Wands, canes, and rods were lined up in a row.
They were likely arranged from cheapest to most expensive, a fact I confirmed immediately with Appraisal. The wands only ever had a single empty skill slot, even if they had any at all. The canes had either one or two empty slots, while the rods boasted a maximum of three.
Common sense suggested that a weapon with more skill slots was the superior choice. However, items without any slots were overwhelmingly more common. For anyone without the Appraisal skill, finding one with a slot must have felt like a lucky bonus.
Good weapons were bound to be expensive, so I decided to start with a wand. I picked out one that had an empty skill slot.
"This one looks like a good choice."
"I'm afraid I don't know much about the quality of canes. As expected of you, Master."
To be honest, I didn't really know either.
On the opposite side of the aisle, wooden, iron, and steel sticks were on display. These were also categorized as canes, though I couldn't really tell the difference between them. I could have asked a clerk, but there was no need to go that far. It would probably look strange for an Explorer or an Adventurer to be buying a basic stick, so it was better to avoid drawing attention.
The shop was busy, so the staff didn't hover over me. I picked up a wooden stick—the cheapest of the lot—and decided to buy it as well. I needed to purchase multiple items to make the most of my thirty-percent discount skill.
As I expected, the prices were low. The wand and the wooden stick were definitely the most affordable options, and the discount made them even cheaper. At these prices, it wouldn't hurt my wallet even if they turned out to be useless.
Once we left the weapon shop, we followed the road until the storefronts began to thin out. While Quratar did have shops, the commercial district wasn't particularly large, and the variety of stores was limited. There certainly weren't any electronics retailers or mobile phone shops.
The shops only extended a few dozen meters from the central rotary. By the time I had walked a hundred meters, there wasn't another soul in sight. Taking advantage of the privacy, I opened my Item Box and stored the wand and the wooden stick.
The two items didn't occupy the same row. Since they were considered different types of weapons, they wouldn't stack. It was the same as how leather gloves and leather mittens occupied separate slots. It felt like a waste of a row, though. You'd think that since they were both canes, they could be grouped together.
"It's not huge, but it's a nice place with a decent shopping district," I remarked.
"Yes. I think it is a wonderful town."
Opposite the town center sat a residential area. The houses continued quite a distance, growing sparser the further they went. It was a quiet, peaceful neighborhood—a good place to live. Above all, having shops nearby was a huge advantage. Relying on a market that only opened once every five days, like the one in Vale, was a real hassle.
I headed back the way I came and peered down the other roads branching off the rotary. Every path felt more or less the same: a few shops near the center, with residential areas spreading out behind them. I spotted an armor shop, a clothing store, and a general goods shop.
Surprisingly, there was even a milk shop that sold eggs as well. I wondered if the same ranch raised both cows and chickens. After a quick loop around the area, we returned to the hardware store.
"Welcome back. Did you find the weapon shop?" the woman asked.
"I did. Thanks for the directions."
"I'm glad to hear it."
"Is anyone allowed to live in this town?" I asked.
"Yes. We check Intelligence Cards, of course, but there are no particular restrictions otherwise."
She said there were no restrictions, but that wasn't strictly true. The fact that they checked Intelligence Cards meant that thieves were likely barred. I suppose the ban on thieves was so obvious it didn't even need to be stated. There might be other pitfalls I wasn't aware of, but since the information on a card was limited, it didn't seem like it would be a problem for me.
"Then it shouldn't be an issue."
"Explorers come from all walks of life," she added. "Prying into someone's background is considered taboo in this town."
"I see."
Roxanne had mentioned that many Explorers chose to live in either the Imperial Capital or Quratar. Comparing the two, the Capital likely had far more regulations. It seemed that those with clean, established backgrounds gravitated toward the Capital, while everyone else ended up here. Of course, even the Capital probably had its own slums far from the palace.
"I'm the representative for the Sixth District. It’s a lovely area upstream of the river. If you're looking for a place to stay, please, let me help you."
