Chapter 402: The Mining Town of Gordon

Ten days had passed since they left the Quinbland Empire in a horse-drawn carriage.

What started out as a journey from town to town eventually turned into a trip from village to village. Finally they ended up in travelers' lodges where they cooked for themselves.

Lavia and Paula seemed to be enjoying themselves nonetheless, perhaps because this was the way traveling was supposed to be in this world. The environment didn't bother them. In fact, they were joyful that they got to experience actual traveling.

Many people were heading for the mountainous region of Potterat.

There were adventuring parties that hailed both common carriages and private ones, and merchant convoys carrying loads of cargo. Numerous bonfires lit up at night, encircling the inns. Some business-minded people sold alcohol and food. Hikaru took the opportunity to buy some of the latter.

「Hmm! I love how it's spicy!」Lavia said, shivering in joy.

She had soup served in a wooden bowl, a stew made with mutton. Laced with fat, the soup was bright red, with plenty of tomatoes and spices that made it refreshing to drink. It had a shuddering spicy aftertaste to it, though.

Looks like coriander...

The garnish—chopped white onions and blue herbs—smelled like coriander.

Despite it being summer, the temperature dropped drastically at night because of the high altitude, so they were grateful for the warm soup.

It's really nice to be an adventurer.

Stardust filled the night sky. Beautiful night skies that could only be seen in places with astronomical observatories back on Earth was visible here almost everywhere.

「Hey there, ladies! Playing adventurers, are we? Must be pretty cold out here. Why don't you come to our place?」

One problem of adventuring with Lavia and Paula was the drunk adventurers hitting on them.

「Come now. Wait, what?」

In such situations, Hikaru simply activated his Group Obfuscation. Adventurers were drunk at night, so they usually just left, wondering if the alcohol was making them see things.

Since Hikaru didn't want the same thing happening again and again, he sat close with the girls during meals with Group Obfuscation active.

The trip itself was fun, but after ten days, fatigue began settling in. It was exactly around that time, however, that they reached their destination.

The mining town of Gordon was built for Gordon Mine, one of Quinbland's largest gold mines. It was still currently in operation.

The gold mine itself was located in one of the towering 4,000-meter-high, brown mountains in the Potterat Mountain Range.

The river where gold dust was extracted from was still being used as a water source for the town. Apparently there was a gold vein upstream.

Although the town lay at the foot of a mountain range, it was still nearly a thousand meters above sea level. There was no greenery around the town, but an extensive forest spread out a little further down.

The road along the river was the only path that led to the mines, which also served as an important traffic route through town.

「It's bustling.」

No checkpoints blocked the road. There were no walls or fences because Gordon was so far from the border, and there was no reason for monsters to attack the place.

This was the first time Hikaru had been to a town where he could come and go as he pleased, outside of a remote village.

The town was located on a gentle slope. Once they left the spacious carriage stop, they were met with a diverse mix of people—adventurers, merchants, residents, children.

There were various races as well, from humans, to elves, beastmen, dwarves, halflings, and some that Hikaru had never seen before, such as people with plants or minerals growing on their bodies, and even reptilians.

There was no sense of harmony to be found, as people dressed in colorful outfits milled around the stone-made buildings.

Since the streets were not paved, there was a lot of sand and dust. Many of the residents covered their mouths with cloths. Walls of the houses were sooty, probably from the dust.

「It's a good thing we got a room!」

All the inns were full, thanks to the influx of adventurers who had been lured by rumors of gold. However, Hikaru's party didn't go for the kind of inn that adventurers would want, but rather a high-class inn used by government officials and wealthy merchants on business trips.

Hikaru found the cleanliness of the room and the elaborate interior design satisfying. He was surprised to find a place like this in a remote area. His body was covered in dust, and he wanted to get rid of the dirt from the long journey, when he found even a bathroom deeper inside.

「Wonderful!」

As he turned on the well-polished silver faucet, hot water heated by a magic tool came out and poured into the bathtub made of carved stone. He ignored the fact that the tub was almost as small as a washing machine.

「Ah, wonderful!」Lavia exclaimed as well.

She was looking down at the street from the third floor, where the room was located, through a window pane that was clouded with dust from the wind. Several stalls lined the street, and one in particular caught her attention.

