The next day.
When I woke up and stepped outside, it was still dim.
Did I go to bed too early? It was still much too early to head into town.
With that in mind, I decided to expand the mine tunnel to include a kitchen and a warehouse. I also took the opportunity to organize my Item Box. While I’d moved most of the medicinal herbs to the compounding room, I still had a pile of unsold pelts and other items sitting in there.
Pelts, pelts, pelts, pelts, pelts... black tea? The tea belongs in the kitchen.
Pelts, pelts, pelts, pelts, pelts, pelts... money? Ah, this must be where the bandits' belongings start. Weapons, armor, armor, weapons, weapons... Come to think of it, I’d completely forgotten about Merzen’s spear. I should try that out sometime soon. And next... pelts.
"More pelts. There’s way too many of them... Why was I so diligent about keeping every single one? I could have just fed them to the slimes so they didn't go to waste."
As I continued sorting through the mess, I found something strange.
"What is this?"
I held a single goblet in my hand. All my tableware was either stone created with Earth Magic or carved out of wood, yet this goblet was silver. Moreover, it was decorated with gold and encrusted with gemstones.
Why was something this expensive-looking in my Item Box? It shouldn't have been among the bandits' loot; I’d checked everything once before leaving the forest, and there hadn't been anything this magnificent. Yet, it looked familiar...
On a whim, I tried to Appraise the goblet.
Artifact: Goblet of the God of Wine Tekun An Artifact created by the God of Wine Tekun. Imbued with the power of the God of Wine. If mana is offered as compensation, wine will well up from it without end. Owner: Ryoma Takebayashi
!?!? Wait a minute, what is this? Why do I have something as grand as an Artifact...?!
"I remember now! This is what Tekun handed to me when we met! Wait, did I actually bring it back with me!?"
Thinking back, I’d been in such a rush that I’d shoved everything I’d taken out back into the Item Box... It must have gotten mixed in then.
"This is bad, isn't it? For now, I have to go to the church!"
I gently placed the goblet back into my Item Box, had the slimes return to their Dimension Home, and rushed to town. I ran at full speed.
I arrived in town and headed straight for the church. A girl was just opening the doors as I reached the front.
"Oh, are you here for morning prayer?"
"Yes, is it all right if I come in now?"
"Yes, please. But it’s unusual to see someone arrive this early in the morning..."
I didn't really have time for small talk, but I answered anyway.
"I’ve been busy with work lately. I figured this was the only time I could make it."
"I see."
Once again, I was guided to the chapel. To be honest, I already knew the way and wanted to just bolt past her to get there as fast as possible. However, I kept up appearances, thanked the girl, and sat in a pew to pray.
Tekun! Please take me to the Divine Realm!! As I focused on that wish, my vision was bleached white with light after a few seconds. My prayer had been heard!
When the light faded and I turned around, Tekun was standing there. I let out a sigh of relief.
"Ryoma? You called? Wait, how did you call me? I definitely heard your voice just now."
"I prayed at the church."
"Hey, now... you shouldn't be able to call me just with that. If it were that easy to summon a god, we’d be constantly hounded by someone or other."
"Even if you say that... I have something important to talk to you about."
"What is it? Did something happen?"
Rather than explaining with words, I pulled Tekun’s goblet from my Item Box. Tekun’s eyes went wide, and he looked back and forth between the goblet and the spatial rift of the Item Box.
"The last time we met, you ran off and left me behind, remember?"
"Y-Yeah..."
"At the time, I was busy looking for snacks to go with the wine inside my Item Box when my time ran out. When I hurriedly packed everything away, the goblet got mixed in with my luggage. I only noticed it this morning when I was organizing my items... I’m sorry. I didn't mean to take it without permission."
"I don’t really mind, but... were you actually able to take that with you?"
"I put it in the Item Box and it just seemed to come with me, but I was able to take it out properly over on the other side."
"You took it out... hey, wait... In the first place, magic—no, what’s necessary for magic is spirit and mana... so I guess it’s not impossible?"
Tekun scratched his head and then spoke.
"Let me see that for a second."
He pointed at the goblet, so I handed it over. Tekun turned it over in his hands, stroking it as if confirming its state.
"......Ryoma, I really don't mind that you took this. Among humans, these are worshipped as Artifacts, but we can make as many of these as we want. Besides, it looks like this has already become yours."
"Mine? Come to think of it, when I Appraised it, it listed the owner as Ryoma Takebayashi..."
