After walking for a while, I could see what looked like a city in the distance.
"Oh, is that the city Owen-san was talking about?"
"Woof."
"Buhi."
Since I finally arrived in the city of the other world, I walked a little faster and approached the city. Then I saw a line of people standing in front of what looked like a huge castle gate, which is something I don't see very often in Japan. Maybe they were doing something like an inspection.
When I tried to get in line as well with the others, for some reason, I got a lot of stares. For a moment, I thought Night and Akatsuki were being watched, but after seeing those two, for some reason, they looked at me and were surprised to see me, so the cause must be me.
Did I wear something weird? I thought I shouldn't scare them, so I took off my [Bloody War Demon Series] armor and put on the shirt and pants that Sage-san left for me. However, everyone just came to look at it and didn't do anything in particular, so I decided not to worry about it anymore.
On the other hand, I also observed the people around me and was very surprised to see someone coming in a carriage.
"I've seen the carriage that Lexia-san was riding in, but that time I saw it from a distance. It's quite impressive to see it up close. I've never ridden in a rickshaw or anything like that, but then again, you don't get to see or ride a horse-drawn carriage very often on Earth."
While observing other people without being rude, I was surprised to find someone with specific features that startled me to the point where my eyes widened because that person has some kind of animal ears growing on his head!
What is that? Cat ears? No, dog ears? Whatever, but still, it's incredible. And when I looked closer, I saw that he even has a tail! Maybe it's not uncommon in this other world, but people don't seem particularly surprised to see such people. Well, even in Japan, if you go to Akiba, you'll find people wearing cat ears, but those things are just fake.
Even though we haven't even entered the city of this other world yet, my excitement is already quite high. As I was spending the normally unenjoyable waiting time without worrying about anything at all, it was finally my turn.
"Yes, the next one…?"
"U-um… what's wrong?"
When I go in front of a man in armor who looks like an official, he looks at me and is surprised to see me the same way as the others while I'm waiting.
"No, I'm sorry. I'm just a little surprised, that's all. Now, do you have any identification or anything else on you?"
"Huh?"
IDs…?
…..
I don't have oneeeee! No, if I think about it again, that's right, that! I mean, you need a passport to go abroad! I've never been elsewhere before! I don't know if I'm going to get caught if I don't have it, but I have my student ID card… no, that's a no-no!
In contrast to me, who was very impatient, the official said with a smile.
"By the looks of it, you don't have any. If you don't have it, you don't have to worry."
"R-really?"
"Yeah. But you're going to have to cooperate with me on the reason for coming to this city and a little inspection, but once that's done, I'll let you into the city."
Thank goodness! I was at a considerable loss! I thought this was the end of my life here! I was deeply relieved, and the official laughed again when he saw that.
"You don't have to be that nervous, though. Now, first of all, can you tell me your name and why you're here in this town?
"Ah, I'm Tenjou Yuuya. The reason is, it's simply for tourism."
Yeah, I'm pretty sure we're going to do some sightseeing. I really need to leave right away to head to the royal capital, but we can look around for a bit.
"I see… by the way, are those two animals your companions?"
"Oh, yes. This is Night, and this is Akatsuki."
"Woof."
"Buhi."
They both raise one hand in greeting as I introduce them.
"They're pretty smart, aren't they? Well, I suppose it won't be a problem to get them into the city. Now, now that we've got that out of the way, would you mind touching this crystal?"
That said, the one presented to me was a round crystal that looked like something a fortune teller might use. I'm not sure, but since it was supposed to be an inspection, I touched the crystal without any hesitation.
Then the crystal immediately glowed blue.
"Blue… there is no criminal record… All right, you are permitted to stay in this city. I hope you enjoy your stay."
Apparently, he was able to confirm whether I was a criminal or not. That crystal can tell you if you've committed a crime or not… what a useful tool. If we had that on Earth, the number of false convictions would decrease. Even so, it's still convenient; the other world is really amazing.
While admiring such things, we were able to enter the city safely.
＊＊＊
"Well, now that we've got it in safely, I'd like to get some money somewhere soon."
