“Welcome, Miss Doah.”
“The Guildmaster was right. This place feels crazy.”
“Well, they’ve devoured the story of the dragon slaying down to the bones, so the arrival of a new rookie must have been a welcome distraction.”
Gran always craves adventurer tales, Yan said with a smile.
“Thanks to you, the adventurer’s guild has seen a surge in activity. We owe you our gratitude, Miss Doah.”
“The guild is getting more active?”
“Anything that draws attention revitalizes the guild.”
Yan gestured for Doah to take a seat as he spoke.
Doah sat down and said,
“When I mentioned going to the Mage’s Ring to gather information, both Khunak and His Majesty were completely startled.”
“Ah…”
Yan made a noise of understanding.
“Is the Ring Leader that bad?”
The only mage Doah knew was Elibas.
Strong, kind, and an excellent cook.
“Well, I wouldn’t say bad, exactly. The leader is also an S-rank adventurer. They were part of the dragon-slaying team.”
“So that’s why the two of them know them well.”
“Yes,”
Yan nodded.
Doah tilted her head a few times before speaking.
“Still, the Mage’s Ring is currently the only clear option.”
“Even if you contact them, there’s a high chance they won’t agree to meet. They’re quite particular.”
“Well, that’s inconvenient.”
“Perhaps you could visit a famous seer in Vienarie instead?”
“……….”
Doah squinted at him, and Yan quickly shook his head.
“No, I’m not suggesting fortune-telling. Well, technically, I am, but it’s not quite what you think. It’s different.”
“Different?”
“Did you know that many Thule live in Vienarie?”
“I think I’ve heard something like that.”
“Thule coexist with humans but are fundamentally different. Among them, the feline tribes are particularly sensitive. If they declare something ominous, it’s best to heed their warning and avoid the situation.”
Doah thought of Rakshasha.
Come to think of it, whenever Rakshasha said, ‘This doesn’t feel right,’ both Josephine and Elibas would always listen to her.
Once, Elibas said,
“What could possibly happen here?”
Elibas once said that, and then the chimney got blocked, ruining everything in the oven.
Josephine shook her head, muttering, ‘This is why mages are the way they are.’
Elibas had snapped,
“Why would the chimney get blocked in this place?!”
It was a rare moment when he showed genuine anger.
“I see.”
Doah quickly accepted Yan’s explanation.
“Among them, there’s a particularly unique figure in Vienarie called ‘Nyanyak Sese.’”
Nyanyak Sese!
What a cute name.
But since they were described as unique, it would be rude to laugh upon hearing the name.
Doah barely managed to keep her expression neutral.
Yan chuckled at her effort and said,
“I’ll give you extra credit for not laughing at the name.”
“Thank you.”
To her gratitude, Yan explained concisely,
“Let’s put it this way: nothing Nyanyak Sese has ever said has failed to come true. You might even get a clue about the artifact’s location.”
“That’s if Nyanyak Sese agrees to meet me.”
Such figures rarely allowed audiences or provided straightforward answers.
Yan nodded in agreement with her remark.
“Understood. If there’s any other information…”
“There is,” Yan replied.
“Really?”
Doah’s eyes widened, and Yan smirked wryly as he added,
“It’s a well-known tale. To sum it up…”
Doah’s jaw dropped as Yan presented a massive pile of documents.
“The problem is, there’s too much material.”
❖ ❖ ❖
Enjoying the luxury of a room Yan had set aside for her, Doah began poring over the materials.
There wasn’t just one or two boxes.
‘This isn’t going to work. No way.’
Sifting through all this to distinguish the useful from the irrelevant? Impossible.
‘Honestly, every time I read one document, it feels right. Then I read another, and that feels right too. Now I’m even confused about the artifact’s form.’
She had assumed the artifact had a tangible shape, but—
‘Artifacts have no form!’
One theory asserted.
That was supposedly why the artifact had vanished.
‘But how on earth could anyone figure that out?’
Doah opened her quest window, hoping for clues from the information she had gathered so far.
Unfortunately, no new updates or answers were available.
‘Haaa.’
