Kaitlyn (1)

A general store.

Literally, it felt like a small store that bought and sold all sorts of items.

From simple herbs to kitchen utensils and even longswords used in battle, a wide variety of items were on display.

No, it wasn’t even a proper display, as the items were piled up, making the store look cluttered like a secondhand bookstore.

However, the smaller the village, the more important it was to have a place that dealt with such a variety of items.

The general store was the only place to get what they needed when they needed it.

Tinkle tinkle.

A person in a robe with a hood entered, ringing the bell on the door.

While tucking the red hair sticking out from under the hood back in, the woman walked over to the counter and put something on it.

A hefty money pouch.

Inside it were 1 UP coins, filled to the brim.

“I came to buy some lizard poop you mentioned last time.”

It was a casual tone, but her voice was unmistakably feminine and high-pitched.

The general store owner recognized the words and responded.

“You mean magnesium when you say lizard poop?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I’m sorry, but the price of magnesium has gone up sharply, and the merchant guild bought it all up.”

At that, the woman slapped the table with the palm of her hand.

“What? I reserved it, so why did you sell it to them?”

“I’m a merchant too, how could I refuse when they offered more money? You didn’t even give a deposit in the first place, did you?”

“I didn’t have money at the time, what do you want me to do?”

“What can I do if you don’t have money? I can’t help it either.”

That was the law of Cloud merchants.

It would have been the merchant’s fault if the deposit had been paid first, but this was a matter where the woman had no say.

“Where in the world would a fool buy that lizard poop? Did you secretly withhold it because I was going to buy it?”

The woman didn’t care to call herself a fool.

“You! Do you think I’m some kind of unscrupulous merchant? If I were to do business like that, I would have gone to the city!”

“Ugh! So, why did that damned merchant guild buy it?”

“Recently, someone has been buying up large amounts of magnesium. Who was it… someone called the Master of the Silence Tower.”

“Silence… Tower Master?”

“What was the name? It was a noble-like name.”

The general store owner didn’t know the name, but the woman did.

Reed Adeleheights Roton.

She had known about him even before the name Roton was attached.

“Anyway, I’m sorry. I need to make a living too, so what can I do? If you’re going to buy something next time, I’ll definitely have it ready for you. But the price has gone up since then.”

“How much?”

“70 UP per 1kg.”

“…Never mind.”

The money inside the pouch was exactly 50 UP, so she couldn’t even use it as a deposit.

‘If I pay 20 UP more, I’ll have to live on dew for a few days…’

The woman was neither a sage nor a druid, but a human, so eating was absolutely essential.

The woman took her money pouch and left the general store.

Then she looked up at the sky.

‘Without a doubt, that sky doesn’t care what I’m thinking.’

As always.

“Why is Senior Reed buying magnesium?”

Kaitlyn Ramos.

She called that name again, which she thought she would never have to call again.

***

Tower Master Research Center.

Reed was murmuring, looking up at the object placed on the anti-gravity floating device.

“Is it complete…?”

An item made after days of struggle and wandering.

It was the first time he had used a magnesium plate to create an item, so he had gone through 15 trials and errors to maximize the efficiency of the magic stone.

Magnesium Gauntlet (Trial Version)

Type: Equipment Item

Durability: 50/50

Defense: 28~30

“Production Lv. 3”: The joint connection is weak, making it vulnerable to durability reduction.

“Magic Engineering Lv. 4”: Charging rate – 95%, duration – 70 hours

“Magic Lv. 4”: The power of the manifested magic increases by 1.1 times.

A gauntlet made using magnesium.

When charged, it is stronger than ordinary steel.

The length that reached up to the elbow was a little longer than the arm size of the wearer, Reed.

‘It feels like a weapon of some ancient civilization.’

Looking at the mana channels he had created, it looked like a maze had been drawn.

It felt like a tool for showing off rather than for practical use.

Now there was only one thing left.

Only the actual test remained.

As Reed reached out to the anti-gravity floating device, the assistant magician standing behind him opened his mouth.

“Are you going to try it on yourself?”

“Yeah.”

“It could explode again.”

“…”

At those words, Reed suddenly started to feel afraid.

In fact, the gauntlet had exploded during the 12th trial and error.

However, instead of answering, he glared at the man who had said that, and the magician who had made a slip of the tongue covered his mouth with both hands and stepped back.

“Don’t worry. I made it. If it fails, of course, I have to pay the price for that, right?”

Roughly avoiding the subject, the assistant magicians looked up at Reed with a slightly awed expression.

‘He truly is a Tower Master.’

‘Just a few months ago, he wasn’t like this…’

Most of them were apprentices and had no direct contact with the Tower Master, but they were well aware of his notoriety.

A crazy man who would dismiss anyone he didn’t like, treating the deputy Tower Master and the Guardian of Silence like a dog.

However, after overthrowing “Project Flower Garden”, such rumors disappeared entirely.

A Tower Master with drive and ruthlessness, but at the same time, he had the ability to embrace others.

Furthermore, this time the adopted daughter he brought in was a genius who was worth more than gold, but he never got conceited.

Ultimately, Reed’s successful resolution of the conflict in the Hupper Kingdom greatly improved his image within the tower.

Reed mentally prepared himself and inserted his hand into the gauntlet.

He slightly manifested mana and touched the magic stone part. Then, the gauntlet started to react and move.

The volume gradually reduced, and it fit snugly on Reed’s hand.

Reed tried moving his fingers.

It moved more smoothly than when wearing a glove.

It fit Reed’s hand perfectly, just as designed.