None of the characters Sherry had written down for me seemed to match the ones for Pelmask.
"How do I get to Pelmask from here?" I asked.
"The transport to Pelmask leaves three times a day: morning, noon, and evening," the stationed adventurer replied. "The fee is five silver coins. The morning trip has already departed. The next one is around noon, so you have more than four hours to wait."
In a world without clocks and with clear time differences between regions, being told "morning, noon, and evening" was a bit of a headache. Then again, people here likely relied on the position of the sun. Morning and evening were distinct, and noon was simply when the sun hit its peak.
Resigned to the wait, I returned home from the Zabil Adventurer Guild. I stepped outside immediately to check the sun's position. In Quratar, the sun had only recently risen. If I assumed it would take another six hours to reach its zenith, the time difference between Quratar and Zabil was nearly two hours.
Considering the time difference between Quratar and the Imperial Capital, the physical distance wasn't as extreme as I’d initially feared. Or perhaps the cities weren't due east of each other, but shifted north or south. If the difference was exactly two hours, I had traveled one-twelfth of the planet's circumference—roughly thirty degrees of longitude.
However, my MP had dropped significantly just from the trip between Zabil and Quratar. I started to wonder if I could actually make it all the way to Pelmask. Or was I just being pessimistic because my reserves were low?
Doing this with such low MP was going to be difficult. Almost as difficult as the pun I was currently struggling not to make about the "difficult situation." I decided it was best to just drop the subject for now.
"Is something the matter, Master?" Roxanne asked, noticing my slump.
"I have some business to attend to in four hours. Looking at the sun, would that be around there?" I pointed.
"Four hours from now... yes. I’ll let you know when the time comes."
I could always count on Roxanne’s internal clock. Since I didn't have access to a precise timepiece anyway, her intuition was more than enough.
After breakfast, we headed to the Merchant Guild. I successfully purchased the Caterpillar Skill Crystal from Luke. I confirmed its authenticity with Appraisal; it seemed he hadn't decided to try swindling me with fakes just yet.
On the way out, I spotted a familiar face in the waiting room. It was Gosler, the Commander of the Harz Duchy Knight Order—the man who was essentially the pinnacle of handsome. He looked like a masterpiece just sitting there, radiating an aura that would make any woman swoon.
This was exactly why I hated handsome men.
Roxanne, don't look. I couldn't help but feel a pang of worry whenever a guy like that was nearby. I hoped it was just groundless fear.
Long ago, there was a man in the state of Qi who lived in constant terror that the sky might collapse. One shouldn't mock such "groundless fear," though. Even Mount Tai would crumble eventually; even the strongest pillars would break, and even the wisest philosophers would eventually die.
Will Mount Tai crumble? Will the pillars shatter? Will the philosopher wither?
Philosophers die. Handsome men should die, too. Just die. Die right now.
"Oh, what a coincidence. Are you here for the auction as well, Adventurer?"
I must have been projecting my silent curses too loudly, because he noticed me. I’d really wanted to ignore him.
"Just here for some equipment-related matters," I replied vaguely.
"I see. For an adventurer, nothing is more vital." Gosler nodded with an unnecessarily refreshing smile.
"And you, Lord Gosler?" I stepped forward, trying to block his line of sight to the girls behind me.
Sherry, don't look either—oh, wait. Sherry had already wandered over to a display of booklets and was engrossed in reading. It seemed the written word was more attractive to her than a pretty face.
"A Duke's duties are roughly half social politics. That means I spend a great deal of time searching for gifts."
"Gifts? Even using the auction?"
Being a noble sounded like a lot of work. If it were a rare item or high-level equipment, it would certainly serve as a prestigious gift. After all, the other half of a noble’s life was supposedly spent conquering labyrinths.
"The Third Prince's wedding is approaching. He’ll be establishing a new branch house, so I have to be mindful of the protocols. Normally, an Elixir is standard for a royal wedding, and a Self-Destruct Ball is the traditional gift for a birth regardless of the recipient. But I’m hoping to find equipment worthy of someone starting their own house."
Establishing a house instead of inheriting one—basically, he was becoming independent. He was the Third Prince, after all.
"Sounds like a lot of pressure."
"Do you happen to have anything suitable?"
"No, unfortunately not." As if I’d have royal-grade wedding gifts just lying around.
"Finding the right items is a chore. If you ever come across any Clematis, I’d be happy to take it off your hands."
"Speaking of gifts, what about a Pelmask Mirror?" I asked, remembering what Sherry had told me.
"Nobles with territories in the east near Pelmask use them often," Gosler explained. "But our lands are in the north. Getting all the way to Pelmask is a significant undertaking."
"I see."
Naturally, one would prefer local specialties or items that were easily accessible.
"We occasionally acquire them in the Imperial Capital for weddings of high-ranking vassals. Do you happen to have a connection for getting Pelmask Mirrors at a good price?"
"Ah... well, in a manner of speaking."
"I have need of them from time to time. If you can secure them cheaply, please bring them to Bode Palace. I’ll buy them from you."
