“Hello. You are Lord Wood, correct? My name is Ula and I will be your guide for the day.” A cat girl introduced herself to us.
She was a bit short, just about 150 cm or so. She had crimson red hair, a bit like Lua’s, red ears and a red tail. Her outfit was just as colorful as her hair, consisting of a blue undershirt and skirt, with a red vest over it.
“Yes. I am indeed Brian Wood. Nice to meet you, Ula.”
“... nice to… meet you… I’m Cailie…” Cailie also introduced herself.
“It is nice to meet you too, Lord Wood, Miss Cailie.” Ula said. I do like her energetic voice and her attitude. Definitely a good first impression for this city. “I did hear that you wished to visit the adventurer’s guild’s main office, but did you have any other places you really wished to see?”
“I’d also like to get in contact with the merfolk living around here, if possible. Cailie has … a bit of a situation, so she is looking for a new place to live.” I told the cat girl. “And while I could take her with me on my journey, I think it might be a bit hard on her.” I added.
“Ah. Yes. We can do that.” Ula agreed. “For her moving here, we should go to the immigration office for that. A resident’s card will be better than an adventurer’s guild card, if she doesn’t plan on entering the castle dungeon. As for housing, that is possible as long as she doesn’t mind a group home, or if she has money to pay for a private residence. Actually, the merfolk housing might have a different situation, so we will have to ask someone who knows that situation better.”
“That’s good. Cailie, what do you think?”
“... I used to… live with my family… so I think I can… live with others…” She answered.
“If not, I can pay for a private residence.” I did offer. “For a year or so. After that, you should have a job and be able to pay for yourself.”
“We can help with that. There are great resources here for finding jobs and so forth. I do not know if you noticed, but the Hero’s country has no slums, as we find reasonable housing for all residents.” Ula told us.
That’s quite something. And yeah. I think she is correct. The closest ‘slums’ I saw were on the other side of the lake, in the areas that would belong to one of the three kingdoms surrounding the Hero’s country. And even there, there were still reasonably sized cities at the other end of each of the big bridges connecting this island to the three kingdoms. So you would have to go to the outskirts of those cities to find the closest slums.
But still. This Hero’s country sounds like a good place, if they really can offer housing to all residents. … but I guess that leads to the ‘when is someone a resident’ question.
Soon enough, we began our tour. Ula was showing us around, while I was pushing Cailie in the wheelchair.
The city was honestly amazing. The way everything was laid out and worked just made it amazing, almost like someone had calculated the entire city’s plans for maximum efficiency, while keeping it beautiful. I especially enjoyed all the water in the city. The canals running throughout the city really showed a side most cities just don’t have. And with them acting as additional transport routes, as well as moving lanes for aquatic people like merfolk, they really were interesting. In this city, you could be a merfolk and live a normal life. A lot of the shops next to the canals even had water access to them, so it really proves how much they care about the aquatic customers. But then again, according to Ula, there are over 20,000 merfolk living in the city and the lake surrounding it. And that isn’t even counting other aquatic humanoids. The entire city itself has around 150,000 people living in it, by the way. Add to that the people living in the cities on the other side of the bridges, in the land owned by the kingdoms, and this area has over 500,000 residents.
On our way to the immigration office, Ula showed us some important buildings. There were things I really didn’t expect, like an employment office, medical services, a public library and even public schools. The schools were in different levels of education, and the price depends on the level. You could get some basic education for just a few silvers, also known as basically free. Like honestly, paying 10 meals worth to learn basic math sounds like quite the deal to me. And in a lot of cases, your employer would pay for you to get some education, as long as you impress them with your attitude.
Even Ula herself. She was born outside the city to not so well off parents, sneaked into the city, got caught and was then offered education and a job. She got a job as a package carrier, because she wanted to see all of the city. With that job, she built up connections, and eventually swapped jobs to the government sector. I don’t think she is officially a tour guide or anything, but she didn’t say her job title, and I didn’t press for it.
“Here we are. The immigration office.” Ula stopped in front of a decently sized stone building. Actually, is it even stone? It looks more like some sort of concrete. I didn’t even know they have concrete, as the buildings in all other cities have been stone and wood. Well, it might just be some special stone, or maybe they have a dungeon that produces concrete powder or something. Maybe I’ll check the Chaos God Dungeon catalog for concrete later. I’d assume that a Chaos God Dungeon would know of concrete, if it was a thing. It should, right?
