Chapter 34
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Seria and I agreed to exchange magic catalysts inside the dungeon, and we discussed when she could receive the catalysts from the merchant guild.
”You can tell me anytime before they arrive. I’m basically free.”
It might not be good for her, but it works out for me, so we decided she would come back to inform me once the purchase of the catalysts was confirmed, and then we parted ways.
”Well then, thank you.”
As we left the annex with the consultation room, Seria bowed to me and returned to the tent in front of the dungeon.
A woman who seemed to be a colleague of Seria called out to her, looking worried… it seemed like she was checking if I had done anything strange to her.
When Seria quickly denied it, her face relaxed, so I felt relieved that the weird suspicion was cleared up, and I left the area.
Now, I should head to the merchant guild called “Hooters,” which Frederica told me about.
She said it was in the southwest area of the city, but this city is big, so her directions were pretty vague. I guess I’ll have to ask around as I go.
* * *
After walking for a while, I entered a few alleys where there were no people and checked my direction with a compass while heading southwest.
Since there were many unarmed people around, I thought this area might be a shopping district. As I continued, I noticed a particularly large building compared to the others.
Frederica said “Hooters” was a big merchant guild, so that might be it.
As I got closer, it turned out to be a shop after all, and in front of the wide entrance, some women were trying to attract customers.
”Welcome! We have some items on sale just for this time!”
The women, wearing clothes that are a bit small for their bodies, call out loudly.
Since they are wearing red scarves, it seems they are not the products themselves.
A little distance away, there are men watching them.
I’ve heard this isn’t a high-end store, so it shouldn’t be impossible to enter just because I don’t have much money.
Could it be that they’ve been banned for some reason?
Still, the women calling out might be here because they want to be seen.
As I watch this scene, I approach the store and check the sign.
Yep, it says “General Store Hooters.”
While I’m confirming that, the women calling out speak to me.
”Welcome! The items that adventurers often look for are on the 3rd and 4th floors!”
Looking up at her words, I can see that this building has 6 floors.
I wonder how many floors are for selling?
I imagine the top floor has the manager’s room, but it would be a bit annoying if there are no escalators or elevators.
As other customers come and go, I’m curious about how they handle that when I’m spoken to again by one of the women.
”Excuse me?”
”Oh, sorry. I’ll come in.”
”Yes, please take your time!”
When I enter “Hooters,” there are a lot of customers, making it hard to see, but I can still tell the store is spacious.
It looks like it’s not quite 100 meters square, but including the back area, it might be that big.
The first floor seems to mainly have groceries and daily necessities, and it looks like there are more female customers.
The staff seemed to have more women than men, each wearing their respective uniforms. The men looked like waiters, while the women wore slightly tight uniforms similar to those who were outside calling customers in.
Both seemed to be well-groomed, so it might be a big factor in their hiring standards.
Naturally, I was drawn to the female staff, but I was trying to find Iris, who should have arrived before me… but I couldn’t find her.
This floor had supplies that adventurers might want, so it wouldn’t be strange for me to be wandering around.
However, a person in full armor who wasn’t looking at any products and showed no signs of wanting to buy anything stood out, mainly attracting suspicious glances from female customers.
Worried about the attention, I decided to head to the stairs at the edge of the floor to look on other levels, but… a woman in the store’s uniform called out to me.
”Excuse me, are you looking for something?”
She was a young beauty with long, light brown hair tied in a ponytail.
Like the others, her body shape was noticeable, and while I couldn’t help but glance at her figure… my desire to finish my business quickly won out, and I answered her question.
”Yeah. I am looking for someone, but it’s my companion who should have arrived before me. We were supposed to meet in this store, so she should be here…”
”Your companion? What kind of person is she?”
”She’s a female adventurer, around 20 years old, wearing a sword and armor… well, she’s pretty.”
When I answered, the female staff seemed to recall something and mentioned my name.
”Oh, could it be Sir Mose?”
”Yeah. If you know that, do you also know about Iris?”
”Yes. A little while ago, when I called out to Mrs. Wendy, she mentioned you had a request and that you were carrying a letter of introduction from someone, so I guided you just now.”
I heard that Iris was waiting for me near the entrance. Even though she was just one woman, it was a problem for someone armed to stay there, so it seems she called out to me.
