Chapter 81
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Vulcanus Arena
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The inside of the carriage was quiet.
Neither Abel nor Iolin were the talkative type.
After a long stretch of silence, Abel broke it first.
“We’re almost there.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. If we turn right up ahead, it’ll come right into view.”
The carriage moved slowly forward, turning right at the fork just as Abel said.
The streetscape changed dramatically.
There had been scattered shops before, but this newly entered street seemed to have several times more.
“We’ve arrived.”
The carriage soon stopped in a convenient spot to disembark, and Abel got out with Iolin.
“We’ll be back.”
“Yes. Take your time.”
Leaving the coachman’s farewell behind, Abel looked around.
This was a street lined with shops selling artifacts and magical materials.
“We’re going to one of these shops?”
“Yeah. But we can’t just go to any of them.”
“Why not?”
Abel gave a simple answer to Iolin’s question.
“Artifacts are rare to begin with, so proper shops are few and far between.”
Ordinary items could be found at decent prices with a bit of legwork, but artifacts were different.
“There are two kinds of artifact shops that are easy to find. Cheap but poor quality, or good quality but expensive.”
Iolin tilted her head slightly at that.
“Then shouldn’t we just go to one that’s officially certified, even if it’s pricey?”
“That’d usually be the case. But then what’s the point of me coming along?”
“So that means…”
“There’s a place where both the item and the price are reasonable.”
Abel walked ahead with a confident voice.
“Just trust me and follow.”
Iolin followed behind Abel with a peculiar expression.
The main street had a lot of shops.
But Abel passed them without a glance and turned into an alley midway.
There were plenty of shops in the narrow alley too.
Faded signs. Shabby exteriors. But an oddly mystical atmosphere.
“Oh ho, coming all the way to a place like this. Looking for the real deal?”
No sooner had they stepped into the alley than an old man approached Abel.
Snow-white hair. A voice laced with an inexplicable sharpness.
Abel said to the old man,
“Ah, we’re not buying.”
Then he led Iolin forward briskly while advising,
“The ones out front are all touts. Step in without thinking, and they’ll fleece you clean.”
“I see.”
Most of the shops in the alley were actually worse than the proper ones on the main street.
Ninety-nine percent were out to scam clueless customers wandering in search of cheap deals.
But if that were all, Abel wouldn’t have come this far.
Abel knew.
The one percent exception.
[Magiology Research Lab]
Abel finally stopped in front of a building with a weathered sign.
It looked even less trustworthy than the previous shops, but Abel said confidently,
“This is the place.”
“…I see.”
Iolin nodded with a dubious expression.
Seeing her reaction, Abel grinned and grabbed the door handle.
“Let’s go in.”
Creak—.
The door opened with the sound of old hinges.
“Ah.”
But the scene visible through the open door exceeded Iolin’s expectations.
It was neatly organized, with a faint, pleasant fragrance wafting from somewhere.
Abel strode inside without hesitation and called out,
“Jay! I’m here!”
Iolin followed, scanning the shop interior with curious eyes.
Display cases lined the space, filled with items that all looked extraordinary.
Her gaze was particularly drawn to the jewelry section—earrings, necklaces, rings, and the like.
“Oh, oh, is that Abel?”
Then a voice came from the back, and someone emerged from behind the counter.
A man with ash-gray hair falling to his shoulders, wearing an expression like everything was a hassle. He glanced back and forth between Abel and Iolin before speaking.
“Girlfriend?”
“No.”
Abel cut in quickly before Jay could say more.
“This is a customer here to buy something. Cut the nonsense and show us the goods.”
Jay made a strange face but nodded.
“Alright. What are you here for?”
“Not something specific, but something helpful for mana training would be good.”
“Helpful for mana training? For you?”
“No. And there’s one more condition.”
Abel leaned forward slightly and whispered in Jay’s ear.
Iolin glanced over, wondering what they were saying, but the words didn’t carry.
Finishing the conversation, Jay grinned at Abel.
“Not for you, huh.”
“Cut the crap.”
“Fine, fine. Wait here. Something comes to mind.”
Jay told them to hold on and slipped into the warehouse behind the counter.
That was when Iolin, who had been quiet throughout, spoke up.
“Do you come here often?”
“Yeah. More for errands than as a customer, though.”
Abel smiled as he said,
“He may look like that, but he’s capable. His skills rival any artifact crafter in a merchant guild.”
“I see.”
“What’s wrong with how I look?”
