At first, Rei had no idea what kind of person he was dealing with, but once the man introduced himself as a noble of the Neutral Faction, his tension eased somewhat.
As far as Rei was concerned, being part of the Neutral Faction meant the man was one of Daskar's subordinates. In other words, he was practically a comrade.
...That said, Rei hadn't completely let his guard down just because the man claimed to be Neutral Faction. It was possible he was only calling himself that. And even if he truly was a Neutral Faction noble, there was always the chance he was secretly connected to the King's Faction or the Noble's Faction.
Naturally, Rei didn't let any of those thoughts show on his face.
As for Nigle, he was chatting happily with Rei through the carriage window, but even he probably hadn't completely lowered his guard around Rei either.
"So, what brings you to Egginis, Nigle? A Golem, as expected?"
The reason Rei was using his usual tone was because Nigle had asked him to, saying it would put him more at ease. Initially, Rei had used somewhat more polite language, thinking that since Nigle was one of Daskar's associates, he should show proper courtesy.
Nigle, however, was only a baron—the lowest rank of peerage. True to that station, he lacked the typical noble temperament and was the sort to mingle casually with his subjects. It was precisely because he was that kind of man that he had ended up in the Neutral Faction under Daskar's leadership, rather than with the King's Faction or the Noble's Faction.
That said, this raised a question of its own. Golems available in Egginis were fundamentally very expensive. So how could someone of such a low peerage as a baron afford one? Especially given that, from what Rei had heard, it wasn't unusual for Nigle to work alongside his subjects.
"Yeah. I know Golems are expensive, but I figured if there were a cheaper one, it might be useful for farm work and the like. If we strip away the unnecessary features and specialize its functions, the price might come down to something I can actually afford."
Hearing those words, what came to Rei's mind was a tractor.
Farming required all sorts of essential machinery, but among them, the tractor was the one that saw the most use—or at least, that was Rei's understanding. Back when he lived in Japan, his family had been farmers, and he had frequently watched his father operate one.
But it's a Golem, after all. Making it like a tractor... wouldn't that be difficult? If the lower half were vehicle-shaped... no, more like a tank, it might be feasible. But even if it's specialized for agriculture, custom work like that would definitely drive the price up.
Trying to cut costs by removing unnecessary functions, only to commission a custom vehicle-shaped lower body, would actually make it more expensive. Though if it did work out, its usability would improve considerably. Just having a Golem like that would undoubtedly multiply farm efficiency several times over—and in some cases, tens of times wouldn't be out of the question.
"Certainly. Considering a Golem's capabilities, there's no doubt it would make farming a lot more convenient. But depending on the price, there's no telling how long it would take to recover the cost."
If it were Rei, he could simply defeat monsters or hunt bandits whenever he needed money. That alone would easily net him a considerable sum. But that was solely because he was Rei. Those capable of such a thing were few and far between.
Moreover, Nigle was a noble. From the look of him, he clearly trained his body to some degree, and working alongside his subjects on a daily basis meant he undoubtedly had a solid physique. Even so, if asked whether he could single-handedly—or even with a small group—take on large numbers of enemies like a High-Rank Adventurer, Rei would shake his head without hesitation.
"That's true. It might take a while to recover the cost, but with a Golem for agricultural use, I can push forward with developing farmland and grow more crops than I can now. If I keep at it, I believe it'll pay for itself before too long."
Magic Items, Golems included, were certainly expensive, but many were passed down through generations within a family. In that sense, if used with care over time, that Golem would eventually bring significant returns—that much was certain.
That said, an ordinary Magic Item is one thing, but with Golems and the like, I'd think maintenance and repairs would also be necessary.
Wondering what Nigle had in mind on that front, Rei asked outright.
"With a Golem, wouldn't you need to do maintenance and that sort of thing? What's your plan for that?"
"If I have them keep the construction simple, the maintenance should be easier compared to a standard Golem. Even so, it might still be too much for ordinary people, so I'm planning to look for someone in Egginis who'd be willing to relocate."
"Well... it'd be nice if you can find someone like that."
Egginis was a place where Golem makers could obtain cutting-edge technology. Rei couldn't imagine that anyone in such a place would choose to relocate to Nigle's territory. Even from the little he had heard, it was without a doubt a place that deserved to be called the countryside. Given that, Rei thought it unlikely that anyone would deliberately leave Egginis for the rural middle of nowhere.
"Oh, I think you'll find someone if you look. It doesn't have to be someone still active in the field. As long as they can maintain Golems and... ideally, craft a few simple Magic Items, that's plenty. For someone looking to retire, it wouldn't be a bad deal."
Hearing that explanation, Rei nodded in understanding. What he had pictured were exactly the kind of people Nigle had mentioned—craftsmen still actively making Golems. What Nigle had in mind, however, was someone looking to enjoy a quiet retirement in the countryside. If it was someone like that, poaching them would be entirely feasible, just as Nigle said.
And from Nigle's perspective, he was probably hoping to have such a retiree train a few apprentices, with the ultimate goal of one day establishing a Golem industry in his own territory.
