CH 6

Chapter 6: The Town of Skutari.

"Watch out for pickpockets," said the young soldier with a laugh as he saw me off, and I decided to head to the Commerce and Industry Guild as instructed.

I guess the lord's soldiers don't crack down on crime in the city. Besides, even if I were to be pickpocketed, all I have in my wallet is Japanese yen, so I'm broke in this world.

Anyway, I have to get something that passes for money here, or I won't be able to eat.

I wonder how much the "magic stones" obtained from the orcs are worth?

As I walked along, thinking about such things, I came across a street that was wide enough for cars to pass through and had a few shops and food stalls calling out to customers.

"How about some skewered meat?" "Freshly made meat buns~"

Suddenly, I realized I was hungry from the smell of food.

It smelled like an unknown spice. It was close to evening and I had been fighting and running desperately, so it was only natural to be hungry.

But first, I need something that comes before eating.

However, if this is supposed to be the most prosperous part of the town, then I would have to call it a "town" rather than a "city".

Besides the food stalls, there were only two or three places that looked like restaurants, a few stores that sold miscellaneous goods, and some buildings where covered wagons were parked that looked like farm equipment or tools but not weapons.

There might be a stagecoach or something similar to go to other towns.

After passing the first intersection, two-story buildings finally lined up.

This area is probably a tavern. The upper floor might be private rooms or lodgings. The first floor might be a shop and the second floor a residence.

The rest might be some kind of office. It's really inconvenient not being able to read the characters.

The pedestrian traffic is moderate, but it's not crowded enough to need to be wary of pickpockets. So, I was just careful about purse snatchers.

The attire of the locals is, how do I put it, reminiscent of medieval European peasants. Loose cloth that goes down to the waist and is cinched with a simple belt at the waist, like a tunic or what they call a kanmuri. They wear pants and sandals underneath.

Both men and women are dressed like that, but women also wear dresses that go down to their ankles with aprons, like something out of "Heidi". It's a bit exotic. As someone who tends to be a shut-in, I don't have much travel experience, just knowledge from books and the internet, but I think this kind of thing is surprisingly nice.

No, that's naive. It's a misunderstanding. I don't even have the internet or manga magazines, and I probably couldn't stand living in inconvenience without electricity or gas.

They'll raise a fuss soon enough. Yeah, I'm confident about that.

But, there's no point in worrying too much until I face trouble. Life has been nothing but trouble for me so far anyway.

The second intersection is probably right in the middle of town, with a slightly plaza-like feel to it. When I turn around to the street on the right, there is definitely a three-story building with a brown roof.

Looking up at the sign, there are symbols that resemble several letters of the alphabet, but I wonder if this means a merchants' guild or something.

I still want to be able to read, after all. I want to read books, even forbidden magic books. It's essential if you're in a "sword and magic world."

The wooden door is open, and there's no gatekeeper, but as soon as I enter, there's a desk that looks like an information center, and a middle-aged woman greets me.

"Hello. What can I do for you at the Merchants' Guild?"

She's an aunt who looks like she weighs more than me, but she has a friendly and brisk demeanor.

"Um, I heard you can sell something called a magic stone here."

"Oh, you're an adventurer? Then it's counter number three."

She said that and pointed in the direction of the back. I guess it's over there.

"Second one to the left, that one is number 2," I was corrected as I walked with uncertainty. That means the symbol written on the sign at that counter is number 2, and the other one is number 3. I'll write the numbers down in my notebook later.

"Are you here to sell magic stones?" asked the elderly man behind the counter, who must have overheard our conversation. Unlike the receptionist, he wasn't very friendly.

"Yeah, these," I opened my backpack and lined up three small red stones on the counter.

"Show me your ID first," the man interrupted. Ah, I see, passport check comes first in the duty-free shop. 

"Do you have temporary registration? Is this your first time in this town? If you plan to stay for a few days, it's better to register as a member of the guild," he said while taking out a magnifying glass to appraise the magic stones.

"It's an orc. This one has become an orc leader..." He could tell what type of monster it was just by looking at it.

"Hmm, it's not of the highest quality, and the market has been down recently due to the large number of magic stones. I'll buy the big ones for four silver coins each, and the small ones for one coin each."

Oh, the price is not fixed. I'm not good at negotiating prices, and I don't know anything about the market. I wonder how this will turn out.

"Um, I was told to fight with Lady Carenna and her companions and then sell the stones here..."

"I hope you're not lying about being her companion," he interrupted.

"Not exactly her companion, just happened to fight together..."

"Well, if it's the lord's recommendation, I'll give you an extra coin. That'll be seven silver coins in total."

