Syl

Chapter 54: Shopping Spree

"I can't believe our mysterious elf was captured by goblins..." Harris muttered after receiving the report.

Roderick had just returned from the goblin extermination quest and filled him in on the details. They were both seated in his humbly small office and sharing a stiff drink.

"Evan was horrified by her condition. Whatever they did to her, it was not pleasant." Roderick replied, "She might be deeply traumatized by the experience, and I'm unsure if it's affected her memory or if she's a young elf truly ignorant of the outside world."

"She didn't mention the Stanton boy at all?"

"Nothing."

"He intercepted her as soon as she stepped into this town, then she went missing, and he didn't even report it to the guild or anyone. It smells fishy to me."

"Well, my group is sticking around her for now. If he tries to cause any shit, we'll be the first to know."

"You thinking of offering her a position in your party?"

"Maybe... She's very talented and has all the markings of a potential adventurer with a bright future, but I wonder if she's not too much trouble for us. Hell. I think Evan and myself are the only ones who can resist her passive charm."

"You think she's a noble? I know all elves are born with that trait, but usually, only the nobles invest in it. Gods... Has the fucking Stanton brat caused a diplomatic incident?"

"She's only got one name on her profile. But, if she is one, she'd have no trouble finding someone to overwrite her name temporarily."

"Yeah, plenty of them like gallivanting around incognito and amusing themselves amongst the common folk. Ugh..."

"We'll keep an eye on her, don't worry."

"Thanks, Roderick. I'll try to poke around the Stantons and deal with our pranksters..."

I woke up fresh and ready for the day ahead. I wasn't surprised my mimicry had gained a level, as this was now the longest I had ever remained shapeshifted into a singular form. I yearned to let loose and blob out.

If all went well, I'd get some equipment with Whitney, and then later, Kurt would show me the local dungeon. When I had asked where I could safely practice magic, it was Dewi's first recommendation, and Kurt seemed eager to progress in his Dualblade class.

Being immune to alcohol had its perks, as now I had plenty of time before the others roused from their slumber to practice magic. My first goal was to make a [Pseudopod] mimic [Water Whip]. I cast the spell and closely examined it. I then formed a tendril and started shifting its colors to match. Without [Mana Reinforcement], it looked nearly identical at a glance, and only under extremely close scrutiny could you notice even a minor defect. With [Mana Reinforcement], its mana aura seemed far beyond the second level [Water Whip] could produce.

When Whitney arrived, my mana level had not dropped yet, so I activated [Slime Conversion] to not waste the regeneration. After a good meal, she seemed much happier and promptly dragged me back into town. When I asked if they'd have completed outfits by now, Whitney said they would likely alter already-made stock to fit me, although I should never underestimate a high-level crafter.

The outfits she had arranged for me were two robes, one in a light shade of green and the other a pale sky blue, and three pairs of boots. I was also introduced to the horrors of underwear; did I really need all this extra clothing? I guessed it wouldn't matter once I assigned it all to an equipment profile. I got replacement arrows for my quiver, and Whitney suggested I keep the bow as a backup in case I ran out of mana. I internally laughed at the thought; it was still bottomless from my perspective.

Another suggestion was to save up for a storage bag first and foremost and then consider getting a staff, scepter, or tool with a magic catalyst. Getting a bag felt like a waste, and the magic catalyst sounded much more interesting, but I couldn't reveal my [Core Storage].

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'Maybe I could use Sylthaeryn's bag as a decoy? Although I'd need a reason why the goblins didn't take it from me... Should I say I left it in the forest? Maybe I could use Kurt to my advantage.'

"I actually had a storage bag... I wonder if Kurt found it when he found my boar hides?" I said, dialing up the [Acting] to the max.

Whitney looked mortified, and to save Kurt from castration, I quickly added, "I did hide it very well, and he wouldn't have been able to open it if he did find it, as it's magically sealed."

"You should ask him immediately after this, and if he didn't find it, then I'd strongly recommend fetching it before heading into the dungeon."

I agreed and asked to see the magic catalysts. I was taken to a small section in one of the shops and a very scarce selection of equipment. One staff in particular caught my eye with a burnt-orange sphere attached to the top. When I touched it, I nearly freaked out when a notification appeared.

I had to deeply resist the urge to eat it right then and there.

"I want this..." I immediately muttered.

