Upon leaving the inn, we strolled along the street lined with the same shops we had encountered when we first arrived in the capital.

“Anything specific you want to do?” I asked Liz, as we tried our best to navigate through the masses.

“Anything with fewer people than out here.”

“What about this place?” I asked, pulling her toward a smaller storefront.

“Sweets?” Liz asked, examining the products on display in the window.

“You don’t like sweets?”

“I do, I just never saw them as a necessity, so I rarely bought any.”

“Let’s go have a look then.”

 

We entered the store and were met with a sweet fragrance emanating from a wide selection of everything from candy to cakes.

“All this looks and smells delicious,” I said, doing my best to avoid licking my lips as I looked around. “Should I just buy the entire store?”

“I’m a bit scared that you might actually be serious,” Liz chuckled.

“Fine, I won’t share even if you ask later then,” I teased, pretending to pout.

Liz just sighed at my bad acting. “Maybe you can save some for the other customers?”

“Well, aren't you being considerate?” I giggled. “See anything you like?”

“I don’t know. There are a lot of different kinds here, but I haven’t really tried any of them before.”

“Just point at anything that looks good, not like it will spoil.”

I locked eyes with the store clerk and gestured for her to come over. After realising what kind of spending power I had, she was more than happy to help us pick out an ungodly amount of sweets. There were even some whole cakes in the mix. After paying and storing everything, we thanked the clerk for her help and left the store.

“I can’t believe you bought all that,” Liz said in a slightly condescending tone.

“Don’t act like you didn’t pick out anything,” I replied, squinting my eyes at her.

“I chose like five things! And you didn’t even let me pay for them,” Liz sighed, shaking her head.

“Still celebrating you today, remember? When I advance to a new class or get promoted, you can pay.”

“Neither of those can happen.”

“Well, isn’t that unfortunate?” I smirked.

“Ugh, fine, I don’t even care anymore,” Liz groaned. “Spoil me all you want. Don’t complain if I start taking it for granted.”

“I would never,” I said and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go look at some other stores.”

 

We looked around the various stores in the merchant district until we entered an area that had stores oriented toward adventurers. Our first stop was a store that sold weapons and armor. Most of the items on display were around the same quality as Liz’s old staff in terms of stats.

Maybe you need to commission someone if you want good quality items nowadays? Or find a more specialized store for the type of item you want? This looks like the equivalent of a vanguard general store.

“Where do adventurers go if they want to get their hands on higher quality items?”

“If you want a specific item, it’s best to go to a crafter that specializes in that type.”

“I guessed as much. Just wanted to ask since I don’t know what is considered good with today’s standard.”

“From your point of view, everything is bad,” Liz chuckled.

“That’s why I wanted to have a look,” I smirked. “Do you want to look more or do you want to go to the magic store across the street?”

“We can go have a look if you want, but I don’t think you will find anything useful.”

“Never underestimate the ingenuity of humans,” I declared. “Let’s go have a look.”

My sleeping bag is made by humans. Who knows what I might find.

 

We browsed the shelves of the magic store, and sadly, Liz was proven right. The various magitech devices were of no interest, and potions were meaningless to me. I had hoped to find at least one magitech device that I found interesting, but I was left disappointed.

“Did you find anything interesting?” I asked Liz, who was reading about a staff on display.

“No, not really. Once you have seen these, everything else pales in comparison,” she said, holding up her hands.

“I'm sorry if I broke you,” I said, sticking my tongue out. “It’s nice to have gloves compared to a staff though, right? Carrying around a large staff sounds rather inconvenient.”

“I like it a lot more. It’s odd that no one uses them,” she pondered before looking at me with suspicion in her gaze. “It’s not something only you can make, right?”

“Of course not,” I giggled. “It’s just that it’s more expensive and harder to make.”

“Why is it so expensive?”

“When you want the same power in a smaller item, you have to refine the material repeatedly, and each time it loses some of its potency. That’s why it’s more expensive, as you need more materials to achieve the same quality as when making a larger staff.”

“I see,” Liz murmured. “Wait, doesn’t that make these even more valuable? Just how much extra did you spend when making these?”