I'm a tourist, but I don't have enough money for sightseeing.
"I hope to find a place where I can sell my Japanese items."
I took out one pepper and tried to check it with [Identification].
[Pepper] :: Pepper from Earth. The quality is better than the pepper from the other world, and the value of this one bottle in the different world is about five gold coins. When selling it in the merchants' guild, if you want to negotiate, you should start negotiating at about 15 gold coins and sell it at around 5-10 gold coins.
"It's a more detailed explanation than I expected!"
And it even tells me the selling price? Isn't this too excellent? I do not know for sure, but the [Identification] skill gave me more answers than I was looking for.
I don't know how much this thing called a gold coin is worth in this world's money, but it's very helpful. And it even includes the place to buy it, which I wanted to know the most right now. Apparently, there is an organization called the merchant's guild, and I can sell it there.
"Okay, Night, Akatsuki, let's go to the Merchant's Guild!"
"Woof."
"Buhi."
However, since I don't know anything about this area, I approached the soldier at the gate and asked him for directions. The soldier who was standing at the gate seemed to be acting like the police on Earth, and he showed me the way in a polite manner, which was very helpful.
Then we went down the road we were told, and we saw a beautiful wooden building. There are many carriages and people busily coming and going with wagons and loads of cargo, I thought vaguely that this is the center of the logistics of the city or something.
As we walked into the neat and clean building, we were met with many of the same stares as we had been waiting to enter the city. I felt a little uncomfortable, but as I looked around inside, I saw what looked like a receptionist's office, so I headed there.
"Um, excuse me."
"Y-yes! Can I help you?"
The woman at the reception desk looks at me in surprise and then immediately responds with a sales smile.
"Err, I actually have something I'd like to sell…"
"Huh … with all due respect, is this your first time dealing with the merchant guild?"
"Yes. I'm actually new to this city, and I don't have any money on hand, so I thought I'd sell what I could for now."
The receptionist nodded in understanding at my words.
"Very well. Then I need you to register with the merchant's guild first before you can make a sale or anything else, is that alright?"
Yes, here they are. Registration. I hope it doesn't cost me anything…
I ask a question despite my anxiety.
"Does it cost any money, or is there any inconvenience for registering in any way?"
"No, there are no fees. Also, when you belong to a [Guild], you will be issued with an identification card, and above all, each guild will provide you with some accommodations. However, there are cases where misbehaving people are expelled from the guild, but in general, there is no inconvenience."
I see, so there are no particular disadvantages to registering with the guild, huh? And it's very helpful to know that they'll issue me an ID card.
"Also, a [Guild] is an organization that exists in each country and is not interfered with by the country. Of course, since we have branches in each country, we will abide by the laws of that country and cooperate with them in case of emergencies, but we can prevent unreasonable interference from the country."
"Ooh."
I couldn't help but raise my voice, but an organization called [Guild] is amazing. On the contrary, it's very troublesome to make enemies with an organization like that… Well, I don't intend to do anything terrible, so I think it's okay, but I'm a little afraid.
More importantly, from what I've heard, it's obviously only beneficial to register, and if I can't sell the pepper without registering, then it's no use.
"Thank you for the explanation. Then can I ask you to register me with the guild?"
"Very well. Now, please fill this out."
That said, what was handed to me was a strange paper made of a different material from the paper I usually use. It's hard to write on it because it's so rough… And the pen is also a quill pen… wait a minute, I've never used a quill pen before.
What? Can I just dip it in this ink…?
Although I struggled with the unfamiliar paper and pen, I managed to finish filling out the form. The content was only to write my name and hometown, but I had a problem with my hometown, not to mention my name.
Well, I ended up writing "Japan".
"It's done."
"Yes… Yuuya-sama, isn't it? Is this place called "Japan" the name of your country?"
"Yes. It's a small island nation in the east."
It was on Earth, though.
"I see, I thought you were from this continent. If the continent is different, there are places that don't have a merchant guild. Anyway, it looks like there's no problem, so this completes the registration. This is your guild card."
