2
***
It was an organized place with a single intersection at the middle of the town and roads splitting towards the north, south, east, and west ends and all four directions being connected together at the outer corners of the town protected by its walls.
Memorizing the map did pay off although I felt guilty for throwing it since I didn't need it anymore. I just hope the Goddess ignores it.
Buildings made of hard stone with reinforced thatched roof tops dominated the city and cobblestone streets provided faster means of transportation. The lamp posts located near the corners provided light through magic combustion at night, taking in the air from the atmosphere and converting it into flames that provided illumination for walkers.
Some of the buildings had chimneys rising from their rooftops, dull gray smoke being exhumed as a result of activity.
An increasing amount of people passed by us, likely from the town center where most of the activity happened.
“So this is Astoria huh? There’s a lot of people in here.”
“Indeed. This town is situated somewhere in the middle of the Green Storm area which is also dotted with towns such as these.”
So I’m in the Green Storm area eh? Unlike the other six who were sent here along with me, I arrived a hundred kilometers from the capital city of Uru which meant that I could do whatever I want without being observed by anybody.
That, and the fact that I can make a name for myself without the need of the Kingdom’s patronage just makes it all the more necessary for me to go alone.
Besides, the noisy atmosphere is a welcome change from the ominous silence I get when camping in an unknown forest by myself.
“So, where’s the guild?”
“It’s to the west of the town, near the jeweler’s.”
If I remember correctly, the name of the jewelers is “Greedy Bastards and Fat Aristocrats Jewelry Shop.” A fitting name for a place known for scamming its rich patrons of fake jewels and poor man’s gold studded paraphernalia.
“Looks like it’s situated near a place where aristocrats and rich people visit. Why’s that?”
“That’s…how should I say this…a part of my town’s history, I guess?”
Intriguing. Just another question from a list that’s starting to grow from the time I first met the Goddess and my six other ‘companions.’
We continued to walk further, me taking notice of the increasing number of people as we traveled deeper into the town depths.
***
As we approached the center, I noticed the town bustling with activity, the hawkers selling their wares to passerbys, and merchants showing off their wares spread beside them laid in wide rectangular carpets that kept the dust motes at bay. Awnings provided protection from the sun’s ever shining rays, the bastard cocky enough to cause skin allergies to those who have sensitive skin.
In fact, you couldn’t tell it was a busy town from the outside since the town itself looked like a quiet place to visit…
“Selling white cheeses, fifty gold apiece!”
“Health potions and mana potions only yours for a hundred gold!”
“Fresh fruits and vegetables straight from the Evergreen’s!”
“Exotic goods and delicacies right here, from spices to carpets to porcelains. Luxury at a cost!”
…although the prohibitive prices from these merchants are way too much for most people.
Sigh. Overcharging at its finest. Ripping people off since time immemorial.
“The town’s busy at this time of the year so expect a lot of people to visit.”
“What, is there some special event going on at the moment?”
“None really but only an overabundance of merchants eager to rip people off for an easy profit. It’s the month of Tzurath after all and it leads to wages for everyone who has work. Except us.”
“I see.”
It’s quite obvious as to why adventurers aren’t paid for their services except when they finish quests or do some trading by themselves. They’re freelancers and have free reign over what they wish to do with their lives either by selling, robbing or raiding anything that has the word money displayed on it.
They could also go on Epic Quests where the rewards are massive but have a zero percent chance of surviving.
Yep. Zero. Zilch. Unfortunate right? Not if you’re me…or other protagonists really.
At least the Goddess who sent us here was quite helpful although for some strange reason she was eyeing me with a look of pride.
Pride for what, I don’t even know. However, all I can say is that the other six were a rambunctious bunch of teenagers, your cliché ‘teenagers-are-bought-into-another-world-to-fight for-[blank]-kingdom-by-being-granted-[insert power or ability or trait or etc…]-by-an-omnipotent being-who-either-has-lots-of-time-in-their-hands-or-who-just-wants-to-have-some-form-of entertainment.’
“Anyway, I came here to visit my home since my parents are dead.”
“Then you have my condolences for what it’s worth.”
“Nah, it’s alright. You have nothing to do with it but…”
She was now murmuring to herself, catching snippets of words such as ‘murder’, ‘castration’, ‘guillotine’, and a host of other colorful words that I dare not repeat.
And thus our walk continued, with poor me listening to her growing number of colorful vocabularies which was ignored by the people around us.
Did I mention that she was uttering these words in increasing intensity as if she was a witch eager to curse and hex an unfortunate victim?
***
Near one of the corners, where it lead to the western part of the town, we passed by a group of adventurers equipped with magical items. Upon closer inspection I realized that one of their members was one of those who came with us to this new world.
A girl seventeen years of age with medium length dark red hair that went down her shoulders with a seven-petal flower hairpin on the front and bright green eyes armed with an old wooden staff slung on her back, a leather cloak with its hood pulled down, leather gloves worn on both her hands, a brown buttoned shirt paired with brown leather shorts and sandals.
She was the type of girl you could see on the street on the way to the store, a common sight in a mass of thousands. No particular features stood out except for her curious nature which gave her the air of a person eager to explore and discover what the world has to offer.
“You’ve been staring at that girl for a while now. Do you know her?”
“You could say that I do, but more as strangers rather than acquaintances.”
“She looks so ordinary. Is she a magic user? Magic users are on high demand among adventurer groups like the group she’s in currently.”
“You can tell that they’re strong?”
“A little, it’s possible by sensing their auras that flare up whenever they pass by you, getting an accurate gauge of their strength.”
