Rupegia Ch. 04: Nour's Gift

"Going back a little, do the gods specify when they intervene?"

She takes a sip and observes me intensely as she answers, "To prevent people from abusing the line if the criteria are known, we're never told exactly why someone received Godly punishment."

This is a bit worrying, but I kind of understand the reasoning.

"So, the only safe choice is to keep being as good as you can to avoid punishment?"

She smiles warmly and hums, "Exactly."

"But what does it mean to be a 'good person'?"

She becomes quite happy and energetic, and I feel like her demeanor is quite cute. "Well, you basically follow the teachings of the Humanoid Gods. Don't waste food, don't hurt others against their will for pleasure, don't commit crimes like theft or extortion, help others whenever you can, things like that. It depends on the God, and there are many, many teachings, but you aren't required to follow them all perfectly. The Gods are reasonable and understanding, so you won't be punished just because you wasted a piece of food, but if you keep doing it, then the Gods will send messages and warnings, and if you still defy them, then you get punished."

Alright, reasonable, but inflexible. Morality really is defined by the gods, but since they're chosen from the mortals, then, in a way, morality is actually defined by us. It just depends on the criteria of how the gods are chosen.

"Are there any known criteria for the Humanoid Gods being chosen?"

She shakes her head."That's not known to prevent it from being exploited, but we know that all Gods were once people who achieved something great."

Eh, maybe it isn't so bad.

I massage my neck to dispel some of the tension that has accumulated. Talking about religion to a priest where you don't know what their reaction to questioning will be is a little frightening.

I finish my tea and start to wrap things up, "Well, I think that's enough about slavery for me today, but I have one last question: I want to choose a god to worship, so can you tell me a quick resume of the Humanoid Gods?"

She suddenly brightens up and giggles. "That's a good idea! Most people choose around three that might help their lives the most, but if you have the time to study what they represent you could choose more.

"Anyway, their names are quite self-explanatory, they are: Genderless God of Existence; God of the Sun and Sister Goddess of the Moons; Goddess of Fertility; Goddess of Piety; Goddess of Will; Goddess of Love; Goddess of Growth; God of War; God of Law; God of Festivity; God of Endurance; God of Luck; Goddess of Knowledge and Brother God of Intelligence; Goddess of the Plants and Twin Brother God of the Animals."

"Moons" as in, there's more than one moon? I've realized I haven't seen the night sky yet. I had no reason to since I immediately went to sleep after getting dark, but now I have to remember to check the sky tonight, otherwise, my curiosity will kill me.

"What does the Goddess of the Moons and the God of the Sun do?"

"They were the first Gods, so their teachings are broader and more general because of that. These days, their focus is bringing happiness for those who work below the sun or the moons, but they aren't worshiped as much as they were before, though they're still the ones who talk the most to their worshipers."

So, I guess I should choose one of them if I wanted to talk to a God.

I hum in thought, then I lower my head for a moment and express, "Thank you for your time, Miss Ciel, this is really enlightening. I'll think about choosing one for now."

She giggles cutely and replies, "Thank you for choosing me to talk to. I enjoyed talking to you quite a lot because you made me remember the basis of my faith and stimulated my thoughts."

I smile back and get up. "Then I'll be off. I'll see you another day."

"I'll be waiting." She waves goodbye, and I leave.

As I make my way out, I see that the old priest I talked to when I first came here is in the room beside ours, casually reading a book. Perhaps he was eavesdropping? Well, it doesn't matter much to me.

Now, I have to go to a bank and look at the conversion rate for the rose coin. The bankers are all over the noble quarters as a safety measure, and since it doesn't matter which one I go, I'm just going to choose the closest one.

--

The walk there is quite long, but it allows me to observe the carnival that the adventurers wear gradually turning into the more delicate clothes of the wealthy, who at least have a better sense of style than them. It seems that cloaks, sleeveless velvet jackets, and thin cotton pants and shirts are in fashion right now, while their wealth is shown through lavish decorations on the side of the arms, flanks, and legs.

