"Welcome!" A white-bearded old man greeted Aoko as she entered the magic shop. "Need anything? Spell components, scrolls, scroll materials, wands—we have it all!"
Aoko surveyed the wide array of magical items and activated her magical sight. She found that while there wasn't anything too high-level, the variety was impressive, and many scrolls and wands radiated unfamiliar magical auras.
This meant new spells, waiting for her to discover and learn!
"Scrolls and wands," Aoko said to the shopkeeper. "Do you have a catalog?"
"Of course," the old man replied, bending down to retrieve a leather-bound book from under the counter and handing it to her. "Looking for any specific type? Need my recommendations?"
"Let me look first," Aoko said calmly, taking out a gold coin. "Can I use this here? I'm not a local and am not familiar with the money here."
The shopkeeper donned a magnifying glass and examined the coin carefully, then weighed it on a scale.
Aoko had minted these coins herself from the gold she got from the Holy Grail for use in the Ark world, to establish a currency system as the number of residents grew—barter just wouldn't do forever.
"No problem, it's even better quality than local Neverwinter coins," the shopkeeper said, removing his lens. "I'll give you double the local rate for these."
Aoko nodded and browsed the catalog. Besides scrolls, wands, and spell components, the shop also sold various potions.
Magic potions are a unique product in D&D worlds—not only do they have special effects, but some contain spells themselves!
The advantage of these over scrolls is that you don't need any special knowledge—you just drink, and enjoy the effects. A must-have for non-caster adventurers.
"Do you have any books on potion-making?" Aoko asked.
"No," the shopkeeper replied, shaking his head. "But I can direct you to some stores in the Arcane Quarter south of the Neverwinter River. Cross the Sleeping Dragon Bridge for the fastest route."
Aoko nodded and memorized the info. It seemed this magic shop was at the north gate just for competition. She planned to visit the Arcane Quarter later.
"I'll take a Potion of Fox's Cunning, a Potion of Lucidity," Aoko said, "plus a scroll of Remove Disease, a scroll of Mass Blindness, and a Wand of Magic Missile."
"That'll be 3,350 gold coins," the shopkeeper grinned, looking every bit the shrewd merchant. "Of course, with your coins."
Aoko nodded, took out a small bag made with imaginary number sorcery, and poured out about 3,350 coins. The shopkeeper packed her purchases in a wooden box.
"I'll include a Neverwinter city map for you," the delighted shopkeeper added, "with the Arcane Quarter and some bookstores marked."
Aoko nodded, put the box in her backpack, and left, sitting on a bench nearby to study the map.
After spending thousands of gold on a shopping spree, Aoko felt much better—her travel fatigue swept away.
Of the things she bought, the most expensive was the Mass Blindness scroll—a spell she'd never seen before, an 8th-level spell scroll costing 2,500 gold, and that was at her gold's premium rate!
So she didn't plan to use it, but to study and learn the spell, adding it to her repertoire.
Aoko took out a mechanical pencil and began planning her route to the Arcane Quarter on the map.
Neverwinter was huge, so walking would take ages. She decided to ride her horse.
After planning, she went to the north gate's hitching post, got her horse, and rode along the main avenue toward Sleeping Dragon Bridge.
Sleeping Dragon Bridge is one of Neverwinter's iconic arched bridges, along with the Dolphin and Winged Wyvern bridges.
Beneath these, the Neverwinter River flows through gentle waterfalls into the city's harbor, making the city vibrant and lively.
As she rode, Aoko realized Edgin and Holga might not find her after their business, so she released Stark, her magical pet.
"Quack! Where are we?" Stark circled her twice, confused.
"Neverwinter," Aoko said, giving him a "figure it out yourself" look, then pointed to the castle on the map. "Go to Neverwinter Castle—try not to be seen."
"Quack, no problem! Is it a scouting mission?"
"No," Aoko shook her head, using illusion magic to show Edgin and Holga's faces. "They're my temporary teammates. In case we lose contact, deliver this Sending Stone to them."
She tied the stone to Stark's claw and fed him some nuts. He flew off eagerly—he'd been cooped up too long since she'd arrived in this world.
Neverwinter's style was unique and exquisite thanks to magic, far beyond the late medieval level on Earth—and most importantly, the streets didn't stink.
Magic streetlights, precise water clocks, and all kinds of colored glasswork could be seen everywhere.
Speaking of glass, Neverwinter's most stained glass-decorated building was Oghma's temple, the Lord of knowledge. The windows were so numerous, even a modern person like Aoko found it breathtaking.