BXBX NOVEL Volume 1, 2
Volume 1, Chapter 2
Translator: Adam Seacord
_______________________________________________________________
「That’s Wulls, the capital of Farlane.」
After walking two hours along the road since joining the adventurers, Hiroshi and Haruna could see a large gate up ahead. Apparently, that was the East gate to the city. Two hours for adventurers meant that any civilian would have taken an extra hour.
It didn’t seem too far of a distance, but the road winded around a hill on the way. If the road was straight the entire way, they could have almost seen the gate from where they were first standing.
「It’s hard to tell if we were close or not, ain’t it?」
Consider the pace at they were going and the distance to the gate, it would take them an additional half an hour or so until they were in Wulls.
「Two and a half hours, one way…」
Haruna, who had been timing their journey with a simple spell, answered with an indecisive expression. Both of them knew that, considering their physical endurance, that they could shorten the trip by at least half an hour, even if they were carrying a pack full of items. Although, they wouldn’t enjoy walking a long distance that fast.
「Speakin’ of, how far are we from other towns?」
「Let’s see… From Wulls to closest village would take an adventurer about eight hours. Kalsus and Marije are the closest cities. Five days’ journey by foot. Much faster on horse or carriage, of course.」
They nodded to Randy’s estimation. In the game, it was a two days’ walk from Wulls to Kalsus or Marije. It seemed that these locations and the distance between them were slightly different from the game. Also, pocket watches are available at a reasonable price in Farlance, and they are necessities for adventurers Intermediate and above. The reason was simple. Often, there would be deliveries and other events at a certain time.
「So, I gotta ask the big question here…」
「Generally, if you’re registered as a resident, it won’t cost anything to get in and out. The exception are some of the protected classes and adventurers. The caravans have to have their cargo inspected anyway, so they usually pay there.」
「So we’re going to have to pay, this time.」
「Right. Well, it’s not much anyway. We’ll pay for you two, today.」
「Of course. You saved my life. And you even sang us a song.」
Randy and Kurt chimed in, nonchalantly. Hiroshi and Haruna continued to ask more questions to figure out the difference between this world and the game. The most noteworthy point for Hiroshi were the different names for potions. Apparently, people in this world ranked potions by class rather than level. For example, a level 2 potion was a class 7 potion.
The weakest potions were class 8, but those that have healing properties but are very weak are all grouped in as unclassified. Unclassified potions are created by practicing potion makers, sold dirt-cheap to adventurers just starting out. In addition, one could find a couple of them in any house’s first-aid kit.
The classification of potions were decided with the best potion to ever exist, created by a wizard, who is the friend of the current King of Farlane (the nation with the oldest history), to be class 1. Based on those potions, taking into consideration their ease for production and their effect, all other potions were classified.
To anyone who may question the existence of any potion stronger than class 1, the class 1 potion can bring back the current king (the most powerful warrior in history) from the brink of death, and then some. Any potion stronger than that was considered wasteful and unnecessary. Considering the difficulty of production on top of that, they thought it was safe to say that any strong potion will not be in the market enough to warrant a classification.
Another difference between the game and real-life was the existence of Tirol, the currency below the in-game currency of Chrone. In the game, some foods were weirdly expensive at hundreds of Chrones, or a night’s stay at an inn was weirdly cheap, or most drop items sold at 5 Chrones or so. Hiroshi and Haruna didn’t question the new currency too much.
1 Chrone was the equivalent of 100 Tirols, and the 1 Chrone silver coin seemed to be like a ten dollar bill for most players. It may seem extravagant that the lowest form of currency was worth ten dollars, but it was a video game, after all.
「Speaking of, what’s the best potion a normal guy could get his hands on?」
「Hmm… If price isn’t an issue, the Adventurers’ Association sells anything up to class 7. But those are too expensive for a civilian, so a potion shop would only carry up to class 8. No one but the potion makers that work for the government can even make class 6 and above to begin with, so those are never out in the market.」
「Hmm. It sounds like a class 1 potion could sell for an astronomical price. 」
「As far as I know, there’s no one alive who can make class 1 potions right now. Money isn’t even a question. The mere existence of a class 1 potion could cause international turmoil.」
「For just a potion? Jeez…」
Hiroshi chuckled at the absurdity. But, come to think of it, level 5 potions and above always required a drop item, and for level 7 and 8 potions, he always needed to take down a pretty tough foe for the materials. In addition, in order to use any drop item as an ingredient, it the corpse had to be dissected by someone who knows that said material can be used (barring significant luck).
If anyone with Intermediate and Advanced Compounding skills are in the custody of the government, it was very likely that almost no potions of level 5 (or class 4) and above existed in this world.
