I ended up heading to the Travel Guild next. We were running a little late, so I had the girls run. Faeyna wore a hood that covered her ears. It would probably be sensational to see an elf running throughout the city. Actually, I felt really bad. Having Faeyna follow us around on foot was like buying a Mercedes and then driving down a dirt road. I should be ashamed of offering her that kind of treatment. I'd definitely need to become a better Master.
Upon walking into the Travel Guild, Faeyna and Miki were out of breath. I was usually the guy who was first to be out of breath in any group, so I guess my stamina was improving. Of course, Lydia and Terra were always full of stamina and Miki flew when she got tired of walking. There was an old man sitting on a chair, and a large formation drawn on the ground.
"Last call for Dirage. Anyone going to Dirage?"
"Yes!" I called out, bringing the girls with me. "It's six of us."
The old man barely looked up at me before giving a shrug. "Stand on the circle. It's 60 gold."
I grimaced, but brought out my freshly earned money and handed it to him. There were two other men on the circle, they glanced at the girls in interest, but upon noticing the slave marks, immediately backed off. Thankfully, in Aberis, it was considered bad etiquette to look at someone else's slaves. Plus, someone who owned so many beautiful slaves had to be rich and powerful. Only other nobles might dare to stir up trouble with a person's slaves, as the Princess herself had shown.
I was very curious about the magic he was using. I was studying the formation at my feet. Perhaps, if I could pick up the job that allowed these kinds of spells, I could potentially be freed up of some of my restrictions. However, I didn't have much time as he started chanting almost as soon as we got into the circle.
"Master…" Celeste suddenly asked. "Where is Dirage?"
"Good question," I said, shrugging helplessly. "Let's find out!"
The spell cast and we immediately were surrounded in white light. I felt a weightless feeling for a moment, and then the world around us seemed to melt. A new place appeared, and the light finally dimmed. As soon as my feet hit the floor, I pulled out my map. Dirage appeared to be in the north of Aberis. It was about twice the distance between Chalm and the Capital, so we had definitely traveled quite the distance.
There was another rune under our feet, and we were in another building which was likely this city's Travel Guild. As we got off of the platform, one of the men who had traveled with us glanced over at me.
"You guys heading to the dungeon?"
"Huh?"
"Well, the Great Dungeon is the only thing in this city, so I reckon that's why you came."
"Yes, of course!" I said quickly, giving a weak smile.
He nodded. "Not that it's any of my business, but you seem like a dungeon noob. I'd hate to see your pretty slaves suffer, so I recommend you hire a guide. Stay in the first 9 levels, that's where baby adventurers go."
"Uh… thanks?"
"Mm." He and the other man nod and then leave without another word.
He was being a little rude, but could I blame him? His advice was in my best interest after all, not that I liked being called a baby adventurer or something.
"Master, are we really going to enter a dungeon?" Faeyna asked nervously.
"We are…" I said, but then glanced at Faeyna, "You're staying here."
She let out a breath of relief.
"I want to see what you're capable of," I said, handing her a ring. "There is gold in that. Find out what goods are cheap in this city compared to the Capital, and then buy them for as cheap as you can."
"I mean no offense, Master…" She said uncertainly, "But if your plan is to use the portal to transport supplies, your storage rings are much too small. Rings only hold about the size of the chest. Any goods we must buy would only sell at a small profit unless we ordered carts full. The return trip to the Capital won't be for a few days. Furthermore, losing 120 gold each visit would destroy any wealth we gained. Even if you just plan to send me at 20 gold a trip-"
I reached out and patted her head. She was actually as tall as me, so it felt a little weird. As for her, she wore a complicated expression. Her old Master must not have patted her head very much.
"Thank you for your concern," I said gently. "Buy a cart, fill it up. Let me worry about the transport home."
Hmm? it was the first time I had seen her blush. It was pretty cute.