Gerald and the gang were escorted out of the royal palace and returned to the part of the city for common people. Meanwhile, Arthur nearly suffered a heart attack from all the stress and had to return to get some rest. He said his goodbyes and quickly retreated.
"Is it true? That part where the King said the Empire is going to war?" Elly suddenly asked. She seemed quite concerned. She was not the only one, though. Looking around, Gerald noticed similar expressions on all of them, and he was the only one remaining calm.
"Eh, don't worry about it!" He waved his hand dismissively, "We have plenty of time to prepare should anything actually happen."
Elly appeared to have wanted to say something more, but she eventually refrained from doing so and simply nodded slowly.
"But don't think too much about it, today is the day to have fun! Now let's go, we wasted half a day already!"
Since they wasted a few hours and it was already past noon, they decided to get something to eat first. They found a random Inn and ordered some roasted meat and a mug of sweet beer.
They chatted for a bit and laughed, although the mood was somewhat gloomier than usual in the Inn. Gerald also noticed the price of food and drink has increased, although just slightly.
As they left the Inn, the streets were a bit more crowded than usual for the middle of the day, indicating that the migration of people was already in full swing as they were in search of safety.
Auralba was a rich city since it was the capital, but still, people with shabby clothing and relatively poorer outer appearance became increasingly common. It did not take long for Gerald to notice pickpockets moving in the shadows, their trained eyes searching for potential easy victims.
With Magic Eyes he observed what others couldn't and saw many crimes happen, but he didn't show it on his face. He merely avoided it all and led his group away from potential danger.
Many thieves slipped through the crowd unnoticed, running away with the loot, but there were some that were caught by the increased guards' presence, getting beaten mercilessly and being dragged away in the dark alleys, away from public eyes.
The city remained clean, pure, and peaceful...on the surface.
"Oh! Look, a candy store!" Qiona suddenly announced her observations.
It might be considered a candy store in this world, but in Gerald's eyes, it was quite lacking. It was more of a simple bakery with sweet products than anything else.
There was dried fruit for sale and a few different honey-based candies, as well as some simple cakes and desserts.
"Chose whatever you like, it's on me!" Gerald said. While the girls were busy deciding, he also took a look through the displayed goods.
He ultimately decided on a piece of sweet lemon cake with honey and cream. It was quite refreshing and stimulated his taste buds. Although he didn't have a sweet tooth he could still appreciate the pleasant mix of sweet and sour pastry.
"Oh, oh, I want one of those! And a slice of that! And this one too, I want to try it!"
One might think that the most excited one was Qiona, but it was actually Elly! She ordered nearly every single thing they had in the shop to try out. It was almost as if she was starved for months.
Then, thinking deeper about it, Gerald realized that they didn't actually have anything sweet to eat back at home.
'Guess not everyone is like me, huh?' Gerald mused, 'But that's fine too, I'll let them enjoy themselves…'
An hour or so later, after they started to feel sick from all the sugar, Gerald decided it was best for them to leave. He didn't want to have a whole bunch of foodies puking all over the place. It would have been embarrassing.
"Okay, let's go! I have something else fun in mind, I'm sure you'll like it!" What he was talking about was visiting a tailor! It was about time for them to get a piece of uniform or something similar, to make them easily recognizable as members of the Black Onyx.
Though they weren't exactly active as members of the Guild, it was still something they took pride in.
They each had their measurements taken for a traveling cloak and Gerald handed over a piece of paper with the design he wanted to be on the back. It was basically the same as they had back at home, on the Black Onyx banner.
"Didn't you say we aren't allowed to buy anything cosmetic?" Sera questioned doubtfully. The rest also looked at him with squinted eyes.
"It's not just simple cosmetic! This is your uniform, showing you are a part of Black Onyx! Take this opportunity and tell that gentleman over there if you want anything extra on your cloak," Gerald urged.
If they wanted some special color or extra pockets on the inside, now was the time to say so. Gerald ordered a completely black leather cloak, with the edges of the crystal on his back being made of silver and purple.
The girls took his advice and contemplated their options, before deciding on a final design.
After getting measured and saying their wishes, the group left in high spirits. In about a week or so they could come back to pick up their stuff. Excitement was high among them.
They continued to stroll through the city, exploring and observing the different shops and fancy houses, all while enjoying the scenery and having fun.
Later, they returned home just as it was time for dinner and the girls went to take a hot bath to freshen up, while Gerald returned to his room.
He took off his leather gloves and tossed them on the desk and collapsed into his chair. He spent the entire day using his Magic Eyes to be on guard against any possible danger. It was exhausting. After catching his breath with closed eyes for a few minutes, he focused his gaze on his right hand, on his middle finger to be exact.
There, a simple-looking golden ring stared back at him, with thousands of tiny cyan lines running across the surface. The King's treasure. The Spatial Storage Ring!
Gerald's lips curled up slightly, into a smile, as he caressed the ring. The volume inside it was at least one hundred times bigger than one of his Golden Space Pouches, and it was way more convenient too.
The pouches could only contain items small enough to go through the opening. That's why it was impossible to store an entire beast inside and it had to be cut into smaller chunks first.
But the Ring didn't have the same problem. As long as the wielder brought it close enough, the items would just disappear into the separate storage space.
Gerald emptied all his pouches and transferred his stuff into the Ring. He then flipped his hand over and the Toothpick appeared on his palm. Then it disappeared again. And reappeared once more.
"Neat!" Gerald did this a few more times and then grinned, this ability was extremely useful! He could even materialize clothes on himself, he didn't even have to bother putting them on.
"Oh man, this is fucking awesome, it's almost like I'm in a videogame!"
***
The next morning Gerald left early. As soon as the city gates opened he was already running at full speed towards his next target, the hunting grounds! It was time for blood!