What Hiroshi didn’t know is that potions above level 6 (class 3) have the ability to regenerate lost limbs. Hiroshi was unaware of this, because despite Fairy Tale Chronicles’ endless pursuit of realism, there was no system for a Player to be dismembered (monsters, on the other hand, were regularly dismembered).
So, even if an attack strong enough to drain a player’s HP hits them in the arm, they were only incapacitated while their arm remained intact. Class 1 potions were distinguished by the ability to heal three or more dismembered limbs, even years after they were cut off or crushed.
While that example was for a Healing potion, a Mana potion would return magical powers and MP (that may have diminished from age or recoil) to what they were to the user’s prime. A Stamina potion can heal diseases (without limb loss) and any sequela. Of course, the higher the class, the more they could heal. A class 1 potion is seen as a dangerous artifact that could even trigger a war.
「That’s how important potions are.」
「Like, I get it, but…」
Hearing the astonishingly low standards for crafting, Hiroshi internally curled up into a ball. Haruna still had hope, but Hiroshi could barely use any of his skills. If potions were such a big deal, he shuddered to think of the repercussions of crafting weapons and armor.
While anything a player can make at a forge was nothing out of the ordinary (or so the Hiroshi and the other craftsman players thought), an Advanced craftsman could create, without drop items nor enchantments and only using lower-level materials from relatively safe locations, weapons and armor twice as powerful as anything an ordinary NPC was selling.
Judging by the armor on Randy and Kurt, Hiroshi determined that the equipment on the market was comparable to what the NPC sold in-game. While Haruna wouldn’t have the same revelation, Hiroshi was the artisan for the gods. As easy as breathing, he could determine the quality of these items.
If what he saw on them were the standard equipment, if the lot of his crafted equipment tossed aside in his in-game store like garbage were given to a single nation, it could destroy the power balance between nations.
「All right. We have to go do some paperwork. Hang tight for a sec.」
「Okay!」
「Yessir.」
Before they knew it, they were close enough to have a loud conversation with the gatekeeper. While Randy and Kurt paid and filled out paperwork for two, Hiroshi whispered to Haruna what was on his mind. Now that they were closer, he could feel his goose bumps prickle and his legs shake, but he knew he had to stick it out.
「Hey, Toudou-san. It might be somewhat precarious to sell those potions.」
「It feels that way. But to be honest, we could maybe use the level 3 special potions, but all the level 2 potions are just bag weights, aren’t they?」
「Yep. That’s our problem, here.」
If these were ordinary level 2 potions, they could easily sell them off. The problem was that Hiroshi was the one who made them. They knew that any item created with a Crafting skill has a modified effect according to the skill level of the Crafting skill used. The different would be less noticeable if the skill was Intermediate or so, but Hiroshi was a top-notch craftsmen with skills like Brewing for the Gods and Medicine for the Gods.
While it wouldn’t quite reach the effect of the potion a level higher, they were undoubtedly more powerful than the potions on the market. It would come down to how much of the modifiers the thrown-together equipment would cancel out, but Hiroshi didn’t have much trouble using them, so fat chance.
「…You just want to risk it and sell them?」
「…I guess we gotta…」
Considering the other options for them to earn money, they realized that any of them wouldn’t be much less dangerous after all. They decided to roll with it, and think optimistically that they wouldn’t be wanted that soon, and could probably get away with feigning ignorance if it came down to it. More accurately, they considered their meals and lodging for the foreseeable future worth the risk of getting into international emergencies.
「Hey guys, come over here.」
Kurt called, and they jogged over to the gatekeeper. They seemed to interview any first time visitors, as the gatekeepers asked them some question. They didn’t know how to answer many of them, but they decided to heed the warning of Randy and Kurt, and answered honestly to all of them.
「Visitors from the unknown continent, I see.」
「The unknown continent?」
「That’s what they call it in court when, while very rare, people like you pop in from gods-know-where.」
「Does everyone know that?」
「It’s not that well-known, I don’t think. Kind of like an urban legend among the adventurers.」
As Hiroshi and Haruna nodded, the two gatekeepers smiled and watched. They were very friendly.
「Um. Doesn’t anyone fake it?」
「Never seen anyone like that, so far.」
「If someone did, how could ya tell?」
「Those questions earlier. People from the unknown continent don’t know most things about our land. You couldn’t answer some of the questions, could you?」
They nodded again in understanding, as the soldiers watched with brimming smiles. Still smiling, they gave Hiroshi and Haruna an advice:
「Anyone from the unknown continent can receive a lot of help from the court. We’re getting you a letter right now. You should go tomorrow, if you can. And this voucher will let you stay at an inn for free. Anywhere adventurers use.」
「Wow, thank you so much.」
「Just doing my job.」
They took the travel permit and letter from the surprisingly friendly soldiers, and walked off as they waved.
