Allen and Peromus went to accomplish their other goal, getting earrings.
The section with the earrings was far more crowded than where they found the crystal seeds.
(Apparently Makris is rather attached to gaudy attires too after all.)
The Songstress Contest was not just about singing, but looks played an important role too.
That meant that sometimes a contestant with a 1 Star Talent could be rated better than one with a 3 Star Talent, or even win the event altogether.
The Sacred Fish Makris was the final judge about that.
Because of all that, the earrings and other accessories section was crowded with participants.
This was one of the many Magic Shops in Patlanta's main street.
They had many workers constantly trying to serve everyone who came for the contest.
Allen had only found two crystal seeds, but this seemed like the time when accessories sold the best at least.
Whoever won was promised glory and fame.
The participants paid little attention to their expenses, focusing solely on getting the jewelry and clothing necessary to achieve victory.
Because of the crowds in the capital, merchants also came in droves to meet the demand, which gave the economy as a whole a big boost.
(Somehow this reminds me of the fashion competitions back then.)
Watching the mermaids flock to stores desperately buying up accessories reminded Allen of a game he used to play a lot before.
There was a fashion competition in it too.
And the main story would not progress until the player got enough flashy equipment and won that competition.
That sounded like a really confusing condition, but Allen was also completely clueless about it.
He recalled he had to find a friend with a good fashion sense to pick a fashionable class, and pick the flashiest accessories possible.
Once that event was over, fashion had little value in the game's story too.
"Ew, what's going on? Why are there two guys here?"
When Allen reached out to a set of earrings to check if they were the right ones, his hand brushed against that of a woman with waist-length orange hair, and rather light clothes.
"I'm really sorry, here you go."
"Hmph!"
Allen decided to surrender the earrings to the orange haired woman.
But she just glared more at him, not even acknowledging his response.
"I think these are the ones you were looking for."
Meanwhile Peromus had put his Talent's Skills to use, gathering those he deemed valuable enough.
"Oh oh? Hmm, I feel like they still look shabbier than those Basque had."
(They're clearly inferior products.)
They looked like the same type of shells, but their shape, size, and luster, felt far cheaper.
"Really? It should raise your attack damage a bit though."
Saying that, Peromus gave a few details about the earrings, as well as their price.
There were various types, made from seashells, coral, or translucent minerals, all of which had different effects.
[The effects and prices of the various earrings]:
-Earring that boosts Attack Damage by 3%, 100 gold coins
-Earring that boosts Attack Damage by 5%, 500 gold coins
-Earring that boosts Magic Damage by 3%, 100 gold coins
-Earring that boosts Magic Damage by 5%, 500 gold coins
-Earring that boosts Critical Chance by 3%, 100 gold coins
-Earring that boosts Critical Chance by 5%, 500 gold coins
-Earring that boosts poison defense, 100 gold coins
-Earring that boosts sleep defense, 100 gold coins
(I see, so wearing a 5% one on each ear could give quite a boost too. At least as long as there's enough equipment slots available.)
They had various effects, and they had the potential of enhancing the power of Allen's Army as a whole.
The accessories that could be found in the S Rank Dungeon were rings, bracelets, and necklaces.
Having one more type of accessory, two of which could be equipped at a time, was valuable.
He was itching to start planning how he would distribute the accessories to strengthen his army and get even better results from hunting Iron Golems.
They were also working together with the Hero's Army now, and considering the efficiency of Attribute-Supports, being able to obtain accessories that were uncommon on the surface was a good chance.
(This sounds kind of insincere, but I guess I'm uniting the world as one.)
He had arrived at this world at the age of 35, way past the age if ideals and dreams, but those words still came to his mind now.
This world had many different races, and nearly a hundred countries forming part of the Five Continents' Alliance, but the world was still not united as a single entity.
Prostia had valuable earrings, and mermen who specialized in buffing Skills.
That empire with such valuable assets was not assisting in fighting the Demon King's Army whatsoever.
Assisted by the memories from his past life, he felt like there was meaning in trying to unite this world.
(Well, I still have to think how to report this back at the palace though.)
Rather than wallowing in sentimentalism, he had to focus on the battle at hand, focusing on the crowded store again.
"Sir, excuse me."
He spoke to the same rockfish-faced shopkeeper that sold him the crystal seeds.
"Yes, what do you need?"
The shopkeeper looked at Allen through his glasses, understanding he was a valuable customer.
He left his other customers waiting while he went to answer Allen.
"Are these all you have for sale? Or could you show me if you have anything a bit better?"
"We have a very varied assortment, of course. It might be a bit expensive though, if you don't mind?"
The shopkeeper looked up and down Allen's attire and posture, measuring his worth, before taking out the earrings he kept behind the counter.
"This is incredible."
"Oh, you can appraise them?"
"Yes."
The shopkeeper had noticed Peromus' Skill.
[The earrings the shopkeeper kept behind the counter]:
-Earring that boosts Attack Damage by 7%, 10000 gold coins
-Earring that boosts Magic Damage by 7%, 10000 gold coins
-Earring that boosts Critical Chance by 7%, 10000 gold coins
(Hmm, that's quite a step up in price. Though that happened with rings too.)
He recalled that the rings that boosted stats also jumped in price from 100 to 500, and then to 1000.
Though the work Allen's Army was doing kept growing the supply of rings, so their prices kept going down.
"I see…hmm…"
Allen carefully placed the earrings on the counter, his attitude changing a little.
