novelraw Chapter 30 : Grey Fortress (2)
Chapter 30 : Grey Fortress (2)
Grey Fortress (2)
Plerine stood out a little.
Not her appearance, but her outfit.
Normal clothes with bare feet wasn't suitable for winter.
So, I stopped by the shopping district and had her dress in a robe and shoes.
"I don't need these. It's hot."
"If you don't want to wear them, go back to the inn and lie down."
This was better than before, but the eye patch was still bothering me.
However, if I took off the eye patch, she'd stand out even more.
'Let's just leave it.'
After finishing some simple shopping, I headed for the stonemason guild.
I asked people on the streets and was able to get there quite easily, "Did you say 1 golden?!"
I shouted, startled by a quote that far exceeded my expectations.
My expression must have looked ridiculous for a moment, but the old man who gave me the quote spoke.
"If it's the Fairy's Leg in Granfen village, I've been there, so I know. That building is as run-down as it gets. If we're going to redo the floors, walls, pillars, and furniture as you asked, it'll take quite a few of my men and the material costs won't be cheap."
"......"
"And on top of that, you're asking to add a heating system connected to the inn rooms. 1 golden is a cheap estimate, honestly."
I had been thinking in shilling units, but the amount far surpassed my expectations.
Even after haggling for about five minutes,
all I could feel was the guild's reputation for being solid—no cracks in their defense.
I told him I understood and stepped outside.
"Is 1 golden expensive?"
Plerine asked.
"A commoner's monthly living expense is about 2 shillings."
"How many shillings in a golden?"
"100 shillings."
"That's definitely a shock."
She said that with a completely unfazed expression.
"Do you have that much money?"
"Not yet."
"Then what are you going to do? Go get a job from the adventurer guild or something?"
"I don't have time for bounty hunting. Just follow me."
I led the way toward the merchant guild.
1 golden.
The amount I needed to spend was more than expected,
but looking at my points, it wasn't impossible.
〈Points in Possession〉
[Satisfaction: 10] x 1pt
[Recognition: 16] x 10pt
The total was 170 points.
[Coarse salt (150g): 5pt]
If what Jeros had said was true, coarse salt was about 10 shillings per 100g, so
I could make about 3 shillings per point.
'Let's comfortably spend about 50 points.'
That would net me about 150 shillings—1 golden and 50 shillings.
That's more than enough.
With that money, I'd remodel the shop,
buy local ingredients here at the market, and
purchase my beginner's gear set.
'Just thinking about it is sweet.'
If not for salt, I couldn't even have dreamed of this luxury.
Once again, I felt grateful for my perks and abilities as I arrived at the merchant guild.
"I'm here to register an item for the auction."
"What kind of item is it?"
"Salt."
"Salt? You mean rock salt? That's not something we handle here at the auction. Try the merchant guild or a restaurant."
"No, not rock salt. I've come to sell pure refined salt."
I showed the pre-prepared pouch of coarse salt.
"I have nine more of these."
Finally, the clerk who'd been acting annoyed responded.
"At that amount... Yes. That's enough to be registered for the auction."
In that moment, I felt like a salt tycoon instead of an oil tycoon—at least until—
"Please provide your affiliated adventurer guild and your name or nickname."
I was left speechless.
Once again, I was confronted by the difference between the game and reality.
'In the game, it was just a few clicks to register, but in reality, they want identity verification.'
Even so, I kept my composure and replied.
"I am a free adventurer not affiliated with any guild. My name is Ian."
The clerk looked troubled.
"I'm sorry, but according to our merchant guild regulations, only those with verified identities can register items for auction."
"......"
"If your companion's identity can be confirmed instead..."
The clerk trailed off. He was clearly unsettled by a young woman with her eyes covered by an eye patch.
"My companion is a mage. She has her eyes covered for training."
"Ahem... I see. Is your companion also a free adventurer?"
Instead of answering, I nodded.
With this, the clerk bowed his head.
"I apologize."
Damn it.
Nothing was going as planned.
The remodeling was expensive,
and the money wasn't coming easily.
Still,
if I gave up every time things got tough, nothing in this world would ever get done.
"Then, could I at least get a list of merchant guilds affiliated with this guild?"
If you don't have teeth, use your gums.
If auto-selling isn't possible, then I'll have to go door to door.
"A list of merchant guilds...?"
The clerk pointed at the back wall,
where a bulletin board was posted.
It was covered in trade histories and notices.
'That'll work.'
