"How can normal people afford these?" I asked, aghast.
The Dwarf paused as he was inspecting a larger Lesser mana crystal. He slowly set it down as he snorted. "They don’t. Normal people don’t need mana crystals like these. These are made specifically for weapons and the like. A regular Inferior mana crystal— like the ones people use for everyday items like a lighter or a lamp— would probably cost a silver at most. Of course, there’s a difference between getting a pure, clean mana crystal that has not yet been tinkered, and buying a mana tool for your own use. Most Tinkerers would sell their tools for double of what they paid to make them." He turned to the merchant managing the store. "Hey, got any Superiors?"
The elderly man shook his head apologetically, and Gennady sighed.
"Thought not."
I was still trying to protect my coin pouch from suddenly depleting just from the price tags alone, when an idea struck me. I tugged at Gennady before he could leave, speaking quickly, "Could you buy me one of these Lesser ones?"
"Why?" he asked, raising a brow. "I’ve got a few on hand, so if you want, I can just give it to you."
"No, I mean I’ll pay for it," I said, clarifying my statement. "I just want you to pick one out for me."
"Pick one out for you?" Gennady frowned, stroking his beard. "Lassie, these ain’t jewels for ya to wear."
"I know," I said, suppressing a groan. "I want you to pick out the best mana crystal to tinker with for a beginner."
"You…" I watched as the gears slowly turned in the Dwarf’s head. "You want me to teach you how to create mana tools?!"
"Yes. And as for the reasons why, we can discuss it at a more private place." I shot a glance to the side, at the merchant who was busy helping another customer. "Just choose one for now, and we’ll talk later."
"Well, if you say so." Gennady picked out a handful of large Inferior mana crystals; altogether, it cost me a gold coin and a half. These were mana crystals specifically cut to make weapons and the like— for Hunters or Mercenaries trying to upgrade their equipment— so it was expensive even for a low grade mana crystal.
We went back to the inn, and in the privacy of our own room, I explained to Gennady, "I want to create my own weapons. Non-magical ones which I can rely on as a Hunter. If you can teach me how to do that— maybe I won’t have to resort to magic so often."
The Dwarf frowned, and I could see his forehead crinkle as he considered this. "I could certainly teach you the basics of Tinkering. Although I’d think you’d do much better as an Artificer, since you can actually cast magic, and do it well. But since you’re saying you want to avoid using magic, I guess that’s out of the question."
"An Arti— what?" I asked, blinking. "An artist?"
"An Artificer," Gennady corrected me. "They are spellcasters who mixed both magic and tools to create their machines. Although they are rare since most spellcasters tend to not be fans of mana tools, believing it to just be a sham mimicry of magic."
"I’m not opposed to learning that as well," I said. "I do want to lessen my reliance on magic, but I’ve also hit a plateau. I’ve learned basically every important spell there is to learn in the books I have with me. There are a bunch of useless ones I’m pretty sure I can cast without even trying— other than that, I mostly just want to find more ways to defend myself." The Dwarf looked at me quizzically, so I quickly added, "In case anything happens."
"You know, lass, you’re pretty paranoid for someone so young." Gennady paused as a thought crossed his mind. "But considering your situation, I guess it makes sense."
I raised my shoulders in a shrug. "So can you teach me?"
"Sure," he said, pulling out a chair. He sat on it the wrong way as he grabbed some tools out of his pocket. He spread them out onto the table, placing one of the larger mana crystals next to them. "Come here, I’ll teach you how to alter a mana crystal so it does what you want it to do."
I glanced over the array of tools the Dwarf had set down; there were calipers, tweezers, iron files, carving needles, and other such items typically needed for lapidary alongside a ruler, protractor, and a compass. I raised an eyebrow. "This is how you tinker?"
"This is one way to do it. Us Dwarves prefer to do it this way. I know the main method the schools over in the Holy Xan Empire teaches on how to tinker differs significantly. However the fundamentals are the same." Gennady reached over to the pen and paper that was on the inn’s desk, and began to draw some symbols on it.
He was not writing down something I could read— they were symbols, almost reminiscent to the style of the Venerable Language which did not use letters like the Ordinary Language did— but they clearly had no meaning to it. Or at least, they were just shapes with no words associated with them.
"These," he said, setting down the pen as he finished, "are the four basic symbols that are fundamental to form the runes for any mana tool to function. Do you recognize them?"
I narrowed my eyes. They certainly looked familiar— more than just looking like the characters for the Venerable Language. Then it clicked. "These are the symbols on
