Chapter 120 - The City of Heilong and Three Men
The city of Heilong was situated a short distance south of the river, which flowed in a wide arc around it. In terms of scale, it was probably about the same size as Flucht. A city wall, thicker than any we had seen before, encircled a collection of houses built upon a small hill. Previously, the two great rival powers, the Empire and the Demon Kingdom, had faced each other across the buffer zone of the Old Empire. That buffer zone was eliminated when the Demon Kingdom conquered the Old Empire's capital.
And so, this city, along with Migul, became the Empire's front line in the war against the Demon Kingdom.
With the fall of the Old Empire, Heilong had drastically reinforced its fortifications, even enclosing the road connecting the city to its port with walls. The port was the lifeline of a city built on commerce.
It wasn't as if the two nations had officially declared war. However, the signs were there, visible in the civil unrest and inter-city conflicts flaring up in the Empire's eastern cities—all of which were rumored to have the Demon Kingdom's involvement.
I had expected to find the city shrouded in a grim atmosphere, but the people were bustling with vibrant commercial activity. Behind the scenes, however, I imagined the ruling class carried a heavy burden.
The port spanned both banks of the river, but the southern side, where the city stood, was naturally the more prosperous one.
Here, we would switch from the ship to a caravan of wagons and head north toward the city of Migul. Migul was even larger than this city.
We ended up staying in Heilong for ten days.
Transferring the cargo to the wagons would only take a few days, but there was still the aftermath of the pirate subjugation to deal with.
As for the prisoners allocated to me and Levante, I decided to leave their fate to the Mateo Trading Company and just accept the payment. I was assigned ten, and each of the other members got one, making it fifteen prisoners for 750 gold coins. That sum was divided among the six of us, coming out to 125 gold coins each. It was a decent haul, but it felt far too cheap for the price of a human life.
My initial thought was to take them all and free them at some later opportunity. However, Mercedes gently explained that such a thing was unthinkable for those who made their living on the river. He told me that men who had committed piracy had no value beyond being sold as serfs or miners. It wasn't as simple as just using a slave crest to make them obey. Their true value was, at most, thirty gold coins each. The price was raised to fifty simply because it was me. I told him thirty would be fine, but Mercedes wouldn't budge.
I had also considered using my share to cover the cost of sheltering Takemura and Komachi, but he told me that was unnecessary as well.
This is just my guess, but I think he's correctly deduced that I can't see slaves as mere property and that I have a deep-seated aversion to the entire system. It feels like he's trying to help me bridge that gap.
I've never told him a single thing about my thoughts or feelings. He was a strange man.
The slaves who had been captured by the pirates and forced to be rowers were to be set free. Apparently, a separate reward would be paid by the cities they belonged to. On top of that, there was profit from the sale of the captured galley ship and, since we had accepted Marmie's request, a reward from House Starunion.
Marmie had already been met by a group of knights sent to escort her. Judging by her words and actions, she didn't seem like a noble's daughter at all, but I guess she really was one. She would be heading to Migul ahead of us.
The crystal core would only gather dust in my storage, so I had already given it to Marmie.
Regarding the spoils from the battle, it was proposed that they be divided equally among the five ships that participated. However, Mercedes was once again vehemently opposed to this. He condemned the other four ships for their delayed arrival.
Their excuse was that they were attaching rams to their hulls, but there was a very real possibility that we could have been wiped out before they reached us. The captain, considering his future relationships with the other ships, tried to offer them some leeway, but Mercedes refused to allow it.
In the end, two galley ships were sunk, the pirates thrown into the river were mopped up with crossbows, and the slaves who had been treated as rowers shared the same fate as their ships. This was the primary reason Joe and his group's share of the spoils was so low.
Harbaros's whereabouts are unknown. If he had been on board, he surely would have attempted a counterattack with his special skill. I believe he escaped beforehand. After learning that from Joe, I lost all interest in dealing with them.
It was all such a hassle, and it weighed heavily on my mind.
Group battles like this are more than I can handle. I swore to myself that I would never get involved in one again.
