CH235

The next day the shop was packed. Word had spread fast that they were selling air conditioners, resulting in a constant stream of people coming in and out, with more than a few spending far longer inside the shop than they needed to just to escape the heat.

While they were primarily a weapon shop, it wasn’t like they didn’t have a few other items too, so both Ben and Falk made sure they were displayed prominently, hoping to snag a few extra sales on items as the townsfolk came in to get what they really wanted.

Falk had more than a few items like pots, pans, and kitchen knives that anyone could purchase at the ready while Ben quickly whipped up a few smaller things to appeal to any young children that were brought along by parents. Frisbees with air enchantments tied to them to keep them flying longer, metal tops with earth enchantments on them so they could keep spinning, and what he was most proud of as a way to capture some customers’ attention, a snow cone machine.

He’d explained the idea to Falk before the shop opened and he was all for it, both of them working together to quickly build one with enough time for Ben to apply the various enchantments they’d need to make it work. Instead of the shaved ice he would be able to get in his world, he built it so that it would constantly produce snow from the water loaded into it, giving it a nice and light texture to enjoy.

While he was doing that, Falk had run back with a huge jug of water to keep it stocked, as well as some fruit juices to flavour it, and as the day stretched on it was clear to see it was a hit. The bigger issue was keeping up with everything. Falk was handling constructing the air conditioners and taking the sales, while Ben was in charge of focusing on adding the enchantments to them while he handed out snow cones. Neither had ever seen the shop so busy, and as nice as it was it also meant they didn’t have time to work on anything else. Other stock slowly diminished but as items ran out they couldn’t even take the time to make more, a fact that showed just how important it would be to prepare for the next day. There were still going to be a lot of hot days left after all, and they were sure the whole town wouldn’t be showing up all at once.

The flow of it all was only briefly broken by a courier who’d come by, moving through the crowd to hand Falk a letter he didn’t have time to glance at before getting back to the task at hand, but that little distraction was all but forgotten by Ben as he tried to do something else while he focused on all of his tasks. Improving his skill library.

He and his teacher still had the same deal after all, customers got discounts so long as they had either a skill he didn’t have access to or one he did but at a higher level than he’d previously seen, and with the influx of individuals that normally would have no reason to come to a weapon shop, he was finding a lot of people who had multiple ones who were more than happy to take that deal, meaning that on top of the already hectic day, he was making skill rings and doing his best to ensure that his book of skills stayed updated so that he didn’t end up with any repeats.

It was hard to express just how profitable the time had been for him in that regard. Numerous skills he had on rings that had previously only been between the zeroth to second level when he got them from Zandale he now had access to at the fifth, as well as a mountain of new ones too. One of the bigger benefits of living in a town composed of numerous races and mixed-breed groups was the sheer variety that he could find. From gaining access to specialized forms of magic like sound and purification to the low forms of combined magic like explosion and mud to skills he’d never even heard of like intensity and fall, this would end up being the best day for him in a long time.

While there was a good chance that the new forms of magic he was seeing would actually be worse for him compared to their base forms since he could enchant with the standard affinities at such a high level compared to the levels he’d gained of their specialized forms, he didn’t care. It was an excuse to learn more about them, and by extension to learn about magic as a whole. How could he pass that up? With how much they were selling it wasn’t like he’d be at a loss by taking a few things he didn’t need after all.

As he devoted himself to all of those tasks he still had plenty of minds left, spinning ideas on just how he could use the new skills at his fingertips, what he would make and how he would push them to their limits. It felt like he’d just gained access to the tools he needed to push his current crafting and enchanting even further beyond where they currently were, and it was like that the hours passed, with more and more complex ideas forming in his mind as the flow of customers slowly came to a trickle and they were finally able to close the shop.

“Good work out there today boy,” Falk said as he wiped some sweat from his brow, not from the heat but from the constant running around. “I’d guess we can probably expect a couple more days like that, with our volume still probably up if we keep selling these snow cones while it’s so hot out. Let’s take some time to replace some of the stock and then have a well-deserved rest.”

“Sounds good to me, I’ll start on making some pans and then figure out where to go from there.”

His teacher gave a satisfied nod as Ben went to grab the materials he’d need, and as Falk caught his breath after the long day he finally opened the letter he’d tossed to the side earlier, his brow creasing in anger as he read every line.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Ben for his part was ignorant of his teacher’s suddenly worsening mood, instead devoting himself to his task, going from one pan to another at a rapid pace to not only replace everything they’d sold but also have more than enough for the next day. It wasn’t particularly challenging work, he couldn’t say he was pushing himself in a way that would help his skill level up faster, but there was something satisfying about how rhythmic it was, getting lost in his task as he went from one pan to the next, each one being made perfectly, or at least as perfectly as he could manage. It was only when he ran out of metal to grab that he took notice of his teacher nearby and the look on his face.

“Oof, bad news there Falk?”