Chapter 10
Kiro was looking around curiously, It was a rare sight for him since coming from this world.
The only thing he saw was the basic architecture of the villages, staring at the different types of commercial buildings, what is more, the layout of the district is closer to 18th-century structures.
He could feel the Majestic beauty of the place, lanterns are hanging neatly near on the storefronts.
Illuminating a warm and cozy feeling, even though the sun was s.h.i.+ning brightly from the above, It doesn't hinder the lights that emit from the lantern.
Looking around, Kiro finally saw a two-story building, the extravagant appearance of the store is so eye-catching even for Kiro who lived in the modern world.
He couldn't help to praise the sight in front of him. Staring at the signboard, Kiro saw the word 'Utility Store'.
Upon seeing the signboard, Kiro was stupefied not because of the store name, but it was written by alphabet, giving it a gaze once more, Kiro couldn't believe it.
He doesn't know if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Finally, Kiro decided to head inside the store.
***
Inside the store.
Kiro could find different types of merchandise, there he saw an item that he thought wouldn't appear from this world.
It was shampoo, what is more, there is a conditioner too.
As Kiro browsed from the store, the more he was shocked to the core, Kiro couldn't believe what he was staring at right now.
Seeing there's a person went inside, the store clerk steps forward greeting Kiro politely.
"Good Afternoon, Mr, what can I help you with?" the clerk said professionally while giving Kiro a glance, looking at Kiro who only wears average clothing even though he was dissatisfied, It was his job to receive a customer and welcome them no matter what status the person might be.
"Mm, I was looking for a bar of body soap, do you have It here?" Kiro rouses from his thoughts.
The clerk felt offended by Kiro's question but he wouldn't dare to voice it out.
"Yes of course we do, Mr, our store is the biggest 'Utility Goods Store' within the town." the clerk says while emphasizing that their store is the biggest in the town.
Well, It is the truth that their store is the biggest and fanciest in the town of Elmore.
"Mn, can you please show me the product?" Kiro says, while still pondering hard why such items exist from this world.
There is some possibility that they can recreate a liquid shampoo from here, but the thing that has been bothering him was the label of the products.
It was written in the alphabet.
"Please this way Mr, we hide the body soap from an isolated area so that the fragrance will last long." The clerk leads Kiro to a small storage room, upon entering the room, different types of soap could be seen.
There are different types of fragrance flowers lingering inside the place.
Looking around Kiro was curious about how extravagant their presentation is, each of every single bar soap has gla.s.s containers, inside the container, there is a smooth fabric enveloping the bottom.
While the bar soap was softly laying down on the decorative fabric.
"Here's our most recent body soap Mr, so what kind of soap are you looking for?" the clerk asked Kiro who was s.p.a.cing out of the place.
"Do you have a mint soap here?" Kiro looks around the shelf and he doesn't know what kind of soap he should choose, while most of the bar soap inside the storage has a fragrance of a flower that didn't suit Kiro's taste.
"Mint is it... Currently, we have a newly developed bar soap made of lavender and peppermint, how about it Mr, would you like to examine our newly bar soap?" The clerk's eyes flashed in surprise.
He knows that the newly developed soap hasn't been released from the marketplace, yet Kiro has a piece of knowledge about mint soap.
In his eyes, Kiro is an influential person in the guise of being a commoner, after all, only n.o.bles from higher degree will know the new existence of their product.
His att.i.tude for Kiro turns into more respectful, fearing the unknown person in front of him the clerk couldn't help to feel nervous at the same time, being lucky that he would earn a lot today.
"Oh, so you guys even have that product here too huh, sure go ahead." Kiro subconsciously answers the question.
The clerk was bewildered from Kiro's reaction 'What do you mean by you guys even have that product here too? It is our store who first developed such a soap you know.' But he just pretends that he didn't hear a thing, he couldn't voice his thought out, even if Kiro was a commoner, what is more, now that he is a.s.suming that Kiro is a highly influential person there is no way he would point out his remark.
Walking to another corner, the clerk opened a small safe made of reinforced Iron.
Opening the safe, a delicate fragrance of lavender overwhelms the room, while there is a tint of refres.h.i.+ng feeling coming from the peppermint.
Smelling the fragrance
"Mm, I'll buy it I like the fragrance and the freshness that's coming from the soap." Kiro could not help to praise a good product, he couldn't believe even in this world, the soap was developing to this extent.
"Okay Mr, but this soap is newly developed and It was released to the marketplace yet, so the price was much higher than the marketplace." The clerk says, he was afraid the Kiro would misunderstand him, so he tried his best to deliver the word clearly while not forgetting to be humble.
"Huh, Is that so? It is fine just tell me the price is." Kiro urged the clerk, he doesn't care about the price right now, he is dying from irritation from sleeping on the itchy straw mattress.
Kiro has an urgent need for a block of bar soap.
"Well, the price is 30 silver coins per a single bar soap, If it was released from the market the price will be 20 silver coins because the price of ma.s.s production is much cheaper than custom made soap." The clerk says as he continues."But don't worry Mr, this bar soap quality is much higher than the one that will be released from the marketplace."
"This soap has only limited production It was meant to be shown to the VIP customers like Mr, who knows the trade secret." The clerk explained, he clearly misunderstood Kiro, well he couldn't help to misinterpret Kiro, because the clerk is only following the procedure If someone came to the store and said the keyword 'Mint' that person was either a n.o.ble or a big-shot from the merchant guild.
