Estio Book 5
- Episode 11
As I covered my eyes, at some point, people and things started to be recognized as a certain mass of energy. It was similar to the phenomenon of faintly recognizing a shape after staying in the dark for a long time.
So, now, without Neju's help, I was able to walk alone, sometimes noticing the faces of others I couldn't see.
It was almost the same as taking off the eyepatch, except that his ability to read minds was blocked because he couldn't make eye contact.
"Okay. Now I've got all the things I want to bring, and there's only one thing left."
As a result of going around the market, Yeon-yeon was fully prepared to enter the desert while grunting. When Parker saw that she was killing her fiery hair, she was astonished that she was serious about her words of following Estio's command. It is certainly an atrocious rumor circulating about fuel consumption in the guild so far, and compared to the behavior Estio has seen, it was very modest.
Yeon Yeon-rang did not care whether the team members admired or not, and was faithful to her role. She said as she folded her fingers.
"It's a choice of transportation to Turke."
"Ugh, should I buy a camel too?"
Parker, who doesn't know much about the desert, was particularly obsessed with camels. Yeon Yeon-rang, who was in charge of the desert guide, continued talking without pretending to know the Jo-in people, who are obsessed with simple concepts.
"To go to the village of the Turke tribe, you need a properly trained 'astrologer'."
"No, what astrologer?"
Obsessed with the thought of a camel, Parker looked puzzled at the word that came out of nowhere. And Estio was puzzled in a different sense.
"...Astrologer?"
"Looks like he has this ability."
"Hey, even if you call yourself a magician, you don't have much ability."
Parker shook his head awkwardly in front of the mysterious Estio and Neju.
"I'm just a horoscope divination person. I'm often wrong, too! To be honest, I don't think all divination is a scam."
"In the beginning, fortune-telling is also a technique that is taboo in Luvarzan, who believes in the divine."
Mubin, with his arms crossed, added a hint. According to the divine law of the Empire, divination was a superstition and a sin.
Yeon-yeon-rang, who was the first to talk about the astrologer among the nonsensical party, let out a long sigh.
"That's why you attached the word 'correct'. I'm not talking about cheap fortune tellers."
"then?"
"Astrology is a shamanistic magic that even the Empire tolerates."
Again, Estio and Neju had to bow their heads side by side at unfamiliar words.
"Shamanism?"
"It's not magic, is it magic?"
"Ha, it's a concept similar to spirit art, but it's hard to explain them all, so just look into it later."
Yeon-yeon-rang pressed her forehead tightly and suppressed the growing nervousness. In the meantime, Parker still looked distrustful of the fortune teller.
Mubin, who was educated and raised throughout the empire as a duke, was the only one who understood, at least in part, what she was saying.
"Anyway, astrologers are essential in the desert because they read the movement of the constellations. If you are a good astrologer, you can even find an oasis in the middle of the desert."
"Can't we just look at the map and go according to the coordinates?"
"In the Turke Desert, the magical coordinates are constantly changing. Maps or magic compasses are useless!"
In the end, Yeon-yeon-rang couldn't overcome the frustration and burst into anger.
"Yeah? The coordinates change? That, too?"
It was the first story I had ever heard of Parker, who used to rely on magical coordinates to deliver deliveries. If the coordinates kept changing, half of the delivery mission would have failed. This is because the empire was very wide and there were many bizarre places that could not be visited only by address.
Parker trembled, saying that without the magic coordinates calculation formula and compass developed by wizards, the world would have gone back thousands of years without information by now.
However, even those magical coordinates cannot be used at all in the Turke Desert.
"You think it's the only one? There are also mirages that show illusions in Turke. In the meantime, hungry monsters prey on their prey are also infested."
"Ugh, that's right. I heard that the desert is dangerous."
"Yeah! So, when you cross the desert, you have to take a good astrologer with you. If you can't read the constellations, you can't go to the village of the Turke tribe."
Yeon Yeon-rang firmly concluded her words toward the team members who were now starting to communicate little by little.
"never."
Parker, whose complexion had grown darker than it had been before, became pale and muttered.
"So what? You know how to find a good astrologer, sir?"
When Yeon Yeon-rang joined the party, he also asked Parker not to call his name. There was also Estio's sympathy. So, each of them chose her own way, and Moobin called her 'her lady' and Parker called her 'Musa-sama'.
Yeon Yeon-rang snorted as she met the hopeful eyes of the join-in tribe with emerald-colored hair.
"As you said, there are scammers everywhere who want to take advantage of the pockets of novice travelers.
Parker made a choking sound as the fuel economy had denied it too boldly.
"He, he, then… should we really leave it to fate…?"
"Heh, if you're confident, that's fine. If you're unlucky, you'll be a lost child in the desert, but this member isn't the strongest person to be attacked by thieves."