We entered the building and Ula told a few people about our business. Soon enough, we were brought into a back office, with two people waiting for us. One was a human male, the other a merfolk lady. How quickly did Ula arrange all of this, or is this just usual staff that works in this building?
After a quick set of introductions, we got to work filling some paperwork for Cailie.
“So, Miss Cailie, was it?” The male human confirmed. “And you are from the Nixie clan of merfolk, is that correct?”
“y-yes.” Cailie confirmed.
“You’ve come a long distance from home then. It must have been a difficult journey.” The merfolk lady said.
“... yes.” Cailie answered. Normally, the way she answered might have given away the fact that she lied, but considering that Cailie always stammers anyway, it just sounded normal.
“You must have also had a good reason to leave. Would you tell us about it?”
“...” Cailie didn’t answer.
“Difficult subject I see. That is fine.” The merfolk lady quickly gave in. “But I would like to know one thing. How did you run into a Ruiso kingdom noble? As far as I know, the best route from the dragon islands to here is through the Crystal Empire.”
“... I just… happened.” Cailie stammered out. “He… helped me… when I was… in trouble.”
“Lord Wood, would you elaborate?” The man asked.
“She was just a bit lost, so I offered to give her a ride on my spa.. excuse me, airship.” I answered.
“I see. That is very noble of you.”
“Well, I do it sometimes and I did feel bad for Cailie.” I told them as an excuse.
After getting that out of the way, they moved on to talk about what Cailie is good at. … but that got awkward quite quickly, as Cailie herself couldn’t say anything about it. But she was given points for determination. After all, she did attempt a long journey on her own.
… oops. Lies causing issues.
By the end of it all, Cailie was accepted to move into the city. I was quite thankful for that, because I honestly just had no idea what I’d have done with her had she stayed with me for longer, so I’m glad this place is willing to take her in.
But that does mean that Cailie and I will have to say goodbye. It wasn’t too difficult to me, but Cailie did feel a bit attached and wasn’t super willing to just go. I don’t really know why, but I guess maybe she is falling for me. It isn’t impossible, but I’d still prefer not to. I have my hands quite full with just Lua and Alice. I don’t need a third girl. … thought at one time I would have said that I don’t need a second one, but here we are.
Before we separated, I gave Cailie a handful of silver coins from Storage, both small and large. I have too many of them, so I don’t mind, and she will need some money to get her life here started. And I’m sure she will pay me back eventually. At least I think she will. And if she doesn’t, so what. I’ll have lost all of one day's worth of Upstart Goblin money, and that is including all the stuff I made to her with HomeBase. Actually, I probably didn’t even get close to what my Upstart Goblins make me each day.
But anyway, after a quick goodbye, I looked as Cailie swam away with the merfolk lady that had been in the immigration office. I do hope she will do well here. I’ll try to check up on her when I visit next time. Maybe I should have given her a tool that she could use to get in contact with me. Or maybe a card. I wonder if I have a card like that? Also, do my cards get ruined if I put them in water? The ones in toploaders don’t, but do regular ones? It would have to be a regular one for Cailie to use it, as she doesn’t have Card Summoner.
Well, something to find out later.
“Lord Wood. I heard that you managed to complete your business. Is there anything else I can help you with?” A red eared cat girl called to me.
“No. I just came to take care of Cailie, so I’m done for the day.” I replied. Even if my original goal was getting Cailie a guild card, finding her a place to live is not a bad alternative. Actually, this is a lot better.
“So you won’t be visiting the guild?” Ula asked.
“Not at this time, no. I’ll come back later with the rest of my party. Unless there is some critical reason I have to visit them at this time. You wouldn’t happen to know one, would you?” I questioned Ula. She knows too much, so she really must have at least some higher position within the city governance, so I asked that in an attempt to find more.
“I wouldn’t know about anything like that. I’m just a guide.”
“Then I have nothing more to do here. I guess I could visit a few stores to pick up a few gifts, but other than that, I think that will be all for today. Thank you for your help, Ula.”
