“Yo, Grim.” Ed nudged me.
“…”
“Hellooo~? Is anyone there?” He asked as he knocked on my temple, acting as if it was a wooden door.
“Argh! What is it?!” I shouted back at him, “Alright fine! I admit it, we got scammed, alright?! No need to make fun of me for it!”
“I wasn’t planning on it.” He retorted, “I just wanted to ask you to race around the world with our fancy new Runic Stones that DEFINITELY work and are in no way just some random rocks.”
“Ed, I swear to Prylos I’m gonna beat you up so hard you’re gonna wish you stayed home.”
Yep, we got scammed out of our Snair. We sold it for a couple of ordinary rocks which have absolutely no worth to them apart from kinda sorta looking cool, but that’s really all there is to it. When we figured out we’ve been bamboozled though, it was already too late, as the scamming merchant had already went ahead and sold the Snair to a local butcher and ran away with the money. Dammit, why do horrible people always get away with being so horrible?
Ed’s also being annoying here. He’s this calm and meek boy who never did anything bad in his life, so where the hell is all this cheekiness coming from? Seriously, when we first met, I saw him getting picked on by the other kids, so I stepped in and promptly got both of our butts handed to us tenfold. Even still, we later bonded thanks to our shared Eye Color.
If you recall from the previous chapters, I mentioned that Green represents the boundless love for Novelty, so it was a given that he was quite curious, even as a wee little kid. I was even kind enough to teach him how to read and write the moment I learned this myself, and this is the thanks I get for all of that hard work? Geez, talk about ungrateful…
“Hey now,” Ed went on to explain, “You’re the one who’s at fault here for not listening to my advice.”
“And you’re the one at fault for not stopping me!” I gave a weak retort.
“…” He couldn’t stand to argue anymore, so he just decided to leave the matter aside, “Yeah, let’s just say I’m the idiot here then. I can’t deal with you right now.”
Hold on, this isn’t how you’re supposed to play the game. I don’t like how he gave up so easily. I was just a bit mad after getting scammed, but I never intended to make Ed mad in the process. He’s my best friend, so I was just sort of expecting us to rally a few insults to and from each other before laughing it off like we usually do, but I guess this time he was serious about being angry. I need to rectify the issue at all costs!
“Hold on now, I don’t like that solution. Let’s just say we’re both idiots, deal?”
“…Idiot.” He chuckled as we made up.
“So what now?” I asked the next and probably most important question, “With no money, no rations, and no guide to go off of, we hardly have any chances of making it far at all.”
“Hmm, then I guess we have no other choice…!” He said as if he had already thought up a way out of this predicament.
Wait, could it be…?! Is that Ed’s signature “I’ve got a plan” face?! Amazing, we’re saved! The moment this guy makes this specific kind of thinking face, where he puts his hand to his chin as if imitating a detective, only to get sidetracked and start picking his lips, that means he’s without a doubt gonna come up with a genius idea!
“Let’s just wing it.” He said with a deadpan expression.
“Eh?” I furrowed my eyebrows, “Wing it? This is new, especially coming from you. I mean, don’t get me wrong, but aren’t you the ‘play it safe’ kind of guy? I never would’ve expected you to come up with such an idea befitting of someone like, well, me.”
“Well, it’s not like things can get any worse, right? I mean, when you think about it, didn’t Schnell work a ton of oddjobs to save up enough money for his travels? We’re still underage, but we might be able to scrounge up enough coins if we kneel and beg for them.”
“And who, pray tell, will we be begging to?”
“Duh, the King of Carmen?” He said it as if it was a matter of course, “That’s who Schnell asked, only he had to travel halfway across the map just to get there. Thankfully, Carmen is right above Trivis Numerica on the map, so for us that should be way easier.”
“That’s… actually a pretty good point, now that I think about it.” I answered with my eyebrows raised in astonishment, “But the King won’t really give a couple of tykes the money, will he? Carmen isn’t exactly known for having good natured, generous people. In fact, they’re notorious for being pricks.”
“Got a better idea?”
“Nah, let’s go.” I said as we hopped on a transport wagon leading to the town of Stringwood.
Entering our first ever transport wagon, we were astounded by the absolute luxury of its interior. The wagon, when looked at from the outside, looks like your regular everyday horse carriage, but the only main difference is that this carriage doesn’t use horses to get from one place to another. Neither Ed nor I understood how it was actually powered if it didn’t have any being physically push it, so as we sat down on the velvet seats that were spread across the coach’s inside, we had started guessing all sorts of possibilities.
“Maybe there’s a hole for the wagon driver’s legs to go through, and he’s just running really fast?” Ed guessed.
“Dummy! You’d have to have the strength of a God to pull that off!”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“That or a Runic Stone, ehe~!”
“…Let’s just forget about those scammy Runic Stones, please!?” I blushed after being reminded of my own idiocy.
“Oh alright,” Ed subdued his laughter for a bit, “Then how do you think the transport wagons are powered?”
“Hmm… Maybe it has something to do with that compartment filled with all sorts of doohickeys at the front of the wagon. Y’know, the ones under the driver’s seat?”
“Oh, now that you mention it, there does appear to be some kind of steam and black liquid coming out of it at times. You think that could be the fuel?”
“Yeah, that’s the engine!” The driver suddenly yelled at us, “Now shut up, you stupid village bumpkins!”
Ha, looks like we annoyed the poor driver too much. Let’s shut up for now, I don’t want this guy to kick us out, especially after he let us hop onboard without having to pay a single coin.
Sitting back down at our seats quietly, I had no other way to kill time apart from examining the transport wagon to its fullest. One thing I immediately noticed is that it’s extremely well-kempt. The insides are basically all red, just like the seats, but that sort of makes for a cozy feel, since the sunlight from the windows mixes nicely with it.