"S-so what do you think?"
Allen's gaze turned sharper, focusing on the shopkeeper who flinched feeling that.
"So just between the two of us, I have a lot of connections in the palace. I believe I heard that there was something even better that arrived here?"
Allen spoke with a rather altruistic tone, making sure to emphasize the even better part.
"Oh, my apologies then. Which would you like to see then?"
The shopkeeper asked, trying to make sure Allen actually knew what he was talking about, and not just bluffing.
"I want to see both, of course."
The shopkeeper realized that Allen knew everything about him.
Allen had his Fish D summons, which he had let loose to investigate Prostia's market and businesses, gathering information about earrings and anything that could help Allen or the party to become stronger.
Thanks to that, he had learned some valuable information.
Ignomas had sold some quite valuable earrings from the palace's treasury.
It was his way of obtaining money to buy the support of nobles.
He had also given away antiques and carvings as gifts to nobles.
But accessories that boosted stats were not in high demand amongst nobles, so Ignomas had sold them to merchants instead.
There were two powerful earrings that had been sold, and they were in the hands of this shopkeeper now.
"You see, I was actually planning on auctioning both of them soon."
The shopkeeper knew that Allen was aware of everything.
But he had already planned on auctioning the two earrings he had bought from the palace.
He believed that an auction would fetch him the most profits.
"Wouldn't that depend on their true price?"
"You're right. Just wait a moment please."
Saying that, the shopkeeper glanced at one of the guards stationed in the shop.
The guard came wondering what the shopkeeper needed, and then they went together into the backroom.
After a short wait, they came back, carrying two small but sturdy boxes.
Inside were two earrings.
Peromus appraised them.
"This is incredible. There's no doubt it's these."
[Peromus' results]:
-Earring that boosts Physical Attack Damage by 10%, Strength + 2000, Attack + 2000
-Earring that boosts Magic Attack Damage by 10%, Mana + 2000, Intelligence + 2000
"It'll cost you 2400'000 gold coins if you want to take them right now, so what do you think?"
(That's ridiculous. We know how much you paid for them, that's too much of a markup.)
The shopkeeper gave them a clearly overinflated price.
The palace's records showed that the merchant had taken the two earrings for 600'000 gold coins, and Allen and Peromus had seen those records.
(There's another four earrings circulating around Patlanta. Peromus, your turn.)
Allen was looking for those two earrings, and four others.
He wanted to buy all of them, but he would not be able to afford all six if they cost that much.
Hearing the shopkeeper's response, Allen turned to Peromus.
He nodded at Peromus, who took a step forward, and then his body shimmered like it was enveloped in a heat haze.
"?!"
The shopkeeper looked nervous realizing Peromus had just activated his Extra Skill.
"Isn't that price a bit too expensive? I know this store has a long history, but are you really ripping people off now?"
"Oh? That's quite an accusation. What price do you offer then?"
Peromus had spoken before Allen could say anything, and the shopkeeper asked how much he was wanting to pay then.
"This seems like it's worth 600'000 gold coins at best. For both of them, of course. Oh, I guess this is the price you paid for them?"
Hearing that, the shopkeeper's semblance began to change.
This young merchant who had not even lived a third of his life was trying to haggle.
"Hmm, it's been years since someone challenged me. Isn't it a bit of a poor move to reveal your Skill's results though?"
Peromus had found out the price the shopkeeper paid the palace to obtain them.
"This felt like a really easy trade, so I felt there was no issue revealing that."
"Oh? You can't go back on your word now, youngling."
Hearing Peromus' reply, he realized that Peromus was just trying to rile him up.
He took a whiff of his underwater cigar, which he kept behind the counter, and tried to calm down.
The shopkeeper no longer cared whether Peromus was young or old, he was a merchant that had used his Extra Skill before negotiating, finding out the item's price without permission.
That was essentially a declaration of war.
He felt like he needed to teach Peromus a lesson, letting him know just who he had challenged.
Many years had passed since he opened his shop on that street of Patlanta.
He had sacrificed a lot to reach a position where he could trade items with the palace.
The shopkeeper felt like the memories of the latter half of his life were being replayed in his mind.
When compared to warriors, this was like a nameless soldier unsheathing his sword against a seasoned swordsman who had fought countless battles.
And that inside their own camp, where either side could easily slice the other.
The shopkeeper felt his body tensing up just seeing Peromus' face, which seemed to be insistent in buying the earrings for cheap.
(I'm counting on you. I want them no matter what. This is basically the reason why you came with me to Prostia.)
Allen felt like there was another important reason for Peromus to be there, but he no longer remembered what it was.
His mind was too focused on thinking who would benefit the most from equipping those earrings.
Peromus' merchant Extra Skill [Valuate] could tell him the price of things.
It could even narrow down the local price in a given country.
It could also be pointed at a specific person, knowing what they believed something was worth.
In the case of the shopkeeper, Peromus could essentially read all his thoughts and emotions in great detail for the hour that the Skill's effect lasted.
The shopkeeper had mistaken Peromus' bluff of mentioning the sum paid for the earrings at the palace, believing that was all his Extra Skill did.
But Peromus' skill to know how much was paid for them, and how much the shopkeeper expected to get, was being vastly underestimated.
Peromus would never be distracted by the shopkeeper's bluffs.
He had a far more advantageous position than the shopkeeper.
That marked the start of the heated negotiations between the shopkeeper and Peromus.
