As soon as he stepped out of the Magic Pharmacy, Gaode's face clouded with worry.
He knew his time was running out, but he hadn't expected it to be this pressing. The deadline was the last day of the month, and today was already the thirteenth day of the Awakening Moon. Gaode silently calculated the remaining time in his head.
In this world, a year was also divided into twelve months. From the first to the twelfth, they were known as the Frost Moon, Awakening Moon, Spring Bud Moon, Green Leaf Moon, Flame Flower Moon, Sunlight Moon, Harvest Moon, Dark Night Moon, Frost Gold Moon, Frost Mist Moon, Ice Seal Moon, and Winter Solstice Moon. However, there was no distinction between months with different numbers of days; each month uniformly consisted of exactly thirty days.
He had woken up in this world on the second day of the Awakening Moon, and today was the thirteenth. This meant he had only seventeen days left until the end of the month!
***
After getting the exact information from Phil's Magic Pharmacy and accurately calculating how much time he had left, Gaode arrived at the Pierre Grocery Store with a heavy heart. Naturally, he was not here to shop. In fact, ever since he last purchased the Magic Formula, his savings had been stretched to the limit, leaving him completely unable to afford any expenses.
"Are you saying you have the ability to repair damaged Magic Items?" Inside the grocery store, Pierre stared at Gaode in astonishment. He looked as if he couldn't believe it, doubting his own ears.
Gaode gave an affirming nod. "Repairing some lower-level Magic Items shouldn't be a problem."
"Aren't you an Alchemist?" Pierre asked suspiciously. "Could it be you're also an Alchemist?"
Alchemists, Alchemists, and Rune Masters were the Three Royal Families of secondary professions in the Mage World.
Gaode shook his head. "I wouldn't consider myself an Alchemist. At most, I'm an Enchantment Repairer."
An Alchemist could create various Magic Items, which also included repairing them. An Enchantment Repairer, on the other hand, was only skilled in fixing damaged Magic Equipment or tools. The nature of this profession leaned more toward being a craftsman, with a technical skill level far below that of an Alchemist. Even so, upon hearing this, Pierre still revealed a look of deep respect. Whether this reverence was genuine or just an act put on for Gaode remained unknown.
"To see a Mage Apprentice who studies both Magic Potion and enchanting in a place like ours, and so young at that... it's truly remarkable," Pierre praised.
"I've only grasped a little bit of the basics. I don't deserve such high praise from you, Mr. Pierre," Gaode replied modestly.
"Very well. I happen to have a damaged Divine Guidance Ring on hand. It's been broken for several years now.
"I haven't been able to find anyone capable of fixing it in this small town. But since it's just a 0th Ring Magic Item, it wasn't worth making a special trip all the way to Bremen just to get it repaired. I'll let you give it a try." Pierre fumbled around under the counter for a moment before pulling out a dark gray iron ring.
In a small city like Hogan City, one could still find quite a few Mages who studied Magic Potion. This was because, no matter where you went, the market for Magic Potions was vast. Wherever there was a demand, there was a market.
However, you truly couldn't find a single Mage who studied enchanting. In a small city, you could barely find a handful of Magic Items to begin with, let alone broken ones. Anyone with this craft would either starve to death or migrate to a bigger city. It was just like how a doctor could always scrape by and make a living in a rural village, but nine times out of ten, an auto mechanic in the same village would be left with nothing but the North Wind to drink.
"If you can repair this ring, I can give you thirty silver as a repair fee." Pierre made a gesture similar to an "OK" sign, indicating the labor cost of thirty silver.
One Gold Coin was equal to twenty silver, which meant thirty silver was equivalent to one and a half Gold Coins. The general price of a 0th Ring Magic Item was usually between twelve and fifteen Gold Coins. A repair fee of one and a half Gold Coins equaled about ten percent of the item's total value, making it a very reasonable price.
From the very first time he sold the Basic Spider Venom Potion here, Gaode had realized that this boss was a good person to deal with. And it was true—Pierre was indeed a generous man.
"Deal. I'll get it fixed and bring it back to you tomorrow." Gaode took the ring from Pierre's hand.
The iron ring was moderately wide, its surface polished smooth as silk to ensure the wearer's comfort. Mysterious Rune patterns were carved into the exterior of the band. These Rune patterns were the source of the ring's Magic Power. However, there was a visible crack on the band. Not only did this fracture damage the physical structure of the ring, but it also cut straight through the Rune patterns, rendering the ring's Magic Power completely ineffective.
Pierre nodded, looking completely at ease. He waved his hand dismissively and said, "There's no rush. Just bring it over whenever you're done."
It wasn't that he felt like old friends with Gaode after just a few interactions and trusted him unconditionally; it was mainly because a broken 0th Ring Magic Item simply wasn't worth much to begin with.
Unlike High-Tier Magic Items, which required precious materials to carry High-Ring Magic, a 0th Ring Magic Item was much simpler. A mere Trick only required the most ordinary Refined Iron to act as a vessel. Therefore, without the added value of the Magic, this Divine Guidance Ring was essentially just a plain iron ring.