「Well those gatekeepers were mighty friendly.」
「In some sense, they do represent the country.」
「Farlane is bustling with trades, so there’s no sense in intimidating anyone with no reason just to earn a bad reputation.」
Once that was explained, Hiroshi and Haruna were rushing to have them refer an inn to stay.
「Where can I go to sell potions?」
As soon as they arrived at Black Cat’s Eye, Randy and Kurt’s favorite inn, Hiroshi asked the critical question for their future.
「The Adventurers’ Association, for sure.」
「Because?」
「They won’t rip off newbies like you. Sometimes you can negotiate with them, and they don’t buy anything at an unreasonable markdown.」
「The Association also helps adventurers get on their feet. Barring any issues in the talent department, if they keep the new adventurers from prospering by ripping them off, it’ll just come back to bite the Association, anyway.」
Wise words from the moderately seasoned adventurers.
「I know. Why don’t you register as adventurers while you’re at it?」
「Both of you can take care of yourselves in a fight, can’t you?」
「Well, we can handle a Berserker Bear…」
「If you can take care of a Berserker Bear in that gear, no problem. We have to take care of something, and we’ll show you around once we eat. Why don’t you go register?」
「It’ll come in handy when you want to negotiate for anything on sale.」
And so, they decided to register. While they were clueless why something called the Adventurers’ Association was built or to what end it was operating, it was apparently an organization that was run without borders. It seemed pointless to dig into these backstories that seemed questionable even in-game.
「What’s it cost to register?」
「A handling fee of 5 Chrones.」
「Oh, and there’s a little test, but if you’re in the line a work, it’ll be a walk in the park.」
「I see. In that case, should I try to sell the Berserker Bear hide after I register?」
「That would make sense. You can pay the fee the later, but we’ll take care of it. Of course, they might waive it like they did your entrance fee, since you’re from the unknown continent, or whatnot.」
This nation seemed to pay a lot more attention to visitors from the unknown continent then they had thought. Hiroshi and Haruna couldn’t help feel uneasy at the shadow that seemed to lurk behind the whole thing.
「In any case, we gotta go through and register as adventurers.」
「Uh-huh. The food was delicious, by the way.」
After enjoying their first seasoned meal in two days, they set out into town. The cityscape of Wulls carried a unique atmosphere, like a love child between the architecture of Europe and Asia, a mix of stone and brick, and wooden buildings. Apparently, any city in Farlane, while there were some variance, all looked similar to this.
There wasn’t much trash on the streets, and gave off a hygienic impression. Water and sewer pumps were set up throughout the city, and sewage treatment was integrated, eliminating the stench from human waste.
Wulls, the capital of the giant nation of Farlane which was elongated north to south (although even its width exceeded the length of California), was a port city near the dead center of the country. A very large one, at that. The Wulls Castle wore the towering mountains to the north on its back, and the city layered around the main street that lead from the castle to the port in the southwest of the city.
One of the few cities in this world with a population of over a million. Consider the fact that the population of Farlane (one of the three populous nations in the world) didn’t even reach one hundred million (on paper) to grasp the relative size of Wulls.
Originally, there was the castle town of Wulls and the port town of Agurina, but by the time the seventh king took the throne, the two towns had grown to the point where it was a three hour walk from Wulls to Agurina, gate-to-gate. So they performed a large-scale public construction that merged and organized the towns into a single city.
While it was a huge expense to the national treasury, numerous workers flooded in from in and out of the country, who then stimulated the city’s economy and rapidly boosted the population. The investment was returned in fifteen years, instead of the estimated one hundred.
In this giant city, where it would take a civilian a day to walk from the East gate to West gate, or from the castle to the canal, there were numerous canals crisscrossing the city, serving as the people’s road. On land, there were stops for shared carriage rides all over, and additional carriages and horses roamed the city, delivering people and packages.
As an additional transportation, while a little expensive for everyday use, there were a few transportation gates set up. The people used the transportation system that served the needs of their day. The transportation from one city to another aside, transportation inside the city was rather plentiful.
Black Cat’s Eye, where Hiroshi and Haruna were staying, was located fifteen minutes from the East gate by canal. They was still quite a distance from there to the ocean, and they couldn’t smell it in these parts of town. However, if they travelled an hour south by horse of boat, they would start to see the ocean. Also, from the watchtower of Wulls Castle, one could easily look over the port. After all, Wulls was a city by the ocean.
