Chapter 21 Slave To Money
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The people of this world rose early and went to bed early, their lives governed by strict routines.
He thought to himself, These bastards are already hard at work! The old stories said people of the past were diligent because survival demanded it, and it seemed the inhabitants of this world were no different. Even modern Japanese shared that trait. In that way, all people were slaves bound by chains of money.
Sadly, he too had become such a slave. Early that morning, he set out on foot toward the Alchemist Guild. Today marked the beginning of his industrial espionage—though more accurately, he was to serve as a lowly errand boy.
When he reached the Guild’s entrance, he threw open the door and cheerfully greeted, “Good morning!”
Master Rhines snapped at him, “Loud as hell! What’s with all the noise this early?!”
He winced inwardly at the harshness of the welcome.
From that moment until the end of the day, he carried out endless chores—cleaning the building, running errands—while stealing glances at Rhines’s potion-making and the piles of alchemy books scattered about. Despite the exhausting labor, he found the day strangely fulfilling.
He made a mental checklist for his day off: gather healing herbs, rare azaleas, delicate ferns, mystical mushrooms, and potent moss.
It became clear that potion-making required both basic herbs and additive materials.
Fortunately, he had a small amount of money and a dagger. That would have to be enough for the time being. The real challenge lay ahead.
After just one day, he came to a firm conclusion: he had to graduate from this old woman’s menial tasks and open his own shop. Right now, he was nothing more than an unpaid part-timer. Without learning the skills to survive here, his future was bleak.
Unfortunately, Master Rhines tolerated him only as a favor. She wouldn’t teach him willingly, so he had to learn on his own initiative.
Determined to absorb everything, he stayed late after hours, studying at the Guild. Rhines was caught off guard.
”Enough already! Go home, now!” she shouted.
After several days, Rhines finally announced, “Tomorrow the Guild will be closed! It’s a holiday! If you come, I’ll throw you out!”
He replied calmly, “Is that so… a holiday? Then I’ll gather materials for my alchemy.”
To his surprise, she allowed him to use the alchemy room after the holiday—but only for a fee, and only during lunch breaks and after work.
He returned to the inn he stayed at, excitement building for the holiday ahead…
Notes:
• Rhines – A weary apothecary who serves as the protagonist’s mentor at the Alchemist Guild.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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