"I hope it works out for you. Though out in the countryside, you'd probably have trouble sourcing the materials to make Golems, too."
Creating a Golem required various materials. A simple one could be made from dirt, wood, or stone, but as a Magic Item, a Magic Stone would be essential, and if performance was the goal, special materials would be necessary. Rei suspected that building such a Golem using only materials available in the countryside would be quite difficult.
That said, Rei wasn't all that knowledgeable about Golems himself. His understanding came from games, anime, manga, and the like back in Japan, along with a bit of information he had picked up from Marina before heading to Egginis.
"I'll figure that out in due time. First things first—nothing happens unless I find a craftsman willing to come to my territory."
"Do your best. ...Oh, that reminds me. I recently heard that Golems are being made in Egginis with performance that's in a league of their own. Do you know anything about that?"
For Rei, that was one of the major reasons he had come to Egginis. Since he was planning to buy a Golem anyway, it was only natural to want a high-performance one.
Nigle nodded in response.
"Yeah, I've heard. But... they're produced in very limited numbers, and from what I understand, they're quite expensive."
"I know that. But I have more than enough funds. Besides... I have a considerable amount of materials that Alchemists would want, so I might be able to work something out using those."
"That's a very adventurer-like approach."
Rei found himself wondering, Is it? at those words. If it was just a matter of collecting monster materials, a noble could simply purchase them. Though, of course, if one had the funds to buy monster materials, they would probably be better off putting that money toward a Golem.
While Rei and Nigle continued their conversation, their traveling speed was quite slow for a highway journey. Other Merchants and nobles passed them by, but even those people had their attention drawn to Rei riding on his Gryphon.
That said, such attention was an everyday occurrence for Rei, so he had no intention of doing anything about it. The people who came to a place like this mostly knew of Rei's existence as a matter of course. They understood that making an enemy of him meant being attacked without mercy, noble or great merchant alike. Many either wanted nothing to do with him, or wanted to make contact but judged that the timing was poor.
In the midst of all this, the ones most troubled were Nigle's escorts. The horses they rode refused to approach Seto. Naturally, that meant they couldn't get close to Nigle's carriage either, which was right beside the Gryphon.
...Even so, the escorts weren't the least bit worried about Nigle's safety. After all, Rei the Alias-Bearer was right there with them. Even if there were a sudden attack by Bandits or monsters, Rei's presence would make it a non-issue. In a way, they probably felt that they themselves—the escorts—were in more danger than their lord.
"Come to think of it, the horses pulling this carriage... they're quite magnificent. Must have cost a fortune, no?"
"If you bought one, yeah, it would be expensive."
Rei could somewhat accept that. Most likely, Nigle had either distinguished himself in some feat or captured the horse himself.
"The fact that I was able to get this horse is partly thanks to you, Rei."
"Huh...? Me?"
Having his name come up here was entirely unexpected. But since Nigle was saying it to his face, it clearly wasn't a joke—he genuinely believed it.
Seeing the bewildered look on Rei's face, Nigle smiled and spoke.
"The war with the Bestia Empire. Back then, you used Flame Tornado to throw the enemy into disarray, and the Neutral Faction nobles charged right in, remember? I earned distinction in that battle, and this horse was my reward."
"Well, that's..."
So they were actually war comrades. Rei's eyes widened in surprise, and the goodwill he felt toward Nigle grew even stronger than before.
"And... right, that about wraps up our conversation."
Noticing that Egginis's Main Gate was drawing near, Nigle cut the conversation short.
Fortunately, unlike Gilm, the number of people lined up in front of the gate was small. Egginis was a special place in a different sense from Gilm or Labyrinth Cities, which meant fewer visitors overall. Those lined up ahead of Rei's group were there as a single party, just like Nigle's. That being the case, the entry procedures would be considerably shorter than if everyone were processed individually.
In fact, a fair number of people had passed them while Rei and Nigle were traveling at their leisurely pace, but most had already completed their paperwork and entered the city.
When Rei's group arrived at the Main Gate, a guard approached immediately. The people ahead of them were still in the middle of their procedures, but this was clearly a deliberate move to minimize wait time.
Those who came to Egginis were frequently nobles and wealthy merchants. Those arriving in a group of any significant size were especially likely to fall into that category, and the guards needed to act accordingly.
There were people in the world who became displeased over the slightest delay and made unreasonable demands. And it wasn't just a handful—among the very sort of arrogant nobles and great merchants that Rei despised, such individuals were plentiful. Furthermore, while Egginis had a thriving Golem industry, ultimately it was only when someone bought those Golems that revenue was generated. Showing consideration to such customers was simply common sense.
That said...
"Crimson... A-Rank!?"
Rei had been traveling with Nigle but wasn't part of his group, so he underwent his procedures separately. Since he had been riding Seto, the Egginis guards had likely already identified him as Rei. Still, the fact that he was now an A-Rank Adventurer was apparently unexpected.
With visible surprise, they asked to verify his Guild Card. But with Seto right there beside him, there was no question that Rei was the genuine article. He was met with no suspicion and completed his entry procedures without issue.