Chapter 22
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Translator: Xrecker
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: First Friend (8)
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***
After helping with the skinning, we moved to the armory.
"Here! This is our Cat's Commerce armory~!"
"Wow, wow... th-there are so many pieces of equipment. I've n-never seen so many before."
"Ahem. Well, we are a commerce guild, after all! Now~ Ms. Pamela! Please choose a weapon you like!"
"Uh, yes, yes!"
Pamela walked hesitantly but still looked at the weapons stored in the warehouse.
In the meantime, Shasha spoke to me in a sly voice.
"Wow~ I never thought there was such a way to use a weakening curse magic! Mister~ you're really smart~."
"I just said what came to mind. More importantly, did you like my gift?"
"Of course! Hehehe, Half-Moon Bear coats, leather gloves! Leather shoes! They all sell well. And since the hides are almost intact, the quality is also up! And if we sell the Red Half-Moon Bear products with a premium... kyaa! Just imagining it is great!"
"I'm glad you like it."
"Of course! I have no regrets about making a contract with you, mister! Oh, by the way, mister. I'm just asking, but."
Shasha asked me in a small voice.
"Is Ms. Pamela a noble, by any chance?"
"No."
"Aha! Well, I thought so. That's a relief, actually."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if she were a noble and had such low self-esteem as Ms. Pamela... it would mean her family environment was extremely terrible."
"Hmm... I guess so."
"Well, it's a bit strange for Ms. Pamela to have such low self-esteem, though."
"Don't say that in front of her."
"Of course. How could I do business without that kind of tact?"
A little while later.
"U-um..."
Pamela, who had been looking around the warehouse for a while, approached us.
"Have you chosen, Ms. Pamela?"
"N-no, um... actually... I-I'm not sure what to choose...."
"Hmm? You don't like anything?"
"N-no! It's not that... I-I just don't know what's a good item for me...."
"Is that so? Well, the equipment you're using, Ms. Pamela, is also quite good."
"I-is that so? I-I just inherited it from my master...."
"Alright. I understand."
"Y-yes?"
"Mister?"
When I thought about it, it was only natural.
Pamela's backstory was that she was found and raised as an apprentice by a witch living in a quiet village.
Unlike a noble character who would have been educated by looking at various equipment since childhood, it was impossible for Pamela to judge whether equipment was good or bad just by looking at it.
Besides.
'Come to think of it, that's her character-specific equipment.'
In Lu-Fan, gacha characters could wear various pieces of equipment just like the protagonist character.
But unlike the protagonist, whose appearance changed, the gacha characters' appearance remained the same as their default, no matter what equipment they wore.
No, only their main weapon changed, but the rest did not.
'Of course, it's not like it doesn't change at all.'
Lu-Fan was a so-called subculture game.
Selling characters didn't just end with pulling the character itself.
It was the third year of Lu-Fan's release.
The quality of the story was not a problem, but the balance was getting ridiculously bad, and some users were about to leave.
Lu-Fan released a new business method.
That was selling skins.
Selling skins that could change the appearance of existing characters!
And with individual illustrations attached!
What was even more vicious was that they deliberately created a related event episode, gave away one skin for a supporting character for free, and sold the skins of the two main characters at full price.
Since there was a free skin, users would think, "Oh~ this is a good deal," but even if you had one, you wouldn't have the skins of the two main characters who were actually active.
For whales like me, it was a very frustrating situation, which naturally made me buy the skins.
For reference, since they used this business method often, they sold not just ordinary swimsuit skins, but also bunny girl, dancer, cheongsam, kimono, young lady in a suit, butler, and nun outfits.
Around the sixth year, there were even cases where they would just release a new skin without an event and just announce it.
Of course, they would release the skin when the corresponding character's gacha was running.
But they still had a conscience, so when you applied a skin, you could hear the character's unique lines and a slightly arranged version of their skill lines, recorded by the voice actor.
'Come to think of it, Pamela also had a bunny girl outfit.'
In any case, those skin outfits were just event outfits.
In the main story, the gacha characters always appeared in their initial outfits.
Pamela's current appearance was exactly the same as in the game's illustration.
The staff she was holding was also the same as in the game's illustration.
In other words, this was Pamela's exclusive item set.
Thinking of it that way, Pamela might not need to change to different equipment.
For weapons and clothes, she could just wear what suited her.
Because there might be an exclusive effect I didn't know about.
'But not for accessories.'
Earrings, necklaces, or ring accessories wouldn't be changing her exclusive equipment, so they would be helpful in strengthening her.
"Pamela."
"Y-yes!"
"If you don't mind, may I recommend some equipment that might suit you?"
"O-of course! I-it would be better if you recommended something, Mr. Shih-han, than for someone like me who doesn't even know what's good."
"Understood."
I already knew the accessories that would suit Pamela.
I had spotted them when I was looking around for my own equipment last time.
Without hesitation, I went forward, picked up the accessory, and came back.
"This should be good."
