I uploaded an 8x speed video of me writing this chapter.
If you're interested, well, I can't link it without fanfiction bringing out the pitchforks and torches, so just go to YouTube and search for "Writing The Symbolic Weight of Sacrifice Chapter 6" and it should come up, hopefully. I doubt many people would actually go search for it but hey, if even one person is interested, that's still a win in my books!
Chapter 6
"So, this is Keishi?"
Looking up at the buildings of the city before her, Rosa had to admit, it was pretty fucking impressive. Sure, she knew cities with far grander and older architecture in her previous life, and had even visited a few, but it still blew her away a little. Why? Because there were people walking up and down the fucking buildings, that was why. And nobody was really caring about that, making it seem almost like she was the odd one out for thinking that it was out of the ordinary. "Yes, this is the capital."
Kentaro definitely treated it as though it was nothing special, and so, despite herself, she buttoned up her bafflement and walked alongside him as they ventured into the city proper. Entering wasn't a big deal, the guards had scrutinized the pair for a few moments before they entered, but upon seeing the headband that Kentaro had put on, they didn't stop them. He didn't elaborate on it though, so she figured asking was probably a stupid idea.
No, instead, she kept her eyes open for anything that stuck out to her, aside from the wall-walking people. Taverns, marketplaces, libraries, anything that would be of use to her. She still had no map though, so marking things down for later had to simply be done by relying on memory. Besides, the more they walked, the more it was obvious that Keishi wasn't exactly 'prosperous'. The people seemed well-fed enough, but there was a distinct lack of vibrance and activity that would indicate that the capital was actually in a state of growth.
From what she could see and assumed, the country was probably in a state of stagnation or decline, as the prosperity of a medieval-esque capital typically could indicate how well a country was doing. "So, what's the name of the country we're in, I forgot to ask? And...are they at war or something, because things feel a bit...off around here." Kentaro gave her a look, turning his head away again and not replying for a solid minute.
Only when they walked into an alleyway did he stop and begin to speak. "We're in Fire Country, and right now, the country just got out of the Third Great Shinobi War, so the residents might not be too keen to hear a foreigner remarking about how 'off' things feel." Rosa held her hands up in mock surrender, conceding the point. She wasn't exactly tempted to try her luck against a pissed-off local, not if they all could walk up walls and spit fire.
"So, I'm guessing since the guards just let you in casually, you're from Fire Country as well?" He grunted, leading the pair out of the alleyway wordlessly. "Okay, well, we need to get established. I've only got what, five and a half more days with you as a 'lackey' so to speak, so I need to make the most of it. A place to stay is only the second priority over making some cash." She'd done some thinking whilst they travelled, and had already upgraded her Crafting from F-3 to F-2, using up 120 points and leaving her with 80.
The reason she did that was because F-2 crafting meant she was able to smelt copper and even bronze into ingots and basic tools. The requirement was a certain weight of ore per ingot, as well as having 'forging apparatus' nearby, which she had to craft herself using leather, wood, stone and metal of varying types for a varied quality of apparatus, which likely would produce varying qualities of ingots, tools, weapons and equipment.
Her plan to make money was to buy raw materials and process them into sellable goods, making an easy and efficient profit. Using her crafting menu took next-to-zero effort, and so she could simply afford to buy a fuckton of stuff, process it all, sell it all off for a tidy profit, then repeat the process. She would have to be careful to manage the supply and demand though, flooding the market with a thousand copper pickaxes would mean hundreds would go unsold, wasting her time and her money.
On top of that, she would acquire rare things to sacrifice, thus earning ritual points to upgrade her crafting skill, which in turn would mean more money for more sacrifices, a self-perpetuating loop that didn't abuse the system in any meaningful way. She was still going to be putting in some work in terms of buying the resources she needed for crafting and for sacrifices, so hopefully the system wouldn't fuck her over. Of course, she had to also explain that to Kentaro in a way that wouldn't confuse him. "I'm going to guess you're not carrying any of the local currency, which is...?"
"Ryo, and no, but I do have some in my bank. However, I only said I'd help you, not that I'd let you rob me of my savings." Rosa pouted, that line of inquiry cut off harshly. Thumbing her lower lip as they walked, she tried to figure out a way to get the starting capital they needed without using the money that Kentaro so cruelly denied her. She still had her bronze dagger and machete, which were both very well-made and would hopefully fetch a pretty penny. Even if it wasn't a lot, it would hopefully be enough to get the advanced materials she needed to kickstart production of her own metal. She could go out and gather wood and stone, but leather and metal were both goods she couldn't produce herself, not yet anyway.
To make leather required tanning apparatus, which required wood and metal, so it all came back to metal. She would save money if she could produce her own metal, and from there make all the other apparatus she needed. Of course, then she realized she'd need a place to put it, and so looked at Kentaro again. "Could we rent a small space? Literally just a small empty room, not even as big as the width of the cave we were in. I need somewhere to put some things, and I promise I'll pay you back however much it costs." She put her hands together and not-quite-begged him to help her out, clamping down on her urge to grin when he belatedly nodded.
