The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 1 - Chapter 56

Chapter 56:

Prepping for the Journey

I VISITED ANOTHER BOOKSTORE in search of a map, but no luck. Maybe I was looking in the wrong place?

“Oh? Ivy, is that you?”

“Huh?” Wait, I recognized this guy. “Ah, you sold me my tent, right?”

“Yep. What brings you here? Looking for something?”

“Yes, I’m searching for a map.”

“A map? Are you leaving the village?” he asked.

“Yes,” I replied. “My plan is to go to Otolwa.”

“Huh. Well, the guild ought to have maps.”

“The adventurers’ guild? Or the merchant guild?” I still wasn’t sure.

“Hm? Uh, either one, I’d say.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Adventurers and merchants both need maps, after all.”

So they were at the guilds instead of the bookstore? If so, the merchant guild would be more convenient, because I had more money to deposit before I headed out.

“Thank you,” I said. “I’ll try there right away.”

“Ah, by the way,” he said, “how’s the tent working out for you? Is there anything you need?”

“The tent is wonderful. I have no problems with it. As for what I need…”

“Did you think of something? C’mon, spit it out.”

“I’ve been searching for canteens to keep water in…” I said hesitantly.

“Canteens? Heck, I’ve got a few.”

“Oh? May I buy them?”

“Pssh, they’re all yours,” he answered with a smile. “I can’t seem to sell the things at all.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. Wanna come with me and get ’em now?”

“Yes, I do! Thank you!”

I was going to get the canteens I’d been hoping for! That way, I’d be able to carry more water. Keeping close to rivers as I traveled meant that I’d needed to take pretty big detours sometimes. When we reached the store, he gave me seven canteens. They were all clean and looked much sturdier than the one I had.

“If you need ’em, take ’em all,” he offered.

“Huh? But—”

“Don’t worry about it. Call it a parting gift.”

“Thank you!”

He answered with a jolly laugh. I thanked him several more times and left in a buoyant mood. Okay, now let’s go to the dump and get that done. Oh, but first, I should go to the tent and grab my trash.

The dump was as awesome as ever. First, I discarded my old canteen. The thing was falling apart. Next came the clothes that were too small for me now. They’d treated me well, but it was time.

Then, I grabbed the potions for me. The people of Ratome Village threw a surprising number of unexpired potions away. I’d never seen anything like it in the other villages, but I definitely appreciated it.

Next up: potions for Sora. I picked things up one after another and tossed them into its bag. I also found a small purse and two magic bags, which I was happy to take as backups. I picked up a few other things that I’d need for travel, and then I was set.

“Pu, pu!” As for Sora, it was digging through potions in the dump looking for a few extra snacks. When it ate one, it burbled happily. Once in a while I had to save Sora when it got stuck, but otherwise, it was doing just fine.

Now that I had what I needed, I left the dump. I felt around for auras—nobody seemed to be coming, but someone might show up if I took my time hunting for the best stuff. Maybe it would be better to do that after I was back at my tent.

“Sora, let’s go.”

“Pu pu, pu pu!”

I picked Sora up and gave it a big squeeze. My friend was just too cute! Smiling, I headed back to the village.

“Keep up the good work,” said the gatekeeper as I entered.

“Thank you!” 

After reaching the village, I headed to the merchant guild. As usual, it was bustling. I needed to deposit money today, so I went into one of the booths and knocked twice on the window.

This time, I was greeted by a woman. “Hi. Would you like to make a deposit or a withdrawal?”

“Deposit, please.”

She held out a small tray, on which I placed six silver coins and thirty bronze tokens, along with my account plate.

“Just a moment, please,” she said. Shortly after, she returned. “Thank you for waiting. Please confirm the amount.”

They really were fast! I put my plate on the white tray in front of the window. Under the last deposit amount, today’s date and deposit were displayed.

Silver coins: 6

Bronze tokens: 30

Below those, a new section had been added:

Gold coins: 4

Silver tokens: 1

Silver coins: 11

Bronze tokens: 30

“Is this information correct?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”

“Thank you for choosing us.”

Once the window slid shut again, I checked the remaining money in my wallet. Two silver coins—two gidal. Ten bronze tokens—1,000 dal. One hundred ninety-seven bronze coins—1,970 dal. Fifteen copper bills—fifteen dal. I put my money back into my wallet and left the booth.

“Now, where are those maps?” I surveyed the merchant guild. There was a bookshelf near the counter, but I saw five different kinds of maps. What was the difference?

I opened the biggest one and looked inside. It seemed to include the capital, towns, and even small villages. I then checked the smallest one, which only recorded the area around this village. The plan was to go to the capital, so…I’d need the biggest one, right?

I checked the big map again. It included details of the various ores and the like available nearby, but none of that was useful to me. So I opened the second-biggest map; it was like the biggest one, but the main difference was that it included rivers and lakes. It also listed distances and travel times from village to village.

Was this the one I needed?

Just in case, I checked the other maps. One listed the capital’s, towns’, and villages’ products and exports, which seemed useful for merchants. The last one showed places around the village where monsters and animals were common. I had no idea there were maps like this.

The one I wanted cost 500 dal, which was a tad expensive, but I couldn’t do without it. Moved by necessity, I reluctantly paid with fifty copper coins.