“So, did you need something?”
“I caught the smell of the sea off of you, so I thought you might have some seafood items to sell.”
“My smell?”
I tried taking a whiff of myself, but couldn’t really tell. Still, I’d indeed fallen into the sea, so it would be understandable if I reeked of it.
“So it seems. I went to the plains once, and it smelled like grass there.”
“Hmm...”
I thought it was just the smell of the salty sea breeze they’d replicated, but it seemed they’d gone to even greater efforts than that. I could see where all the money was going.
“So anyways, do you have any fish or shellfish? I know someone who wants to improve their cooking skills, so I’ll buy it for more than you’ll get from the shop.”
“Let’s see...”
I put my right hand to my mouth and thought.
There were roughly fifty fish in my inventory—albeit, most of them were herrings, sardines, and horse mackerel. With that said, I’d still yet to unlock the dismantling skill, so even if I wasn’t going to get as much money, I wanted to dismantle my haul before selling it.
“I’m sorry. I’ve got something I want to use them for. I’ll pass this time.”
“I see. I’m Alto, and if you want to send me a chat, send it to Altorese. I can’t buy that much right now, but once I have the Serin, I’ll buy any items you have.”
“Got it. I’ll keep that in mind. But are you sure you should start buying stuff this early in the game?”
“That’s business for you. I bought cheap from the people fighting on the front lines and sold to those who wanted it at a cheaper price than what they go for in the shop. Then, I went off to the front lines to sell potions for a little more than they go for in town. Like that, I’ve got myself eight thousand Serin.”
“Wow, you’re like a real merchant.”
Meanwhile, I only had twenty-seven hundred Serin myself. If I sold all the fish I had on hand, then subtracting the cost of bait, I’d likely get to around forty-six hundred. Still, to get to eight thousand Serin just by reselling, he was quite amazing as a merchant.
“Ha ha ha, if you ever need anything, look no further than the Altorese Company! Or something like that.”
“Then sell me a good fishing rod. I can wait until you get one in stock.”
“A rod? That would be classified as a tool, then. I can make one with the right materials, but I know someone who can do you better. Do you want me to introduce you?”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course! If you don’t have the materials, just promise you’ll buy them from me.”
That’s some merchant spirit.
It was interesting, like watching a real medieval merchant at work. It was like role-play in the truest sense.
“All right, please introduce me, then.”
“It’s a pleasure doing business with you.”
He had a way with words and it was refreshing to hear it. Perhaps he worked in customer service in real life as well.
“Are you putting on an act?”
“I am. One of the characters from my favorite manga is like this.”
“Oh, I see.”
I completely missed the mark, I thought.
Then, with a fine smile and a wave of his hand, Alto said, “I’ll contact him. Please wait for a moment.”
“Sure, but while you’re at it, I was wondering if you could tell me something.”
Alto cocked his head curiously. I’d completely forgotten it in the midst of the conversation, but being told to “wait” jogged my memory.
“Do you know where the restaurants are?”
†
My first meal since I entered Dimension Wave was horse mackerel and herring. I directly delivered my fish to the person who’d learned the cooking skill and had them grill it up for me.
Of all the fish I caught, the bigger ones turned out to be especially delicious, so as thanks, I gave the chef ten herrings for free. Incidentally, I also gave Alto three herrings as a referral fee, and he seemed pretty happy about that.
The herring are my envoy of friendship. Maybe I should pick up a cooking skill to get by.
“Still, you’ve got a wide circle of friends, Alto. Were you in the beta?”
I did recall seeing a recruitment drive for the beta test some time ago.
“No, I hear the beta testers were intentionally excluded from this session.”
According to Alto, the beta test was run to ensure the game balance and to make sure that all events triggered and played out properly. Just like the standard version, the testers had to play the game through from beginning to end.
Since the testers knew all about the game’s contents, it would be unfair to throw them in with all the players who were going in for the first time. Perhaps owing to management’s intentions, it seemed that the game this time was meant to be played with everyone as a beginner.
“I see.”
“Granted, there were a few leaks.”
“I heard about those too. Though I don’t know what they were about.”
One of the testers divulged a portion of the game’s contents on an anonymous board and got sued since this went against the Second Life Project’s contract. I saw that article on the net, but I didn’t see the leaks themselves, so I didn’t know what got out.
“So what information was leaked?”
“It’s pretty well known around these parts. They found out that the Spirit race was way too weak. As I recall, they can acquire unlimited skills if they want to, but their stats are the lowest of all the races.”
“O rly...”
“Come to think of it, what race are you? I haven’t seen anyone like you.”
I looked at myself awkwardly. I would occasionally become semitransparent—that was the characteristic of the Spirit Race.
“I’m one of those very same Spirits. I knew it was gimmicky, so I didn’t expect it to be strong. Still...”
“I see. So how is it? Have any issues?”
“Hmm, I’ve been fishing this whole time, so I don’t really know. I haven’t run into any trouble yet.”
Since all of my stats were combined into Energy, even the slightest misstep could lead to a drastic weakening of my build. As a race, I could see why it was considered weak. But with that being said, it seemed to have a good affinity with someone who just planned to fish or craft in town. My Energy and Mana Production skills meant I’d get experience even if I stood around doing nothing. Still, Dimension Wave seemed to be a game mainly focused on combat.
“I see. Let me know if you figure anything out. Thanks to that leak, there aren’t many Spirits around, so I’m sure quite a few people are curious.”
“Sure, if I feel like it.”
“Then I’ll be on my way. If you ever need to buy something, don’t hesitate to contact me.”
“You got it.”
He waved his hand and I waved back. And with a bow, Alto turned and was off.
“Phew...”
After a sigh, I looked at the fishing rod—the one Alto’s friend made—in my inventory.
Wood Fishing Rod +2
A pole made of a Supple Bough, Common Worm String, and a Copper Fishing Hook: every material seemed to come from a different source, which just made me admire Alto more. As for the “+2” modifier, Alto said that the bonus was just a matter of luck, but I suspected that wasn’t the case. It probably had to do with the creator’s skill level, ability, and the quality of the materials. I’d carefully chosen a good-looking Supple Bough, Common Worm String, and Copper Fishing Hook from a selection of many such items he’d shown me, and that had hopefully contributed to it.
Also, the total cost was only seven hundred Serin. This was a far better deal than buying a six-hundred-Serin Worn-Out Rod, considering its performance. Someone had gone out of their way to make it for me, so I wasn’t going to let a fish take it away this time.
Oh right, have my Energy and Mana gone up yet?
Name: Kizuna†Exceed / Race: Spirit
Energy: 1320 / Mana: 60 / Serin: 2000
Skills: Energy Production II, Mana Production II
Energy Production II → Energy Production III
Generate 200 Energy per hour → Generate 400 Energy per hour.
Required Mana to Upgrade: 50
I had the Mana, so I promptly upgraded to Energy Production III.
Now, I’ll be able to get Fishing Mastery in two hours.