Vyncent started driving the car but I noticed that there was no shift. I wonder, maybe it's around the steering wheel.
He's driving really fast since there are no traffic on the road. I guess he doesn't have to worry about speeding tickets here. Also from my experience of being on the road for a couple days, he wouldn't have to worry much about incoming traffic since there is basically none of that. Even if there are other cars, there is more than enough space for 2 cars.
It's only been a couple minutes when Vyncent broke the silence.
“It takes approximately 3 hours to get to the next town from here.”
“Wow~ That will take me at least a couple days to walk. I'm so lucky that I met you guys. I don't have to worry about camping tonight. I really can't thank you enough for this.”
“Hmm. I'm glad, we can help you out.” Vyncent said while giving off a warm smile.
I smiled in return. Mr. Owner hasn't said a word since. I glance back and saw him just staring outside the window.
'Damn~ so picture perfect. It would be considered as one of those unlockable CGs from a game. I almost instinctively took out my phone and snap a picture but I stopped myself just in time. It would be incredibly rude to do so.'
“What a waste.” I murmured underneath my breath as I sigh a little.
“Hm? Did you say something?” (Vyncent)
“No, nothing. So, what's the name of the town we're going to?” I changed the topic.
“It's called the Town of Hewyck. It's considered the second biggest town in the Kingdom, second only to the Capital City of Alexandrìa. It's within the fiefdom of Duke Alnwyck, the Prime Minister.”
“Oh I see. How big is the population there?” I asked out of curiosity.
“I think it's a little over 80,000 right now.”
“I see. That's pretty big. I've never seen a big town or a city before.” I wasn't lying. I haven't been or seen one in this world.
It's a different story when talking about my world though, since it's overpopulated everywhere. Cities are huge and congested with hundreds of thousands of people. Some main cities have millions. You can't really compare the two.
“So, you've never been in other towns except your village?” (Vyncent)
“No. I've never left the village until recently.” (Mika)
“Why did you decide to leave?” (Vyncent)
“I had no choice.” I pause for a second and continued with “It's a long story.” I then gave him a subtle smile.
“Oh right, I saw on your ID that you have the Capital City Pass. Did someone give you that? Since you said, you haven't been to any other place except your home village.” He changed the topic right away.
I think he got the hint from the 'I don't wanna talk about it' kind of attitude I gave him. 'Smooth~ Mr. Vyncent is so kind and considerate.'
“Someone gave it to me not too long ago.” Technically, I'm not lying here either. I don't really know where I got it from since it's already there before I even noticed it.
“It doesn't seem to be expired yet, but to make sure that it's still valid, you can get it checked at any gate within the city or head to the City Hall. If your pass is expired, you can renew it or get a new one there as well. The 1 year pass' cost is 100 Gìl for a new registration and 50 Gìl for renewal. There are 3 options for renewal; 1 year, 3 years and 5 years. You still have to validate it at the end of each year to make sure people are not misusing their passes.” he explained in detail.
“That's good to know. Thank you.” I appreciate him explaining everything to me in detail, since I don't know a lot of things about this world. Any information, no matter how small it is, is still pretty useful.
We had small talks throughout the ride. Most topics were about the town and their specialties and he even asked, how long I was travelling and how I made it there. I told him the boring story of my travels except the experiments on magic part. I'm not sure if that was normal in this world so I decided not to mention it.
When I mentioned about fishing though, he showed a lot of interest. Apparently it's his hobby too and he goes fishing once in a while by himself. He even know quite a lot of good spots so I asked him a favor to show me the location on a map later and maybe a store or two that sell equipment.
“How long are you planning on staying in Hewyck?” He asked out of nowhere.
“Hmm... Not sure yet.” I replied.
“If you have time and when I get a day off, how about instead of showing you on the map, I'll just take you there? We can go fishing together, if you don't mind me tagging along that is.” he all of a sudden invited me. He seemed overjoyed when I mentioned fishing.
“Really? That would be great~ I don't know the area very well so that would help me a lot.” I accepted his invitation.
“Great. It's a promise then.” He had this big grin on his face and added
“It's really nice to find someone who has a similar hobby. It gets a little lonely sometimes without anyone to share my thoughts and excitement with when fishing.” He looked happy while saying so.
He told me more about the fishing spots and stories about his trips, and that it took him awhile to find some great spots but it was worth it. This person is an avid fisherman and I can't even compare.
I think I just stepped on a landmine. He went on for a while about fishing. I just nodded and smile. I don't even know half of the things he said but it's very informative and that might help me up my game later on.
Mr. Owner didn't join our conversation at all. Shiro is being a good boy and was just sitting on my lap, watching the scenery.
I looked outside the window and I noticed the sun is setting quickly. I checked the time and it's half pass 5pm. I'm getting a little hungry but we still have an hour to go.
I decided to have a big meal when I get to the town. There are probably a lot of shops and restaurants there. I wanted to try the food cooked by people from this world. I have enough money to eat out once in a while.
The Town of Hewyck apparently, is a pretty big town with lots of people. I really can't wait to see it. I'm getting excited just thinking about what it would look like.
This world has cars that look like it's from early 19th century so I'm guessing that the town or cities would have similarities with that era. I don't know what to expect any more since I was wrong the first time.
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Some time has passed and it's gotten really dark outside now. It feels kinda eerie since there are no street lights and only headlights can be seen outside.
It's gotten a bit cold again but I couldn't take out my jacket so I just hug Shiro. He felt so warm so I cuddled with him some more.
