181 - - On a Peaceful Road

While waiting for the shipment of hops, I'm having a business meeting with Rudolph, the chef of the restaurant Christina took me to, through Mr. Org's mediation.

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"I don't want the hazard pay, so why don't you do me a favor?"

"Excuse me?"

Chef Rudolph is getting ready.

"Would you give this to Christina?　--Oh, and I'll give you one too, Mr. Org.

You know, the possession-prevention thing. It is a necklace because I feel it is not good to give a ring to a woman, the effect other than [possession prevention] is [skill relaxation]. The effect of "skill relaxation" is really only a temporary relief, because the target of "skill relaxation" is broad. However, it can prevent the kind of effect that works little by little, which makes it look like death from illness, and if you are hit by something powerful, I expect that Conrad, the guard, will play an active role in that little while, which was made possible by [skill relaxation]. This is an added effect of my personal imagination of the pinch of the nobility.

The necklace with [Luck] for Mr. Org and Chef Rudolph.

"Is this the work of Lengaard, the man who is rumored to be in Fast?"

"Rumors: ......"

What rumors, what!

"I hear that sometimes the royal family of Fagat lines up their men to get their hands on the food."

What are you doing, royalty? Get to work!

"The story of the tournament is still being told. I hear that accessories and cooking are a hobby of his, and are hard to come by. I'd like to try one myself, but it's not easy. ....... I see... it's a wholesale food for that restaurant.

No, you know what? I'm at a loss for a response. I'll leave the accessories to DEX, which has a rating of 10, but it's not like I can make something of such high rank. If you cheat and replace it with a Garganos design, the added value would be great.

Rudolph has promised to give it to Christina if she doesn't refuse. I haven't explained anything about [possession prevention], but he has taken measures in the temple of Fast, so we'll see what happens.

"Lenguard. Aside from the general store, we are also negotiating with the commercial guild of Fast for the liquor store. It will be difficult to secure the right quantity, but if we succeed, rare liquors will be regularly distributed in Alsuna.

Which rare liquor? I've heard that wine and beer are the main drinks here, but I have a feeling that some of them are common. Is that the one they sometimes overcook fire wine for Garganos?

"So, when Mr. Org comes to stock up on booze, I'll take some water from the liquor store with me, okay?"

We haven't decided on the liquor yet.

"I'll tell Fast's guild when I get back from Huso. In return, please don't tell them that the water comes from me.

The number of secret affairs is increasing, but thinking calmly, the usage rate of <> is quite high, even for dishes made with complete skill dependence (・・・・・・・). Instead, we can get various kinds of water here and there, but we also use in other productions, and considering the reaction of Chef Rudolph, who contacted us immediately through Mr. Org, there is a hint of trouble in the air.

"Well, if he finds out that I have contacts in Lengard, there will be a lot of trouble.

Oh, wait. Why not water?　I have a feeling that there is some kind of bad rumor, or a rumour that has been spread all on its own. ....... I received a secret assurance and an invitation to visit Rudolph's restaurant anytime.

When I walked out after the business meeting, the hops had just been loaded and the paperwork was being signed. Peter and Luba, who had been looking around, returned and we met up with them.

Mr. Homura, thank you for waiting. Oh, this is from ."

Hop's voice rises an octave as soon as he sees Rudolph next to him. is the name of Rudolph's store. While they are talking, I introduce myself.

I'm Homura, and I asked you to accompany me to Fusou this time.

"Peter, my escort."

What do you mean "frame"?

"I'm Ruba, nice to meet you."

Well, it is true that it was supposed to be me and two guards, but it turned out to be a production worker (Ruba) and two combatants. When he asked me to follow him, I told him that we were on a journey that required an A-ranked escort, and Ruba was equipped with a bastard sword, so he didn't look like a production worker. I think he looks more like a warrior than Peter and I.

"I am Amane, Lord Hop's bodyguard. This is Turmeric and Sakon.

Amane is a pretty woman, dressed somewhere between a hakama and a skirt, with her black hair tied loosely around her lower shoulder blades.

"Are you from Fuso?"

"Yes. You know exactly what I mean."

Amane rolls her eyes, and Ukon and Sakon brace themselves. All three of them have black hair, and although their equipment is much closer to ours, it looks like a Japanese bow, and although the sheaths are made of leather like ours, the swords are Japanese. Their names are Ukon, Sakon, Amane ...... Amane?　--And...

"Ukon-san, you must be the winner of the technique division of the tournament."

Peter says. Oops, that means you have a ring. That's reassuring ......, but when I think of the ring bearers I know, I don't think they're very reliable, myself included, but why not. Gilweitzer is strong, but we're still around the 30th level of the labyrinth, and Babel and Horus are just (...).

"Don't get in Amane-sama's way. We're here to guard Master Hopp, we won't help you even if you're in trouble.

Sakon with a pompous attitude. He has a fine vertical crease between his eyebrows, but he seems to leave us alone if we don't get involved with Amane, so it's okay.

"Sakon, you need to change your attitude. I'm sorry, but I need your help to finish the trip smoothly.