What I had chosen was a ring with a silver band and a round, light blue gem.
"Oh, the Ring of a Thousand Turns. It's definitely a good choice for those who use magic!"
The Ring of a Thousand Turns.
An accessory that had a 60% chance to reuse a skill, excluding passives and ultimate skills like Severing Spear, without a cooldown.
I hadn't chosen it because I hadn't acquired any skills yet, and thanks to the Penetration skill, it seemed better to just swing my spear along the trajectory than to use any close-range skills.
But for Pamela, who used her normal skills more than her ultimate skill, it was the perfect accessory.
The description I had seen when I picked it up was also.
[Ring of a Thousand Turns: A ring imbued with the circulating energy of the heavens. It holds the power to restore the strength of the user of a skill at a certain probability.]
That was the description.
In the game, it had shown the exact numbers, but here it was described as "at a certain probability."
"I-is it okay for me to receive such an expensive-looking r-ring?"
Pamela looked at the Ring of a Thousand Turns with an apologetic expression, alternating her gaze between me and the ring.
"Of course. In the first place, I made a deal with Shasha to provide equipment for my party members. So don't hesitate. This is... yes."
I nodded and said something that Pamela would like.
"Think of it as a gift to a friend with whom I'll be getting along with from now on."
"A g-gift...!"
"Try it on."
Pamela, who had received the Ring of a Thousand Turns, put it on her right index finger with trembling hands.
"Ah, ah... heh, he, he, hehehehehe...."
And then, as if she were extremely happy, a gloomy smile spread across Pamela's lips.
"A gift... from my first friend... a g-gift... he, hehe, hehhehehe...."
Pamela, who had been staring at her ringed hand for about 10 seconds, raised her head and looked at me.
"Th-th-th-thank you, Mr. Shih-han! I-I-I'll treasure it! I'll always wear it without taking it off...."
Pamela, who was so happy that her shoulders were shaking as she caressed the ring.
It was good that she was happy, but.
"No, at least take it off when you wash yourself and wash the finger you were wearing it on. It's bad for your health."
Cleanliness is important.
"Ah, yes."
***
"Now~ this is my treat, so please eat to your heart's content!"
Shasha was in a very good mood.
An unexpected early reunion with Ishihan.
And the corpses of the Half-Moon Bear and the Red Half-Moon Bear that Ishihan had brought in good condition.
The materials that would become excellent products were converted into money in Shasha's eyes.
And Ishihan's unexpected companion.
Pamela, who had become his party member, and her performance were also a very new and interesting spectacle for Shasha.
Pamela, who seemed to have a very gloomy and timid personality but a kind heart.
Looking at Pamela, Shasha thought.
This was a good opportunity.
Let's take this chance to get close to Pamela too.
If that unusual Ishihan had accepted her as a comrade, then she must be a talent full of potential.
Even if not, Shasha's favorability towards Pamela had already gone up considerably from the moment she had seen Pamela's magic, which made skinning easier with Nail of Shattering.
If Ishihan was like a moving warehouse, then Pamela was the freshness manager who easily helped speed up the dismantling process.
In dismantling, what was important in any case was time.
The faster you removed the materials from the corpse and processed them, the better the quality of the product.
If she had her way, she would have liked both of them to quit the academy and work for the guild.
But no matter how she thought about it, that was impossible.
So, let's at least build a friendship so that when they visit the guild again in the future, she could ask for their help by citing their friendship.
With that in mind, Shasha had immediately joined them when she heard in her conversation with Ishihan and Pamela that they were planning to go to a cafe for snacks.
"I-is it okay? I-I'll pay too!"
"No, no, it's fine, Ms. Pamela~ I'm the one who's intruding on you two! And."
Shasha smiled her business smile and said to Pamela.
"It seems we'll be seeing each other often in the future, Ms. Pamela. I'd like to take this opportunity to get to know you too! In other words~ I want to be your friend too, Ms. Pamela!"
"A f-friend... you want to be friends with someone like me? If the owner of a commerce guild becomes friends with someone like me, I'm sure bad rumors will spread. Rumors that an incompetent witch is suddenly by the owner's side and ruining the atmosphere will spread! Ah, th-th-then I'll never be able to face you, Ms. Shasha, or Mr. Shih-han...!"
'Hmm~ she has very low self-esteem and a habit of negative delusions~.'
"It's okay!"
Shasha gently placed her hand on Pamela's, who was speaking quickly and having negative delusions.
"That won't happen! Besides, in my eyes, you're a very competent witch, Ms. Pamela!"
"A c-competent witch. Hehe, hehehehehe...."
"So I want to be friends with a competent witch! Let's be friends!"
"A f-friend... I-I've already made my s-s-second friend... ah, heh, he, hehehehehe... I'm so happy...."
Looking at Pamela, who was making an expression as if she had all the happiness in the world at the word "friend," Shasha thought.
'I'm worried that Ms. Pamela might be easily scammed.'
To the point where she was worried because she was so easily won over.