The trip to Fuhren was rather uneventful. First, they introduced themselves to the caravan manager, went to their positions, and then waited. Only once did Yue and Ivan actually have to do anything. And that was on the fifth day when a horde of over a hundred monsters decided to make an appearance.
While the other guards and folk were panicking, Yue briskly made her way to the front line. Ivan watched from afar as he cautioned everyone else to stand back. In the two weeks they spent in Brooke, it was not only Ivan who sought to improve himself. Yue, who had acquired Miledi's gravity magic, was acknowledged by the latter as someone with a great affinity for it. It'd be a waste if she didn't use that affinity for her purposes.
She spoke a fake incantation as she mustered up her mana. Seconds later clouds appeared above her, these clouds split apart as a dragon made of thunder descended. This was a composite spell, somethi8ng Yue made by combining two magics. One being lightning magic and the other gravity magic. The onlookers stared in awe as the electric dragon followed wherever she pointed. Controllability made possible using gravity magic.
It was a flashy spell Ivan was quite a fan of. And just like that hundreds of monsters were burnt to ashes in almost an instant. She ignored the questioning of the others present as she made her way to Ivan. As per instructions, she was to not leak much about herself. That includes not needing to chant, not needing magic circles, and her being a vampire. The only thing people were able to discern was that she had golden blonde hair, all the while adorning a mask similar to the man she stood beside.
Even though Ivan had created numerous artifacts that held basic functions just for testing, he made it a point to never let others see them. Especially not the greedy eyes of the merchants present. So while life was rather inconvenient these past six days it was a small price for not being eyed like treasure of the entire duration.
Indestructible cutlery, pots, and pans that don't require a flame. A tent completely insulated from the outside nature, these were of the few artifacts he had developed. Ones he knew would be greatly sought after by merchants and adventures alike, and yet he refused to ever show them. Things like these wouldn't make people think he found them, they'd immediately assume he had a way of making them.
That he held ancient magic capable of mass-producing items no one has been able to since ancient time was something no one should ever know. But in no time this little expedition of theirs came to an end. On the sixth day, they finally made it to their destination. Ivan talked with the caravan manager before getting his quest slip signed, this would prove he completed his mission.
All that was left to do was head-on in and redeem his rewards at Fuhren's adventurer's guild branch. As the large gates opened, Ivan and Yue marveled at the sights presented. The thick twenty meters walls that had encompassed the city had hindered their vision at first. Speaking simply, the city of Fuhren was split into four equal parts: the bureaucrats' quarter, the tourists' quarter, the makers' quarter, and the traders' quarter. Each quarter was rather self-explanatory.
Their goal was the adventurer's guild branch located in the bureaucrats' quarter. Yue and Ivan strolled down the streets while taking in all the sites. Its population and occupancy certainly backed up the status of which this city held. The tour ended the moment they spotted the familiar adventurer's guild mark. Together they went on to turn in their quest.
"Hello there, adventurers I assume? Humu, no need for the compliments~ Your gear was just screaming 'mercenary for hire' the moment I first laid eyes on you." What greeted them was a young and rather pretty receptionist. Though she certainly seemed to be quite free with her words.
"Ah, we just got here after guarding a caravan from Brooke. Here's my mission slip, signed by the manager himself." Ivan ignored the curt comments the girl made as he handed her the signed papers along with his status plate. After she made sure everything matched up she hit it with a stamp of her own before taking it to the back room.
It didn't take long for her to return with a sack of what seemed to be Luta.
"Here's your earning, sir! The caravan manager got here a bit earlier and even left a few good words in for you. Apparently, you and your partner were way beyond the paygrade it seems. Maa~ that'll teach me to never underestimate newbies again."
Ivan nodded to the girl's words before taking his pay, however, the moment he turned around to leave something had caught his eye.
"Hm? Oh, that. Yeah, that red quest mission has been there for a few days. Something the master of this branch strained as a very important mission. As for why there's no reward there, well he decided whoever completed the quest would be able to gain whatever they asked of him. Within the law of course."
Ivan walked up to the red sheet pinned to the wall, on it was a drawing of a young male with bluish-green eyes and short blonde hair.
"That's Will Cudeta, a nobleman's son. His family sent out a search request as he had been gone for days without a word. Our branch leader was kind of close with the guy but I'm not too sure on the specifics of their relationship. Anyways, the boy was last spotted leaving Fuhren with a group of adventurers to search the mountain range along Ur to find the cause of the increased monster activity up there. Numerous groups were sent after the boy and adventures however none ever made it back."
The girl spoke with a grave tone as she locked eyes with Ivan. "While I don't recommend for those of low rank to take on a challenge even high-rank adventurers have failed, I am in no place to hold you back. Your life is yours to do with. Should you choose to accept it, you may take on this mission."