"... 30 silver coins huh." Kiro mumbles. "That's expensive, but I badly need the soap, okay I will buy two," saying that, he handed over the 60 silver coins to the clerk, while deep inside him, Kiro was bleeding profusely
The remaining balance to the money Kiro got from selling the greasy gra.s.s is 101 silver coins and 5 copper coins.
He already spent most of his money on the admission fee, now he is going to buy two pieces of soap for 60 silver coins plus the 1 gold coin and 40 silver coins before and the lodging fee from the Inn for 3 silver coins and 5 copper coins from buying random skewers at the food stalls.
Kiro could only lament from how fast he lavish away his money.
"This one received the exact amount, the two lavender peppermint soap will be wrapped by a special fabric so the fragrance will last longer." The clerk said respectfully."Thank you for your patronage." giving Kiro a slight bow, after saying that, clear took two pieces of soft fabric and wrapped the soap.
Receiving the bar soap, Kiro didn't forget to ask the question, that's been mulling over since coming to this store.
"Can I ask a question? I don't mind if you can't provide me an answer, I just wanted to know what is the origin of the syllabus that this store uses at the signboard and the labels from the other products." Kiro mutter those word with a light tone.
"Oh, the signboard is it? I would like to apologize first, this humble one is only a lowly clerk I don't know if I could provide a satisfactory answer for esteemed Mr." clerk says with more attentiveness.
Kiro is now having a headache from the quick overturn att.i.tude of the clerk. He didn't know why he became so respectful all of a sudden.
"Please, you can talk to me more casually and It is fine you can talk about what is on your mind," Kiro said with annoyance, he couldn't explain the behavior of the clerk right now.
"If the esteemed Mr, says so this humble one will tell a tale about this world." the clerk says as he starts to narrate a story.
Year 856 from the Eldeon Calendar, the 30th day of Month Iyarma.
Six ent.i.tled major kingdoms were living in equilibrium.
It was the long period of prosperity for humanity, promising Individuals kept emerging from the major kingdoms at that time.
There was no physical war Involve, the representative of each country competes with their knowledge from Rune carving and developing Magical equipment, to foresaw if their balance is still maintained there was an annual compet.i.tion hosted by the six major kingdoms, no matter what age young or old is being motivated to innovate their craftsmans.h.i.+p and to pursue higher heights for rune carving.
But for such a peaceful era, Humanities Greed was at its peak.
For the sake of forbidden knowledge, one of the kingdoms broke a taboo, that kingdom commenced a forgotten ritual, It was to summon an individual from another world.
That ritual was meant to be used if their kingdom was on a dire strait, but because of overwhelming greed and curiosity, the kingdom bet all of their hope to that ritual from the legends.
It was a success, they managed to summon an individual from the other realm, the kingdom hosted a celebration for their future prosperity, but little did they know.
Other kingdoms already have a clear source that they conducted a forbidden ritual, while the country is busy for their celebration, the other five nations sign a peace treaty from each other.
They started to march their troops to the kingdom that disturb the balance.
With a single night, the kingdom whose bustling with life falls into ruins.
The wailing of a child is echoing at the surrounding, a scream of agony of the citizens could be heard in each and every corner of the kingdom, they turned the nation into a carnage.
Not a single soul of n.o.bility and royalty direct bloodline was spared, every single one of them was eradicated from the roots.
The half surviving resident of the kingdom was forced into slavery, while the summoned person didn't escape the same fate.
Taking advantage of the state of affairs the five-kingdom divided the loot while they shared information for extracting the unusual knowledge of the summoned person.
At first, the five major kingdoms were rejoicing from their triumph victory.
But tragedy befalls the major kingdoms because the balance has been disturbed every single one of them became wary of each other's existence.
While their magical craftsmans.h.i.+p leads to a new height, they were completely unaware It was meticulously planned by the summoned person.
To drive a wedge between the five major kingdoms, the summoned person endured the torturous life for a single decade, finally, he saw the fruition of his action.
In a single night, one of the kingdom spies tried to abduct the summoned person for their nation's personal use.
It finally broke the frail bridge between the five kingdoms, wars escalated from the entire continent of humanity.
What frustrates them the most, is the demons didn't let go of the opportunity to hit them hard.
The humans who've been strengthened for a day and night, they didn't dare to confront directly so they twiddle one's thumbs waiting for the proper moment to strike them miserable.
They didn't even let go of the chance to secure the prized trophy, the summoned person.
Instead of securing the summoned person, It manages to escape and hide to the eyes of society.
three years later, the summoned person came back and showed Itself from the world.
Swear to take revenge from the five kingdoms, the summoned person gathered an armed force of freed slaves promising them a prosperous future.
The preview resident of the fallen kingdom with their base behind his back, he pioneers a single town turned it into a small size country, the summoned person meticulously do a long term plan for three years became one of the strongest kingdoms in the entire continent.
Because the five kingdoms went on a hibernation, they didn't realize that there is a huge threat behind their back.
The summoned person build up his dominion with a breath neck speed, with a better system than other kingdoms, the summoned person abolished the slavery from his kingdom, instead build up necessary magic equipment to have much faster progress and efficient magic tools for the rapid advancement.
After a few years of swift Innovation, the summoned person overthrew the figurehead of the 5 kingdoms and put them under his control, degrading the status of the most leading n.o.bles faction, ruthlessly killing the corrupt, the one who abides by the system of the summoned person was spared.
In the current time, the name of the humongous country 'Empire of Avonmore'.
"Our main stronghold originates from the Empire of Avonmore, we are only a lowly personage managing a branch store from small kingdoms." the clerk ends his tale from here.
Kiro was absorbed in thought he didn't manage to discern what the clerk said in his last sentences after ending the story.