The following day, I visited the Commerce Guild at an hour that was a little late to be called morning.
"Welcome. How may I help you today?"
"I received a request from the Guild Master, Lady Grisiela, the other day..."
I had been preparing since last night and had brewed several of the medicines from the list. I intended to ask for an audience with the Guild Master while selling the products, but—
"Well, well, if it isn't Master Takebayashi. Welcome to the Commerce Guild."
A staff member who had assisted me several times before emerged from the back and led me to a reception room. It appeared they already knew my face.
"Good to see you. You're here to sell the medicine today, right?"
The moment we met, Grisiela correctly surmised half of my business for the day.
"You're quite sharp."
"I was the one who asked, after all. I figured you would try to respond in your own way. Plus, word reached me that you attended the Adventurer Guild's instruction course. Considering when that ended, when you received my message, and the time it takes to brew medicine, it was an easy guess. I predicted you’d show up today or tomorrow."
As always, her ability to read people and plan ahead was almost frightening. However, that wasn't my only objective today.
"I also have one more thing I'd like to consult you about."
"Hoh? In that case, let's finish the medicine purchase quickly."
"Please. Item Box."
I produced roughly fifty bottles of medicine.
"I made what I could using the materials I had on hand. I still have some Grel Frog materials left over."
"Will you make more if I arrange for the materials?"
"If it's within my capabilities."
The Guild Master used Appraisal on a bottle she had picked at random and gave a short snort.
"Was there any medicine on that list you couldn't make?"
"Even if I know the recipe, there are some I've never actually produced. There were parts I wanted you to inspect this time as well, just to be sure."
"I see. I've looked at a few, and the quality is consistent; the effects are fine, too. I have no complaints. I'll have the materials for the medicines we're low on gathered, so bring those in next time, alright?"
"Understood."
Once I agreed, she immediately called for a staff member and ordered the appraisal, storage, payment, and preparation of new materials in rapid succession. Once the employee left, she continued.
"So? What was this other matter you wanted to discuss?"
"Plume Diamonds."
As soon as I spoke the name at her prompting, her gaze sharpened.
"Are you familiar with them?"
"When you've been in this business as long as I have, you hear things. Do you... have one?"
"I have an heirloom from my grandmother. She told me to sell it if I ever fell on hard times."
I also explained that I was preparing my formal wear for an upcoming visit.
"...And so, I thought about having the gemstone set into an accessory, but I realized I didn't actually know its value. I started wondering if it was appropriate for such a purpose."
"I'll praise you for bringing this to me instead of taking it to some amateur. Do you have it on you now?"
I took a cloth bundle out of my Item Box and gently handed it over. Inside, I had placed a single Plume Diamond, which I had separated into a stone roughly the size of a thumbnail. Simply dividing or shaping it hadn't changed the Appraisal results, so it was definitely the real thing, but...
The Guild Master opened the bundle and stared at the gem as if trying to memorize every facet before casting appraisal magic. Immediately afterward, she let out an exasperated sigh.
"Is it a fake?"
"It's the real deal. Honestly, how on earth did you get your hands on such a large Plume Jewel? The transparency is incredible. And it's a diamond, a beautiful colorless one at that... The cut is a bit regrettable, but it's quite the masterpiece."
When I asked for more details, she explained that "Plume" was a technical term representing a specific grade of gemstone, which apparently meant "special" in an ancient tongue.
"In other words, it's a top-tier product."
"It's beyond 'high-class.' It's special. Listen. Gemstones usually contain impurities like grains of sand, minute scratches, or tiny cavities. At least, the natural ones do."
Ah... hearing that reminded me. Natural gemstones end up with inclusions or cavities during the geological process of their formation. In contrast, gemstones created through alchemy were flawless.
"...You have that kind of knowledge despite not knowing what 'Plume' meant?"
"I just remembered it now."
"Your knowledge is strangely lopsided. Well, if you understand that much, this will be quick. This gemstone has absolutely no flaws. That is the requirement for a stone to bear the name 'Plume.' However, such gems aren't produced in this day and age."
"Not in the modern era?"
"I don't know if they were like that from the start or if people just shaved away only the cleanest parts of regular gems, but they apparently existed long ago, way before old hags like me were born. I've heard stories of them being discovered in ruins or used in national treasures passed down from antiquity. When they hit the market, nobles used to scramble to get their hands on them. Most of the ones still in existence are treated as family heirlooms."
If they existed in the past, it suggested that someone else had once used alchemy to create gems. An otherworlder like me... Perhaps it was the "Alchemy King" I heard about from Gain and the others? I decided to look into it if the opportunity arose.