After pocketing the ring, Gaode thought for a moment before asking, "Is there anywhere in the city where I can buy live Earth Vein Creatures?"
"Live Earth Vein Creatures?" Pierre frowned at the question. He didn't pry into Gaode's intentions. After pondering seriously for a moment, he replied, "You might still find some in a large city like Bremen, but it would be difficult in Hogan City.
"The manpower and resources required to capture Earth Vein Creatures alive far exceed what it takes to simply hunt them down. Plus, there's no market for them in a place like Hogan City, so, you understand."
Gaode nodded silently in understanding. It was just like in his previous life, where only major cities had "pet stores" and "zoos."
Suddenly, the rhythmic and forceful sound of footsteps echoed from the street outside the alley, approaching steadily and interrupting their conversation. Gaode and Pierre both looked toward the noise. Outside on the main road, they saw a squad of uniformed City Guards marching past. As they passed the entrance to the alley where the Pierre Grocery Store was located, two of the City Guards broke off from the formation, entered the alleyway, and headed in their direction.
The two City Guards wore deep blue, long-sleeved tunics belted at the waist, adorned with epaulets indicating their rank. Stitched over the breasts of their uniforms was the city crest of Hogan City, giving them an exceptionally authoritative appearance. They approached and halted outside the store entrance. Seeing that they had caught Pierre's attention, they bowed slightly. One of them stepped forward and announced in a tone that was solemn yet polite, "Mr. Pierre, I have come on behalf of the city magistrate to deliver an urgent notice."
His voice was not loud; in fact, it was rather deep, but it was incredibly clear, conveying an undeniable sense of urgency.
Pierre's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, but he quickly adjusted his expression to show respect to the City Guards. Gaode also kept his gaze fixed on the men, waiting for the impending news.
"The number of Dark Swamp Crawlers in the city's sewers has recently surged, and they have become unusually active. In just a few days, the city will host its annual Trading Day. To ensure the event proceeds smoothly, the magistrate has ordered all merchants on the street to carry out sewer clearing operations. Each merchant is required to clean out the section of the sewer that falls under their storefront." The City Guard's words were brief and forceful.
Upon hearing this, Pierre's expression shifted slightly, revealing that this news indeed brought him quite a bit of trouble. However, he quickly composed himself, nodded at the City Guards, and expressed his gratitude. "Understood. I will finish the sewer clearing work before Trading Day arrives."
Having delivered their notification, the two City Guards turned and left, rejoining their squad.
"What is Trading Day, and what exactly are Dark Swamp Crawlers?" Compared to Pierre's annoyance, Gaode felt much more curious.
"You're a resident of Hogan City, and you don't know about Trading Day?" Pierre looked astonished by Gaode's question.
"I rarely go out, so I've never attended it," Gaode replied, his expression unchanging. Realizing this was yet another issue caused by his incomplete inherited memories, he casually fabricated an excuse.
Although Pierre was surprised, he didn't dwell on it or ask further questions. He simply gave Gaode a brief overview of Trading Day. Every year in the middle of the Awakening Moon, Hogan City held its most bustling Trading Day. During this time, the city council would open the town square to everyone, hosting a trading bazaar where citizens were free to buy and sell all sorts of goods, including second-hand items and antiques. The people selling goods on Trading Day were by no means limited to merchants; there were also various commoners. The items traded were even more diverse, ranging from handmade crafts created by the commoners themselves to old clothes, furniture, and other unneeded personal belongings, and even obscure collectibles with unknown origins or purposes. If one had enough luck and a keen eye, it was entirely possible to snag some great treasures at incredibly cheap prices at this bazaar.
In Gaode's understanding, it was essentially a flea market. It was just that the concept of a flea market didn't exist in this world yet.
"As for the Dark Swamp Crawlers..." Mentioning this, Pierre looked deeply exasperated. "They're a type of worm that typically lives in dark, damp swamp environments, which includes the city sewers.
"These worms aren't inherently dangerous, but they constantly secrete extremely sticky mucus.
"If left to grow and move about freely, their mucus will eventually clog up the sewers, affecting the city's wastewater drainage and causing the whole city to reek to high heaven.
"Therefore, every once in a while, the city council organizes personnel to regularly clear out a batch of Dark Swamp Crawlers from the sewers.
"Occasionally, when the Dark Swamp Crawlers multiply out of control and the city council doesn't have enough manpower, they demand that we merchants take responsibility for the section of the sewer running beneath our respective storefronts."
"Is this a difficult task to complete?" Gaode asked.
"Although these worms aren't dangerous, as Earth Vein Creatures, they possess a certain level of camouflage. They're excellent at hiding, and since they live in the sewers, they're not easy to find and clean out," Pierre explained.
"Wait," Gaode said, his eyes gradually lighting up. "Mr. Pierre, are you saying these worms are Earth Vein Creatures?!"