"Probably because I left it with you back then. It’s essentially as if I bestowed an Artifact upon you. This is completely yours now. Here, have a drink."
Tekun produced a bottle from somewhere, filled the goblet, and handed it back.
"Is it really okay? Just like that? Also, it's still morning..."
"Don't worry about it. Right now, you're just a soul. Your physical body won't get drunk. More importantly, if we’re going to talk, we have to have a drink first, right? Like I said, I don't mind the goblet because I can make as many as I want. Besides, we’ve bestowed Artifacts upon humans in the past. The things we did at the request of Otherworlders varied in power, but most of them are Artifacts, you know? There's no problem with giving them to humans. The wine is much more important."
Is it really okay for him to be that casual about it!?
"Well, it’ll cause an uproar if people find out you have an Artifact, so keep it hidden. Just use it when you’re drinking alone or something."
"I see... I understand. As long as there's no problem, that's fine. Even if it wasn't on purpose, I was worried since I’d taken something from here without permission."
I took a sip from the goblet. The wine was delicious today as well, but it felt considerably weaker than the last batch. I wondered if Tekun was being considerate of the time of day.
"Gahaha! Sure, there are some things that would be trouble if they were taken, but those are strictly managed. You wouldn't even be able to see them, let alone take them by mistake. There’s nothing to worry about. Besides, it’s just a goblet that produces wine. It’s much safer than an Artifact like a sword that boosts a user’s stats or cuts through castle walls like paper. If anything, I’m more curious about how you were able to take it with you at all... well, I guess it doesn't matter."
"Doesn't it? I mean, are you normally not able to take things?"
"Of course not! You can't just accidentally take things from the Divine Realm... In the first place, it's weird that a human can even come here."
Now that he mentioned it, that was true...
"I’d forgotten because I’ve come here so many times."
"Coming here is one thing, but Gain and the others said the influence of them summoning you to that world is starting to show. It's probably because of that."
"I hear that a lot, but is it really okay?"
"Who knows... I'm the God of Wine and Technology. If you ask me something like that, I won't have an answer. If it were Fernobelia, he might know something."
Fernobelia? That was a name I hadn't heard before.
"Who is this Fernobelia?"
"Ah, you don't know him? He’s the God of Magic, Fernobelia. He’s a bit of a shut-in who stays in his own domain, so I don't really know what he’s up to, but when it comes to magic and knowledge, he’s the most well-informed of all. However, he rarely even meets with me, and I’m a fellow god. I don't know if you'll ever get the chance to meet him."
"I see. Usually, there aren't any problems, and Gain and the others told me there wouldn't be any negative effects, so I’m not worried. But if there’s a reason for it, I’d like to know."
"It’s only natural to want to know why strange things are happening to you."
As Tekun said that, the light around us began to intensify. It seemed earlier than usual.
"Ah, it's time."
I hurriedly finished my drink and put the goblet back into the Item Box.
"Ho, so this is what it looks like when you go back..."
"Come to think of it, you weren't watching last time. Were you able to meet Gain and the others after that?"
"Yeah, I caught them right as they got back. They really were visiting your world. This time, I made them agree to let me go on a liquor tour of Earth!"
Tekun let out a boisterous laugh.
"I see. Just don't overdo it... wait, can a God of Wine even get drunk?"
"You bet! I’m going to drink until I’m drowning in it and have a blast!"
"By the way, what happens to the alcohol on Earth in that case? Does it just disappear?"
"Nah, it’s not like that. Whether there or here, we use our divine power to create copies of the things that exist in that world so we can enjoy them. Your goblet is the same; you pour in mana, and wine is created inside it. No matter how much you drink, it doesn't mean someone else’s supply is running out."
"I see. Then I can use it without any guilt."
Tekun laughed.
"Exactly. Enjoy the wine! Alcohol is meant to be enjoyed!"
I tried to respond, but my vision was bleached white, and I found myself back in the chapel.
"...I didn't make it in time. I wonder if it’ll reach him if I pray here?"
Thank you. I'll enjoy myself over here as well. I hope you have a great time on your tour.
After offering my prayer and a donation, I left the church.
Now then, to the shop. I was a bit late today, and opening time had already passed.
As I walked toward the shop, I heard a large group of people laughing nearby.
It sounded like they were having a great time. Where was it coming from... my shop?
The source was indeed my shop. The people outside were roaring with laughter. What was going on?
When I peered inside, I saw Li Ling-san finishing off two men. What were they doing?
"Good morning, Li Ling-san."
