The carriage bumped heavily along the gravel road. Veyra occasionally rose off her seat, but did her best to keep still. Hollow had no trouble, of course.

  The woman sitting opposite me was a beastkin, a species of half-human, half-animal hybrids. Hers was of a coyote. She had quite a slender figure and wore her shirt open from the bust down, just barely covering her perky chest.

  {Arlett Lv27}

  {Species: Coyote Beaskin}

  {Status: Normal}

  I found myself staring, but not for the reason you might think. I couldn’t help admiring the lines of reddish-brown hair that ran down her abdomen to her thighs. Even her face, which was quite feminine, had a snout and sharper features.

  “Don’t fall in love, stranger.” Her eyes narrowed on me. “I’m not sure you’d survive a night with me. Although a big guy like you is just my type...” Her sharp teeth bore through as she smiled.

  I’m not sure if she’s joking or not... Either way, I’m not too curious to find out.

  Looking out the window, I spotted the towering walls of the major city of Horinn, Afredal. It was a hub for adventurers and tourists, so naturally, it was the best place for us to gather information.

  Afredal was layered with buildings and structures that all looked so foreign to me, I couldn’t think what half of them were for. It was hard to believe how much space it all took up. I stared out with my jaw half open, but after noticing the beastkin's stray glances, I quickly adjusted my hood to cover my face more.

  “Hmph! Relax, big guy. It’s okay to be excited about a new city. Everyone’s like that the first time.” She added, leaning closer. “Friendly advice, if anyone offers you free favours, walk away. That city you’re drooling over is a money trap. So don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Sounds like we might need to be more careful than I thought. Too bad for whoever tries to hustle us. We’ve got next to nothing left.

  “Atlas, we’re here!” Veyra’s voice ran through my mind.

  The carriage came to a sharp halt just as the dirt road connected into a cobble driveway. The wooden gates lifted from the ground thanks to two hulking figures who drew the rope with their own strength. As we got closer, I noticed they were entirely made of metal scraps, moulded together into bulky, humanoid shapes.

  {Metal Golem Lv16}

  {Created for simple tasks, they have little to no intelligence. They will attack if provoked}

  Incredible, this city even uses Golems for their labour! I admired the brutes as we passed, making sure to get a good look before the carriage picked up speed again. It wasn’t long before we entered a busy plaza of people, and the carriage skidded with a swift turn.

  “Alright, that should do it. If your party needs anything else, just make sure to come find me first. Got it?” The beastkin woman leaned out the door, waiting for a response.

  Looking between us, Veyra frantically brought up her fingers in front of her face and rested them on her chin, tapping it repeatedly.

  “Ah, a mute. Got it, got it! See ya around, adventurers.” She slammed the door in a hurry, and without skipping a beat, the blue-scaled lizard raced off like a rocket and took the carriage with it.

  “This place is packed... where should we start first?”

  Good question. I don’t see why we can’t start looking around right away. That being said… My eyes rested on Hollow. I don’t think he’s going to do too well on his own. Speaking isn’t really his strong suit after all.

  (Veyra, go with Hollow and ask around for any clues. Hopefully, any kind of antidotes or elixirs. Sorry, Hollow, we’re gonna count on you again to talk, alright?)

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  “As you command, Master.” He answered with one hand resting on his upper chest.

  Veyra’s lips sank into a pout, “You aren’t coming with us?”

  (It might be a little too intimidating to approach people in a group of three, especially with my size. Besides, I want to see a little bit of the sights. I’ll try to find us a place to sleep tonight while I’m at it.)

  She still didn’t seem too pleased that I was leaving, but at least she accepted it. “Alright, be safe.” Veyra offered a wave before separating.

  The pair walked off and, in a matter of seconds, were lost to the sea of people in the plaza. For the first time in a while, I was completely on my own. I wasn’t sure if it was nerves or simply dread, but something crept up on me that I wasn’t expecting.

