Part 20: EX Update

EX Update

So, as I mentioned a few updates ago, I'm shuffling scenes around constantly in order to stay in a logical order that at least follows some kind of story, based on where I go. Ever since the scene where Nio appeared in the rain, this system has been hanging by a thread, but it's on the verge of breaking now. This update is just to run the tables on all the scenes I've seen but not recorded, so we can move on without a bunch of content lingering. I won't bother trying to string these scenes together in a logical order, so that's the reason it's not part of the main list of updates. All that said, let's begin with some notebook entries.









There's a letter. Hmm, let's see...

"From: An Aging Witch. To: The Young Alchemist. I appreciate you for taking care of Wilbell. She's a willful and selfish girl, so I'm sure she causes trouble for you... But I hope you'll continue to give her support..."

This is...a letter from Bell's great-great-grandmother...! But it's not addressed to anyone or anything. I wonder how it was delivered... I wonder if she sent it with magic, like, pew! Oh, the letter continues. Let's see...

"In that regard, as a small token of my gratitude, please accept the items in this box. They were gathered from the nearby mountain. Vegetables or fruits, which do you prefer?"

Huh, she's asking a question...? I wonder what she means by... "Which do you prefer?" Anyway, I like... If I had to choose...then fruits, I think?

You get a choice between vegetables and fruits, of course, but I chose fruits because I generally like those better in real-life. Not a whole huge difference between either choice, though.

"I wish you much success as a young alchemist..."

Whoa... Magic is really amazing...

You get a Blue Spike Fruit, Ripe Cure Fruit, Honey Melon, and Fully Ripe Fruit for choosing fruit.



Okay, thank you for your patronage! Goodness, mister, you're very generous!

I'm buying them because I need them. There's nothing extraordinary about that.

Of course. But the rocks in my shop, people usually only buy one as a souvenir... So I'm happy someone like you came by.

Well, I'm sure most people have no use for them.

Huh? Regina and...Mr. Keith! Hello!

Welcome, Ayesha. You know this customer?

Yes. This is my teacher, Mr. Keith!

I clearly denied that before. Is your memory that poor?



That's a subtly annoying thought... Your self-assertiveness is worth praising, in a way, yet... I have come this far without caring about what others thought of me and my goals, but... I guess my credit finally ran out. I truly did reap what I sowed.

Umm, by the way, what did you buy? Stuff you're gonna use for alchemy?

Yes, I got some good alloys. This shop has quality items.

Hehehe, I worked hard to dig them up!

They're very useful. It takes time to get items of this kind, whether you make them or gather them.

He's a regular. He's bought stuff from me a number of times now.

I'll be grateful if you can get the same things next time, as well.

All right, I'll have them all prepared, so please come again! ...Um, Mr. Keith, was it?

...My name is Keithgriff. You can just call me Keith from now on.

Oh, please wait! Regina, I'll see you later!



They aren't scarce. You can find them in any region. They're useful as ingredients for liquid solvents, but commoners don't have much use for them.

I see... That's very helpful. I need to write that down when I get home...

You're very passionate. I remember those days as well, however... How long do you intend to follow me? Did you not have business with that shop earlier?

Oh, that's right! Oops, I totally got sucked in... I'll be going back. Please teach me more later, Mr. Keith!

Goodness...



Hello, Marietta... Oh, Bell!

Are you here to shop? Sorry, but can you wait till I'm done with my business? I'm currently negotiating a sale!

Let's see... How do you use this? Actually, what is this to begin with?

Umm, that's a trade secret. You'll just need to be in the know to use it... But, it'll be fine, since I'm sure the person who understands what it is will be able to figure out how to use it!

That's not the way this works. I can't display something for sale in the store if I can't explain what it is.

Make an exception for me! Don't worry, I'm sure you can sell this for a high price in the future!

Bell, isn't that a magic tool?

Yeah, it's a valuable piece. It's a fine item that you'll rarely get to see. But it's hard to sell when I have to hide the fact it's a magic item.

Wilbell, I'm sorry...but I don't think I can buy this from you.

Huuuh? Whyyy nooot?

I'm sure the owner would agree if it was easy to tell that it's a great treasure.

...A great treasure?

Yup. Like the ones from the ruins. For example, this one.



Let's see... The owner really likes this kind of stuff, so it'd be at least a million Cole...



(Oh, this might lead to...) Bell, I just remembered that I have to do something, so I'll be going...

