"Identification please."
We finally made it to Lam City and are now in line at its southern gate.
"Do you have a permit for the goods you are peddling?"
The guards at the gate are checking for IDs and permits for the people who want to enter the city. I initially thought that this world would be more backwards in time like the European medieval age. But through my glimpses of the city passed the gate, I could see modern looking houses and buildings. There were no sky scrapers and the biggest building I saw only had three floors.
"Next!"
It was almost our turn and for some reason, my classmates decided that I would be the leader of the group. I expected it to be the intelligent looking David or the kind-hearted Danae, but they unanimously pushed me into the role.
"Come on guys, I'm not a leader. You all just want to avoid doing the troublesome work so you're making me do it!"
Even Jeff who had the protagonist aura and mindset would do better than me.
"Well we're not that confident in our mana usage yet so we might mess up. It's better for the more experienced you to speak to the guard."
"David's right Ruby. They might find it suspicious if we start speaking a foreign language all of a sudden. Plus, you are the only one who looks like a local in our group."
Danae pointed out my clothes and my hair. I was still using the robe that I copied with my mud from those army guys. We had seen a wide variety of hair colors that people had too. We only saw one other person with black hair and that was Niko from Blake's party. My now red hair blends in with the color scheme of the locals.
"Next!"
It was now our groups turn at the guard station. The guards were all wearing armor that looked like the iron version of William's leather armor. The wielded long spears and had a face that made them very intimidating.
Name: Hamish
Job: Soldier Lv. 10
But their levels didn't impress me at all. I would be much more intimidated by those guys from the Royal Army who were all over level 20.
"Good day, Sir. My-"
"ATTENTION!"
The man at the table in front of the gate suddenly stood up and saluted while cutting me off. The surrounding soldiers soon followed afterwards.
"It's an honor to have a mage from the Royal Army grace us with her presense." He spoke to me in very courteous manner.
"Um… I think there has been a misunderstanding. I'm technically not a mage of the army. "
I sounded calm but inwardly, I am freaking out. I should have known that the robe those guys from the army wore were some kind of uniform. How careless of me. How do I solve this situation without causing a fuss…?
The guard looked at me quizzically. My heart was beating rapidly and a drop of sweat started to flow down my face. After a few seconds he knocked his right fist onto his open left hand.
"Oh! You must be a mage trainee then! My apologies. A Royal Army squadron had passed by here recently and I thought you were part of them."
Thank you for giving me a way out Mr. Guard! It seemed that William and his squad had been through this place in order to reach the dungeon we were in.
"It's nothing. I was just told by my superiors to come to this city to train and get some combat experience because I was a special case."
I noticed him using [Appraisal] on me which followed with a surprised look. I said I was special because I knew that he was going to do that. If what he saw was similar to what Albert saw, then he must think that I'm much higher leveled than him. So I gave that reason to make him think that I lacked combat experience despite being high leveled.
"Hmm. Understood. If you need any help with training, please don't hesitate to ask for assistance from the guards of the south gate of Lam City. We are the best there is when it comes to combat experience here."
Although he seemed a bit suspicious of me, he still promoted his group to me. Does he now think I'm some high ranking person from the army? Well this works to my benefit.
"I have no doubt in the capabilities of you and your men, Sir. By the way… I met these children behind me while I was on my way here. They said that they were the lone survivors from their remote village which was destroyed by monsters. Their potential isn't bad so I brought them here, hoping that they could register and become citizens of our proud and glorious Kingdom."
I gave him some lip service to lessen his suspicions of me. When he appraised the others, all of his doubts disappeared and were replaced with surprise and admiration.
"To think that such young children could already have a magic skill. Your insight is truly great. May I know how to address you Ms. Mage?"
"My name is Krim Son. Just call me Rim. That's what all my friends call me."
Since they can't see my name, I might as well go with an alias. Curse magic might exist in this world and someone can kill me just by writing my name in a notebook like that one anime I watched before. It doesn't hurt to be careful. I'm also acting familiar with this guard to build up some connections in case I run into trouble.
"Then Ms. Rim. This one is called Hamish. Allow me to welcome you and your companions to Lam City!"
He seemed happy that I was being friendly with him. He even completely forgot that I didn't show any form of identification to him.