  I’m not sure where to even start. I stared off into the sea of people, unsure of where to keep my attention.

  I decided to press on and hear what I could from those around me. Even if I couldn’t speak to anyone directly, I could still look around.

  The area I traversed must have been a shopping district. Nearly every street or corner had rows of merchants, peddling loose items or artefacts by hand. Everything looked identical to the one before them, but the loud personalities screaming at me from each stall became pretty taxing to listen to. I wanted to power through and just pass them all by, but I had something I was looking for, so I had to examine each table carefully.

  From murky potions to questionable-looking elixirs, nothing really stood out as an option. Of course, I made sure to appraise everything as I went along.

  “Hey, hey, make sure to check these out!” An older man called out to me from the floor.

  He sat in front of a blanket of items, none of which was labelled or priced. Cracked bottles were packed next to chipped wooden figurines. On the other end of the display was what looked like rusted gears and bolts coated in thin, earthy moss.

  This is just garbage, isn’t it? How can he think anyone would buy this stuff?

  “Extraordinary, isn’t it? I suppose you’ve never seen artefacts this rare before, have you?” He boasted while holding up the gears to my face. “These were recently uncovered in ancient ruins, far north of Horinns' capital.”

  Even someone like me can tell this is just an old gear. Is this guy even trying? I understand that merchants are known for being a bit sketchy, but this is just sad to hear. Anyone can see through this act.

  {Lost Gear of Ancient}

  {Status: Poor}

  {A forgotten piece of an ancient artefact, lost to time. It is said that they were long ago destroyed, but many fragments still remain to this day}

  What? This can’t be real, is it seriously some kind of rare item?! Wait, maybe it’s considered rare because this world doesn’t have the same kind of technology as my world did. Even so, the system says it belonged to some weird artefact… I wonder if I could afford it?

  “So, how ‘bout it? You’re interested, aren’t you? Make me an offer, and maybe I’d be willing to part with it.” The old man's eyes practically beamed with excitement.

  Crap, how am I supposed to haggle when I can’t speak? This is seriously annoying. Wait, there’s a sign for that.

  I pressed my fingers against my chin, careful not to show too much of my stone features as I kept my head down.

  “Ah, my apologies, friend. No problem. How about seven hundred silver?” He asked, almost ready to make the trade there and then.

  Much to his surprise, I shook my head, and a bit of his bravado chipped away.

  “O-okay then, I’d be willing to drop it to six hundred, but that’s only because I like the look of you. There aren’t many chances like this, right? Think of it as a favour to a future lifetime customer.”

  I shook my head again.

  His brows dropped, and the smile on his face had nearly vanished.

  “You’re really twisting my leg here, friend. I can do five hundred, no, four, but that’s as low as I’ll go!”

  I shook my head once more, and he stood up in a huff. His eyes sharpened, clearly worked up. “Listen, you have to give me something here, friend. I’m not just giving it away. Do you even have any money on you?”

  I paused for a minute and considered the three Jeddan coins left in my cloak pocket and shamefully brought my head down.

  The old man's excitement drained, and he let out a heavy sigh. The gear was tossed back to its original spot on the mat as he collapsed to his sitting position. Exactly as I found him before, this time, ignoring me completely.

  His eyes glanced at me for a second, “You’re still here? Get lost, bum! This is prime selling hours, I don’t have time to waste on–”

  “Old man, Keller!” A woman interrupted.

  Both of us turned to meet the darling figure of a shorter woman, dressed in a worker's uniform. The pure white of her clothes radiated against her hazel coloured hair. It was tied into a neat bob, with a neat bun at the back.

  Although a beautiful shade of emerald, her eyes sharpened into something beyond menacing at the old merchant.

  “How many times have I told you not to make a commotion outside the stores like this?” Her knuckles rested on her waist as she strutted over, “I’m sure this can be resolved peacefully, or do I have to make a complaint to the guild about this?”