But I guess I am still nave as well, since a part of me still doesnt want to admit that this is the real world, just like the one I left behind when I molested that Yes button. Back in the village I wholeheartedly thought that this was nothing but an ultra-realistic game, and thats why I had no reservations about turning the Bandits that attacked it into salami, and besides, I did it mostly in self-defense. But now things are going to be different. Were not talking about defending yourself anymore, were talking about assaulting other people, criminals though they are, but thats beside the point, so that I could trade their lives for money which is going to be used not for some chivalrous endeavor, but for the scummy reason of satisfying my own selfish desires. The only real problem with this approach would be finding a sufficiently large group of Bandits or a few smaller ones near the town across the span of two days. That pretty lady knight said that the group I had dispatched in the village was the one operating in the slums of Veil, so I can probably assume that no other group would take their place, at least not for the time being. Based on my video game knowledge, all the criminals in the city will either hide in the city sewers, or relocate to their hideouts outside of the town, most likely in some caves or encampments deep in the thickest parts of the woods. Chasing them down would be another matter entirely if I knew the terrain around Veil like the back of my hand, but without such knowledge, running blindly around the forest might just prove to be a giant waste of my precious time.
As for the other ways of achieving my objective, I guess I could try doing the one thing that everyone who got sent to or reincarnated into another world would try sooner or later: use my knowledge from the time spend on Earth combined with my Identify Skill in order to multiply the amount of money that is already in my possession, but like I said before, I am just your average high schooler who knows jack shit about the economy and the processes which govern it, so I wouldnt know what to do, even if the method and resources were right in front of me. And as far as I know, there are no tricks to gain a large amount of money in literally a few days. Getting filthy rich always involves long-term investments with large amounts of risk to them.
Supposedly the Bandits whom you have defeated had decent equipment on them. Maybe selling them to the shops here in town could be a nice way to start?
The Slave Merchant suggested once we got back to the guest room and I sat back on the sofa. As if I didnt know that already.
Certainly, if I sold Durandal, it is more than likely that I would get 100,000 Nar for it, maybe even more. As for the Copper Swords, in my opinion they are just glorified, oversized butter knives unfit to fight not even against the Bandits, but also the weakest of monsters, so I dont think theyd even be worth that much to begin with. But since the only weapon visible to others is the one I currently have equipped, there is no way for Alan-san to know about Durandal. When I first came here, all I had on me was a Copper Sword on my back, but now I also have a Scimitar tucked on my belt. From the outsiders perspective, I guess Im looking like some kinda weapons maniac or a sword collector.
Now lets see combining the prize money and the money obtained from the Village Chief with the ones I would probably get for selling Durandal, I think I would be able to obtain the required 420,000 Nar pretty effortlessly.
The thing is, no matter what happens, I absolutely cannot sell Durandal. Ever. If I did that, it would be lost to me forever, and that would mean a double loss for me: that of a powerful weapon and the Bonus Points Ive spent to obtain it.
Even if obtaining Roxanne is everything to me now, losing Durandal would be equivalent to losing everything, because without Durandal, I wont be able to guarantee Roxannes safety. Losing such a valuable weapon would spell no end of trouble for both of us. No, that sword is my absolute trump card. Even if it means facing more difficulties and adversity, I cant part with it no matter what.
If I chose to enter the Labyrinth, will I be able to make a sufficient amount of money out of it?
I have to gather information about ways to obtain money without sounding too suspicious. First, lets try to get as much info about Labyrinth related matters as I can.
You can. It wont be an astonishing amount but at the very least it will be a steady one. The exact amount would depend on your ability and luck, but I think 1000 gold is the minimal amount you could get for a single item found in there.
It depends on your ability and your luck
I guess so. But since the ordinary drop items would get me so little, gathering enough money out of them would still be impossible.
1000 gold per item, huh? While that might be good in the long run
From a criminals point of view, Bounty Hunters must be their sworn enemies. Its natural for the two to detest each other. Its natural that both those groups would want to exact revenge if their members were harmed. I already murdered quite a lot of them, so have I already been branded as a potential target?
If you kill too many Bandits, can you end up being targeted by other outlaws?
Looks like hunting Bandits might not be as good of an option as I have initially thought. Kill or be killed. That must be the absolute law of this world. But even if youll be strong enough to kill many, the ones wholl come after them will eventually bring you down. History proved that to be true time and time again. Well, back in my old world at least.
Thats right. And the prize money received in this way is absolutely not worth the risk of you and your relatives being targeted by other Bandits.
Then is it possible that the Bandits I had killed during the raid on the village had extraordinarily high bounties on their heads? The ones going way above the usual price paid for the extermination of their ilk? No, that cannot be it. Picker-san counted the reward money for their slaying pretty accurately, so I guess it couldnt have been anything special.
Either way, Bandit extermination should be my absolutely last resort. First, I should try my luck in the Labyrinth.
All right, I think I learned everything I wanted to know now. But one last thing before I leave: if I want to stay in this town for longer, are there any inns or hotels youd recommend? I dont want anything fancy or too pricey, but at the very least it should be something comfortable, with good food and soft beds.
Those are some pretty specific conditions, but if youre looking for something that is a middle ground between affordable and comfortable, The Veil Pavilion, an inn located at the southwestern end at the rotary in the towns center should be the place to go for you. It is managed by the Innkeepers Guild, so I can fully vouch for their quality.
Okay, I will go there immediately.
I dont know what to think about that Innkeepers Guild, but it cannot be a bad place if Alan-san is recommending it to me. At the very least, it should be better than spending the night at the stables or with no roof above my head whatsoever.
I stood from my seat. Now that we said everything that needed to be said, there was no reason for me to stay here any longer. For now I will have to secure myself a place to stay, but from tomorrow morning, I will have to work my ass off as hard as I would beat my meat on a Friday night (hopefully I wont have to take care of that myself for much longer).
Then I will be anxiously awaiting your return in five days, Michio-sama.
Sent off by those parting words, I left the Slave Merchants shop and moved forward towards my new goal: To gather enough money to buy Roxanne! And I think I dont have to repeat myself, but I will do so just to psyche myself up.
Failure is not an option here!