In games, there are often items that can be exchanged for cash, or cases where combining low-budget items easily results in something highly valuable.

  "Yo-heave-ho, yo-heave-ho!"

  "Is it really okay to buy this much stuff?"

  "Yeah! No problem! I'll make back what we spent in no time!!"

  Ever since we went to the skill shop, I’ve been more hyped than usual.

  On the borrowed cart, there’s a mountain of equipment I bought at the alchemy shop after purchasing three skill scrolls at the skill shop, following the principle of "strike while the iron is hot."

  Total cost: 2,900 zeni.

  I’ve almost completely drained the party’s funds, and while Nel pushes the cloth-covered cart from behind, looking worried, I confidently assure her with a smile that everything’s fine.

  After finishing our shopping, we head back to the stable.

  "My, you’ve bought quite a lot, haven’t you?"

  The weather is nice today, and Teresa is hanging undry in the yard.

  She opens her eyes wide as she sees the amount of stuff we’ve brought back on the cart.

  "Good afternoon, Teresa! Well, things were cheap, so I ended up buying a lot!!"

  "My, my, it’s good that they were cheap, but are you sure this is okay? Debt and all... I don’t think my daughter would let you go into debt, but money should be used wisely, you know?"

  "I know! This is an investment!!"

  Teresa knows that since I started earning, I’ve been paying rent regurly, and Nel has told the family that she’s earning too, so she’s not worried about us stealing or anything. But she can tell we’ve spent a lot of money based on the amount of stuff we bought.

  In reality, our savings are almost depleted.

  "I see. Well, it’s good to do what you can while you’re young. Just don’t do anything dangerous."

  "Got it!"

  "You seem more energetic than usual today, Nel. What happened?"

  "I don’t know. He’s been like this ever since we went to the skill shop."

  "It seems like something really good happened."

  "I think something good is about to happen for you two."

  "??"

  But I know how to turn this around.

  "Alright, first, we need to tidy up the stable to make some space."

  "Hahaha, it’s full of cushions."

  "Over here, it’s just the herbs and rice water you said we’d use. The rest are small magic stones and drop items from mochi."

  After parking the cart in front of the stable, the first thing we do is organize the inside.

  Since it’s a facility for raising horses, there’s a decent amount of space, but ever since we started tackling the Mochi Dungeon, our items have increased, and the space has started to feel cramped.

  We’ve been storing the drop items in wooden crates to keep things organized.

  In one corner of the stable, where I sleep, I pile up the cushions for now, move the wooden crates to the side, and clear some space on the opposite side.

  Thank goodness for stats.

  Even though my muscles are starting to develop, I’m still in the process of growing, but I can easily carry heavy-looking luggage.

  This kind of stat really comes in handy for small rearrangements like this.

  Sigh, I wish I could have strengthened my body like this in my past life.

  "Space cleared! Libert, what do we do now?"

  "Assembly. I’ll bring the materials from the cart."

  "Got it."

  "First, this big table-like thing, right?"

  What I bought at the alchemy shop is a beginner’s alchemy workbench.

  It’s essentially a starter set for beginners, and most of what I bought is this.

  Thanks to Nel’s haggling, it cost 2,500 zeni, or 250,000 yen.

  Considering the cost-effectiveness going forward, it’s a reasonably cheap expense.

  "Heave-ho, heave-ho."

  "Just a thought, but do you really need to make those noises while pushing the cart?"

  "It makes it feel like I’m really working, and I think it’s good. Is it bad?"

  "I wouldn’t say it’s bad, but should I be doing it too?"

  "To each their own."

  The metal workbench is pretty heavy.

  There are magic circles drawn all over it, so they must be using a metal with high magical durability.

  As you move up from beginner to intermediate, advanced, and master levels, the metal used for the workbench also improves.

  Of course, the price skyrockets accordingly, but by that point, you’re at a level where you can make your own workbench and customize it, or even set up your own workshop, so it’s essentially just the cost of materials.