"The Sixth District?"
"The town is divided into sectors by the six roads branching out from the center. The sector with the Explorer Guild is the First District, and the others follow counter-clockwise. This is the Sixth."
There were indeed six roads. Logically, they were more like three main thoroughfares, but since the rotary prevented you from crossing directly through, they functioned as six. The spaces between these roads formed the districts.
"So this is the Sixth District."
In each district, the most prominent location facing the Labyrinth and the rotary was reserved for a major facility. The First District had the Explorer Guild, and the Fourth had the Knight Order's station. In this town, the Guild was likely seen as more important than the Knights.
And directly in front of the Sixth District was this hardware store. I wondered if being the district representative was a testament to the owner's influence. Metalworking was a vital skill. Judging by the variety of pots, hoes, and other metal goods, this shop was a cornerstone of the local economy. Pots represented the standard of living, and hoes the level of agriculture.
"Are you an Explorer?" she asked.
"I am."
"What sort of property are you looking for?"
That was a difficult question. "Actually, I'd like to know what's available. My budget is a bit over forty thousand Nahl a year. I don't have any other specific conditions."
"Will it just be the two of you?"
"For now, yes, but in the future..."
"I see. Because you're an Explorer."
The woman cut me off with a knowing nod. She seemed like a talkative sort, which was actually quite helpful. Explorers could form parties of up to six people, and many lived with their teammates.
She glanced briefly at Roxanne, then looked back at me with a slightly unpleasant, knowing smirk. She had clearly realized Roxanne was a slave. She stared at her again, as if appraising her value. I wasn't sure how she'd figured it out, but that look was unmistakable. Perhaps it was her experience as a representative, or maybe it was just common for Explorers to have slaves in their parties, as the trader back in Vale had suggested.
"Um..." Roxanne started.
"You've got a fine girl there," the woman said, talking right over Roxanne as she tried to speak. "Would you prefer somewhere close to the Labyrinth?"
"I don't have a strong preference."
In Quratar, being close to the Labyrinth meant being close to the town center, which naturally drove up the rent. I could just use Warp to get to the Labyrinth anyway. Even if I had errands in the shopping district, warping to the wall of the nearby Adventurer Guild would be close enough.
"For forty thousand, you could get an apartment if you want to be near the Labyrinth. If you don't mind being further out—or if you're not an Adventurer—you could rent a standalone house."
"I don't mind if it's a bit of a walk."
As expected, proximity meant higher costs. Since I had no reason to live right next to the Labyrinth, a cheaper place further away was better.
"If you aren't an Adventurer, a house built with Shielding Cement would be ideal, wouldn't it?"
"Shielding Cement...?"
"Walls made with Shielding Cement block the use of Field Walk, so they're quite inconvenient for Adventurers," the woman explained.
I didn't recognize the term, so I looked to Roxanne for help. She stepped in immediately. She was truly a lifesaver. She managed to provide the explanation in a way that didn't expose my ignorance to the lady.
Apparently, Shielding Cement was a material designed to block the Field Walk skill. It made sense; Adventurers who relied on that skill usually lived further from the Labyrinth where rent was cheaper, but they couldn't warp into a house covered in the stuff.
"You can still move around if you use things like screens or dividers properly. So even if you become an Adventurer later, it won't be a problem."
"Could I see the place?"
The lady was relaxed because she assumed I was just an Explorer, but I planned to use Warp. I needed to test whether or not my skill would work through those walls.
"Certainly. I'll get ready."
She disappeared into the back of the shop and returned a moment later with another person.
"Have a safe trip," the newcomer called out as we left. They were likely a substitute to mind the shop while the representative was away.
"This way."
She led us back toward the Adventurer Guild. Since the house was far from the Labyrinth, we were naturally heading toward the outskirts.
"How is the climate here?" Roxanne asked.
"It's lovely. Cool in the summer, and we don't get much snow in the winter."