Hold up.

Uh, but...

We'll split the reward fifty-fifty, so you're coming with me.

*sigh* I knew it...

Well, let's go find a great treasure!

(I knew this would happen... Bell immediately puts her thoughts into action.)



Wow, really!? Thank you! My next job will go smoothly, thanks to this!

Hmhmhm, I'm glad I was able to help. Good luck with your big job.

My big job... Now I'm starting to get nervous...

Oh, it's rare for someone who's always happy, like you, to get nervous.

It's a business meeting with a certain landlord, so even I'd get nervous. So, the merchant who was in charge of the crops that were harvested on this landlord's property just retired... And he hasn't decided who's going to take his place yet.

S-So if you succeed, then that's going to be amazing, right?

Yup. I'll become a great merchant who deals with all the crops from that entire area... Normally, a newcomer like me wouldn't even get a chance at such a big opportunity... The landlord is a difficult person, and he hasn't chosen a replacement yet... But thanks to your medicine, it looks like I've won his favor.



Hrgh, I don't do well when people have high expectations for me... This is a business opportunity, but this meeting is still too big and heavy for me to handle right now.

I see... I guess I wouldn't even know what to do if someone told me, "You're a great merchant starting tomorrow!" But this is a great opportunity. I'm sure you should try your best!

Yeah...you're probably right. I don't know how much I can do, but... I'll do my best so that I can report back to you with some great news!

(Ernie is always doing his best. I'm sure things will turn out great. But if he comes through...I wonder if it'll be harder to reach Ernie...)



Huh, really? I don't think you've changed all that much...

No, a dramatic change has taken place. I'm about to lose what's most important to a poet...

Umm, you have your instrument, and you seem to be healthy...

Then let me reveal the answer to you. The answer is, the frailness that's essential for a minstrel. Thanks to repeated manual labor, I feel like I've gotten much stronger...

Umm, but isn't that a good thing...?

Well, at the very least, I've stopped getting sick between the seasons. However, that doesn't mean that I'm satisfied with the current state of my life. Especially with Ernie. Every time he sees my face, he wants to make me carry a package.

I'm sure Ernie's just thinking about you.

Well he does have a candid personality, and he isn't a bad person... However, from the moment I met him, the direction the wind has blown my life, has changed. O, how I was simply wandering the world in pursuit of small mysteries... But recently, my lifestyle has fallen down the path of philistine. A glass of ale at White Crow at work... That wasn't the life I was seeking! I wanted to create a tradition what would be passed down through history. However, transporting heavy packages and chugging down cold ale is... I don't know how to up it, but I feel like I'm getting farther and farther away from tradition and poetry...

Th-That's...I guess it's a life-or-death situation for you...

Right? I shouldn't be carrying packages around, right?

Umm, I think it's nice that you're working to pay for your own living expenses, but...

Urgh, Ayesha, you're much harsher than I thought... However, I can't change my way of life. And, I don't wanna change.



With that being said, I'm think I'm gonna look for new ideas for my songs. If you see Ernie, tell him I've gone off on a journey. See ya!

(Hmm, I guess Ranun's personality did change a little from when we first met...)



It seems like it. I guess they got some from a human recently and had it for the first time.

I see. I guess we really shouldn't look at it from a human perspective.

Yup. I guess each race has its own different set of values...

Right. Now that I think about it, I feel like only humans put value in jewels.

Candy is more valuable than jewels... That's beyond my comprehension.

Hahaha, I guess they have a completely opposite sense of values than you, Mr. Owner. But this is a problem in and of itself. The amount of candy they could buy for this much money... How many hundreds of barels would that be!? It's gonna be hard to arrange to get it all.

I'm sure they wouldn't know the difference no matter how much or little you gave them.



Harry's Trading House has grown this big because you've been trading with sincerity for all these years! You're the one who said that, Mr. Owner.

Hahaha, I guess you're right. Of course, I was just joking... I'm sorry. I've already left this case in your hands, Marietta, so take care of it till the very end. I'm trusting you to make the delivery.

Yes, of course. All right, let's do this! Looks like our business with the Homunculus is gonna be okay. Thanks, Ayesha!



*sigh* I just can't get into gear...

Wh-What's wrong, Mr. Fred!? Does your stomach hurt?

No...If I had to put it into words, I'd say it's more like my heart's the one that's hurting. It's been a while since I opened my shop, so I was thinking about creating a new type of bread, but... It's not going as well as I had hoped. Since you liked my bread, maybe I should ask for your opinion...