I think about passing by the university's library, but after taking a look at my clothes, I realize that it might be a very uncomfortable experience. From what I understood, the university is either for the gifted, the wealthy, or the noble. I don't have any of these three to show, so I need at least a better set of clothing before I even try to go there.

This thought gets reinforced when I enter the bank. This is a fancy, fancy place. I see spiral pillars with details in gold and purple, black floor tiles with a perfect shine, couches that make my ass tingle just from looking, uniforms that make the employees look as fashionable as nobles, and a large line of decorated booths where attendants wait with a perfect smile.

I don't belong here. I need to finish my business as quickly as possible and then leave.

I find the nearest attendant and shyly ask for the conversion rates of the coins. I feel that he looks at me coldly, but responds in a perfect tone without any hint of rudeness, then he points me towards familiar black boards hanging on a wall. They're just like the ones at the hunters' guild.

These boards hold conversion rates for a variety of coins, and while most are for foreign coins, the board in the middle with the decorated borders is the one for the local coins. They explain the materials that the coins are made from, and the conversion rate between each of them.

All coins are made with alloys, and their value depends on the alloy composition and weight. Governments might change their alloy and weight as economic measures, so it's important to always know the precise make-up of each coin. For example, they could reduce weight to save costs, introduce cheaper metals to dilute the alloy, or completely change the alloy when new mines are found or old ones are exhausted.

To my extreme happiness, rose coins are very valuable.

The normal exchange rate that the empire aims to maintain is that copper, silver, gold, and rose coins have a 1:100 exchange rate. This means that 1 silver equals 100 copper, 1 gold equals 100 silver, and so on. I guess this is to prevent high-value transactions from becoming cumbersome since coins can get quite heavy.

The attendant explains that a few months ago, a mine that holds a massive amount of platinum was discovered, which is the metal used for the rose coin. This coin is just an alloy of gold and copper for color-coding the coin, giving it its rosy color, while a small amount of platinum is added to give it value because it's too small to make it into a coin by itself.

This rose coin is also never used without someone who has the [Metal Appraisal] skill because that's the only reliable way to see the percentage of metal in an alloy, and if you're dealing with rose coins, then you have enough gold to hire an appraiser for the transaction.

The current version of the rose coin is worth seventy gold, but the empire will soon mint a new coin with a higher platinum content to adjust the price. The attendant says the value is going to drop one or two more gold before it stabilizes, but my rose coin won't be as valuable as the new one once it's out, so there's little reason for me to hold it.

I tell the attendant that I want to exchange my coin, and he looks at me visibly shocked for a moment. I just hope I don't get accused of stealing from somebody, but considering the price of some of the adventuring equipment, I wouldn't be surprised if an adventurer eventually finds something worth a rose coin or two.

The attendant points me to the end of the line of booths where a few attendants deal with money exchange. There's no queue, so I go there, present my coin, and get the gold counted in front of me, then I take it and leave immediately.

Once I get out, I start to relax a little. The lavish atmosphere was making me uncomfortable.

There are still a few hours until dusk, so I kill some time by browsing through books. I buy three about random hero tales and one about romance. I'm not the romance type, but I feel interested in knowing what love is in this world. I also find a very fluffy pillow, which I'm going to use to sleep from now on.

Then I decide to buy a middle-range set of clothes and a cloak. It's a dark-blue woolen shirt with golden lines running along the sides of the arms, black pants following the same design, black leather shoes, and a fashionable dark-blue velvet cloak. The cloak is a bit stylish. It has a bracelet that fastens its bottom to my wrist, so it reaches my waist, then turns to the side, covering only one arm. I've seen a few people using it, so I don't think it's too out of the norm, even if it looks weird to me.

After that, I find a stall selling Dragolite meat on a stick. It tastes like chicken, but there's a strong lingering taste of something that reminds me of a herb. I don't know if it's the seasoning or if that's just its usual taste.

Back at the inn, Selina seems cheerful as usual, but the innkeeper seems to be observing me.

Shit, I'm not trying to steal your daughter.

He doesn't seem to be cold to me, though.

Then I relax and go to sleep feeling very content in my choice of pillow.

--

I have a short nightmare with the Gargling Goblin that wakes me up in the middle of the night, making me feel rather frustrated. After that, I dream of killing goblins, but it isn't another nightmare, it's just a memory of the adrenaline rush of a fight.

