When we arrived in the city of Cuencas, we saw some city guards; they stared at us… They didn't say anything, although I still couldn't relax… But maybe they were just curious to see a group full of women where one of the girls was carrying a man who was too weak to walk.
Raiza approached one of the city's inhabitants and asked for a place where we could buy or sell houses.
"I think the only safe place for that is at the Merchant Guild."
Raiza thanked the person who gave us directions to the guild, and we followed the indicated path. When we arrived at the Merchant Guild, we saw it was a very elegant two-story building that blended well with the rest of the city, which was quite unique. The houses in this city usually weren't painted, but the stones of the houses were intricately detailed with carvings of various shapes and images; although they looked simple from a distance, up close they were full of intricate details. They must have been built by very talented people.
I had to be the one to buy the house since I had my identification documents and my Silver 2 adventurer license. Chizze was a slave, Raiza wanted to stay under the radar, and Kharla didn't like to talk much about her personal life. So, I had to carry out this mission so we could have a place to stay and enough change to buy food.
Once I entered the establishment with Chizze, there was a line to speak with the receptionist. There were four customer service desks, but only one person was attending. It was frustrating to wait in line for this reason, but I couldn't afford to draw attention. Once it was my turn, I requested information about houses that I could buy today, preferably furnished with four or more bedrooms, each with a bed.
The receptionist looked at my clothes; I was still wearing the outfit I had prepared for the palace party, but my suit was already dirty and tattered. She spoke with a voice full of pity:
"We have many houses with those characteristics, but they're in a tourist area and can be quite expensive. Surely, you'd like to see more affordable options."
I discreetly showed her a platinum coin from my pocket. The woman didn't say anything, just took out a paper, wrote a short paragraph, and told me:
"Take this, go to the supervisor's office in the Merchant Guild. It's on the first floor, and give this to his secretary. They will assist you better there."
I took the paper, called Chizze, and we went to the first floor. I handed the paper to the woman who seemed to be the supervisor's secretary. She didn't speak to me; she went into the supervisor's office, came out, and told me to go in. I entered the office with Chizze and saw the supervisor, or rather, the supervisor. She was a woman with tan skin, tattoos on her arms, a necklace around her neck, a low-cut blouse that accentuated her beautiful body, and straight dark hair.
image [https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/078/652/148/large/duval-saul-342234234.jpg?1722699703]
The supervisor looked me in the eyes and said:
"Before we talk, let me see your credentials and that platinum coin."
Chizze and I were sitting on a sofa while the supervisor was seated in an elegant chair. Between us was a small tea table. I took out my personal documents and the platinum coin, placing them on the table between us. She first examined my credentials to ensure they were authentic, then took a small dropper and let a drop of a dark liquid fall onto the coin.
"Well, this confirms that you are Ester, the Silver 2 adventurer, and that the platinum coin is genuine. If it were fake, that liquid would have turned it black. Now, one last question: why do you want to buy a house in this city and why are you carrying so much cash with you?"
The supervisor asked. I put on my best poker face and said:
"I made a lot of money with the slavers in Rusthia, buying slaves and selling them in different parts of the country. After making a small fortune, I wanted to emigrate to the Dredprism Empire. While I'm getting the emigration permit, I planned to live in this city. During the journey, my companions and I were attacked by monsters and bandits. That's why we lost many of our belongings. Luckily, I had that coin hidden, which is why I'm in a hurry to spend it and get some pocket money."
The supervisor seemed to believe my explanation. She went to her desk, retrieved some papers, and placed them on the table between us.
"These are the houses we have for sale."
I looked through the documents, and they all had the features I requested from the receptionist. I chose the property valued at 200 gold coins, including taxes; it had a pool and a steam room. Basically, a vacation home.
"This is the house I want to buy, and I'd like to move in today."
"Alright, I'll send one of my employees to fetch the keys and show you where the house is, but we don't have 100 gold coins to give you as change for that platinum coin. Right now, I can give you 50 gold coins, and in a week, I can give you the difference. You'll just have to come back to the guild for it."
The supervisor took the platinum coin and put it in a safe. She signed a document and told me to keep it; it was a voucher for the 50 gold coins' difference. We left the supervisor's office with the 50 gold coins and the contract for the vacation house I bought. We went to the reception to wait for the employee with the keys to the house and to show us where the property was located. After half an hour, the employee arrived; he was a slightly bald man with a bushy beard and tattoos on his face. In this city, tattoos are very popular; I remember even Michelangelo was covered in tattoos.
