βMaster, are there lots of birds?β
When we get to Yuan, we hear bird noises.
Yuan is surrounded by a wooden wall that’s about three meters tall, but it’s less to protect the town against outside threats, and more to make sure the birds don’t escape.
There are also a few walls in town, that serve to separate people’s living spaces from the spaces where birds are raised.
At night, the birds go in their own buildings, but they are free to walk around when morning comes.
Suffice to say, it’s the people raising these animals who manage these buildings.
And, if the weather suddenly gets bad, they have to be able to deal with that.
It seems like Yuan is self-sufficient, also growing crops in town or on mountain slopes. However, there is still stuff they can’t get on their own, so they make money selling their prized birds.
Also, this town sits at the border of Elesya and Efa, but doesn’t belong to either, although they mostly do business with Elesya.
That’s less because people like them, and more because it’s easier for people to come here from Elesya.
But there are reasons why there is still trade with the Magic State.
βLet’s buy as much poultry as we can.β
βGood thinking, master.β
Some towns have difficulty selling to individuals, but this is where my merchant guild card comes in handy.
I don’t contribute to the guild much, paying only the minimum membership fee, so my rank is still the same.
It’s not like I’m really working as a merchant. We mostly buy things for ourselves, and when it’s time to sell monster materials, the adventurer guild is enough.
We check in on an inn, and I ask the owner to introduce me to someone who manages these birds.
βYou can wait until tonight. Someone will come to have dinner.β
βI want to go out and check out the town. What about you?β
I ask, and Hikari and Mia say they’re coming along, while the others want to rest in the inn.
It would be one thing if it was a normal road, but that mountain road was tough on their bodies. Especially Rurika’s.
She looks like she feels bad about it, but Hikari notices that, and states strongly that we’ll bring gifts. Is there anything around here that fits the bill though?
As we walk around, various people speak to us. It looks like they’re cautious because they’re not used to seeing us around.
When I show my guild card and say I’m here to buy meat after hearing good things about it, they soften up a little and speak with me.
I think having Mia and Hikari with me helps too. And people are particularly surprised when they hear the small Hikari came here from the Magic State.
When we got here, I put the wagon in the Item Box, so we got in on foot, and we’ve been telling everyone here that’s how we traveled.
As for the town itself, I see one building that looks like a store, but it doesn’t look like there’s anything else. Said store looks like it deals with everyday goods and luxury grocery items.
Apparently the town supplies food, and money is paid in accordance to days worked and the price their goods sold for.
We are shown what they have, and trade some alcohol and potions.
It’s not like we really need anything, but the person behind the counter says they don’t have enough potions, and Mia looks at me like she’s asking if we can do something, so we trade.
β β β
βBig sister Rurika, there were no gifts.β
When we get back, Hikari apologizes for bringing nothing.
βIt’s fine, Hikari. The owner said we are having dishes with their poultry, so that’s enough.β
Says Rurika. I guess that’s their local specialty.
Still, while we wait, Hikari talks about what we saw.
The most noteworthy thing was the view from a sort of viewing platforms. They have them to the south and north, so it’s possible to see the scenery on both the side of Elesya and the Magic State.
Looking down showed us the inclination, and how we did well to climb all that.
Rurika and the others say they want to see that too before we leave.
We keep chatting until the owner calls us, and we go down to the dining hall.
We’re the only guests in the inn, but there are townspeople here to eat.
We are taken to empty seats, and are quick to start eating the first thing served to us, skewers with what looks like pieces of whole roasted birds.
Hikari’s eyes shine when she starts eating, and her cheeks loosen after the first bite.
We follow her lead, and I see this is definitely tastier than what we had in Helia. Is it the freshness? The cooking? I feel like both could be it.
This really feels like the cooking of someone who is used to this bird meat.
We start speaking less and less, and the food in front of us disappears.
As we eat, I sneakily activate the Cooking skill to investigate what kind of flavorings are being used.
If I could make this while we travel, that would level up our meals again.
And it doesn’t take long for us to finish eating.
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Thanks for the treat.