  After moving the main body of the workbench, next is attaching a cassette stove-like thing—or rather, a magic stone-powered cassette stove—to the workbench with screws, and pcing a metal pte with a magic circle next to it, also securing it with the designated screws.

  "Add the drawers, and then pce the pot, and it’s done!"

  "Easy peasy~"

  "Are you sure this is really okay?"

  "If we’d bought it at a bck market, maybe not, but we got it from a proper shop, so it should be fine."

  The beginner’s alchemy workbench, complete with a drawer for magic stones and an attached pot, is so simple even a child could assemble it.

  "So, what can we do with this?"

  "Synthesis and enchantment. But with this workbench, at best, you can only synthesize and enchant Css 3 items. And even Css 3 is limited."

  Being a beginner’s workbench, it’s only capable of basic tasks.

  "Also, only those with the Alchemy skill can use it. If someone without the skill tries, the success rate drops significantly, and most attempts will fail."

  But for me, this is a golden goose.

  And I know how to make that goose y golden eggs.

  "With that said, Amina."

  "Yes?"

  Fortunately, I also have a companion who’s willing to learn alchemy.

  If I were going solo, I’d have pnned to learn it myself, but I hand the scroll to Amina instead.

  "? Just one? Are the other two okay?"

  "Yeah, those are for something else."

  I only gave her one scroll.

  "I see... Well then, let’s get started."

  "Amina?"

  "...Do you know how to use it?"

  "...I don’t!!"

  After receiving the alchemy scroll, she spreads it out with both hands.

  She freezes for a few seconds, and just as Nel tilts her head and asks what’s wrong, I realize something.

  She doesn’t know how to use the scroll.

  In the game era, just imagining using the scroll was enough to activate it.

  But that method doesn’t necessarily apply here.

  Seeing Amina smiling and confidently admitting she doesn’t know, I can’t help but reflect on how I got too carried away and fell into such a basic trap.

  "For now, just try to imagine using it."

  "Okay! Oh, I think I can do it!"

  "Eh, is it really that easy?"

  But the problem was quickly resolved.

  I’m not sure how the system works.

  "Can I use it?"

  "Yeah."

  "Then I’ll use it."

  After confirming with me again and seeing me nod, the scroll in Amina’s hand slowly disappears.

  "I’ve learned it!"

  "Can you check your status for me?"

  "Sure!"

  It seems she’s learned it, so I ask her to confirm just to be safe.

  **Amina – Css 1 / Level 50**

  - **Basic Stats**- Stamina: 40- Magic: 60- BP: 0- EXBP: 0- Skills: 2 / Skill Slots: 4- Staff Mastery – Css 2 / Level 83- Alchemy – Css 1 / Level 1

  "Wow, it really increases like this."

  "After this, you can learn more through training or being taught."

  "But when we defeated the Kagami Mochi, I learned it in one go, right?"

  "That was an exception, a special bonus for the first time. Combat skills and production skills are passive-only, so if you keep using a weapon or making things, you can learn them too. But that’s a probability game."

  "Hmm, then do we even need to buy scrolls?"

  "Like I said, producing without a skill significantly lowers the success rate. Bcksmithing, woodworking, crafting—it’s all the same. Cooking and life-reted skills are exceptions; you can do them easily without skills, but they’re hard to acquire, and even if you succeed repeatedly, the chance of learning them is pretty low. So, it’s way more cost-effective to pay for scrolls than to waste materials."

  I’m gd she learned it without issues. There are multiple ways to acquire skills, but scrolls are the most convenient.

  If this method didn’t exist, I’d have had to seriously try the effort-based learning route.

  "I see."

  "Yeah."

  "So, what should I do next?"

  Fortunately, we don’t have to worry about that, so let’s move on to alchemy.

  "What I want you to make is rice lotion."

  "Rice lotion?"

  "Huh? You don’t know about it?"

  "Nope. Nel, do you know?"

