Ch.26 Burning Passion, Manners and Guts

When I went to the reception to learn fire magic, I came across an argument between a player and an NPC.

A male player is kneeling on the ground holding a bouquet of roses or something, preparing to hand it to a female NPC standing nearby.

"So please go out with me. Please."

"There's not enough love. There's not enough passion from you."

"No way! Am I no good enough? Even though I love Sensei so much!"

"First of all, confessing here is a minus point. There's no mood at all. I don't like doing things like that in front of a public audience. That's another minus point. What's the point of doing something that the other person doesn't like?"

What on earth are we being shown? Are we being instructed on how to confess our love?

Don't do it in front of the reception desk, do it somewhere else. I'm having trouble, you know? Oh, and the people around me too.

"I see... I'll come back later... But my feelings towards you haven't changed!"

Oh, what, you're going to try again? I thought you'd been flatly rejected...

"Fine. With the way you are right now, you'll have no luck setting my heart on fire."

"Yes! Well then, excuse me!"

The female NPC nodded as she saw the male player leave. What exactly were we watching?

The woman called Sensei walked briskly away from the reception desk and towards the bar in the back. She was wearing a dress with frills around her neck, wrists and hem, and her gait and posture were elegant, almost like that of an aristocrat. Although I've never seen a noble before.

Now that the theatrical confession that had drawn everyone in was over, the others began to move too. Everyone was probably curious to see what would happen, so they watched until the end.

The reception desk is open now, so I move there to ask for a teacher as usual.

Then the person introduced to me was the woman from before. Hmm, she certainly seems to have an aptitude for fire magic.

"I'm Natalia Ka... Natalia. I heard that you want to learn fire magic."

"I just wanted to know if I have an aptitude for fire magic. Ah, I'm Vester."

"That's not good. You should say your name first. What are you doing, Introducing yourself as an afterthought?"

This person is a pain. She's been hiding it, but judging from her name, she's probably a noble, right? She's probably the third or fourth daughter and won't inherit the family line.

However, judging from her behavior, which is not exactly that of an aristocrat, I think she is treating me like an ordinary commoner.

"Sorry, I'll be careful."

"Very well. Now let's go to the training ground and take an aptitude test."

When I nodded, I was scolded for not replying properly. "If you have a mouth, you should reply with your mouth, right?" She said.

You really love to nag, huh. You're right though.

The first thing Natalia said when she arrived at the practice field was:

"Magic is crafted with passion and cast with determination. Love is key."

Are you a muscle-brained person? I wouldn't think you're one, based on what you said and done so far. Are you serious?

"First, prepare to use fire magic. Build up burning passion inside."

Passion... huh? Is it something you feel? Well, come to think of it, she said the same thing before.

So, let's stop thinking about it and build up my passion.

"...I can't build it up."

"Then you have no aptitude for fire."

"Huh?! Isn't it too early? Isn't there something else?"

"No. If you could do it with your own willpower, you should be able to use it. But if you can't get enough passion, then you don't have the aptitude."

What's with this woman? a muscle-brain that's strict with manners? Hmm, strange.

I tried the same thing by imagining fire, but failed. I guess Natalia had properly assessed my aptitude, even with that strange way of teaching, but...

In other words, I have no aptitude for fire. I can't use fire magic. A~ah, I'd need it if I want to cook outdoor. Too bad.

"Thank you for your guidance."

"It's fine. May we meet again."

I thanked Natalia and went outside.

It's a shame that I can't use fire magic, but there are other options.

I go to the side of the road, take out a map, and check out the magic tool shop. There I can find some tools that is convenient for camping.

Even if it's not as good as the high-end magic tool shop I went to last time in Marathos, I'd be happy if it's a decent shop. Expensive items certainly have good quality and look good, but when you think about maintenance, it's better to have something that you can handle roughly.

"There's one here and the other is around here, I think."

I roughly pinpoint the stores, checked my current location, put the map away, and flew off.

The first store was quite high in both price and quality. I looked around but couldn't find what I'm looking for.

The second store was not good, with average prices and average quality.

I had no choice but to go outside and look at the map again.

I memorize the signs of the magic tool shops in the area where the shops are concentrated, put the map away, and fly off again.

Even if I pinpoint a place, I won't know until I actually go inside. So why do I do it, you ask? Because I wanted to look cool.

After going around to a few other places, I finally found a suitable shop. The name of the shop was "Magical Tool Breeze."

Inside the store there is also the magical tool I'm looking for.

"One of these fire sticks will cost you 300 Monies."

I turned my magic bag upside down, put my hand inside, and imagine that 300 Monies coming out. When I pull my hand out, the money jingle and spill into a bag spreading out on the counter.

The store clerk will then examine the bag into which the money fell and determine how many coins are in it, and if there are enough, my shopping is complete.

It would be nice if we could make electronic payments like in the real world, but because this method has become so widespread, the electronic payment system itself does not exist.

I wonder if some of the players will develop it. That's something they can do. I can't do it, so I'll have to leave it to someone else.

The fire stick I bought this time was actually sold at Marathos' store too.

The appearance and performance will differ depending on the price. The one I have is a pitch black rod that looks like plastic. The other one from Marathos' store is a rod made of jet black wood with gold patterns. The tips of both are metal. This one has a moderately low firepower, while the fancy one requires more MP. Both have their pros and cons.

This one looks very simple and can be used roughly even if it has low firepower. I like this one.

As the name suggests, it's a stick used only for starting fires.

I leave the store and use my telekinesis to make it float and then rub my cheek against it.

"I look forward to working with you."

Now, let's head to the Cooking Guild.

Let's get my own cooking journey started.

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〘Reward System〙

Something you get when you complete a quest.

It could be an item or a title.

In the case of reward items, once you accept them, they will appear at your feet.

It can be stolen by other people, so be sure to check your surroundings.

However, since you retain ownership of the item, if someone else steals it, the karma value of the person who stole it will increase.

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