At that moment, as I entered the antique shop, the shop owner observed my face with a broad smile.
"Hohoho~ Here comes our esteemed customer!"
His praise seemed a bit exaggerated, and I could see a box on the table that I believed contained the remaining coins from the sale. Responding to his words, I replied with a warm smile.
"Um, does someone like the items I sold?"
"Yes, yes~ The auction price for your items reached 50 White Gold Coins! That's a fantastic price for such small items! They truly appreciate the craftsmanship of the person who made these alorjis!"
The shop owner was genuinely happy as he danced while explaining the profits he gained.
"Now, due to the substantial profit, I intend to give you an additional 20 White Gold Coins! So, the total from yesterday is 19,500 gold coins! An incredible amount! With that, you can buy a small castle!"
I smiled contently and happily in my heart, as with that amount, I already had enough capital. The reason I only received 40% was because I sold my alorji to him, which he then sold through an auction to wealthy individuals. Nevertheless, I didn't feel shortchanged because, in my opinion, getting that much money was fantastic, considering I bought the alorji on Earth for only about 50 silver coins through thrifting.
"The amount of money is too large, so please be careful..."
The shop owner's final words before handing over the box. When I opened it, it contained white gold coins surrounded by gold coins. Just by looking at it, I could tell that the gold was genuine; it seemed the shop owner kept his promise.
"Alright, I'm pleased to do business with you..."
I said while offering a business handshake. The shop owner welcomed my hand with both of his hands and shook it.
"Yes, that's how it is."
Afterwards, I chatted with him for a while, while Ken, as my guard, did not survey the shop as he should have. He truly understood his mission and remained vigilant; since then, he had been silently following me.
Once I felt I had conversed enough with him and obtained various information I desired, I bid him farewell to continue the journey after releasing the blood contract.
/--/
Takeru and Ken exited the antique shop, and as they started to move away from the shop, as anticipated by Takeru, things would not go smoothly. Since Ken had his gold box, when they had moved far enough, Takeru decided to put it into the Inventory to prevent his identity from being known through the skill. Hence, he needed to find a safe place to use his ability.
After placing the gold box into his Inventory space, Takeru and Ken immediately set out towards the kingdom's border. However, before that, Takeru had to deal with these shady characters first. They couldn't let a young man carrying a significant amount of money in his pocket roam freely, could they?
/-/
I bought two horses from a farm whose information I obtained from the previous antique shop owner. After checking their needs and making them look like travelers' horses, we were ready to depart.
"Sir, may I deal with those people?"
Ken approached me, who had just finished tying the ropes to the items on the horse. I looked at him with a neutral expression and replied.
"Ken, we're still in the city. There's someone I want to avoid, so after we get away from the city, then we can get rid of these people. Let them watch because, like them, our movements are limited."
Ken nodded understandingly without looking at the people who had been following them since leaving the antique shop. After everything was prepared, they immediately spurred their horses to leave the city of Midgard and head towards the Misty Forest border to establish a city there.
A short while later.
I and Ken continued the journey, riding our horses on the still well-maintained main road without any obstacles.
The sight of horseback riding felt somewhat strange to me, as a modern city dweller rarely sees horses, let alone rides them. However, I could do it, not least because of my grandfather, who had a farm in the village and had horses as pets.
I wasn't the only one taught to ride horses. My father, Yuno, and my uncle, Naru, were also taught how to ride. It was a pleasant memory for me.
Meanwhile, for Ken, he was already skilled in riding. Although still stiff in riding due to the difference from riding a moving machine, he had to do it as it was an order from me as his boss in his view.
After a few hours of riding until nightfall, we decided to rest while setting up a tent. I felt we were far enough from that sacred city. Now, all that remained was to enjoy this journey, which I estimated would take about a week on horseback.
We could have reached the border city faster if I created a car here. However, because it would be too conspicuous and I might be chased by the palace, I decided to abandon that idea. It was better to prevent something bad from happening than to let it happen.
"This is your meal, sir," Ken said while handing me a military ration available in his bag. Ken didn't bring a bag when accompanying me because that would be too conspicuous, and all of Ken's equipment was stored in my spacious Inventory.
"Well, you also need to eat, Ken. From now on, our journey will be quite challenging," I said while putting a spoon into my mouth and savoring the distinctive taste of chicken curry. Although the food of this world was not bad, modern food suited my palate better.
"Yes, whatever happens, I will not let any harm befall you, Sir! Even with my life!"
Hearing that, I almost choked on my food. Truly extraordinary dedication, willing to sacrifice his life to protect me.
"Um, I'm counting on you, Ken," I replied without showing my surprise, though I was quite amazed by his statement. Ken looked happy because I relied on him, and even though it might be dangerous, he would still follow me.
After having dinner together, we took turns keeping watch every three hours until sunrise. We couldn't let my subordinates get tired at a time like this.