The story of the two Goddesses that the play portrayed was truly interesting. However, there was something more interesting that I think Tristan would love to experience.
"This…"
She looked at the store we stopped by next. Her eyes widened in surprise as her jaw dropped slightly.
"Gem store?" She continued, looking at me in disbelief.
"Yes." I nodded at her. "We need a gem for the engagement ring, right? Might as well stop by and prepare for it."
"You are serious about that?!"
"Of course. I plan to make it official next month with Eliza. And I hope you will be willing to get engaged to me at the same time. You know that I love you the most, right? No matter how much I love the girls, you are special, so… Will you accept my love, Tristan?"
"… I don't need to answer that," Tristan replied and looked at me. "I have told you before."
"You have." I smiled at her. "Let's find a gem for you then."
"What about Eli's?" She asked, looking up at me.
"I will take her to another date later. Right now, we will find yours."
"Alright."
Her lips curled into a happy smile as we entered the gem store. She couldn't hide her happiness and even hummed softly.
Entering the gem store felt like stepping into a treasure trove I found back on that inhabited island. No other customers but us and a pretty Noble girl wearing a red dress accompanied by her butler with a professional aura around him were there. The rest were employees of the store, dressed nicely.
The air was filled with a rich, velvety scent. My eyes wandered through the displays around the store. Various gems with different colors and sizes let out a radiance that could dazzle one's senses.
Every surface seemed to gleam and twinkle like a play of light, reflecting off the precious stones of every hue. The walls were adorned with intricate carvings that showcased prized gems in their glory, and the ceiling seemed to sparkle like a midnight sky scattered with stars.
Tristan had a similar reaction to mine. She looked baffled at the beauty of the gems.
"It's beautiful." She exclaimed softly.
"Yes."
An employee who saw us entering earlier approached us with a judging gaze but kept a business smile on her face. It was normal, considering we only wore casual clothes and not dress and gaudy clothes like the Nobles. She was judging our money and would recommend a gem that we probably could afford.
That was why I decided to take off the sunglasses with the <Stealth> effect. The employee gasped audibly as she saw my face, and her smile widened as she greeted me while bowing deeply.
"Esteemed customers, welcome to our store." Raising her head, she asked with a smile, "May I know what kind of gems you seek?"
"Something that fits this beautiful girl," I replied and glanced at Tristan.
She looked back at me with a strange gaze, wondering what she had just heard. I didn't react and pretended not to realize it.
I meant… the Noble girl was looking at me with surprise as she covered her lower face with her gloved hand. She didn't expect to meet the Paladin when she was shopping. Her servant noticed me and gave me a respectful bow before attending to his miss again, reminding her to be polite.
I needed to put up my act and become the 'kind Paladin' everyone knew. That meant becoming a bit cringe and speaking flowery words.
The employee glanced at Tristan for a second but didn't ask anything. She kept her professional act as she gestured to us, "I think a green gem will suit the pretty Miss well. How about these?"
She walked toward one corner of the store where many green gems were displayed in various sizes. We followed suit and watched her taking a box of small-sized gems. It seemed like she realized what I was going to use it for after observing us.
'What an acute observation ability. I might have come to the correct store.'
Just like the Zaha store, this store had talented employees. I assumed she had seen Tristan's necklace and bracelet. From that, she judged that she needed the gem for a ring or something, so she showed us small-sized gems first.
"These gems are mined from Earl Hardbrick's territory and are polished by the best artisan in the territory. They are of the highest quality you can find in this Kingdom."
A familiar name popped up. According to Alesia, the Hardbrick family and the territory were famous for building something. So it wasn't limited to buildings and magic items but also gems?
The gems had similar colors to Tristan's eyes, and I also thought it would suit her.
'These are indeed good.' I nodded slightly and looked at Tristan.
"What do you think? Do you want them?"
"What do I think… They are indeed beautiful." She said, leaning closer to see the gems inside the box that the employee held. "I quite like the oval one. It looks pretty."
"That's a nice choice, miss! The oval gem is a rare Green Diamond and is only a few in number!" The employee exclaimed excitedly, putting the box down and carefully holding the Green Diamond after putting on a glove. "This one is one of the highest found in Hardbrick territory, so it's more special."
"Hoo… That indeed looks special." I said, nodding at the employee. "Can you turn this into a ring and add an automatic size adjustment and life-saving effect?"
"We definitely can, Esteemed customers. We have a specialized magic item maker and design affiliated with our store. However… There will be an extra cost for such an order…"
"That's no problem. Please turn this into a ring. As for the design…" I paused a little and looked at Tristan. "…How would you like your ring to look?"
Tristan held her chin and thought a little, "Maybe something simple like this."
She took out a silver ring from her inventory, surprising the employee slightly. She muttered, 'a space bag,' before looking at the ring closely.
The shank was similar to a wing, and the head of the gem was a simple oval shape without any additional design.
"U-Umm…"
As the employee was still observing the design, Tristan spoke while stuttering.
"I-It's an engagement ring, so… Can you carve the date too?"
"Oh my!" The employee exclaimed happily, looking at me for a second before smiling widely at Tristan. She carefully put the gem back in the box and clapped her hands "Congratulations!"
"T-Thank you," Tristan replied shyly.
"We promise we will do our best to create the best ring. May I know the date that needs to be carved into the inner side of the ring?"
Tristan looked at me curiously, and the employee followed suit.
ραΠdαsΝοvel.cοm "It's next month, 3 days after the monthly morning prayer."
"I see. So the third day of the fifth month. The year would be 563 Holy Callender. Is that correct?"
"Yes." I nodded at her, and so did Tristan with a red face.
We continued to talk about the details afterward, and I paid the price.
An engagement ring with the highest grade gem and the production cost only cost 75 thousand Gold, which was cheap. I provided the metal needed to make the ring, which significantly lowered the price.
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