Chapter 421 - 415 : The Carriage Station

"Maldora Canyon…"

Standing at the edge of a cliff, Sato looked ahead of him and was greeted by the sight of a deep and wide canyon. A ravine directly faced him with a long river flowing from its mouth to branch out into 3 tributaries that flowed in different directions within the canyon.

Black Rock City was mineral city located close to a mountainous region. Apart from the Kiro mountains which was closeby, there was also Sundial Valley and Maldora canyon, which were all mining hotspots that gave Black Rock City its value.

Sato chose Maldora Canyon as his first spot because it was the closest to the city and had transportation routes used by carriages. There was also the fact that it was a mining location so he could also mine for minerals as he was there.

"Hmm." 

Sato stood by the side of the road as he studied the map in detail.

'The 4 locations here don't look that bad..'

Black Rock City, similar to Black Mountain town, was identified as a resource city. This majorly had a part to with the surrounding maps around it. Kiro mountains, Sundial Valley and Maldora Canyon were the most common ones, just to name a few. Every single one of them had a drop rate for a particular type of mineral according to the map description. Even if one were just a subclass player, they could just head over there to mine for minerals rather than battle monsters.

"The main problem is getting over there." Sato sighed.

A city in Infinite Realm was very big. It was something a town couldn't easily compare to, and this was with towns being as big as regular cities in reality. A city in Infinite Realm could easily take up to twice the landmass of top tier cities in reality.

Unlike the levelling maps in towns, the one in cities were far from the city itself. If an hour was enough to walk from Riverdale or Black Mountain town to Stone Creek Forest, it would take 3 hours just to get from Black Rock City to Maldora Canyon which was the closest site to the city. This was mostly due to the fact that the city was really huge and was also erected at a spot close to the capital.

3 hours was a lot of time and it was enough to make a significant progress in the game. Having to spend that much time just to reach a destination was definitely not worth it so Sato had to find another means of transportation.

"Come get your ticket to Cralls town here. Come get your ticket to Cralls town here."

Different from the transportation system in towns, cities had stations were one could book a carriage to any destination nearby. This was a detail arranged by the developers to help improve transportation for players in cities. By simply going to a carriage station, one could either book a ticket for any of the available carriages heading to a specific direction that happens to coincide with theirs, or they could pay for a private ride to their exact stop but at a greater cost than the former.

Sato chose to use the first method, which was to find a carriage that would be passing through his stopping point. According to the map he had in hand, Cralls town was a secondary level town within Black Rock province but unlike Black Mountain, Riverdale and Salt Springs towns, it wasn't a novice town so there were no players there. 

Cralls town was quite close to Maldora Canyon so by simply taking the carriage with the set destination, Sato could reduce his travel time down to an hour and a half. Also he could save money since a commercial ride was better than a private.

"Maldora Canyon, how much?" Sato asked the NPC who was previously yelling.

"Maldora? You know this is a commercial class ride? Our stop is Cralls town do unless you plan on stopping halfway, I suggest you go for one of the exclusive carriages. They would stop you exactly where you want." The NPC explained to Sato.

"I'm aware but I don't have enough money on hand for that." Sato shook his head to the suggestion.

The NPC gave him a smile of understanding before pointing towards a building by the side.

"You can head over there and book your ticket for the ride. When you're done, you can come take a seat or remain in the waiting hall till all the seats have been booked."

Sato nodded before walking towards the building the NPC had pointed out. 

When he walked in, Sato was greeted by the sight of a large hall with 6 counters at the other end. 2 of those had a plaque with the word "Exclusive" written in it, while the other 4 had "Commercial" on theirs.

The hall was large and had a bunch of seats lined up in an organised manner, making it seem less clustered. A few potted plants were placed at strategic positions, adding a little bit of greenery to the place.

"A ticket to Cralls town." Sato walked to one of the counters with a "Commercial" and spoke to the clerk.

"That would be 3 silver." The female clerk replied.

'That's a lot.' Sato inwardly exclaimed.

'Living life in the city would definitely be hard.'

With a sigh, Sato was prepared to pay for the ride when the clerk added,

"If you have an adventurer's badge, there will be a 15% discount for you and if you have professional blacksmith badge, you get a 20%."

To make lifestyle classes more attractive to players, certain benefits were offered to those who had them and it ranged from having easier access to materials at a discounted price and even having some discounts on certain services. As most carriage transportation companies relied on blacksmiths for the production of their vehicles, a discount was offered to all professional blacksmiths who made use of the company's services. As for the reason why adventurers had a discount, it was because the adventurer association had a deal with the carriage company regarding the security of their trips.

"I don't have a professional blacksmith badge; just an apprentice's. As for the adventurer badge, here." Sato handed her a card shaped object.

Right after he left the young boy in the pub, Sato had gone to the adventurer's association to get registered. It was a well-known fact to all gamers that in fantasy like VRMMORPGs, getting registered in a mercenary association, adventurer's association and similar bodies would be advantageous to the player. Not only would they be able to apply for missions but they would also get certain perks that can only be enjoyed under the umbrella of the bodies. The process of registering wasn't do long so Sato was still able to make it to the carriage station just in time.

"Identity confirmed. That would be 2 silver and 55 copper coins." The clerk replied as she passed Sato back his card.

Sato received the card and in turn handed her the exact amount, no more no less.

"Here's your ticket. Thank you for patronising us and have a safe trip." The clerk smiled as she gave Sato a carriage ticket. 

The ticket was a lot similar to a plane ticket but with the image of a carriage as watermark.

Sato took the ticket and left the hall, intending to get a seat in his carriage.

As he walked out of the building, Sato was group of NPCs heading his way. They number between 12-13 and the one in the lead was an NPC dresser in fine clothing. At a glance, he looked like either a noble or a rich merchant, not just based on his dressing but also the aura around him as well as the way he carried himself.

Wishing not to get in the way, Sato walked to the side and avoided the group but as he did so, he happened to be overhear the merchant speaking.

"No matter what it takes, I want you to find that kid. Even if you have to ransack the entire place."

"Haha. Old White, we've been working together for a while now and you have been a powerful figurehead in the city so you should know that ransacking this place isn't easy. Unlike the other carriage companies, this one is headed by the city lord." A burly NPC who walked closest to the merchant but just a step behind of him replied.

"I know but you should understand what I mean. Find that kid and you will not only have my favor but I will surely reward you nicely." The merchant said.

"Haha." The mercenary guffawed.

"Don't worry about it. You can consider it done."

While the duo were walking, one of the mercenaries walking behind them absentmindedly collided with Sato. Because the NPC was ahead in both level and strength, Sato was forced back by one step even though he had tried to avoid the man.

"Watch where you're going kid." The NPC glared at Sato before ignoring him and walking away.

'The hell is wrong with him.' Sato frowned but he didn't pursue the matter. He was outnumbered 1-12 and this was the city. Randomly attacking anyone in a safe zone, especially an NPC, was something must players would try to avoid.