I wasn't even sure I could reach Pelmask yet, but I could at least get close. If I were in the neighborhood, maybe they would be cheaper. Or I could spend several days warping and resting to bridge the distance. I hadn't made it to the city itself, but I’d reached the gateway of Zabil.
"Understood."
"In that case, take this."
"What is it?"
"A Duke Harz Emblem. Show this at the palace, and you’ll be granted an immediate audience with me or the Duke. It can’t easily be misused for anything illegal, but be warned: flaunting it unnecessarily within the Duchy is a crime. Please use it with discretion."
Gosler handed me a piece of cloth bearing the emblem. It was a beautiful, sturdy patch. I couldn't tell if it was embroidered or woven, but the craftsmanship was top-notch. It would be nearly impossible to forge.
It was essentially a letter of introduction. Between yesterday and today, I seemed to be collecting those like trading cards.
"Lord Gosler, my apologies for the wait. I had another visitor." A familiar voice came from behind me. It was Luke.
"Was that 'visitor' me?" I asked.
"Oh, you two are acquainted?" Luke looked surprised.
So Gosler had been waiting for Luke. Even a Duke’s household used brokers for auction business. Luke was essentially a royal purveyor.
"Something like that," I said.
"I see. Then, if you'll excuse us." Gosler and his two elven subordinates followed Luke out. Naturally, the subordinates were also handsome. Damn them.
"Phew. Elves really do have incredible faces, don't they?" I sighed.
"I suppose so," Roxanne replied casually. She didn't seem particularly impressed.
"Elves and brokers... what a perfect combination," Sherry remarked.
"A perfect combination?" I asked.
"Both are types of people where you can never tell what they're actually thinking."
"Is that the reputation they have?"
"Every dwarf is raised to be wary of elves. The same goes for brokers."
Apparently, the animosity between dwarves and elves was alive and well. Sherry didn't seem interested in his looks either. Her wariness of brokers was a given, so an elven broker was probably her ultimate nightmare.
"So an elf who works with a broker is out of the question?"
"Well... not necessarily. Not all elves are bad people. One simply has to judge them carefully."
As expected, Sherry was the rational one. She wasn't blinded by unconditional prejudice.
"Shall we head home, then?"
"We still have nearly three hours," Roxanne noted. "I think it would be fine to go to the Vale Labyrinth for a while."
According to her internal clock, we had time. Between making equipment, breakfast, and the meeting with Luke, only about an hour had passed. Following her advice, we warped to Vale.
While we explored, I asked Sherry about the things Gosler had mentioned.
"What exactly is a Self-Destruct Ball?"
"It’s an item used to perform a Self-Destruct Attack."
"Sounds dangerous."
"It is. A Self-Destruct Ball deals massive damage to a monster at the cost of the user's life. Adults rarely use them because, well, they die. I’ve heard it literally causes the person to explode into pieces."
What a horrific item. I wouldn't even want to carry one for fear of a mishap.
"Wait, Roxanne mentioned the thief who died at the Vale Trading House exploded like that."
"Yes, that's what happens when a Self-Destruct Ball is used," Roxanne confirmed.
I had actually killed that man using Equivalent Exchange, which had caused him to burst. To an outside observer, it looked identical to a self-destruction. That was a useful bit of information—I could use Equivalent Exchange in public and people would just assume the target had botched a Self-Destruct Ball.
"But wait," Sherry continued. "While adults die, children who use them sometimes fail to detonate. The younger the child, the higher the failure rate. It’s said to be a guaranteed failure for anyone under the age of three. When it fails, the monster takes no damage, but the child doesn't die either. Sometimes, those children can then change their job to Mage."
I remembered hearing that people used "medicine" as children to become Mages. So that "medicine" was actually a Self-Destruct Ball? That’s why it was a common birth gift. It was a bit of a grim name for a baby shower present, though.
If the result was the same kind of explosion, it probably operated on a similar principle to Equivalent Exchange. My skill traded my MP for the target's HP; a Self-Destruct Ball likely traded the user's entire HP pool for the target's. I had gained the Mage job through Equivalent Exchange. If that worked, then surviving a Self-Destruct Ball would naturally grant the same job.
It was essentially a life-risking bug exploit for the world’s job system.
"And an Elixir?"
"The ultimate Panacea. It’s said to instantly cure any wound, exhaustion, or status ailment."
"And that other thing he wanted? Clematis?"
"That’s a raw material used to create Elixirs."
I see. So the highest-tier items were the ones used for noble gift-giving.
"I get it now. Thanks."
After the explanation, we hunted until the designated time. It was better than sitting at home staring at shadows, and I wanted to test Roxanne's clock. We had three chances a day, after all.
"Master, I believe it’s nearly time," Roxanne said as we were hunting Slow Rabbits with my Cook job active. I’d noticed that my "Rare Ingredient Drop Rate Up" seemed to scale with my level—Rabbit Meat was dropping much more frequently lately.
"Already?"
"It has been nearly three hours since we entered the labyrinth."
Sherry agreed. Since two-thirds of the party was in consensus, the motion was carried.
"Can we do one more?"
"Yes, I believe so."
"Then let's finish with this."