“Then let me guide you to some of my favorite stores.” Ula offered. “And how about lodging? Don’t tell me you plan to head back today?”
“Yes. Of course I will. The others will get worried if I don't.” Sure I could just communicate with them through the system link, but I’m also in the midst of an escort mission officially, so I shouldn’t be gone for too long.
“... are you sure? Won’t it take quite a bit of time to get back, even with an airship?”
“Don’t worry about that. Mine is small and fast, so it is fine.”
“... well, if you say so. I’ll show you to the airfield soon, but first, some shops, right?”
“Yes. Thank you.” I thank Ula for her services. “... also, Ula. Do you think you could keep an eye on Cailie for me? I’m just … a bit worried if she will fit in. And if she won’t, do you think you could somehow get in contact with me? I’ll come help her if she gets into trouble again.”
“... yes. That can be done for a price.”
“Here. 50 gold coins.” I said, as I pulled a bag containing said gold coins from storage. Luckily the three kingdoms surrounding it, as well as the Hero’s country itself all use the same currency, so that is useful.
“I shall make sure it is done with utmost perfection.” Ula said, as she took the pouch and gave me a little bow.
After getting some gifts for Alice, Lua, Ria and Agunan, as well as something small for Mariina and her group, I returned to the airfield, where I summoned my Gradius. It might be a bit of a waste to get gifts for Mariina’s group, as they live here, but still. Better get at least something for everyone.
From the airstrip, a winged beastfolk came and escorted my ship some ways away from the city, before he wished me a good flight and returned to the city. I wonder why they do that?
Well, not my problem. I took just a bit of distance from the city at speeds under the speed of sound, but when I reached a point where no one should be able to see me anymore, I blasted off at Mach 20 so I could get back quickly.
“So, how was he?” A middle aged man asked the red haired cat girl.
“... difficult. He seems to act fully on his emotions and is quite easy to influence. He came here just to help some merfolk girl he just happened to run into.”
“I see. Can we control him?”
“Not likely. If he really is as powerful as they say, as soon as he realizes he is being controlled, he will lash out. At least I believe so.”
“... I see… that is too bad.”
“But he does seem to have some level of fairness in mind. While he does help people, he does seem to expect them to pay him back, as with the merfolk girl.”
“Oh? Maybe we can buy his services then?”
“Still no, as he doesn’t seem to have a shortage of funds. He handed me fifty gold coins like it was nothing, for a service that would cost five or less. He doesn’t value money in the same way most nobles do.”
“I understand. Let us be careful then. With his power, he could undo the legacy of the Hero and the Goddess. We must avoid that outcome at all costs. We shall give him similar preferential treatment in the future. And as long as he stays in the Ruiso kingdom where he is a noble, it will hopefully be fine. I’m simply worried about the other two kingdoms, as well as him venturing outside of the kingdoms.” The man spoke what was on his mind. “His ship does seem extremely fast, doesn’t it?”
“Yes. We had him followed by someone good in stealth, but they couldn’t keep up at all. They said his ship flies at speeds exceeding an A-rank monster.”
“That much is to be expected, if he really did just come for a day trip.”
“And his ship seems to be some sort of summoned machine.”
“... and what makes you say that? He has the Storage skill, doesn’t he?”
“That is what the reports say and I did see him using that skill, but unlike when he uses his Storage skill, he used some sort of card for the ship. I believe it is one of the ‘summoning cards’ related to his other unique skill.”
“... I see. We do have reports about that, so that is good to confirm. It is too bad we won’t be able to acquire any then. Even if we could pay him enough for him to sell us one, we would still need someone with that ‘Card Summoner’ skill.”
“We did send a skilled group to the dungeon he founded, so it should be just a matter of time before one of them gets it, right?”
“Let us hope so. Was there anything else of critical importance?”
“... I think we should take good care of the merfolk girl he dropped off. If she says we’ve been treating her well, it might get him to our side.”
“Alright. Make sure others know about that. Also, remember to write a report. I want everything on it. Everything. You are dismissed.”
“... and here I was hoping this job would get me away from all the paperwork…” Ula complained lightly, as she left the room.
nro_8 And Cailie is gone. Again. Let's hope she will stay out of trouble for more than 2 chapters this time.