--

Today, breakfast has a salad with a dash of vinegar that tastes like apple, and this makes me want to look at the Farmer's Market for some fruit or something to make juice. If I buy some, I can just ask the inn's cooks to prepare it for me.

After filling my stomach, I put on my new, more fashionable clothes and start walking towards the castle.

Today, I see a few pamphlets advertising the Quizzical Emporium. They have a pretty detailed hand-drawn airship on them. They're going all out on the advertising.

The airship design is that of a horizontal egg, and the top half of the egg is smaller, which creates a deck for people to walk on. At its back, I see what looks like a dozen propellers, so does this mean that this world has a concept of aerodynamics?

I move on and look ahead. After a few minutes of walking down the main road, the castle starts to peek over the roofs of the houses, and I gradually see it in its full glory for the first time. It's made of blue-gray bricks and looks more like a super thick square tower than the usual medieval castle. It starts massively thick and gets smaller the higher it goes, towering twice as tall as every other building and tower in this town, then it ends with a huge flag hung from a pole.

Even at this distance, it's possible to discern the details on the flag. It's the same as the heraldry on the tabard of the guards: a black background with a simple white kite in the middle, which has a golden sword and a red rose crossed over it.

It takes a while until I can see the castle entirely since the streets are pretty crowded with crooked multi-story buildings. It only clears once I get on the main brick road that goes to the castle.

The stores around here are of high quality and with a lot of variety. Restaurants, tea shops, bakeries, bookstores, magic shops, magic crafters, smiths, magical smiths, potion sellers, high-class inns, taverns that remind me of modern rustic restaurants, furniture shops, real estate, and the closer you get to the castle, the more perfume shops appear.

I don't resist and buy the cheapest men's perfume I can find. Forty silver coins. It's damn expensive, but I need something to mask the smell of leather if I'm to enter a high-class establishment.

Then I finally find the slave trader. It's a large white and black building with the words "Golden Necklace" written in gold on a sign above the entrance.

I stare at the sign for a moment to gather my courage, then I get inside and immediately wish I had bought even better clothes.

The slave trader is as lavish as the bank. It has an incredibly glossy dark floor and golden seams connecting the tiles, while the walls are adorned with dozens of crystal statues of naked humanoids. The building is large, but the lobby is small as the walls are covered with doors to other rooms.

An old man wearing clothes that are strikingly similar to a suit and tie comes to me. "Welcome, Grand Sir. How may I help you?" He politely inquires as he bows in a right angle.

I still have no idea how formal greetings are done around here, so I just stiffly respond, "Good day. I have a letter of recommendation here."

I extend the letter to him, and he delicately takes it. He looks it over but doesn't open it, then he turns to me and gently asks, "Could you follow me? I'll take you to a private room and then take the letter to the Head so he can verify its contents."

"Understood," I accept with a nod.

He opens one of the nearby doors and leads me inside. The room is rather wide, but there are only two lavish couches around a glass table in the middle of it, making the room rather bare. There are no windows as the illumination is magical, coming from shining jewels embedded in the ceiling, and I see a small vent at one of its corners.

Seems like they even have ventilation technology here.

The old man motions me to one of the sofas and then leaves.

I awkwardly sit there and wait. After a minute, another door opens on the other side of the room, and a middle-aged man comes out. His face is so manly and gentle that it makes me oddly uncomfortable. He's wearing a lavish, purple silk robe, and a jeweled ring on each of his fingers.

The old butler comes after him, carrying a tray with a tea set and cookies, which makes me a bit excited.

Are those chocolate cookies?!

The man sits on the sofa in front of me and does a quick bow. "Welcome to the Golden Necklace. Your name is Mr. Ryder, as the letter says, correct?" He calmly asks, his voice is surprisingly deep and stimulating.

"Correct," I answer with a nod.

He shows me a handsome smile and continues, "My name is Ghulam Bhatt, and I'm the Head of this establishment. I'm surprised at the contents of the letter given to me. You've made a powerful ally, Mr. Ryder."

