"Hikaru, what should we do?"

"I'll buy this one I tried on. It felt comfortable to wear."

"Good. We match now."

Looking over, I noticed Reifrea's armor was the same type I was about to purchase.

Well, it must be the most practical and affordable option.

From my Shadow Storage, I pulled out silver coins and paid.

The shopkeeper seemed surprised I bought it without hesitation, unable to hide his astonishment—probably because customers like me were rare. I decided to take that as a sign.

Incidentally, the exchange rate was 46 silver coins per gold coin.

I immediately equipped the gear and stepped out of the shop.

It was usually necessary to adjust the size, but my lack of a robust physique turned out to be fortunate. The armor was apparently designed for women, so it did make me feel a little awkward as a man...

"Hehe~, we match,"

she said, grinning widely and immediately locking her arms around me as soon as we stepped out of the shop. Matching, yes—but it's armor. Is she happy about that?

"Thanks for showing me a good shop."

"Heeey, you're welcome!"

I'd already planned to buy proper protective gear to cover my weak points.

Though I'm venturing into the perilous, unpredictable labyrinth where death could come at any moment, I don't exactly crave it. Of course I'd avoid any death I could—especially after seeing so many adventurers reduced to silent, cold stone in the dungeon.

It wasn't a purchase I'd expected, but I was shown a good shop. If it had been up to me alone, I'd probably have picked leather armor.

"So, what now?"

"I'm going to accompany you to the equipment shop. I want to buy a few things for the demon king's defeat."

I've hardly ever used the equipment shop myself.

In fact, I might not have used any of the town's facilities at all.

There's also the issue that if I get too close to the temple, the Great Spirit might break free and come after me to eat me. But even setting that aside, I might just lack initiative.

Refreia linked her arm with mine and walked into what looked like a somewhat upscale equipment shop.

It wasn't a cluttered, low-end shop with random goods piled up—this felt like a shop a rung above the usual.

Several tools with unfamiliar shapes are arranged inside a glass display case.

"Hikaru, do you know what these are?"

"No, I've never seen them before."

"I see... Hikaru really knows nothing, doesn't he... These are magical artifacts."

"Magical artifacts...!"

I vaguely remembered hearing somewhere before that spirit stones serve as energy sources for such devices, but is this what they meant?

There's a price tag attached, but it's incredibly expensive.

Definitely out of my reach.

"Buying it?"

"No, I just came to take a look. I'm a bit curious."

"Hmm. So, what can this thing do?"

It's hard to describe—it looks like a box with metal plates attached.

The box itself is made of sturdy wood, carefully carved with intricate patterns, and at first glance, it seems more like a decorative object.

"This is a magic item that alerts you to approaching monsters through sound."

"Really? I didn't know such a thing existed. It seems pretty useful... though the price is insane."

It costs five gold coins.

The price is outrageous, but this will become increasingly valuable the deeper you go into the lower levels.

With this, you can rest safely within the labyrinth, and no longer have to worry about being ambushed. If you actually venture into the labyrinth, the benefits will be immeasurable.

"Exploration parties at the Onyxdine level always carry this, right?"

"Oh? Then what about this one?"

"That's a healing potion—a magic item that produces the same effect as the water healing spell."

"There's actually something like that?"

If such items exist, there'd be no need to worry about the limitations of spirit magic.

Everyone just solves everything with magic items.

Magic items are convenient, but only elves can make them, and there aren't many elves capable of doing so, which makes them expensive. Spirit gear, on the other hand, is affordable. Still, you need spirit stones to use them."

"Are spirit gear and magic items different?"

"Magic items operate using chaotic spirit stones. They're said to harness various spirits to produce effects, and only elves skilled in spirit magic can create them. Since chaotic spirit stones themselves are extremely expensive, only parties with plenty of money can afford to use them casually."

Chaotic spirit stones are traded at prices several times higher than ordinary colored stones.

Moreover, the healing pot is said to consume an entire sizable chaotic spirit stone—quite a fuel-wasteful amount—for just a single use. Still, in the world of adventurers, a single recovery can mean the difference between life and death. From that perspective, treating it as insurance might be more than sufficient.

"Spirit gear uses transparent or colored spirit stones, which aren't particularly expensive, and can even be crafted by non-elves. They're mostly simple in effect."

The spirit gear displayed not in showcases but on shelves, so to speak.

Even so, the prices are quite high, yet they include practical items like water-springing flasks and something akin to lighters, which would greatly ease daily life. Compared to magic devices, they may seem dull, but they're more than sufficient in convenience.

I'd definitely want a flask and a lighter, just like anyone else.

"I see, that's interesting. It seems they've got quite the technical skill—using spirits as an energy source and industrializing it, is that right?"

"You know some pretty complicated terms, Hikaru. Indeed, the alchemists mentioned calling the process 'industrialization' when they gather in one place to create things."

"Isn't that called 'factory-based handicraft' or something like that?"

The form of production taught in class turns out to be the cutting-edge industrial model in this world.

If only I'd studied harder back then. With modern knowledge, I could've lived much more wisely.

There must be other transmigrants who've managed to thrive using such knowledge.

"Well then, shall we head to another shop? Today's going to be a pub crawl!"

"You're going to be my guest, Your Highness."

"Aha. Not painful, not painful." With Refreia

, smiling without stopping, I wandered from shop to shop. I entered a store catering to

adventurers and stocked up on smoke bombs and dried meat—two

essential items for dungeon exploration. Basically, if things get bad, you

escape using a smoke bomb. If the enemy is weak

to meat, just toss the dried meat and run. After

all, being an adventurer means nothing without your

life. Surviving is naturally the top priority. Incidentally, I’ve already

stored dried meat and smoke bombs in my Shadow Storage. Always being prepared is crucial. Next, I went into a

　

clothing store and bought a new black outfit. It wasn’t

brand-new, though—just secondhand, so it didn’t cost much.

In addition, I bought something resembling a coat to conceal my neck.

I was now truly a bizarre figure from head to toe, completely black.

Well, given the nature of my magic, this is actually the best option.

I also picked up a few Reflair outfits. Even in this foreign world, apparently fashion exists—surprisingly stylish.

Or maybe it's just because the materials are so high quality that anything looks good on you.

"How do I look? Do I fit in?"

"Yeah. You look cute. The deep navy really brings out your pale skin—perfect fit."

"S-so is that right? Hehehe."

When I honestly gave my opinion, Reflair gave a slightly awkward smile and turned bright red.

Was it because I'd been drilled by my sisters to immediately comment on any physical changes and praise without hesitation?

After having lunch, Refleia taught me about this town while we were taking a walk, completely unaware of my ignorance.