LIGHTNOVELONLINE Book 2: Chapter3
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Chapter 3 – We Discussed Our Plan For The Journey
Iris and I said goodbye to the Helper Slime and left the underground city.
After returning to the city of Aunen and finishing a light lunch, we headed to the Scarlet Trading Company office.
“You must be Kou Kousaka-sama and Irisnot Fafnir-sama, right? I’ve heard about you from Milia-sama. Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule to come here today.”
The woman at the reception desk was young but very polite.
The Scarlet Trading Company is a large organization, and it seems that its members are well trained.
We were taken to a reception room on the second floor of the office.
“Please wait here for a while. I will call the Grand Master now.”
In the center of the reception room, there were two three-seater sofas flanked by a black wooden table.
They all had a luxurious look.
Iris and I sat down on the sofa side-by-side for a moment.
“I’m starting to get nervous.”
“You don’t have to be so nervous.”
I think the Grand Master is probably Chrome-san.
I don’t feel that much pressure because he is a close friend of mine.
The door to the reception room opened with a click.
“It’s been a long time, Kou-sama and Iris-sama. The last time I saw you were at the victory party for defeating the Black Dragon, wasn’t it? I am relieved to see that you have not changed.”
The one who came to the reception room was indeed Chrome-san.
In his left hand, he was carrying a luxurious leather bag.
“I’d like to congratulate you on the award you received from the royal capital. Please leave the travel arrangements to the Scarlet Trading Company. I owe you a debt of gratitude for saving me from the Armored Bear, and I will do my best to help you.”
“Thank you very much, Chrome-san. You’ve always been a great help to me too…”
“No, no, don’t worry about it. It’s only natural. First, let’s talk about how to reach the royal capital.”
With that, Chrome-san sat down on the sofa across from me and took out a map from his bag.
The map shows the location of towns and roads in great detail, and the habitats of monsters are also written on the map.
The city of Aunen is located in the lower-left corner of the map, with the Phatos Mountains and Cello Forest nearby.
“It is common practice to take a boat on the way to the capital. Are you both okay with that?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Yeah. It would be too far to go by land alone.”
Iris and I answered, and Chrome-san nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. If that’s the case, it’s probably best to take the road northeast from Aunen and take a boat from the port city of Fort Port.”
Northeast… or upper right.
Let’s check the map on the table.
The road out of Aunen passes through several towns along the way and finally leads to Fort Port. It’s almost a straight line and very easy to follow.
“By the way, as for transportation to Fort Port, I’m thinking of arranging for a carriage. However, it seems that Kou-sama has a variety of useful skills and items. If you want to use them, please do not hesitate to tell me.”
“Thank you for your concern. Actually, I have my own carriage…”
“Is that so? Since it’s Kou-sama, I’m sure it’s an extraordinary carriage. If you don’t mind, I’d like to see it later.”
“Of course. By the way, I’d like to ask you about our travel schedule──”
I explained that the Grand Cabin could move so fast that we could reach Fort Port in three days if we wanted to.
“──Therefore, we have plenty of time to spare, and I’m thinking of stopping in Toue and Surier for some sightseeing.”
“I see, that’s a great idea.”
When Chrome-san finished listening to me, he nodded with a smile.
“There is a large ranch in Toue, and Surier is a very famous hot spring town. Both places are sure to entertain you, Kou-sama.”
We then discussed the number of days we would stay in each city.
It was decided that we would stay one day and two nights in Toue, two days and three nights in Surier, and finally two days and three nights in Fort Port, which also seemed to be a city with many interesting parts, before boarding a ship for the royal capital.
The itinerary can be summarized as follows.
- Day 1: Departure from Aunen, arrival in Toue
- Day 2: Sightseeing in Toue
- Day 3 – Departure from Toue, Arrival in Surier.
- Days 4 and 5 – Sightseeing in Surier
- Day 6 – Departure from Surier, Arrival in Fort Port.