He actually makes me blush, for some reason. This man has a perfect tone, the perfect face, and even the perfect body language. If I were a woman, I'd easily fall in love with him.

"H-hello, Mr. Bhatt. I just did what I thought was right," I awkwardly reply.

He nods slowly. "And a reward was given... Now, the letter says you're looking for an adventuring companion, is that right?"

I swallow heavily and steel my nerves. "Yes, I have no real requirements. I only want someone who can help me fight, so show me your best."

"Any preference on gender?"

That's a dangerous question.

"No..."

He simply nods again. "Then excuse me as I have to leave to collect the best and bring them here. We'll start with the women." And I suddenly feel a bit uncomfortable.

I nod and he leaves then comes back again in a few minutes with five women following behind him. They're all wearing a loose-fitting and small white silk dress that keeps their legs bare, showing up to half the thighs. It's also open at the sides, and two of the women are so well endowed that the breasts spill through the openings, and the cloth is so thin that I can even see the form of their nipples. This is way too dangerous and stimulating.

What am I doing here...?

When I see the last woman enter, I freeze completely.

No, no... this is too much.

A slender body that shows a hint of muscle, a light brown skin, slightly wavy black hair that goes a bit below the shoulder, and a small feminine face.

That's Lily...

No, it's not! It looks like her but it's not!

I want to jump and hug her then kiss and make love to her.

I miss Lily so much...

I want to go home.

The seller follows my gaze and turns to me. "That one is a mage with knowledge of Blessing and [Dark Magic], and an inkling of knowledge in the rare [Summoning Magic]. If you wish to study exotic magic, she's the one you need. She was also trained in simple [Potion Brewing]. She's not a front-line fighter, but she'll be a perfect support for you. Even in bed."

A shiver runs along my spine.

"Please remove her," I request with a flat tone, holding back my emotions.

The seller gets taken aback, but he nods to the old man, who guides her away.

"Was she not satisfactory?" Ghulam tactfully asks.

I clench my fist and lock up again the emotions that are about to burst out. "It's not that... she just reminds me too much of someone."

"I see..." He whispers in a soothing tone, then he continues introducing each woman.

The first is a raven-type demon race woman. She's tall and well-endowed. Her skin is a beautiful pure black, her charming straight white hair falls on her shoulders like drapes, and her bright red eyes stare with interest. She can materialize a huge blade that comes out of the back of her hand, and she can even fly by summoning bird wings. She specializes in spear fighting and knows [Wind Magic] to support her flight. She allows being used as a sex slave.

Oof, that last part is scary. I'm just going to ignore her for now.

The second is a dwarf woman, but she looks like a short teenager. She has brown hair styled in a bowl cut, and a round, funny nose that makes her look rather adorable. She uses the traditional dwarven shield and hammer combo, and she has a racial skill that converts mana into "Strength," but without it, there's no way those thin arms of her would be able to lift a tower shield. She has a few levels in [Earth Magic] for utility and [Light Magic] for healing, so she's rather self-sufficient and lasts long in a fight.

The third is a human woman. She's well-endowed, and her face looks mean but sexy at the same time, enhanced by her short boyish blonde hair. She's tall, strong, and can hold her own against a knight. She used to be an adventurer, and her body shows plenty of scars as evidence of her experience.

The fourth is a human girl. She's average-looking but has pretty brown hair. She excels in Water, Fire, and [Wind Magic], but only that, so she's basically a glass cannon. I'm slightly interested in her since she has such a large magic repertoire.

Then the women go away, and he brings three men.

The first is a large dragonkin. A tall and rather ugly man with short brown hair. He has dragon wings that he can use to fly for a short amount of time, and small patches of sharp scales protruding from the side of his arms and legs. These scales can act as armor or even be used as weapons since the edges are sharpened. His specialty is that he can breathe a sand storm and blind his opponents, and he's also experienced with all sorts of melee weapons. Truly the greatest warrior of this establishment.

The second is a dwarf man. He looks the same age as me despite his real age being double of mine. His skills are similar to the dwarf woman, but he can't use [Light Magic]. He may lack the healing magic, but he has his experience as an adventurer to his advantage.