Taming the Sun

Taming the Sun

In the middle section of Ganda’s Stairs, there was a shopping district called ‘Mezika.’

Mages fluttered their colorful coats as they moved freely through ‘Mezika.’

Despite the blazing sunlight bearing down, a cool chill emanated from their coats.

“Ah… it’s so refreshing. Even with so many people packed together, it’s actually cool?”

It was just as Yuria had said. The temperature-regulating magic imbued in the garments was pleasantly cool.

Parting the cool coats, we entered every store we saw, searching for the magical devices we were destined to encounter.

<Overwhelming Quantity Magic Shop>

“Welcome~! We don’t have luxury items, but there’s nothing we don’t have!”

The owner with a protruding belly greeted us leisurely. Behind him stood rows of tall shelves filled with magical items.

“Wow… this is amazing.”

Yuria stopped in front of a shelf labeled [Daily Life].

“Wow… Jun! Look at this! If you drink this potion, you won’t get full no matter how much you eat! You won’t get food coma or gain weight!”

For Yuria, who had discovered the magic of delicious food while staying in Lanciel City, this was a dream item.

“Yes, yes. Feel free to buy as much as you want with your salary.”

I took a pouch from the shelf. It was small enough to fit in one hand and red in color.

It was light, translucent, and elastic like jelly, but when touched, it felt soft like fine sand.

When I squeezed it firmly, the pouch wriggled with a ‘kyuuk…’ sound.

“Wow—what’s that? It’s cute.”

When Yuria’s eyes sparkled, the owner chimed in.

“Oh, that’s a good item. It’s a mana wallet made from a living slime. It reduces both weight and volume. Of course, it only holds mana bills and mana coins. If you try to put other items in, it’ll spit them out.”

Hmm?

It seemed more useful than I expected. I tossed the pouch lightly and caught it. I asked a question.

“How much can it hold?”

“It’s designed to hold up to 1,000 Morning. Enough for a young mage to store their entire fortune! Of course, it’s well-inscribed with anti-theft and anti-loss magic like tracking, invisibility mode, companion mode, locks, and so on. As a last resort, if you chant the spell <Hilarious!>, the slime will digest all the money inside. There’s no point in stealing it, so don’t try. Haha! Oh, of course… it’s not meant for serious wealth management, so don’t actually carry your entire fortune around.”

“Sounds good. How much is it?”

“It’s one of the most expensive items in our shop. 15 Morning.”

“I’ll take ten, please.”

I paid immediately.

“Thank you.”

I turned away from the grinning owner and threw the slime wallets into my subspace storage. I kept just one out and poured money into it.

“Kyururuk. Kuku…”

At first, the slime happily swallowed the mana coins, but eventually it became so distressed that it tried to spit them back out as I continued stuffing it.

It was filled to capacity with 1,000 Morning. I handed the slime wallet with its bulging belly making “kyu-kyu” sounds to Yuria.

“Your salary is late, isn’t it? I’m sorry.”

Yuria received the wallet with both hands, her eyes wide.

1,000 Morning was enough money that a newly promoted 3rd Circle mage would have to work like a dog for three years to save up. Of course, it was true that 3rd Circle mages were particularly exploited in the Tower of Covenant… but even considering that, it was by no means a small amount. Converted to Earth money, it approached a billion won, which said it all.

“Is this… my first salary…? Waaah…”

Stars filled Yuria’s eyes.

<Puff Candy Shop>

“Welcome! Candies made from air! The sweet and cool scent blowing from the mountains! The bittersweet air from the surging sea! Candies made from fresh wind that evokes memories! Of course, some people might find them tasteless!”

<Mana Paper Shop>

“Your guardian charm broke? Your barrier is cracked? Your defensive robe burst? Just attach one sheet of this mana paper to repair any magical device easily. Of course, the durability isn’t great, so it’s only temporary, you know?”

“Puhaha~! Like true mages, they’re unexpectedly honest! Ahahaha.”

Yuria laughed until tears welled in her eyes at the merchants’ pitches. Business conducted under one’s name was a kind of covenant. Mages who engaged in commerce were reluctant to lie.

“Jun! Let’s go over there!”

Yuria’s slender finger wrapped around my wrist.

Now that she had her own money, she proudly entered any shop she wanted and bought whatever she pleased.

Seeing her this happy… I should have distributed profits earlier…

I reflected on this once again.

Anyway, as we walked around hand in hand,

Somehow, it reminded me of that night when memory stones fell… and it felt good.

“Jun! Should we eat this before we go?”

Kyu! Kyu!

Yuria’s slime wallet cried eagerly each time it spat out money.

<Shiny Magic Shop>

“Welcome! This is Shiny Magic Shop, where we transform common materials into masterpieces through craftsmanship~!”

A cute girl wearing a witch’s hat greeted us cheerfully.

“Can you show us bows and arrows?”

After having fun and purchasing small necessities, it was time to seriously outfit ourselves with equipment.

“Yes. This way, please.”

The place the little witch guided us to was lined with all kinds of bows and arrows.

“Wow… this is unbelievable…”

Yuria, who had been exclaiming all day, let out another exclamation. And for good reason.

The bow Yuria was currently using was one we had seized from Han Se-hoon’s group. It was made from lightning-struck peach wood, well-crafted to be elastic and sturdy, with a magic amplification function—an excellent item. Yes… by wilderness standards, at least.

The bows displayed before us now were in a different dimension.

They were made by weaving together consecrated birch, lightning-struck peach wood, and the horn of a sacred buffalo, bonded with glue. Even the glue was a high-quality product made by boiling byproducts from magical beasts like cats, horses, and raccoon dogs. Moreover, each bow had three or four types of magic inscribed on it.

