The Runesmith

“Watch it, if ye drop that there you’re goin' to 'ave to pay fer it.”

“Stop shoutin' an' just 'elp me!”

From the distance, Roland could see people dressed like sailors carrying large crates with various items in them. From what he could tell all the merchandise was divided by worth that could be measured by the way the packaging looked. If it was something cheap then regular wooden crates were enough.

On the other hand, if it was something worth a lot of coins, the crates were made from magical wood along with several paper seals that produced a magical barrier around it. Even if someone hit a crate like that with a sledgehammer it would not leave a dent in it. But this didn’t mean that the items inside couldn’t be damaged if the outer shell was handled without care.

‘So this is the shipyard…’

He had entered the large building filled with various seafaring ships. Besides them and the mass of people, he could see some that were under construction. This caught his interest as he could see some construction golems being utilized. Some of them were carrying heavy logs and parts of the ship, some of them were even working on this world's version of a crane.

The golem itself was not the whole crane, instead, they were used to replace laborers to pull long ropes that were connected to various pulley systems. Roland recalled some history lessons that back in his world before mechanical cranes were created people had to actually pull them themselves or use livestock.

‘It might be cheaper to have the golems pull those ropes instead of making a large crane golem instead…’

Roland didn’t see a problem in creating a golem that could actually work as a regular crane. The runic structure wouldn’t be as hard and everything could be configured to allow an operator to move it with the help of some kind of console. The only problem would be the money required to procure materials that would last for years without deteriorating the runes.

‘The underground dwarven city was said to use something similar to heavy machinery, I guess for a human shipyard this is already plenty.’

The golems that were working here were slowly lumbering on four legs and were clearly mass-produced products. With their help, the construction efforts probably progressed a lot smoother and the costs weren’t that high. A large investment would be required to produce a better effect.

‘The Valerian crest is also here, if I remember correctly then one of Arthur’s siblings should be stationed in this city…’

After glancing at the crest Roland recalled his research that went into the Valerian household. With one of their members being within walking distance to his house, it was a given. They were a family known for their swordsmanship, apparently, many of them were at least spirit swordsmen.

‘I guess that’s why they have the nickname of the Kingdom’s sword. That’s ironic with how they are in the aristocrat faction and not with the royalists.’

The Valerian household had won their position by pitting their children against each other in hopes of gaining stronger and stronger sword masters. Their current position was won by bloody conquest in the past. It was a tough life that consisted of being compared to other siblings, duels were quite common with these kinds of nobles that wanted to prove themselves to their elders.

‘Sending Arthur out to a peaceful area like Albrook puts him in a tough spot…’

Arthur was still a son of a noble and what nobles lived for was rising up in the ranks. By being ordered to Albrook he wasn’t given much to work with. There weren’t any opportunities for him there, his brothers would probably be sent on most of the worthwhile expeditions to gain strength while he only had the dungeon to work with.

‘Times against him, unless he can produce some results or if the dungeon suddenly goes up a grade it will be hard…’

Roland was not sure what to think of the noble in the city. He had helped him with his work so he was somewhat indebted to the young man. But he could work that debt down by helping him gain more money. This would be achieved by selling various runic creations in the auction house. While this could pad out Arthur’s pockets with some extra cash it was not really something to bring attention to the city.

‘I should probably stop worrying about him and get out of here. It doesn’t seem that they will close the city for the time being…’

Not much time had passed since he came here as after getting his updated adventurer card he headed straight to the dock. Ships traveled around the sea on a set timetable and depending on it they could be a faster solution to his problem.

If he was unable to get a ship then the only way back would be through that wide forest. This was something that he wanted to avoid. Even if the caravans were blocked he could always buy himself a horse and travel alone. The only problem was the potential cult presence in the forest along with the church knights.

There was a possibility of running into both sides clashing with each other there which would put his life at risk. Even if he stayed to the outskirts some narrower passages had to be crossed. The cult could also come from the other side of the forest like on the bridge where they met the bandits.