"One room, nothing in it, no furnishings or anything, just a plain room, correct?" Rosa nodded in response, smiling when he sighed. "Fine, but I'll burn your hair off if you can't pay me back." She clutched at her braid and frowned at him, but only for a moment, too excited about the plans coming to place in her mind. Step one, get the resources she needed to craft a set of forging apparatus. Step two, place it in the room. Step three, sell her machete and dagger then buy some copper ore. Step four, smelt it into ingots and tools. Step five, sell those items on and use the profits to buy more resources. Step six, continue to perpetually generate money by producing a variety of high-quality goods.
It was foolproof!
"Okay, I know what I said, and...you really outdid yourself...again."
Rosa blinked at the postage-stamp-sized room that Kentaro had found. Well, that was unfair...to the postage stamp. But the good part was that it was longer than it was wide, and from the preview of her forging apparatus, she could fit it in sideways with enough room to still walk along the length of the forge, the anvil, quenching bucket and the table that it consisted of. It'd be a tight fit, sure, but it would work, because she didn't have to actually use it, it just had to exist within a range of three metres of her, and she could then craft with it. "Will it work?"
"Oh, this? Yeah, it'll work just fine. How much even is it?" Kentaro shrugged off her question, heading to the bored-looking realtor and signing the contract he had with him on the spot, handing him a practically non-existent bundle of faded notes. "Well whatever, as I said, this'll work just fine. Now I just need to go sell my dagger and machete, buy some things, set myself up, and start printing some moolah." At Kentaro's flat face she didn't bother elaborating, he probably knew what she meant. "Now then, loyal follower, please lead me to the nearest marketplace...please." She said with a grin, her happiness at not only being back in civilization but also being on the cusp of beginning a new stage of her progression bleeding over into her actions.
He didn't take her silly words to heart, and began to lead her through the town after closing and locking the 'cupboard'. It only took a few minutes before her ears picked up a very familiar sound, the sound of what could only be a market. Well, that or some kind of very popular venue, but since Kentaro was leading her to a market, she assumed correctly that it was a market. Rounding the final corner, she laid her eyes upon a street of buildings which each had a shopfront, and where people came and went as quickly as leaves, entering and exiting the different shopfronts at a rapid pace.
There was a low murmur in the air as so many people spoke, and honestly, she felt happy to finally be back in civilization. Sure, she'd already wandered around Keishi for a while, but this, being amongst a throng of people, made her feel at home to some degree. Still, she put that down in favor of heading towards what could only be described as a tool shop, there were blades, hammers and all sorts of other assorted items tied to shelves at the entrance, the blades wrapped in fabric to cover and protect their edges.
Entering, she saw that there was a small queue waiting to purchase various things, and each of them had the same headband that Kentaro had, which definitely raised her curiosity. However, all of those irrelevant thoughts were shoved aside as she pursued the oldest and noblest of British traditions: queueing! She sauntered up happily to the back of the queue, glancing around the store in curiosity as the line moved ever-forwards, Kentaro stood implacably by her side.
When it was finally their turn, she put her hands on the corner of the counter and greeted the person behind with a smile. "Hi there, I'm new in town and was wondering if your store is willing to purchase some bronze equipment that I have created." Said person gave her a flat look from behind their glasses, and she could almost feel the palpably-done internal monologue of the person before her, obviously cursing her and her seven mothers to high hell. "If I could perhaps display them...?" She asked politely, and upon an eye-roll and a gesture so lazy that to call it a gesture was a blessing, she took out the bronze dagger and laid it on the counter, then did the same for the machete. What amused her most was that the countenance of the person behind the counter immediately sharpened once she brought two items out of thin air.
"If you could wait here a moment, I shall fetch the blacksmith for you?" A little amused at how quickly he'd turned around, she waved a hand, allowing him to dart off through the door behind him, a wave of heat immediately detectable. The door obviously led straight to the forge, which didn't exactly scream of safety, but if the place hadn't already burned down, maybe it worked for them.
After only a scant thirty seconds, he returned, and a brawny woman wearing a thick leather apron and heavy-looking gloves came in after him. "Selling?" The woman asked gruffly, picking up the bronze dagger and rolling it over a few times, all the while Rosa gave a brief nod of agreement. "Hmm." The woman said nothing, picking up the bronze machete and repeating her actions, inspecting the blade and handle with a keen eye before laying them both down. "Alright, I'll buy the dagger from you for 6,000, and the machete...let's call it 9,000 since it's clearly seen some use, an even 15,000 ryo."
Glancing at Kentaro, she saw his eyes were widened for a flash before he put that away and gave her a curt nod, indicating that it was a surprisingly good deal. "Sounds good to me. Cash?" The woman nodded, giving a gesture towards the shopkeeper and then disappearing back into the forge. After a minute of waiting, she came back, placing down fifteen notes of Ryo on the counter. Picking them up and spying clearly marked 1,000's on each note, she gave Kentaro another glance, and seeing as he said nothing, she accepted the money as real and gave the woman a smile. "Would you be interested in buying more bronze stuff if I decide to sell again?"