「Hmm… Adventurers, huh?」
「If at all possible, could we kindly keep our safety a priority?」
「I know. We can’t jump into some difficult job right off the bat, anyway.」
「Actually, we gotta start by gettin’ our clothes and equipment sorted out, before anythin’…」
Hearing Hiroshi’s interjection, Haruna clenched here brows, reminded that she was, and had been, wearing her only outfit all this time. Frankly, getting a change of clothes was a dire matter that she wanted to take care of by the end of the day.
The good news was that Farlane was abundant with water, which meant that they could easily find a bath. There were bathhouses all over town, and many inns and flats, for a fee, offered private bathes as well.
「If we’re going to be adventurers, I can’t wear different clothes every day, can I…?」
「’Fraid not. We can only carry a finite amount of clothes to begin with.」
She couldn’t argue. As long as they didn’t own a house, they would be constantly carrying all of their possessions around. Clothes, in addition to being bulky, were surprisingly heavy. And no matter what style of clothes they chose to wear, the details of which didn’t matter much if they were going to wear them under their armor. Of course, from a physical and financial standpoint, she couldn’t have a different armor on every day.
「Speakin’ of, what about weapons and armor?」
「Once we have enough money, I was thinking of picking up some cheap and steady ones. What did you used to use, mainly?」
「Nothin’ in particular. What I used a lot were axes, pickaxes, scythes, knives… Hammers, sometimes.」
「…You mean…」
「I think we both know what I mean. Hold on. I need to buy a pickaxe, at least.」
Randy and Kurt, who kept one ear open to Hiroshi and Haruna’s conversation on the way to the Adventurers’ Association, the word pickaxe hung on them.
「What the heck does a potion maker need a pickaxe for?」
「A bunch. The thing I need the most are quartz for the bottle to hold the potions, and sometimes I need to make a special bottle, so I would want the pickaxe to mine the stones I need for that process.」
「You make the bottles, too…」
「You gotta start with the bottles. When I make potions above a certain grade, I gotta tweak the bottles to begin with.」
Chuckling at the adventurers who had obviously never heard of such methods, Hiroshi explained that it was the way he was taught. While they were having this conversation, Haruna, who had peeking into this store and that, checking the prices of things, let out a sigh.
Since glass wasn’t too scarce in Farlane, many stores, like contemporary cities in America today, had a glass window with displays inside. While glass wasn’t cheap, they weren’t too expensive for a shop or house to have a few panes.
「These clothes are up there…」
「How much?」
「About 15 Chrones average for an outfit. It’s enough for two nights at Black Cat’s Eye with a long-term contract.」
「…It’s a toughy…」
As for the payment at the inn, they had a free first night, and Randy and Kurt had paid for the next six nights. There was a discount for staying a week, which brought down the price to 7 Chrones per night. They had booked separate rooms for Hiroshi and Haruna, so the total of their stay for a week comes out to 84 Chrones.
In addition, Randy and Kurt had given them 20 Chrones in cash for any expenses. It was enough money to make them feel guilty about asking for anymore just for the potion. Randy and Kurt would tell them that the money included a tip for Haruna’s song as well.
When it came to food, breakfast was included with the stay, but the dinner menu was similar to the lunch they just had, which was soup and salad with bread, along with grilled dried meat or sausage, or occasionally grilled fish.
Apparently they served stew some days in lieu of soup and meat, but that didn’t make much of a difference. If they wanted something better to eat, they had to bring their own ingredients or pay an additional fee. Breakfast, in fact, was just bread and soup. Considering that they would have to prepare their own lunch, 15 Chrones for an outfit was a lot to spend.
「Maybe I just outta make ‘em… It’s gonna be tough without a loom, though…」
「That’s what you think of first…?」
Hearing Hiroshi mumbled out of Randy and Kurt’s earshot, Haruna interjected with a chuckle, from a safe distance.
「If we can do it for free, we should. But I guess I can’t really work on yours…」
「Why not?」
「You don’t wanna tell a guy you never really knew your measurements, do ya?」
「…A little awkward, if I’m being honest…」
「A coat, maybe… But underwear…?」
Haruna couldn’t help but twist her face to Hiroshi’s mumbling, and decided to ask, just to make sure:
「…You can make them?」
「I never had, but I did have a recipe with me, so if I wanted to…」
「…I’m sorry. My want for clothes and my dignity are duking it out right now…」
「Wait, I can handle jackets and all, but I wouldn’t know how to go about making your underwear…」
「…Sorry, I wasn’t thinking about that…」
As they were talking, they arrived at the Adventurers’ Association.