- Day 7, 8 – Sightseeing in Fort Port
- Day 9 – Depart Fort Port and board a ship for the royal capital
Looking at it this way, it’s quite an eventful journey.
Suddenly, Iris muttered as she remembered something.
“I’ve never been to a casino before, so I’m curious. What kind of place is it?”
“I have heard a lot about the casinos in Fort Port.”
Chrome-san nodded and said.
“The casino offers basic games like cards and roulette, but also athletic games with cash prizes, a maze that takes up an entire floor, and riddles to solve in order to escape from the basement. It seems to be getting good reviews.”
That sounds very interesting.
From what Chrome-san said, I imagine the casino in Fort Port to be like an otherworldly version of a comprehensive amusement center.
It’s starting to get my gamer’s blood pumping.
“I’ll make arrangements for you to stay in each town. Don’t worry about the cost. We have already received a budget from the government and the Adventurer’s Guild, and if there is any shortfall, the Scarlet Trading Company will cover it.”
“Is that okay?”
“Yes. Kou-sama and Iris-sama risked their lives to protect the city of Aunen. Please consider this as a small return for that. Besides, it is in the best interest of the trading company to have connections with people who are being acknowledged in the royal capital.”
* * *
Now that the general schedule of the journey was set, we had to work out the details.
First of all, we decided on the departure time to the afternoon five days from now, as this would give us time to prepare for the journey.
By that time, the underground city’s system would have been rewritten, and it should be possible to take Surara, the Helper Slime, with us.
…Huh?
Speaking of which, can Surara enter the city or stay at the inn?
It could cause trouble if people mistake him for a monster, so I’ll have to consult with Chrome-san about it.
“Very well. So, you’re going to let one of the Helper Slimes accompany you on your journey, right?”
In the past, when the Black Dragon resurrected, I had evacuated the people of Aunen to the underground city, and Chrome-san had also met the Helper Slimes.
Therefore, I didn’t need to explain in detail about the Helper Slime, and the conversation went smoothly.
“There are some skills that allow you to turn monsters into pets, although you won’t find them in Aunen. The most common is [Tame].”
Is there such an interesting skill?
Using monsters is a bit of a romance, isn’t it? Just imagining an adventure with an Armored Bear in tow, for example, makes me excited.
With that in mind, I listened to Chrome-san’s story.
“It’s customary to put a collar or other ornaments on a monster you’ve tamed. This is a great way to show the people that the monster is safe. I know that the Helper Slime is not a monster, but how about using this as a reference?”
“I see…”
I nodded heavily.
Even in modern Japan, when you keep a dog or cat, you put a collar on it. That’s how you distinguish them from strays, and I suppose it’s the same with having monsters as pets.
“I’ve seen tamed monsters in other cities in the past.”
Iris muttered as if she had just remembered.
“It was a Lonely Wolf with a ribbon tied to its tail, and it was pretty cute.”
“So you’re saying that any ornaments other than a collar will do?”
“It seems they sometimes dress them in human clothes.”
That’s easy to understand.
“The Helper Slime would look good in a hat. Do you want to go buy one later?”
Ah, alright… I was about to say that when I suddenly remembered.
Come to think of it, didn’t the Helper Slimes have their own hats and clothes?
In the past, when I went to the underground city, I remember seeing a chef-style Helper Slime in a chef’s hat and apron and a farmer-style Helper Slime in a straw hat and overalls.
Immediately after, [Full Assist] was activated to supplement the information.
The Helper Slime’s outfit (cosplay?) is said to be prohibited from being taken out of the underground city.
In other words, I need to prepare Surara’s hat here.
“Fufu, I wonder how I’ll dress him up. I am starting to look forward to it.”
Iris seemed to be excited, and in a way, it was a good result.
Anyway, the problem of getting in and out of the city was now solved.
As for the lodging, Chrome-san said that he would find an inn that allows pets.