“Uhm, it’s hard to say since some materials would be different,” I pondered, tapping my cheek. “If you don’t count the magic stones, I guess I could have made roughly four or five staves of the same quality with the amount I used? ”

Liz’s eyes went wide from hearing my answer. “So you’re telling me that you used enough materials for four or five staves of insane quality when making these?”

“Well, no,” I replied with a sly smile. “It’s four or five per glove.”

Liz looked at me in disbelief. “Is it too late to give them back?”

“Here I go out of my way to make you a pair of lovely gloves, and now you want to give them back?” I replied with a pout, faking disappointment in my voice.

“I wasn’t serious,” Liz replied in an apologetic tone.

“That’s good then,” I replied with a gentle smile. “I wouldn’t want to have to glue them on your hands."

“That would be troublesome,” Liz grinned. “Shall we move on to the next one?”

 

After leaving the store, I noticed that the sun was beginning to set.

“Is there anything else you want to see around here?” 

“It looks like everything is starting to close up for the day,” Liz said while looking around. “Do you want to go find a tavern or something?”

“I could go for a drink,” I replied. “Fancy or normal?”

“Can we just find a normal tavern? I wouldn’t be able to relax otherwise.”

“Of course.” 

 

After asking a kind guard, we eventually ended up at a tavern relatively close to the adventurers guild, which had a fair amount of adventurers inside. We ordered something to drink and sat down next to each other at a table close to the back of the tavern.

“Is this the kind of place you usually visit?” I asked Liz while tasting the mead that I had ordered.

“Not really. Back in Baruda, I mostly drank at the inn if I decided to drink.”

“I guess there is no reason to go anywhere else when you stay at such a nice place already.”

“I also don’t drink that often, so I haven’t felt the need to go out and find another place.”

“You can hold your liquor though,” I said, glancing at the wine in her hand. “At least compared to Mira.”

“She just doesn’t know when to stop,” Liz sighed. “I have had to drag her to her room quite a few times.”

 

We enjoyed our time just relaxing after the last couple of busy days until two men came over and sat down at our table. The first one was a bit on the larger side with a toned physique, while the other one looked scrawny in comparison. 

“Hey there ladies, do you want to spend some time with us?”

I’m surprised it took this long before someone approached us. They seem confident at least.

Liz’s facial expression clearly stated that she didn’t care much for the interruption of our evening. “Thanks, but no thanks,” she replied curtly.

“Don’t be like that. We are veteran adventurers, you know?” The larger of the men said.

“Oh, are you strong?” I asked, faking interest.

“Of course we are,” he grinned, flexing his muscles.

“We are both about to be promoted to B rank,” The smaller man said.

“Well, that is impressive,” I said, glancing at Liz to see her expression.

“Right? So, want to come hang out with us?”

“I’ll tell you what,” I said, putting my elbow on the table. “We will consider it if you can beat me in arm wrestling.”

“Hah, isn’t it easier to just say that you want to do it?” The larger man laughed. “There is no way I would lose!” 

By now, Liz’s annoyed expression had been replaced by a bad attempt at hiding a grin.

“You can’t be sure before you try,” I smirked, holding my arm in position. “So, are we doing this?”

“Sure thing! I will go easy on you,” he replied and put his elbow down, grabbing my hand. “I don't want you to get hurt.”

“Oh, what a gentleman,” I smiled. “Ready when you are.”

At first, the man didn’t exert much strength, but once he realised my arm wasn’t budging, he gradually started to tighten his grip and press harder. Meanwhile, I took another sip of my mead and mostly observed Liz’s expression while smiling.

“How is it going?” I asked, maintaining my smile. ”You are starting to look rather strained.”

“You are stronger than I thought,” he grunted as he began to shift his body, using his weight in an attempt to win, which caused the table to creak.

“There is no shame in giving up,” I smirked. “We wouldn’t want the table to break.”

The man tried to make my arm budge for another twenty seconds before he finally gave up.

“Ah, well that is unfortunate. Better luck next time,” I said with my nicest smile.

He muttered something while he and his mate walked away in shame.

