Chapter 217
I was fortunate that the military-styled dark spirit took the bait for front-row concert seats—and it turned out to be a spirit I knew.
In the spirit world, shops do exist—sort of.
But they aren't as business-minded or regularly open as human shops.
There's no fixed rule or set condition for their operation.
They open purely on whims.
This dark spirit's alchemy shop is one such place.
Since the products are made by spirits, the items are high-performance, but that's only after progressing through certain events and revisiting the spirit alchemist later.
"So, what'll it be?"
This dark spirit's route offers two choices: recruit them as an ally or make them a shopkeeper.
From the perspective of a spirit mage, raising a spirit from scratch is a must, so unless something extraordinary happens, few would recruit a high-ranking dark spirit. Thus, this one usually ends up as a shopkeeper.
"Yes, I asked them to relay the message to you."
"Hmm… So that little spirit's story was true."
"You've been to past concerts?"
"I attended the second one. That was quite the event. It somehow revitalized me from the core of my being."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"No, thank you. After living for so long, we dark spirits periodically fall into lethargy. Breaking through that phase was thanks to you and Amina."
Unlike the previous high-ranking light spirit, this one has a bit of a fanboy streak but still maintains proper decorum.
In the game, they were far more blunt and awkward, but exposure to Amina's concerts seems to have softened them.
Maybe overcoming the dark spirit's characteristic lethargy really did have a positive effect.
The thought of this dark spirit waving glow sticks and cheering wildly is oddly amusing.
"Last time, I was in the back. Never thought I'd get front-row seats."
"It's mutually beneficial for us."
"You mentioned wanting some tools I used, right? Those old things? I've neglected maintenance, so they'll need some work."
"From a human's perspective, they're invaluable."
"If you say so."
Once on the shopkeeper route, this high-ranking dark spirit may not match a min-maxed player alchemist, but among NPCs, they're easily top five.
Their skills surpass even those eccentric mad scientist types in both level and ability.
They claim it's nothing special, but to the right eyes, it's undeniably treasure.
"The Spirit King mentioned you'll be staying in the spirit world for a while. If those tools can help Amina, take them."
"Are you sure? Won't you need them if you restart alchemy?"
"I'll just begin anew. After living so long, revisiting the basics can be refreshing."
Their willingness to part with it so easily—was it because of Amina's concert?
And they don't even seem bothered by the unbalanced compensation.
"...If possible, I'd like to offer additional payment in exchange for borrowing your alchemy skills."
This interaction made me want to engage with them more equally.
"Mine?"
"Yes. Would you craft an instrument with me? One for Amina's concerts."
Of course, I'm asking partly because I value their skill as an alchemist.
The other reason? An instrument made by a skilled dark spirit would far surpass anything I could make without expertise.
"Me… make an instrument for Amina's concert?"
And in just these few minutes, I realized this high-ranking spirit genuinely loves the idea.
"As payment, how about exclusive front-row access to its debut performance?"
The reward—a private concert for an audience of one—made the dark spirit's body tremble.
Not the shiver of battle, but the thrill of excitement.
"Kahaha! Now that's stirring!"
My offer had flipped their motivation switch full throttle.
Their expression, though ostensibly joyful, carried a hint of challenge.
"When do we start?"
"How about now?"
"Splendid! Fetch the tools! Wait here!"
Not wanting to let their enthusiasm cool, I decided to strike while the iron was hot and began preparations immediately.
Watching the dark spirit dart off through the spirit corridor, I chuckled wryly—only to meet the exasperated gazes of the women behind me.
"So, we're starting on the instruments right away."
"Need help?"
"First, we'll draft blueprints. Might call on you later, but we're good for today."
Their willingness to adapt to sudden changes spoke volumes about their patience.
Originally, I'd only planned to secure an alchemy station, but after talking, I ended up asking for their collaboration.
For now, I declined Nel's offer of assistance.
"In that case, we'll handle dinner preparations."
"The Spirit King provided ingredients, so those should suffice. Also, since we're staying long-term, we should check the rooms for missing furniture."
With no dungeon plans today, we shifted focus to settling into the house.
"Let's split up. Ingrid and Amina, handle the kitchen. The rest of us will survey the house."
"Okay! Let's go, everyone!"
"Okay!"
"Excuse us."
Ingrid and Amina headed to the kitchen, followed by the little spirits.
"Actually, Liberta, one thing."
Just as the remaining three were about to move, Esmeralda paused.
"Aren't you considering traveling between the spirit world and ours? The little spirits' corridors should allow it. Yet you seem fixated on staying here."
Her question wasn't accusatory—just curious.
"A few reasons. I'd rather not repeatedly ask the Spirit King to adjust the time ratio. Plus, I want to monitor the spirit world's state."
The spirit world's time dilation is extreme. A day outside could mean years here.
In the game, forgetting this once made me miss quest deadlines.
This time, there's no strict deadline for the concert, but prolonged neglect would still be bad.
Avoiding constant time-ratio adjustments—which might come with a price—is preferable.
I also want to check for quests.
I hadn't planned to come here so soon, but now that I'm here, I recall many quests suited for our level.
"But more importantly..."
"More importantly?"
"If we return now, I have a bad feeling we'll get entangled in something that'll delay our return indefinitely."
Beyond practical reasons, it's an unfounded but strong premonition.
I don't want to believe I attract trouble, but my recent track record speaks otherwise.
The Rainy Devil in Madalda, the Mad Jester incident, even the Jackalans—it's all suspicious.
Frankly, this might be my only chance to grow stronger away from all that.
"……"
At my explanation, Nel, Esmeralda, and Claudia exchanged knowing looks.
"Still, we should at least send a letter to the Duke to confirm our safety."
"Agreed. We should also update Father about the Rainy Devil. I'll handle that."
"Thanks. One of the little spirits can deliver it."
It's unsettling how readily they accept my "bad feeling" logic, but facts are facts.
"Understood. We'll proceed with the house inspection."
"Appreciate it."
With the letter settled, the matter was closed.
The three left to survey the rooms.
"I'm back."
"Ah, welcome back."
"A bit dusty, but still functional. Brought the alchemy station too. Ready to start?"
The dark spirit returned swiftly—high-ranking spirits are physically formidable.
They carried what should've required pulleys single-handedly, along with other tools.
Though visibly worn from disuse, everything seemed serviceable after maintenance.
The equipment appeared mid-to-high tier at a glance.
"Maintenance can wait. Let's draft the instrument blueprints first."
"Understood. I'm eager to see what you'll make. A flute? A lute?"
"Well, for starters..."
I think that should be doable.
The instruments wielded by the overworked idol's BGM squad—
"Ever heard of magi-tech instruments?"
"Can't say I have."
Officially "magi-tech instruments," they're magic-powered but visually and functionally identical to Japanese band gear.
Electric guitars, bass, keyboards—all magic-powered substitutes for their electronic counterparts.
I learned about these from an FBO member who worked at an instrument manufacturer.
FBO's ethos of freedom led to experiments in recreating imported items, resulting in these.
And man, do they synergize with vocal builds.
"This shape, with details like..."
"Hoh."
"And the circuitry here..."
"Ohh!"
They don't need amps—just an amplification scroll for loud sound.
Next, drums or maybe a saxophone-like flute?
As I sketched blueprints on the dark spirit's provided paper, they grew increasingly engrossed.
"Then this circuit would interact with this one, right?"
"You get it?"
"Yes! I've made similar circuits before. But applying them to instruments is brilliant!"
They were like a child with a new toy.
Brimming with excitement, we spent the day discussing designs, striving to create something extraordinary.