Episode 5

We continued walking for two hours before we reached a main road.

"Riese, are we close to Vine town now?"

I asked Riese to confirm our current location.

"Umm..."

"Riese?"

Riese seemed to be pondering something.

"As far as I know, the road to Vine town shouldn't be this broad... the last time I visited Vine town was 8 years ago," Riese said, her cheeks tinting red.

Was she feeling embarrassed?

While we were uncertain of where to go, a caravan happened to pass by. I beckoned Riese and Alice to join me in approaching the passing caravan.

"Hello, Sir, may I ask you a question?"

"Ah, hello there, sir, no problem at all. Ask away; after all, I'm in no rush."

"Do you know which way Vine town is?"

"Ah, Vine town, you mean where Baron Vine resides? You can head north from here, about a two-day journey..."

"Is that so? And if I were to head south, how soon could I reach the nearest town?"

"If you go south, it won't be long; you'll reach Marquiss Bezos territory within a day."

"Eeh~..."

Does that mean I miscalculated the distance? I probably shouldn't have relied on my mathematical estimations.

"I apologize, sir, but may the three of us hitch a ride on your caravan? Of course, I will pay you, though not with money but with goods."

"Ah, that's certainly possible, but it depends on what you can offer..."

The trader said with a business-like expression.

This was easy; at least we could ride with him, avoiding numerous stops. If we were on horses, we could have reached our destination in half a day. Since it was morning, we should be able to arrive by dusk.

"This is a spice from my homeland, called chili powder. It can add a spice, hotter than pepper."

From what I heard from Riese, there are no chilies in this country, so I could use this as a bargaining chip.

"Ooh interesting, let me try it."

The caravan owner started to taste it.

"Aaaahhh, Spicy!! What is this? It's incredibly hot."

"Ah, Sir, chili powder shouldn't be consumed directly; it should be mixed into food like pepper."

I noticed Riese and Alice covering their mouths, trying to suppress their laughter. The caravan owner immediately grabbed his water skin and started guzzling it down frantically.

"Alright, we have a deal. You can come along, and I will accept a pack of your chili powder. This isn't a bad trade at all, hahaha... Oh, allow me to introduce myself, I am Jeff, a traveling merchant, what are your names?"

"Ah, forgive my tardiness in introducing ourselves, I'm Martin, this is Riese, and her younger sister, Alice."

"Well then, you all can sit in the carriage."

"Riese, Alice, let's say thank you to Uncle Jeff."

"Thank you, Uncle Jeff."

"Hahaha... such adorable children."

With that, we obtained a ride to Marquiss Bezos territory. Oh right, it seems I forgot to mention - about our attire, we decided to change into typical Mediterranean European tunics, better to avoid suspicion as much as possible.

To fill our stomachs, I bought another pack of sandwiches and discreetly shared them with Riese and Alice. It's not that I didn't want to share with Jeff; I just wanted to avoid unnecessary issues. Besides, the sound of us eating couldn't be heard from outside.

After a while on the road, the area began to bustle. I watched the road and felt excited.

"Alice, look outside, it's so lively."

Alice, equally enthused, peered outside.

"Ooohhh, it's so busy."

"Riese, could those long-eared ones be elves?"

"Yes, indeed, don't they also reside in your uncle's place?"

"Not at all, where I come from there are only humans, Riese."

"Is that so? Your uncle's place is quite strange. You previously mentioned there's no magic, now even elves; do beastmen also not exist?"

"Yes, you're right, they don't."

"Where exactly does uncle live? I'm very curious."

"Ahahaha... it's a very distant place; we won't be able to go there for now."

Hey, after all, my world is another dimension entirely, how could we possibly travel there. That's what I'm thinking at the moment.

Eventually, we arrived in front of the gates of Marquiss Bezos's fortress.

"Martin, Riese, Alice, welcome to Bezos town," said Jeff cheerfully.

"Oooohhhh!!!!"

We were taken aback and awed by the grandeur of Bezos town's fortress walls. Observing, they seemed to be about 15 meters tall - quite majestic.

Since we didn't have identification, we parted ways with Jeff and headed to the watch post for inspection.

We passed the inspection smoothly and were given temporary IDs valid for three days. To get permanent identification, we could either register at the adventurers' guild or the merchants' guild.

As it was already late, I led Riese and Alice in search of the Blue Moon inn recommended by the watch post officer. Upon our arrival at the inn, we entered without delay.

"Welcome to the Blue Moon inn, would you like to stay, or perhaps order dinner?"

That was the friendly voice from the inn's reception desk, and upon closer inspection, it belonged to a middle-aged auntie, who appeared to be in her forties.

"Ah, we would like to stay, may I inquire about the available room types?"

"Before that, let me introduce myself, my name is Elisabeth, you can call me Elise."

"Nice to meet you, I am Martin, and these are Riese and her sister Alice."

"Hello, everyone," Elise said, greeting us warmly.

"Mr. Martin, we offer a family room for 50 silver a night - this includes two meals daily. We also have single rooms for 20 silver, with the same meal conditions."

"What do you think, Riese, Alice? Which room do you want to stay in?"

"I want to stay with uncle!!!" exclaimed Alice.

"I agree with Alice, Uncle."

"Alright, then let's take the family room for three nights," I said.

"Very well, thank you for your reservation."

Ah, before you become confused, let me explain a bit. How do I have currency from this world? Of course, it's due to my online shop skill. I can withdraw money from my online shop and convert it into the currency of this land, with a predefined conversion rate.

Let me explain a bit about the currency. In this world, money is divided into gold, silver, and bronze, with 1 gold equaling 1 million online shop currency units, 1 gold equaling 100 silver, and 1 silver equating to 100 bronze. That's how currency operates in this realm.

Regarding the price of essentials, I shall take some time after registering at the guild to survey prices in this area.

But for now, rest is paramount. I am exhausted from the journey, at least I can stay in a room rather than a tent. You know, camping might be fun, but too much of it can spoil your mood.

Upon reaching our room, I saw two large beds side by side; Riese and Alice were to sleep on the right bed, and I would sleep on the left.

"Uncle, can you bring out my Garfield, I've missed him," said Alice.

"Hahaha, alright hold on."

With that, I took out a Garfield stuffed cat, a replacement gift for the revolver I had given Alice. Since then, she hugged it every time she slept. Alice is quite adorable, isn't she?

"Garfield, let's go to sleep," said Alice happily.

After that, we rested and prepared for the next day.

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