The three of us left the office, and outside, Raiza and Kharla were waiting for us.
"Mr. Ester, you took too long. I thought night would fall, and you wouldn't come out," Kharla said with a tired face.
"Sir, the carriage is ready. You and your companions can get in," said the merchant guild employee. The carriage was very elegant; I wonder if they treat all customers who spend 200 gold coins like this…
After a moderately long trip, we arrived at the house. It was much larger than in the document's picture, and its design was more geared toward foreign tastes, as the construction stones were simpler, with pastel colors, but it stood out in this city because it was very different from the other houses.
The guild employee gave us a tour of the house and offered a gardening and house maintenance service, including pool cleaning, all for one gold coin per month. It seemed like a good deal; I paid the gold coin, and he gave me a receipt for the service. I think it was the employee's personal business, so I gladly accepted it. Before the employee left, I asked for a place where we could eat, and he showed us the way to Cuencas' shopping center.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
After the man left, we didn't waste much time and immediately went to the shopping center. When we arrived, it was truly a beautiful building. There were many food stalls, clothing stores, and medical and aesthetic treatment shops. I had never seen a place like this. We went to the restaurant area, which was a collection of stalls sharing the same tables, so I distributed 10 gold coins to each person and kept the remaining 9 gold coins for an emergency. Everyone went to buy the food they wanted to eat.
I ordered a grilled meat dish with mashed potatoes. Chizze bought a bunch of giant boar ribs in BBQ sauce, Raiza bought a large order of noodle soup, which I think is called ramen, and meat-filled buns. Finally, Kharla ordered a grilled steak and a bunch of sweet desserts and ice cream. We didn't say a word; we just ate in silence. I think I wasn't the only one starving.
Once we finished eating, we stared at the ceiling until Kharla broke the silence.
"We need new clothes; with these outfits, we stand out too much, not to mention they are very worn out from the journey on foot and our fights."
Raiza said, "I don't plan on changing my armor, as I doubt I'll find a better blacksmith than Ellen, but I do need better clothes to wear underneath my armor, which also needs maintenance because it smells weird now."
"Lady Raiza…"
Raiza interrupted Kharla: "When we're in public, call me Victoria. Don't ask, just do it."
Kharla swallowed and said, "Lady Victoria, when we were walking to the shopping center, I saw some hot spring baths. We could buy clothes right here and go bathe in the hot springs and then just go home to sleep."
We listened to Kharla's plan and decided to follow it.
We passed by a clothing store where we bought outfits from this region. I bought a dark priest's outfit with some symbols of local deities. It wasn't much to my liking, but it will help me not stand out so much. Chizze bought combat clothes that allowed her to move quickly with a flower decoration, keeping her jewelry that she wore at the palace party; I think she's grown attached to it. Kharla bought an elegant outfit with symbols I don't recognize, but it looked very good on her. Raiza only bought clothes that stood out little but fit well under her armor. I think they also bought a lot of new underwear, but I gave them their space for that.
"Hey Ester, don't you want to buy some new gloves?" Raiza said to me while I was trying to give them space as they bought underwear.
I replied, "No need, I've grown attached to these gloves you gave me. Besides, they were made by Ellen; you said there's no better blacksmith in this region."
I said this with a smile on my face. For a second, I think I saw Raiza blush slightly.
"Why do you always have to repeat what I say, you idiot?"
She said those words as she went back to the other women.
...
Once we finished our shopping, we went to the hot springs.
Inside the hot spring facility, we saw the prices: there were public baths divided by gender, where people bathed with many others, and private baths, which were more expensive but allowed for bathing without strangers around. Raiza requested a private bath for our group. I was about to use the regular public baths, but at that moment, Raiza grabbed my hand and took me to the private baths.
"Wait a moment, where are you taking me?"
"Well, to bathe, you silly man," said Raiza as we entered our private hot spring bath.
Once inside, Raiza and Chizze started to undress. I covered my eyes and said:
"Are you sure you want a man to see you naked?"
My lovely slave said, "Chizze doesn't mind; you always touch Chizze's body when you sleep anyway."
"Wait, what have you done to Miss Chizze when you sleep, you perverted priest?" said Kharla. I think she's the only one uncomfortable with my presence.
Raiza interrupted Kharla: "Just relax, this guy is harmless, and I also don't want many people seeing the scar on his chest. That could attract too much attention."
Kharla looked at me pensively and said, "It's true, your chest was pierced. How are you still alive?"