Jay reappeared grumbling, holding something in his hand just as their conversation ended.
“No matter how you slice it, I don’t look reliable.”
“Who’s more reliable than me? Here.”
Jay grumbled but didn’t forget to hand the item to Abel.
Abel passed it straight to Iolin.
“Check it out yourself.”
“Ah, okay.”
Iolin nodded slightly and carefully opened the box. Her eyes widened as she saw what was inside.
It was a silver necklace.
Beautiful enough to pass for regular jewelry, even if it weren’t an artifact.
“This is…?”
“An artifact that boosts Mana Sensitivity. It makes the flow of mana inside your body feel crystal clear.”
“Impressive.”
“Yeah. But wearing it drains mana steadily, so it’s not great for combat.”
At Jay’s explanation, Iolin fiddled with the necklace and said,
“But for training, it’s perfect. Continuously using mana is good practice too.”
Jay nodded.
“Exactly. That’s why I recommend it. Of course, the condition Abel mentioned…”
“Save the chatter. I just wear it?”
“Yeah.”
Hearing that, Iolin asked Jay,
“Can I try it on?”
“Of course.”
Iolin brought the necklace to her neck with an oddly excited expression.
But she fumbled with the clasp, unaccustomed to putting it on.
Abel instinctively reached out to help.
Click.
“Ah…”
Seeing Iolin’s reaction, Abel stepped back.
“Sorry. Reflex.”
“N-no, it’s fine.”
Jay watched the scene with a peculiar expression.
“You know, stuff like that you do outside…”
“Keep it up and I won’t come back.”
Abel shut Jay down simply and asked Iolin,
“How’s it feel? Like it?”
“Yeah. I like it.”
Iolin nodded, her face slightly flushed.
Jay looked back and forth between them before speaking.
“I’ll give you a special price. This much.”
He held up three fingers.
Iolin moved to pay right away.
“No! Not three big ones. Three small ones.”
She didn’t know the market and was about to pay ten times too much.
“We’ll come again.”
“Yeah!”
And so Abel and Iolin left the shop with Jay’s send-off.
Once outside, Abel said to Iolin,
“It wrapped up quicker than expected. Thought it’d take longer.”
If Jay’s shop hadn’t had anything suitable, they’d have had to wander more.
But since Iolin liked the first item right away, things finished much sooner.
“What now? Want to head back first?”
“You?”
At Iolin’s question, Abel scratched his head.
“Well, plenty of time left, so I figured I’d poke around.”
“Then… mind if I tag along?”
It was an unexpected question, but Abel nodded readily.
“Sure. No set destination anyway.”
If there were errands, it’d be different, but now it was just killing time.
Better to wander together than alone.
Heading toward the carriage, Abel asked,
“Anything you’ve wanted to check out?”
“…Let me think.”
“Take your time.”
Instead of pressing, Abel leisurely took in the shops, touts, and passersby.
By the time they neared the carriage,
Iolin spoke up.
“Got it.”
“Hm?”
“What I want to do.”
Abel turned to her.
“What?”
“The arena.”
Iolin answered immediately.
“I want to go to the arena.”
Abel’s eyes widened.
* * *
People usually think of arenas as places where people slug it out barehanded, but in the capital, it’s different.
Most arenas here involve Gigants.
“There are several types of arenas. You know that, right?”
“Yeah.”
Iolin nodded at Abel’s question.
“The most common are the underground ones, but I know they’re illegal.”
“Right. On the flip side, there are a few officially sanctioned ones. Three in the capital.”
“Only three? Fewer than I thought.”
“That’s how tough it is to get licensed. They operate ‘Gigants,’ after all.”
Gigants were tricky things to handle.
Even with underground arenas thriving, ninety-nine percent used Midget-grade ones.
“Officially certified places run Tito-grade Gigants. One even handles Miles-grade.”
“I think I’ve heard of the last one. The one near Central Square?”
“Yeah. That’s the most famous. Hosts all kinds of events.”
“So we’re going there?”
“Nope.”
Abel shook his head.
“No matches there often, and nothing special to see anyway.”
As they talked, the carriage slowed to a stop.
They’d arrived.
Abel stood first, opening the door as he said,
“The best one to watch is actually the lowest-rated of the three.”
Iolin followed Abel down and blinked at the sight before her.
A massive building loomed there.
At the top, the words “Vulcanus Arena” were engraved.
“This is the arena run by the Vulcanus Workshop.”