「It’s much homier than I thought…」
「I mean, they don’t really need much retail space.」
A forty minute walk from Black Cat’s Eye. Randy entered the building with familiarity, as he chuckled at Hiroshi’s first impression. While Hiroshi called homey, there were several facilities (including the shop) integrated, which meant that the building boasted a considerable size and height. While its size wasn’t comparable to a castle or fort, it was large enough to fit a few houses or flats.
This facility in particular was much larger than other locations of the Association, since it was the headquarters for all locations in Farlane. Wulls was also home to three smaller locations of the Association, scattered around the city.
「Oh, Randy-san. Kurt-san. I thought you were off to Merije on guard duty.」
「Something’s come up. The client sent us back out of the group, so we can deliver a message, too.」
「There’s a horde of Venomous Wolves near the village of Leit. To be honest, we couldn’t get through while keeping our objective safe. We had the objective stay back at the village while we took down the horde.」
「…Is that true?」
「Yes. It’s processed as an official request. Here’s the form.」
The receptionist checked the request form Randy provided, and nodded.
「Any casualties?」
「Two trying to get the objective to Leit, and three more when we broke through the horde. The village is safe, protected by a monster-deterring barrier, but we can’t leave them alone for long. There’s not enough food, for one thing. So, the village elder and those trapped there are going to submit a request for us to kill or chase away all the Venomous Wolves in the area.」
「They can’t pay until after the fact, because, you know. But here’s the request form from the village elder. Could you process this, please?」
「Sure thing.」
Hiroshi and Haruna could only watch idly as the conversation implied a rather serious situation. Venomous Wolves are monsters that were originally wolves that have been afflicted. A single Venomous Wolf was much weaker than a Berserker Bear, for example, but, like any wolf, they almost always appeared in packs. Add to it that they had an, albeit slow-acting, fatal venom.
The Venomous Wolf had become infamous as a newbie-killer monster in the early stages of the game, in a different sense than a Berserker Bear. The worst part was that the venom could enter from both their claws and fangs, and especially when bitten, the dose of venom would be fatal.
The thing was, a slowly-acting poison like that of a Venomous Wolf was perfect for building resistance on. Most players had hunted them as long as they could with an antidote ready to use at the brink of death in order to gain enough resistance rather quickly. They were only a real threat in the very beginning stages of the game.
That was why Haruna didn’t know an Antidote spell for the strand of venom found in Venomous Wolves. In addition, a player like Hiroshi who had an almost inhumane Armor rating was barely affected by status conditions, even with no resistance. In other words, a poison that players of their caliber couldn’t resist would easily kill any newbie or civilian without resistance, even just by inhaling it from afar, let alone come in contact with it.
「Hey, Randy-san. Kurt-san.」
「What’s up?」
「It sounds like you guys are in quite a pickle. You sure we had time to be eatin’ lunch all leisurely?」
「It crossed my mind, but it was nothing compared to how long it would have taken to carry Kurt to a doctor and get him fixed up.」
「Besides, we also wanted you guys in a good mood before…」
They inferred from what Kurt had said. Taking care of a horde of Venomous Wolves would cost a considerable amount of Antidotes. They must have been itching for fast-acting Antidotes like the ones Hiroshi had, which acted almost like a spell.
「And they are…?」
「Oh, they saved Kurt’s life. It seems they have been transported here with some weird magic.」
「Ah, guests from the unknown continent. Saved his life?」
「They gave us an incredibly potent Antidote. Without it, I don’t even know if Kurt would have made it back here. He already couldn’t walk by the time we came across to them. Do you have any more?」
「Nine more. I could make as many as you want as long as I got the ingredients, but it’ll take some time.」
The receptionist looked dubious of this claim. It wasn’t easy to believe that this teenager, barely an adult, could craft an Antidote potent enough to counteract the venom of a Venomous Wolf that had circulated enough to render Kurt immobile, enough to the point where he seemed unaffected, not a day later.
「Come on, don’t give him that look. It doesn’t matter if he’s really the one who made them. Focus on the fact that he had an Antidote of that caliber, and he didn’t hesitate to give it to us.」
「…Excuse me. May I take a look at one?」
「’Course. I wanted to get ‘em sold anyway. You want the recipe, too?」
「No, thank you. No one available in the guild right now could verify the recipe, anyway.」
Chuckling at the receptionist’s overtly on-alert tone, Hiroshi took out an Antidote, with a reddish green hue to it. Now that there was more people involved, his hand was slightly shaking as he handed it over.
They took it and placed it onto a funny-looking equipment on the counter, and maneuvered it this way and that. Seeing the result, the receptionist and the woman in charge of buy-outs were both dumbfounded.