If the cultists actually showed up to recover their large relic they would probably ignore the surrounding ships. The most troublesome area would be the forest area with the village that they had taken over. There was also another route by land that he could take, it went through a troublesome mountain path filled with various monsters.

‘I’ll make a decision after confirming it with the shipyard staff.’

After going through everything in his mind he finally found something that resembled a receptionist. It was another young lady that was similar to the ones he had come across in the adventurer guild. Next to the booth that she was sitting in was a large notice board with various scribbles that he didn’t understand.

“Excuse me, could you give me some information about the next ship leaving for the port close to Albrook.”

“Albrook? Please wait a moment sir.”

There was no line like in the adventurer guild so this time around he was given an answer quite fast. The girl pulled out a large book that looked like a ledger found in an accounting office. He could see many entries with various names, dates, and even longitudes. The woman flipped through the pages for some time which started to make him nervous but finally, he saw a positive reaction.

“Ah, here it is… a merchant ship will be arriving tomorrow to unload its cargo, it will then leave towards Vita.”

“Vita…”

Roland strained his geographical memory and recalled that this medium-sized port was not the one that he had previously visited. It was further back into the island but the trip from it would be around three days on foot. While this was not the location that he was expecting it was enough for him to instantly ask for more information.

“Does the ship allow for passengers?”

“Of course, if you pay the coin they will surely allow you to come but…”

“But?”

“It will take a week before the ship leaves.”

“A week?”

“Yes, if you wish to buy a ticket please come tomorrow.”

After the quick exchange, he received the information and had an idea of what was happening. It wasn’t odd for the ships to stay for longer than a day after unloading the cargo. The sailors could have families here and be given some time to relax with them before sailing off once more. Even if he considered that he would need to remain here for a week, taking the ship would probably be the fastest and the safest mode of transportation.

Perhaps if he was a tier 3 class holder he could attempt a solo crossing through the mountain range. Yet he was not, his items were depleted and both of his golems had been destroyed during the scuffle. They had turned into scrap metal that he shoved into a replacement spatial bag for the time being.

“May I ask about the location of this ship and when it will be arriving tomorrow?”

“Of course!”

The lady smiled at him and quickly disclosed the information. While this receptionist could give him the information he would need to go to the ship captain or the first mate to confirm everything. They could still deny him access to the ship if they already were booked beforehand. It was possible for the ship to be bought out by a rich merchant or a noble and no other passengers being allowed on the trip.

“You have my gratitude.”

“Please come again.”

After getting the pier number and asking about the layout some more, he had what he came for. Now like always he needed to find himself an inn to rest at. Thankfully this large city had an active adventurer guild and a dungeon. Considering this, there would not be a problem in getting a better room for his money as it was in the previous town.

With his visit to the city docks being over, he headed towards the commercial district. There he was surprised to find various neon signs and a city bustling with life. This was a stark contrast to cities like Edelgard or even Albrook where when night rolled around most people returned to their homes.

‘I see, they are trying to maximize on the large adventurer population and the people that come over to have fun.’

There were people shouting from the entrances of restaurants and inns that were trying to attract people. Colorful signs that radiated magical energy were purposely created to draw in the eyes of people visiting. From the distance, he could even hear music and the cheers of people. It seems that some kind of show was taking place in the open which was quite a rarity.

‘Street performers or perhaps something like a circus?’

Roland stopped himself from going towards the alluring sounds of music. What he needed now was not to have fun but to prepare for his journey home. Before leaving he asked the girl at the docks about possible alternatives and was shocked to hear that if he missed this ship the next one would be arriving in three weeks.

Most of the ships here connected to the mainland so he would need to first return there before finding a ship that would take him to Albrook there. The girl didn’t have a detailed map of the ship's paths so was unable to help him with that. If he decided to head with that route it might take even longer than going through the potentially dangerous mountain range.

“Sir, could I interest you in our city’s specialty, roasted Soul Carp!”