Good. I'll directly negotiate with the merchant guilds to get the money I need.
*
"I'm sorry, but..."
"We don't do business with those whose identity isn't verified. The origin of your goods is unclear."
"Haha! Do you think I'd do business with someone I don't even know?"
"Merchants live and die by their reputation. Go join an official adventurer guild and come back."
...
I had just been kicked out of the fourth merchant guild.
I tried to convince them again and again, but
everyone refused.
The last two merchant guilds even gave me counter-offers in the final stages of negotiation.
I almost burst out laughing when I heard their prices.
'80 shillings? Seriously.'
That was daylight robbery.
For that money, I'd rather have gone all the way back and sold it to the general store owner in Granfen.
'Well, maybe not even that.'
Anyway,
although the dangerous situations I'd worried about hadn't come to pass,
nothing else was going as planned.
"Boss, I'm hungry now. When are we going back to the inn?"
The sun was already setting.
It was about time to head back,
but my mind wouldn't let me relax.
"Let's just try one more place."
I'd selected five merchant guilds off the merchant guild's bulletin board.
I had to at least visit all of them.
"Whew."
If this didn't work, tomorrow I'd have to try selling directly to restaurants or go out into the market.
That would be a lot more work and take even more time.
'Please. Let this deal go through.'
Once again, I asked people on the street for directions to "Gilfin Merchant Guild".
"I'm an adventurer—can you tell me how to get to Gilfin Merchant Guild?"
But the way people responded felt off.
"Gilfin? I... I don't really know."
Several people just ran away, but
one burly man kindly told me.
"If you're looking for the Gilfin guild, it's in the lower town."
Lower town.
Even from the name, it sounded sketchy,
and the moment I stepped into lower town, I realized my gut was right.
'Of course.'
It was a completely different scene from the city center.
Rows of rundown shacks,
homeless people lying on the street,
and piles of excrement right next to them.
'I figured as much.'
Even in the game, every city had a slum like this, but
I hadn't expected it to be this big in real life.
'It wasn't this bad in the game. Hm. I guess the city grew, and so did the slum.'
It wouldn't be strange for someone to jump out, pick a fight,
or pull a knife at any moment.
A bad feeling started to grow.
Had I been too careless before leaving the inn, thinking nothing would happen?
'But it's too late to turn back now. Damn.'
Lost in these thoughts, I arrived at the Gilfin merchant guild.
Unlike its dirty surroundings, the building itself looked surprisingly neat.
'They must have some money, at least.'
But the two men guarding the entrance weren't clean at all.
Skinny bodies and sunken eyes glared at me.
"What are you here for? Don't tell me you're here to repay a debt?"
From the looks of things, it seemed like they did loan sharking on the side, but I answered first.
"I'm an adventurer. I'd like to sell something."
"Sell? What are you selling?"
"Salt. Not rock salt—refined salt. Top-rank quality, and I brought quite a bit."
"......"
The guard stared at me for a long while before speaking.
"Follow me."
Inside, the building reeked of stale tobacco.
In a corner of the lobby, a bunch of thugs were playing cards.
One of them looked at us and shouted at the man guiding me.
"Roxon! Who are they?"
"They're here to sell something."
"Yeah? Why don't you ask that woman if she's selling her body too?"
"Kahahahat!"
"Puahaha!"
The punks all burst out laughing.
Looking at them, I was instantly reminded of Hook Captain's gang at the adventurer guild in Granfen.
'Scumbags.'
I didn't like any of them,
but there was no need to stir up a hornet's nest, so I ignored them.
Thankfully, Plerine seemed unfazed.
'She's got a tough mind.'
On the other hand, the shady vibe of this merchant guild gave me some hope.
Up until now, all the merchant guilds had either rejected me for not having ID or tried to rip me off.
But here, with a scent of illegality in the air, maybe they'd ignore my ID and just make the deal.
At the same time, another thought occurred to me.
'What if they try to kill me and take the salt instead?'
Like those potato scumbags who trashed my shop before.
That was also a very possible scenario.
I might have to be prepared to fight.
'Good thing I brought Plerine.'
As we followed the guide to the second floor,
I felt tense, knowing the next scene would be one of two things.
'Either they buy the salt without checking my ID, or they try to fight me for it.'
With this in mind, I met Gilfin, the guildmaster of Gilfin merchant guild.
'Huh?'
The guildmaster wasn't like the punks I'd seen before.