Now Doah understood why Yan had recommended ‘Nyanyak Sese.’
This wasn’t like finding a needle in a haystack. It was like finding a real needle among fake ones.
And she didn’t even know what the real needle looked like.
‘I might as well rely on fortune-telling.’
She hadn’t expected to suffer this much from an overload of information.
Doah stood up from her seat.
She had to find another approach.
‘Well, since I don’t want to attract attention…’
Maybe she should sneak out through the window?
‘I’ll grab Berry’s outfit and head back to the manor. Speaking of which, when will the cursed sword purification side quest trigger?’
Even if it did, she’d have to figure out where to find the Light Crystal first…
Doah mentally organized her quests.
‘For now, I’ll focus on gathering information and preparing for the journey.’
Determined, she got up.
‘This uproar should settle in three or four days.’
Since she’d soon embark on a long journey, finding a place as well-stocked as Gran with adventurer supplies would be difficult.
‘I’ll buy as much as I can while I can.’
With that resolve, Doah informed the attendant she was leaving her room and exited the adventurer’s guild.
Once again, she was surrounded by people, but this time, she didn’t panic as before.
Anticipating it, she simply smiled and walked quickly.
No matter how hard anyone tried to block her path, she politely but firmly said,
Excuse me, I’m B-rank.
There was no way ordinary people could stop her strength.
She couldn’t please everyone, and there was no need to.
‘In ten years, I’ll leave this place anyway.’
What are you going to do about it?
She headed to the bustling market.
When she entered Kookie’s Clothing shop, at least the crowd didn’t follow her inside.
Kookie greeted her warmly.
“You’ve arrived?”
“I’m here.”
Kookie glanced at the people outside the window and muttered, ‘Oh dear.’
“You’ve become incredibly famous.”
“It just happened somehow. Are the clothes ready?”
“Of course.”
Doah inspected the clothes and paid the bill.
Then, she began shopping in the market.
She bought utensils, a camping cot, and an extra folding chair.
Since Star Shard Lanterns were out of stock, she settled for candles and candle lamps.
The candles gave off a sweet scent.
The lamps were designed to prevent the candles from tipping over, unlike oil lamps.
The crystal shop was exceptionally grand and expensive, even from the entrance.
The window frames were gilded, and the heavy wooden door opened soundlessly.
The crystals displayed on red velvet were shown individually by gloved attendants.
If Doah weren’t a famous figure, she felt she might not even have been allowed past the entrance.
‘So expensive…!’
The crystals were shockingly expensive.
When she inquired, she learned that crystals were essential materials for mages to use magic.
Thus, adventurers typically:
1. Sold crystals to mages first…
2. Mages who became adventurers specifically to obtain crystals never sell them.
3. Even the crystals that make it to the market are swept up by mages.
This is why crystals are incredibly expensive.
‘Mages fight by throwing gold around.’
It felt more like they were fighting by tossing coins rather than casting spells with crystals.
‘No wonder so many mages become adventurers.’
No matter how dedicated they were to research, it would be impossible without crystals.
And obtaining crystals required money.
So, clearing dungeons themselves became the only option.
The dungeon Doa recently cleared was a ‘cave-type dungeon,’ which didn’t yield any crystals.
Crystals are typically found in natural-type or ancient ruin-type dungeons.
“If I ask for everything available, will they sell it to me?”
In response to Doah’s question, the shopkeeper smiled.
“Unfortunately, we limit each customer to five crystals to ensure everyone gets a fair share.”
“So, I can buy some now, right? Great.”
Doah purchased five crystals.
A significant amount of gold coins flowed out, but she didn’t mind.
‘I have 2,000 large gold coins.’
Besides, she didn’t have the mindset of ‘saving up for retirement’ like some people.
As she often reminded herself, she would leave in ten years.
Her only focus was safely completing this quest. Spending money on travel preparations was a no-brainer.
‘Being famous isn’t so bad…’
Looking at shopkeepers rushing out to greet her barefoot, Doah began to enjoy the perks of VIP treatment.
A life where you don’t ask about prices and simply say “I’ll take it” if you like something.
