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(18/20)
Chapter 17 – Sightseeing and Information Gathering
The second day in the port city of Toyen. Although the loneliness of not seeing Rimu almost broke my heart, I gathered my strength and began to take action. I cashed in my jewelry at the Merchant’s Guild and managed to increase our activity fund. I have a feeling that I could have increased the activity fund even more if I had tried harder to negotiate a higher price… But I guess it can’t be helped. I did not run away at all.
I feel like I failed a bit, but I successfully increased the activity fund and got out of the Merchant’s Guild.
What should we do next?
I’m sure we’ll gather information as we look around the port city, and while we’re at it, let’s think about improving the quality of our inn.
Among the inns I was told about yesterday, I should check out the ones I gave up on due to lack of funds. Since we still cannot afford luxury, it would be difficult to provide private rooms for everyone, but we would like to at least have separate rooms for men and women.
Well, first, let’s go sightseeing… Let’s gather some information.
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I walked around the port city of Toyen with Dorothea-san and the others in tow.
I don’t feel much different from the Southern City, but Dorothea-san and the others seem different, and they are talking excitedly in whispers.
I want to join in the fun and excitement of the beautiful women, but it is difficult to do so because I can only feel the difference in the way they talk.
But I don’t think it’s because I’m dull.
I have learned through sightseeing that my standard is Japan, and everything in this world is a different world, whether it is across the ocean or not.
If I were to go to the U.S. or China, I would immediately notice the differences between Japan and the U.S. or China.
But if I went to the U.S., I would not immediately notice the subtle differences between the states. I think it is just like that.
I walked around with beautiful women who seemed to be enjoying themselves. Of course, the eyes of the men around me were focused on Dorothea-san and the others.
If I had not thought about the danger of getting tangled up and had not acted around the main street, they would definitely have gotten tangled up.
And they would have said.
Yo Nee-chan, leave that boring guy alone and come hang out with us! …That’s the template, right?
If I could be an incomparable warrior, I would be willing to create this template, but my personality makes it difficult, and there is no reason to go out of my way to make a fuss and stand out. Let’s just ignore the template.
As I walked along, thinking about trivial things, I saw a ship in the distance. It seems that we have walked to the dock.
Hmm, the port… I have a feeling the girls might get mixed up with some rough sailors, but it looks like they’re busy working and don’t have time for that. That would be safe.
“Should we check the ship as well?”
We should at least check what kind of treatment the magic ship is getting over here, right?
“Yes, that’s right. Let’s check it out, shall we?”
Dorothea-san and the others seemed to agree, and we went straight to the dock.
The dock is a distribution center for the employees of the Merchant’s Guild, so it is quite crowded.
Even if we don’t get caught in the pickup lines, we’ll probably get scolded if we get in the way. Let’s stay away from the ships and just watch from a distance.
“The quality of the magic ships seems to be the same, but there are more of them. Even considering the fact that Toyen is the center of logistics, they are incomparable to the ports in Southern City and Lucca.”
After walking around the port for a while, Dorothea-san shared her impressions.
It is true that there are many magic ships, as Dorothea-san said. I often saw magic ships larger than the Lutto, which was rare in the central continent.
As expected, there were no ferries or luxury liner-class magic ships docked, but there were so many that even I could recognize them.
“I wondered if they still had the technology to build Lutto-class magic ships themselves.”
Over there, they’re only able to build small magic ships, so there might be a considerable technological gap.
If we buy magic ships and sell them over there, we can make a lot of money.
“No, from what I’ve seen, all the magic engines are pretty worn out. I wonder if there are more magic ships left or unearthed than were manufactured?”
Ilma-san explains with a researcher’s eye. Ilma-san is probably considering different possibilities regarding the magic ship in her mind.
But still, is the number of remaining or excavated magic ships large? Could it be that the destruction of civilization was milder than on the central continent?
But there were a lot of traces of the continent sinking under the sea before it reached Toyen, weren’t there? It seems to me that a lot of things are disconnected.
What happened on this continent a long time ago?
It’s a bit like Atlantis or the continent of Mu, which is fascinating. It’s romantic.
“It looks like we’ll be in the way if we go any further, and we need to decide on a place to stay. Should we go back now?”
Many things intrigue me, but there is still plenty of time to investigate. For now, it was more important to get a private room and get on with daily life without fear of an outburst than to ponder the romance of antiquity.
“I agree. Shall we return for the day?”
Dorothea-san nodded her head, so I pulled Ilma-san, who was sinking into a sea of thoughts with me, out of the dock.
“Wataru. There.”
As we walked through the city, Marina-san pointed to an alley.
No, I think it was more of a side street than an alley. It was a narrow street, but it didn’t seem dangerous.
“What’s wrong with that place?”
“Look at the shop in the back. The second shop.”
Ah, I hadn’t noticed because I was only looking at the front, but there’s a row of shops in the back. I wondered if they sold anything interesting.
