shop, an indescribable pungent odor assaulted our noses.

…The source of the smell is probably in the back. While the shop itself is neatly organized with medicine bottles displayed beautifully, the room visible beyond the Counter has a large cauldron dominating the center, with experimental equipment and piles of papers scattered messily on the desks.

According to information from the Adventurer Guild, there’s a skilled Alchemist running a shop in the North District, so we headed there first. The first thing to buy should be Grace’s self-defense item.

“Is this the shop of Beatrice-san the Alchemist?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m Beatrice.”

There stood the shopkeeper with black-purple hair and eyes, looking languid.

Resting her cheek on her hand at the Counter, she played with a quill between her fingers. She might be considered beautiful in appearance, but… I don’t sense any Domination Aura at all. Is this really okay?

“What can I do for you…?”

She let out a yawn. We’re in the right place, right?

I’m a bit doubtful, but we don’t have any other leads.

“Um, here’s a letter of introduction from the Adventurer Guild. We’d like you to create a Magical Creature that can be used for self-defense through alchemy.”

…This is what I wanted from alchemy.

Beatrice took the introduction letter and asked, “There are various types of Magical Creatures, though?”

“Shadow Mercury (Mercurius).”

“…Seems like it might turn into quite a job. What’s your budget?”

“We’re looking at around 1500 Kirig. How does that sound?”

“Fine.”

Beatrice narrowed her eyes and smiled. It’s the Market Price, but still.

“Theodore-sama… you don’t need to go that far for me…”

…I expected Grace to say that. With a proper reason, she should understand.

“If we get one with high performance, it won’t go to waste during Labyrinth Exploration, right?”

“…I see.”

Shadow Mercury. Normally, it can take the form of small animals through mimicry or hide in shadows as its name suggests… but its true form is an amorphous Magical Creature that can harden. In other words, it’s an artificial Slime.

“But I can’t guarantee high performance…? Shadow Mercury are naturally excellent Familiars, but precisely because they’re Familiars, their abilities can’t exceed their master’s.”

“I’m aware of that.”

You could say that’s why I chose Shadow Mercury.

Among Magical Creatures, Shadow Mercury is relatively inexpensive… because its performance heavily depends on the quality of the blood used as a catalyst. For 1500 Kirig, you might get exceptional performance, or conversely, something not very useful.

But this time, we plan to provide my and Grace’s blood. Without being conceited, I don’t think it will turn out inferior.

Considering price and performance, I chose it because I believe it offers the highest cost-effectiveness.

Also—it only requires Magical Power supply for maintenance, so there are no food costs, which is good. It’s inconspicuous for everyday use, so it doesn’t create intimidation… There are various reasons.

Three days until completion. 750 Kirig upfront. Pay the remaining balance upon delivery when completed.

So we both provided blood to serve as the Shadow Mercury’s catalyst and left Beatrice’s shop.

Next should be furniture, right? For the Staff, we can manage in the shallow Floors for now, and we might acquire one while exploring, but furniture can’t be obtained in the Labyrinth. We should buy the necessary items first, then budget for the Staff.

So we went shopping, discussing various things as we went.

“A canopy bed really isn’t my style.”

“I think the master bedroom needs something with that level of dignity…”

“Hmm…”

“A proper dressing table would be good, right?”

“I’m fine with just a hand mirror.”

“We compromised on the clothes chest too… let’s buy a decent one this time.”

“This sofa is quite comfortable to sit on.”

“Really? This might be good. What about the table for the dining room?”

“What about that one over there?”

—And so we went through furniture shops in the North District, discussing and selecting items this way and that.

They said they’d deliver what we bought later. Not having to carry everything is wonderful.

The final remaining problem was—indeed, the Staff.

We couldn’t find any satisfactory bargains in the North District shops. The shopkeeper said if we had better Materials, we could make a Staff with better performance.

Should we search in the Labyrinth, or look around other districts? What should we do?

The problem with not having a Staff is… not being able to use Staff Martial Arts is one thing, but when casting High-Tier Magic from a circulating state, you take damage from the recoil. I don’t really want to experiment with that—I’d rather avoid it.