"And the rainfall?"
I listened as Roxanne chatted with the lady. I wondered if renting a house now was a bit impulsive. Perhaps I should wait until I knew more about this world or had a clearer plan for the future. I probably should have checked for things like earthquakes, volcanoes, or floods.
But then again, I didn't have many options. It was either here or the Imperial Capital. There might be other livable places, but if I spent months researching, it would be cheaper to just rent a place now. Unless this turned out to be a truly terrible location, I wasn't likely to regret it just because a slightly better town existed somewhere else.
The representative led the way, with Roxanne expertly drawing information out of her. It seemed I didn't need to worry much about natural disasters.
In the Sixth District, the tall buildings were concentrated near the center. Further out, it became a residential neighborhood with two-story houses spaced comfortably apart. It felt like a quiet suburb in the countryside.
As the houses grew sparser and vacant lots and fields became more common, we encountered a man who greeted the lady.
Forty years old, Villager Level 53?
He was a Villager of an incredibly high level. He looked lean and sturdy—was he actually powerful, or was I just letting the numbers influence my perception?
"That was my husband," the lady said after a brief exchange with the man.
"He looks very strong."
"There are no walls around this town. Since it's built around the Labyrinth, walls wouldn't serve much purpose. Monsters can spawn anywhere in town, though they're usually weak. You can't live here if you're afraid of them. My husband and I both head into the Labyrinth at least once every three days."
According to Roxanne, monsters didn't just stay inside the Labyrinth; they also appeared on the surface nearby. We'd seen that with the Slow Rabbits near the First Village and the Gumi Slimes during our carriage ride. Most cities were walled to protect against them, but since Quratar had a Labyrinth at its heart, walls were useless.
When you thought about it, it was a terrifying place to live. I wondered if the outskirts were more dangerous because of monsters wandering in from the wild, or if the center was scarier because it was closer to the Labyrinth. Either way, the residents had to be capable. That explains why a simple villager could reach Level 53.
I had Durandal, but I worried for a moment if Roxanne would be okay.
"Is it safe to live in a town where monsters spawn?"
"It's no problem at all," she replied.
Of course. It was a silly question. Surface-spawned monsters were usually only Level 1. The lady had called them weak, so that was likely the case here as well.
"My husband works as a blacksmith in that shed over there. Most of the goods in our shop are things he's made."
"A blacksmith?"
"Yes."
"Is his job class 'Blacksmith'?"
Roxanne had told me that 'Blacksmith' was a specific Job. If he had it, I might be able to learn how to acquire it myself.
"No, the Blacksmith Job is only available to Dwarves."
"There's a difference?"
"He has a small furnace in his shed and casts metal goods. That's a craft anyone with the skill can do, regardless of race. The 'Blacksmith' Job is something else—they use specific skills to create weapons and armor. Only Dwarves can do that."
"I see."
It was a bit confusing, but it seemed the profession and the Job class were two different things. His Job had been 'Villager,' after all. If the Job relied on magical skills rather than manual labor, I probably couldn't acquire it just by hitting an anvil.
"Here we are."
We walked a bit further and turned into a narrow alley. The representative pointed toward a white house. It was a two-story building coated in white mortar, similar to the ones I'd seen in Vale. It looked like a standard standalone house.
To my Japanese sensibilities, it looked quite spacious. But since the forest was only a short distance from the town, land was probably plentiful. This was yet another way this world seemed superior to modern Japan. Well, that and the existence of dog-eared beauties.
"Is this the garden?" Roxanne asked.
"It is. You're free to use it however you like."
It even came with a garden. The plot Roxanne was asking about was on the opposite side of the road and appeared larger than the house itself. A few low trees were growing there, though the rest was a tangled mess of weeds. It looked quite neglected.
"It's pretty overgrown," I noted.
"These are rosemary bushes," Roxanne said, looking at the plants. "They don't seem very healthy."