Ivan stared back at the girl, the atmosphere becoming strained as neither showed signs of backing off. That's when Ivan inwardly thought to himself—
'What the hell was that? I was just wondering why there was a red poster on a wall full of white ones… She didn't need to drop an end of the world scenario on me. But anything I want huh…' Ivan turned to Yue as he thought this may be the perfect opportunity to get her a status plate. It was in the direction he was heading towards anyways.
From what Ivan had read the land of Ur was full to the brim of natural resources. Whether it be rare monsters or herbs and flora hard to obtain, its mountain range had it all. He had originally planned to acquire the hand of builders from Fuhren to build him a workshop in between the two locations. In fact, he was going to inspect the area right after he was done with turning in the previous quest.
"... I accept." The girl glared at Ivan's acceptance before a grin appeared on her face, she brushed her left hand through her hair as she closed her eyes.
"You're a tough kid y'know… Normally people would hesitate when accepting a quest that's taken the lives of high-rank adventurers. But I like your guts kid, no way am I gonna slap your determination…. Make sure you make it out alive… then maybe…" Ivan ignored the exaggeration of the receptionist as he snatched the quest documents out of her hands.
Without another word, he left the guild building with Yue in tow.
"... What a strange kid," Yue muttered as they headed down the street.
"But hey, thanks to her we're probably going to get you some proper identification. At least we won't need to sneak in everywhere or make excuses."
"Nn~ That'd be nice."
And so the two headed toward their next location, the makers' quarter. They went up and down the area searching for a worthy builder for their base. Going through multiple agencies to find the right team. It wasn't until they enlisted the help of someone familiar with the town that they finally made some progress.
"So, lad… You want to have us make you something on that hill beside the path that connects Fuhren and Ur?" The middle-aged man of the same height as Ivan spoke skeptically. He twisted his thick black beard with his right hand as he adjusted the magnifying glass he held in his left. Currently, the builder named Dave was inspecting the schematics of a workshop Ivan had on him.
They would often get requests by nobles to build something grand, very rarely would someone as mercenary looking as Ivan would request something be built from scratch. Dave made sure Ivan knew this project wouldn't be cheap as his group are renowned builders praised for their efficiency and craftsmanship.
"Umu~ Money is not an issue. Make your hours if you want. I just need this thing to be done within a month." Ivan stared down Dave in the eyes, he needed to show this man that he was a hundred percent serious. "I'll even pay half the cost upfront here and now."
Dave's eyes shone a dangerous glint before he extended his hand out towards Ivan. "You got yourself a deal, Paracelsus-dono. We'll get it done in two weeks. You're welcome to stop by and check on our progress. Rest assured in the name of our company we will get the job done efficiently and appropriately." With a curt bow, he turned away and already started directing his men.
Ivan left half the sum on the desk, five hundred thousand Luta. The other five hundred thousand would be kept on his person until the job was well done. He read carefully the document presented to him before signing. Besides the rest of the sum, all he had to his name now was a few thousand Luta. All of the pelts he collected from the Reisen Gorge and sea of trees had already been converted.
He just prayed that besides a status plate for Yue the guild branch leader would give them some cash as well. In any case, he'd make back what he lost once his workshop was up and running, and possibly even more.
Ivan felt Yue reassuredly pat his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, though her attempts were rather funny to him as she struggled to reach him even when tiptoed. With that, they exited the agency. Now all that was left was to make it to Ur. Complete the quest and probably hang out there for a few days at their famous inn renowned for its meals and environment. The whole town was surrounded by lakes and bodies of water glimmering beautifully under the sun.
The two rented a single horse and some tackle before leaving Fuhren. Yue was small enough to fit in his lap anyway. Ivan was rather impressed by the transportation system they had, as members of the business set up in Ur would be waiting on the other side for them to return the horse. Anyone who attempted to steal a rented horse would be tracked as a status plate was required to rent one, along with some documents that'd screw you in this world's court.
It should only take three days at this rate, even factoring rests and sleeping. It would do Ivan and Yue some good to inspect the land where their home was going to be beforehand anyways.
With this the three (including the horse) began their journey to the tourist attraction that is Ur, awaiting promises of grand food and plentiful resources.
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To Ur we go! This was a rather summed up chapter. But seeing as how it would have taken at least three separate chapters to explain all this in full depth I decided for pacing sake to combine the three into one. While I am an avid believer of show don't tell I didn't wanna bore you guys by extending events too much. With my one chapter a weekday rule it'd take forever to get anywhere. So with this I hope you accept my explanation. And of course as always I hope you enjoyed~
Off topic here but I just started playing a new eroge today and I got addicted real fast, it took all my willpower to separate myself from the game and run on over here to write. Now that I mention it I believe I've already stated that I got a lot of my inspiration for this story from another eroge. I will not divulge the name of the game but your welcome to make guesses, I'll like the comment of whoever gets it right so you guys would know.
Thanks for reading today's chapter, and have a great day/night! See you guys next time!
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