"Stop and present your papers!" shouted one of the guards guarding the village's entrance, wearing chainmail armor with a red and white tabard, a conical helmet with a red feather protruding from the top, and wielding a long, glaive-like spear.
Seated atop his golem, Will, sporting a relaxed smile and adopting his most unassuming tone, replied, "Apologies, Sir, but I have no papers to present."
"No papers...?" repeated the guard, staring up at Will with equal parts suspicion and intrigue. Like Ohta, he assumed the golem Will was seated on was formed via the Third-Circle Magic Spell, Create Soil Golem. That, combined with Will's apparel and apparent youth, gave the impression he was the descendent or disciple of a hermetic Mage or Warrior.
"You got a name, kid? Also, where do you hail from, and what brings you to our village?" asked the guard, relaxing his posture as he felt there was more to gain from befriending than offending such a young and talented Mage.
Though he suspected the guard might have an artifact to discern truth from lies, Will didn't hesitate to respond, "Aiden Ward, son of Isaac and Loretta Ward. My home is Broughton of Fenn, and my intentions are room, board, and resupply. If circumstances permit, I also intend to make some money before I resume my journey a few days hence."
"Broughton of Fenn?" repeated the guard. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the name. Are you from someplace outside of Tuaisceart?"
Feigning surprise, Will asked, "This is the Tuaisceart Duchy? The northern province of the Astralis Kingdom?"
"You seem surprised," remarked the guard, his curiosity piqued.
"That's because my terminus is Deisceart..." responded Will, smiling wryly as he explained, "If this village is truly somewhere in Tuaisceart, I'm more than four thousand kilometers off my intended course..."
Hearing Will's words, several guards started to exchange murmurs while the one he had been speaking to asked, "Were you transported here via a Waystone, or...?"
"I've traveled via Waystones in the past, but this time I used something different," stated Will, scratching his head as he excused, "I'm not really sure how to explain it since it's supposed to be a secret..."
Before the guard could ask him further questions, Will adopted his best smile and asked, "Speaking of Waystones, does this village have one? If so, I can be out of your hair quickly."
"We have two," the guard affirmed. "But without identification and a travel permit, you won't be able to use the one in the Guild Hall. The only other Waystone is located in the base of our Lord's, Baron Vindem's manor, but he isn't known for entertaining travelers..."
"Captain..." muttered a different guard, his voice low and full of caution as he warned, "You shouldn't say such things about his Lordship..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," said the Captain, waving off his subordinate before looking up at Will and explaining, "Well, regardless of the circumstances that brought you here, the entrance fee for wayfarers without documents is 50,000 Astra for a three-day pass. You'll also need to stay at a specific lodge operated by the Guild Hall. One of my soldiers will escort you there once you've paid the fee."
'50,000 Astra is quite the steep price...' thought Will. Fortunately, he had more than ten thousand Astralian Crowns in his Inventory, amounting to more than 10,000,000 Astra. It wasn't a substantial fortune, but it should more than cover the cost of his voyage to Deisceart.
Understanding that it would garner unwanted attention if he paid the fee casually, Will adopted a somewhat cramped smile, scratched the back of his head, and asked, "Is there anything I can do to lower the fee? 50,000 Astra is pretty close to all the funds I have on hand..."
Raising his right brow, the Captain asked, "Then how were you planning to travel through Deisceart...?"
"Mostly through trade, barter, and lending my services to those in need," explained Will. "My Master taught me that the value of ability far exceeds that of gold, so I'm adept at hunting, gathering, and processing materials such as monster parts and minerals..."
"It sounds to me like your Master wanted you to become an Adventurer," remarked the Captain, punctuating his statement with an approving nod. Then, turning to one of the younger guardsmen present, he said, "Cadet Jarnathan, take this kid over to Kiran at the Guild Hall. Have her put him to work."
"U-Understood, Sir...!" responded the Cadet, snapping to attention and saluting with such vigor his metallic gauntlet produced a loud sound as it struck his helmet above his right brow.
Turning back to Will, the Captain explained, "You seem like a good kid, so I'll waive your three-day entrance fee. If you choose to stay longer, you'll need to fork over the initial fee and an additional 50,000 for an extension. Keep that in mind."
"I understand. And thank you, Captain," responded Will, dismounting his golem and infusing it with enough Mana to allow it to walk off to the side before collapsing in a heap. The stunt left him feeling drained, but since it was late in the evening, it was natural for him to look a little fatigued...
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'I feel like I've traveled back in time...' thought Will, passing his gaze over the various storefronts lining the village's main road. Generally, there were approximately ten residences for every business in a small village, so Will estimated there to be between 200 and 300 buildings in total. The largest was the castle near its back, comprised of tall stone walls, eleven towers, and a central keep surrounded by a secondary wall and moat that took up nearly a quarter of the village's real estate.
Stopping outside a sizeable building resembling a longhouse, the Cadet, who couldn't have been older than sixteen, explained, "This is the Guild Hall. Before we go inside, let me warn you..."