"If it's the same level of quality, sure." Well, Rosa wasn't quite sure that the stuff she crafted would be at the same level as the system, not with the most basic level of forging apparatus, but if push came to shove, she could probably just start selling her own stuff anyway, there definitely seemed to be a market for it, if the queue that had formed behind them was any indication.
Not wanting to take up any more time, she put the money in her inventory and exited the shop. "Okay, well, that went well. 15,000 Ryo, seems like a lot. Is that a lot?" Kentaro gave a shrug, clearly not knowing what she actually intended to do, and so he couldn't tell her if it was a lot of money or not. "Well, we've got some money now at least, so hopefully I can start working on the next step of my plan."
"You might want to think of a different way to spend some of that Ryo first." He said with amusement, prompting her to look at him. He, in turn, simply glanced downwards. Rosa followed his gaze and gave a hum of agreement as she realized she was still wearing the plant-fiber clothing she had made previously. It was actually surprisingly comfortable, and it hadn't yet fallen apart, plus it didn't actually look like it was just made out of grass, but yes, walking around in it was likely not sending a good image, she looked a few steps above a hobo.
"Alright, well then, next stop, clothing district!"
Purchasing clothes, as it turned out, was actually not nearly as bad as she thought it was going to be.
Sure, people were walking around wearing fairly modern clothing, but something in her brain, probably subconsciously analyzing the environment, the old aesthetic of the buildings, and the fact that a lot of people were walking around with cold weapons, put her in a medieval mindset. But no, there were glass-front clothes stores that had clothes very close to modern-day clothing on mannequins, which even included jeans! Jeans meant denim, something that was only made somewhere in the range of a hundred years after the industrial revolution started, putting it far and away from medieval times.
And so, she purchased several sets of jeans, as well as some knee-length skirts, some long-sleeved tops, two comfortable jackets with fur collars, and blessed underwear! She also got some socks and replaced her shoes, opting for some leather boots with raised heels and steel toe caps just to add insult to injury during a nut-shot. Did she manage to blow a third of her budget, a full 5,000 Ryo on her purchases? Well, yes, but did she now have some kickass clothes? Also yes, so it was clearly worth it and the eye-rolling that Kentaro did mattered not in the face of fashion! Still, ten-thousand Ryo were left, and so, with clothing acquired, and her clothing mule sufficiently ladened down with baggage, she ventured back to their 'base' to drop her stuff off.
Once that was done, she had Kentaro take her to a commodities exchange. Well, more accurately, she had Kentaro ask around until someone pointed him in the right direction, because whilst he knew his way around Keishi decently well, he had no idea what a commodities exchange even was. When they arrived at the aforementioned location, it was revealed to be an office building, with the prominent name of Azure Logistics over the doors.
Pushing open the door, she spied a receptionist busy messing with a filing cabinet. Rather than interrupt, she walked up to the desk and waited patiently. When the receptionist finally finished, she closed the filing cabinet and turned. Upon seeing that there were guests, she momentarily did a face fault before plastering on a very fake-looking smile and greeting them. "Hello there, how may I help you today?"
"I'm looking to be supplied with several raw resources, beginning in low quantities but increasing as needs demand. In particular, copper ore and animal hides. Additionally, I'd like to purchase several ingots of iron and some treated leather. Would you happen to have a rate of exchange for those resources?" The woman nudged at the glasses on her face, seemingly inspecting her to see exactly how serious she was about her purchase.
"I'm sorry, but we only handle raw resources, so we cannot provide leather or iron ingots. We can however provide ore and raw animal hides, so if that suits your esteemed self...-" Rosa gave a curt nod, earning an increase in the intensity of the woman's smile. "-then I'd be happy to show you our rates." The woman returned to the filing cabinet, picking through them with a deft hand and quickly returning, laying down several pieces of paper. "As you can see, our rates are very competitive, and quality is naturally guaranteed."
Glancing at each sheet, Rosa gave a non-committal hum. To buy copper ore was 115 Ryo per kilogram. As for animal hide, it naturally varied from animal to animal, but since she could generalize it, pigskin was the best thing to use to make leather. For a 30cmx60xm sheet of pigskin, it would cost about 235 Ryo. She had also brought out the sheet regarding iron ore prices, and to buy a kilogram of iron ore was 200 Ryo. That didn't match modern-time prices, but that was because copper was rarer and useful for wiring and all that whereas iron was more common and less useful. In a society where cold weapons were still being made in significant quantities, it was natural that copper was nowhere near as valuable as iron, a much better material for a weapon.
It put a bit of a dampener on her plan, but recalling how she had sold a bronze dagger for 6,000 Ryo, even if the prices were tripled, so long as she had a 50% efficiency of refining, turning 1kg of ore into 500g of metal, she would still be basically minting money effortlessly. Making a copper dagger required wood, copper and leather. Wood was easy, copper would be easy when she got a forging apparatus established, and a leather apparatus would naturally follow suit. "These prices are indeed very competitive, and I shall certainly be in touch in future to establish a partnership with Azure Logistics. Would you like me to leave a name by chance?" The woman waved her off, and Rosa could already see the woman assumed she was actually just wasting her time.
Still, it didn't matter much to her, so long as they sold to her in future, they'd both have a very bountiful relationship.