The very next day, I set off after saying goodbye to Jorgen, Hannah, my mom and my little sister. I also stop by Yuro to get a letter of passage, such that I don't have to pay to enter the city. He quickly inquires about the clothing I wore yesterday, but I just ensure Jorgen will bring it sometime later. After some inner debate I had decided to skip Lod. We have had very little interaction and I feel like he doesn't like me, so I would just eliminate the possibility of any unpleasant conversation by ignoring him.

There is only one road through the village, one end leads to the dungeon, the other to the county capital, so it should be quite easy to find my way there. The "road" is only dirt though, presumably formed just by being heavily traveled. According to Jorgen, if I keep a decent pace, I should make it in time for dinner. I am really far out in the boonies, apparently.

I briefly consider using bestowal magic on myself to cut some time off the trip, but it really can't be sustained for any meaningful time. I'd rather use the "Read" spell every now and then, that detects signs of life in a large radius around, just in case. Apparently there are some dungeons unsuited for villages that are just left alone, like the one I trained in. Jorgen apparently thinned it out every so often, but if they are left alone, monsters will leave them and roam the land, attacking any living thing on sight.

The trip is extremely boring, and it is slightly annoying to move. I am wearing the leather armor and chainmail. though the chainmail is a bit too large for me, as it almost goes down to my knees. Over my back I have a burlap sack with my few possession, and on my back, my shield is fastened. My sword is loosely tied to my hip and I still have no shoes, so mere cloth is bound around them. The first thing I will use this money on is probably a good pair of shoes... Or maybe boots, which may be a little more practical.

A few hours in, the dirt road joins a cobblestone one. It luckily joins in an angle, because I was only told to "follow the road". If it had split into a cross-section, I wouldn't know what to do. Another few hours later and I see what I presume is the county capital. It is a fair size larger than my village. There is a wooden palisade around it. If I had to guess, it would probably be home to some 10,000 souls. By the entrance with the road, there is a single guard standing and another in a nearby guardhouse. There is also a few people, looking to be squatting around the gate. Is there a problem?

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"Another one." The guard says impatiently as I approach. "There is a soft quarantine on the city right now, so only those who can prove their identity can leave or enter" he states.

"Will this do?" I say, fetching the letter of passage I had kept at the top of my sack.

The guard opens it and skims it. The envelope and letter is some kind of paper I think, but it is weirdly yellow and wrinkly. "Oy, bring the church powder" he says, and the other guard brings a small flask. The first guard pops it open and sprinkles a little on a red seal, Yuro has left at the bottom of the letter, which begins to shine. Seriously, what is it with the church here and shining things?

"All good, you may enter. Welcome to Brahms" the guard says. Brahms, huh? I have never heard it as anything other than the county capital or the city, but I guess the villagers have no need to distinguish between those. I look at the people squatting outside and a few are giving me quite the evil eye. I am just happy that I didn't think it would be fine to pay the toll and not pay Yuro a visit beforehand.

"Thank you. Can you tell me where I can find the hunter's association?"

"Yeah, just follow the main road till the marketplace and look around. There's this big sign with a sword and a spear on it"

I thank the guard and head there. It is pretty quiet around here, with a few people walking around, but I guess it is around dinnertime. There is evidence of a medium-small market here with some 15 empty stalls around. I then spot the sign. It is outside quite the modest building. There is some kind of plaster over where one would expect stone, had it been the same as in the village.

The inside is decently spacious. There is a large notice board in one end of the wall, partiationed off into two smaller segments and two larger ones. There is a variety of mismatched table and chairs around and a large counter with noone besides it. There are 3 people sitting at the table, eating some crispy thing and drinking. Talking and laughing. Noone seems to have even noticed me.

"Excuse me elders, I have been sent here with a recommendation, do you know who I have to talk to?"

"That would be me" one of the men say "But you come in the middle of dinner. Go sit on a chair and wait for us to finish".

I sit down at a different table, put my sack down, and with nothing to really do, I just end up observing the three men joyously sharing a meal.