“Luna, you are such a bully.”

“What? I was being so nice!” I protested.

“I guess it was nicer than punching them,” Liz laughed.

“Don’t think I didn’t see you enjoy it.”

“Maybe just a little.”

“Excuse me, can I try as well?”

I turned toward the direction the question came from and saw another man standing at our table. “You also want a go?”

“You appear to be strong, so I would like to have a go. Is that okay?”

I looked at Liz who appeared to be fine with the request judging from her smile. 

“Sure, why not,” I said and put my arm in position again.

The match obviously went the same as the last time, but I think this one was a bit stronger.

“Just what is your arm made of?” he asked, mild surprise evident in his voice. “I have never been unable to even get my opponent to budge before.”

“Better luck next time,” I said, sending him away with a smile.

“You are enjoying this, aren’t you?” Liz asked after the man had left.

“Aren’t you enjoying it as well? Or are you just smiling because you are looking at me?” I asked, batting my eyelashes playfully.

“Both?” she said, resting her head on my shoulder.

“That guy was very polite at least.”

“He is talking with someone at the bar and looking this way now,” Liz said, glancing toward the bar.

“Looks like they are coming here. Do you want to take this one?” I grinned.

“Thanks, but I’ll pass.”

The two men arrived at our table. 

“My friend tells me you are strong,” the new arrival said.

“I guess I am.”

“Can I have a go?”

“Sure, why not,” I said, once again putting my arm on the table.

“I’m Kurt, by the way.”

“Luna.”

As Kurt was trying to get my arm to move, I heard a familiar voice. “Luna?”

I turned my attention to the woman. “Oh, hey Jasmine. Fancy meeting you here.”

“What are you doing?” She asked, looking at Kurt struggling.

“Bullying people,” Liz smirked.

“That’s mean. They asked, you know,” I said, poking Liz’s cheek with my free hand.

By now, Duran and Dale had appeared behind Jasmine. “Hey Kurt, you better give up on that. Don’t you know who that is?” Duran asked.

Kurt released his grip in defeat. “Someone absurdly strong, that's for sure.”

“She is the one I told you about.”

Kurt looked at me for a moment. “I see, maybe I don’t have to feel too bad then. Thank you for indulging me,” he said, standing up to leave.

“Are you gossiping about me, Duran?”

“Anyone would tell people if they met an SSS rank,” Jasmine answered.

“I suppose,” I said. “So what are you three doing here?”

“We just came back from the dungeon so we are taking some time to relax. What about you two?”

“Liz got promoted to A rank so we thought we would have a drink to celebrate.”

“Oh? Congratulations! It would be weird if they didn’t promote you. You took on that salamander alone, after all,” Jasmine said with a smile.

“Thank you,” Liz said sheepishly.

“Hey Jasmine, they are over there,” Duran said, pointing at a table in the corner of the tavern.

“We are going to go to some of our friends now, but it was nice meeting you again,” Jasmine said before they took their leave.

“They seem like nice people,” Liz said as she waved goodbye.

“I suppose?” I pondered. “Duran was a bit of a jerk when I first met him. However, he was cursed at the time, so I guess I can forgive him.”

“He was cursed? Aren’t curses really dangerous?”

“Some more than others,” I replied. “But let’s not talk about such boring things as curses tonight.”

 

We spent another two hours at the tavern before heading back to the inn. Luckily, no one else wanted to try their luck against me.

“There are way too many people in this town,” I said as I slouched down on the couch.

“You can say that again. Just walking on the street is exhausting.”

“The guild should be done with your materials by the day after tomorrow, so there's only a short time left until we can go back to Baruda.”

“It will be nice to see Mira and Hanna again,” Liz said as she sat down next to me. “I usually don’t leave Baruda for this many days in a row.”

“And here I came and disrupted your daily life. I hope you can forgive me,” I giggled.

“I’ll think about it,” Liz grimaced. “What do you want to do now?”

“I’m in the mood for a snack,” I said, looking at Liz.

“It’s good that you have half a store to choose from then.”

“Not the kind of snack I had in mind,” I replied with a mischievous smile. “Let’s go to bed.”