Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

Chapter 149 Exorbitant Tickets

Since that day, the man has completely let go of his burdens and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the journey of escorting the two children home.

Since maintaining the status quo would allow him to achieve his goals, and he had indeed seen changes, all he needed to do next was to firmly be himself. As a demon of the immortal race, time was the one thing he had in abundance.

And so, city after city, landscape after landscape, I continued my travels for more than half a year.

Before they knew it, they had all become A-level adventurers.

They finally arrived at the southernmost point of the Demon Continent—the port city of "Winnport".

This is the only port city in the Demon Continent.

The town has many undulating slopes, and you can see the whole street scene at a glance from the entrance.

Although most of the buildings are made of earth and stone in line with the characteristics of the Demon Continent, you can also see some wooden houses here and there.

They probably imported timber from the continent of Milis, since this is a port, and there's even a shipyard in the corner of the town.

Perhaps because it is a port city, there are not many stalls near the entrance, but the area near the port is more vibrant.

It is a town with a unique charm that differs from other places.

As for the other end of the port, that is, the outer side of the town, there is a vast ocean.

Upon seeing this, the four of them were immediately struck by a brightening effect.

There's no way around it; most of the environments along the way have absolutely nothing to do with water, so seeing such a large expanse of water all of a sudden is quite a visual shock.

Upon arriving at the place, the red-haired girl immediately jumped off the lizard she was riding and ran forward.

"Look, Rudius! It's the sea!"

Alice speaks fluent Demon Language. Rudeus required her to consciously use Demon Language from an early age, and the party also communicates in Demon Language as much as possible. As a result, Alice's level has improved significantly recently.

"Wait a minute, Alice! We haven't even decided where we're staying yet, where do you think you're going to run off to?!"

Upon hearing Rudeus's words, Alice abruptly slammed on the brakes.

"That's right! We need to find somewhere to stay first, otherwise we'll get lost!"

Alice, who couldn't help but keep stealing glances at the beach, returned excitedly.

"I wonder if swimming is allowed?"

"Huh? You want to swim in the harbor?"

"think!"

Rudyus's DNA has been activated.

"You don't have a swimsuit, do you?"

"Swimsuit? What's that? I don't need one!"

Hearing this shocking answer, Rudius could not hide his confusion, followed by joy.

So... she probably went into the water wearing only her underwear.

The underwear, soaked with water and clinging tightly to her body, revealed glimpses of her skin tone and the subtle bulges beneath.

Live in the moment, that's right! Live right now! Oh yeah! It's the ocean!

Rudius was just lost in his fantasy.

"No, it's best not to swim in these waters."

At that moment, a voice from behind poured cold water on the situation.

It's Rachel Rudd.

"Because there are many monsters in the sea."

"...

""

Alice looked disappointed, as did Rudeus, while Yue Ren at the back had a slight smile on his lips. It had been almost half a year.

"We won't go swimming this time. After finding a place to stay, let's head to the Adventurers' Guild. If we really want to go swimming, let's ask around in town to see if there are any more suitable areas."

"Um..

""

After deciding on a place to stay and temporarily entrusting the lizard to the stables, the group first headed to the Adventurers' Guild.

The Adventurers' Guild of Winnport.

It was packed with all sorts of adventurers.

Although it's a familiar scene, it seems like there are more humans now. If they were to cross the sea to the continent of Milis, their proportion would probably be even higher.

Seeing that Rudius, as usual, first moved to the front of the notice board, Rachel Rudd looked puzzled.

"Aren't we supposed to take a boat across the sea immediately?"

"I just wanted to take a look, because I heard that the income is higher on the continent of Milis."

Incomes are higher on the continent of Milis because the currency used is different.

The currency of the continent of Milis is divided into six types: Royal Notes, General Notes, Gold Coins, Silver Coins, Large Copper Coins, and Copper Coins.

If we set the lowest price of currency in the Demon Continent, "Stone Coins," to one coin and compare them, the result would probably be something like this:

On the Demon Continent, the reward for a B-level commission is approximately 15 to 20 scrap iron coins, which translates to 150 to 200 stone coins.