A familiar sign bore the words "Pond Hotdog." Another sign said, "Hot sauce, Gordon's original sauce available."

The hot dogs that originated in Pond had made their way to Gordon. Selica from the adventurers party Four Stars of the East—she was also from Japan like Hikaru—wanted to expand the business, so Hikaru invested in the hotdog chain.

It also served as a business that supported adventurers who were unable to continue adventuring due to injury or age.

I'm going to eat one of those, Lavia thought. I can go buy one now. Why didn't I notice it before entering the inn? Breathing heavinly, she clasped her hands together and made a vow.

「They sure are excited.」Paula muttered as she made tea.

After a day of relaxation, Hikaru and the girls made their move.

First, they went to the Adventurers Guild to gather information.

The guild was a stone building that blended in with the city, but it was so big that it could have been the size of several houses.

Being a dusty town, the adventurers who gathered there were also covered in dust. When Hikaru's party arrived, all neat and tidy, all eyes turned to them.

As a one-boy-two-girls party, they tended to draw attention. Hikaru was already used to this many people looking at him.

I'd say half of them are residents and half are visitors, Hikaru thought.

The atmosphere in the guild was different than what Hikaru was used to. Clearly the adventurers who were based here did not mingle with the adventurers who came following rumors of gold.

A lot of beastmen adventurers.

The adventurers planning to climb the 4000-meter-high mountains wore coldproof garments, while the ones who didn't had light clothing. Many of the latter were beastmen.

Some only had cat-ears or dog-ears, while others had faces of animals. One such beastmen had the face of a leopard. Guin Saga? Hikaru wondered, but this beastman was actually a woman.

They donned protectors over the important parts of their bodies, but otherwise their attire was rather casual. They probably covered themselves with cloaks or mantles during the cold nights.

「You look like rich kids.」a feline beastman with two cat-ears said.「If you're planning to climb the mountains, I would suggest you don't.」

Taller than Hikaru, she had short, smooth, dark-brown hair and slightly upturned eyes. From the two swords hanging from her waist, Hikaru assumed she was a dual-wielder. Her leather armor was well-worn, and while she looked to be in her early twenties, she stood like a seasoned adventurer.

「May I ask why you're stopping us?」Hikaru asked.

「Why? If you don't even know why I'm stopping you, then you clearly won't make it. The other day, a bunch of kids about your age came in and charged into the mountains only to come back crying that half their friends were dead.」

「I see. Thanks for the warning.」Hikaru ignored her and proceeded to the counter.

「Hey! If you want to die, then go die alone. Don't drag your pretty friends into this!」

「Does she mean us?」Lavia asked.

「I-I think so!」Paula replied.

「We're not being dragged into anything. We're adventurers of our own will.」

The woman looked pissed.「It's annoying when outsiders come here and cause a ruckus.」

The adventurers who seemed to be outsiders gave a twitch, but Hikaru kept a cool face.

「Then all the more reason to leave us alone.」Hikaru said.「Once we find the Pozi's settlement, all the outsiders will be gone.」

Silence descended on the guild.

After a moment, laughter erupted.

「Good one! This kid's got a pretty good sense of humor!」

「You're gonna find the Pozi's settlement?! Many adventurers have been here, and not one of them has found it yet!」

「Please share some of your confidence! Hahaha!」

Both visiting and resident adventurers laughed together. But Hikaru strode over to the counter, his expression unchanging.

「I'd like information on the current exploration progress by adventurers and the local monsters.」he said.

「Uhm...」

Every guild had young women as receptionists, but Gordon's receptionist was a young man.

「Wait, you actually want to climb the mountains?」the receptionist asked.

「If I find no problem in the information you provide, then yes.」

「The information fee is quite high. The monsters in the mountains are tough.」

「How much?」

「Ten thousand gilans.」

About a hundred thousand Japanese yen, Hikaru thought. Maybe it's their way of saying that only those who can pay the amount without hesitation are allowed to enter the mountains.

「I'm sure ten thousand is more than your allowance.」the beastwoman said.「Just go home.」

Hikaru ignored her.「Here's some gold coin in Ponsonian currency.」

「Stupid twerp! How dare you spend money that you didn't earn yourself!」

The woman reached for Hikaru, but he quickly grabbed her wrist.

