I studied the buildings as I drove the carriage into Rodwin's main road, which is overcrowded with carriages on a two-lane cobble road. Dozens of burnt-clay brick walled Taverns with lodges built on top of them were located on the outskirts of the town, providing comfort to weary travelers the moment they arrived. Their quality varied to suit all strata of travelers. Though I couldn't smell the food and drinks, it attracted those entering Rodwin. I pitied the Triplets, who hadn't slept or eaten anything since they came into contact with Blackrock. I hoped they would get some on their ship before engaging the pirates. But their bodies and minds may be more resilient at whatever Rank they reached.
As I got closer to the center, I drove by stores that sold high-ranked equipment, jewelry, potions, ingredients, and fashion. Once I found the mount I wanted, I entertained the idea of window shopping.
The buildings belonging to the Trader Guilds located in Rodwin's center were draped with vibrant silk banners embroidered with images of monsters and elemental beasts, adding to the town's charm. The tallest building in Rodwin belonged to the Adventurers Guild's branch office. However, the architecture didn't match the surrounding buildings, and its age belonged to a bygone era. Most likely, the Guild moved into a ruin and renovated it for their purpose.
I saw adventurers equipped in attire that belonged to many combat classes gathered around the contract notice boards placed on the walls of the Guild building. Those who couldn't read Falaran listened to representatives of the Guild who announced the jobs and rewards available for the day.
I noticed the Adventurers who came out of the main Guild building were carrying large bags of coins on their waists. Some, equipped with high-quality armor and weapons, admired the Mana Crystals in their hands, which reflected the sunlight. I assumed it was payment for completing contracts requiring the skills of high-ranking Adventurers.
To my surprise, human adventurers were leading Human Imps, equipped with armor and weapons like the other adventurer parties. One female adventurer, leading five female Human Imps with Mana Slave Tattoos on their foreheads, caught my attention since they were the closest to the main street. I decided to inspect their details to understand what Human Imps can do for me. But their Slave Master noticed me googling her followers. She ordered them to wait while she approached my carriage to ask a question.
"Are you a Taxi driver looking for riders, or are you a pervert?" the young Female adventurer asked. After that accusation, I realized there would be trouble from this misunderstanding if I continued, so I ignored their status and skill screens to look at the one speaking to me. She has long dark red hair, fair skin, and red eyes. Her robes were different shades of the same color. She wore gold jewelry studded with rubies, a black cape, and a wizard hat. I assumed she must be a Mage excelling at Bloodmancy from the color theme.
"I'm sorry! I just arrived at Rodwin from Falar, and I was surprised to see so many Human Imps at the Adventurers guild." I explained.
"Oh, a Dwarf warrior from Falar's Human Supremacist capital?" She questions it but then shakes her head. "I heard they are warming up to the Dwarves, and you sound like a Falaran. The headquarters of our Guild must abide by the anti-slavery laws of the Heroes Church. Rodwin and the other Kingdoms don't have those restrictions, so you should get used to this sight." She explains.
"Can the Human Imps take up contracts without a Slave Master in their party?" I ask.
"No, only their Slave Master can take on contracts and accept the rewards. Are you planning on buying Human Imps like mine?" She asked.
I wouldn't pick an all-female squad! Or I would be the pervert you accused me of being.
"I intend to buy a few regardless of gender. Does your party retain all the skills they knew before becoming Human Imps?" I ask. She seemed surprised by my curiosity and replied with enthusiasm in her voice.
"My Human Imps had to restart from Clay Rank, but they quickly relearned their old skills when I provided them with the right opportunities and patience. But that is a rare breed of slave master in these parts. I hope you will be kind to the ones you buy," she warns.
"I will treat them the same as a Human," I promised.
"From a Dwarf, that sounds bad since your kind passionately hates Humans. Though I didn't sense any malice in your heart, which makes you different from the other Dwarfs I know. But as long as you don't order any Human Imps around with your little hammer and beard. They will protect and fight for you better than a squad of normal Human adventurers you hire or befriend," she points out.
My little hammer and beard? What is she... oh!
Even though the Redhead would have been a 7/10 in terms of looks, I felt no interest in her or any of the Human adventurers I saw until now in Rodwin. Maybe it's the Golem body, or my mind is getting used to being a soul inside a Dungeon Core, which has made me lose interest. Right now, I am just curious about her willingness to talk to a stranger like this. Are people in Rodwin helpful, like in the Pokemon Games? Or am I being lured into another scam?
"I sense that you are a decent guy, so I will help_" She had to stop because I urged the horses forward.
"Thank you! Goodbye!" I told the Redhead Mage. She looked surprised by my sudden need to get away from her. The female Human Imps came to her side as I turned my attention to the road ahead.
From Brock's memories, I recall him sharing stories about how he enlisted his harem of lovers to lure men who eye them too much into traps where they were robbed by his colleagues in crime or abducted by the Imps at the Ruins. I won't fall for that crap.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
[How can you be sure that was her intention?] Rachel asked after hearing my thoughts.
Better be safe than sorry.
I ended the conversation with Rachel and continued along the main road. I avoided the roads leading to shady areas that weren't as clean or colorful as the center of the town. Most likely, they belonged to the less fortunate in this town. I eventually passed by the Market that exclusively sold non-Humans of all kinds. But I didn't linger because I would return to buy the 100 Imps when the others returned.
It took a while to finally reach the Market where all the Monsters and Elemental Beasts were being sold. I parked the carriage alongside a row of luxurious carriages in a sizeable square plot guarded by Mercenaries hired by the Traders here to protect potential customers' assets from theft. A 12-foot-tall bamboo wall surrounds the plot, with only one entry and exit point. One of the Mercenaries even provided free hay and water to all the horses.
