Chapter 210

By the seventh day, we had grown accustomed to life on the ship, and Sheele’s condition no longer faltered.

We received official notice that the ship had entered the territorial waters of the Riseark continent.

“Even if you say that, I can’t really feel it! Are there any markers in the sea?”

“Hmm… lately I’ve been spotting small islands here and there. Maybe they’re using those to judge our position.”

“Yeah, and with the speed of travel, the compass, stars, and scenery, they can probably estimate our location fairly accurately too.”

On the deck, we talked while observing the surrounding scenery and discussing navigation.

There’s nothing like GPS in this world yet, and I’m not even sure if broad-range radar exists. Communication systems probably exist, but how far wireless-type devices have been developed is unknown. Long-distance sea travel is still a significant challenge. It would be useful to know how advanced the technology is in this place.

“Hmm… Shizuma, I know I’m being spoiled and saying something selfish… but I’m starting to get a little bored… the ship journey has been fun, but…”

“Hahaha… yeah, honestly, I get bored too. There’s a game room, but there are a lot of nobles, and it’s a hassle anyway.”

“That’s true… shall we do some work in our cabin, maybe?”

“Hmm… mixing medicines might fail due to the ship’s movement, so maybe I’ll start brushing and handling some of the winter coat now.”

“Speaking of which, your tail has become fluffier than before. I’ll help with brushing.”

“Alright. I’ll continue checking around the ship.”

Yeah, it’s easy to get bored. Next time, I should prepare some tools to pass the time.

I accompanied them back to the cabin and parted ways at the door. Over the seven days, I had seen these two repeatedly approached by other passengers, but now, that behavior had completely subsided.

I’m not sure why, but perhaps Sheele had taken some kind of “strong measure.”

…Should I learn assassination techniques too? No, that’s a bit too dark of a thought.

Those were the peaceful days on the sea, with no major incidents. Just about a week left. No wonder we were getting bored—

As the journey neared its end, the ship’s interior grew unusually busy.

Passengers were preparing to disembark after the long voyage, and the crew was busier with their work, creating a restless atmosphere.

Perhaps due to this subtly chaotic air, Melt began fidgeting as well.

After brushing and shedding some of her fur, her tail had slightly less volume. Since she had already started growing her winter coat when we first met, her tail now seemed somewhat new and fresh.

She checked her neatly packed luggage repeatedly, inspecting corners of the room as if she were a small animal sensing an earthquake.

“Melt, calm down. We already did a final check together, didn’t we? We’re arriving tomorrow morning. Worrying now will just tire you out.”

“Y-yeah, but—! It’s my first time coming so far, so I’m worried!”

“Don’t worry. Both Sheele and I are good at observing our surroundings. We’ll let you know if anything comes up.”

With Sheele’s Observational Eye and my Divine Eye, nothing should be overlooked.

We calmed Melt down and discussed what to do after landing.

“As I said before, I think our first priority should be registering our status with an organization like a guild in Riseark. Once we understand the continent, we can head out to tackle dungeons.”

“Yes… my impression is that this continent is more advanced and organized. Securing our status and titles is urgent.”

“Hmm… hey, what about money? Can we still use what we have now?”

“Ah, good catch, Melt. Riseark is in the process of switching to a new currency. You can still use the old coins, but exchanging them is probably better. In a port city with many foreign travelers, there should be exchange offices.”

Right.

So far, we’ve had copper, silver, gold, and large gold coins as units, counted in quantities like “x pieces of y coin.” Personally, I’m more familiar with Riseark’s system.

Having a common unit is convenient. Wasn’t it called “Lix” or something? It was referred to as a “common currency,” so it’s probably usable in Shijuu Republic and other countries as well.

“Hmm. If a country issues a new currency, or uses an existing one as a common currency, it could cause complications later. It might concentrate too much power.”

“True. But maybe they just want it unified within the continent.”

“Maybe. We should exchange some money just in case.”

“You can praise me for noticing it first!”

“Good, good, well done, Melt.”

Pat pat. She’s cute, but she might get into trouble even over there. Luckily, Sile is with her, so most problems will be solved.

…Although having these two together might attract trouble.

And so, the last night aboard the ship passed. When we wake up, it’ll be the new continent. I admit I might have trouble sleeping a bit, feeling restless.

The next day, the ship finally reached the port.

When we stepped onto the deck, the port and town beyond it were far larger than we had imagined. We couldn’t help but exclaim—

“Whoa! It’s this big?! This is more than a port town; it’s basically a city!”

“Wow… so many large buildings, just like Lindblum!”

“This might be a sort of capital city. As an empire, there’s probably an imperial capital, but there may be other major cities comparable to it.”

I see… so some cities own ports as regional hubs. This journey is going to involve even longer travel.

We immediately began looking for an exchange office. Fortunately, the script was shared, so finding the correct shop or facility shouldn’t be too difficult.

