Chapter 152: Magic Staff

"Ah, ha ha... It’s fine. Can I register my contracted monster with this? I even brought the required documents, just in case." Qiu Nuoya considered showing her the documents containing the results of Long’s measurements, but before he could, she quickly shook her head. "That’s not necessary! Everything is fine! I’ll process it right away!"

The procedure was completed at lightning speed. With that, Long’s registration as Qiu Nuoya’s contracted monster was finally complete.

Good.

Still, the receptionist’s sudden change in attitude had been incredible.

Well, I suppose when you’re standing in front of a mountain of Imoogi materials like that, there’s no choice but to believe me.

[ All right, Master. It seems the paperwork is finished. Let’s go home! ]

Long was still in high spirits as he carried the barrel of alcohol on his shoulder. The adventurers around them stared at him with curious expressions.

We’re getting an awful lot of attention.

As expected, appraising such a large quantity of Imoogi materials was going to take some time. Igor apparently decided to collect his payment at a later date, so after that, Qiu Nuoya and the others simply headed home.

That night, after finally returning home for the first time in a while, Igor and Long had a grand time drinking Long’s alcohol.

Meanwhile, Qiu Nuoya installed the clawfoot bathtub he had brought back from that mysterious room in his own bedroom.

There was no such thing as plumbing in this world. The bathtub already had a faucet fitted with a magic stone, and hot water flowed out of it automatically.

The water drained through a hole in the bottom of the tub, but there was no drainage hole on the outside of the bathtub. Qiu Nuoya had no idea where the hole led or where the water went.

Still, the bathtub itself was practically a magical item, so he decided not to think too deeply about it.

As long as I carry this bathtub around with me, I can take a bath anywhere from now on. This is amazing!

Qiu Nuoya undressed and slipped into the tub, which was already filled with warm water.

Ah, this is it! This is exactly what I’ve been missing!

The spa had not been bad, but it had basically been a heated swimming pool. It wasn’t a proper bath.

A bath has to be like this. If only I had some bath salts, too. Maybe I’ll try adding some aroma oil next time.

Qiu Nuoya sank into the water up to his shoulders and closed his eyes.

Baths really are the best.

With a soothing bath and a soft, fluffy bed waiting for him, it was only natural that Qiu Nuoya slept soundly until morning.

After spending several days in the city of Oraria, Qiu Nuoya and the others carefully prepared everything they would need to defeat the Imoogi and continue their exploration of the dungeon afterward. Once they were ready, they ventured into the dungeon once more.

Come to think of it, Qiu Nuoya had finally bought a magic staff!

They had told him from the very beginning that magic staffs came in all shapes and sizes. Cheap ones could be purchased for a reasonable price, but their uses were limited, so there was not much benefit to carrying one.

Since he was going to buy one anyway, Qiu Nuoya wanted something good. He had spent quite some time using his Appraisal skill to search for a suitable staff, but naturally, every one he thought looked promising was expensive.

However, after unexpectedly making a fortune from selling the Imoogi materials, Qiu Nuoya finally had enough money to buy one.

He had finally bought a magic staff!

Some staffs were elaborately decorated, but their actual functionality was mediocre. Their ornate decorations drove up the price, and apparently, it was not uncommon for people to assume that an expensive staff must be a good one, only to regret their purchase.

The staff Qiu Nuoya bought, however, looked extremely simple at first glance. It was basically just a crooked wooden branch with a handle attached to it.

It was not even new. It was a used staff, and its appearance was remarkably plain. However, its functionality was incredible.

It increased attack power for all attributes, granted magical resistance, granted physical resistance, increased his maximum magic power, and even reduced the amount of magic power consumed when casting spells.

It was practically perfect.

Despite those incredible abilities, Qiu Nuoya had found it sitting inconspicuously at the very end of a display lined with much more ornate staffs.

He could hardly believe his luck when he discovered it.

The shopkeeper who sold the staff seemed to understand its true value, and he had priced it accordingly. Even so, perhaps because few customers had ever picked it up, the staff had been tucked away almost as though it were hiding.

In reality, it would not have been surprising for a staff of this quality to sell for far more. However, since it was an item that rarely caught anyone’s attention, the shopkeeper had reduced the price a little. Qiu Nuoya bought it without a second thought.

Well, even so, it still cost him two platinum coins.

When Qiu Nuoya told the shopkeeper that he wanted to buy the staff, the man looked genuinely surprised. But then he gently stroked the staff and said, "Take good care of it."

For some reason, that left Qiu Nuoya with a strange feeling.

The look in the shopkeeper’s eyes was almost like that of a parent sending his daughter off to be married.

"You may not believe me when I say this, but tools can develop souls of their own. Every staff in my shop has its own personality. This becomes especially apparent with old staffs that have been used and cared for over many years, and this staff is one of them. I don’t even know what era its original owner came from, but whoever they were must have taken very good care of it. That’s why this staff chooses its user. In fact, it’s a mysterious staff that cannot even be seen by someone who isn’t worthy of wielding it. It seems happy to have ended up with a young man like you."