Assimilate All Talents

As they entered the mansion, Sol was immediately struck by the grandeur of the interior. The polished marble floors reflected the light from the ornate chandeliers hanging overhead, and luxurious velvet curtains framed the tall windows.

Thorwyn's ears twitched as he took in his surroundings. "Hyuu. (Everything here is so shiny.)"

Sol hummed in agreement. While he had never been inside a mansion like this one, he had heard rumors, stories of merchants so rich that even their forks were unaffordable for the average person. Seeing it firsthand, he realized there was truth to those tales. Everything here screamed wealth.

Even the Royal Knights Headquarters couldn't compare. Sure, it was magnificent in its own way, but it was built with function in mind. The only place that rivaled this level of extravagance was the Royal Palace itself, which was almost unbelievable to him.

Madeline led them down a grand hallway before stopping at a door on the second floor. Giggling could be heard from behind the door as she knocked.

"Coming!"@@novelbin@@

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The door swung open, revealing Chloe and Bob the carriage inside. The room was littered with a random assortment of items, many of which Sol could immediately tell were either magical or at least of rare quality.

'Is it safe to leave her alone with so many enchanted items?' Sol wondered but chose not to voice his concern. He figured that if Madeline was comfortable with it, Chloe must know how to handle them. Plus, he didn't want to get kicked out before he could buy anything.

"Mom! And customer!" Chloe beamed excitedly at Sol before turning to Madeline with hopeful eyes. "Can he buy from me now?"

Madeline smiled gently and patted her daughter's head. "Of course. I just had to have a quick chat with him. Go ahead, pretend like I'm not here."

She then gave Sol a quick glance, which he returned with a nod, before taking a seat nearby.

"Yay! Come over here, I'll show you what I have!" Chloe grabbed Sol's sleeve and eagerly dragged him toward Bob.

Thorwyn tried to follow, but as he lowered his head to step inside, he found his body stuck in the doorway.

"Grr… (I don't fit…)"

"It's okay, Thorwyn. You can see us from outside. This won't take long." Sol reassured him before glancing at the carriage with a puzzled expression. 'Wait… how did this even get in here? Did Chloe use a spatial ring?'

There were no other entrances large enough for Bob, so that had to be the case. Unfortunately, the same method wouldn't work for Thorwyn, spatial rings couldn't store living beings.

That restriction wasn't arbitrary. There was a major issue in allowing it to happen. One could accidentally store themselves in the spatial ring and because they were doing so while holding onto the spatial ring it would lead to the ring trying to store itself causing the spatial magic to collapse on itself taking. That kind of magical collapse would end with the annihilation of both the user and everything stored inside.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

While Sol mulled over that thought, Chloe hopped into Bob with practiced ease. Her small hands moved swiftly as she flipped open the counter of her shop. She then pulled out a large catalog and placed it in front of him.

"Alright, customer!" she chirped, her voice full of excitement. "What are you looking for today?"

"I'm mostly looking for items that make traveling easier." Sol's eyes flickered to the book. "Can I take a look myself?"

Chloe nodded eagerly and handed it over. "Of course!"

Sol gave her a small smile and began flipping through the pages.

Thorwyn, still stuck in the doorway, stretched his neck as far as he could, trying to peek at the book. "Hyuu… (I can't see...)"

Sol chuckled as he browsed the catalog, stopping at a few items that caught his interest.

The first was a silver lantern.

[Everbright Lantern

Rare

Durability: 400/400

Skills:

[Dissuading Aura] Lv 4]

[[Dissuading Aura] Lv 4: When lit, will emit a faint magical aura that repels unintelligent monsters and beasts below level 40.]

Sol hummed in approval. This will save us from annoying interruptions at night. He didn't particularly mind fighting weaker creatures, but dealing with them during rest periods was an unnecessary hassle. If a monster was brave or foolish enough to approach despite sensing their strength, then it had only itself to blame.

The next item he chose was a portable magic stove.

[Fireflow Cooking Plate

Rare

Durability: 650/650

Skills:

[Fire Regulator] Lv 5]

[[Fire Regulator] Lv 5: Ignites a controllable flame. The intensity can be adjusted for precise cooking. Requires no fuel but instead the user's mana.]

While Sol could use fire magic for cooking, the one who usually handled their meals was Amber. If he was busy or away, she would have to rely on a regular fire, which wasn't always convenient. This would make things much easier for her.

As he continued browsing, he selected a few more useful items, which Chloe promptly searched for within Bob and placed on the counter.

After tallying everything up, Chloe scrunched her nose in concentration, moving small beads on an abacus before looking up with a bright smile. "That'll be 580 gold!"

Sol raised an eyebrow. "You calculated that pretty fast."

"Mom says a merchant should be as sharp as a sword and as quick as a… as a…" Chloe paused, struggling to remember the phrase.

"A dagger," Madeline supplied with a chuckle before taking a puff from her pipe.

"A dagger!" Chloe repeated enthusiastically.

Sol hesitated for a moment. 'That's a third of my gold…' But in the end, he pulled out the coins. While not necessary he considered them investments, items that would make their journey significantly smoother.

As he handed the coins over, Chloe carefully placed them into her spatial ring.

"All yours!" she chirped.

Sol stored each item in his own spatial ring before giving her a nod. "Thanks, Chloe. These will be useful."

As he finished, Madeline finally stood from her seat and walked over, a proud smile on her face.

"Well done, Chloe," she praised, ruffling her daughter's hair gently. "You handled the sale perfectly."

Chloe beamed under the praise. "Of course! I'll be the best merchant one day, just like you, Mom!"

Madeline chuckled before shifting her gaze to Sol. "And you, did you find everything you needed?"

Sol nodded. "Yeah. These will be a big help."

She hummed, tapping a finger against her chin. "I see… but you barely spent 600 gold."

Sol blinked, his instincts warning him that there was more to that statement. 'Is she upset I didn't spend more?' He glanced at Chloe, who seemed satisfied with the sale, so he wasn't sure why Madeline looked unimpressed.

"It's not that I don't appreciate the business," she continued, studying him with those sharp merchant eyes. "But someone like you… I doubt this is all you need. Or rather, I doubt you're satisfied."