Then out in the distance, I saw the lights coming out from the town. It's bright and reminded me of the night lights in the city where I lived.
As I admire the view of the town, Vyncent started the conversation again.
“Beautiful isn't it?” he smiled.
“Yes, it's very beautiful.” I replied and smiled back.
“It's pretty lively at night in town so you can see the lights are always on. The main streets are lined up with shops and inns similar to the capital but on a smaller scale.”
“If you're looking for an inn, I know someone who owns one. It's well maintained and has a decent price compared to the other inns on the main road. I can drop you off there and introduce you if you want. He'll give you a discount for sure if I ask.” he gave me a big smile.
“That's great~ Saves me some time to go looking for one. Is it located on the main street close to amenities?”
“Yes it is. Probably around 10 minute walk from the Western Gate where we're going to enter. There are lots of stores around that area so it might be a bit loud outside but the soundproofing of the room is one of the best. It's worth the money, I would say.”
“Haha~ You sounded like you were promoting your own business but I'll take your offer. Do you know how much is it per night and if the breakfast is included with the cost?”
“Hmm. I'm not 100% certain and last I heard about the cost was a year ago. It’s 50 Gìl per night without the breakfast or dinner. 60 Gìl for 1 meal included, 70 Gìl for two and 80 Gìl for all three meals. But since I'm introducing you to him, he should be able to give you discounts for your stay.”
I did a little calculation and I think I can pretty much survive my whole life here without lifting a finger with the current money that I have. That is if I couldn't finish the game and can't go back anymore to my original world.
I was given such a cheat but since I basically got kidnap here, I think that all the money and items are just part of the compensations for the inconvenience that it caused me.
“I should be ok to stay there for a while then. Are they ok with Contracted Beast staying? Shiro is small right now, but I'm guessing he's going to get bigger in no time.” I asked while petting Shiro's head.
“It should be ok. Last time I was there, they were a few of them staying as long as they're not illegal beast that was smuggled in town.”
“That's great! You heard that Shiro? We can stay there together.” as I looked down at Shiro. He wagged his tail excitedly and gave me a cute bark.
“We're almost there.” Vyncent said while looking ahead at the gate that is slowly closing in because of how fast the car was going.
I can see the town surrounded by tall walls and moats stretched as far the eye can see with a wide bridge connected to the tall opening of the gates with towers on each sides.
It looks like there are 2 checkpoints on each side with incoming traffic on the right and outgoing to the left separated by a wall in the middle. There are small booths on each checkpoint as well.
“You should prepare your ID because they're going to ask for it when we get there. You don't have a pass yet so they're probably gonna ask you to either pay an entrance fee with tax which you have to pay every time you enter a town or get a pass like the one that you have which has different expiration dates. I suggest the pass though because it's cheaper in the long run.”
“I see.” I nodded and took it out.
“How much is the pass?”
“1 year is 100 GÌl, 3 years is 250 Gìl and 5 years is 400 Gìl. You have to update it yearly as well at the Town Hall or gate just like the Capital Pass.”
“Good to know. Thank you~”
It didn't take us that long to reach the gates. The car slowed down and came to stop by the checkpoint on the right side.
A middle-aged man with a crew cut brown hair with streaks of grey and a goatee, wearing a light armor and sword on his waist came to the driver's side window.
Vyncent opened it and presented a couple IDs and a piece of paper.
“Thank you Sir Ravenswood. Other than Sir Alnwyck in the back, you have another person with you. Would it be alright to ask for her ID?” the man inquired while looking at me. I pass my ID to Vyncent as he handed it to the man.
“Yes, we met a traveler and her contracted beast. She rode with us since Serene Meadows.”
“I see.” He pulled out a tablet looking thing from his armor pocket. It's about the size of an adult hand and he inserted the card at the bottom. A bright light screen came out and it looks like it has some information written on it.
“Just wanted to ask, what's the expiration of the Capital City Pass included with this ID?” Vyncent inquired.
“Hmm... Let see here. It says 5 years.” as he pushed something on his tablet.
“I see. Thank you.” He gave me this side glance while nodding and smiled.
The man is still doing something with the tablet. He peeked at me and was just about to say something but then switches his gaze towards Vyncent. Vyncent just nodded his head and smiled. The man just nodded in agreement and did something with his tablet again.
After a minute, he took out my ID and handed it towards me. Vyncent passed it over. He then said his thanks again and started driving off while waving.
“Huh? What about my fee? I'm supposed to get a pass at the gate right?” I asked in confusion.
“Don't worry. He gave you one.” he said with a smirk.
I may have looked really confused by now but Vyncent just smiled and reassured me that everything is fine, that I don't have to worry about it for a while.
Still not convinced, I looked at my ID.
_________________________________________
IDENTIFICATION CARD
Name: Mika Age: 15 Race: Human
Level: 12 Class: ???
Affiliation: Alexandria Kingdom
Guild: None
Criminal Record: None
Contracted Beast:
[ Shiro - Dire Wolf ]
KINGDOM PASSES
[ Alexandria ] [ Hewyck ]
_________________________________________
“It's really there. But why?”
“Like I said, you don't have to worry about it. Just accept it as an act of goodwill.” Vyncent responded with a sly smile.
“If you say so.” I ceded while giving off a set smile.
I gave up and just let it go. I guess the 'nodding' at each other pretty much sums it up. Mr. Driver here is probably well known and Mr. Owner here is probably a big shot.
'Wait, the middle-aged man called Mr. Owner, Sir. Alnwyck. It sounds familiar... Where have I heard that name before?'