Chapter 192
“We’re here,”
Anton’s family business, the Severi Workshop, was situated about 30 minutes’ walk from Neihoff city proper .
The front part of the building served as the proper storefront, whereas the back portion of the shop served as the workshop .
“Please, do co in . ” Everyone entered the store, except for Fer and Dora-chan . The destructive duo was left outside . [1]
“Ah, it’s the young master . Is there sothing the matter?” a shop assistant ca out to et us and greeted Anton imdiately .
“Hi, Olof . It’s nothing . I’m just showing my senior Adventurer friend around the store . Would you call my father over so he could et Mukouda-san?”
“Yes, please wait a mont,”
“Mukouda-san, please wait for father . I’m sure he’ll be very pleased to greet you . ”
Ah, no, no . Surely there’s no need for a busy man like your father to co out to et ? However, I can’t bring myself to refuse their shining, expectant eyes [1] [2] .
A short while later, Olof-san ca out, followed by a thickset man in his fifties .
“Hey there, Anton,” said the man . “This is your senior Adventurer friend?”
“Yes, father . Mukouda-san is an A Rank Adventurer!”
“A Rank?! Since when do you hang out with high ranking Adventurers?”
Aah, looks like Anton’s father was surprised to hear that I’m an A Rank Adventurer . [1] I’m so sorry, Anton’s father, I am an A Rank Adventurer with no real skill . [3]
“Ah, we encountered Mukouda-san yesterday after getting into a spot of trouble . As thanks, we’re now showing him around the city . He insisted on coming over here when he knew that we ran a pottery workshop . We’ll be visiting Bridgette’s workshop later . ”
“Ho..., is that so,”
“Hello, my na is Mukouda . Please accept my apologies for making Anton my guide even though we’ve just t . ”
“Oh no, no, not at all . Please, go ahead and take a look around as you like . I can’t show you where we make the potteries, but please feel free to look around the shop . We have complete control over the things we make, so I’m confident you’ll find so things you won’t get anywhere else . ”
Oh, due to trade secret reasons, I guess most shops like this would not want unrelated people into their workshops . That makes sense . Iida-san herself did ntion sothing how every workshop has their own way of making pottery . Each workshop has its own secret ways of incorporating magic into their product . [1]
Anyway, let’s take a look around .
The goods at Severi’s Workshop were largely made up of potteries that looked like they ca straight out of a Japanese artisanal pottery shop . As a Japanese, I can’t help but be thrilled by the coarse and simple looking potteries that could fetch tens of thousands of yen back in Japan . [1] [2] [5]
Anton’s father was kind enough to give a guide as he pointed out various ceramic products . I was really taken by one of his new creation, an indigo blue cup .
“I had a hard ti getting this particular shade of blue . Also, the glaze within the cup is made with ground magic stone . Anything you pour into this cup will be cooled down . ”
What? An auto-cooling cup? Isn’t that too aweso?
The shape and colour were definitely to my Japanese taste, but more importantly, auto-cooling! How cool is it to drink beer from a cup like this? [1] [2]
I must have this .
“How much is this one?”
“This one is, uhm... 28 gold coins” [4]
At first, I was surprised, 28 gold for a single cup sounded like a lot of money, but if I think about it . A lot of work and resources went into this cup . Labour and skill aside, it has powdered magic stone in it, so it was only natural for cups like these to be expensive . In fact, considering how much magic stones cost, I had a feeling that Anton’s father gave quite a hefty discount . [1] [2]
This one definitely caught my eye, but I still want to have a look at other goods on display . After a brief tour, I took a liking to the set of beige plates made by the father’s apprentice . Noticing my interest, he pointed out so moss green bowls made by the sa apprentice . I was so taken in that I took a set of five bowls and plates . [2]
It turned out that Severi Workshop was pretty famous . Aside from myself, other rchants were browsing through their wares . We struck up so small conversation while admiring Severi’s rchandise and I found out that even nobles from different cities would send their servants here to buy tableware . [5]
Well, well, looks like coming here really was a good idea .