And now, what's weighing on me even more is the fact that I'm walking around with two other guys: Fang and Beers.
"Don't look so down!"
Beers slung an arm around my shoulders.
It was evening, and the sun was beginning to set upstream. The sky was stained orange.
We were on the northern side of the river, the bank opposite the city. A sandy shore stretched along the riverside, reminiscent of a beach, despite not being the sea.
"This place is called Heilong Beach. It's a major tourist spot," Beers said.
A breeze was blowing, and the wind-stirred water lapped against the sand like waves.
We walked downstream along a small path established near the shore. Street trees lined the river side, while the north side was filled with stone-built inns. They were unified by their white walls and featured open decks where guests were drinking and relaxing. The temperature had already started to drop, so no one was in the water anymore. A few people were still lying on the sand, but most were packing up to leave. It might be nice to bring Fam and the others here during the day for some swimming practice.
There were food stalls set up, and the sweet aroma of fruit wafted through the air. They were also selling skewered fish and what was likely fruit wine.
Beers bought some fruit wine and started drinking as we walked.
A man was going around lighting the lanterns that hung from the street trees.
I spotted some women in revealing outfits accepting propositions from men.
As we walked, taking in the sights, a young cat-eared man came up to us, looked at Fang, and lifted his shirt to flash his abs.
"Get lost."
Fang waved a hand, shooing the man away.
"A friend of yours? What was that all about?"
I asked Fang, but he just shook his head.
"Fang was getting hit on," Beers said with a smirk.
"Hit on...? By a guy?"
"Shut up," Fang answered, sounding annoyed.
We strolled leisurely along the beach. The number of people coming and going gradually increased. Most were young and lightly dressed. It seemed to be more groups of guys and groups of girls than couples.
"There are quite a few non-humans around here," I muttered. I wondered if this was a specific district for that.
"In Heilong, it's about thirty percent. In Migul, it's closer to forty," Fang answered.
"So even then, more than half are human."
"They say more than half the world's population is human."
"Is that so..."
I nodded. I was curious how they counted that, but I figured Fang wouldn't have an answer.
"So, what exactly are we doing here?"
"We wanted to thank you for freeing us from slavery."
"I heard. But I did it because I wanted to, so you don't need to worry about it."
"That, and you looked exhausted, so we thought we'd cheer you up, you know?"
If you really think that, I wish you'd just leave me alone. I want to hold Cecily and sleep tonight. And then wake up to a refreshing morning the next day.
Come to think of it, the schedule I'd decided on the other day had become a mess after the battle with the pirates. There were just too many new people, what with the prisoners and the freed slaves.
As I was thinking that, a small hill came into view ahead. Beyond it stood a massive tower resembling a pair of bull's horns. It was so enormous it felt like it was warping my sense of scale. Its upper levels were bathed in the sunset while its base was shrouded in the evening darkness, appearing to melt into the hill.
"That's Heilong's largest dungeon, Longhorn Trail. The view from here is kind of like a mirage. You can only see the tower from this angle. If you look from a different angle or get closer, it disappears."
Fang said, also looking up at the tower. His voice held a hint of nostalgia.
A tower, but it's a dungeon, and it's called a trail? My head was starting to spin, but I remembered that any space teeming with monsters is a dungeon. Apparently, Migul also has a dungeon you can see like this. It's called the Crystal Palace, and it looks like a palace floating above the city, Fang added.
"You're not seriously planning on going in there now, are you?"
"Relax. Our business is on the street below it."
Beers pointed to the base of the tower. A road stretched out towards it. An arched sign stood at the entrance, with the words 'Longhorn Street' carved into it, glowing like electric lights. A giant hourglass was displayed on top of the arch. Just as the sand finished falling, a man with beastman ears climbed up the arch and flipped the hourglass over.
Beyond the arch, there were even more people, and the area seemed to be bustling with activity.
"Weird, right? I don't get the principle behind it, but apparently the light from the sign is created by magic."
After hearing Beers's words, I looked to Fang for confirmation, but he just shrugged. We only had combat specialists here.