"Oh Gods, has Dewi already influenced you? I'm pretty sure that's a fire catalyst."

"Do they do trades? For monster parts?" I asked.

"It'd have to be a lot of parts or from a rare monster..."

"We should go fetch my bag," I responded with a smile.

I begged the shopkeeper to keep the staff for me, to which he agreed. Having two resident fire mages, he didn't expect to have so much trouble selling it. I frantically left the shop, and Whitney had to chase after me.

We found Kurt eating lunch at the inn, and Whitney questioned him on my bag. It was all a pointless waste of time, but the charade needed to be maintained. Kurt was found innocent of bag theft, and all three of us promptly left the town to visit my first home.

During the journey, I decided to try practicing morphing [Water Whip] since I felt the similarities between it and [Pseudopod] were worth exploring and might aid me. I lost count of how many times my whip exploded into a burst of water, but I was making progress. Kurt and Whitney stood a safe distance away to avoid the splash zone.

We did run into a boar on the way there, and a sense of nostalgia washed over me before I promptly fired multiple magical balls of water at it. I didn't expect water to pack such a punch, but it was magical water.

"Didn't you only get your class yesterday?" Kurt asked.

"She's been practicing magic nonstop. I think Dewi has underestimated her." Whitney responded, storing away the boar for us.

Thanks to [Mapping], we easily found my tree, and I quickly climbed up to the branch and reached my arm inside the hole.

"I'm surprised you didn't notice this," I said, remembering that he had not discovered my tusks stored inside.

"That hole is tiny. Anyone would think a squirrel or something was living in there." Kurt responded, "And I was distracted by all the boar hides draped over the branch."

With Gamma maneuvered to my hand, I withdrew the bag inside the hole and pulled it out. I jumped down and showed it to both of them.

"That's certainly a fancy-looking bag. Those fake leaves are even gilded... Wait, are those even fake? They look so real." Whitney began muttering as she stared at the bag.

"I can't believe you left that in a tree." Kurt shook his head, "You really are terrible with money."

"The bag is safe. It's magic, after all." I handed it to Whitney, "Try opening it."

She tried and failed, and I was almost hopeful that she would manage to open it. Whatever was sealing that bag was a mystery that would only be solved when I found another elf.

I fastened the bag securely and smiled, then withdrew the Gigatoad skin and presented it to Whitney. With [Mana Sight], I could see a faint aura within the skin, which might have explained why its outside was resistant to the green slime.

"Think I could trade this for that staff?"

Both stared at the skin I held with disbelief.

"I can see why you didn't care about the boars..." Whitney responded.

"Can I take back my inn fees?"

"No, even if Syl is secretly an elven princess with riches beyond our imagination, you are paying off your punishment."

Kurt sighed but nodded his head reluctantly.

"As for if this is worth it or not... Maybe, once again, your harvesting is flawless, which means there are basically no lost materials. However, Gigatoads aren't exactly rare. My monster knowledge isn't the best, but I think their materials are for water and minor acid resistance." Whitney explained.

I pulled out the rage tusk and showed it off.

"Imagine the kind of spear you could make with that..." Kurt mumbled, looking envious, "I don't suppose you have sword materials in there."

"Or daggers," Whitney added.

I mentally examined my storage, going through all my various battle spoils. I figured the bear and badger materials would need to stay hidden for now, the badger having Bloodrot and the bear being a double-evolved monster. Since they had no risk of deteriorating, I could present them once I had established myself as an adventurer or perhaps in another town. That only left the Blade Wolf. I pulled out the materials one by one, causing both of them to start to shift uncomfortably.

"Is that the forest king?" Whitney asked.

"More like was the forest king..." Kurt corrected.

"I think I understand why you had Hunter and Assassin in your starting classes and why your level is so high."

"Man... I wish I was an elf," Kurt mumbled.

Both of them were staring at its tail, "That would make an excellent sword."

"Funny, I was thinking it would make an excellent matching pair of daggers."

"No way!" Kurt protested, then turned to me with pleading eyes, "Syl, you gotta sell it to me! This will start the legend of Dualblade Kurt!"

"Well... Mister Dualblade, who can afford the staff Syl wants?" Whitney responded, cheekily sticking out her tongue.

"Oh...You dirty bitch..." Kurt glared.

As they bickered and fought, I wondered what I would get from that new core. I hoped it was delicious.

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