As for the B-level jobs on the continent of Milis, if we assume it's fifteen large copper coins, that's equivalent to 1,500 stone coins.

The difference is tenfold, so it's definitely more profitable to make money in Milris.

However, if it takes a while before the ship sets sail, I'll probably have to take on some commissions on the Demon Continent as well.

Basically, their team mainly takes on B-level jobs. A-level jobs are only occasional, and S-level jobs are out of the question, because A-level and S-level jobs are not only dangerous, but also often take more than a week to complete.

If you're looking for a stable job that can be secured within a few days, a Grade B position is the best choice.

For this reason, in order not to raise the adventurer's rank to S-rank, which would prevent them from accepting B-rank commissions, they might even selectively give up accepting some missions.

If becoming an A-rank adventurer allows one to take on S-rank commissions, then why even have an S-rank adventurer?

After asking the staff with this question in mind, I learned that becoming an S-class adventurer seems to grant some preferential treatment.

It seems like you can get a better discount on accommodation fees, the guild will also help you find better-paying jobs, and they will turn a blind eye to some violations, etc.

However, those who actually benefit most from these privileges are adventurers who primarily explore dungeons—the so-called true professionals.

They had never attempted a maze before, as it was not only dangerous but also time-consuming.

They became adventurers to make money, and since they can make more money with Milis, it would be best to set sail immediately.

Arriving at the counter.

The staff member standing there was a human woman.

For some reason, most of the staff at the counter were women, and for some other reason, they were also very likely to be women with good figures. Rudeus must have been the founder of the Adventurers' Guild and understood adventurers who were rough men.

"I want to travel to the continent of Milis. Do you know where I should go?"

"Please ask the gatekeeper about these kinds of questions."

"A checkpoint?"

"Because the journey by boat will cross national borders."

Does this mean that this kind of matter is not under the jurisdiction of the guild but is a matter between countries, so guild staff have no obligation to explain it?

Well, in that case, let's head to the level.

Go over there and get more detailed information.

Arrive at the checkpoint.

Although this town is located on the Demon Continent, the destination reached by the ship is the territory of the Holy Kingdom of Milis.

When bringing goods into the country, taxes must be paid, and money must also be paid upon entry. I wonder if this is to prevent crime, or simply for profit, or both?

Never mind, the reason doesn't matter.

Since we're going to pay anyway, let's just pay and be done with it.

Having been able to set foot on his homeland again, Rudius no longer had time to concern himself with such trivial matters; after all, considering their current travel expenses, it couldn't be too expensive.

"The Spelud tribe wants two hundred coins for the green ore."

"Two...two hundred?"

Rudeus and Alice gasped in surprise.

"Why...why is it so expensive?"

"You understand without me having to explain..."

'

What are the reasons for the particularly high cost of boat fares for the Spelud tribe?

Of course I understand! The Spelud are a despised and scorned race, and have suffered unfounded persecution in the past, but this price is still too high.

"Why is it such an outrageous amount?"

"Hmm? Oh, I guess it's a counter-terrorism measure, such as to prevent people from sending the Spelud race to the continent of Milis as slaves and then causing trouble there."

The old man's words startled Rudius; it seemed to make sense...

"You're the 'DeadEnd,' aren't you? Fake Speluds. They thoroughly investigate races when you board the ship. Even if you try to impress people here by paying two hundred green ore coins, you're just wasting your money."

The official offered this advice out of good intentions.

In other words, even if Rijrud pretends to be a Migrud here, will he still be caught later?

It seems this doesn't apply to them either. Just like the method Brother Yue initially used, which altered the physical body itself, no one should be able to tell the difference with that level of makeup.

After leaving the checkpoint, the sun had already set.

The group returned to the inn to prepare for dinner.

The hostel offers seafood dishes unique to the port city for dinner.

Tonight's main course is shellfish about the size of a fist, seasoned with a garlic butter flavor and steamed with a touch of wine.