What was handed to me was a plate made of a material that was probably iron. There was only one name and one star engraved on it.
"That guild card of yours, I believe it has a star engraved on it. That star indicates your rank within the guild, and the one-star qualifies you as a traveling merchant, but you can't have an official shop at a stall or in the city. However, you can sell your goods through the merchants' guild. If you want to open a stall, you need two stars, and to own a shop, you need three stars."
"How can I get more of those stars?"
"The Merchant's Guild increases the number of stars for your contributions to the guild. When you own a stall or shop, a percentage of the sales will go to the merchants' guild. And for those with one star, the amount of money you sell directly to the guild will be converted into a contribution, so you will be able to raise your contribution to three stars without too much difficulty. However, from the four-star level onwards, the criteria for judging is more stringent because it requires trust as a merchant, a track record of sales channel development, and the release of new products."
I see…well, I don't have a problem with the qualification of being a traveling merchant, so I don't need to think about it too much.
"Well, it's a long story, but may I see what you would like to sell, Yuuya-sama?"
"Oh, yes."
I said and took out some pepper from the item box. Then, for some reason, the receptionist opened her eyes and was surprised.
"Ah, [Item Box] holder…"
"Excuse me?"
"Huh? I-I'm sorry! It's very rare to see someone with the [Item Box] skill… but to be able to use [Item Box] is a huge advantage for a merchant! Yuuya-sama is very fortunate to be a merchant!"
"R-really?"
Oh, no. I didn't think [Item Box] was such a rare skill… But it's not like there's no one else who has it, so it's okay, right?
As I was thinking about that, the receptionist looked at the pepper that was handed to me and shouted…
"Eh… eeeeeeeeeeeehh!"
I was greatly surprised. When I was startled by the receptionist's astonishing voice, the receptionist immediately bowed his head.
"I-I'm very sorry! I've never seen such high-quality pepper and… most importantly, such a beautiful bottle…"
"I-is that so?"
I knew that Earth's pepper was of high quality. But, I guess the bottle is rare, too.
"Excuse me, how many of these items do you have?"
"Eh? Uh… I have about ten right now, but if you give me time, I can still get them ready as well, you know?"
"I-I see… excuse me, I'll have to check with the guild master in a moment."
The receptionist bowed and then opened the door behind her and went away.
I mean, what's a guild master?
"Hmm… is this more valuable than I expected?"
"Woof?"
"Buhi?"
The way Akatsuki and Night tilted their heads was adorable, and I immediately relaxed by them.
By the way, I found out later that the receptionist here seems to be using a special magic tool, which works to prevent other people from recognizing the conversation between the receptionist and the merchant.
It is said that thanks to this, the receptionist's surprise and the communication between us is unknown to the people around us. They say that information is vital for a merchant, and the tools of this world are handy. The baths are taken care of every time. [T/n: I'm not sure what this bath is about.]
As I waited in a daze for a while, a gentleman-like elderly man with white hair and a neatly trimmed white beard, as well as the receptionist from earlier, appeared.
"Is that him?"
"Yes! Yuuya-sama, thank you for waiting. This is Reinhardt-san, who is in charge of this merchant's guild."
"Hello. I am Guildmaster Reinhardt."
"Hello. My name is Tenjou Yuuya."
"Fumu… that's an odd-sounding name. Tenjou… is that your name?"
"Ah, no! Yuuya is my name, and Tenjou is my… last name? Or a Family name?"
How do I explain this? And if I think about it, people over here and Japanese names are reversed in order. I felt foreign countries have the same name format as this world, right?
For some reason, I was quite rude in answering the question with a questioning form, but Reinhardt-san didn't mind it.
"Hahahahaha! You are quite an interesting boy. And I've never heard of this "Japan" country… I often visit this continent as well as other places in my profession, but where is it located?"
"Well… it's a small island nation in the east."
"I see… umu. You seem to be of a higher class from what I can see."
"No, no, no! I'm just a civilian."