I ask myself the same question. Interrupting my thoughts, the elf said:
"That doesn't matter. Let's just bathe, we don't have much time. I only rented this bath for an hour, so don't waste time." Reluctantly, I agreed to bathe with my companions.
To use these baths, there are rules: first, I have to clean my body and hair outside the hot springs. Once clean, I can get into the hot springs to warm up. I cleaned my body while looking at the wall to give my companions some privacy, but I could feel their eyes on my body. Once my body was clean, I entered the hot springs. The water was hot and there was a lot of steam, so I could only see my companions' faces without seeing their bodies.
"Ah, the bath feels so good, Master. I've never been in a hot spring before," said Chizze as she got very close to me. Basically, we were shoulder to shoulder, but I didn't feel nervous about her body. I think I've gotten used to having her close.
But Kharla looked at me distrustfully and only stayed close to Raiza. I guess she still doesn't trust me, and I don't blame her.
"Mr. Ester, how were you able to heal from that attack by the false Carlo Dante? I've never heard of anyone surviving such a blow, and that scar doesn't look normal. I've seen your healing magic in the elven forest and it doesn't leave any scars. But why then…".
Raiza interrupted her by hugging Kharla: "Stop overthinking things, Kharla. Let's leave the questions aside and relax a bit."
That move by Raiza was super effective, and Kharla, with a silly smile on her face, said: "You're right, Miss Raiza, what matters now is to relax."
Honestly, I'm almost sure that Kharla is in love with Raiza. Anyway, it's not my problem. The hot spring bath was very refreshing. I feel my body light, and the newly bought clothes feel very good. All my companions also looked very good in their new outfits, and we put the old clothes in the same bags as the newly bought ones.
My companions went ahead to the new house, while I took the old clothes and wanted to donate them to the church since it's been a long time since I did priestly things. The clothes are a bit worn and dirty, but with a little maintenance, they could be useful to someone.
...
Once inside the church, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank the Goddess and the holy scriptures for helping and keeping me safe. I also prayed for the health and well-being of my former companions.
After finishing my prayers, I went to the donation box and dropped a gold coin, and placed the bags of clothes in another donation box.
Without realizing it, a Caucasian man with two scars on his face, a large cut above his left eyebrow, and a burn under his left eye, with somewhat short white hair and full of tattoos on his body, was behind me and said:
"You look like a priest. Are you new in town? Because I've never seen you here before."
I looked at the man with a calm expression: "I'm from the low countries in the north. I came here wanting to cross the border into Dredprism."
The man, who was looking at me with a heavy face, seemed not to trust my words.
"I see you're telling the truth, but you're hiding something… although that's fine, as long as you don't hide anything from the Goddess, everything will be fine. Whenever I have a secret that's hard to keep, I come to this church to tell it to the Goddess… since these days it's hard to trust another human being."
I see, he's one of those problematic people, a fanatic. Still, I shouldn't disrespect someone on sacred ground.
"Thanks for your advice. Anyway, I just came to donate some old clothes. I hope you don't mind, but it's very late, and I need to go home," I said as I headed towards the church exit.
"Wait a moment, friend. I think I can tell you something interesting. You want to cross the border to Dredprism, right?"
"Of course, my companions and I have family we want to visit, but they're somewhat distant relatives. That's why we're having trouble visiting them."
"Oh, I see… that's a problem. You know, since I was a child, I was taught to help people with their problems, as long as they return the favor. I saw you donated a gold coin, you're wearing new clothes, and the clothes you donated are very worn, but I notice the quality of the fabric of those clothes.
You're not an ordinary priest. I can help you, but as a show of trust, give me a gold coin. I'll give you very useful information and return the coin afterward."
I think I understand what he's up to… If I refuse, he won't tell me anything, but if I agree, I risk being scammed. Still, with Kharla's savings, it might be worth losing the coin if we can cross the border. I take a gold coin from my pocket, toss it to the man, and he, with a smile, says…
"Tomorrow morning, go to the national mercenary company of Khisphe. Any carriage will take you there for a few copper coins. Go to the receptionist and say you come on behalf of Rammus Esskobar."
So that was his name. The man took my gold coin and threw it back to me. I caught it and tossed it back to him.
"You can keep it. Consider it a way of repaying the favor," I said as I left.
Rammus Esskobar was left alone in the church, took the gold coin, and put it in the donation box.
"I forgot to ask that kid his name. Anyway, you'll repay this favor to me some other time."
image [https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/078/652/150/large/duval-saul-3213232.jpg?1722699708]