Yeon-yeon-rang, who had stopped making fun of the crying Jo-in, spoke again in a serious tone.
"The best way is to follow the upward path."
When Mubin heard this method, his eyes lit up.
"Hey, it's uphill."
"This is the method I mainly used, and the top, which usually goes to and from the Turke tribe village, recruits mercenaries to survive from monsters and robbers in the desert."
Parker's face, who had been gloomy, was a bit late in color.
"Ah! You're taking a top escort quest?"
"We're dealing with the common goal of getting to our destination safely. We borrow astrologers and vehicles, and merchants find escorts to protect them."
An astrologer who reads the stream of stars is a special ability that can only be found in the Turke area. Therefore, it was difficult to find even within the guild.
"I make money while I'm on my way. It's a simple but reliable transaction, so I use it a lot."
"I agree with this opinion! Probably, most of the team members are beginners, and it would be better to apply as a mercenary in a situation where you can't find the right way."
Moobin readily agreed to Yeon Yeon-rang's proposal. Parker nodded at the same time, and everyone's eyes gathered in one place, as if he had received a signal.
"What do you think, Leader?"
The most important thing was the decision of the leader, Estio. Of course, he heard that mercenary support was an excellent method, so he moved immediately without saying a word.
The destination he took was not far from the market.
Large trees grew high in the sky, forming a natural tent, and people gathered in the shade under the shade. Moobin, who had blown the whistle, murmured.
"Are they all merchants?"
"I think most of them are."
The upper procession each led a variety of vehicles, including luxurious magic wagons, loaded camels, and even desert elephants.
Before entering the desert or coming out of the desert, it was a recruiting street where carts were gathered and displayed.
"We are looking for a B-class or higher combat mercenary!"
"I'll take one more ice-type secondary magic mercenary!"
"Healers are welcome, regardless of rank! Same-day express delivery by wagon!"
In front of a simple signpost, each upper level employee was looking for a mercenary. It was much louder here than in the market for buying and selling goods.
And the mercenaries who did not register with the guild and run private quests also flocked to work. Like Estio's party, there were a few people from the guild, but the number was relatively small.
Between individual mercenaries and guilds, there was a difference between commoners and nobles. Individual mercenaries are easy to find, but their credibility is low because they turn on their eyes and rush to do whatever they want. However, the guild responsible for credit protects the rights and interests of both guild members and customers, so they do not force any requests. From a position where they could choose a quest, there weren't many guild members who wanted to go to the rugged desert.
"Isn't that the Ignis Guild?"
"I think you're right? It's a black uniform with a firebird badge."
"It's best if the Ignis Guild takes over the work!"
Among them, the reputation of the Ignis Guild was remarkable. At the top of the money roll, he already had a regular deal with Ignis. When Estio and his party appeared on the Guin Street, they looked at each other.
"Are you looking for a top quest?"
"Come to our top. They use magic wagons, so they can run on a limited express!"
The merchants did not block the footsteps as they walked, but only stood in place and threw the chufu.
It was an implicit rule set here to convince the mercenaries who came for a quest with words without touching them.
Ignoring this rule and using force to capture a mercenary, there was a time when there was a big mess one day. This is not a well-maintained guild counter with people from all walks of life. Mercenaries who moved freely without orders from their superiors drew swords and cast magic according to their emotions.
Especially when it comes to combat mercenaries with powerful abilities, no one can stop them. It is not uncommon for an angry mercenary to have his wrist blown off by a sword wielding it. It would have been nice if the neck was dry.
After stimulating the rough mercenaries and seriously injuring them, the merchants did not attempt physical contact again.
"Wow! The crowd is huge. It would be better to go with a bigger place if possible."
"Of course. Ignis' name is meant to be used in times like these."
Yeon-yeon-rang, who has frequently been commissioned for mercenaries since childhood, raised her nose. She said she was a bit arrogant, but she was actually her guild and her name had a lot to do with it.
Estio's group looked at the inside of the agency a little more to choose a top that they could easily bury.
Suddenly, Parker found a girl squatting in front of a shabby cart and gave him a pitiful look.
"Oh, even such a small child."
He was a little boy who was only six or seven years old. Her hair, which had not been washed well, was dark purple, and the bangs were all overgrown, covering her eyes. The little girl was dazed, embracing a filthy doll that was not sure whether it was a rabbit or a raccoon.
Hearing Parker's tongue-kick, he shrugged his shoulders lightly when he found the Mubindo child.
"There are a lot of guys like that in the guild, so what's new."
"Ugh. But, isn't it cruel to ask a child to cross a desert that even an adult cannot tolerate?"
"So you want to help?"
"No, it's just pitiful."
Parker shook his head. He was well aware of the fact that he and he couldn't do anything about it.
