Absolutely Do Not Touch Eldmia Egga - Chapter 486
When I turned my head, feeling the weakening mana behind me, I could see an unfamiliar alley through the already half-closed gate instead of inside the tent.
I wondered if it was too careless to open the gate by skipping all the procedures and processes in a back alley located in a corner of the nest of outlaws and a smuggling route commonly referred to as a tunnel that was neither clogged nor openly revealed… Seeing as I can’t feel even the slightest sign of presence, it must be because I have a plan.
Still, just in case, I left the alley after reconfirming that there was no one around through a brief delay.
Hoping to look as natural as possible, I went to the street and unlike the gloomy name of the tunnel, a very clean and bright landscape unfolded. The salty smell of the sea breeze felt from beyond the gate was still there, but the decadent atmosphere I expected was nowhere to be seen.
Rather, it was closer to downtown. It is also a downtown area that is very rich in materials.
Those who walk the streets and those who sell goods. Not all of them are normal. It’s not that there aren’t people who look a bit menacing, but since it’s the sailors of this world who fight all kinds of monsters popping out of the sea, that’s enough to give them the impression of a naive village man.
The only difference is that, unlike the neat streets around, some areas on the hills far away are in poor condition, as if there was a fire, and within 30 minutes of walking the streets, I encountered three pickpockets. degree?
The first two looked young, as if they were less than seven years old, so I tolerated them by feeding them honey chestnuts on the top of their heads, but the third was a guy with a mustache just starting to grow.
“They see people as scarecrows for practice pickpocketing.”
Even if he didn’t use magic, he only slightly adjusted his strength, and the sight of the guy’s eyeballs lost focus and wandering around after being hit by the nuclear honey chestnut that he swung didn’t look very good, so he decided to give his other hand a slap on the cheek.
match! With a cheerful sound, he came to his senses and the eyes of the people around him were also focused on us, but soon they dispersed again as if it was not a big deal and went their own way or started selling the goods at the stall with a loud voice.
indeed. This part is different from the normal city.
“If you answer the question, let go or get another hit. Over there, that hill, why are you like that?”
It was only after I had three more overnight meals that I got a proper answer from the pickpocket who was looking at me with a dumbfounded expression.
It was a bit annoying, but thanks to that, I was able to find out that one of the famous forces in the tunnel was recently attacked by the demon king’s army, so it wasn’t very good, and the resulting clever confrontation was still going on.
Instead of handing over the pickpocket whose face was swollen while getting a satisfactory answer to the guards, he kicked his butt off and moved on again.
After that, all I had to do was look around moderately, memorize a few landmarks to understand the city’s geography, and find an inn.
Sometimes I felt a mysterious gaze, but the conflict I was worried about didn’t happen, and there was no quarrel. Maybe it’s because it’s not a fist or a nutmeg, but a blade that flies if you make a mistake, but rather, the more formidable the impression, the more wary the guys throw a wary gaze, but don’t move rashly.
According to the innkeeper who stayed at the hotel, pickpockets rushed with the belief that there was no way they would get involved in trouble by killing them for a few pennies… Although this is a common saying among orphans born in the aftermath of war and poverty, it is easily convincing. It wasn’t an action.
“They’re just kids living like there’s no tomorrow.”
The rugged-looking innkeeper made his own conclusions, stuffed the fairy tale I had received into his pocket, and handed over the key.
The inn deliberately chose an appropriate place. To a place that smells of alcohol and cigarettes from the entrance and is not clean, but it does not smell like filth. The price and quality of the room were both cheap, and it was a common inn in a medieval fantasy, so it hurt my nose, but I decided to put up with it because I was only going to stay for one day anyway.
The first day ended by spending time in a room comparing memories and maps.
◈
I woke up to a not-so-refreshing morning, and after having a rough breakfast, I packed my things and left the inn.
In my heart, I wanted to start moving early in the morning, but the note I received said, ‘Don’t move too early in the morning.’ I couldn’t do that because there was a thing called.
No matter how much the outlaws’ territory is a representative local product, it is definitely the city of Ethiel where lords and soldiers exist, so the reason is that the border is the strictest during off-peak hours to prevent illegal activities.
Obviously, this situation where you have to do your best not to get caught even though it is a plan approved by the empire and the kingdom at the same time is a bit disappointing, but there is nothing special, secret is the top priority.
It was clear that they would eventually help us if we commanded them in the name of the king, as they had their feet on the land of the kingdom, but they were citizens of the kingdom and criminals at the same time. You can use it as an excuse to help, and you can put a line on your political power, and depending on the situation, you can sell my information to the demon king’s army.
Even though there was a bit of a sense of discord because they had experienced the luxury of using a simple gate to make a long-distance jump, it was right to move like this. With such thoughts in mind, the place I arrived at was a small smithy located far away from the sea.
It’s an outward appearance that doesn’t really look like anything special. It would be a special sight, if special, to see four muscular men sitting with their backs against the roaring fire of a brazier, eating stew of a bad color with their tops uncovered despite being midwinter.
“Are you a guest?”
The area around the forge is quite secluded, so just by approaching, the eyes of the two naturally turn to me. In response, I nodded moderately and put the password written on the notebook into my mouth.
“I’m going to buy some horseshoes.”
Even to my words, the two men did not show any reaction. Then, one person who was looking at me with a sour face pointed to the weapons displayed on the side of the forge with chewed bread and answered.
“Are we specializing in weapons?”
“People I know say that the two gold shoes that they sell here are art.”
“It’s rare to know that… You know everything.”
“Because rumors don’t hide people.”
When they were just talking, they gave me suspicious glances, but when I leaned against the pillar, they shrugged and nodded. Not only the words, but also the way they approached and leaned on the pillars of the smithy was a password, they were detailed in many ways.
“That’s right. Where are you going?”
“I have to go all the way to the Western Kingdom, so I’m going to prepare in advance.”
“I’ll have to match it with something sturdy.”
When I took out two gold coins and handed them to the man who reached out to me as he got up from his seat, he nodded as if he had nothing to look at and headed towards what appeared to be a blacksmith’s warehouse. After passing by the guy who continued to eat again without much reaction, the man opened his mouth again as he removed the items piled up in the storage room with a familiar motion.
“Others say that our organization has gone out of business since Quansala died, but it’s all bullshit. It’s been three years since Quansala passed the wheel to the crew and started sitting in a chair. During that time, the others had several guests. We’ve been killed, but we’ve never failed.”
Then, he doesn’t say any precautions, but suddenly starts talking about the settings he knows.
“I didn’t die on the boat, so is there any problem? It’s the demons who suddenly attacked.”
To be honest, I was quite embarrassed, but there was a story I found out after punching a pickpocket, so I was able to react in time after putting it together with my brain.
“You know a little something. Fools easily forget that.”
As if he liked my answer, the man gave a small smile as he stopped moving things. After putting everything aside for a while, the clichéd basement entrance was revealed.
“It’s a single road, so don’t worry and keep going. I’ll guide you when you arrive. It’ll be a bit boring since it leads all the way to the beach.”
Now they seem a little bit illegal.
As if he didn’t really want an answer, he immediately opened the iron door at the entrance, gave a short nod, and entered the dark passage. It was an insignificant crypt that was difficult to say that it had been well cleaned, even with empty words, but with the supports installed in order not to collapse and the magic stone lanterns placed in between, it looked like a mine.
Seeing that lanterns of this size are maintained simply to light the way, it seems that the industry here is very booming, even if the Quansala or something is dead.