Chapter 17

On the first day of a three-day weekend, I woke up around ten o'clock.

I ended up oversleeping.

Unlike in 'The Other World,' I couldn't get up easily, but I still got up, took care of my errands, and logged in.

It seems that everyone except Kikuhime and Shin was already logged in.

Just as I thought that, Petoro woke up next to me and logged in almost simultaneously.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, did you buy pajamas?"

"Yeah, even though they won't get dirty, I don't want to keep sleeping in my outer clothes or undergarments."

If there were no one around, undergarments might be okay. Actually, Shin sleeps in undergarments without any concern, the nudist.

"I might buy some too, preferably something like a kimono."

"Because you're a ninja?"

"Because I'm a ninja."

"Why don't you ask Kikuhime?"

"Sure, I will."

We talked while washing our faces and eating breakfast.

"Ah, Ochazuke sent a message saying that when Shin and the others come, we should go somewhere."

"I got the same message."

"Is the cat doing well?"

"It's too energetic, so I locked it in the room. Recently, it's been staying with its parents. Oh, while looking for the Thief Guild, I found the Assassin Guild."

"That's dangerous, huh."

"They said that if I tell someone the location, they would revoke that person's assassin status and move their base, so I can't tell anyone."

That's how it works, apparently. Assassins.

"By the way, I found an old book stall and want to tell you the location, but I'm not sure if it's okay to share."

"The world's mysteries and all, you shouldn't tell anyone! You should solve them on your own!"

"Maybe it's better not to tell. It should be easy to find anyway."

"It should be fine, but if it's a mystery quest, it might branch into a regular quest when the party sets a flag. Actually, I talked about the conditions for becoming a resident and a friend before the announcement yesterday, so it might have already branched into a regular quest."

Mystery quests don't appear in the quest list until they are completed; they are only listed in the mysteries section afterward. If you complete a mystery after knowing the answer, it will be listed in the quest list instead of the mysteries section. It seems that it's okay as long as you don't reveal the decisive information, but sharing the location of the target is not allowed. However, if the party sets a flag for a mystery, they can talk about anything. Petoro says that we fall into this category.

We are in a party, but the other members who haven't set the flag are unfortunately excluded.

It's not clear whether that was the flag for the mystery or just a prelude event before a regular quest starts.

"Should I tell you then?"

"Yeah. Ah, I got a patrol mission from a resident and need to go collect the flag."

"From a little girl?"

"No, don't pull me!"

"I also need to buy grapes at the market and some equipment in the crafts district."

So, we went to the market together, but the old book stall was gone, and they were selling spices instead.

"Excuse me, didn't this stall sell old books?"

"Ah, the old man who runs the book stall only comes here once every ten days. He can't take a break, so if he doesn't open the stall, he might be moved to an unpopular location when the next stall location is decided."

I see, that's why he didn't seem motivated. The mysterious items that were placed alongside the books were tools for mixing and crushing spices.

Even if we are friends, we can't ask other vendors to take our place. We left the market.

"I'll come to buy food and visit regularly."

"I saw him on the first night, so if I calculate, he should be here on certain days. It will take a while if I come during the daytime on weekdays."

Petoro, who was heading to the square to go to the crafts district, was stopped and we walked together. No horse carriage for you!

"Oops, it's closed."

"Maybe because I'm here. Maybe we can't enter without collecting the flag."

"I see."

The old book stall has quite strict security.

"Can I stop by the Alchemist Guild? I want to buy some recipes."

I'm a bit worried that I might have broken the flag without transitioning to a quest, but we went to the crafts district via the Alchemist Guild, which is located in front of the East Gate.

"I wonder what the swords are like."

"They seem to have both strength and dexterity, but it's still being tested which one it is."

"The swords and axes are strength, the throwing weapons are dexterity, the staffs are magic or spirit, the bows are dexterity and strength, and the thrusting swords are dexterity and strength, as far as I know."

"Right, the spears are strength and dexterity, and the swords are strength and dexterity. There are also suspicions that the materials make a difference, but no conclusion has been reached. I think the skills are mostly determined by the profession, but the range of weapons for non-shield-focused swordsmen is wide. It seems that the ease of use is also a factor, so it's good to try various cheap weapons and take the skills of the ones that feel good."

Ah, now might be a good time to introduce White to Petoro, who isn't as focused on small animals as Leo or Kikuhime.

"The cheapest one-handed swords are around 1000, so it would be quite expensive to try them all. Why are they selling hand spears?"

No, no, just because we're in a party doesn't mean White will be visible, and White might not like it.

"Even if you sell them, they'll be at less than half the price. There are only orthodox options in the square shops."