The moment I saw the store, I had a gut feeling. If I didn’t keep a tight grip on my wallet, it would be a disaster…
“Ilma-san, wait a minute.”
I grabbed Ilma-san’s arm, which had already started walking towards the shop, and pulled her back.
“Wataru, what’s wrong?”
Ilma-san looked at me with a look that said, “Why are you holding me back? I don’t understand.”
I don’t know how she feels, but I can’t let her go. Ilma-san and a bookstore in an unknown continent is like a carrot dangling from a horse’s nose. It will bankrupt us.
“Ilma. Please calm down. Look, we’re in a very tight financial situation right now. We can’t go over there and buy as much as we want. I’ll tell you first, you can only use… t-three hundred thousand sigs. Please try to choose the books you need within that amount. And I’ll do the negotiating, so let’s decide what kind of books you need in advance.”
On the central continent, it would be possible to buy up an entire bookstore, but we don’t have that kind of money here.
In fact, even 300,000 sigs would be hard to come by. But it would be nice to get the information in writing.
I guess this is the compromise.
“…..I understand.”
Ilma-san nodded, looking extremely disappointed. If I hadn’t stopped her, she probably would have made a big fuss in the bookstore and revealed that we were foreigners.
Nice of me to stop her so quickly!
After much deliberation, the four of us came to an agreement and headed for the bookstore.
…Wow, the books seem to be expensive here, too.
The books are all used, but each book is neatly arranged, and there is a counter in front of the books, so we are not allowed to take them freely.
I guess they have a system where you tell the clerk which book you need and buy it.
“…Welcome.”
As I entered the bookstore, the clerk looked at me suspiciously. I was definitely out of place.
It just feels strange for a person dressed inconspicuously like that in a small village to walk into a bookstore that looks expensive just by looking at it.
It would be difficult to clear up the misunderstanding, so let’s tell the clerk what we want first.
“Do you have any easy-to-understand books to help me study letters and history?”
“The books are expensive, you know. Do you have the money?”
The question was answered by a question, but in this case, it can’t be helped.
But… books are expensive. I had expected it, but when I was confronted with it as a word, I was frightened.
“…I have prepared accordingly, but it is not as if I have the luxury of doing so. I don’t care if it’s a little tattered, so please give me something inexpensive and with solid content.”
I decided not to tell the clerk my budget in advance because I didn’t want to be forced to buy a defective item to meet the price, although I might feel more comfortable if I told the clerk my budget first.
I sincerely hoped that we would not have to haggle over the price.
The clerk looked at us and then got up to call someone from the back of the store. The person he called was probably a guard for us. He didn’t trust us at all.
Even when he looked at me, he just ignored me, but he was watching Dorothea-san and the others closely, wasn’t he?
Even though you are suspicious of us, you have a different stomach for beautiful women, don’t you? As a fellow human being, I understand your feelings, but please don’t do it in this kind of atmosphere.
The man who was brought in to watch is also completely ignoring me and concentrating on Dorothea-san and the others. Is that really okay?
As I waited while being watched by the new clerk, the first clerk returned after taking out some books.
“If you want something easy to study, this is it. It’s The Wrath of the Dragon, written in simple language. It’s for children of the nobility, but everyone knows the story, and it’s easy to learn.”
I don’t know, but “Wrath of the Dragon” seems to be a very famous story. I can’t say much about it because I don’t know the story, but if it’s for kids, it should be okay.
“Next is this one. Poor Kobold. It’s also for noble children but perfect for learning letters.
I know it’s for noble children, but I find the titles “Wrath of the Dragon” and “Poor Kobolds” disturbing.
I’m not a fan of depressing stories, but are they okay?
“Next are these two. One is a rough history of the continent. The other is a detailed history of the continent, but it’s for researchers, so you won’t be able to read it if you’re just starting to study the written word.”
Normally, I would think so, but Ilma-san would be able to decipher it. As for me, I can’t. Even if I could read, I couldn’t decipher a researcher’s book.
“How much do they cost?”
“The two children’s books are available in several editions, so each book costs 50,000 sig. The history book, the easy one, costs 300,000 sigs, and the researcher’s book costs 1,200,000 sigs.”
They are expensive. The children’s book is very flimsy, but it costs 50,000 sig. And only the history book is beyond our budget.
I guess I’ll have to settle for the two children’s books here. Ilma-san gave me a strong look that she also wanted a history book, but I ignored her this time.
The budget for the two children’s books and a rough history book alone is over 200,000 yen. It is difficult to buy them under the present circumstances.
“Two children’s books, please.”
Ilma-san, please don’t look sad. I will give you a gift when the budget increases, so please be patient this time.
Thanks for the chapter
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“Wrath of the Dragon”, but I prefer the “Puff, The Magic Dragon”.
Thanks for the treat.
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