Elemental Cats

The thing they were looking for was something that Toz at least had been interested in since they visited the Ash Monkey tribe. Magic books, or grimoires as they were also known.

Toz had known about spells before he read the books in the Ash Monkey tribe's village, but the descriptions he found there were more detailed and had piqued his interest and curiosity. Even if he couldn't get his hands on one right now, in a higher level plane, there could be more and better easily accessible information about how to get and acquire a grimoire.

Although Sleepless Brights might not be the grandest and most prosperous of cities in a fifth level plane, it was still above any other city, Toz and the cats had been to, when it came to affluence. Compared to towns and cities like Yellow Sparks and Rising Winds, Sleepless Brights would have a much higher chance of at least having information on how and where to get a grimoire.

That was the first part. Then, finding a grimoire of the right attribute would be the next challenge. Toz didn't need to be that picky about a grimoire's attribute since he technically doesn't have any limit on the various attributes he can have as long as he bonds with a cat of the specific element. Although it would be for the best if they could find a grimoire with the spell of either metal, darkness, or fire, so Toz and one of the cats can then begin learning the spell as soon as the grimoire is in their hands.

But before any one of them could actually learn a proper spell from a grimoire, they would first need to actually get one. And before they can buy a grimoire, they need to find out where to buy a grimoire from, which is why the group had stopped in front of a small bookstore hidden away in an alley.

Usually, any type of shop, except illegal ones, would have trouble finding business in places like those, hidden away from potential customers. But the bookstore with the name Linda's Books didn't seem to be about to declare bankruptcy. And upon closer inspection, there were loads of intricate enchantments on the storefront and the part of the building that the bookstore was in.

While having many enchantments didn't necessarily mean that the owner was wealthy since they could be useless low level ones only meant for decoration. But if the enchantments had been for decoration, they would have been at least slightly flashier. And from what Toz could sense, the enchantments covering the bookstore were well made and packed with mana. The enchantments were either expensive and useless or expensive and useful, from what Toz could tell. The safest bet would be expensive and useful.

The type of store located in a back alley and covered in intricate enchantments was obviously one not overly worried about attracting a lot of customers, and focused more on quality than quantity. Toz hoped that this kind of inconspicuous store would have information on how to get a grimoire. And considering all the enchantments that were most likely there to protect the store and its wares, it might even be possible the store had a grimoire itself.

Since Mindle was still in the familiar space, Toz entered the store with Lucy on his head and Nil draped over his shoulders.

The wooden door opened and closed with the tinkling of a bell.

"Welcome! I'll be right there."

A woman's voice came from the back of the store.

While Toz waited for the owner to come to the front desk, he looked around the shop.

While it looked like the building was two stories from the outside, only one floor was dedicated to books. The upper floor was probably the owner's bed and living room.

Toz suspected that some of the enchantments covering the store were of the spatial attribute since the store seemed to be larger on the inside than on the outside. But not by much, so the store still wasn't that big, and it had a cozy feeling with its dark brown wooden walls, lit by soft yellow lamps hanging from the roof. Four walls and two shelves in the middle, all covered in books, except for the door and the front desk where a door into a storage room and stairs were. Like most buildings in Sleepless Brights, there weren't any windows, and the almost searing light that Toz and the cats had gotten used to by now, was blocked off as soon as the door closed.

"Like what you see?" The owner had come out of the back room with a stack of books in her arms that she placed next to the open space on the desk. She had mahogany brown hair that went down to her shoulders and a pair of circular glasses resting on her nose. As he put down the stack of books, the arm on her robe that had been drawn up slipped down to cover the symbol of an open book on her forearm. Somehow she fit the description of book owner perfectly as she turned her kind gaze toward Toz as she waited for his response.

"Yeah, it's cozy."

"Great! What can I help you with today, sir?" Linda's face broke up into a smile as she replied to Toz.

"Well... I was actually looking for a grimoire. Do you have any of those?"

"Of course! What a coincidence, though. I got in a couple of new ones just yesterday. Looking for a specific attribute?"

Toz was overjoyed at the positive response. They had found a place that sold grimoires during their first try. It also seemed to be several grimoires of different types of attributes.

Toz tried his best to contain his happiness as he replied,

"Fire, darkness, or metal works, but if you don't have any of those, I would happily look at others as well."

"What kind of bookkeeper do you take me for? While I might not have darkness, I have several fire grimoires and one or two metal ones. Wait here, and I will be right back with them," Linda said as she went into the backroom she had been in when Toz entered the store.

She came back shortly after with three books, two red and one grey.

"I only had one metal, and while I have a few more fire ones, I was a little presumptuous and chose a couple of beginner-friendly ones. Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. Thank you for your consideration. How much for this one?" Toz asked as he pointed toward a red book labeled Fireball.

"That one was...

"Eight thousand gold."