"Thank you very much, Hamish. Do you have any recommendations for a place to stay for the night? Although I'm here for training, I'm still on a budget."
"Hmm. I know of a place. I'll have one of my men lead you there."
We quickly entered the city and were guided to an inn called, Alonia. Along the way, we were observing the city like a bunch of country bumpkins. There were various buildings that were scattered here and there. Some were even built around the large trees as foundations. This city looked like a really big countryside village from modern times. There were people and horse carriages along the wide road.
"I'll be taking my leave now, Ms. Rim."
"Thank you. Please do me a favor and hand this to Sir Hamish. Tell him it's to thank him for his hospitality."
I handed an arm bracer that I just created to the soldier and he left after saluting. It has a high defensive capability thanks to my [Physical Resistance] skill and with [Mana Absorption] it can last a long time without evaporating. Most importantly, it also lets me keep track of Hamish's general direction. I can go to him if I ever run into trouble. Hehehe.
"Well aren't you generous, 'Rim'." Danae said teasingly.
"'Krim Son'. So edgy. The name suits your new appearance." David said while pushing up his glasses.
"I had a hard time keeping a straight face. Hahahaha. You didn't look like the type of girl with eight-grade syndrome." Jeff said while leaning forward and holding his stomach.
Fran was also puffing her cheeks trying to stop herself from laughing.
"You guys are laughing now but if you get a curse placed on you because you carelessly gave out your name, I'm not helping you out! Since [Appraisal] exists, you are all out of luck. Heh." I said with slightly red cheeks. Seeing that everyone froze up at my words, I succeeded in scaring them.
Alonia was a large inn with two floors. Upon entering, we found ourselves inside the lobby with a reception desk. To the right was a dining hall where people were eating and drinking.
"Welcome! Are you here for lodging, a meal or both?" A middle aged woman at the counter greeted us.
"Hello. We were recommended here by Sir Hamish and would like to stay for the night. Meals included please." Since I was chosen to be the leader, I spoke up. We left the dungeon around noon and it was almost time for the sun to go down.
"No problem. Would you like individual rooms or-"
"Just one room that can fit all of us will suffice. We are low on budget."
"'?!'"
My classmates looked at me in surprise when I said that and wanted to protest but I ignored them. I managed to get some of the local currency from my loot but it wasn't a lot. We have to be frugal which is something I am good at.
"Ah I understand. There have been Adventurers like you guys who stayed at our inn. We have a double room that can fit four of you. The remaining person can sleep on the couch. Since you were recommended, it will only be two small silver coins for a night with dinner and breakfast included."
"That will be great. Thank you."
I handed the exact amount to the lady. This kingdom we were in used copper, silver, and gold coins for currency. Ten small copper coins is equal to one large copper coin. Every ten coins is equivalent to the higher denomination which goes from small copper, large copper, small silver, large silver, small gold, and large gold. One common magic crystal is equal to one small copper coin.
The innkeeper lady handed me a key with 201 on it.
"Your room is upstairs at the end of the hallway. Dinner will be served at sunset when the city bell rings. There is a well at the back of the inn if you need water to wash up."
We thanked the innkeeper and headed to the room. Inside were two beds, a table, a chair, a dresser, and a couch. My classmates complained to me but since I was the one who earned the money in the first place they gave up.
"I will sleep on the couch since there are three girls. Let's discuss our plans now that we are in the city."
I told them that the first thing we had to do was register at the Adventurer Guild. To survive in this world and have a chance at getting back home, we currently needed two things: information and money. The best way to earn them at the same time was through the guild.
Since everyone was tired and it was getting dark, we planned to do this first thing in the morning tomorrow.
CHAPTER END.
Name: Ruby Sen Lv. 13
Age: 17
Race: Half-Human?
Class: Half-Magical Creature
Job: - Lv. 13
HP: 10 [32%]
MP: 15 [100%]
STR: 10 (+5)
DEF: 10 (+25)
INT: 17
WILL: 15
SPD: 10
<
Assimilate
Mana Manipulation
Physical Resistance
Weaponized Limbs
Foresight
Shapeshift
Mana Absorption
<
Dissolve
Body Enhancement
Mind Enhancement
Mana Release
Sensing
Camouflage
Sculpting
Detonate
Spawn
Appraisal Analysis
Lesser Heal
Mana Coating
<
Tongue Enhancement