He was a man with a kind appearance,
and five minutes after our greeting, "This 1.5 kg of salt for 1 golden and 50 shillings?! Excellent! Hahaha!"
He laughed heartily as he tasted a sample grain of salt I provided.
"I can't pass up such a great opportunity. This salt is the cleanest and saltiest I've ever tasted. Lest you doubt, I'm a gourmet myself! Hahaha! Where is the rest? I'd like to make the deal right now!"
'What? The deal goes through this easily?'
My mind was about to erupt in a fanfare—before I stopped myself.
'No. Don't let your guard down. Never relax.'
He could suddenly betray me, after all.
Doing my best to keep my real feelings hidden, I replied:
"The rest of the salt is at the inn. If you pay in advance, I'll bring it tomorrow morning."
"Hmm. All right. How much do you want for an advance?"
Let's ask for a lot.
"1 golden."
"Haha. You're quite the bold adventurer."
"!?"
Ting.
A gleaming gold coin flicked from the guildmaster's hand, flying straight to me.
'He accepted even this?'
I bit down on it.
It was real gold.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow morning, adventurer."
"Thank you for deciding quickly."
That's what I said, but
even as I left, I stayed alert.
Even all the way until I'd left the slums completely.
Only after finally shutting the door of my inn room did I relax.
Thud.
'No one was following me.'
Having received the money up front, I kept checking over my shoulder in case of a tail—but there was none.
How fortunate.
Despite all the twists and turns, I managed to make money without an incident!
"Whew."
Was I too nervous for nothing?
As I unconsciously let out a sigh of relief, Plerine spoke up.
"Boss, you seem really tired."
"Yeah. I am."
"Good job. Wash up and get some rest first."
Saying this, Plerine went back out the door.
"Where are you going?"
"There's a pub that looked nice. I'm going to check it out. Want to come?"
For a second, I got startled, thinking maybe she was going out because she'd remembered something.
"No, I'm fine. I'll rest today."
"I thought so. I'll be back then."
Just like that, my poster girl and walking boiler closed the door and left.
"... What a silly girl."
There was only one single bed in the room, after all.
I'll take it first.
"Huh?"
Come to think of it, 'Plerine, doesn't have any money, does she?'
* * *
In the lower town of Grey Fortress, the first floor of the Gilfin guild was filled with men holding all kinds of weapons.
They were checking their gear, waiting for someone.
"Looks like we finally get to move our bodies."
"Yeah. I've been bored with no work lately, so this is perfect."
"But you know, was it really necessary to call everyone? The targets are only two people. Is the guildmaster overreacting?"
A burly man snapped at that.
"They're both mana users. And I couldn't even gauge the woman's ability."
"What?! If you can't gauge her, and you're third-rank, then... that means she's at least 4th-rank?!"
"Probably 4th-rank. So stay alert. Even if we have numbers, we'll lose if we get careless."
"Shit. No wonder he called everyone. Is this really all right?"
"Even if they're 4th-rank, we have four 3rd-rankers here. If we all ambush at the same time, we'll take them down."
"......."
"Don't worry. You guys focus on the man and watch the surroundings."
As the tension among the men reached its peak,
someone came down the stairs.
It was Gilfin, the guildmaster, with a kind face but a sly smirk.
"Looks like everyone's ready. By the way, Roxon isn't back yet?"
Roxon, the man who guarded the entrance and guided Ian to the guildmaster.
He was actually a 2nd-rank assassin,
and the best in this city when it came to tailing someone.
The guildmaster had ordered him to follow the eastern adventurer,
planning to launch a surprise attack as soon as Roxon returned.
"Roxon's not back yet."
"I'm sure he'll be here soon."
As everyone waited, confident that Roxon would be back any minute—
"Is this Roxon?"
A woman's voice rang out.
Thud, thud, roll.
Something big and round, about the size of a human head, rolled into the building.
"What the—damn it!"
"??!!"
It wasn't just the size of a human head.
It was a human head.
Dark circles under the eyes and sunken cheeks.
"Roxon?!"
It was Roxon's head.
A burnt smell rose up belatedly.
As everyone jumped in shock—
Step. Step.
A female figure entered the building.
"Hmmm. Where is it?"
Violet hair shimmered under the candlelight.
"?"
While everyone was still stunned, "There you are. You're the one who asked if I was selling my body."
Plerine stretched out her hand, fwoosh!
The man holding the club burst into flames from head to toe.
"Aaaaaaah!"
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned...
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】