Hmm, she came all the way from the capital city to visit here? I hope she won’t recognize my face.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
We parted ways near one of the corners, her going to visit her parents and me going to the adventurer’s guild to register myself.
As I passed by one of the streets someone appeared in front of me.
“Hey mate, got any gemz?”
A person whose appearance was concealed by a long black coat approached me from the side, his grating voice making me face his direction. On the other hand, Karen my companion went to another direction, separating us from each other, leaving me alone to stroll among the masses of people around me.
“If ya got any, mind if ya sell them to me?”
“How much are you offering?”
“Low-grade about one thousand apiece. Mid-grade ten thousand apiece. High-grade hundred thousand apiece. If ya got diamonds then its five hundred thousand apiece for mid-grade, one million apiece for high-grade and fifty thousand apiece for low-grade.”
Hmm, sounds like a deal to me although I was shocked by the selling prices offered to me.
On the other hand, my other self tells me that I’m being scammed for no reason other than the urge for money.
“For real? Are you a certified gem merchant?”
“You can say that, although the client I work for is…someone who doesn’t like being seen in public.”
“You don’t say?”
Ah, an illegal dealer then huh. Someone who deals with clients outside the jurisdiction of the law. If that’s the case then I can only assume that there are other groups similar to real-life mafias and yakuza’s in my world.
“Why the secrecy if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Well, we gem dealers are vulnerable due to the large amounts of money we bring in order to pay for gems that our clients will sell us.”
“Do you choose or just ask any random stranger walking along on the street?”
“We do the latter although gem dealers who have been in this trade for a long time have developed a network of clients from which they could buy gems at a much higher price than normal.”
“Much higher price than normal? I thought prices go down if there’s an abundance of gems?”
Law of Supply and Demand dictates that the more of a product in abundance then the cheaper the price for the said product. Don’t ask me why, I just learned it from some random books I’ve read in my spare time.
“Not exactly since gem trading is a very lucrative business for both us and our customers. For one, the amounts we pay in exchange for their gemz are offset by the shares we get once they’re process into jewelry which fetch large prices in the luxury market and sell for millions in the black market.”
Figures. People would kill just to have the rarest gems or ‘gemz’ as he put it, in their pockets. Even in this world greediness still exists but hey, it could be much worse than my government’s inept ability to deal with problems back at home right?
“I see, then why are you offering only specific prices for diamonds but not for the other…gemz?”
Does he really need to attach a z to the gem word or is it just some stupid quirk to make characters more ‘unique’ when compared against others?
“Uh…standard protocol for newbies like me. You know, like a test or something?”
“…Right.”
It seems he’s not that aware of what his rank actually entails, not that I have any right to tell him what to expect. I don’t believe his excuse either but I ignored it in favor of the potential buyer in front of me.
“Alright, I accept your offer. Wait here, I’ll look for it.”
Unknown to anybody else I already started creating five mid-grade rubies and one high-grade diamond using my sword’s ability to produce gems thrice a day. In the back of my mind I saw the inscribed diamond on my sword turn into a dark white color and the inscribed ruby turning into a lighter color of red.
Rifling underneath the pockets of my leather pants, I heard the slight clinking sound of said gems and pulled out all of them to the surprise of the man in the cloak with the grating voice.
“…”
“…”
An unnatural silence descended on both of us, the realization that he, a recently hired gem dealer got lucky in asking his very first customer if he had any gems for sale.
“…deal?”
“…deal.”
And thus we both made our first transaction, me netting a profit of one million and fifty-thousand gold in exchange for the gems in my hands, the dealer giving me five large sacks filled with said money.
“Uh…pleasure doing business with…you?”
“Don’t mention…it?”
Awkward. Really awkward. So awkward in fact that I decided to just mutter a quick ‘thank you’ before he vanished into thin air as if by magic.
“Next time I deal with these weirdos, I’ll just avoid them like the plague.”
Nope. Not going to happen anytime soon if my suspicions are correct especially when it comes to these fantasy scenarios. A gold pouch tide firmly on my belt appeared out of nowhere, denoting the money I have on my person.
"I should hunt for robbers later and use them as live practice for my sword since I can't use magic."
***
Finally making my way towards the Adventurer’s Guild, I noticed a few faces who also stood in front of the building with its worn-out concrete walls, rickety windows, a chipped stone roof, and some of its windows sporting large spidery cracks across its surface showing decades of wear. It had two floors and the rambunctious voices inside could be from here, a mix of boisterous laughter and incessant barbs between members.
The light inside only provided shadows too dark to be deciphered by my sharp eyes, and decided to just lean on the wall near the door, bidding my time until the guild master noticed our presence.
Nearby, the jeweler’s store beside the adventurer’s guild was sealed shut, its wooden doors barred by a sturdy oak plank and its windows closed by wooden shutters. Like the rest of the buildings in town, it was also made of concrete but with red brick mixed into it. Its roof was of pure white stone with not much wear and tear to be seen, and had a huge signboard mounted on top of it. Unlike the luxury shops in my world, the store didn’t see the need to display its wares, a peculiar reason that I want to find out when I have enough time.
As I kept glancing around my surroundings, a female voice called out to me, snapping me out of my trance. The people near me ignored her as if she was never there, a side-effect of the power that the Goddess gave her to fight the armies of darkness.
“Hey! You’re that guy who came along with us yesterday!”
I turn to the source of the voice, perk my eyebrows in response, and just shrugged, not surprised that the same person I avoided awhile back would be the same person I would encounter while waiting for the ruckus inside to die down.
“So, why are you here by yourself then?”
“I just felt like it.”
Sigh. Guess it’s another round of dialogues for me then. Darmit!
***