Goodness… was this what they meant by “common materials”? These were practically treasures to those of us who grew up in the wilderness… truly, the standards in the Tower of Covenant were different.

“Excuse me… how much are these?”

When I cautiously asked, the little witch promptly answered.

“The cheaper ones can be purchased for 100 Morning, while the more expensive ones go up to 300 Morning.”

Is that all? Of course, it’s not a small amount, but… considering the money I have now, it’s nothing. Such good equipment at this price… I didn’t expect it to be this good. If I had known, I would have bought it earlier. Neither Yuria nor I had ever imagined such quality items, so we never even felt the need for them.

“This is truly unbelievable…”

Yuria stroked a bow with trembling hands.

“This is the best among all the bows I’ve ever…”

But,

Just as she was speaking with a trembling voice while holding the bow,

“It’s true! It’s the best among all the magical devices I’ve ever seen!”

A loud voice was heard from outside.

“Where? Where is it today?”

“That way! It seems to be that way!”

“I don’t know! Just follow the crowd!”

People rushed past the front of the shop. Their footsteps sounded like a waterfall.

“Haah… again?”

The little witch heaved a deep sigh.

“What’s happening?”

In response to Yuria’s question, the little witch answered grumpily. Her previous kindness had vanished.

“Never mind. You should hurry and follow them too. It seems the Tower of Covenant’s greatest magical device craftsman has arrived again today… Damn it. When is he going to leave? There should be a limit to massacring innocent merchants… Does he think it’s good to ruin our business?”

“Magical device craftsman? Who is that?”

“You’re asking because you don’t know?”

The little witch raised her eyebrows as if mocking us.

“The Mage of Refinement.”

* * *

The shopping district ‘Mezika’ was in an uproar.

Mages rushed in one direction, then suddenly in another.

“It’s this way!”

“No! It’s that way!”

“Mage of Refinement~ Where are you~?”

Everyone, regardless of age or gender, was affected. All mages poured out into the streets, running around like a herd of buffalo.

“…I heard he was famous, but he’s really popular.”

I felt deflated, while

“Where is he?! I’ll find him! The magical devices that have reached the realm of art! His works!”

Yuria, having caught bits of circulating rumors, was flushed with excitement.

“Come on… do we really need to find him now? We can look for him later at Solas Magic School…”

“Shhh! This way! I think it’s this way!”

She was already beyond reasoning.

Wooaaah!

The mages’ cool coats descended like jungle foliage. Yuria desperately pushed through to find the Mage of Refinement, while I did the same to avoid losing her.

But no matter how far we went, there was no sign of the Mage of Refinement, and the chaos in the streets intensified.

Wait…! How is it possible that all these people can’t find one Mage of Refinement? Even worse, they’re all saying different things like “He’s here!” “He’s there!” How can this be happening?

No, before that… is the Mage of Refinement really that impressive?

“Oh my goodness. The Mage of Refinement! Even if the 300 Magisters… no, the 2 Mages, 4 Emperors, and 3 Sages came, I wouldn’t be this excited!”

“Come on! No matter what, he can’t compare to the Nine Dragons, the strongest in the Tower!”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. What do those high and mighty ones ever give us? From our perspective, isn’t the Mage of Refinement naturally the best? If we’re lucky, we might even get an extraordinary treasure!”

“Run! Run! He seems to be that way!”

Another group of mages passed by, chattering loudly.

The 2 Mages, 4 Emperors, 3 Sages, also known as the Nine Dragons… even I, living in the wilderness, had heard these names at least once.

Is the Mage of Refinement’s reputation at that level?

By now, I was starting to get curious too.

What kind of magical devices is he selling, and how?

Until now, I had just been following Yuria, but now I was genuinely interested.

Finding the Mage of Refinement.

Should I try a bit more seriously?

I spoke in my mind.

‘Can you tell me where the Mage of Refinement is? He’s about my height. He’ll look about my age too. He has black hair but yellow eyes… He always wears a black coat with a yellow scarf.’

But the answer didn’t come immediately.

“Hey. Hello? ‘Ari’?”

Only after calling the name out loud did it respond.

-Ah… sorry, sorry.

-I was thinking, thinking about something else.

-Were you talking to me? What did you say?

The voice came small, like grains of sand chattering. It was ‘Ari,’ newly born through evolution. Of course, a name inspired by the word “echo.”

“I asked where the Mage of Refinement is. He’s short… with yellow eyes…”

-And the scarf? Does he wear a yellow scarf?

-He’s over there. Hiding over there.

As expected… befitting a wind spirit, Ari found the Mage of Refinement’s location in an instant.

“Yuria! That way! He’s that way!”

“Great!”

When I pointed in the direction, Yuria ran that way without a moment’s hesitation. I was about to follow…

-Wait! Wait a moment!

Had Ari not stopped me.

“Hm? What is it?”

Ari’s voice was urgent and desperate.

-I smell something. A familiar smell. It’s my kind.

-From that direction, a very distinct smell from that direction.

My kind… you say?

“Do you mean a natural magic stone? Like the Stone of Wind before you awakened?”

-No. That’s not it.

-Stones don’t have a smell. Unawakened spirits don’t have a smell.

-It might be a stone. If it’s a very special spirit, it might be a stone.

I stopped reflexively.

Looking up, I saw that Yuria was already hidden by the crowd.

There’s nothing I can do…

Ari’s serious voice was concerning… and the suggestion that there might be another awakened spirit was even more intriguing.

A spirit exists?

In this era? Besides Ari who is with me?

“Which direction?”

I asked Ari. My voice dropped low.