Selling
Su Ran stored the [Reinforced Roundwood Shield] in his personal space, took the silver coin and some loose copper coins he had saved up, and left his rented room.
He wasted no time at the outer ring's street stalls and small workshops, which were rife with counterfeits and fraud. Instead, he took a public railcar straight to the inner ring district.
The atmosphere in the inner ring was noticeably different. The streets were cleaner, passersby were generally better dressed and looked more spirited, and the patrolling city guards were all equipped with fine-grade gear.
The mixed odors of the lower strata were much fainter in the air, replaced by a more orderly feeling, though it was still far from welcoming.
His destination was a shop called Old Henry's General Store. Its storefront was small and plainly decorated, but in the forum's review section, it had earned a modest reputation for fair prices, honest dealings with newcomers, and not deliberately exploiting low-level Awakened.
For Su Ran, who urgently needed to turn his items into cash and lacked bargaining power, it was a relatively safe choice.
He pushed open the shop door, setting the copper bell hanging from it ringing crisply.
The shop was brightly lit, with neatly arranged shelves displaying everything from the lowest-grade whiteboard equipment and common potions to some rather extraordinary-looking green items and even the occasional item that flashed blue, though the selection was not particularly extensive.
An elderly man with graying hair and a monocle sat behind the counter, wiping a dagger with a soft cloth. Hearing the bell, he looked up at Su Ran, his gaze calm.
"What do you need, young man?" Old Henry's voice was even, neither deliberately warm nor dismissive.
Su Ran walked up to the counter, first took out the [Reinforced Roundwood Shield], and gently set it on the countertop. "I'd like to sell this. Please appraise it."
Old Henry put down the dagger and cloth, picked up the roundwood shield, and carefully rubbed and pressed the shield face, iron bands, and grip with his fingers. He also held it up to the light to examine the wood grain and finish.
The process took about a minute. He said nothing unnecessary.
"[Reinforced Roundwood Shield]. Solid workmanship, properly reinforced with iron bands. Recently used, with minor blunt-impact damage and claw marks, but neither affects the main structure or its ability to bear runes."
Old Henry put down the shield and adjusted his monocle. "The usual market price is between 5 and 6 silver coins. I'll buy it for 5 silver and 50 copper. If you agree, we have a deal."
The price was a little better than Su Ran had expected. Someone on the forum had said many shops would only offer just over 4 silver coins for a similar shield. He nodded. "All right."
Next, he took out the [Simple Bracers], a white, common-quality item of little value. "What about these?"
Old Henry only glanced at them. "Worn standard-issue bracers, no special attributes. 80 copper."
Su Ran nodded again.
Old Henry took a small metal cashbox with runic authentication from beneath the counter. He counted out 5 silver coins and a slightly less lustrous half-silver coin worth 50 copper, then counted out 80 copper coins and pushed them toward Su Ran.
"5 silver and 50 copper for the shield, 80 copper for the bracers. That's 6 silver and 30 copper in total. Please count it."
Su Ran counted the coins carefully, then put them away. Including the silver coin and loose change he already had, he now had about 7 silver and 40 copper on hand—a considerable amount of liquid capital for him.
"Anything else you need?" Old Henry asked.
"Ten [Blank Parchment Scrolls], standard type, with good mana conductivity." Su Ran named the purchase he had planned long ago.
They were key materials for his plan to use his basic [Scholar] class ability ([Basic Transcription]) and the knowledge he might gain from opening the second treasure chest to try making low-level scrolls in exchange for more resources.
The quality of a blank scroll directly affected the success rate and the finished product's effectiveness.
Old Henry turned and took a flat wooden box from the shelves behind him. He opened it to reveal ten neatly stacked sheets of parchment, slightly yellowed, uniform in texture, and cleanly trimmed at the edges.
Their surfaces bore fine lines almost invisible to the naked eye, traces of a special treatment meant to guide energy.
"Basic model from the Mage's Hand Workshop. Best value for the price. 35 copper apiece, 3 silver and 50 copper for ten."
Su Ran inspected them and confirmed everything was in order. "I'll also take a bottle of [Stamina Recovery Potion (Trace)]."
Old Henry took a finger-thick glass vial from another cabinet. It contained a clear, pale blue liquid.
"A simplified version of the standard military issue. It slowly restores a certain amount of stamina over 30 minutes and works better when used outside combat. 1 silver."
Together, the two purchases came to 4 silver and 50 copper.
Su Ran paid and carefully placed the ten blank scrolls in a waterproof compartment he had prepared in his personal space. He put the stamina potion in an easily accessible side pocket.
"Thank you for your patronage." Old Henry nodded and resumed wiping his dagger, offering no further pleasantries.
Su Ran turned and left the shop, the copper bell chiming softly once more.
Walking along the relatively quiet streets of the inner ring, he felt for the scrolls and the nearly 3 silver coins remaining in his personal space.
The money from the shield had quickly been converted into capital for future production and an emergency supply.
Next, he would return and inventory the gains from the second treasure chest, then try using the [Scholar]'s [Scrollmaking Lv.2] ability to see whether he could turn any new knowledge he might obtain into tangible, saleable scrolls.
Every step was carefully calculated, every resource used to the fullest extent possible. This was everyday life for a low-level Awakened, seeking a path upward through the cracks.
Su Ran returned to his cramped rented room and shut the door, cutting off the clamor outside completely.
He first put the newly purchased [Stamina Recovery Potion] within arm's reach of his bed, then cleared a relatively clean patch on the table.
Scrollmaking was one of the few ways the [Scholar], a class weak in the early stages, could reliably create value. It was also key to his plan to compensate for his own shortcomings in spellcasting and accumulate capital.
After all, given the [Scholar]'s sluggish casting speed and feeble direct combat ability, relying on prepared scrolls was the wiser choice in dungeons fraught with danger.
He first took five [Blank Parchment Scrolls] and a bottle of specially made, faintly shimmering [Basic Conductive Ink] from his personal space.
It was a little left over from before. Next, he took the [Apprentice Scribe's Pen] from a drawer, a pen that had been with him for a long time and had a specially treated nib.
First, he would make a [Light Spell Scroll]. He had already mastered the spell to Lv.1 and used it in the Rat's Nest, making him most familiar with its energy structure and runic composition.
Su Ran focused and calmed his mind. He gently held down one corner of the parchment with his left hand and, holding the pen in his right, dipped its nib in an appropriate amount of conductive ink.
His mind slowly sank inward as he guided the faint mental power in his body along a specific path, combining it with the conductive components in the ink.