“All of these lodgings are affiliated with the Scarlet Trading Company. I’ve prepared a letter of introduction, so please hand it over to the local staff. They won’t refuse to let you and the Helper Slime stay at the inn.”
“Thank you very much, Chrome-san. I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you.”
“No, no, that’s fine.”
Chrome-san smiled a good-natured smile.
I think it’s really fortunate that the first person I met after arriving in this other world was Chrome-san.
“Now that the conversation is over, could you please show me Kou-sama’s carriage? In fact, I have a weakness for unusual carriages…”
“I understand. But it’s a pretty huge carriage, so I think it’s better to go outside the city. Are you sure you have time?”
“Of course. As I told you before, I’m going to hand over the position of chairman to my son, and I’ve almost finished passing it on. I have plenty of time, so please don’t worry about it.”
So, I took Iris and Chrome-san and left Aunen through the north gate for the time being.
I stopped at a grassland a little farther from the city and opened my [Item Box].
When I reminded myself to take out the Destroyer Golem and the Grand Cabin, a large magic circle appeared on the ground.
The magic circle shines, and a giant and a giant carriage appear…
The《Golem Combination EX》seems to have been activated from the beginning, and the two are connected by metal parts and wires.
“Whooooaaaaaaa!”
Chrome-san shouted in admiration. He was more excited than ever, perhaps because he was faced with an unusual carriage.
His eyes twinkled like a child’s as he looked at the carriage from various angles.
“This is wonderful! I’ve never seen anything this magnificent before!”
“Thank you very much. I am honored by your praise.”
The Destroyer Golem bows to Chrome-san.
“T-this is very polite of you… Kou-sama, is this golem the one from the Great Flood…?”
“Yes. That is correct.”
The Great Flood is an extremely frightening phenomenon in which thousands or tens of thousands of monsters appear at once and avalanche into neighboring towns and villages.
In the previous battle, the Great Flood occurred at about the same time as the resurrection of the Black Dragon, and more than 30,000 monsters flooded towards the city of Aunen. Normally, there would have been a great deal of damage.
However, the Destroyer Golem’s super high-powered magic laser erased the army of monsters and protected the city of Aunen.
As for me, I am very grateful to the Destroyer Golem because I wanted to avoid being worn out before the decisive battle with the Black Dragon.
Iris is also an invaluable friend to me.
Aside from that, I called out to Chrome-san and showed him around the Grand Cabin.
The living room, dining room, kitchen, two more bedrooms, and a bathroom.
As we walked out of the cabin, Chrome-san looked blissfully happy.
“Oh my goodness, this place is like heaven… I wish I could travel in a carriage like this, no, I wish I could live my daily life in one…”
I think Chrome-san really likes carriages when he says this.
Iris and I looked at each other and lightly chuckled.
“By the way, Kou-sama, may I ask you a question?”
After a while, Chrome-san came back to himself and spoke to me with his usual calm face.
“It is very rare for a golem to pull a carriage, and it may be mistaken for a monster attack. Shall we notify the guards in each area through the Scarlet Trading Company?”
If you ask me, there is certainly that possibility. To avoid any complications, it’s best to contact them in advance.
“Chrome-san, can I ask you to do that?”
“Yes. I’ll have everything in place by the time you leave, so please don’t worry.”
After that, I stored the Destroyer Golem and the Grand Cabin in my [Item Box], and we returned to the city.
There were no additional matters left to discuss, so we parted ways in front of the Scarlet Trading Company office.
I would like to say that all we have to do now is wait for the day of our departure… but there is still much to be done.
Greetings to those who have helped me, cleaning up the inn, restocking items…
There is also the possibility of cooking in the Grand Cabin, so I need to prepare the ingredients and seasonings, and I also need to buy a hat for Surara.
It’s going to be a busy five days until our departure.
Nevertheless, it’s much easier than moving in Japan, so I’ll take care of everything one by one.