“Hello. You are Lord Wood, correct? My name is Ula and I will be your guide for the day.” A cat girl introduced herself to us.
She was a bit short, just about 150 cm or so. She had crimson red hair, a bit like Lua’s, red ears and a red tail. Her outfit was just as colorful as her hair, consisting of a blue undershirt and skirt, with a red vest over it.
“Yes. I am indeed Brian Wood. Nice to meet you, Ula.”
“... nice to… meet you… I’m Cailie…” Cailie also introduced herself.
“It is nice to meet you too, Lord Wood, Miss Cailie.” Ula said. I do like her energetic voice and her attitude. Definitely a good first impression for this city. “I did hear that you wished to visit the adventurer’s guild’s main office, but did you have any other places you really wished to see?”
“I’d also like to get in contact with the merfolk living around here, if possible. Cailie has … a bit of a situation, so she is looking for a new place to live.” I told the cat girl. “And while I could take her with me on my journey, I think it might be a bit hard on her.” I added.
“Ah. Yes. We can do that.” Ula agreed. “For her moving here, we should go to the immigration office for that. A resident’s card will be better than an adventurer’s guild card, if she doesn’t plan on entering the castle dungeon. As for housing, that is possible as long as she doesn’t mind a group home, or if she has money to pay for a private residence. Actually, the merfolk housing might have a different situation, so we will have to ask someone who knows that situation better.”
“That’s good. Cailie, what do you think?”
“... I used to… live with my family… so I think I can… live with others…” She answered.
“If not, I can pay for a private residence.” I did offer. “For a year or so. After that, you should have a job and be able to pay for yourself.”
“We can help with that. There are great resources here for finding jobs and so forth. I do not know if you noticed, but the Hero’s country has no slums, as we find reasonable housing for all residents.” Ula told us.
That’s quite something. And yeah. I think she is correct. The closest ‘slums’ I saw were on the other side of the lake, in the areas that would belong to one of the three kingdoms surrounding the Hero’s country. And even there, there were still reasonably sized cities at the other end of each of the big bridges connecting this island to the three kingdoms. So you would have to go to the outskirts of those cities to find the closest slums.
But still. This Hero’s country sounds like a good place, if they really can offer housing to all residents. … but I guess that leads to the ‘when is someone a resident’ question.
Soon enough, we began our tour. Ula was showing us around, while I was pushing Cailie in the wheelchair.
The city was honestly amazing. The way everything was laid out and worked just made it amazing, almost like someone had calculated the entire city’s plans for maximum efficiency, while keeping it beautiful. I especially enjoyed all the water in the city. The canals running throughout the city really showed a side most cities just don’t have. And with them acting as additional transport routes, as well as moving lanes for aquatic people like merfolk, they really were interesting. In this city, you could be a merfolk and live a normal life. A lot of the shops next to the canals even had water access to them, so it really proves how much they care about the aquatic customers. But then again, according to Ula, there are over 20,000 merfolk living in the city and the lake surrounding it. And that isn’t even counting other aquatic humanoids. The entire city itself has around 150,000 people living in it, by the way. Add to that the people living in the cities on the other side of the bridges, in the land owned by the kingdoms, and this area has over 500,000 residents.
On our way to the immigration office, Ula showed us some important buildings. There were things I really didn’t expect, like an employment office, medical services, a public library and even public schools. The schools were in different levels of education, and the price depends on the level. You could get some basic education for just a few silvers, also known as basically free. Like honestly, paying 10 meals worth to learn basic math sounds like quite the deal to me. And in a lot of cases, your employer would pay for you to get some education, as long as you impress them with your attitude.
Even Ula herself. She was born outside the city to not so well off parents, sneaked into the city, got caught and was then offered education and a job. She got a job as a package carrier, because she wanted to see all of the city. With that job, she built up connections, and eventually swapped jobs to the government sector. I don’t think she is officially a tour guide or anything, but she didn’t say her job title, and I didn’t press for it.
“Here we are. The immigration office.” Ula stopped in front of a decently sized stone building. Actually, is it even stone? It looks more like some sort of concrete. I didn’t even know they have concrete, as the buildings in all other cities have been stone and wood. Well, it might just be some special stone, or maybe they have a dungeon that produces concrete powder or something. Maybe I’ll check the Chaos God Dungeon catalog for concrete later. I’d assume that a Chaos God Dungeon would know of concrete, if it was a thing. It should, right?