A new type of bread...? Let's see... Something sweet and something cute...? Haha, I'm sorry, I can't really explain it that well.

No, it was an unreasonable thing for me to ask you. I'm not in a hurry, but... It's just that when Ms. Marietta stopped by a few days ago, we started talking about it. She asked if I had anything new, and if possible, I want to make the kind of bread that she desires...

I see... Then why don't you ask Marietta directly?

I don't have that kind of courage...

Huh? Courage...? Do you really need courage?

Uh, well, I mean, I don't get too many opportunities to talk to Ms. Marietta.



Ms. Ayesha, what kind of bread does she desire?

W-Well...I wouldn't know. I'm sorry...

I see... I thought that maybe you might know, but I guess I was wrong... However, now I've reached an impasse... How can Ms. Marietta...? Ugh, this may be the end for me...

(Whoa... Mr. Fred got all depressed...) Um, if you don't mind, do you want me to go ask Marietta?

R-Really!? It'd be great if you could. And if possible, can you hide the fact that's it for me?

What? Really? But why?

Th-That's...oh, I know! It's so Ms. Marietta doesn't have to worry about a thing!

Okay, then I'll go ask her real quick!



Wh-What's wrong, Marion!? You're staggering!

...I haven't been eating well lately...

That's not good. You should eat every meal.

I am eating. Well, I've been eating food-like substances...

F-Food-like substances...?

Linca learned how to cook recently, so she's been cooking various things for me, but...

Oh, how is it going? I taught her how to cook, since she asked me to.

Ohhh, so it was you... Well, for breakfast today, she served me something resembled eggs. It might be better to say it was a heap of dark brown something. Dark brown...? Or dark black...? It's a complete mystery to me how anyone could prepare a dish and have it end up like that.

Hahaha, umm, I also taught her how to grill meat and make stew...

She's not skilled enough to cook different things at once.



I think I remember hearing her say that making a large quantity will make it taste better.

Oh, that's... I-I'm sorry.

Huh? Why are you apologizing?

Well, umm, about large quantities making it taste good... I guess I didn't quite get the right idea across... I'm sorry I wasn't able to teach her how to cook better.

It's fine. I was worried that Linca might've been causing problems for you. I think you can kinda tell already, but she's completely helpless when it comes to anything other than her sword. I want her to be happy about normal stuff, now that's she met you and all, but... I guess that won't happen for a while... Ah, well, I'll get going now. Thanks, Ayesha. Oh, and I wonder why she always put a flag on her dishes now... I heard her say something like, "I raised another flag today..."

(I kinda feel responsible. If I taught her better...)



I remember him saying something about a big business opportunity... I wonder if he became a great merchant who manages a whole area of land... Or maybe the meeting got cancelled because he didn't like my medicine... Hmm, now I really want to know...

Hello? Ayesha, are you here?

Ernie!

Long time no see. I'm sorry I couldn't visit you earlier. I've been busy.

Don't worry. So, what happened with that business you were talking about...?

Well, thanks to you, we came to a nice agreement!

Whaaat!? Ernie, that's amazing! Congratulations!

It's all thanks to you, Ayesha. Thank you so much!

No, I didn't do anything. It's all because you worked so hard for it.

No, I've really come to realize that I couldn't have won this contract by myself. Thanks to your help, and everyone else's, I was able to come this far.

Ernie, you're so modest, but I like that about you. I'm sure everyone wanted to help because they like your personality.

Ayesha... Yup, I'm really glad I got to do this job... Hmhm, maybe my dream will come true after all.

Your dream? Is it like to become a famous merchant who travels all over the world?



For the store clerk...let's see... I'd want to have a girl, or a composed, mustached man.

Wh-Why does he need a mustache?

I admire manly men who have mustaches. I've always been so weak... So I told myself that when I got older, I'd grow a mustache, but... No matter how long I wait, nothing. I wonder if I'm really lacking manliness...

I-I wonder... Even without a mustache, I think you're an amazing person... But a mustache... Would it be like this one Mr. Harry has?

Huh? I-I wonder. Mr. Harry's is...a bit different from what I like...I think?

Why do you have such low self-esteem?

Well, haha... But I guess there's nothing I can do about it now. I just need to do what I can, one step at a time! We haven't reached a formal contract, so I can't let my guard down, but I'll do my best!