  "I know what lotion is. It’s something noblewomen use to make their skin beautiful, right? I’ve heard that the lotion the queen uses costs at least 10,000 zeni per bottle."

  "Eh!?"

  "Huh?"

  Rice lotion is a cash item that’s easier to make than the potions you learn as a beginner in alchemy, and it sells for a high price.

  In the game era, it would sell for at least 30 zeni per bottle in shops.

  Depending on the quality, event character merchants would buy it for double that, 60 zeni.

  The items needed for synthesis can all be obtained in the Mochi Dungeon.

  Mochi drops rice water, magic stones, and herbs found in the dungeon. Combine one of each on the alchemy workbench, and it’s done.

  It was such an easy item to make, but the high-end version I know of is nothing compared to this, right?

  "W-w-w-wait, are we really going to make that now?"

  "No, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal."

  Rice lotion is what’s called a cash item in games.

  It’s unusable, with fvor text like "A product women desire! Instantly rejuvenates and moisturizes your skin, making it beautiful!"—basically, a sales pitch straight out of a cosmetics company’s pybook. It’s just an early-game money-making item.

  Were there other lotions?

  No, in the game, there weren’t any.

  Logically, rice lotion would fall under that category, but there’s also talk of other lotions existing.

  "Hmm, by the way, Nel, do you know where lotion is sold?"

  "Probably in shops run by alchemists employed by nobles. But those shops are in the noble district, so ordinary merchants like us wouldn’t see them."

  "Do you need any special qualifications to sell it?"

  "I don’t think so. If there were a lot of people who could make it, we’d hear about it, but it’s not among the prohibited items."

  "Then it should be fine. I was pnning to have Nel handle the sales, so I was worried about that. If it’s okay, then great."

  "Selling is fine, but is it really that good?"

  "Probably."

  Thinking calmly, it sold well because it was rooted in a game.

  But this is reality, and it’s uncertain whether it’ll sell as is.

  "Either way, it’s good practice for Amina’s alchemy, and it’s worth a try. Amina, follow my instructions and make it."

  "Okay."

  As Nel pointed out, depending on the effect, it’s unclear whether it’ll sell.

  Feeling a bit uneasy, I dig up memories from the game era and operate the alchemy workbench.

  "First, put a magic stone in that drawer. This is the energy source."

  "Okay, how much should I put in?"

  "Just one small magic stone for now."

  "Got it."

  Amina takes a small magic stone from the wooden crate and tosses it into the drawer.

  "Next, put the rice water into the pot."

  "One?"

  "Yeah, one is enough."

  A soft, water balloon-like object that looks like something a witch would use.

  It looks like it would burst if squeezed, but I know it’s not that fragile.

  The contents are a cloudy white, simir to water used to wash rice.

  She tosses one in as is.

  "And finally, toss in a bundle of herbs."

  "Toss it in~"

  "Then close the lid."

  "Close the lid."

  No chopping or grinding in a mortar—just adding the ingredients as they are.

  "Now, pce your hand on the magic circle next to the stove."

  "Ah, I can synthesize!!"

  "That’s right."

  This workbench is a substitute for the skill.

  There’s a skill called Alchemy Synthesis, and if you have that, you don’t need a workbench.

  But it consumes a valuable skill slot.

  That’s why I prepared the workbench.

  If you’re specializing in alchemy, that’s one thing, but Amina isn’t in that position.

  "Alright!! Synthesize!!"

  Once she understood how to do it, Amina immediately activated the skill.

  The magic stone reacted instantly, emitting a faint light.

  And when the light faded...

  "...Did it work?"

  "Probably. If it failed, it would have exploded with bck smoke."

  "Exploded? Wait, was I doing something dangerous?"

  It fell silent, and it was unclear whether it succeeded or failed.

  If the failure effect from the game era didn’t appear, it probably succeeded.

  "Oh, it worked, it worked!"

  Cautiously, I reached for the lid, and as Nel and Amina watched from a slight distance, I opened it and peered inside to find a milky white liquid with a hint of pale green.