"Ah, Shopkeeper. Good morning, ne. I’m just finishing tying these guys up, so wait a second, yo."
Li Ling-san was quickly binding the two men. In the meantime, I asked Caulm-san, who was managing the counter, for an explanation.
"What happened?"
"It’s been a while, but it’s more thugs."
"Eh? Then why were the customers laughing their heads off? I could understand screaming, but why laughter?"
"Actually..."
Apparently, these thugs had tried to ruin the shop’s reputation by complaining about the laundry. They had deliberately applied stubborn stains that normally wouldn't come out. However, they were no match for the Cleaner Slimes. In front of a large crowd of onlookers, the thugs had shouted, "The stains didn't come out!" while spreading out laundry that had been cleaned to a perfect shine.
The sight was so ridiculous that someone started laughing, and it spread through the crowd until everyone was in hysterics. When the thugs tried to turn violent, Li Ling-san promptly neutralized them, which was right when I arrived.
Furthermore, a member of the Guard Force happened to be passing by, and a customer had called out to them. The thugs were hauled away on the spot for business obstruction.
"I can’t tell if they’re lucky or unlucky..."
"No time to get info out of them, ne."
I called Carla-san and Fei-san to the back of the shop to talk, but for now, we decided to maintain the status quo. We would wait for the results of the Guard Force's interrogation and talk again if we found anything else we could do.
Oh, right, yesterday's antidote.
"This is the antidote I made yesterday. Please keep it here just in case."
"Understood."
Carla-san and Fei-san took enough bottles for the entire staff and left.
Now then, what should I do? Is there anything I can do for the shop’s security...? Come to think of it, the windows in this shop aren't very sturdy. Could I use that?
To test my idea, I headed back to the abandoned mine and drew three magic circles in a wide tunnel.
I asked the Sticky Slimes to spit their hardening fluid into a box I’d prepared.
I used one of the circles to perform Separation, removing half of the moisture from the liquid.
"One more time, please."
I had them spit more fluid into the box where the volume had decreased.
Next, I used a Mixing Circle to blend it, then performed Separation again to remove the moisture.
By repeating this process multiple times, I concentrated the Sticky Slimes' hardening fluid.
Back when I was still in the forest, I had tested what happened when I used Alchemy to concentrate the fluid.
The result was that the hardening fluid became significantly harder than usual. Normally, once the fluid dries, it's brittle enough to crack with a little force. However, the concentrated version was so hard that I had to use strengthening magic just to break it.
Among the Alchemy circles, there is a "Deformation" circle—two squares inside a circle, offset by 45 degrees. A lump of Concentrated Hardening Fluid about the size of a baseball wouldn't break easily even with my full strength.
If I formed this into plates, I could use it like window glass.
"Why didn't I think of this until now?"
This Concentrated Hardening Fluid was remarkably transparent. It wasn't perfectly colorless, but it only had a slight yellow tint that most people wouldn't notice. If I used Deformation to shape it into plates, it would work perfectly for windows.
At the very least, it was sturdier than the wooden shutters common in this country. Plus, I could let light in without having to open the window and let the cold wind inside.
In terms of letting in light, glass did exist. However, while blown glass products like bottles were cheap and common, plate glass used for windows was expensive because it had to be produced with magic.
While plate glass could be made with blown glass techniques, quality control regulations meant only master craftsmen could sell it, leading to low production volumes.
I had considered getting window glass before, but according to my knowledge of construction, even the cheapest pane would cost a Medium Gold Coin. That was why I’d given up on glass and used wood when I built the shop.
But if I made plates with this Concentrated Hardening Fluid, they could serve as a substitute! On top of that, their hardness made them great for security, and they were extremely resistant to fire and heat.
As a side note, the Concentrated Adhesive Fluid did harden, but it wasn't very strong—it was actually quite brittle. Furthermore, it was cloudy and opaque, and it was highly flammable. While normal dried adhesive fluid was only slightly more flammable than cloth, a lump of Concentrated Adhesive Fluid burned vigorously. I was surprised to find its properties were the exact opposite of the hardening fluid.
Since the hardening fluid was too hard to work with easily and the adhesive fluid was too brittle and unnecessary as fuel because of Fire Magic, I’d left them alone until now. I never expected to find a use for them here.
"I’ve been relying on Earth Magic and barriers to keep the cold out... I didn't think of this at all."
I continued working while muttering to myself, and by evening, I had finished creating fifty Concentrated Hardening Fluid Plates for the windows.