After taking the money, Leon started walking toward the milk shop. Along the way, he passed several fruit stalls, scanning each one — but none had what he was looking for.
'No strawberries in this world... I need to find some kind of berries fast,' he thought, his brows furrowing slightly.
Ten minutes later, he reached the milk shop. Still no luck with the fruit stalls.
The shop stood near the church, where Leon noticed a crowd of carriages stacked in front, just like yesterday.
"Hmm... Looks like kids from other villages are here for the class declaration ceremony today." He thought, his expression neutral. He didn't linger on the thought and turned right, spotting a large shop with a bold sign:
'Well... that's an odd name,' Leon mused before pushing the door open.
A small bell chimed, drawing the attention of the girl behind the counter.
"Hello, sir, welcome to Milking— Oh... a commoner," she said, her voice trailing off the moment she saw him.
"Hi. I'd like to know the price of milk," Leon asked as he approached the counter.
"Umm... W-We don't sell by the glass, sir. You have to—"
"What's the price for a kilogram?" Leon interrupted, smiling.
Her expression evened out. "We sell a minimum of 5 kilograms for 3 coppers."
"Got it. I'll take it." He pulled out 3 coppers and placed them on the counter.
"I'll get your order right away," she said, quickly disappearing into the back.
A minute later, she returned, carrying a large jug of milk, placing it carefully on the counter.
"Here's your 5 kilograms of milk, sir," she said, this time with a more genuine smile.
Leon peered into the jug, then dipped his pinky finger in. The milk was thick and fresh — good quality. Satisfied, he picked up the jug and turned to leave.
"Hope to see you again," the girl called after him.
Once outside, Leon glanced around briefly, then activated his skill.
The jug vanished instantly.
"Next shop," he murmured, setting off again.
After another 13 minutes of walking, Leon reached a small utensil shop. An old man sat behind the counter, looking bored.
"Oi, kid. This isn't a toy shop. Go back to your mother," the man grumbled without looking up.
Leon ignored the insult. "I want to buy some things."
The old man glanced at him, raising a brow. "You mean utensils?"
The man grunted. "What do you need?"
Leon scanned the shop, then pointed. "A big bowl like that one."
The man stood, cracking his back. "What else?"
"That iron plate too."
The old man let out a short laugh. "You a chef or something, kid?" He lifted the heavy bowl with one hand, carrying it over like it weighed nothing.
'Woah... How did he-' Leon thought as he immediately used his skill.
[Description: A dissatisfied retired adventurer working in a utensil shop to keep his family fed.]
'Ah that explains it.' Leon thought as he looked at the old man.
"Here's your plate and bowl. That'll be 5 coppers."
'Five coppers? That's expensive. This better work, or I'm going broke.'
Leon sighed, handing over the money. He picked up the heavy items and walked out.
The second he was outside, he activated his skill again.
The plate and bowl disappeared.
'That's three spots taken. I have to be careful with the remaining inventory space — if it fills up, the skill goes on cooldown.'
Leon continued walking, eventually coming across two side-by-side shops — one a bakery, the other selling honey and some wild berries.
He entered the bakery first and bought seven long loaves of bread.
Next, he walked into the neighboring shop. An elderly woman sat at the counter, small jars of honey lined neatly in front of her. A pile of small blue berries rested on the side.
"Hello, young man! Want some honey or berries?" she asked with a warm smile.
"Yeah. Two jars of honey," Leon answered, returning the smile. He activated his skill, inspecting the berries.
[Name: Myrren Berries]
[Description: Myrren, also known as "Mage's Bane" — revered for its mana-restoring properties and wonderful aroma, but cursed for its unbearably bitter taste.
Recovers 30 mana over 10 seconds.]
"I'll take some berries too," Leon added.
The woman blinked in surprise. "These are Myrren berries, kid. Are you sure? They're terribly bitter."
Leon nodded confidently. "I'm sure."
"Well... that'll be 2 coppers," she said, still looking puzzled.
He handed over the coins and stored everything before heading toward the meeting spot where he told Ellie to meet him.
After walking for about 4 minutes, Leon reached the familiar road. He glanced around — but Ellie wasn't there.
"Hah... What was I thinking? I have to do this on my own," he muttered, disappointment tugging at his voice. He turned to leave. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱
But, a faint tug on his pants stopped him.
Leon turned around, startled. Ellie stood there, looking up at him.
"Ah... you came?" Leon asked, surprised, but a genuine smile tugged at his lips.
"How do i make money ?" she asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Leon chuckled, his smile growing. "Well, follow me."
Without hesitation, Ellie followed as Leon led the way toward a local inn.