I pulled out Durandal and had Roxanne find one last target so I could use MP Absorption. Once my MP was nearly full, we warped directly from the Vale Labyrinth to the Zabil Adventurer Guild.
My MP dropped significantly—visibly more than it had this morning. At this rate, it would be better to stop by a labyrinth and recover MP on the spot whenever I returned from a long-distance jump. Bringing Roxanne had been the right move.
But wait... why was the drain worse than this morning? Quratar was supposed to be further from Zabil than Vale. This wasn't like a plane where a jet stream could assist travel. East or west shouldn't matter.
The only logical conclusion was that MP consumption changed based on the number of people being warped. I hadn't been able to test it since I’d mostly traveled alone before Roxanne. If MP scaled with the party size, then bringing both of them along was actually a mistake.
Oh well. Too late now. I found the stationed adventurer from earlier.
"Is the flight to Pelmask still available?"
"Ah, you're back. Yes, you're the third person so far. The noon bell should ring any second. We leave once it does."
He meant "third customer." A party can hold six people, and since the adventurer takes up one slot, he can carry five passengers. It seemed to be a first-come, first-served system.
"You two stay here for a moment," I told the girls, disbanding the party. Sherry immediately headed toward the notice boards to kill time.
The noon bell tolled.
"Alright, everyone bound for Pelmask, gather around. That’ll be five silver coins."
I paid the fee and stepped into the warp.
"Welcome to Pelmask," a representative announced upon our arrival. "Please note that all buildings in this city, excluding the Adventurer Guild, utilize Shielding Cement. Field Walk is only functional within this guild. To enter the city proper, you must undergo an Intelligence Card check by the Council's knights and pay an Entry Tax of one silver coin. While you are free to roam the city, taking Pelmask residents outside is strictly forbidden. Assisting them in leaving is a severe criminal offense. Also, currency exchange is required for copper coins here."
What a high-maintenance city.
I immediately warped from Pelmask back to Zabil. Normally, an adventurer would try to find passengers for the return trip, but since I’d followed the guy who just brought us here, I didn't want to interfere with his business.
My MP dropped again, noticeably so. The distance between Pelmask and Zabil was likely shorter than between Zabil and Quratar, but it was still a trek. Doing the full circuit—Pelmask to Zabil to Quratar—was going to be exhausting. I’d have to be careful about the MP costs, especially when not in a party.
I re-formed the party with Roxanne and Sherry just as the adventurer who’d taken me to Pelmask returned. He stepped out of the wall alone; it seemed there were no travelers heading back to Zabil.
"How much do mirrors usually go for in Pelmask?" I asked him.
"Mirrors? Depends on the size, but they aren't cheap."
"I figured."
"They don't really sell plain mirrors. They’re all ornate, decorated with jewels and such. Depending on the craftsmanship, the price can be astronomical. You can find small ones, like pendants, but even those are made of gold or silver. You’d better be prepared to pay in gold coins."
That made sense. You couldn't really decorate the mirror glass itself without ruining the reflection, so the value was added to the frame. By turning them into high-end jewelry and luxury goods, the city could support its goldsmiths and lapidaries alongside its mirror-makers. It was a clever business model for a world without free-market competition.
I led the girls to a quiet corner of the guild.
"Sherry, open your Item Box."
"Yes, Master."
I had her open the box and transferred five gold coins and five rows of silver coins (fifty total). She was already carrying our stock of Antidote, Nourishing, Softening, and Anti-Paralysis Pills. I also gave Roxanne and Sherry one silver coin each for the Entry Tax.
"I’m going to take you both to Pelmask. These silver coins are for the tax. Use the money in the Item Box to buy two mirrors if you can. One is for us to use at home. You’ll be the ones using it, so pick something you like. If you can only afford one, that’s fine. If you can only find tiny pendants, you don't have to buy anything at all. We’ll figure it out."
"Are you not coming with us, Master?" Roxanne asked.
"I have... things to do," I said, being vague.
Because of the Intelligence Card check, I couldn't enter the city. An "Explorer" suddenly appearing in the Adventurer Guild’s warp point would be impossible to explain. I had to leave the shopping to them.
"This is a lot of money to carry..." Sherry said, looking nervous.
"It’ll be fine. I trust you, Sherry. There won't be a problem."
The thought of them running off with the money crossed my mind, but if I couldn't trust them with this, I’d never be able to trust them with high-end equipment either. I couldn't spend my whole life hovering over them.
"I... I understand. Thank you."
"I’ll give you about an hour. I’ll keep the party active, so you’ll know when I’m back in the Pelmask Adventurer Guild. Even if you haven't found anything by then, come back to the guild once I return."
If I hung around the Pelmask guild too long, I’d look suspicious. I needed to disappear for a while. Besides, waiting was boring. With the party active, I could tell roughly where they were.
I stepped through the wall of the Zabil guild and warped to Pelmask.
My MP plummeted. The drain was significantly worse than the return trip I’d just made.
No, it wasn't just my imagination. It was a massive drop. Party members definitely increased the MP cost of Field Walk. Either that, or my own low stats were making the cost disproportionately high.
"Well then, we shall be off, Master."