The General's smile morphed into something nearly spectral, causing sweat to bead on the soldier's forehead. This feeling… Was he about to be attacked?! But just as he was readying a defensive stance, Christopher threw himself in-between the two men, hurriedly trying to stop whatever was about to happen.
"I'm sorry for the disturbance! As you can see, my guard here is quite the distraction. Our only purpose is to stay and trade in Gruzia, and I hope you can accommodate us."
Internally, Lloyd was incessantly berating Alexander. What was he doing?! Did he want everything to fail right away?! He also felt the former King's murderous stare when he had called him a guard, but he couldn't care less. His current priority was to defuse the situation. In the meantime, the soldier, initially taken aback by the intervention, grew even more puzzled. This monster?! Serving THAT person?! What he sensed earlier was clearly something only found in exceptional people, which were very few in Gruzia. Something didn't add up, and his intuition was rarely wrong. Further investigation was needed.
"There seems to have been a misunderstanding then. Your guard is indeed very impressive. My name's Alejandro, and I'm a soldier stationed at Gruzia's front gate."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Alejandro. My name's Lloyd."
Christopher reflexively brought forth his hand, a gesture that surprised his vis-à-vis. He picked up that detail quickly, which made him assume it wasn't customary here before retracting it.
"Anyway, you said you wanted to trade and stay in Gruzia, correct?"
"Yes."
"Where are you from and what's your occupation?"
Uh… Fuck. He had given no thoughts whatsoever to that part of his identity, meaning improvisation was in order.
"We… I mean, I, am a wandering merchant. I rarely stay in one place for too long, as will also be the case for my stay here. As soon as I purchase what I need, I'll be on my way. As for my guard, I don't think I need to explain the dangers facing us merchants while roaming the continent."
His immediate inspiration came from the small trading groups they had gone by earlier, and he hoped it'd be enough to clear any doubts surrounding his identity. Still on high alert, Alejandro then looked at them and their attires while trying to corroborate this statement. Alexander looked as imposing as ever and Lloyd, while still wearing his clothes from Earth, seemed to fit the part. Had his initial feeling been wrong? After a short silence, he finally relented.
"Very well. The passage fee for merchants is one gold coin, and it includes one assistant, which in your case is your guard. As for the payment, it can be made either via the system or physically."
Christopher nearly stumbled at the mention of the fee. AN ENTIRE COIN ONLY TO PASS?! WASN'T THIS A SCAM?! Alejandro saw him frown and became perplexed. Someone who could afford a bodyguard of this caliber shouldn't have any financial woes.
"Are you unable to pay?"
When the engineer heard his tone, he realized he'd messed up. This wasn't the time to be stingy!
"I can pay, but I was just surprised by the steep fee. Business must be tough."
He thought framing it this way would help ease any distrust he might have just created.
"It is indeed high, but our products are unique. You'll find it a worthwhile investment."
A system window then suddenly appeared in front of him and read as follows: would you like to pay 1 gold coin to enter Gruzia? But as much as he wanted to immediately accept, there was a problem: he wasn't sure if his inventory was directly linked to the system. Did he have to take out a coin and then pay, or was it okay to simply say yes? Well, there was only one way to find out.
Without breaking character, he readily agreed, which was followed by the window closing and a notification stating that his gold pouch was now 1-coin lighter. The process was in fact so seamless he was awestruck. Such convenience was truly marvelous.
After confirming the transaction, Alejandro extended him a gold-plated token that had its surface adorned with the inscription 'Merchant Pass'.
"Do not lose it, or you'll need to pay another coin to leave. I'll now lead you to the entrance, so please follow me."
Lloyd nodded, and the duo followed. As they passed the queue, he could discern the murmurs and gasps elicited by Alexander's sight, who had become an unwitting spectacle, much to his amusement. The same scenario also continued upon reaching the entrance, as the guards, too, could not conceal their astonishment.
"Who's this freak?!"
The mixture of awe and fear that colored their reactions brought a nostalgic smile to the former King's face, reminiscent of the days when his mere presence would inspire terror and adoration.
"He's the guard of Merchant Lloyd here. They've already paid, so they're now Gruzia's guests."
Their reaction was unanimous. That guy, a guard?! Alejandro lightly shook his head, knowing their reaction all too well.
"Do you think he can beat our commander?"
The off-hand comment snuffed out the grin from the General's face.
"Oh, there's someone here who can rival me?"
The weight of his words seemed to alter the atmosphere itself while intensifying the pressure around them. Fortuitously, Christopher had become Alexander's superior, meaning he was unaffected by the change. Nevertheless, this was bad. Was he really going to test their strength right here?! The guards, still dazed by his appearance, suddenly all fell to their knees, incredulous as chaos rippled through the queue, sending the bystanders fleeing for safety.
"Merchant Lloyd… What's the meaning of this?!"
Alejandro, whose body barely held on, looked horrified as he tried to fight back.
"Alexander, what are you doing?! We're guests here!!!"
It hadn't taken long before Christopher's countenance mirrored his, as the situation kept escalating into an unmitigated disaster.
"Oho, don't worry. I just wanted to see if the person mentioned was present. It sadly doesn't seem to be the case."
The group of soldiers groveling on the ground all cast accusatory glances towards the culprit, who was already begging for their forgiveness.
"Your resilience is impressive, Alejandro. Even while being completely outmatched, the fire in your eyes persists."
But just as the General prepared to rein in his abilities, a raspy voice boomed from atop the monstrous wall.
"Oh? It's been awhile since I've seen a worthy challenger."
Alexander immediately looked upwards, only to be blinded by the intimidating trio of suns blazing in the sky. As he squinted harder to find the culprit, he finally found a black dot that seemed to get… bigger?
Wait...
As he realized what was happening, he hurriedly grabbed the still oblivious engineer before jumping backwards several meters, with their rushed departure soon followed by an ear-splitting blast, an explosion of such proportions that it left behind a crater while also throwing up a veil of dust and debris.
"Impressive dodge…"
Alexander couldn't believe it. The lunatic was still alive?! How could he have survived?! Lloyd's mind, on the other hand, had gone blank. Had someone just jumped from the wall to attack them?!