13. Laying It All Out

Ten gold coins was a staggering sum of money. At the Wildcat Inn, that would cover five hundred nights, meals included. Come to think of it, the Wildcat was actually a bit pricier than the other inns around. I was supposed to have been introduced to a cheap place, but I liked the atmosphere so much I’d just stayed put.

Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked. My point is that ten gold coins was a small fortune. Just imagine having enough cash to stay at a high-end hotel for five hundred nights—that gives you an idea of how insane ten gold coins really was.

Naturally, the value of money here differed from my previous life, so it wasn't a perfect comparison. Lodging and food, in particular, were cheaper here. Even so, ten gold coins was a massive windfall. According to Rei, it was roughly equivalent to the annual income of a wealthy city-dweller. To think you could haul that in from a single treasure chest... being an adventurer really was the stuff of dreams.

The item itself turned out to be a Pitcher of Purification. If you filled it with water, the contents would be purified and rendered safe to drink. Back in my old world, that might not sound like much, but here, it was incredibly valuable. Access to clean water was hard to come by. There was no such thing as treated tap water, and fuel for boiling wasn't free. Most commoners just drank straight from the river, risks be damned.

You could conjure water with magic, so the pitcher wasn't exactly a "must-have" item for survival, but Rei and the others still rated its practicality very highly. Since it was also a masterpiece of craftsmanship, its value was undeniable. Rei estimated ten gold coins, but he admitted it could easily fetch even more.

"It's a handy item, but like I said before, we're better off selling it, right?"

Mil and I nodded at Rei’s confirmation. On the other hand, Sally looked deeply dissatisfied.

"What?! That’s such a waste! It guarantees us clean water. We should keep it for ourselves!"

"No way," Mil countered, flatly dismissing the suggestion. "I wouldn't feel right lugging around a pitcher worth ten gold coins just for casual use. It’s not the kind of thing you bring on an expedition."

I was of the exact same opinion. I couldn’t use a pitcher that expensive with any peace of mind. I could already see myself being too stressed to relax during breaks, terrified I might drop it.

"Th-then I'll buy it! I'll find the money somehow!"

"No, give it a rest, Sally," Mil sighed. "You've been buying up all sorts of magic scrolls lately; you don't have the budget for this. If you buy magic tools you don't need, you'll definitely regret it later."

"Ugh... No fair..."

Sally had gone as far as offering to buy it herself, but after being reasoned with by Mil, she reluctantly gave up. I thought that was for the best. After all, we could produce water with the <Create Water> spell. Once we got the money from the sale, maybe it would be better to invest in more scrolls.

Now, about this pitcher. Selling it was fine, but I foresaw a bit of a problem. If we didn't choose our buyer carefully, wouldn't we end up losing out? We needed someone who truly understood its value. It might have been a bit of a prejudice, but I worried a shop might try to lowball us, thinking we were just rookie adventurers who didn't know any better.

"If we’re going to sell it, we need to be careful about where we go," I said. "If we pick the wrong place, they’ll try to cheat us."

"Hm? Is that so... You have a point," Rei admitted. "In that case, should I handle the sale through my own connections? They’re very proper about that sort of thing, so we won't have to worry about being cheated. Does that work for you?"

"Yeah. I don't have any leads of my own, so that's a big help."

If Rei was the son of a noble or a wealthy merchant, things likely wouldn't turn out badly. Besides, I had no connections whatsoever, so it wasn't like I had a better plan.

"Then it's settled!" Mil chirped. "As for transport... it’s probably best to put it in Tort’s Storage Ring."

"Right. I'd rather not walk around clutching a fragile piece of glass worth a fortune. Can I ask you to do it?" Rei asked.

"Yeah. Of course."

To be honest, it was a bit nerve-wracking to keep such an expensive item on my person, but as long as it was inside the Storage Ring, nothing should happen to it. Even if I had to move violently in combat, the stored items remained unaffected—a real life-saver. I honestly wondered how adventurers without storage items managed.

Well, then. The treasure was secured. It seemed like Rei and the others were planning to head back soon anyway, so all that was left was to reach the exit.

However, there was one little thing on my mind. I wondered if I should be honest about my circumstances.

Under normal circumstances, it made no sense for a gear-strapped rookie to be carrying a Storage Ring and an Appraisal Loupe. While Rei and his group didn't seem suspicious, I realized I could easily be mistaken for a thief who had stolen them.

It might have been too early to trust them completely since we’d only just met, but my gut told me they were good people. Besides, I’d used my absurdly high Luck to choose this party. They had to be decent. Probably.

And so, I gave them a brief summary of my life—or rather, the period from being sold into slavery until my liberation. I didn't mention my memories of a previous life, but I did tell them about my [Destiny God's Smile]. It would have been too difficult to explain everything else without it.

"An illegal slave trader, huh..." Rei muttered.

"Rei? Is something wrong?"

"Ah, no, it's nothing. But that skill, [Destiny God's Smile]... that’s a total cheat. Its compatibility with Pandora Gifts is especially broken."

"He's right," Mil added. "You’d better not go around telling people about that. People will absolutely try to exploit you if they find out."

"Besides," Sally chimed in, "even if it avoids 'fatal' destinies, we don't know the exact limits of that effect. It might save you from instant death, but it might not stop you from slowly wasting away from poison. You shouldn't mess with those gifts anymore."

The three of them were entirely right. If the wrong people found out about [Destiny God's Smile], I’d likely be thrown back into illegal slavery and forced to do nothing but open Pandora Gifts until I died.

"Yeah, I haven't told anyone but you guys. I won't dabble in Pandora Gifts anymore, either."

Regarding the gifts... well, I hoped I wouldn't. If I actually had one in my hands, I wasn't entirely sure my resolve wouldn't waver.

"I think it's best to keep it that way from now on," Rei concluded. "Well, we've talked enough for now. We've got our haul, so let's call it a day and head back."

I had to agree. We’d been standing around chatting in the middle of a dungeon for far too long.