“May I interest you in this pearl necklace, I’m sure you will be able to grab the heart of any lady!”

“Would you be interested in buying …”

The shout of the peddlers continued as he ignored them all. They were selling almost everything from food to actual weapons. It was as if the roads were built to house the small stands from which these people could sell their wares. Thanks to his identification skill he was able to easily identify everything.

It was clear that these people were a bunch of scammers as the items they were being advertised were mostly different. Even the food was counterfeit as the fish was in actuality only a mud carp that was worth a third of what the peddler was trying to get for it. For some reason he also expected the ones in power to be fine with it.

‘I bet they allow these people to scam the wanderers and the adventurers as long as they pay their taxes. The more they can sell their wares the more money flows into the city.’

The lord could easily ban these scammers from selling counterfeit wares but what would he gain from it? Roland knew how some nobles operated, they would not care if a commoner came complaining to them that they were cheated of their money. As long as the side of the city that was populated by higher class people was in order, whatever happened on this side was not their problem.

“I don’t want anything, let me through.”

Luckily his appearance was similar to a knight or a high leveled adventurer. By raising his voice toward the people blocking his way they quickly moved to the side. The reaction was surprising but gave him an idea that this place went through its fair share of problems. Rowdy customers appeared from time to time that could destroy a month's worth of merchandise.

‘The guards are patrolling to keep the cities in order…’

When passing through he could see various armored guards standing to the side. While they did look his way after he moved forward they ignored him quickly. It seemed that the lord was aware of the money he could make here. By keeping the merchants safe themselves they would not need to ask any crime syndicates for help. Any money gained from protecting them would line the Valerian noble’s pockets instead.

‘I can’t imagine them patrolling the poorer side of this district though.’

Finally, he arrived at his destination and was greeted by a long street filled with various inns, pubs, and restaurants. It seemed that the entire district was carefully designed so that the people staying at the inns weren’t far away from places with food and entertainment. This made him wonder how much money he was losing by having his shop away from the city and the eyes of many potential clients.

The streets were filled with various travelers, not only adventurers who came to this city. Others that saw potential in making it big were also here. Many merchants were interested in a deal of their life so they flocked to cities like this. Almost no one of them was successful though and ended up being a regular peddler like the ones he saw before.

“Hello there sir, could you be searching for a place to stay for the night? Our Inn has the comfiest beds!”

Before he could analyze the surroundings and pick an inn to stay he was interrupted by a young girl of about ten. She was holding a sign with a picture of a black cat. When looking at the building she was standing close by he could see the same black cat moving around on something that looked like a neon sign. This reminded him of some of the motels he stayed at in his old world while going between cities.

“Yes I am, could you show me the way?”

“Yes Sir, please follow me!”

The girl was all smiles after he agreed to visit her Inn. Roland was not picky, he wanted to get a place to rest and have some privacy. There were some items he also wanted to procure before resting for the night. Even though the stores here were open for longer than usual there was not much time left now.

“I heard that you had free rooms.”

“That we have, are you traveling by yourself?”

“Yes.”

Soon the young girl brought him over to the innkeeper who seems to be the girl's mother. The resemblance was there and the woman quickly found him a room to stay in.

“Will you be staying for the night now or going out?”

“I will return later if that’s fine with you?”

“We are open throughout the entire night, please return whenever you wish. You can get your key from me when you return.”

It seemed that the people here had grown to accommodate their customers. Most of the time even the inns and pubs had a cut-off before they locked their doors. His armored appearance was also seen as normal here. Thus he exchanged some coins for the room and went on his way towards the tool shops.

‘They should have some smithing hammers here, I must repair these degraded runes before the night is over.’

Roland needed to at least remain here for another week. With that in mind, he needed to restore his armor. The runes had degraded after the use of his mending skill. Only with a proper hammer would he be able to use his runecrafting skill without burning through all of his mana reserves. Thus he headed out into the bustling city consumed by greed, if he could get a good price on the items he desired was debatable.