DMS Chapter 147

Flinx, Samuel, Ferdinand, Arnel, and Bruce continued browsing the various magic items sold in the shops throughout the magic bazaar. They inspected so many items that Flinx couldn't help but think of different dungeon-delving strategies in which such items could prove useful.

Unfortunately, every effect offered by the magic items he had seen could already be replicated by his Wizard and Cleric spells or by the modern items available through his System Shopping Site.

Samuel and the others did purchase a few of the items they encountered. The only thing Flinx could say was that the salespeople presenting the items were extremely good at their jobs.

Flinx wasn't worried about his fellow Earthlings' finances. Based on what they had told him, everyone had managed to save at least 10,000 low-level mana stones in their fourth tab space during the years they spent as dungeon miner slaves. Compared to them, Flinx's savings of 5,000 low-level mana stones before he used the gate to transfer to this world were considered ridiculously low.

When they became hungry, they stopped to eat regular street food. They had begun avoiding restaurants that served dishes made from magic beasts since they had no desire to taste bland food again. It would have been easier to order meals through their System Shopping Site, but part of exploring a new world was experiencing the local cuisine.

Even Flinx, despite having spent considerable time in this world, rarely ate local food. Of course, they couldn't fault him for that. He had been entirely focused on leveling up so he could rescue them as quickly as possible. As a result, he had never taken the time to explore what the local culture had to offer.

They eventually stopped at a shop that sold various types of mounted animals, and the only thing they could conclude was that they were truly in another world.

Aside from horses, there were enormous insect-like mounts that resembled giant beetles. Flinx couldn't imagine how anyone could comfortably ride such massive insects. There were giant lizards and birds that looked like scaled ostriches. Some mounts even resembled dinosaurs, and unsurprisingly, the five of them immediately gravitated toward those.

Unfortunately, despite Flinx's attempts to dissuade him, Samuel still purchased a mount that resembled the Velociraptors from the Jurassic Park movies. The dinosaur mounts were carnivores, and the only reason they didn't attack humans was because of extensive training. They primarily ate butchered meat from chickens, pigs, and cows.

Watching Samuel learn how to ride the Velociraptor-like mount provided endless entertainment for the rest of them. At the very least, Samuel promised that he would take proper care of the creature and wouldn't allow it to make a mess around their home.

"Since you have more than 150,000 dollars in your account, can you buy a car?" Ferdinand asked. "Maybe an SUV or an off-road vehicle? Those could probably handle the roads on this planet."

"You know what? I don't know. Let me check."

Both Flinx and Ferdinand accessed their System Shopping Sites to see whether vehicles were available for purchase.

Flinx was excited when he discovered that they were. The best options appeared to be off-road vehicles, with prices ranging from 5,000 to 30,000 dollars. For a moment, he was tempted to buy one so they would have an easy means of transportation around the city.

He resisted the urge because he didn't want to attract unnecessary attention.

To be honest, Flinx already suspected that the city's authorities had begun taking notice of him simply because he had brought twenty of his fellow “countrymen” into Ilioven.

Thankfully, Ilioven was such a major hub that groups of people from the same region arriving together were fairly common due to the numerous dungeons scattered throughout the Kingdom of Ilinestor.

Unfortunately, that plan went out the window when Ferdinand purchased an off-road vehicle on the spot.

Flinx merely shrugged inwardly. He couldn't and wouldn't control his fellow Earthlings. They had all been imprisoned for so many years that it was understandable for some of them to indulge themselves now that they were finally free.

Besides, Flinx himself was somewhat excited to see the vehicle.

"How much did that thing cost you?" Bruce asked Ferdinand, and the man said 15,000 dollars.

Samuel, who was still busy learning how to ride his dinosaur with the assistance of one of the shop's staff members, ignored both them and the vehicle that had suddenly appeared.

Samuel was ridiculously enamored with his new dinosaur. Flinx suspected that he had been one of those children who grew up dreaming of owning a dinosaur. Flinx had to admit that there had been a brief period during his own childhood when he had felt exactly the same way.

The people nearby gawked at the sudden appearance of a large vehicle at the entrance of the mount shop.

Ferdinand climbed behind the wheel while Flinx, Arnel, and Bruce entered the passenger compartment. Once Ferdinand started driving, all of them shouted in excitement. The idea of riding a modern vehicle in a fantasy world was thrilling.

At the very least, Ferdinand drove slowly.

Flinx realized that Ferdinand was responsible enough not to risk causing accidents. Even so, the sight of a vehicle moving without being pulled by an animal caused pedestrians throughout the city to stop and stare.

Before long, they were stopped by a company of guards.

Flinx, with his Diamond Rank Adventurer Guild card prominently displayed on his chest, explained that the vehicle was a type of magic carriage from their homeland and that it posed no danger.

One of the guards was invited to ride along while Ferdinand drove so the guard could verify its safety firsthand, while the others remained behind to observe.

After nearly an hour of testing, the guards concluded that the vehicle was reasonably safe.

The guard who had ridden with them was visibly excited and lavished praise upon the vehicle's comfort. He even expressed interest in learning how to drive it.

Flinx had to explain that it was a complicated machine that required considerable training to operate. He also pointed out that there was little point in teaching others because they had brought only a handful of such vehicles with them and had no intention of selling them.

Flinx further explained that they possessed only a few because some of his companions might decide to purchase their own vehicles in the future.

He himself was considering buying one as well.

The guards informed them that the vehicle would need to be registered with both the government offices and the Adventurer Guild. Flinx assured them that they would comply and submit whatever paperwork was necessary.

Afterward, they returned to the mount shop to retrieve Samuel.

It was already time to head home since the sun had begun to set.

Samuel intended to ride his new dinosaur back. According to him, the locals called the species an Oludutra. He had named his dinosaur Brownie because of its brown coloration, a decision that made Flinx shake his head.

Fortunately, Samuel already knew how to ride horses, and those skills appeared to transfer reasonably well to riding an Oludutra.

They first visited the government offices to register the vehicle before proceeding to the Adventurer Guild to do the same.

Flinx found the registration process somewhat strange because it mostly involved local mages inspecting the off-road vehicle.

Neither he nor Ferdinand minded. They doubted that the local mages would be able to reverse-engineer the technology behind the vehicle, and even if they somehow did, none of them particularly cared.

After completing their examination, the mages began asking questions about the vehicle.

For the most part, Flinx could only shrug. The questions were highly technical, and he genuinely didn't know the answers.

Eventually, he simply explained that the vehicle had been built by artificers and was primarily a machine. None of them knew the details of its construction.

They only knew how to use it.

Several of the mages expressed interest in purchasing the vehicle.

Since it wasn't his car, Flinx directed them to Ferdinand and told them to discuss any potential sale with its owner.