I'm a high-class person; you said… if we talk about a high-class person on Earth, it must be Kaori and people like that. Besides, as someone who also sees the real princess, Lexia-san, I would be embarrassed if someone called me a high-class person.
When I was thinking about that, for some reason, both Reinhardt-san and the receptionist widened their eyes and were surprised.
"I-I see. So you're not a nobleman then?"
"Yeah? Rather, what made you think that?"
I asked that as a pure question, but Reinhardt-san and the receptionist just looked at each other and smiled bitterly.
"U-umu…. well, is it common for nobles to hide their status? If you say you're a commoner, then we'll let it be that way."
"Huh?"
Huh? I don't know why, but am I under suspicion? And he said I was an aristocrat. When I made a dumbfounded expression, Reinhardt-san took the pepper I brought with me.
"T-this is…! …Yuuya-kun, do you really want to hide your identity?"
"As I said, I'm a commoner!"
As I thought, they suspected me! I mean, whether I'm a nobleman or not. Well, I'm sure there are many ways to be suspected in this world, but being mistaken for a nobleman doesn't happen very often, does it?
When I think about it, it's a surprisingly valuable experience for me, isn't it?
But if I had to lie, wouldn't it be better to lie and pretend to be an aristocrat instead of saying I'm a commoner? What's the sad thing about having to appeal as a commoner? No, I'm a small citizen, but I'd be an imposing man too if I could.
Then Reinhardt-san and the others said, "Don't worry, you want to hide your identity, don't you? I see, I see". I can't say anything since they give me a very warm gaze. Regardless, Reinhardt-san looked at the pepper and the pepper bottle from various angles for a while, and eventually, let out a sigh.
"Sigh… I think I've dealt in a variety of products over the years, but I've never seen a pepper of such high quality. Moreover, there are nine more like this at the moment, and I heard that you could prepare them again if we give you time… are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Fumu…"
Reinhardt-san looked thoughtful for a moment, then he told the receptionist something and had her bring out a large leather bag.
"Well, this pepper… I'll buy it all for 100 gold coins."
"100 gold coins! …How much is that?"
Reinhardt-san and the others shrugged at my question. I'm sorry for being ignorant. Nevertheless, when I looked it up in [Identification], it said that it should sell for between 5-10 gold coins, but that's the highest amount I could sell for.
I don't know how it came to such an appraisal result, but as someone who wants money now, I'm grateful.
"I-I see. It's not surprising that you don't know the value of the coins since you are not from this country, but let me briefly explain then, there are four types of coins in this country, in order of lower value: copper, silver, gold, and white gold coins. Also, 100 copper coins = one silver coin, and so on, so that 100 lower coins equal one upper coin."
Oh, that's easy to understand.
"And in this country, it takes about five gold coins for the average family of four to live unencumbered for a year… which means you now have enough money to live without working for about twenty years."
"….."
What did he just say? A family of four can live with five gold coins for a year? And I can live without working for twenty years? But that's with a family of four, and if I'm alone, that's one gold coin and a little more in a year…
In other words, I don't have to work for about a hundred years.
…..
"Eh… eeeeeeeeeeeehh!"
This time I was greatly surprised.
"It's not that surprising, is it? I'm sure you're used to handling a lot of money like this."
"Of course not!"
Sure, I got a lot of money on Earth thanks to the other world's drop items, but as a former poor man, I still get confused when I'm faced with a lot of money! At this rate, I don't know how long I'll be able to break out of my little citizenship!
"That's okay. For now, Yuuya-kun will be upgraded to three stars with this sale."
"Eh?!"
Even though I'm already full when it comes to 100 gold coins, I didn't expect to get a guild rank increase here. Then the receptionist who was surprised collected the guild card that had just been issued from me and went through some procedures.
"The requirement to become a two-star is to sell one gold coin, and the requirement to become a three-star is to sell ten gold coins. And I think you've already received a brief explanation from the receptionist… The requirement to become a four-star is an achievement. But in addition to that, there's a condition that the number of transactions must reach 50 gold coins. …You have just registered and do not yet have the trust and so on required as a merchant, but since you have met the 50 gold coin requirement, as soon as you get that achievement, you will be able to become a four-star."