「What?! Let go of me!」She tried to free herself from his grip, but to no avail.

「If you're done talking, kindly beat it. You're in the way.」

Hikaru had three points on his Strength. He was stronger than most adults. Hikaru had a glance at the woman's Soul Board and saw she only had a point on her Strength. She wasn't even a worthy opponent for Hikaru.

His glare caused her to turn white as a sheet. The moment he let go of her hand, she staggered and almost fell to the floor. She managed to stay on her feet, as expected from an adventurer.

Hikaru turned back to the receptionist.「Information please.」

The reading room, clean and quiet, was located deeper inside the guild lobby. There were a few other people using the room, but they seemed to be too occupied copying documents to notice Hikaru's party.

「So Potterat's this big.」Hikaru said.

According to the map, the mountain range stretched west of Quinbland and into Forestia.

「How long would it take to go through all of this?」Lavia asked.

「We don't have to go through everything. I think we can narrow down the important parts.」Hikaru pointed at the Gordon Mine.「I think it's within 50 kilometers max from around here.」

「Why do you think so?」

「It's a simple question of where the gold of the Golden Tribe came from. There are no other gold mines in the area except for Gordon's. They probably found the gold dust in the river first. If they had to haul it from there, I'd say they'd be limited to about fifty kilometers, considering the mountain roads they'd have to take.」

「I see.」

The only way to carry their gold was on their back or goats.

「It may sound easy, but considering the fact that this village has never been found before, we have to be prepared for perilous trails. It's also possible that the road is buried by a landslide. The mountain trail itself is not well maintained, so it will be a challenge to reach the top.」

「So that's why the adventurers haven't expanded their search area much even though they've been here for weeks.」

「I think so.」

According to the guild's staff, adventurers had so far been only able to explore at most twenty kilometers away from the beaten paths.

「Also, the monsters are unique.」

「He mentioned wyverns and flamegoats, right?」Paula said.

「Apparently wyverns, which have no natural enemies, are increasing in number and the ecosystem is on the verge of collapse. Flame Goats—basically goats covered in flames—survive because the wyverns don't prey on them.」

The guild seemed to be in a state of crisis. Wyverns belonged to the dragon species, giant lizards that fly in the sky. The problem was that their scales were too hard for ordinary blades, and they also breathed fire.

Hikaru had fought a Lesser Wyvern before in Forestia. It was then that he first met Sylvester, a royalty from Zubura.

Most wyverns had wings, but there were rare ground-dwelling types called Field Wyverns. Sweet Pleasure, a party that specialized in traps, was promoted to Rank A after killing a Field Wyvern. The creatures were that powerful.

Where would wyverns go when there was no more food in the mountains?

The foothills, where there was a forest and a town.

Apparently, Flame Goats also went down from the barren mountains to the forests at the foot of the mountain to eat, and returned to the mountains at night.

Even a few of them coming down could cause disasters.

「Despite the danger, adventurers still go out looking for the Pozi.」

「Apparently, you can buy bells to ward off wyverns.」Paula said.「I overheard the adventurers while you were talking to the receptionist.」

「A bell. That's ridiculous. They're not bears.」

Hikaru had heard about people carrying bells to keep bears away, but not dragons.

Brown bears tend to avoid people, so if you carry bells to alert them of your presence, they go away. It doesn't even have to be a bell. It can be anything that makes a sound. On the other hand, it has the opposite effect on brown bears that have attacked people before. Alerting them of your presence will only make them come to you.

Wouldn't the wyverns attack if you let them know where you are? The wyvern I saw before didn't seem to be afraid of humans.

「A bell to keep wyverns away...」

Hikaru didn't really need bells, since they had Obfuscation.

「...I want one.」he said.

「What? Why?」

「I'm just curious. Like who's making them?」

「Huh?」

「Okay, let's get moving. We're going to start by gathering information.」

Lavia and Paula exchanged glances, clueless to Hikaru's intentions. Didn't they come to the guild to gather information?

「Hehe. It's just an idea I have, and there's no harm in verifying it. Anyway...」

Hikaru sensed something with his Mana Detection. The feline beastwoman who picked a bone with him was no longer inside the guild.

「Looks like some people are waiting for us. We'll have to deal with them first.」

She and her companions were waiting at the front of the guild, intent on taking revenge for being humiliated.