Estio Book 5
- Episode 11
As I covered my eyes, at some point, people and things started to be recognized as a certain mass of energy. It was similar to the phenomenon of faintly recognizing a shape after staying in the dark for a long time.
So, now, without Neju's help, I was able to walk alone, sometimes noticing the faces of others I couldn't see.
It was almost the same as taking off the eyepatch, except that his ability to read minds was blocked because he couldn't make eye contact.
"Okay. Now I've got all the things I want to bring, and there's only one thing left."
As a result of going around the market, Yeon-yeon was fully prepared to enter the desert while grunting. When Parker saw that she was killing her fiery hair, she was astonished that she was serious about her words of following Estio's command. It is certainly an atrocious rumor circulating about fuel consumption in the guild so far, and compared to the behavior Estio has seen, it was very modest.
Yeon Yeon-rang did not care whether the team members admired or not, and was faithful to her role. She said as she folded her fingers.
"It's a choice of transportation to Turke."
"Ugh, should I buy a camel too?"
Parker, who doesn't know much about the desert, was particularly obsessed with camels. Yeon Yeon-rang, who was in charge of the desert guide, continued talking without pretending to know the Jo-in people, who are obsessed with simple concepts.
"To go to the village of the Turke tribe, you need a properly trained 'astrologer'."
"No, what astrologer?"
Obsessed with the thought of a camel, Parker looked puzzled at the word that came out of nowhere. And Estio was puzzled in a different sense.
"...Astrologer?"
"Looks like he has this ability."
"Hey, even if you call yourself a magician, you don't have much ability."
Parker shook his head awkwardly in front of the mysterious Estio and Neju.
"I'm just a horoscope divination person. I'm often wrong, too! To be honest, I don't think all divination is a scam."
"In the beginning, fortune-telling is also a technique that is taboo in Luvarzan, who believes in the divine."
Mubin, with his arms crossed, added a hint. According to the divine law of the Empire, divination was a superstition and a sin.
Yeon-yeon-rang, who was the first to talk about the astrologer among the nonsensical party, let out a long sigh.
"That's why you attached the word 'correct'. I'm not talking about cheap fortune tellers."
"then?"
"Astrology is a shamanistic magic that even the Empire tolerates."
Again, Estio and Neju had to bow their heads side by side at unfamiliar words.
"Shamanism?"
"It's not magic, is it magic?"
"Ha, it's a concept similar to spirit art, but it's hard to explain them all, so just look into it later."
Yeon-yeon-rang pressed her forehead tightly and suppressed the growing nervousness. In the meantime, Parker still looked distrustful of the fortune teller.
Mubin, who was educated and raised throughout the empire as a duke, was the only one who understood, at least in part, what she was saying.
"Anyway, astrologers are essential in the desert because they read the movement of the constellations. If you are a good astrologer, you can even find an oasis in the middle of the desert."
"Can't we just look at the map and go according to the coordinates?"
"In the Turke Desert, the magical coordinates are constantly changing. Maps or magic compasses are useless!"
In the end, Yeon-yeon-rang couldn't overcome the frustration and burst into anger.
"Yeah? The coordinates change? That, too?"
It was the first story I had ever heard of Parker, who used to rely on magical coordinates to deliver deliveries. If the coordinates kept changing, half of the delivery mission would have failed. This is because the empire was very wide and there were many bizarre places that could not be visited only by address.
Parker trembled, saying that without the magic coordinates calculation formula and compass developed by wizards, the world would have gone back thousands of years without information by now.
However, even those magical coordinates cannot be used at all in the Turke Desert.
"You think it's the only one? There are also mirages that show illusions in Turke. In the meantime, hungry monsters prey on their prey are also infested."
"Ugh, that's right. I heard that the desert is dangerous."
"Yeah! So, when you cross the desert, you have to take a good astrologer with you. If you can't read the constellations, you can't go to the village of the Turke tribe."
Yeon Yeon-rang firmly concluded her words toward the team members who were now starting to communicate little by little.
"never."
Parker, whose complexion had grown darker than it had been before, became pale and muttered.
"So what? You know how to find a good astrologer, sir?"
When Yeon Yeon-rang joined the party, he also asked Parker not to call his name. There was also Estio's sympathy. So, each of them chose her own way, and Moobin called her 'her lady' and Parker called her 'Musa-sama'.
Yeon Yeon-rang snorted as she met the hopeful eyes of the join-in tribe with emerald-colored hair.
"As you said, there are scammers everywhere who want to take advantage of the pockets of novice travelers.
Parker made a choking sound as the fuel economy had denied it too boldly.
"He, he, then… should we really leave it to fate…?"
"Heh, if you're confident, that's fine. If you're unlucky, you'll be a lost child in the desert, but this member isn't the strongest person to be attacked by thieves."
