As the end of the school year approached, the holidays were about to begin. As usual, I was acing all the tests, which was crucial as it directly related to my scholarship for joining the academy. Even though I could afford the tuition now, it was always nice to get some discount.
Earlier, Bernard came over to my house to discuss plans for the end of the year. He knew my vacation was coming up, and considering I would have two months off, he thought it would be the perfect time to visit the capital of Solaris. As soon as I heard this suggestion, I got extremely excited. I had always been curious about the capital, and this would be a great opportunity to explore it.
And finally, the time came for me to visit the capital. However, it wasn't just a leisure trip. Bernard planned to introduce me to the leader of the Merchant's Guild, which would be extremely advantageous for my future. Although my parents were initially hesitant, they eventually gave in when I begged them. I understand that from their perspective, it must be like country folks going to the city for the first time, so I imagine they're quite nervous.
"Is something wrong, Ren?"
As Bernard was getting ready to climb onto the carriage, he asked me the question. We were standing at the city gate, ready to depart, while my parents and sister were already settling inside the carriage. Looking back, a wave of loneliness hit me. Although I knew I wouldn't be away for long, once I joined the academy, I would be residing in the institution's dormitories, which gave me a peculiar feeling.
"It's nothing"
As I uttered those words, I made my way to where Bernard was and climbed into the carriage. Upon entering, I noticed he was watching me but seemed reluctant to say something. I decided to simply ignore that fact and settled into my seat.
"Alright then, let's go"
After he said that, the lizard began to move, pulling the carriage. Surprisingly, it was honestly a bit faster than I expected, although still considerably slower than modern cars. If we were using cars or motorcycles, we would probably reach the capital in less than a day. As that thought crossed my mind, another doubt arose.
(It's quite common in stories to see carriages being targeted by robbers during the journey between cities)
I thought, recalling adventures in tales and stories that depicted such situations. With that thought in mind, I decided to approach Bernard and ask him about this issue.
"Bernard, is there any risk of us being robbed during this trip?"
Expressing my concern, I posed the question to Bernard. He looked at me intently and immediately seemed to have realized something important.
"That reminds me... this is your first time outside the city, isn't it? Your parents didn't tell you about this?"
Upon hearing Bernard's question, I turned my gaze towards my parents, searching for some information or an answer.
"To be honest, we don't know much about how this works either since we've never left Maine before, as there was never a need"
My mother responded, directing her gaze towards me. As this conversation took place, I noticed Anna was marveling at the view outside, which reminded me that this was her first time leaving Maine as well.
"Well, usually, this road is pretty safe, so the risk of being robbed is low. However, at certain stops along the way, there are checkpoints with guards who watch the roads"
As he pointed to something further ahead, Bernard said.
"Look over there"
As we approached, it became clear what it was, a little wooden house with an open window in the front. The house was painted in white and blue colors. As we passed by, I noticed a man sitting inside, wearing a blue uniform. To be honest, it looked somewhat like a military uniform.
We continued our journey for a while longer until the sun began to set. At that point, it became evident that it would be impractical to continue the trip as we needed rest. It seemed like Bernard was having the same thought as me.
"Alright, let's rest tonight. We'll continue tomorrow morning"
Bernard drove his cart to a small creek. As soon as we parked, he walked towards the lizard and started petting the animal. Meanwhile, my father, Bernard, and I set up our tents. Shortly after, we began preparing lunch. Anna, as always, was excited about all the activities as everything was still quite new to her.
During this short period of our journey, I discovered another interesting piece of information. Apparently, these lizards can go up to a week without eating as long as they have access to plenty of water. That probably explains why Bernard prefers using lizards instead of horses for long trips. Realizing I was lost in thought about the matter, Bernard intervened and said.
"The only exceptions are the royal horses. They are bred using special methods to be able to withstand nearly as long without eating as the lizards"
Listening to Bernard's words, I nodded in agreement. However, I quickly switched to another subject that intrigued me.
"By the way, who is the leader of the merchants' guild?"
Upon hearing my question, a strange smile appeared on Bernard's face before he replied.
"Well, I guess you wouldn't know since you've never left Maine"
Bernard answered, placing his hand on his chin as if contemplating the matter.
"The leader of the merchants' guild is the younger sister of the king of Solaris"
Hearing Bernard's words, I was quite confused. If we were talking about the king's sister, wouldn't she be the princess? I couldn't really comprehend why she would be leading the merchants' guild. Perhaps sensing my confusion, Bernard let out a soft laugh before saying.
"Don't think too much about it, actually, the reason is quite simple"
Bernard said, trying to dispel my confusion.
"For her, the world revolves around money, so she decided to work in something directly involved in commercial and financial transactions"
As I gazed at the horizon, Bernard spoke those words. Hearing him, my mind pondered on the sincerity of this person's desires. After the fruitful conversation with Bernard, we put out the fire and prepared to sleep. Unfortunately, there were no sleeping bags in this world, so sleeping on the ground with just a cloth was not very comfortable. The next day, we were ready to depart, expecting to reach the capital by nightfall. We started our journey early in the morning. This situation raised another question in my mind – in this world, there is no such thing as clocks. I was curious to find out what methods they used to tell the time.
When I asked Bernard about it, his answer didn't surprise me that much. I had already read in books from my previous world that, in medieval times, people used similar methods to tell the time.
"We observe the position of the sun"
Bernard replied.
"Unfortunately, this method becomes ineffective when it's raining, which results in delays in business on some occasions"
Bernard sighed as he explained, but his words inspired me with a new idea. If there were no clocks in this world, perhaps I could create one. With my mind full of plans, we finally arrived at the royal capital by nightfall. A long queue formed in front of us, with several carts having the same destination as ours.