「I very sorry. Please allow me to apologize for my tone, earlier. You can really make an infinite amount of these?」
「If I got the ingredients. Oh, right. I was hopin’ you would buy these, too.」
「…Are those class 7 potions?」
「I whipped ‘em while I was at it. I thought it might cause a ruckus, so I wasn’t sure about sellin’ ‘em, but if we’re gettin’ into all this with the Antidote, I might as well.」
With that, he lined up thirty or so of them on the counter. A rookie adventurer would consider this a small fortune.
「I get that you didn’t know how much class 7 potions go for… But did you have to make so many?」
「Toudou-san wanted to see me make the bottles, so I got carried away. I could have made a hundred or two, but we couldn’t carry all that, so here we are.」
「Well, I did want to see it…」
They chuckled at Haruna’s embarrassment, and decided to end the subject. Hiroshi had already made them, and it would be a waste to throw them away.
「Jeez. Class 7 potions are mighty expensive, huh?」
「Sure. One of these could complete heal a class 9 or so adventurer from the brink of death.」
「A three of these would completely heal one of us from pretty much anything, too. Unless we’re dead, of course. They’re worth their price.」
Hiroshi was trying to imagine what kind of potion would be worth 5,000 dollars a pop, but their assessment seemed to justify it. In-game, a Level 1 character (with no skill except basic Attack) would have an HP of 50 or so. The base healing amount of a Level 1 potion was 100, and a Level 2 potion healed 500.
In addition, there were modifiers put on to that amount based on Armor, the skills of the maker, and the tweaks in the compound. Randy and Kurt were being completely honest. Considering that in-game, most civilians (NPC who weren’t adventurers or soldiers) were Level 5 at best, no household would need anything more than a Level 1 potion, and considering that they can heal someone back from the brink of death for 500 dollars… 50 Chrones for a bottle of Level 1 potion was hardly overpriced.
While these potions are unbelievably potent by the standards of the real world, no magic is added to Level 1 and 2 potions. Novice potion making is the process of multiplying the natural magic and vitality of the ingredients to a new level. Potions are often drinkable simply because they produce more effect when consumed rather than applied.
「That being said, any adventurer over class 5 seem to need these to keep them well.」
「So that’s why these ridiculously expensive potions are bein’ sold here in the open.」
「The Association is working to make them a little cheaper, but…」
Hearing the woman in charge of buy-outs say this with a sigh, Hiroshi and Haruna gave each other a look. So, Haruna asked why they couldn’t. On a side note, this woman seemed to be in charge of selling their items as well.
「Why can’t they?」
「The demand is high, of course. But worse yet, there are barely any potion makers who can make class 7 potions. If that weren’t enough, they apparently need special ingredients and can only make so many in a day.」
「Ah-huh. I think I understand…」
All she could was sigh to the expected answer. According to Hiroshi, he couldn’t make level 2 potions reliably until he practically mastered the Novice skills. Haruna knew how much work that entailed. She could understand that the vast majority of people would never make it to that point.
「By the way, Azuma-kun. Didn’t you make those with grass around here… Around where we took down the Berserker Bear, at least?」
「Right. It’s a complex recipe, so I could manage with ingredients for class 8 potions.」
「If you gave them that recipe…」
「I doubt it would help.」
After questioning his response for a moment, Haruna remembered their conversation from the previous day.
「You told me…」
「Right. They’ll need some skills in Metalworkin’ and Enchantin’ in addition to Compoundin’. Although, for Enchantin’ they just gotta pull off the easiest skill without fail.」
「That sounds really hard, coming from you…」
「With no prior knowledge, it would take ‘em at least a month to get a hang of it…」
「Right.」
Hiroshi’s analysis, coming from his own experience, inadvertently dashed the hopes of everyone there.
「Then, could you contract with us and provide the Association with the product regularly?」
「I’d prefer not to.」
「Why not?」
「It might just be me over-analysin’, but my potions may be a lot more effective than your normal ones. If they are, I could hurt the livelihood of the people makin’ the potions, now.」
The woman fell silent. As Hiroshi pointed out, his potion was shown to be nearly double as effective as an ordinary bottle. If this became the standard, any potion created by another potion maker wouldn’t sell.
「Putting a pin in the in-depth business talk… Ann, could you register these two, please?」
「…Yes. Please fill these out.」
They filled in what they could in the paperwork provided. Both Hiroshi and Haruna could read and write the language of this world with ease, but they had decided not to dwell on it.
「Right, I’d been meanin’ to ask…」
「Yes?」
「About how much of the population here’s literate?」
「Let’s see… In Farlane, nine out of ten can people in the city are, but the majority of people out in the country can only read numbers, I believe. Recently, we have been getting more schools out in the farming villages, but nationwide, less than half of us are literate.」
They nodded to Ann (the receptionist)’s explanation. While they weren’t sure if they were surprised by how low or high the rate of literacy was, it was at a line where neither being nor not being able to read and write would stand out.
