Chapter 22: Trade City Zain
“Identification, please.”
Arriving in Trade City Zain just past noon, we found ourselves surrounded by towering walls that stood about five meters high. In a world teeming with monsters, it seemed that walled cities were a necessity.
As we approached the gate, we noticed a considerable line of people waiting. When it was finally our turn, the gatekeeper addressed us with a question.
“What happens if you don’t have identification?”
“Huh? That’s a strange question… After asking a few basic details, you’ll need to pay 500 Fron to pass.”
Five hundred Fron? That’s five Large Copper Coins! With just the two of us, that would wipe out almost all our savings. The coins we received from the princess were five Copper Coins and ten Large Copper Coins.
According to what my master had told me, the currency unit here is Fron. One Iron Coin equals one Fron, and the denominations go up from there: Copper Coin, Large Copper Coin, Silver Coin, Large Silver Coin, Gold Coin, Large Gold Coin, and Platinum Coin.
“Ah, then will this brooch serve as identification?”
I was glad I had kept the brooch given to me by the princess. Although whether it would actually work was yet to be seen.
“Hmm? …What is this? …Wait a moment.”
The burly gatekeeper, clad in leather armor and wielding a spear, said this before disappearing somewhere.
“…Things never go smoothly, do they?”
“Yeah. But if this gets us through, it’s better than losing all our Large Copper Coins.”
“Right.”
We waited, watching as various people entered the city. Adventurer parties and merchants accompanied by their guards were common sights, and I even spotted some Beastmen and Elves—staples of the Otherworld.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
After about thirty minutes, the gatekeeper finally returned. It had taken quite a while; I wondered what had delayed him.
“No problem. You can pass.”
“Finally…”
“Let’s just be grateful there were no issues.”
“Haha, sorry for the wait. …Anyway, welcome to Trade City Zain.”
With that, we stepped into the first city of the Otherworld.
The main street we entered was bustling with activity. The road, wide enough for three lanes, was mostly filled with stalls. From what I could see, street food like skewers was priced around 20 to 30 Fron per item.
The surrounding buildings were primarily wooden, with most being no taller than three stories. Thankfully, it didn’t have the unpleasantness of waste strewn about like in medieval Europe.
“Where should we go first?”
As I curiously looked around, Rio asked me.
“Uh, well… maybe we should secure a place to stay or check out the Adventurer’s Guild if there is one.”
I figured we might as well follow the typical Otherworld adventure template. I definitely didn’t want to camp outside after coming all this way, and I was also interested in the Adventurer’s Guild. We needed to earn some money.
“And a bath, too.”
Indeed. While I had built a bath in my master’s yard, it was lacking soap, so I never felt truly clean. I hoped they had soap in this world as well.
“That’s actually the top priority.”
“Yeah. If baths are only available at high-end inns, we’ll need to earn a good amount.”
“Then let’s head to an inn first. Good thing we asked the gatekeeper.”
We walked along the main street toward the inn district. There were inns on the main street, but they were more suited for tourists and not ideal for long stays.
“As long as there’s a bath and good food, I’m fine with any place.”
“Of course, it should also be relatively safe.”
I was starting to feel that a cheap inn might not be the best choice after all.
As we turned the corner into the inn district, we saw numerous buildings displaying signs with pictures of beds.
“Oh, how about this one?”
One inn had a sign depicting a person enjoying a bath, so we decided to check it out.
“Welcome! Are you looking to stay?”
A plump, friendly woman greeted us.
“Yes. We’re two people; how much for a night?”
“For a double room, it’s 800 Fron per night.”
Whoa, with our current funds, we could only afford one night! I thought we had chosen a decent inn, but it seemed a bit pricey…
“Is there a bath available?”
While I was still reeling from the price, Rio quickly asked the important question.
“Of course! That’s our inn’s main attraction. However, we charge 100 Fron per person for the bath.”
“Then we’ll take it.”
“Eh?”
I was surprised by Rio’s immediate response, but there was no real reason to object. This was our first inn in the Otherworld, and there would be many things we wouldn’t know until we actually stayed.
“Then we’ll take one night, please.”
After deciding to stay, the woman asked for our names, which she noted down in the inn’s ledger. It seemed we had to pay upfront, so I handed over eight Large Copper Coins, totaling 800 Fron.
“Hey! Two guests coming through!”
The woman called out to someone in the back.
“Coming right up!”
A cute girl, slightly shorter than me, emerged from the back. Her brown hair and bright green eyes were quite striking.
She retrieved a key from the front desk and began to lead us upstairs, so we followed her.
“Are you siblings?”
“Eh? No, we’re not!”
“Oh, I’m sorry… Are you perhaps a married couple?”
The girl’s unexpected question made Rio’s face turn red.
“We’re not married…”
“I-I’m so sorry! I just assumed since it was a double room!”
As I denied it, the girl flustered and apologized profusely. Now that I thought about it, it had been a seamless decision to get a double room. I hadn’t really considered it since we had shared a room at my master’s house.
“B-but you do have plans, right…?”
The girl asked nervously. I had never even thought about that, but it felt wrong to keep denying it…
As I pondered, I glanced at Rio, and our eyes met. Her gaze was soft and shimmering, something I had never seen before.
“Wait? Is that you, Rio?”
“I love you, Shuu. You’re the person I trust the most in this world.”
“Eh? Oh, yes. I love you too, Rio.”
My mind went blank at her sudden confession, and I couldn’t think straight. My true feelings slipped out without me realizing.
“Then there’s no problem, right?”
What’s the problem? Wait, am I supposed to read the atmosphere here?
“Y-yeah. So, shall we get married?”
“Yes.”
The girl stood there, her face flushed and mouth agape, completely taken aback by our exchange.