You're so lucky. Your dream is growing...! (Ernie is always working so hard. I hope he gets to sign a good contract...)



Whoa, you scared me! And what kind of question is that?

Well, that's, umm...I'm just really curious.

What kind of bread would I like to eat...? It's hard when I have to limit my food choices to just bread... Let's see... Speaking of bread, do you know how there's that new bakery? It's that shop that's owned by that big, quiet guy...

Huh? Is he...quiet?

Yup. All he says is "welcome" and "thank you very much". Other than that, he's always staring at me with a scary expression on his face. I like how delicious the bread is, but I don't know if that place'll really flourish. As a fellow shopkeeper, I'm a little worried.

(Huh? That seems completely different from what I remember. Maybe I have a lot to learn...)

Anyway, getting back to the bread... Umm... There's nothing wrong with cute and sweet bread, but I'd be happy with bread that has fillings. Like ones you can eat for lunch. Something like a meat pie.



Got it. Thank you so much. (I found out what Marietta likes, so I should go tell Mr. Fred right away!)



Really!? I haven't been able to concentrate enough to bake, so I wasn't sure what I should do. Can you tell me right away!? A combination of meat and bread... I've never thought of that before... Those usually fall in the domain of pies...

I see... What's the borderline between pie and bread anyway?

Simply put, they're made differently. You have to leaven the dough to make bread. But for pie, you have to use a lot of butter for the dough.

Hearing it like that, they seem like completely different things...

Of course, there are breads that you don't need to leaven the dough, and breads that call for lots of butter. Flour and water are the basic ingredients for both, so an absolute distinction would be... Breads are sold at bakeries, and pies are sold at pie shops...I would think.

Hahaha, that's an easy distinction!

Hahaha, well you don't have to make a distinction. New ideas are very helpful for making new breads. So, did Ms. Marietta mention anything else?

Well, she said more variety of cute bread will make her happy. Hehehe, so she had the same opinion as me.



Yes. She said that she likes this shop because there are lots of cute types of bread.

Cute...!? Like...what!? I'm not mentally prepared for this, yet...

Oh, but she was worried about how you're so quiet and scary, and that your shop won't flourish.

S-Scary...? I see, so I am a scary person...

Well, I don't think so, but Marietta seems to think that.

No, it's fine... I'm sure everything she said is true... Anyway, thank you. I'll think of a new bread from what you just told me. This is just my way of thanking you, so please accept it.



Sorry about the PSN notification. Even with a good connection like what I have now, for some reason I get randomly kicked off PSN every now and then. I really should turn off my connection during recordings.

Hmhm, that humming means your synthesis is going well.

Yup. I was just thinking that today's synthesis is going -



Yup. It's me. Hi, Sis.

Nio, but what're you doing here now...?

Hehehe, I wonder... I totally don't know the reason why. But all of a sudden, I can tell where you are... Cuz something smells really nice. See, even now, right?

A nice smell...? Could it be the essential oil that I made from the glowing flowers?

Yeah! I figured out where you are because this is where the smell is coming from. If the smell was stronger, it'd be easier to find you...

I see. I wonder how it works? You can't really smell the oil unless you're in the room...

That's not true. No matter how far away it is, it can still reach me. I can smell it...or it's almost like I can see a light. From the dark place that I'm always at. I can see this smell...

Nio, I know I've asked you before, but you don't know where you are, right?

Yeah. It's dark and warm...and it's almost fluffy. I don't know anything other than that...

It sounds like you're inside a dream...

Yeah, even the candy I got from you last time... I've tried so many times, but I just can't open the bag. And it's like I'll be running, but I can't move forward at all.

The more you describe it to me, the more mysterious it seems. Is there anything else out of the ordinary?

*yaaawn* ...Well, I get sleepy really fast whenever I come outside... I'm able to see you now, but when I fall asleep and wake up... I'm back in the same place.

Nio, so...

No... I'm getting sleepy again. Good night, Sis...



She disappeared... But I think I'm finally getting used to that... So she's not in a place that's painful, or cold or hot... That's a bit of relief... Yup, I should be optimistic. I just found some things out right now. First, that I should make the effects of the essential oil I get from the glowing flowers stronger. I still don't know what the flowers are, but I might find something out while I continue my research. And for that...I need more glowing flowers! Wait for me, Nio. Your sister will do her best!

Well, I'm sorry about this having to be necessary in the first place. Not good at this whole LPing thing. Well, tune in next time for a proper update.