Chapter 13 The Town Of Beginning, Sakurakand (Part One)
Thanks to drinking plenty of water, our subsequent steps went smoothly. It was around three o'clock in the afternoon. After passing through the mountains and continuing for a while, we saw what seemed to be a castle wall where the forest cleared.
"A town!"
It was Morimura who first shouted. With its neatly constructed stone walls, it was clear that it was a fairly large town.
(I guess this will be the town where our adventure begins.)
Thinking that, I felt something deeply moving. Having visited it dozens of times already, it almost felt like my hometown.
Yes, this fortified town of Sakurakand will essentially be our starting point. The previous events were, so to speak, just the prologue of the game.
Sakurakand is like a medium-sized town in the region. It has the necessary facilities and markets, but it is still quite small compared to the capital of a region. However, with its sturdy stone fortress and a standing army, there is no need to worry about being suddenly attacked by monsters in the town.
As we approached the street, there was a guardhouse at the castle gate, and two sentries were standing there.
Morimura asked anxiously.
"Those people standing over there must be the guards, right? Will they let us pass?"
Kondo Shuichi also expressed his concerns, "Will Japanese even be understood here?"
"Don't worry. Leave it to me. Everyone, don't say anything. No matter what I say, keep your mouths shut. And ladies, would you mind following behind me? And please, keep smiling. That will do."
As we approached the gate, the gatekeeper naturally blocked our path.
'Where do you intend to go?'
They were speaking a language that is only understood in this country, even among the otherworldly realms. I can speak the language of this country, albeit with broken words.
'We, pilgrims. During, journey, we, attacked by, monsters."
'Pilgrims? Your attire doesn't quite match. Which country are you from?'
'Far, far, very far, across the sea, a country.'
'Only six people?'
'Three shrine maidens. Three attendants.'
Saying that, I pointed to the three girls with my hand.
Alice, Tsubasa, Kaede; all three of them are beautiful girls.
And the smiles of beautiful girls have the same effect of easing a man's wariness, even in this different world.
As expected, the guard's expression softened. This is also as usual.
'Why aren't you wearing a translator?'
Even in this world, languages differ by country and race.
The magical tool that resolves these differences is the translator.
In the form of a necklace, when you wear it around your neck, it automatically translates for you.
'Monsters attacked. Luggage taken. We escaped.'
No matter what is said, we'll push through with "monsters."
The guard, with a troubled expression, let us pass.
I knew it would turn out like this.
After all, this town is a mid-sized town, even if it's a regional one.
Its economy is sustained by commerce and logistics.
So as long as the opponent is human, they won't fundamentally drive them away.
When I entered the town walls, it was a bustling town with people coming and going. It felt like something out of medieval Germany, wouldn't you say?
"What a lovely town."
Alice said, looking impressed.
"Yes, it's like we've really stepped into a fantasy world."
Tsubasa added, surveying the surroundings with a similar impression. However, Kondo Shuichi, who was standing behind them, remained silent. I could feel his eyes assessing my demeanor.
(As expected, relying solely on knowledge of games and anime won't work when it comes to language.)
As we approached the center of the town, various shops and stalls came into view.
"Just wait here for a moment."
I said, then made my way to one of the stalls. It was selling a variety of goods, including accessories and tableware. I pointed to a necklace with stones carved with symbols that resembled runic letters.
Then, I gestured to my own neck, indicating that I wanted to try it on. The old man at the stall nodded silently. In a bustling commercial town like this, it wasn't uncommon for foreigners to try out the merchandise.
When I held the necklace in my hand, I tried putting it around my neck. Immediately, words spoken by people passing by entered my ears as understandable language. This translator doesn't seem to be broken or fake.
"How much for this translator?"
When I asked, the old man replied shortly, "200 gil."
"That's expensive. It's probably a used item, right? Make it 50 gil. You'll still make a profit."
"If you don't like it, you don't have to buy it."
The old man turned away.
"Oh, is this shop really that bad in terms of service? I'm going to the Adventurer's Guild from here, and I might mention this shop's reputation there. They say it's a shop that fully takes advantage of foreigners. By the way, have any travelers had their translators stolen? Maybe I'll ask at the guild."
"180 gil."
The old man said without changing his expression.
"That's not enough to make me give in. Do you think I'm a foreigner and you can fully take advantage of me? The price should be high even if it's 100 gil."
"150 gil."
The old man's expression remained unchanged, but his nostrils flared.
"80 gil. The purchase price should be double this amount."
"It's 120 gil. I won't budge any further! If you don't like it, go to another shop."
"100 gil. In return, I'll take six of these. That's a considerable quantity, right?"
At the mention of six, the old man's expression changed.
For one gil, you can buy a whole pig's leg.
In terms of the Japanese currency rate, one gil feels like it's around 120 to 150 yen.
So, the translation device would be priced between 12,000 to 15,000 gil.
The value of an item seems to be similar in any world when it comes to equipping tools.
"Understood. Six for 100 gil. Are we clear?"
The old man reluctantly agreed, but his cheeks relaxed slightly.
In this town, a sales close to 90,000 yen is quite something.
"Alright. However, there's one more thing I need to ask."
The old man made a displeased face.
"I can't give in any further. No matter what, I can't give in any further."
"No, that's not what I mean. It's a good deal for you too."
I said, pulling out various accessories like necklaces and bracelets that I had picked up at the battlefield site from my backpack.
"I don't have money right now. How about trading with this?"
The old man furrowed his brow.
"I don't know the value of this. It needs to be appraised first. How about I keep it until then?"
"I won't fall for that. You're planning to keep this, then switch it with a similar fake, aren't you? I won't allow that. Besides, you should know the value of this. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to run this shop."
The old man looked at me with a suspicious look. Maybe he's trying to recall if we've met somewhere before. I pressed on further.
"And for some people, this has a value beyond just an accessory. It's a precious amulet for the families of soldiers who died in battle. They would definitely pay double the normal price to take it. And you must have connections with such people, right?"
The old man let out a thoughtful 'hmm' and then sighed.
"Got it. Deal's done. Leave that jewelry, and take the translator in exchange."
"Thanks, old man."
"Geez, this is the first time I've been played like this. Thought I'd met you somewhere, but I don't remember at all. You've got me beat."
I chuckled as I packed five translators into my backpack and left the food cart behind.
The truth is, every time I loop through this town, I buy a translator from this old man's cart. The first three times, he completely fooled me, but now I've got the upper hand in negotiations.
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