"In total, you've grabbed 39 skill books from the emporium, all of which contain Common grade skills. Aside from [Innate Luck] costing 100 gold coins, all the other skills you've grabbed cost 50 gold coins each." Listening to the cashier break down the cost of each skill book he had grabbed from the emporium, Valyr felt a twinge of pain in his chest as he calculated the overall cost in his mind.
"All in all, you'll have pay 2,000 gold coins." Nodding in response to the cashier's words, Valyr inwardly let out a long sigh as he brought out his money pouch. Effectively cutting the amount of money he had by around half, he placed down a small stack of platinum coins on the counter, causing the eyes of the cashier and the young woman to briefly light up in response.
Placing all of the coins into the register under the desk, the cashier aiding Valyr in checking out soon brought out a thin tablet, infusing it with a bit of his mana soon after. After that, the cashier picked up one of the skill books before also infusing it with a bit of mana, which caused the name of the skill book to pop up on the tablet's surface.
Finally getting an idea on how people used the thin tablets, Valyr stood in place as he and the young woman watched the cashier scan all of the skill books one by one, placing the ones he had already scanned to another side of the counter.
By the time the cashier was done scanning all of the skill books, he then looked at the young woman beside Valyr before sending a strand of mana to her. In response to receiving the strand of mana, the young woman faintly nodded as she told Valyr that she would have to leave him with the cashier for a while.
Wondering as to what the young woman was going to do while he nodded in response, Valyr shifted his gaze back to the cashier, who took out a small bracelet from under the counter before infusing it with a bit of mana.
Whoosh!
In response to the infusion, a small space opened up within the bracelet, prompting Valyr's mouth to become slack-jawed as he never expected to come across something valuable like a spatial bracelet this early.
From what he could remember from his memories, spatial bracelets were a staple throughout the universe of Greater Beyond, with many powerful people owning spatial bracelets that could fit entire planets within it. However, within the world of Veldanyr, spatial bracelets were incredibly rare, being something that could only be obtained by the royalty, or by those who had achieved a great merit.
Yet, even if one were to achieve such stringent requirements, the spatial bracelet one would be able to obtain would only have a space equivalent to a small room at most. With that, Valyr was left at a loss for words once he watched the cashier place all of the skill books he had bought within the spatial bracelet he brought out, recalling how rare such items were in Veldanyr.
'Unless… it used to not be rare? Was there something that happened before the first version that made spatial bracelets so rare after that?' As this thought lingered in his mind, Valyr watched as the cashier seal up the spatial bracelet before giving it to him with a charming smile.
"As this esteemed sir has made a purchase beyond a total of 10 platinum coins, a spatial bracelet is given for you to store your skill books free of charge," said the cashier. "Not only that, but you're also entitled to claim a Basic-level VIP card from the emporium, reducing the price of anything you purchase from the emporium in the future by 10%."
"Of course, that's only if you show the card once you're ready to check out." Wearing the bracelet given to him as he listened to the cashier's explanation, Valyr watched as the young woman attending to him earlier made her way back to where they were, giving him a pitch black card that seemed to be cool to the touch.
"Please infuse a bit of your mana into it so the emporium's system remembers your mana signature." Receiving the black card from the young woman, Valyr nodded as he did what the young woman told him to do. In response, he felt a faint connection to the black card forming, prompting the cashier and young woman to nod as they told him that the process was complete.
"I hope you've enjoyed your stay at the Boundless Skill Emporium," said the young woman to him as she gave him a polite bow. "If there's anything else we can help you with before you leave, we'd be glad to do so."
"Is that so?" Listening to the young woman's words, a grin appeared on Valyr's face as he did not hesitate to voice out the question that was in his mind from earlier. "Since that's the case…"
"Would it be possible to contact the mage responsible for your emporium's spatial expansion magic?"
…
"Well, it was worth a shot." With a bitter smile adorning his face behind the helmet, Valyr walked out of the emporium with a long sigh, making a mental note in his mind of its location in the off chance he planned to buy some skills in the future.
"I should probably contact the person Arcenne recommended to me tomorrow, or perhaps ask Braum and the others if they know any mages specializing in spatial compression." Still feeling a hint of disappointment on the fact that his request was swiftly refused, it took a while for Valyr to get his bearings back, taking in a deep breath as he took a brief look at the sky.
"Who knew time would pass by so quickly even though you're only buying skills?" Taking note of the fact that the sun was only an hour away from setting, Valyr let out a faint chuckle as he started making his way back to the Imperial Production Guild, hastening his steps in the process.
"In any case, I should head back to the guild first."