「What do you do when someone illiterate comes to register?」
「We fill out the paperwork for them, and teach them basic reading and writing during orientation. Until they can read them, we would read the request form out loud, as well.」
「I see…」
「So then, a reckless boy who ran from his farm won’t be lost on the streets without a chance ‘cause he can’t even register?」
「Not always. Most people who work while receiving combat training and literacy classes give up halfway through.」
She responded thoroughly while taking the mostly empty batches of paperwork. After a quick interview, she writes more on the paperwork. She had gotten a sense of their character from their exchange earlier, but rules were rules, and most importantly, these two didn’t know much about the laws of Farlane.
Some misdemeanors that they could get away with aside, it was too dangerous to run the risk of having either one of them break a serious law because they were unfamiliar with the body of law or culture of a particular location. She had to determine that they wouldn’t end up costing the Association that way.
「All right. Let’s move to the field test. Permissions to enter dungeons are granted once you reach level 8, or by accompanying someone who has permission. Today, I’ll only be looking at your combat capabilities.」
After discerning their character further, she moved to the field test. While she was astonished by their surprisingly adept combat prowess, they returned an exclamation of surprise:
「Anne-san, you’re strong.」
「You could probably go down to dungeons yourself.」
「All guild members receive basic combat training. Hold on. Don’t you have an address?」
「Well, we just came here today.」
「I see. If you’re going to remain in Wulls for over a month, please register an address at City Hall. If you show them your Adventurer card, they won’t ask for any previous addresses or the like.」
「That’s all we gotta do?」
「That’s what the Adventurers’ Association provides.」
They couldn’t help but nod to the weirdly persuasive answer as they received their card with “class 10” inscribed on them, as proof of their registration. Then, they received some basic orientation on how to use the Association’s facilities, how to take requests, and how to move on to the next class.
After that, they sold the materials taken from the Berserker Bear, concluding their tasks for the day. Randy and Kurt had left for the castle to request emergency back-up right when Hiroshi and Haruna began their registration process.
「15000 for everythin’ including the potions…」
Hiroshi wasn’t sure what to make to make of the money Haruna had handed him. While it seemed like they had made too much money right off the bat, it was a little bit short of what they would need in order to buy everything they need. For the time being, they simply split it between them.
「They were all very neatly processed, so we put a little extra in there.」
「It’s a heck ton of money at first glance, but I ain’t sure what to make of it…」
「Me neither…」
They whispered back and forth, as they scrutinized the equipment sold at the Adventurers’ Associatoin. On the cheap end was 50 Tirols, but the other end of the spectrum exceeded 10,000 Chrones. Of course, the expensive price tag did reflect its quality.
「Why don’t we go back to the inn and rest for the night?」
「Can’t agree more. I’m mighty tired from all this…」
「Thank you for your business. And, if it’s all right, could we ask you to start making Antidotes, perhaps tomorrow, to help exterminate the Venomous Wolves?」
「…Yeah. It’s too late to pretend I didn’t hear nothin’. ‘Cept, I ain’t got no strength left to collect any more ingredients. Can you folks do that for me?」
Keeping an awkward distance from Anne, Hiroshi suggested.
「Absolutely. All of us will gather as much as we can.」
「Well for Venomous Wolf poison you won’t need no special ingredients, so you should gather a few batches’ worth.」
Hiroshi said, as he scribbled down the recipe, which Anne took and began talking to the workers in the back and in other parts of the facility. After watching her and letting out a sigh, Hiroshi and Haruna began browsing the items they had for sale, once more.
Apparently there were more than a few adventurers with some knowledge of basic Compounding and Metalworking, which resulted in some equipment for potion making being sold here.
「I guess we outta grab a mortar and a pan, at least…」
「I’ll leave that up to you.」
After a moment, Hiroshi and Haruna decided that they were not going to use either piece of equipment that night, and to just head back to the inn.
===
「…What a day…」
Haruna is in her room at the inn. Throwing the carrying bag, which had been nearly emptied save for the few pairs of underwear she had bought on their way back to the inn (separately) under the table, Haruna plopped down on her bed.
Hiroshi had told her that she he had bought some fabric, string, and sewing utensils, and intended to sew his own clothes. It was all too late for her to regret not mastering at least Novice Sewing. She had just resigned herself to have at least Hiroshi craft her some everyday wear in the future.
「It’s all… So weird…」
On the third day since they had been transported here, it was the first time Haruna had found herself with some safe, alone time. During the two days in the woods, she could barely sleep. And yet her physical vitality had been healing more than expected. Her body was pretty unreal that way.