Another thing worthy of note – the carpets! This transport wagon has a ton of carpets that look so comfy, I feel like I could fall asleep on them! They kind of smell though, but that makes sense, given the fact that there have been who knows how many people who’ve walked all over them since before we came in. That being the case, they at least don’t have any grimes. Looks like the driver really likes taking care of his wagon’s image.
“Hey, driver?” I felt like complimenting him, “Your wagon’s really tidy. You must really like things clean!”
“Ah, so you noticed?” He gave a tired smile, “That’s an awfully nice thing to say, kid. I like you! Yeah, after passing our driver’s exam and becoming qualified to drive a transport wagon, each driver is given their very own wagon to do with as they please.”
Really?! That’d make our journey so much easier if Ed and I had our very own wagon! I gotta know how to get my hands on a driver’s license!
“Well, that’s not really the case, though.” He meekly corrected himself, “See, your wagon is basically like the credit you take from a bank. You’re placed on a huge debt until you pay it all off. That’s also why we drivers drive others around for years at a time until we’re finally freed and can drive around without a care in the world.”
“Huh, so long have you been driving, sir?” Ed asked as well, “And how many years do you have to be working for before you can, ahem, retire?”
“Well, the starting debt is 1000 Gold Coins. I’ve paid out a quarter in just under 2 years of driving, so that leaves me with…”
1000 Gold Coins?! Nevermind, we don’t even have any Bronzes on us, so I doubt we could ever pay for a wagon of our own, like, ever. That being the case, looks like this guy’s been calculating for quite a while now, I think I’ll help him out.
“If you paid out 250 Gold Coins in about two years, then that means you still have another six years of driving left before you’ve paid out your whole debt in full.”
“Whoa, you’re pretty good at math!” He praised me, “Even better than most adults. You thinking of becoming a wandering teacher or something like that?”
“Wandering teacher?” I felt insulted, “That job’s no good for me! I just learned how to count, read and write because those are the basic needs of an adventurer! Besides, a wandering teacher doesn’t even have his own space to work with. He goes around the country teaching kids something he already knows, and for what? A couple Gold Coins a year?”
“Well yeah, but they get to live, eat and sleep at their student’s house for free, no?” Ed refuted.
“Whose side are you on again?”
Laughing a bit more, we hadn’t even noticed that we had made it to Stringwood’s gates. Before we left the wagon, though, we had approached the wagon driver and handed him the last of our Silver Coins, barely amounting to the price of the fare to here.
“What’s this? Didn’t I say you kids don’t have to pay me?”
“Don’t worry, we don’t wanna stunt your earnings. Good luck, and we hope you get rid of your debt as soon as possible!”
“Thanks, kiddos! Don’t ever forget the kindness you showed me today, I know I won’t!”
***
“Ahh~!” I breathed in the fresh town air as we exited the transport wagon, “We’re finally here! Our first stop on the map, the glorious and bustling capital of Secundis, Stringwood!”
“Hold on now, Grim, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. We just gave the wagon driver the last of our money, so shouldn’t we first think about how we’re gonna acquire food?”
“Screw that!” I shut him up, “Look, Ed! The houses are so tall! Each one has to be at least two or three stories! And the people, they’re dressed so nicely! What is that fabric!? It’s like everyone’s a lord!”
Gawking at all the people wearing their luxurious dresses and suits, we couldn’t help but notice just how fun it was to visit a new place you’ve never been to before without having to constantly be tied to your parents. It was like we were real adventurers, and with this newfound exuberance we felt it was plausible to conquer the world!
“Yeah, tell you what?” Ed smiled, “Let’s save thinking about our issues for after we make a few tours around the city. I’ve only ever been to my Uncle’s place in Wheats a few times, but I’ve never actually visited a capital city like this!”
“Now you’re talking! Let’s race to that statue over there!”
Running full speed to a distant statue that stood proudly above everything else next to it, we had only then realized the sheer scale of this place. It wasn’t just the houses that were big, but the roads, the alleys, the plazas, the parks… It was all just so amazing! Not to mention when we got to the statue, we couldn’t even see its head because of how high up it was.
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“Whoa, who do you think that guy is?” Ed laughed, turning to me, “Oi, you crying?”
“That’s… Schnell.” I said, wiping the tears off of my eyes, “This statue is one of The Grandmaster Adventurer. He’s exactly like he described himself in his Handbook!”
“Hold on, is that really true?” He looked at the sign under the statue, “Holy crap, you’re right! Right here it says Schnell M. Douglas – Born 134AD in Meridia, Died 208AD in Schnell’s Archipelago.”
“I knew that the people of Stringwood were a smart bunch!” I raised my fists high into the sky, “To know and appreciate such a good man, they must be good people themselves! Hey, come to think of it, I think the Handbook my mom bought me was actually printed right in this town!”
“So what now? You gonna hug it or something?” Ed joked, obviously underestimating my love for my role-model, “H-Hey, I was just joking, don’t actually-!”
“Too late!” I said as I climbed in between his legs that were standing shoulder length apart. “Whoa! If this is to scale, then he must’ve been a giant!”
“It’s so obviously not.” Ed facepalmed.
“Oi, kid!” An officer called out to me, “Get down from there!”
Well, that’s our cue! Come on, Ed! Don’t wanna get arrested on our first day, do we? Ugh, come to think of it, when was the last time we ate? My stomach’s rumbling quite a bit…
Finally, after a couple more hours of touring the entire place, we laid down on a nearby bench to hopefully get some shut-eye. In the end, we never got to eat, but we’ll think about that tomorrow morning. Right now, I gotta catch some Z’s!