Yeon-yeon-rang, who had stopped making fun of the crying Jo-in, spoke again in a serious tone.
"The best way is to follow the upward path."
When Mubin heard this method, his eyes lit up.
"Hey, it's uphill."
"This is the method I mainly used, and the top, which usually goes to and from the Turke tribe village, recruits mercenaries to survive from monsters and robbers in the desert."
Parker's face, who had been gloomy, was a bit late in color.
"Ah! You're taking a top escort quest?"
"We're dealing with the common goal of getting to our destination safely. We borrow astrologers and vehicles, and merchants find escorts to protect them."
An astrologer who reads the stream of stars is a special ability that can only be found in the Turke area. Therefore, it was difficult to find even within the guild.
"I make money while I'm on my way. It's a simple but reliable transaction, so I use it a lot."
"I agree with this opinion! Probably, most of the team members are beginners, and it would be better to apply as a mercenary in a situation where you can't find the right way."
Moobin readily agreed to Yeon Yeon-rang's proposal. Parker nodded at the same time, and everyone's eyes gathered in one place, as if he had received a signal.
"What do you think, Leader?"
The most important thing was the decision of the leader, Estio. Of course, he heard that mercenary support was an excellent method, so he moved immediately without saying a word.
The destination he took was not far from the market.
Large trees grew high in the sky, forming a natural tent, and people gathered in the shade under the shade. Moobin, who had blown the whistle, murmured.
"Are they all merchants?"
"I think most of them are."
The upper procession each led a variety of vehicles, including luxurious magic wagons, loaded camels, and even desert elephants.
Before entering the desert or coming out of the desert, it was a recruiting street where carts were gathered and displayed.
"We are looking for a B-class or higher combat mercenary!"
"I'll take one more ice-type secondary magic mercenary!"
"Healers are welcome, regardless of rank! Same-day express delivery by wagon!"
In front of a simple signpost, each upper level employee was looking for a mercenary. It was much louder here than in the market for buying and selling goods.
And the mercenaries who did not register with the guild and run private quests also flocked to work. Like Estio's party, there were a few people from the guild, but the number was relatively small.
Between individual mercenaries and guilds, there was a difference between commoners and nobles. Individual mercenaries are easy to find, but their credibility is low because they turn on their eyes and rush to do whatever they want. However, the guild responsible for credit protects the rights and interests of both guild members and customers, so they do not force any requests. From a position where they could choose a quest, there weren't many guild members who wanted to go to the rugged desert.
"Isn't that the Ignis Guild?"
"I think you're right? It's a black uniform with a firebird badge."
"It's best if the Ignis Guild takes over the work!"
Among them, the reputation of the Ignis Guild was remarkable. At the top of the money roll, he already had a regular deal with Ignis. When Estio and his party appeared on the Guin Street, they looked at each other.
"Are you looking for a top quest?"
"Come to our top. They use magic wagons, so they can run on a limited express!"
The merchants did not block the footsteps as they walked, but only stood in place and threw the chufu.
It was an implicit rule set here to convince the mercenaries who came for a quest with words without touching them.
Ignoring this rule and using force to capture a mercenary, there was a time when there was a big mess one day. This is not a well-maintained guild counter with people from all walks of life. Mercenaries who moved freely without orders from their superiors drew swords and cast magic according to their emotions.
Especially when it comes to combat mercenaries with powerful abilities, no one can stop them. It is not uncommon for an angry mercenary to have his wrist blown off by a sword wielding it. It would have been nice if the neck was dry.
After stimulating the rough mercenaries and seriously injuring them, the merchants did not attempt physical contact again.
"Wow! The crowd is huge. It would be better to go with a bigger place if possible."
"Of course. Ignis' name is meant to be used in times like these."
Yeon-yeon-rang, who has frequently been commissioned for mercenaries since childhood, raised her nose. She said she was a bit arrogant, but she was actually her guild and her name had a lot to do with it.
Estio's group looked at the inside of the agency a little more to choose a top that they could easily bury.
Suddenly, Parker found a girl squatting in front of a shabby cart and gave him a pitiful look.
"Oh, even such a small child."
He was a little boy who was only six or seven years old. Her hair, which had not been washed well, was dark purple, and the bangs were all overgrown, covering her eyes. The little girl was dazed, embracing a filthy doll that was not sure whether it was a rabbit or a raccoon.
Hearing Parker's tongue-kick, he shrugged his shoulders lightly when he found the Mubindo child.
"There are a lot of guys like that in the guild, so what's new."
"Ugh. But, isn't it cruel to ask a child to cross a desert that even an adult cannot tolerate?"
"So you want to help?"
"No, it's just pitiful."
Parker shook his head. He was well aware of the fact that he and he couldn't do anything about it.