"So, what are we doing here?"
I asked again, a question that had been dodged several times now. Hearing my words, Beers broke into a vulgar grin.
"We're chasing what they call a fleeting dream. We're buying women."
The world beyond the arch was completely different.
Rather than a dream world, I felt the illusion of having returned to my original one. The scenery wasn't modern, but more like an entertainment district from a bygone era.
Stone buildings lined both sides of the street, and signs adorned with the same kind of electric lights as the entrance arch hung from the eaves. A chaotic, inconsistent flood of light spilled everywhere. The sun had set and darkness had fallen, yet this place alone was a world apart.
It was overflowing with people. Adventurer-types swaggered down the street. Scantily clad women threw winks our way. Music drifted from somewhere—the sound of drums and wind instruments.
I was feeling a little hungry, so we stopped at a place with an open terrace for standing and eating. We ordered some meat on a skewer and drank ale while gazing at the spectacle of Longhorn Street.
The meat was spicy and delicious.
"The spices are harvested in a country even farther east than the Demon Kingdom. In the Empire, this city and a port city on the southern coast buy them through the Demon Kingdom and handle distribution," Fang said. He was probably talking about Karpana's homeland. It made me want to eat the Wandering People's curry again.
"What's wrong? You look down."
Beers leaned in to look at my face. Buying a woman meant spending a night with a prostitute. I had promised Fam I wouldn't sleep with prostitutes. Besides, I was a virgin before coming to this world. Looking back now, maybe it was because I'd protected my virginity that I became a wizard after turning thirty and was able to transfer to this world.
Of course, I had no experience with such women. I was afraid that if I told them, they'd make fun of me, unlike Fam and the others.
As I was stewing in my gloomy thoughts, the door on the second floor of the building across from us opened.
A completely naked woman came out onto the terrace and began to dance, swaying her hips.
Even the people walking down the street stopped to watch, whistling and cheering her on.
The dancing woman winked at me.
"She just winked at me."
"No, that was for me."
It seemed Beers also thought the wink was directed at him.
"Beers…"
"What?" He leaned in to hear my mutter.
"This place is amazing!"
We raised our mugs of ale and the three of us toasted. My mood soared in an instant.
"Alright, listen up. We'll pop into a suitable place. We can drink the night away there, or we can buy one of the girls. A girl costs five silver coins until the sand in the hourglass runs out, or ten for the whole night. This whole street is managed by a boss. Tipping for drinks inside or tossing money around is fine, but don't try to give the girl you bought extra money or negotiate a discount. It'll just lead to trouble. After you buy her, just take her to one of those inns along the beach we saw earlier."
"That's cheap."
"There are brothels off the main street where you can do it on the spot for one silver coin. But I don't recommend them. Don't ever go there."
The open terrace was at the corner of a T-junction. I peeked down the street that branched off. It was dark and didn't look like any shops were open.
"There are no healthy women down there," Fang said.
"The hourglass is the one on top of the entrance arch?"
"That's right. The sand is supposed to take two hours to fall. But it seems to be longer in the summer and shorter in the winter."
The inhabitants of this world probably don't measure time accurately. They seem to consider the period from sunrise to sunset as half a day, then divide it further into twelve parts to make an 'hour.' So, in the summer when daylight is longer, the intervals of night time become shorter, and conversely, in the winter when daylight is shorter, they become longer. I'm sure a transferee has introduced a more accurate method of timekeeping, but it doesn't seem to have caught on.
"In that case, don't you lose out if you buy a girl while the sand is still falling?"
"A lot of guys wait for it to run out. But the ones who can't hold back buy them midway through."
Waiting for the hourglass to run out meant they had to kill time somewhere. And in doing so, customers would eat, drink, and spend more money on this street.
"You know an awful lot about this, don't you?"
"Well, yeah," he replied, sounding bored. I started to wonder if this guy was a pimp. A dangerous fellow. I'd often seen him with Mizuki, but from now on, I'd have to make sure to keep them apart.
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