Oh, it seems to have worked. Lucky me.

I nodded as if I understood the market and agreed to the deal, putting the seven silver coins, each about two times the size of a 500 yen coin, into my backpack. Then I asked about the guild membership registration that he had mentioned earlier.

"By the way, what's the guild membership registration you mentioned earlier? This is the Commerce Guild, right? I'm not in any business or have any particular skills."

"Yes, this is a small town, so we handle both the Commerce Guild and the Craftsmen Guild. In addition, we also handle registration for the Adventurer's Guild."

I see. In RPGs and medieval societies, there are guilds for each profession, right? Since this town is small in size, they probably do it all under one organization.

In even smaller villages, there might not even be guilds to begin with. I can imagine it with my RPG knowledge, but just wanted to confirm.

"Actually, I've come from a faraway place and I want you to teach me the basics. Is it better to join a guild?"

"What, you don't even know that? Well, you look pretty young. ...If you register with any guild in any town, it'll serve as a common ID even if you go to another town or even to the capital. Plus, guild members can access exclusive information and get job referrals."

That's how it is. As expected, they'll probably charge me money to register.

"On the other hand, in some places, it's prohibited for those who aren't members of the guild to work in that field. You could even be punished for it. Well, since this is the countryside, it's not that strict."

"I want to join the Adventurer's Guild."

"You seem to have defeated an orc, so it's possible. Go to counter number 5. It'll cost you 2 silver coins and 5 copper coins."

As expected, they charge money for registration. And it's a pretty big amount, isn't it? The money I just received is already going back.

Handing over 3 silver coins to the middle-aged man at the counter next to mine, I received 5 copper coins as change.

1 silver coin equals 10 copper coins, huh. Easy to understand. Now, my remaining wealth is 4 silver coins and 5 copper coins.

Even though I was penniless until a moment ago, it's a bit disheartening to see the money I just earned decreasing. I realized the truth of economics.

The man asked for a provisional registration token, then pulled out a bronze or metal card and scratched the surface with something like a nail while looking at it. It seems like he's copying down my name. Is this the membership card?

"This is your beginner adventurer registration. Repeat after me. 'I hereby take my first step as an adventurer...'"

I was made to recite a pledge-like statement while placing my hand on the membership card.

When I finished, the card suddenly glowed softly. I'm getting used to these magical effects that happen when something occurs.

When I said that I couldn't read the characters, they gave me a parchment-like document with some explanations, and then orally explained the basics of being a member of the Adventurer's Guild. 

In summary, they told me to be responsible for my own safety and not take on tasks beyond my capabilities, to take on the tasks requested by the guild as much as possible, and to bring any magic stones obtained from defeating monsters to the guild without engaging in any shady deals.

So, there must be someone willing to buy magic stones at a higher price than the guild.

As I wandered around the guild out of curiosity, I noticed a bulletin board-like thing next to the counter with several handwritten notices. These must be the requested tasks, but since I couldn't read the characters, they weren't relevant to me for now.

The second floor seemed to be a place for guild members to socialize, with several tables and chairs and a counter serving simple food and drinks. I didn't see any adventurers with weapons or magic staves; instead, there were several groups of people negotiating like merchants. Maybe the main purpose of the guild is commercial.

The staircase leading to the third floor was blocked by a low standing sign. It might have been restricted to staff or important people.

I decided to head towards the inn that was introduced to me when I left the street. If the town is shaped like an oval surrounded by a castle wall, it would be closer to turn right directly towards the wall from here, although it would be safer to go back to the gate and walk along the wall.

As I started walking in that direction, the quality of the houses deteriorated and abandoned buildings and storefronts that seemed to have gone out of business began to stand out, as if I had stepped out of the center of the town.

Several barefoot children, dressed in rags, were sitting by the roadside. One of them, a toddler, came over and held out their hand towards me. I wondered if they were begging. One of the older children stopped them.

I felt sorry for them, but I didn't even know how to interact with children in my own world, where to start. Perhaps they were staring at me because of my unusual clothes. However, compared to the footage of children in developing countries surrounding tourists shown on TV, they didn't come close enough to touch me.

Ah, maybe they were cautious because I had a long sword, which I took from the Orc leader, at my waist. That's understandable. If you saw a man carrying a Japanese sword in Tokyo with it drawn, you'd definitely run away.

I wonder what the crime rate is like in this world. I'm not even sure if there is a proper police force or judiciary.

I felt a little guilty, but I was relieved that I was able to pass through without being surrounded by poor children.

Soon after turning right at the end of the wall, I saw a building that looked like an inn with a signboard depicting a picture of Chocobo.