One mercenary directed me to the information boards, which guide new customers about the expectations on base price for what the traders expect. They wanted to weed out those who didn't have the finances to purchase their creatures. Several blackboards with chalk writing detailed everything I needed to know in all the five kingdom languages. However, the Interface could only translate the one written in Falaran.
[Monster Clay Rank - 10 Mana Crystals
Monster Stone Rank - 30 Mana Cyrstals
Monster Iron Rank - 60 Mana Crystals
Monster Steel Rank - 90 Mana Crystals
Monster Bronze Rank - 120 Mana Crystal]
[Elemental Beast Clay Rank -5 Mana Crystals
Elemental Beast Stone Rank - 15 Mana Crystals
Elemental Beast Iron Rank - 25 Mana Crystals
Elemental Beast Steel Rank - 50 Mana Crystals
Elemental Beast Bronze Rank - 75 Mana Crystals]
[Elemental Affinity Price addition for Elemental Beasts
Fire - 5 Mana Crystal
Earth - 5 Mana Crystal
Water - 5 Mana Crystal
Wind - 5 Mana Crystal
Metal - 10 Mana Crystal
Shadow - 20 Mana Crystals
Ice - 40 Mana Crystal
Blood - 60 Mana Crystals
Lightning - 80 Mana Crystals
Holy - 100 Mana Crystals]
I was surprised that Bronze-Rank Monsters and Elemental Beasts were the highest Rank available in Rodwin. The ones above are probably too hard to capture or raise for sale. But if I still had an expressive human face, my eyes would bulge in shock at these prices.
I only have 16 Mana Crystals in my storage pendant, so I could only have one Clay Rank Monster or one Clay Rank Elemental Beast. But when I look around, I don't see any Clay Rank creatures anywhere for sale. I saw a table with three Traders having cups of hot Tea and went over to them. Each wore a different-colored robe: yellow, orange, and red.
"Excuse me! I'm new here. Where are all the Clay Rank creatures?" I ask the traders at the table.
"A Dwarf speaking Falaran? Well, now I have seen everything! You asked a question about Clay Ranks. Since yesterday, all the ships have been attacked by pirates. Those swine stole every creature below the steel rank. So now we must wait a week for another shipment and pray that the Pirates don't attack them." The yellow-robed Trader complained.
"What good is it to have the adventurers guild in Rodwin if they can't deal with those Pirates?" the red-robed Trader added.
"Shush! The Guild already contracted ten squads of Bronze Rank adventurers to deal with them. It's just hard to find the flea-bitten arses with their illusion spell hiding their ships in dense fog." The orange-robed Trader explained.
"They should buy our Bronze-Ranked hounds to track them! But their stingy hands won't pay the price," The Red Trader grumbled.
Oh? So, the Triplets were doing everyone a favor by going after the Pirates and using Nazrat's bear to find them. But I don't need to share that news with these Traders.
"Are there any Clay Ranks left for sale?" I ask.
"Only the defective ones for which no one is willing to pay the base price. Everyone has a few they hide away to avoid embarrassment. Only Timun keeps his Beetle and Scorpion on display for a fool to buy them," a trader at the table replied.
"Wait! Are they both metal-armored giant bugs from the Cheran Kingdom?" I ask.
"They are indeed giant bugs from Cheran, but they don't have the metal armor. Oh, and they are half the size they should be. So I think you better return for the ones you seek in a week." The yellow-robed Trader spoke, and the others at the table agreed.
Well, that sucks... but maybe I can use the Interface to figure out if they still have some value to me. Nazrat was a good lesson for me to avoid jumping to conclusions.
"Oh... Do you know where Trader Timun is?" I ask.
"You are a desperate one, I see. But who am I to tell you what to do with your wealth? Esto! Take this one to that idiot Timun." the red-robed Trader called out to a mercenary who guided me through plots of land assigned to traders to station their creatures for customers to inspect. Timun's plot is smaller than the rest for some reason. To my surprise, he is an actual Dwarf with the same height as my Warrior Golem. He is wearing grey robes, and his beard is dark black. The nose is rounded like a tennis ball, and the head is bald.
"Greetings... Dwarf?" Timun questions my race. I waited for the mercenary to leave us alone before I shook my head.
"Is it that easy to tell that I am not?" I ask.
"Anyone shorter than an adult male Human is a Dwarf in their eyes. So that makes you a Dwarf in my eyes, too." Timun reassures me.
I feel like I trust this Dwarf for some reason.
[Are you planning to tell him your body is a Golem?]
I don't trust him like that! But I wonder what he thinks about them.
"Are you familiar with Golems?" I ask, and that spark light into his eyes.
"When real Dwarves like me die, our spirits get absorbed by Mana Crystals within the Underworld. Over centuries, they become soul stones, and the rocks around them slowly combine and reawaken the ancient spirits reborn as Golems." Timun explained, and I stood in silence for a minute.
"Have you met those Golems?" I ask.
"Of course, they are our sentinels, protecting the Dwarven territories in the Underworld from the other races that try to wipe us out. They also educate young Dwarves with their ancestors' wisdom so that we never lose racial knowledge of mining, smithing, building and fighting." Timun answered.
Damn! I had no idea.
"Do Golems ever come to the surface?" I ask.
"There is no reason for the Golems to come here unless a war is to be fought. Usually, only the ones that reach Bronze Rank or above come up to wreck the humans, trying to find a way into our tunnels and mines. But I have exhausted my patience. Have you come to buy a creature from me or not?" Time asked frustratedly.
"I heard you still have a few Clay Rank creatures for sale. I want to look at them," I ask.
"Oh? I have two, but if you promise to buy them at full price, I won't tell the others that you are a Golem." Timun warned.
Shit!