Ukon takes over. I had thought Ukon was a man, but from the sound of his voice, he seems to be a man dressed as a man. He is about the same height as Peter, which is tall for a woman.

"First of all, we are going to Albar. We have permission to ride on the main street, so let's go out from the wooden fire gate.

The wooden fire gate that Hop mentions is the gate halfway between the temple of Tasha and the temple of Asha. The road leading out of the gate leads to Albar. In most of the capital, except for the area around the castle, horses and horses can ride on the main streets only with permission, as long as they do not get in the way of the wagons. It is said that it is because it is not good for the carriage escort to be on foot, and other permits are hard to get.

That's why they call for a white tiger. They're brushed and swell, swell, swell. They're well fed for the long trip!　Comfortable ride?　I didn't raise it because it's a world of difference compared to the Reno. I thought I would be tandem with Luba, but he is also a cavalryman. He is a drake type with a hard shell, and Luba told me that many miners choose this type because they can handle the slightly angled rocky terrain.

"Doesn't he look a lot firmer than when we first caught him?"

"They're fluffy, fluffy, fluffy. I'll brush and fluff him up later, too."

"I'm afraid I have a somewhat indecent impression of you, so I'll refrain."

"Hiwa ......!　You're not a good listener!"

And so on and so forth with Peter.

We were surprised that we left so close to noon, although it was going to be a long trip, but we were told that we would be staying overnight in Arval. The journey to Albar was uneventful, which was not surprising since we were on a road within the boundaries of the city. The weather was fine, and it was hard to be distracted by the white tigers that were rocking along at the speed of the wagons. Come to think of it, I don't think I've had much experience in taking a straight road. .......

Following Al's advice, I went to the Adventurers' Guild in Alsuna before the rendezvous. There was a window to itemize unused skills. I thought they would turn them back into skill stones, but they turned out to be gems and ores. It seems that they are converted into materials of the same type as the original skill's attributes and effects.

It's a waste of my time, and I haven't grown up much, but I can't count on Liddel's skills to be converted if they disappear, so I'm only going to convert them to the same type of materials. And the upper limit is gone after she changed her job.

And next door, an experience conversion window. Place your hand on the tablet and pay for experience to turn it into a tablet that grows any skill you want: ....... The number of skills that can be developed on the tablet is not infinite, and blank tablets are ridiculously expensive. I made a tablet of [Change Demon] on the advice of the smiling pretty lady at the reception desk, saying that I had some extra experience. I could make another one, but I couldn't get the second one. Yes, the second one for the same skill pays more experience and more money. And the second one is also higher depending on the skill level, which is a devilish specification. From the second one, depending on the skill, it may be faster to raise the level normally.

For the time being, I have decided not to make the second one. I quietly pulled out my sil from the consignment terminal of the commercial guild that was set up next to the guild. Come to think of it, I heard that the issue for online games is how to recover the in-game currency. Stop economic inflation!

While we were riding on the white tiger, I thought I should at least make a serious appearance at the Adventurers' Guild and gather some information, and then we arrived at Albar. Amane - I think that's the right kanji - and the others were in charge of escorting us to the front of the carriage, and we were in the back, so we had only a short contact with them.

On the way, we were amused by the unexpectedly fast and shaky running of the Luba cavalry. The world is a place of peace!

Hop had already arranged accommodation for us in Arval at a large place with a restaurant on the ground floor. It is popular as a restaurant and serves alcohol, but Hop boasted that it closes early to accommodate the guests, so it is crowded unless you slip in before the sun goes down.

"Albar's specialty is grilled meat," he says.

"Grilled?"

Hop looks over to see a long net set up along the wall just behind the counter, which makes a rattling sound as the meat is placed on it and the fat drips off.

The meat is cooked on wood from a hardwood called gera. This wood breaks up into small pieces when it is roasted and emits a fragrant smell of smoke. When the cook throws the wood into the gap between the wall and the netting, the impact causes the fine charcoal that has accumulated underneath to collapse and flow under the netting. The roughness of the impact seems to be necessary for the coals to be evenly distributed. When he fails to do so, he sometimes uses a poker to level the coals.

The meat on the net is seasoned only with salt, but when you put it in your mouth, the aroma from the gill wood smokers follows it, and the juices spread.

"It's delicious!"

I don't know what kind of meat it is, but it's good. I'll have to get some gills later. But it's also fun to see the chef grilling the meat with such gusto, so maybe it's a good idea to come here to eat.

"It makes me want to drink more."

"Yes, indeed."

Peter and Luba looking happy. The smokiness of the meat goes well with the beer. Peter is specialized in small weapons such as knives since he has advanced to [craftsmanship] - maybe even [dark weapons] - but he is learning a lot from Luba about [blacksmithing] and tips on how to set up a blade. I'm out of the loop, but it's interesting to listen to him. Hop told me about the sights of Albar and other cities in the Isle, as well as stories of minor places he has visited on business. One of these days I would like to travel all over the world.

Amane and her friends were not talking much, and Amane and Ukon were just smiling and listening to our conversation. I can't help but think that the three of them have their own reasons, but I wonder if I'm expecting too much from their peaceful journey and incidents.