CautiousTitan

This is the mood board of Owen's store. The store that he has is somewhat similar to this concept art. Artist

Before I was reincarnated, I felt as if I had a clear idea of what it was like to be a Merchant. Admittedly, deep cleaning an old store called 'The Glossy Ross' was not one of them.

And yet, as Ronan opened the doors to the vacant shop, an overwhelmingly stale smell assaulted our senses. The poignant smell that contaminated our noses served as a solemn reminder that nothing is 'free' in this world. Justine and I began to distance ourselves from the shop, while Ronan stood firmly in front of the door.

Luckily, Ronan's sense of smell was synthetic, which meant that he could turn it off whenever he needed to do so.

However, even Ronan let out an enormous sigh as he walked into the vacant shop. After taking a few steps, he rested his hand on his Katana and turned his head towards us.

"I will handle this," Ronan said confidently.

"This is why you’re my favorite creation!" I said proudly.

"Does he know that he only made three creations?" Justine muttered.

"We'll join you soon! I'll make some Half-Face Respirators for me and Justine. Sadly, we can’t turn off our sense of smell. For now, your orders are to scout and eliminate any pests in the building...and hopefully get some fresh air in there!" I said.

"Right!" Ronan said.

As Ronan continued to walk into the store, I focused on creating our masks. Since the masks weren't large, it wasn't hard to discreetly make them in public. I tried to be as discreet as possible as I made progress on Justine's mask.

"Ugh! What a putrid smell! How long ago did that old fart leave this place?" Justine said.

"I'm not completely surprised by the revelation. I mean, what kind of Merchant gives away high-value real estate like that? There's always a catch with these types of things, Justine. Despite knowing that, even I wasn't expecting a...herculean deep clean to await us," I said sighing.

Justine sighed with me as she rested her head on my left shoulder. "Out of all the champions in Adrios, I never would've expected my champion to be the unusual one. I wouldn't be surprised if Ledos persuaded you into becoming his champion. He seems to suit you more than me," Justine said.

"You don't have to worry about the God Of Wealth. While I respect what he represents, I would prefer to work with you. I intend to serve my Goddess until the end...by being a Merchant Hero. By the way, here’s your mask," I said.

As I handed Justine her mask, she quickly grabbed it and placed it on her face. After a few deep breaths, she breathed a sigh of relief. Likewise, I quickly equipped my mask so I could do the same. It’s time like these that you appreciate being blessed with ‘Creation’.

"Thank you! I thought I was going to pass out from the smell! Mayor Ross will be hearing from my angels about this! But why do you prefer working with me, Owen? Ledos makes more sense no matter how you look at it," Justine asked.

"Despite your desire for the answer, that information is on a need-to-know basis. It's also uh...somewhat personal," I said blushing.

With a smile on her face, Justine jumped in front of me and leaned towards me. Seeing her face & body up close caused me to blush even harder. "Ara Ara. What's that supposed to mean, Owen? Something on your mind? Something you’re eager to get off of your chest? I’m all ears!" Justine teased.

"Ahem! Keep acting like that and you'll be getting the lion share of the deep cleaning. Don't think I'll take it easy on you since you're a Goddess. I'll see you in the shop, Justine," I said sternly.

As I casually walked inside the shop, Justine hesitantly followed behind me.

"You're uh...you're joking, right? You wouldn't do that to your own Goddess...right?" Justine said nervously.

But interrupting our friendly conversation was Ronan, who noticed our presence and shouted from the shop's cellar.

"I have something important that needs your attention!" Ronan shouted.

In terms of the shop, I thought we only found copper.

Turns out we might be lucky enough to hit gold.

CautiousTitan

A Mystery Arises In The Cellar Of The Glossy Ross!