I'll check with White later.

"Let's try a sword for now. If it doesn't feel right, I'll try a greatsword."

I chose a weapon while thinking about something completely different and came to a conclusion on both.

I'll have Ruba craft it when I have enough money and a clear direction.

I picked up a mass-produced weapon with average price and performance.

"What about your main weapon, Petoro? You seem like the type to buy several throwing weapons."

"I'm using a dagger for now. I want a wakizashi or a ninjato, but there are no Japanese-style swords."

The sword I have is thin, single-edged, and curved, but it's a fantasy-style weapon.

"Japan might be discovered or implemented along with rice eventually."

"When a new city is discovered, the World Announcement says that trade with the discovered city or country will begin."

"Until then, why don't you paint the blade black to make it look more like a Japanese sword?"

"Good idea, I'll do that."

Petoro, due to his profession, gets a penalty for using two-handed weapons and can't handle them well. I couldn't use swords when I was a mage either. Weapons can be chosen freely, but the rank of weapons that can be equipped is determined by the profession, and you have to choose the one that suits you best. Not only the profession, but also the weapon and the material used affect the compatibility with skills.

It's hard to face a boy with a staff. I'll use a long staff and a sword alternately. Suddenly, the face of the workshop boy floated in my mind, and I started to worry about my main weapon again.

I sold the plate armor I was wearing with my robe and bought a coat at the same shop as Petoro. I can equip light armor, but it felt strange because I started with a robe, so I chose a coat and reinforced gloves and boots.

The plate armor has higher physical defense, but the coat has higher magical defense and doesn't hinder evasion.

By the time we finished shopping, it was already dark, and a yellow moon was peeking out, following the white moon that had been in the sky since the afternoon. Many workshops had already closed, and the alleys were a bit lonely.

I got a message from Ochazuke saying that Shin and Kikuhime hadn't arrived yet, but we decided to meet at a restaurant.

It's time for the horse carriage, and I might as well come out and say that I'm not good with them.

"Hey! Here we are."

"Good evening."

I waved back to Leo, who was waving, and sat down.

I ordered a stew-like dish and a non-sweet carbonated drink similar to ginger ale. Petoro ordered a platter of sausages and a beer. I wonder if there's iced tea in this city. A warm drink would be fine if I just wanted to drink...

"Cheers!"

We clinked glasses in a Japanese-style toast. Leo always does this, so I always order something in a glass for the first round. I wonder why Leo likes toasting even though he can't drink.

"Shin and Kikuhime aren't here yet, but let's decide on a plan. Should we go to the boss and then to the next city?"

"Ah, right, we need to be D-rank to get permission to travel to other cities."

"Right, and if we register a transfer stone, we can move between cities for a fee, but it's quick."

When someone defeats the boss, the city is unlocked, but travel is only possible on foot or by horse carriage. If the transfer stone dropped by the boss is registered at the transfer gate in the temple, it becomes possible to instantly transfer, so other players who follow the city unlocker also end up defeating the boss.

"Isn't the city that was found recently Sekan in the west?"

"Sa in the east just had a World Announcement."

"Right, the names suggest they were found in order."

"Apparently, the capital Faina is in the north."

Knowledge gained from reading standing up.

"Interesting."

"There's no road to the north from this city, so we'll have to go through another city."

"Let's go straight north!"

Leo started making unreasonable suggestions.

"No, no, it feels like we'll just get lost."

Indeed, the distance between cities in this world is long, and if we go off the beaten path, we'll definitely get lost.

At least, I want to explore areas without roads after I know the direction of the cities from the map. Incidentally, it took two and a half days to get to the neighboring Sekan.

"Ah! I want to make a trail in the wilderness!"

"Well, carrying food is easier in this world, so it might be okay to go."

"Only if we can return immediately if the enemies are too strong."

Petoro agreed, but Ochazuke was being ignored.

"I'm off tomorrow, so it's fine for me, but if we end up falling in the field, we need Shin and Kikuhime's approval."

By the way, Leo likes ruins in the real world too, though I've never accompanied him on an exploration.

"We need to prepare for camping."

"It won't be done in a day."

We decided to prepare for camping and set out after Shin and Kikuhime logged in. Whether we go west or north depends on them.

In any case, we decided to take a break for now and return to the inn. We also need to decide how to make reservations at the inn.

"I'll send a message to Shin and Kikuhime when I log out. I'll contact you when the time changes."

"Let's meet at 12:30."

"Let's eat lunch!"

We set a plan for our next meeting and logged out.

I had already had brunch, so I decided to prepare dinner.