We entered the building and Ula told a few people about our business. Soon enough, we were brought into a back office, with two people waiting for us. One was a human male, the other a merfolk lady. How quickly did Ula arrange all of this, or is this just usual staff that works in this building?
After a quick set of introductions, we got to work filling some paperwork for Cailie.
“So, Miss Cailie, was it?” The male human confirmed. “And you are from the Nixie clan of merfolk, is that correct?”
“y-yes.” Cailie confirmed.
“You’ve come a long distance from home then. It must have been a difficult journey.” The merfolk lady said.
“... yes.” Cailie answered. Normally, the way she answered might have given away the fact that she lied, but considering that Cailie always stammers anyway, it just sounded normal.
“You must have also had a good reason to leave. Would you tell us about it?”
“...” Cailie didn’t answer.
“Difficult subject I see. That is fine.” The merfolk lady quickly gave in. “But I would like to know one thing. How did you run into a Ruiso kingdom noble? As far as I know, the best route from the dragon islands to here is through the Crystal Empire.”
“... I just… happened.” Cailie stammered out. “He… helped me… when I was… in trouble.”
“Lord Wood, would you elaborate?” The man asked.
“She was just a bit lost, so I offered to give her a ride on my spa.. excuse me, airship.” I answered.
“I see. That is very noble of you.”
“Well, I do it sometimes and I did feel bad for Cailie.” I told them as an excuse.
After getting that out of the way, they moved on to talk about what Cailie is good at. … but that got awkward quite quickly, as Cailie herself couldn’t say anything about it. But she was given points for determination. After all, she did attempt a long journey on her own.
… oops. Lies causing issues.
By the end of it all, Cailie was accepted to move into the city. I was quite thankful for that, because I honestly just had no idea what I’d have done with her had she stayed with me for longer, so I’m glad this place is willing to take her in.
But that does mean that Cailie and I will have to say goodbye. It wasn’t too difficult to me, but Cailie did feel a bit attached and wasn’t super willing to just go. I don’t really know why, but I guess maybe she is falling for me. It isn’t impossible, but I’d still prefer not to. I have my hands quite full with just Lua and Alice. I don’t need a third girl. … thought at one time I would have said that I don’t need a second one, but here we are.
Before we separated, I gave Cailie a handful of silver coins from Storage, both small and large. I have too many of them, so I don’t mind, and she will need some money to get her life here started. And I’m sure she will pay me back eventually. At least I think she will. And if she doesn’t, so what. I’ll have lost all of one day's worth of Upstart Goblin money, and that is including all the stuff I made to her with HomeBase. Actually, I probably didn’t even get close to what my Upstart Goblins make me each day.
But anyway, after a quick goodbye, I looked as Cailie swam away with the merfolk lady that had been in the immigration office. I do hope she will do well here. I’ll try to check up on her when I visit next time. Maybe I should have given her a tool that she could use to get in contact with me. Or maybe a card. I wonder if I have a card like that? Also, do my cards get ruined if I put them in water? The ones in toploaders don’t, but do regular ones? It would have to be a regular one for Cailie to use it, as she doesn’t have Card Summoner.
Well, something to find out later.
“Lord Wood. I heard that you managed to complete your business. Is there anything else I can help you with?” A red eared cat girl called to me.
“No. I just came to take care of Cailie, so I’m done for the day.” I replied. Even if my original goal was getting Cailie a guild card, finding her a place to live is not a bad alternative. Actually, this is a lot better.
“So you won’t be visiting the guild?” Ula asked.
“Not at this time, no. I’ll come back later with the rest of my party. Unless there is some critical reason I have to visit them at this time. You wouldn’t happen to know one, would you?” I questioned Ula. She knows too much, so she really must have at least some higher position within the city governance, so I asked that in an attempt to find more.
“I wouldn’t know about anything like that. I’m just a guide.”
“Then I have nothing more to do here. I guess I could visit a few stores to pick up a few gifts, but other than that, I think that will be all for today. Thank you for your help, Ula.”