And when she provided her home address, delivery workers would naturally transport her purchases to her house.
Doah even bought enough supplies to cover Berry and Khunak’s needs.
‘Sure, I’ll loot dungeons along the way, but…’
You can’t exactly find flour in a dungeon, can you?
Doah bought several sacks of premium-quality, fine white flour, which even city dwellers would envy.
She also purchased a barrel of salted pork.
The shopkeepers seemed to think she planned to stay at her residence for a while.
‘And, as expected, no one sells bags like mine.’
She searched every store just in case, but there was no place selling a ‘dimensional bag’ like the one she owned.
When she brought it up, a camping supply shopkeeper laughed and said,
“It would be nice to have such a bag. They appear in stories, but I’ve never seen one in real life.”
‘That makes sense…’
Doah now fully understood why Khunak had told her to keep it hidden.
Naturally, there was nothing remotely like her magical wooden cabin either.
‘It’s definitely something to covet.’
Khunak could have tried to bargain or asked her to sell it.
Some might have even attempted to steal it.
But Khunak showed no such inclination.
‘I wonder how the Emperor would react.’
Would he demand she offer it to him?
Doah chuckled at the thought.
She also ordered several new outfits.
The fabric and variety available here far surpassed those of the World Tree Travel Agency.
Of course, they didn’t sell items like anti-blade blouses.
‘Oh, so some places process magical beast leather if you bring it in.’
As Doah scanned the shop signs, she suddenly noticed one shaped like a cat’s paw.
‘A cat’s paw…?’
Curious, she approached and found it was an herbal shop.
‘Is it run by felinefolk?’
Peeking inside, she saw a majestic stag with impressive antlers organizing herbs.
‘Might as well restock my herbs,’ she thought and stepped inside.
The stag, startled by her presence, greeted her warmly.
“Welcome, Miss Doah. I can’t believe you’ve chosen to visit my humble herbal shop.”
“Ah, does everyone know my name?”
“Of course. Plus…”
The stag pointed at his antlers.
Doah instinctively touched her headband, finding the ribbon tied to it.
“Just the headband alone is enough to identify you. Haha, though in the future, more people might wear similar designs, so it won’t be as unique.”
“Really?”
“Yes, it always happens. Moreover…”
The stag’s eyes sparkled.
“Azure Nazac, no less. Humans might assume anyone with green eyes is an Azure Nazac, but Thulefolk know better.”
The stag puffed out his chest proudly.
“There’s only one true Azure Nazac, and that’s you, Miss Doah.”
“Haha, thank you. Oh, by the way, about the sign outside…”
“Yes, is there a problem with it?”
“No, I was just wondering—does a felinefolk run this place…?”
The stag blinked, then laughed.
“Ah, that’s right. You’re from the southern continent, aren’t you? You might not know the customs here. The sign honors the great Thule herbalist, Lady Rakshasha.”
The stag raised his hand gently to demonstrate.
“All herbal shops following the Rakshasha School display a sign shaped like a cat’s paw.”
“Oh!”
Doah was suddenly filled with nostalgia and joy.
Rakshasha. Rakshasha!
“Was Lady Rakshasha really that amazing?”
The question slipped out before she realized it.
The stag nodded firmly.
“Absolutely! Before her, herbalism was developing, but much of it relied on scattered, individual oral traditions. However, Lady Rakshasha standardized the art, created methods for crafting solid potions, and accepted students regardless of their species—”
Doah listened, enraptured, nodding repeatedly as the stag recounted Rakshasha’s story with pride.
“And while she was often criticized for insisting her students charge money for their services, this ensured the Rakshasha School didn’t disappear and continues to thrive today.”
The stag smiled.
“After all, survival requires resources.”
“Exactly. We live in a material world, after all.”
“Haha, you sound just like Lady Rakshasha. So, what can I assist you with?”
In high spirits, Doah ordered plenty of potions and herbal supplies.
By then, the crowd following her had thinned considerably.
She ended her shopping trip with a celebrity-like remark:
“Please keep watching my activities and judge for yourselves.”
