Reiko followed Jin, and then Hope and Rhodes.

"Heh. ......"

The store is beautifully decorated, with white furnishings that are classy and complement the items laid out on black and dark blue velvet.

I thought it might be for women, but it is not. There are also some male customers, and it is easy to look around for souvenirs and gifts for family members.

(I guess you could call it a tourist attraction .......)

Jin looked around the products with admiration.

"There are a lot of silver-based accessories."

In Ars, the unit price of silver is about one-tenth of that of gold.

At one time in modern Japan, the market price of gold was 4,900 yen per gram, while silver was 67 yen per gram at the same time. The difference is largely due to the amount of reserves.

The ratio of gold to silver production on Ars is about 1 to 10, which means that gold is less rare than on Earth.

(On Earth, it is said to be 150,000 tons of gold and more than 1 million tons of silver.)

As an aside, it is said that silver was more expensive than gold at one time in the Earth's past.

It is assumed that this is because gold, which is difficult to oxidize, was produced as <, that is, gold sand or gold in the mountains, while silver, which is more easily oxidized and sulfidized, was rarely produced as natural silver.

In other words, the unit price of metals varies depending on the smelting technology.

The planet Ars is rich in underground resources and produces a large amount of gold and silver ores.

Nevertheless, to prevent the value of precious metals from plummeting, each country manages its state-owned mines and controls the amount of gold and silver in circulation. ......

On a quiet note.

"It seems to be treated in such a way that it is difficult to oxidize or sulfurize."

It is possible with engineering magic. To be more precise, the free-magic elements (ether) are distributed between the metal atoms on the surface to prevent chemical reactions such as oxidation and sulfurization from occurring.

Jin was impressed by this surface treatment, because silver tends to turn black by sulfurization.

(...... but I don't have anyone to give it to.)

) It reminded him of the time when he used to look at these things and wonder which one would look best on Hannah or Erza.

"Jin-san, which one do you think is best?"

Rhodes' voice brought Jin back to himself.

He is trying to decide between the green and purple pendant head.

"I guess so. ......"

Jin himself is aware that he does not have good taste in such things.

"If it goes with my silver hair, it would be the purple one.

"I see, that's right."

In addition, Vita has red eyes, so it would be difficult to match her with green, which is a complementary color.

When I mentioned this, Rhodes said, "Well, I'll take this one," and went to pay the bill.

In the meantime, Jin casually walked around the restaurant.

With Reiko by his side, he does not get any strange looks when he goes to the women's section.

"I don't really understand what you mean by trendy design ......."

However, there were few items that seemed overly decorated, and many of them were simple.

"I guess this too is out of fashion."

Then a voice from Reiko said.

"Father, I think Mr. Rhodes has paid his bill.

"Oh, I see."

Mr. Jin. Sorry to keep you waiting.

No, what?

And just as Jin and the others were about to leave...

"Um... ...... please wait a minute..."

"Please wait a minute." A voice said.

"Yes?"

Jin turned around to see a classy woman in her twenties standing there. She was wearing a front cover with the store's name on it, which suggested that she was a waitress.

"Uh, you are the one who just paid the bill, aren't you?

"Uh, yes."

Rhodes nodded.

"I'm sorry, but you charged me 100 dollars more than you should have, and I would like to apologize and refund you the money. I apologize for the inconvenience, but could you please come to the office?

"Oh, in that case..."

I don't know how much it cost him, but I like the fact that he was willing to tell me that he made a mistake of 100 dollars.

Then let's go out.

"I'm sorry."

Hitoshi offered, and Rhodes bowed his head, as did the waiter.

"Well, please bring your companion with you. Please come this way.

Jin, Rhodes, Reiko, and Hope were escorted by the clerk to the back of the restaurant. They enter through the service entrance there.

"This way, please."

Jin wondered if the office was in the basement. It was a little suspicious. Jin glances at Reiko's face.

Reiko seems to have guessed what Jin meant by that.

(There seems to be no trick to it.)

<, checked the basement in a hurry, putting Jin's safety first, and stated her findings.

"I see."

Jin was a little relieved to hear that.

At the bottom of the stone staircase, there was a heavy wooden door.

"Please come in."

The waiter opened the door and Jin and the others went inside. The waiter also enters the room, and the door is closed.

There is the sound of the door being locked.

"?"

Before Jin had time to wonder what was going on, a voice came from inside the room.

"Welcome, my dear."

Jin and Rhodes braced themselves.

She appeared to be a well-dressed woman in her early thirties. She had shoulder-length light brown hair and kind eyes the same shade of brown as her hair.

She stands up from her chair and bows politely.

She seemed to have no hostile or harmful intentions for the moment, Jin thought.

"I am the manager of the back of the store.

"Manager in the back?"

Rhodes asked back at the unfamiliar word.

"Yes. The front manager is the head of the accessories workshop. I am , and I am in charge of the back office, is that correct, Mr. Rhodes?

Yes. I am Rhodes.

Yes, I'm Rhodes. Please have a seat at ...... first."

Rhodes and Jin sit down after being offered chairs.

Rhodes again asked the woman who introduced herself as Leelia, "Do you know me?

"Do you know me?"

"Yes."

< and having been recognized on the , it was no surprise that there were others who knew of her.

"......A certain person has asked that if you should ever come to see me, I will be very gracious to you and take you with me."

"...... Who is this ?"

Leelia bowed her head.

"I cannot tell you at this stage."

"......"

Jin, beside her, continues to think.

In this day and age, Rhodes must be much more famous than he is. Therefore, it is not surprising that he is the target of a search for some purpose.

But the question is what purpose.

"Let me ask you something. ...... can you tell me the name of your organization, if you have one?"

To this question, Leelia nodded her head and answered.

"Yes. <."