“There aren’t many street stalls for a port? No exotic fruits from other continents?”

“Well, it’s more of a city than a port town. Probably the restaurants and shops are on different streets.”

“Right. After exchanging currency, let’s check the market and investigate the cost of living.”

Most disembarking passengers were locals, heading in various directions.

Merchants who had traveled with us by carriage were all heading the same way. Perhaps facilities for exchange or business were in that direction. We retrieved our carriage and followed the other merchants.

Sheele, likely inexperienced with such a crowded city, handled the carriage without trouble. That was reassuring.

Eventually, we saw that most carriages were heading toward a large building on the outskirts of the port.

“Hmm… it says ‘Riseark Merchant Guild Headquarters.’ They’re merchant guild members, right?”

“Maybe they handle currency exchange too. Let’s try going in.”

We left the carriage and entered the building. As expected of a merchant guild, many people were at counters conducting various transactions.

We queued for one counter, and Sheele, as our representative, spoke first.

“Excuse me, I have a question I’d like to ask.”

“Yes, what is your request?”

“Actually, we just landed on this continent. We’d like to exchange our currency for the local ‘common currency.’ Do you handle exchanges here?”

The reason we put Sheele forward was not just because she looked mature and reliable, but also because she is beautiful and an elf.

Her appearance commanded respect, and few people dislike talking to a beautiful woman. This would ensure the conversation proceeded smoothly.

“Yes, we do exchanges, but mostly for merchants or the guild. We cannot handle very small amounts…”

“Could we exchange 200 large gold coins, please?”

“W-what!? Uh… y-yes, that’s possible. Um… are you affiliated with a merchant guild…?”

“No, we’re travelers. I am their representative.”

The receptionist likely hadn’t expected an individual to request such a large exchange. Clearly overwhelmed, he retreated inside, and shortly after, the three of us—including Melt—were guided to a private room.

“Thank you very much for using our guild. Regarding the exchange of 200 large gold coins, our standard fee would normally be 20%, which would result in a payment of 8,000,000 Lix. However, given the amount involved, we would like to offer you 8,200,000 Lix instead.”

In the private room, we were attended by a man not wearing the standard uniform. Presumably, he was responsible for handling larger transactions.

I couldn’t judge whether the exchange fee was fair or not. But it was clear he was trying, even slightly, to be generous.

“Shizuma. Write this down in the notebook.”

“Understood.”

Suddenly, Sheele, who had been handling the negotiation, didn’t answer but instead gave me instructions. It was as if a person of rank had ordered a subordinate to record information.

I realized this was a bluff. This simple exchange transformed from “a traveler with a large sum of money” into “an enigmatic person of wealth with subordinates taking notes.” Naturally, the receptionist would have to be cautious.

“Riseark Merchant Guild, 20% fee. For 200 large gold coins, a discount applies, reducing the fee by an additional 10%.”

“Thank you, Shizuma. So, this amount is the final decision, correct?”

I instantly calculated the figure mentally. For someone who had been a high school student, this level of arithmetic was easy. But in this world, few could perform such quick mental calculations beyond everyday use.

Once, the head of the Pigeon Merchant Guild told Same, “If you can handle arithmetic, I’d hire you immediately.”

Of course, the man observing the exchange between Sheele and me—

“No, in that case, we will pay 8,300,000 Lix. You have an extremely capable representative.”

“Not at all… actually, this person here is our master.”

“Sorry… my nature is such that I like to keep my hand hidden as much as possible.”

Sheele suddenly turned the conversation to me, so I improvised. Yeah… it’s better if she continues to be thought of as the mysterious female master.

“We intend to begin our activities on this continent. We may not deal with you directly, but we hope to become participants in this continent’s economic activities.”

“I see… understood. Then, here is the currency used on this continent. These are 1,000 Lix coins, 300 pieces. And these are 10,000 Lix coins, 800 pieces. We will bring them to you now.”

Saying this, the man produced coins slightly larger than the ones I received as an adventurer, showing whitish silver coins and pale gold coins of the same size.

I used Divine Eye to inspect them.

“1,000 Lix coin”

• New currency issued by the Consold Empire 20 years ago.
• Each coin worth 1,000 Lix, a white-silver alloy of copper and nickel.
• Called German Silver, with magic protection applied.

“10,000 Lix coin”

• New currency issued by the Consold Empire 20 years ago.
• Each coin worth 10,000 Lix, a pale gold alloy of gold with traces of silver.
• Called Champagne Gold, with magical protection applied.

Good, they didn’t appear to be counterfeit. I see… using alloys for coins. Likely better for durability and mass production. And magic enchantments—probably a countermeasure against forgery.

I lifted the large trunk they brought without heeding the attendant’s caution and carried it myself. It was heavy, but now this weight was nothing to me. In a way, it also served as an impressive display.

With our operational funds for this continent secured, we set out next to find an organization equivalent to an adventurer guild in the city.