After giving it so thought, I decided to go with the auto-cooling cup, 28 coins; set of five plates at 15 gold and set of five bowls at 20 gold . Clearly, things made by an apprentice could not be compared to the ones made by the master . Everything ca to a total of 63 gold, but then Anton’s father gave a further 3 gold discount . [1] [2]
“Oh, but I don’t think I should,” I said, not used to getting discounts like this .
“No, no, I’m very happy that an A Rank Adventurer deigned to visit our humble little shop . I hope you will use our products with love and care . ”
“Yes, I will treasure them and use them well . ” If I had bought these kinds of pottery back in Japan, I might have tucked them away only to be taken out for New Year or other special celebrations, but now I have plenty of money! Ah, but I will not be careless with them either... [6]
“Oi, make sure you guide your friend well, Anton . ”
“I will,”
We left Anton’s place and headed to Bridgette’s place, Dovan’s Workshop .
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Bridgette’s family workshop and house was only a 15-minute walk from Severi’s .
“Mother, I’m ho . ”
“Oh, it’s Bridgette, is there sothing the matter?”
Dovan’s Workshop was laid out in a similar way to Severi’s with the store at the front and the workshop and other buildings in the back .
It looked like Bridgette’s mother was in charge of taking care of custors .
“Um, we’re giving Mukouda-san a tour of the city . He’s an Adventurer we t yesterday . When I told him that we also have a shop here, he says that he wants to have a look at it . Oh, and Mukouda-san is an A Rank Adventurer . ” [7]
“A Rank!? Ara, ara, maa, maa, I’m calling father now . Wait here please . ” With that, she ran off, but we could hear her voice calling, “Father! What should I do?! It’s an A Rank! An A Rank is here! There’s an A Rank in our shop!” [7]
Bridgette covered her face, but we could still see her red cheeks and ears as she said embarrassedly, “Mama...”
I could sort of understand why . It must be very embarrassing to have such a loud and, ah, expressive relative . Let’s pretend to have gone deaf and blind for the mont . [8]
We only had to wait for a little while before Bridgette’s mother ran back with ‘father’ . “Father, this is Mukouda-san . He’s an A Rank Adventurer, make sure you be polite to him, ne?”
“I understand . I am Bridgette’s father, Dovan . Thank you for taking care of our daughter . ”
“I am Mukouda . Please accept my apologies for coming here so suddenly . ”
“Oh, no, not at all . We are honoured to have you co . Please make yourself comfortable and feel free to take a look around . ”
“I will be in charge of Mukouda-san’s tour . So, mother and father can leave it all to . ” Bridgette was determined to make her parents leave, but her parents were equally determined to stick around . So it was a stalemate . [2]
Therefore, she used the tried and true thod of ignoring their existence and pushed towards their displays and whispered with a red face, “Oh, goodness, my parents... Mukouda-san, I’m so, so, sorry . ”
“No, no, it’s fine,” really, it is . Nevertheless, I took her cue and pretend mother and father were not there as we looked around . At first glance, the pottery here reminded of English als and big old houses with queens and duchesses nibbling on little cakes and drinking tea with their little fingers sticking out . [1] [2]
“My father is a first-generation ceramic maker, so our place isn’t as big or famous as Severi’s, but we’re really quite popular you know? Lots of people buy their ceramics from us . ”
Well, that’s not surprising .
Just from looks alone, the pottery here has a very luxurious and elegant feel to it . There was a lot of white background with delicately wrought flowery patterns that won would like .
“Oh, this is very nice . ” The item that caught my eye was a tall cup with a handle . I could imagine serving hot chocolate with marshmallows in these, or maybe cold coffee with whipped cream and a fancy straw . There were five of them and were clearly a set .
“That one there is 4 gold coins for a set of five pieces . ”
A voice said from behind . It was Father-san, who was still following us .
“Father...” Bridgette muttered .
“I-it’s fine, isn’t it? How can I resist the chance to see my work being chosen by an A Ranker?”