“Then let me guide you to some of my favorite stores.” Ula offered. “And how about lodging? Don’t tell me you plan to head back today?”
“Yes. Of course I will. The others will get worried if I don't.” Sure I could just communicate with them through the system link, but I’m also in the midst of an escort mission officially, so I shouldn’t be gone for too long.
“... are you sure? Won’t it take quite a bit of time to get back, even with an airship?”
“Don’t worry about that. Mine is small and fast, so it is fine.”
“... well, if you say so. I’ll show you to the airfield soon, but first, some shops, right?”
“Yes. Thank you.” I thank Ula for her services. “... also, Ula. Do you think you could keep an eye on Cailie for me? I’m just … a bit worried if she will fit in. And if she won’t, do you think you could somehow get in contact with me? I’ll come help her if she gets into trouble again.”
“... yes. That can be done for a price.”
“Here. 50 gold coins.” I said, as I pulled a bag containing said gold coins from storage. Luckily the three kingdoms surrounding it, as well as the Hero’s country itself all use the same currency, so that is useful.
“I shall make sure it is done with utmost perfection.” Ula said, as she took the pouch and gave me a little bow.
After getting some gifts for Alice, Lua, Ria and Agunan, as well as something small for Mariina and her group, I returned to the airfield, where I summoned my Gradius. It might be a bit of a waste to get gifts for Mariina’s group, as they live here, but still. Better get at least something for everyone.
From the airstrip, a winged beastfolk came and escorted my ship some ways away from the city, before he wished me a good flight and returned to the city. I wonder why they do that?
Well, not my problem. I took just a bit of distance from the city at speeds under the speed of sound, but when I reached a point where no one should be able to see me anymore, I blasted off at Mach 20 so I could get back quickly.
“So, how was he?” A middle aged man asked the red haired cat girl.
“... difficult. He seems to act fully on his emotions and is quite easy to influence. He came here just to help some merfolk girl he just happened to run into.”
“I see. Can we control him?”
“Not likely. If he really is as powerful as they say, as soon as he realizes he is being controlled, he will lash out. At least I believe so.”
“... I see… that is too bad.”
“But he does seem to have some level of fairness in mind. While he does help people, he does seem to expect them to pay him back, as with the merfolk girl.”
“Oh? Maybe we can buy his services then?”
“Still no, as he doesn’t seem to have a shortage of funds. He handed me fifty gold coins like it was nothing, for a service that would cost five or less. He doesn’t value money in the same way most nobles do.”
“I understand. Let us be careful then. With his power, he could undo the legacy of the Hero and the Goddess. We must avoid that outcome at all costs. We shall give him similar preferential treatment in the future. And as long as he stays in the Ruiso kingdom where he is a noble, it will hopefully be fine. I’m simply worried about the other two kingdoms, as well as him venturing outside of the kingdoms.” The man spoke what was on his mind. “His ship does seem extremely fast, doesn’t it?”
“Yes. We had him followed by someone good in stealth, but they couldn’t keep up at all. They said his ship flies at speeds exceeding an A-rank monster.”
“That much is to be expected, if he really did just come for a day trip.”
“And his ship seems to be some sort of summoned machine.”
“... and what makes you say that? He has the Storage skill, doesn’t he?”
“That is what the reports say and I did see him using that skill, but unlike when he uses his Storage skill, he used some sort of card for the ship. I believe it is one of the ‘summoning cards’ related to his other unique skill.”
“... I see. We do have reports about that, so that is good to confirm. It is too bad we won’t be able to acquire any then. Even if we could pay him enough for him to sell us one, we would still need someone with that ‘Card Summoner’ skill.”
“We did send a skilled group to the dungeon he founded, so it should be just a matter of time before one of them gets it, right?”
“Let us hope so. Was there anything else of critical importance?”
“... I think we should take good care of the merfolk girl he dropped off. If she says we’ve been treating her well, it might get him to our side.”
“Alright. Make sure others know about that. Also, remember to write a report. I want everything on it. Everything. You are dismissed.”
“... and here I was hoping this job would get me away from all the paperwork…” Ula complained lightly, as she left the room.
nro_8 And Cailie is gone. Again. Let's hope she will stay out of trouble for more than 2 chapters this time.