Seeing the youth adopt a slightly hostile expression, Will raised his right brow, curious to hear what he had to say.
"Ms. Kiran is our village's treasure. If any of the men in the village see you trying to flirt with her, expect trouble..." said the Cadet, his expression and tone reminiscent of a man prepared to fend off a horde of monsters.
"Thanks for the warning," replied Will, resisting the urge to chuckle as his curiosity toward this 'Ms. Kiran' increased. He had no intention of making a move, but since he wasn't especially fond of being intimidated, a small but not insignificant part of him was tempted to do so out of spite...
"Good..." said Cadet Jarnathan, stepping past Will and leading the way into the well-lit Guild Hall. The air was thick with the aroma of incense, alcohol, and a few types of hemp and opioids, but Will didn't mind as he could block out the more offensive aromas with his Aura.
"Oh? This is a new face," remarked a fairly attractive with muted purple hair fastened into a loose braid, noticing Jarnathan and Will as there were only seven other people present in the hall, just in case of an emergency in the middle of the night.
"Hey, Bailey," said Jarnathan, raising his right hand in greeting but looking elsewhere as he asked, "Is Ms. Kiran on duty right now...?"
"She's in the back, helping process the meat and hides that were brought in earlier," revealed Bailey, thumbing over her shoulder with her right hand before shifting her gaze to Will, asking, "I'm guessing you're here for room and board?"
Interjecting before Will could respond, Jarnathan issued a snort before explaining, "He a traveler who couldn't pay the entrance fee. The Captain took pity on him and ordered me to bring him over so he could be put to work."
"Oh...?" responded Bailey, looking Will up and down as she asked, "Well, what kind of work can you do, stranger? Seeing as you have that sword on your hip, I'm guessing physical labor?"
"If need be," replied Will, his voice smooth and his eyes narrowed in a way that gave Bailey goosebumps. Most people who didn't know him assumed him to be much older, which wasn't altogether false, so Bailey's distinctive amethyst eyes began to glisten as she promptly snatched him by the arm, adhering to it with a little too much enthusiasm as she gushed, "Then let's put you to work~!" as she ushered him to the back of the longhouse.
Seeing Bailey cozy up to Will, Jarnathan clicked his tongue and muttered something incredibly rude under his breath. Will heard what was said, but since the young guardsman promptly turned to leave, he elected to be the bigger man and ignore it. It would be one thing if he decided to make the small village his base of operations, but since he only planned to stay for a few days, it was best to let insignificant matters lie...
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Dragged by Bailey, Will soon found himself outside, behind the longhouse. Several cords of firewood were stacked up along the wall, forming a pile a meter and a half tall, but the reason Will had been brought there was the veritable mountain of unprocessed logs piled up nearby.
"Since it's already nighttime, you just need to stay here and chop firewood for one hour," explained Bailey, releasing Will's arm. "Once you're finished, I'll have food and a pint of our finest mead waiting for you. Be sure to give it your best—uh, what did you say your name was?"
"Aiden. Aiden Ward," responded Will, resisting the practiced urge to place his hand over his heart and bow. He still came off as exceedingly polite to Bailey, however, prompting her to cup her right cheek and remark, "What a gentleman. Once you're finished here and my shift is up, let's have a few drinks to get to know one another. And don't worry, I won't dock the costs from your pay."
Ding!
"That sounds nice," responded Will, dismissing the Quest that appeared before him without reading it. He could guess what it wanted from him by the name alone, and he had no intention of being pressured into bedding random women or being 'rewarded' for doing so.
Unaware of Will's thoughts, Bailey gave him a playful wink and said, "Then I'll see you later," before rushing back inside the longhouse. Winter wasn't far off, so while nighttime temperatures had yet to decrease to freezing, it was a bit much for Bailey's green-and-white barmaid-style dress.
'Now, how much should I cut...' wondered Will, turning his attention to the colossal stack of wood filling the walled-off area. If he pushed himself, he felt he could finish the entire stack within the hour. But, as they had yet to discuss his payment, he decided to take things easy.
Retrieving one of the unprocessed logs, Will held the nearly 20kg piece of wood with one hand, using elementary-level Magic to extract most of the water within its core before setting it down on a two-meter-wide stump of petrified ironwood. There were more than a dozen axes of various shapes and sizes nearby, but since he didn't feel like having to sharpen and clean them, Will placed his hand atop the log and split it into four similarly sized pieces of firewood using a controlled burst of Aura...
Ding!
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[Who Needs an Axe?]
Rank: D~C [Linked Quest]
Objective(s): It is said that a true master needs neither a weapon nor a tool to shape the world around them. Chopping firewood may be a simple task, but depending on the method used, it could be an excellent form of training.
Optional Objective(s): Prepare at least three cords of firewood within an hour(0/3), Process the entire stock in the same amount of time(0/1), Fling an axe with all your strength in the direction of the Baron's Keep(0/1)
Reward(s): 300 Karma, 1,000 Karma, [The Greatest Martial Saint is a Reincarnated Woodsman]x1
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