Haha, father and daughter sure have a close relationship . I thought as I continued to browse . As ntioned, Dovan’s was not very big, but what pieces they have were very beautiful and finely made . The prices were very competitive too, perhaps due to the fact that none of them seed to have any magical properties to it . [1] [2]
It was really a feast for the eyes and I allowed myself to be swept up in the father’s enthusiasm as he explained all the little intricacies of the pieces he had personally made . Bridgette was wearing a very hangdog look, clearly opting to give up on trying to rein her father in . [1]
After touring the shop, I settled on the set of five tall mugs, a set of five dessert plates, as well as five dinner plates, five soup plates and a set of five very lovely teacups and their cute little saucers~
They were all very white with finely drawn, colourful flowers . The teacup and saucer sets were so pretty that I was unconsciously drawn to them . I can’t be blad though, the flowers on these teacups were so bright and vivid that I just couldn’t leave them there!
Bridgette’s father even said they were his latest masterpiece .
Masterpiece!
And they were really affordable too . Only 10 gold coins for five sets of teacups and saucers! In fact, the whole lot cost only 35 gold and 5 silver coins . Father was even kind enough to doff off the 5 silver coins for ~ [9]
“Thank you so much for your patronage! And thank you for buying so much!”
“No, no, thank you for letting feast my eyes on such amazing pieces . They are certainly a treat to the senses . ” Aah, it felt so good to go on a buying spree like this . Especially such gorgeous pieces . As expected of a pottery town, there are so many lovely things to see . [1] [2]
We left Dovan’s Workshop with mother and father waving at us .
I was all smiles because it’s been such a long ti since my last shopping spree...
“Oi, I’m hungry . ”
“ too,”
“Sui too~”
On our way back to the city centre, Fer, Dora and Sui telepathically sent these ssages . Hmm, to be honest, although we all had a late breakfast, I’m feeling kind of hungry too . [1] [2]
“I’ll make sothing for us as soon as we get back, alright? So please bear with it for a while . ”
“Roger that!” ca the chorus .
Oh, right, since these kids are still on a break, I could invite them to lunch as thank you for showing around .
“Hey, thanks to you guys I got a lot of nice things today . How about I treat you to so lunch?”
“Is that okay?” asked Anton
[10] But the rest of the group were not as modest, “We accept!”
“Of course, of course,”
Everyone looked up at with shining eyes, I supposed the BBQ they had yesterday gave them expectations on what I’d dish out later . Suddenly, I felt the weight of responsibility to not let these kids’ expectations down . [1] [2]
Well, I can’t spend too much ti on it, but I also can’t compromise on taste...
Never mind, I’m sure I’ll think of sothing before we reach the mansion .
[Gumihou: I’m sure they’ll love whatever you give them Mukouda-san]
[1] Structural Change: Combine two floating paragraphs and one dialogue into one paragraph .
[2] Additional Details: To add texture to an otherwise flat narrative .
[3] Zzonkedd: Poor guy, he’s always so self-conscious
[4] Zzonkedd: Do they just co up with the prices at the ti or what? Lol
Gumihou: Most likely . Especially if they are artisans who made the products themselves . If they don’t like you, the price would probably be 280 gold . If you ask for a discount, the price might even go up to 500 gold, lol .
[5] Additional Details for Logistic Purposes: It turns out that ____ random info__ . Mukouda seems like a personable guy who could talk to any random people . So, I just patched over how he actually found out all these random details .
[6] Porcelain and ceramic products have a long history in Japan, and like the special tea sets that are only taken out for special occasions
[7] Structural Change: More natural sounding dialogues, Included Japanese exclamations in italics because they are expressive and funny .
[8] Added More Detail Combine 3 floating paragraph: If Mukouda is a typical Japanese and not from Osaka, loud voices and overly enthusiastic people are naturally embarrassing . The way they deal with it was to pretend they did not see it .
[9] Deleted Boring Info: Deleted the A is xx coins, B is xx coins, C is xx coins... and just gave the summary with a one other detail
[10] Structural and Detail Change for Logistical Purposes: Dialogue inconsistent . Apply patch
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