I see… and even so, I never thought I'd be ranked up to three stars in one fell swoop from the first day of registration.
I don't have any plans at the moment, but with this, I've obtained the right to own not only a stall in the other world, but also the right to own a regular store.
"Is that all that's left to buy?"
Reinhardt-san asks me that while handing me a guild card with two more stars on it while I'm stunned.
When I came back to myself with those words, I remembered the matter of the map.
"Ah, y-yes. That purchase is all I need for now, but… do you have a map to the royal capital or something like that for sale?"
"Hmm? A map… to the royal capital, do you have something to do in the royal capital?"
"Yes. I have an acquaintance in the royal capital, and I'm going to go see them, but I don't know the way, so I thought I'd buy one if I could."
When I said that, Reinhardt-san and the receptionist looked at each other and told me, looking a little awkward to say.
"Uh… that, Yuuya-kun. I don't know how it is in your country, but it is basically forbidden to make or sell maps in this country."
"Eh!? I-is that so?"
When I was surprised by the unfamiliar rule that maps are not allowed to be made, the receptionist replied instead of Reinhardt-san.
"If the map is handed over to the enemy, there is a possibility that they will read our movements. That's why it's only the military that makes the maps."
"I-I see…"
It was a reason I, who had never experienced war, could not understand. Indeed, if detailed maps and other information were handed over to the enemy, they would use those maps as a reference to place their armies, and there would be a chance that the movements of this side would be anticipated.
"However, there are adventurers and merchants making maps under the cover since the country can't control them completely. Well, if they are exposed, it would be a serious matter, so I wouldn't recommend it. It's a death sentence at worst."
"Death!?"
A death sentence… if I think about it carefully, I don't know anything about the laws of this world, and it would be horrible if I were breaking the law in any way, so I should look into the law as early as possible. But I don't have time for that this time…!
"If the map you need is the one used by the military, then if you're lucky, you may be able to buy that map for a very high price from the military. Nevertheless, it's not something to worry about, since you can always earn money if you don't take such a big gamble and make a steady income."
"Y-you're right."
"Oh, and if you plan on being an adventurer as well, remember that dungeon maps are allowed to be made and sold."
"Dungeon?"
Is there such a thing in this world?
"Yeah. The information inside the dungeon is the property and lifeline of the adventurer. Buying and selling that information is not forbidden, and if anything, there are merchants who specialize in selling maps of a dungeon's interior."
As expected of a different world, there seems to be a lot of professions that I don't know about.
"Anyway, no one can buy the maps since it's forbidden to create or sell them outside of dungeon maps."
"I understand."
But what on earth is going on…
Owen-san says that the road from this city to the royal capital is a straight one… While I was wondering how to get to the royal capital, the receptionist gave me some advice.
"Um, if you're going to go to the royal capital, why don't you use the rideshare carriage that regularly leaves from the rear gate?"
"Rideshare carriage?"
"Yes. It's a carriage that goes out to the royal capital at regular intervals, but if you're registered with the merchant's guild, you can ride it for cheap, and with this, you can definitely get to the royal capital without a map!"
"Yes. Besides, there will be adventurers sitting in the rideshare carriage as bodyguards, so it's a safe option."
"I see…"
I knew there were things that served the same role as buses and taxis, but if they actually existed, there was no reason not to use them. Besides, if there's an adventurer in the form of an escort, it certainly seems safe.
Like the fact that I was surprised by the amount of pepper money, traveling alone in a strange place, even by earthly standards, is dangerous. And there are monsters on the highways, that's precisely the point. For those who have no way to fight, it would be a relief to have an adventurer.
"Well then, I'll take that rideshare carriage."
"Oh, yes, you should. They'll be leaving in about thirty minutes, so you'd better get there a little early."
Thanks to the skill [Language Comprehension], it was converted into 30 minutes in my brain… Is this world's sense of time the same?
After receiving directions to the rear gate and the means of transportation, I greeted Reinhardt-san and the receptionist and left the merchant's guild.