What was really weird, however, was what she saw as she casually pretended to be asleep (in her insomnia) and observed Hiroshi. Not to borrow his words, but he was someone that Haruna didn’t expect to have any conversation outside of school matters. Although she knew his general character, she couldn’t trust him enough to be confident that he wouldn’t do anything crazy. In fact, that concern kept her up more than her fear of being attacked by monsters.
But, Hiroshi acted much differently than she had expected. He kept a considerable distance between them, and continued to do something non-stop until it was her turn to keep watch. He never even tried to look at her face while she slept, except when he came to wake her for watch duty, and he just kept sewing the carrying bag, carved out the mortar, and polished the bear ribs in a sort of zen.
Never once did he even seem interested in Haruna. While she admired his persistence for trekking on with the tedious work, albeit with a little bit of complaining, but his complete and utter lack of any inkling of interest in her? Despite the fact that she didn’t have the slight inkling of interest in him, her pride was somewhat hurt.
To boot, this man was would not budge. Even when she exclaimed that she would go bathe and do laundry in the river, she only returned to find him in the exact same spot continuing the same work he had been doing. The little pride she held in her womanhood had been obliterated in a matter of two days. He had only ever turned his gaze to her body when the discussion of clothes came up. Until Randy and Kurt ogled at her rather obviously, she had completely lost her self-esteem.
「Of course it’s better than jumping me without a second thought…」
All she wanted was a hint of acknowledgement. She didn’t want to be assaulted nor get into any romantic situation with him, but it was a little too much to not only have him show no interest in that way, but have him act like he aggressively wanted to distance himself.
It doesn’t look like I’m the only one he’s like that with, though…
That was her conclusion as she recalled the scene at the Adventurers’ Association. It seemed like he didn’t want to interact with any female whatsoever. The exception was when he was holding normal conversation with the owner of the inn. It seemed that he was okay with a woman above a certain age, with whom he only had business-like conversations.
Considering his age and the severity of his aversion for women, perhaps he had been traumatized rather seriously in some way. Haruna knew that, at the very least, he wasn’t into men, judging from the conversation he was having about dating simulator game or the other (which she had overheard as she passed by him in the classroom) and from his line of sight while they were talking about clothes.
Still, his insistence on keeping his distance from women, physically and emotionally, was so obvious to the point where, when he was speaking to the ladies at the Adventurers’ Association, all color had drained from his face. While the ladies across the counter hadn’t noticed, given the gravity of the situation they were in, his knees were clearly buckling.
With that severe of a female-phobia, Haruna had to be careful how to interact with him moving forward. Initially, in her frustration from his horribly disinterested attitude, she nearly executed the “oops I didn’t realize I was thrusting my breasts against you…” but something inside of her told her that if she did, it would really spell the end for the both of them. Thinking back on it, Haruna thought she deserved a pat on the back for holding back.
「I want to ask him some detailed stuff tomorrow… I wonder what he would think…」
She wanted to tell him a few things she had held back from mentioning for her uncertainty of them, and ask his opinion on the matter, but she wasn’t sure that he would be in a mental state to handle such a conversation. Moreover, they would have to have this conversation where it was less public. Somewhere where it was least likely for anyone to eavesdrop.
For Hiroshi’s sake, Haruna wanted to find somewhere where they could keep their distance, where he could still work on something. Whether or not she could find such a place, she was determined to for them to share each other’s information and opinions sooner rather than later.
Because, well, so far they were only on the same page about not receiving any handouts from the court for “visitors from the unknown continent,” and that they should keep a low profile moving forward, while they may not have had a choice today.
「In any case, it’ll be after making those Antidotes…」
According to Randy, whom she had ran into on the way back, a deal had already been struck with the court, through the court magician’s familiar. He had joked that, if the familiar wasn’t a flying creature, he would have had to make a hard trek to deliver the message.
Leaving time to prepare various aspects, they would initiate the mission to exterminate the Wolves at noon, tomorrow. The village of Leit was relatively close, so they would be able to execute the mission while the sun was high even if they left at noon, as long as they were on horseback. Still, the most critical aspect was the Antidotes. They had set things in order as to have everything ready as soon as Hiroshi’s work was done.
「Big day tomorrow. We better get dinner over with.」
Haruna knew she couldn’t help much, but there had to be something she could do. To maximize their rest, she decided to eat dinner right away, so she went to call Hiroshi.
Their work the very next day would, in utter betrayal of Hiroshi’s hopes, end up as one of the causes for getting them wrapped up with the court in the most troublesome and irreversible manner. At this point, they didn’t have a clue how they were about to get involved with all of it.