Seeing that Rowe had made up his mind, El finally stopped persuading him.
Over the next couple of months, in addition to studying and training, Rowe kept waiting for Tialfi to bring him more Green Chip Grass.
He had anticipated it would be rare, but its scarcity still gave him headaches.
In over two months, despite searching through all the herbal shops in Asgard, Rowe managed to acquire only five Green Chips—one of which was defective due to a mistake in preparation and had to be scrapped. Most of his stock came from what Tialfi had managed to find in the Landveti Forest.
As a result, Rowe had only been able to produce twenty-four bottles of hair restorer. Priced at two runes per bottle, he had no trouble selling them, bringing in a total of forty-eight runes.
With the savings from his earlier sales, Rowe now had nearly seventy runes—a sum he considered sufficient to begin crafting the Fist of Verrigan.
---
Breakfast at Home
The morning sun streamed through the windows as Rowe and Peter's family sat down for breakfast.
"Have you heard?" their normally quiet aunt suddenly spoke up. "Someone in Asgard has been selling a hair restorer lately. A bottle costs only two runes, and I heard it has successfully cured several cases of baldness."
"Two runes?" El looked surprised.
Their aunt nodded. "Yes, quite cheap. If someone hadn't asked me yesterday to help them find where to buy it, I wouldn't have even known it existed."
Rowe lowered his head and silently focused on his food.
Uncle Peter, chewing on a piece of bread, scoffed. "A hair restorer that works on gods, yet it sells for only two runes? The guy selling it is a fool. If it were me, I'd at least double the price."
Rowe: "…"
After a moment, Uncle Peter continued, "Rowe, you're leaving to enlist as a military doctor in a few days, right?"
After their last quarrel, their relationship had turned ice-cold. They had barely exchanged words since then, and Rowe's response was stiff. "Yes."
Uncle Peter was silent for a while before saying, "Then stick to being a doctor. Don't try to be a soldier—you're not cut out for it, understand?"
Rowe said nothing.
After breakfast, he packed up his savings and set out for Ada Town—one of the busiest trade hubs in Asgard, known for its vast plains and high population.
---
The Norvi Magic Shop
The largest magic shop in Asgard, Norvi Magic, was located in Ada Town.
As Rowe approached the area, he noticed that the outfits of the pedestrians became more extravagant. Even in Asgard, magic was still the domain of the wealthy and noble.
There were also more unusual sights.
Just as Rowe was about to reach the entrance of Norvi Magic, a snow-white Pegasus suddenly descended from the sky. Its massive wings whipped up a gust of wind, causing startled cries from the nearby crowd.
Rowe, who was closest to the Pegasus, almost lost his footing as its wings nearly engulfed him.
A Valkyrie's Pegasus?!
He stared at the magnificent creature in awe. He had seen Pegasi in films during his past life, but witnessing one up close was something else entirely.
The Pegasus folded its wings and exhaled, releasing a faint stream of sparks from its nostrils.
Rowe widened his eyes in shock.
The muscle definition on the Pegasus was remarkable—its powerful, sinewy frame looked like it was sculpted from enchanted steel. Rowe was certain that if it kicked him, he would be dead on the spot—unless, of course, he had his Divine Shield spell active.
Watching the creature, a wave of admiration rose in his heart.
"If I ever get the chance… I need to get one of these."
---
Inside Norvi Magic
Rowe finally entered the store.
A beautiful maid greeted him with a polite smile. "Welcome, sir. How may I assist you?"
From the outside, the shop appeared modest, resembling an ordinary storefront. But stepping inside, Rowe was struck by a breathtaking display of gold and blue hues. The ceiling was adorned with countless glowing gemstones, resembling stars scattered across a cosmic expanse.
For a moment, he was so captivated that he forgot to respond.
Only when the maid repeated her question did he regain his composure.
"I'd like to purchase a magic gem."
The Fist of Verrigan required Jordan's Refined Ore and Cole's Gem. While Asgardian bronze could substitute for the ore, he had yet to find a proper replacement for the gem.
"This way, please."
The maid led him to a display case filled with a dazzling array of gems, each shimmering with unique magical energy.
"May I examine them?" Rowe asked.
"Of course."
Rowe discreetly took out his Book of Light and flipped to the blueprint for the Fist of Verrigan. Before arriving, he had prepared a page filled with random notes on gemstone classification to make his evaluation seem more natural.
He picked up a gem and placed it over the blueprint.
[Cole's Gem Replacement: 51%]
He switched to another.
[Not a viable substitute]
Another.
[Cole's Gem Replacement: 33%]
Again.
[Not a viable substitute]
[Cole's Gem Replacement: 62%]
[Jordan's Refined Ore Replacement: 250%]
Rowe blinked in surprise.
"What the—? A gem that substitutes for metal by 250%?"
Though rare, he had no intention of using it for a hammer. A warhammer required dozens of kilograms of metal—and magic gems weren't exactly sold by weight.
He continued testing.
[Cole's Gem Replacement: 24%]
[Cole's Gem Replacement: 76%]
His eyes lit up. 76%—this was promising!
He held up the gem and asked, "How much for this one?"
The maid smiled. "You have excellent taste. This is Nott's Tears, priced at 7,880 large gold coins."
Nearly eighty runes!
Rowe winced and quietly placed the gem back.
He picked up another with a 51% substitution rate and asked, "How about this one?"
"990 large gold coins."
Rowe was puzzled. The price disparity was massive.
After thinking it over, he realized the Book of Light only calculated substitution effectiveness, not market value. A gem that worked as a substitute wasn't necessarily expensive.
Encouraged, he resumed testing.
"Price of this one?"
"4,550 large gold coins."
"And this?"
"17,980 large gold coins."
"What about this one?"
"9,975."
For over half an hour, he continued inspecting gems.
By now, the maid's smile had faded, and her tone was noticeably colder.
Finally, he found a gem with a 74% substitution rate for Cole's Gem.
He asked again, "How much is this one?"
The maid let out an exasperated sigh. "Are you just checking gems for fun? You've looked at hundreds already—if you ask about one more, I will have you thrown out."
Rowe hesitated, then sheepishly asked, "…But how much is it?"
Taking a deep breath, she replied, "This is Alfheim Sapphire, priced at 2,920 large gold coins."
Rowe examined the gem's faint blue glow and, after a moment, nodded.
"Alright. I'll take it."