She probably wanted to avoid crossing paths with me.
Since Iris had the letter of introduction for Wendy, she was made to wait in another room. After confirming that the letter was genuine, she was guided to Wendy.
”I see. But, I think that means I need to prove that I am Mose…”
”Ah, yes. So, may I ask who the letter is from?”
Saying that, the female staff member turned her ear toward me.
It might serve as proof to some extent, but… is that really okay? I thought, but since it was from the person herself, I whispered my answer to her ear.
”It’s a letter of introduction from Frederica Vermillion.”
”Mm~♡… Y-yes. It seems to be Sir Mose himself, so I will guide you to Mrs. Wendy.”
The female staff member reacted a bit strangely to my whisper, but for now, I decided to let her guide me.
”Please, this way.”
”Hm? The stairs are over there, but…”
For some reason, she was heading toward a door on the opposite side instead of the stairs that were right there.
As she walked, she answered my question.
”Regular visitors need to pay, but there is something over there that allows for easy access to the upper floor.”
”Oh?”
It seemed there was something like an elevator, so I followed her… and we arrived in front of a door, which the female staff member opened.
*Click… Click*.
”Please, go inside.”
In front of the open door was a box-like gondola, and the entrance gate was also open, inviting me to get on.
…Is this really safe?
Looking at the level of technological advancement in the city, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy about safety.
Well, there weren’t any gaps where a person could fall, and there was a hatch in the ceiling that seemed to be for maintenance or emergencies, so if it stopped, I could manage somehow.
Besides, I can fly with my Magic Armor, and since I replenished my magic power with magic stones in the dungeon today, I should be able to withstand a fall from the gondola to some extent.
”Um, are you okay? We have a rule to always keep a certain amount of magic stones stocked, so we won’t fall midway.”
The female staff member said this with a wry smile as I hesitated to get on the gondola and peeked inside.
”Magic stones? Is this a magic item?”
”Yes. Excuse me for a moment… there are magic stones in this box, and they supply magic power to the magic item from here.”
The female staff member, who got on the gondola before me, pointed to a box attached to the wall.
The box had grooves, and I could see the magic stones inside.
There were horizontal lines on the surface of the box, so that must be the standard amount that needs to be stocked.
Next to it were buttons indicating up and down, which I assumed were for operation.
That means… in this world without electrical devices, they probably can’t make electrical switches, so the whole gondola might be a magic item.
I was curious about the details, but she must have her own job, so I felt bad for taking up more of her time and got on the gondola.
”Now, we’re going up~♪.”
When the female staff member closed the door and the gondola’s gate, she pressed the up button, and the gondola started moving silently.
There was no motor sound, but it seemed like she had to keep pressing the button to make it move, so she held it down.
There were numbers written on the back of the door, so it looked like she was checking our location and operating it manually.
As I waited for us to reach the upper floor, we arrived at the 6th floor at a speed not much different from an elevator.
The female staff member made small adjustments to eliminate the gap at the boarding area, and once she finished, she released the button and opened the door and gate.
The gondola stayed suspended in the air, and I wondered if it consumed magic power during this time.
”Please, step down.”
As I was encouraged to get off the gondola, the female staff member, who had closed the gondola’s gate and the door on this floor, came down and led me again.
The hallway was lined with not flashy but seemingly high-end decorations, and there were security guards placed around, but they didn’t say anything to me.
I thought it was probably because the staff member was guiding me, so I didn’t worry and continued until we arrived in front of a room labeled “Reception Room.”
”You can wait here.”
The female staff member said this, knocked on the door, and asked for permission to enter.
”Ms. Irisss, I brought him!”
”Oh, yes! Please come in!”
Huh? I thought I was supposed to check with Ms. Wendy in this case, but… is Iris the only one in the room right now?
If so, how does she know that?
While I had these questions, the door opened, and I was invited in with a “please come in,” and I reunited with Iris, who seemed to have just stood up from the sofa.
I felt relieved that I had made it here safely, but I was surprised by the words that came out of her mouth.
”Ah, Mose… I mean Ms. Wendy, why are you dressed like that?”
”Eh?”
When I said that, the female staff member who guided me looked at me and introduced herself.
”Nice to meet you. I’m Wendy Hooters, the manager of ‘Hooters General Store’♪.”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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