"Would it be a mistake to turn it into an accessory?"
"You don't need to worry that much. While it's certainly not something to go around bragging about, you're only going to the Ducal House for greetings, right? If that's the case, it shouldn't turn into a hassle. Even if some strange noble fixes their eyes on it, it's unlikely to turn into a conflict immediately. They'd probably start by asking you to sell it, so you could just sell it then. You aren't particularly attached to it, even if it is a memento, are you?"
"Can you tell?"
"I can read that much."
The Guild Master gave a wry grin. She didn't press me on it, but I wondered if she found that part of my story suspicious, too. I decided not to say anything unnecessary.
"Well, if you're really worried about it, you'll face fewer problems if you sell it off sooner rather than trying to hide it."
In other words, it was too late to worry about it once I was seen with it. In that case, I would just be open about it and use it for the accessory. As for the rest of the material, should I crush it and feed it to the slimes? Or should I give some to the Ducal House—
"Pardon me. The payment and materials are ready."
The staff member from earlier returned. The Guild Master pushed the diamond back toward me, signaling me to put it away quickly.
"Come in."
She gave permission once she confirmed I had stowed the gem. Three employees entered. One carried a heavy leather bag, and the other two held bags of various sizes. They lined the items up on the table, handed a sheet of paper to the Guild Master, and bowed out.
Grisiela looked over the paper for a moment, nodded in satisfaction, and then slid the paper toward me.
"Check the reward and the materials."
When I reviewed it, the amount of the reward caught my eye. Each bottle of medicine I had brought was listed at three thousand suut.
"I feel like this is too much."
"The demand for good antidotes won't run out for a while, and the customers are all nobles or wealthy merchants. Besides, we need our producers to stay motivated so that the medicine isn't hoarded and kept from those who truly need it. The quality was high, and considering the timing, it’s a fair price. However, once the season passes, the price will return to normal, so make sure to turn those materials I gave you into medicine and bring them back soon."
"Understood."
I didn't have plans to travel far for a while, so I intended to finish them quickly.
"By the way, Ryoma. I heard you got permission for bandit subjugation from Wogan."
"Where did you hear that?"
"I heard it from the man himself. We were talking about another matter and it came up. Do you actually intend to do it?"
"Combat is my specialty. I have no problem facing human opponents."
"I know. That's why he gave the permission. If that's the case, make sure to show your face at the Commerce Guild frequently. Bandit activity affects our business, too. Our network of informants should prove useful to you."
"That's a good point. Thank you very much."
"A merchant uses every tool at their disposal. If you hunt bandits based on our information, it results in a profit for us, too."
That was also true. The Guild Master's advice always took mutual profit into consideration.
"I look forward to working with you."
"Certainly..."
I thanked the clerk from the previous day, handed over the diamond for the commission, and departed the tailor shop. It seemed that, unlike me, he knew exactly how much a Plume Diamond was worth.
Due to his profession, he was clearly well-versed in gemstones. The moment I showed it to him and mentioned I wanted to use it, he realized it was a rare find. His attitude had shifted noticeably once he held it to confirm. His naturally polite demeanor became even more exceptionally formal.
I had paid a bit extra as hush money, but since I hadn't spent anything on the gemstone itself, I considered it a wash. I had also learned what to look out for when creating gemstones, so it was a small price to pay for a lesson.
Now, for the next item on my schedule... the Familiar Aptitude Diagnosis I had heard about from Roche. Even though I thought I was walking leisurely, I arrived at my destination quickly. It seemed the shop and the Tamer Guild were closer together than I had realized.
"Hello. I heard that I could receive a Familiar Aptitude Diagnosis here. Would it be possible to take it today?"
"Welcome to the Tamer Guild. An aptitude diagnosis? Yes, we can do that. Please present your Guild Card."
At the reception desk of the guild I hadn't visited in some time, I presented my card as requested.
"Oh? It looks like you’ve never had one."
"That's right. I already had tamed monsters before I registered here."
"I see. The initial aptitude diagnosis is free of charge. Please take this document to the East Gate."
The receptionist returned my Guild Card along with a slip of paper that looked like an examination permit.
"The East Gate?"
"Yes. During the diagnosis, you will attempt to form contracts with various types of monsters provided by the guild. We analyze the results to identify patterns and determine which monsters you are most compatible with. Because of that, we require a significant amount of land to house and manage the monsters. We have a large-scale monster housing facility attached to the East Gate, so the diagnosis monsters are kept there."
That made sense.
"Thank you very much. I'll head there right away."
"You're very welcome. I wish you the best of luck."
And so, I set off for the East Gate. Come to think of it, I believe this was my first time ever visiting that side of the city.