kscans

Chapter 50 - Another, A Second Abandoned Village

In the early summer of his second year, early July by his handmade calendar, Yuri’s discovery was half by chance and half by destiny.

Struggling to secure metal resources, Yuri suddenly remembered the rock salt mine. Since it was a mine, he reasoned, they must have dug it with pickaxes or something similar. If he searched near the tunnels, perhaps he could find a forgotten or broken pickaxe.

With this faint hope, Yuri set out to explore the area around the rock salt mine. What he found was not an abandoned pickaxe, but the remains of an abandoned village. Incidentally, the simple question of whether anyone would use salt-vulnerable iron tools to mine rock salt never crossed his mind.


"This place… looks older than my village…"

The abandoned village where Yuri lived still had solidly built houses, but this place was more like the wreckage of houses. The roofs and floors had long since collapsed, and inside the sunlit homes, grass and trees had sprouted. He had been ready to give up, thinking he wouldn’t find anything of value, but who could have guessed this place would be a treasure trove of materials.

"Whoa… they’re rusted and damaged, but… it looks like most of the daily necessities were left behind… Did something sudden happen that made them abandon the village?"

If so, that was not a pleasant thought. Especially if whatever caused it was still around.

"...My Perception isn't picking up anything right now... but I should be careful."

He remained cautious, but began putting anything useful into his Storage. Broken or rusted, they were still valuable resources. With his magic, he could recycle them to some extent.

"The clothes are… no good. Completely rotted away."

If the wood of the houses was decaying, it was no surprise that fabric wouldn't survive. Any food supplies were also gone, likely having ended up in the bellies of wild animals before they could rot. He looked for any remaining charcoal, but found nothing of the sort.

"Looks like the only haul is metal and Pottery… though most of it is broken or rusted."

Among the remaining "metal" were several coins that appeared to be the currency of this country. Most were silver and copper, but a few gold coins were mixed in. If he ever had a chance to leave the abandoned village, they could be useful for buying necessities.

"In Japan, this might violate some law… but here it’s probably fine. …In light novels and stuff, it seems like finders keepers…"

Even if it was a bit of a gray area, he figured no one would find out anyway. With that justification, he collected everything of value he could find. Mixed in with his spoils was "that" item.

"...Is this… a leather bag? …Why is it in perfect condition? It’s not torn, and it doesn't look damaged at all…"

In a place where even wood had rotted away, a perfectly preserved leather bag was highly suspicious.

"...It’s not filled with poison or something, is it…?"

Fearing it might be contaminated with toxins or heavy metals, he cautiously cast Appraisal on it…

Magic Bag. A magic tool for storing items, but currently unusable due to a lack of magic power. Can be used again if a Magic Stone is supplied with magic power.

"Huh, so it’s a magic tool," Yuri noted with admiration, but he soon realized the importance of this item. While he had no trouble with storage thanks to his Storage skill, this magic tool would allow him to conceal its existence. He could enjoy the benefits of Storage while keeping the skill itself a secret.

Yuri rejoiced, thinking this was the greatest find of the day, but that judgment was still premature.