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After reaching the beginner's town, Emilia and Crystal headed straight to the magic shop that sold mana potions so that they could check their new item's stats.
The place was already bustling with all kinds of people now, but that was only to be expected, given the rapidly expanding 'population' of the place.
Fortunately, since the cheapest item in the store was a mana potion that cost ten copper coins, the actual counter itself was completely deserted, so Emilia didn't have to wait in line.
The shopkeeper looked a little impatient, presumably already annoyed by all the 'cheap' people who came to pester him so much but didn't buy anything. But the moment he saw Emilia's face, his expression immediately eased. "How can I help you?"
A menu containing the shop's various services and goods popped up in front of Emilia, and she happily selected the 'identify equipment' option.
Looking at the 'fresh' behavior of the 'NPC', some of the spectators couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, and even some of the streamers turned their attention that way.
"Huh?! Isn't that too different from how he talked to us before?"
"Tsk tsk, when I heard that the game was realistic, I didn't expect that it included even this."
"Is there a charm stat in this game?"
"You better hope not. Otherwise, based on your looks… hehe…"
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!"
Crystal giggled as she waited for Emilia while listening to their discussions. 'Thankfully, there are no real scumbags nearby.'
Obviously, the reason the shopkeeper treated the crimson-haired elf differently was only that she'd previously purchased twenty mana potions from him.
Since this was their first time in Arcadia, very few players had managed to discover that they could already infuse their element into their attacks at the cost of mana. And even among those, not many were tempted to splurge on potions.
After all, without any way to buy anything directly with real money, and Arcadia's expected popularity, the game's currency could be considered quite precious.
Unfortunately, since equipment had to be taken out of the inventory to be identified, everyone's attention soon turned to the sword Emilia had taken out of her inventory.
Of course, since it just suddenly appeared on the table, most people assumed that she must have purchased it from the shop. The fact that Emilia didn't have one strapped to her beginner's belt as she should have also didn't help.
"Huh? Did this shop sell weapons?"
"Only some overpriced 'Beginner's' series at twenty copper pieces each… I can't imagine someone being stupid enough to buy those when we get them for free."
"Then how do you explain that?"
"Eh, she probably dropped and lost hers somewhere, maybe?" A certain 'orc' girl chuckled as she played with her strangely curled and downward-pointing ears.
After trying to hunt a few beasts outside the town, like many others, she too found it quite boring and decided to 'explore' what else the game had to offer first.
The boy who had voiced his doubts couldn't help but tilt his head, even more confused than before. "… No way? If she were so clumsy, she wouldn't have the coins to buy a new one, would she?"
"You have no idea how the world works, do you?" The orc girl chuckled. "Not to mention that stupid bimbo, even I can get some stupid idiot to work for me like a horse to get that measly amount."
Their hushed arguments didn't reach Emilia's ears, but Crystal couldn't help but frown.
Sometimes, her ability was quite inconvenient, making it impossible to ignore certain things.
Crystal knew that she shouldn't act too defensive, considering that Emilia was supposed to be a 'stranger' to her until just recently, but...
How could she just listen to people badmouthing her girlfriend and not do anything about it?
"What did you just call her?"
The orc girl stared at the blonde ranger who suddenly appeared in front of her, feeling a little confused. "Um, are you talking to me…?"
Wasn't this the girl following that crimson-haired elf beauty? Why bother her, then?
Could this be the legendary king of the sea, who collected beauties left and right?
Although the orc girl considered herself to be quite cute, she couldn't help but be a little flattered. 'Hey, if I can be considered on the same level as that elf, even with my definitely negative charm buff because of picking orc race, I must have underestimated how pretty I was!'
Of course, Crystal's next words immediately shattered her illusion.
"Was it not you who called her a stupid bimbo?"
The orc girl was obviously a little embarrassed, and couldn't help but cough awkwardly. "Uh, you heard that? Sorry, I tend to be a little sassy when the stream is running."
Fortunately, she hadn't given in to the urge to pretend to pick something up from the ground, or she would have been doubly embarrassed at this moment.
The guy next to her snickered, only to be rewarded by an elbow to his ribs.
The orc girl's sharp glare immediately made him realize that if he didn't keep his mouth shut, everyone would know exactly where he was looking just moments before.
It was only then that Crystal noticed the existence of a blinking red dot over the orc girl's head, and frowned. 'It will probably be bad for Emilia if the matter blows up the wrong way, right?'
She wasn't sure what her girlfriend's missions were this time around, but if they were anything like the ones last time, bad publicity would definitely not help.
Crystal thought about it for a while before nodding. "I understand. It might have been a little hypocritical of me, but I also assumed she was dumb and annoying based on her beautiful looks when we first met, so your words must have rubbed me the wrong way." She smiled apologetically. "Sorry if I overreacted."
Because the other party had already taken a step back and apologized, the blonde girl felt that this was the best way to make sure no one would use this matter to smear Emilia.
"Did you make a new friend?"
The honeyed voice brushing past her ear almost made Crystal jump in surprise as she blushed. "N-No, w-we were just making small talk. Are you done? L-Let's go then!"
Emilia just tilted her head with a smile as she waved at the strangely embarrassed orc girl in front of Crystal. "Well, goodbye, Crystal's new friend!"
Listening to the screams and sighs behind her, Crystal almost rolled her eyes in exasperation. 'Why did I even bother arguing for her? I should have just asked her to come forward and smile! It's so much more effective…'
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As they had planned on their way to the town, Crystal and Emilia headed for the closest inn to the village chief's house first, where they booked a room to 'rest' in.
The moment the door was closed, Emilia excitedly took out the three new items from her inventory to check their stats.
Obviously, they could have done this kind of thing in public, too. But that would be an easy way to attract all kinds of annoyances their way.
At this stage of the game, Emilia felt like remaining a little inconspicuous would be for the best.
Crystal could more or less guess her girlfriend's thoughts from her expression, and she resisted the urge to sigh. 'Since we can't hide our faces... why does she even bother?'
With the existence of streamers and the like, even if Emilia did absolutely nothing special, it may not take long for people to start taking notice. Not to mention, how could it be possible for her girlfriend to not stand out at all while striving for success?
"Green items cost ten copper each to identify, so they better be good!" She grumbled before touching the emerald earrings.
Accessories in Arcadia came in a variety of forms, ranging from bracelets and rings to anklets and even lingerie. The only restriction was that one player could only benefit from at most ten accessories, though they could still wear as many as they liked.
Naturally, for the first few months, all kinds of accessories were a hot commodity in Arcadia, even if they had 'trash' stats. So Emilia was looking forward to checking out the earrings the most.
But after looking at their name, she couldn't help but be stunned.
"Goblin's Tears…? What kind of stupidly unflattering name is that?!"
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