Another flaw Lucas observed was the lack of unity.
Despite being bound by common genes and physiological feaures, the human community was not united! Not by a long shot. There were apparently three separate human nations that were as diverese and as different as day was from night, and night from dusk. Lucas observed gleefully that the only common denominator between the three nations was their energetic and almost pathological love for defensive and offensive tactical military strength.
This was the hallmark of their existence. And they bore no shame about it.
Lolita, who had been watching him observe just about everything, walked up to his side and whispered in his ear a single word; "Cisla Empire."
He cocked his head towards her and raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"That is the name of this country. I noticed you were snooping around, and trying to figure it out."
"Was I that obvious?"
"You were. Try as much as you can to keep a low profile and not stand out. It's always best not to cause ripples in still waters."
"Oh you don't have to worry about that, I assure you."
The other two girls had noticed them talking and drew near.
"So what's the plan here Lolita?"
The elf girl pointed to a remote location ahead and spoke softly; "We hunt. There are some precious beasts we could take down and earn a handsome reward. That should keep us occupied for a while."
The other girls did not protest.
Lucas shuddered inwardly. Once again, he was reminded of exactly what kind of place he was. As a warrior, he had already made it his mantra not to kill wantonly. He always preferred to take the peaceful and less violent route. But it was looking like violence would be hard to avoid in this isekai.
Trying his best not to sound craven, he cleared his throat and chipped in;
"Isn't there some other way we could make good money? Perhaps some establishment of sorts?"
It had not even occurred to the girls that Lucas might be averse to hunting and killing beasts. After his extravagant display of force back at the castle, they assumed he was a mindless killer, and would therefore be on board for a hunting expedition.
"Well, there's a handful of industries in this town. But they're pretty small scale. What are you thinking?"
"I say we move to a bigger town with more opportunities. There, there's a greater chance that providence will grace our hands. Where's the next major town? and how far are we?"
Catherine answered; "The capital city Trissis. It's about six days on foot."
"Seven hells!" he cursed.
"But by horse-drawn carriage, we could easily make it in three days or less."
Obviously relieved, Lucas sighed. "Catherine, next time, maybe lead with that first okay? Great. Carriage it is then! Where do we get hold of one?"
Just as the vampire girl had stipulated, it took them exactly three days to get to Trussis. Cooped up in a horse-drawn carriage for seventy-six hours on end, the journey was a tedious one. But on arrival, Lucas immediately concluded that it had been worth it.
The capital city was a thousand miles more glamorous than the shanty town they had just left. It was the eptiome of medieval architecture and style. In size, it occupied the same land mass as the secdond tier city where Lucas had previously lived. One look at it, and Lucas knew that choosing to come here had been the right move.
Resisting the urge to rub his palms together, he charged them;
"Alright ladies, I'm pretty sure you all agree with me whenI say that if there was ever a place to make money, Trissis is the perfect place."
The gleam in their eyes told Lucas that they were excited to be here. Lolita confirmed it;
"We never get to make it all the way here! Trissis always seemed to out of reach! Like a distant fairytale!"
"Indeed! If it were not for you, we would have never considered coming here." They were all visibly excited. For a bunch of demi-human girls who were used to hunting beasts and looking after aristocrats for a living, this was a real adventure for them.
The carriage had dropped them off and they were now in the midst of the city, surrounded by wonderful delights and captivating stalls with even more captivating wares. Lolita's eyes were transfixed on a certain street side stall that sold skewered lizard kebabs. They sizzled under the glowing red coals, and sent off a strong inviting scent that went straight to her head.
She found herself reaching out to take one when a fat grubby hand grabbed her;
"My friend what do you think you're doing?!" It was the store owner, a thick, round fleshy man with an apron tied around his waist. "Pay me first and you can have whatever you want girl!"
"Oh no, I am just looking, thanks." she stammered pitifully.
The man's eyes flared dangerously; "Off you go! Get out of here at once!! You elvin scum!!"
Lucas watched with horror as the scene unfolded before his very eyes. He realized that he was witnessing for the first time the discrimination against non-human races. Moved, he approached the disgraced Lolita and touched her head affectionately, ignoring the hosility of the kebab vendor. It was the only humane thing he could do.
"It's okay Lolita. Come now, let's leave this place...come on..."
The four of them weaved their way through the city and arrived at one of the largest chess domes in the capital city. The sheer majesty of it made Lucas forget all about the nastiness from a few minutes before. Staring at the magnificent structure, he allowed himself to get lost in it's simple, and yet archictectural brilliance.
As he had expected, Lucas observed that there were many rooms where one could place bets. He was glad to see that gambling was one of the many vices that transcended the barriers of time and worlds.
Walking through and observing, he noticed a major disparity between these chess rooms and the typcial casinos back in his world- people could actually place bets on which side of the table would win as well as participate on skill.
After a relatively short tour of the place, Lucas decided to settle for one of the chess rooms that tickled his fancy. This particular one had several tables with multiple players on bothsides. And of course, they were surrounded by a sea of greedy eyed gamblers looking to make a killing.
He walked up to the counter, and introduced himself to the manager.
"Hi there, I am a chess player and I am looking to play a match with a worth opponent. Do you think you could hook me up with a nice table?"
The manager in turn welcomed him warmly. When he saw the three ladies behind Lucas, he immediately assumed this was probably some rich slaver looking to gamble.
"Of course sir, if you would follow me, I've got the perfect group for you on our rooster!"
It was almost impossible not to miss the glint of savage greed in the eye of the manager. Despite how much he tried to mask it with the sweet and suave tone of a hospitable host, Lucas had no problem seeing right through it.
The four of them maneuvered through a host of seemingly endless rows and rows of gaming tables. A thick musk of incense, and body sweat saturated the atmosphere. This was the signature scent of a true gambling den. The exoctic experience was further augmented by the knowledge that this was a completely world.
Finally, the group arrived at a section filled with younger men. Men like Lucas. Their eyes had the same crafty alertness of crooks and men of the night. Behind him, Lucas could sense just how uncomfortable the ladies were. He could not blame them. It was pretty ironic, they would have preferred to be in the jungle hunting wild beasts than here with a bunch of witty young men.
But alas, money had to be made. And he very much preferred not to bloody his hands while he earned.
Without waiting for an invitation, Lucas pulled back a chair and sat down calmly. It was a power move. No greetings or pleasantries, just straight to business. The manager smiled quirkly to himself and quietly excused himself from the scene.