Chapter 62: Chapter 62: The Bookstore and Esra the New Artisan

It was another snowy day.

For the people who ran shops in Birch Town to make a living, it was weather they both loved and hated.

They hated it because customers were unwilling to venture out on snowy days, meaning no business for their open shops.

They loved it because it offered a brief respite from their endless work, a chance to enjoy a moment of peace.

However, for a shop like a bookstore, with its relatively fixed clientele, the situation was different.

Snow or no snow, it made little difference to them. Those who wanted to come would come, and those who didn’t couldn’t be persuaded.

"Old Quel’s Collection" was just such a bookstore.

It was located in the residential area of Birch Town, converted from a small two-story building. The first floor was the bookstore, and the second was the owner’s living quarters.

At the moment, the shop’s door was ajar. If not for the thick fog on the glass of the door and windows, anyone would have thought it was closed.

Jon took off the hood of his cloak, knocked the accumulated snow from the soles of his boots on the steps, and stepped forward to knock.

A chaotic series of clatters and bangs immediately came from inside, along with a girl’s cry of surprise.

"Coming, coming! Oof! That hurts!"

It sounded like she had fallen.

A strange expression appeared on Jon’s face.

He remembered the owner being a little old man with an expression that screamed ’you owe me a thousand Gold Coins.’ Where did this clumsy girl come from?

A moment later, the door opened, and a girl with long, straight black hair and thick, round glasses poked her head out and said meekly,

"H-hello, customer. Welcome to Old Quel’s Collection..."

"May I... help... help you with anything?"

Jon looked at the girl, certain she was another NPC he had never seen before.

But this sort of thing wasn’t uncommon in "Yino."

NPCs could also die in accidents, part of the "Enhanced Game Realism System."

Sometimes an unexpected raid or a sudden illness could claim the Life of an inhabitant of the Yino Continent.

As for the feelings of players who worked hard to complete a quest only to turn around and find the quest-giver had kicked the bucket, that was outside the developers’ consideration.

This was part of the "real world." If you don’t like it, don’t play!

These distant thoughts flashed through his mind but didn’t stop Jon from giving the girl a friendly smile.

"Hello, miss. I’m here to see Old Quel."

"I heard that if you pass a test of his, you can choose any book from here to take with you?"

"Are you looking for my grandpa...? He... he went out drinking... He’s not here right now..."

Faced with Jon’s friendly tone, the girl’s nervousness subsided a little, but she still stuttered, which seemed to be part of her personality.

"But... you mentioned a test... There is one..."

"If... if you don’t mind, I can administer it for you... I’m his granddaughter. My name is Esra..."

As she spoke, she pulled the door open wider, clearing the path into the shop.

"Please... please come in..."

Jon nodded and stepped inside.

The place was largely as he remembered. Bookshelves of all sizes were piled up in a chaotically organized manner, filled with all sorts of books.

Additionally, since it was the dead of winter, a fire was burning in the fireplace in the deepest part of the room. The heat baked the smell of ink that filled the air, making it even thicker.

But some things were different.

The outlander’s gaze swept over the Engineering components scattered on the floor, blocking the way. He then glanced at the girl beside him, who had her head down and was subtly rubbing her thigh. A look of understanding appeared in his eyes.

"You study Engineering?"

"Ah! Yes!"

The black-haired girl startled like a small animal, letting out a soft cry of surprise, then quickly bowed her head to Jon.

"I’m... I’m so sorry! I’ll clean them up right away!"

She then scrambled to gather the various components of all sizes.

But when she tried to do things in such a rushed and flustered state, the result was predictable...

Under Jon’s speechless gaze, the girl named Esra had just picked up a standard No. 1.5 component when her foot landed on another one, a No. 2.4 component—a cylindrical rod.

It caused her to slip, lose her balance completely, and pitch forward.

And in the direction she was falling was a bookshelf.

"AH—! ε＝(#>д<)ﾉ!"

Faced with such a disastrous blunder, the girl could only cry out, shut her eyes in fear, and prepare to pay the price for her clumsiness.

But a moment later, the expected pain never came.

She opened her eyes to find the tip of her nose less than a fist’s distance from the bookshelf!

She hadn’t hit it after all.

Then, a great force lifted her by the back of her collar, making her feel as if she were Floating on air as she was returned to a standing position.

Naturally, it was Jon who had acted.

He was standing so close; how could he just watch the girl take a hard fall?

’If she got hurt, who was going to make up for my missing quest reward?’

He let go of the girl’s sweater collar, nudged the pile of jumbled components with his foot, and grumbled,

"An Artisan should keep their things in order. What’s with this mess?"

"Guh... Yes... you’re right..."

Faced with Jon’s mild reprimand, Esra couldn’t help but lower her head in shame.

Then she quickly turned and bowed to Jon repeatedly.

"Oh, right! Th-thank you! Thank you for saving me!"

"..."

’This level of natural-born ditz... She’s clearly a delicate flower who’s been sheltered by her family her whole life.’

Jon was speechless when faced with this type of person and could only wave his hand helplessly.

"Alright... Let’s get on with the test. I’m in a hurry."

"O-okay!"

The black-haired girl nodded and was about to get something from behind the counter.

But when her gaze inadvertently swept under Jon’s cloak, her movements slowed as if drawn by something.

She first tiptoed around the scattered parts on the floor, took out a large book from behind the counter and opened it, then looked at Jon, hesitating to speak.

Such an obvious expression naturally didn’t escape the outlander’s eyes. He sized the girl up and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What is it you want to say?"

Seeing that the customer before her hadn’t grown impatient with her clumsiness, Esra couldn’t help but push up her glasses and timidly ask in a low voice,

"Sir... Are... are you also an Artisan?"

"I am. Why?"

"Then... then may I see your Arm Armor?"

As she spoke, she pointed to Jon’s right hand, carefully watching his expression.

"That... it’s an Engineering creation, isn’t it?"

Jon realized what was happening. So the girl had taken a fancy to his power-assisted Arm Armor.

’It makes sense,’ he thought. ’Any modern Artisan who knows their stuff would be interested in such an advanced, futuristic design.’

’In that case...’

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