This was probably the best meal they had had in a while, and Alice's cheeks never shrunk the entire time.

After dinner, we began our operational meeting.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault."

Rachel Rudd looked gloomy, never expecting that the most crucial problem would actually be with him.

"It's not your fault, Mr. Rachel Rudd."

"Brother Yue, can you transform Mr. Rijkaard into another race?"

"Sure, since my ability directly affects the physical body, but I don't recommend doing that."

Why?

"Deception itself can easily create problems for future actions. After all, they're not prohibiting entry, it's just a matter of paying more money. And what if the detection methods they mentioned aren't just physical, but involve something like magical detection? There's no guarantee that problems won't arise."

"But we definitely don't have enough money right now..."

"7

Although they had a very smooth journey and had saved up a lot of money, it was definitely not enough to reach the level of two hundred green ore coins, not even a hundred.

"I'll go exchange those gold sands tomorrow; it should be enough."

Oh oh oh oh...

Rudius remembered that when the journey first began, his elder brother Yue Ren had mentioned having a sum of money in his savings account, but he had completely forgotten about it after so long.

"Are you really okay? That money was yours..."

'

The Yue man said nonchalantly, "They're just worldly possessions. You can't take them with you when you die. As long as they can be used to solve problems, that's enough, isn't it?"

What an open-minded attitude! No wonder he's called Brother Yue.

Moreover, this approach of facing problems squarely and solving them is reassuring no matter what.

Rudius himself didn't realize that, unknowingly, as he spent more time by this older brother's side, some of his bad habits were being gradually improved.

The meeting concluded, and everyone was finally able to get a good night's sleep.

That evening, Rudius received advice from a mysterious deity in his dream, instructing him to take some ready-made snacks to the alley the next day.

Although he didn't know why, considering that all the other party's suggestions had yielded good results so far, he decided to give it a try, despite his doubts.

After all, they still need to prepare some things, and the Yue people also need to exchange for travel expenses. Even if they have enough money to pay for the travel expenses, they still need to see which ship they can take the next time, which will take quite a while.

Early the next morning, Yue Ren and Rudius went out together, while the other two, Rijerud and Alice, went to an open area to train and wait for their good news.

Arrive at the guild pawn area.

With Rudyus looking somewhat nervous, Yue Ren handed the bag of gold sand to the receptionist, who politely accepted it.

A moment later, the young lady respectfully handed them the original item and a note.

"Hello, this is the value of your Sands."

This is the local rule: inspect the goods on the spot, then quote a price, and once the seller agrees, the money is exchanged for the goods.

Rudius eagerly picked up the slip of paper, but his expression turned somewhat unpleasant after seeing the amount on it.

"Green Mine Coins: 150"

This was the value of the small half-bag of gold sand belonging to the Yue people; it was undoubtedly a huge sum of money.

However, they were still short of the two hundred coins they needed, and even with their existing savings, they were still a dozen or so coins short of the required amount... So it really wasn't going to work?

"The volume of these gold dusts should be enough to mint two Asura coins, it shouldn't be this amount."

"That's true, but unfortunately, due to the craftsmanship and the use of corresponding magical anti-theft technology, the value of an Asura gold coin of the same quality is much higher than that of gold of the same quality."

Is that really the reason...? At a time like this, I really don't know whether I should marvel at the prosperity of the human kingdom.

However, the difference of a dozen or so green ore coins doesn't seem significant enough to cover several high-level missions.

"Then let's have this one appraised as well."

Before Rudius could finish thinking, the Yue man beside him suddenly spoke up and took out a long stick-like object wrapped in cloth from his robe.

What is this? I've never seen Brother Yue use it before.

Before Rudeus could answer her question, the saleswoman took the item from Yue Ren. The heavy feeling in her hand startled her. After receiving a signal from Yue Ren, she removed the strips of cloth wrapped around it.

What was revealed was a magnificent knight's rapier.

Oh, it was a weapon...

The saleswoman suddenly realized what was happening, and after gesturing respectfully, she handed the item to the back.