Arrival in Spartia

They left the cave and drove the wagon for a while before a skyline of buildings ringed by walls came into view.

They'd finally arrived at Spartia.

They'd known it was close, but Master breathed a sigh of relief at having made it safely.

Two guards were posted at Spartia's gate, one on each side.

They declared their party size, had their wagon's cargo inspected, and stated their purpose for visiting.

Once everything checked out, one guard signaled to a warrior stationed above the gate.

The crossbar on the inside was lifted, and the massive gate swung open with a thunderous groan.

The sight of several burly warriors heaving the gate open was nothing short of impressive.

With a gate this sturdy, the people inside could rest easy even if monsters came knocking.

The most dangerous place in the world thanks to the Demon Den, yet the safest nation in the world. The saying was well earned.

They drove the wagon through slowly, and the gate was sealed behind them.

The town inside was breathtakingly beautiful, hard to believe it belonged to a nation famed for its fearsome warriors.

The buildings had been constructed with aesthetics in mind, and at the center of a fountain in the main square stood a bronze statue of Barbaroi, the god of war and wealth.

The statue of Barbaroi seemed to watch over the town in silent vigil.

Azu and Master leaned out of the wagon, gawking.

Master pointed at Spartia's royal castle, and Azu's eyes lit up.

"Honestly, stop that. It's embarrassing. Azu I can understand, but you too?!"

Alexia pulled the two of them back inside, telling them it was dangerous.

Elza, driving the wagon, watched the scene with a smile.

First order of business: find an inn that could stable the wagon. The lodging district was well organized, and they found one quickly.

They handed off the wagon and unloaded their cargo.

The innkeeper lent them a handcart.

Master's trade appointment with the Spartian merchant wasn't for a few days yet, but getting started early posed no problem.

He wanted to convert the trade goods to cash as quickly as possible.

He had no contacts in this country, naturally. He had Azu and the others move the trade goods.

They identified a sizable shop, went inside, and opened negotiations.

Azu and the others followed him in and stood on standby behind him.

Master took a seat and spoke with the shopkeeper.

Spartia's trade was as active as rumored, so the shopkeeper was well accustomed to this sort of deal.

Master managed to offload the bulk of his trade goods right there.

The prices were better than he'd projected.

Spices were in high demand in Spartia, where meat processing (monster meat included) was common. The silks, too, had a different texture from what was locally available and were well received.

The real surprise was being asked to sell his spare apple vinegar.

Apples apparently didn't circulate much in Spartia, making apple products a hot commodity.

He sold several bottles and turned a nice profit on those alone.

But the main event was still to come.

The shopkeeper could tell, too. Without being asked, he brought out gemstones for trade.

No risk of being sold fakes, either.

The gemstone trade was a vital source of foreign currency for Spartia.

The government imposed limits to maintain market prices, but the trade itself was actively encouraged.

In other words, selling counterfeit gems was tantamount to picking a fight with the nation of Spartia itself.

No Spartian merchant would be that foolish.

They knew the might and authority of King Grace better than anyone.

Besides, genuine gems of excellent quality were so abundant and cheap here that there was no point in forging counterfeits.

Back in the Kingdom, pearl accessories were currently in high demand.

Rubies and sapphires, as always, sold reliably.

The shopkeeper said prices would be virtually the same at any other store, so Master bought up his entire gem allotment here.

He even got a gold hair ornament thrown in as a bonus.

Gold wasn't subject to the purchase limit, apparently. That said, gold prices weren't much different between here and the Kingdom, so there was no margin in buying it.

Just the one, then.

Master walked out of the shop holding the gold hair ornament.

The shopkeeper's apprentice would return the cart to the inn for them.

That was considerate.

The boy bowed to them and wheeled the cart away.

Sharp on his feet and a hard worker, that one.

He'd make a fine merchant someday.

Master watched the boy go and found himself thinking that.

He'd been the same way once, running around helping his father when he was small.

His father had died abruptly, leaving him to take over the shop far too young. But he was managing, somehow.

Sensing melancholy creeping in, Master turned his thoughts elsewhere.

He'd keep the gems on his person. No sense letting them out of his sight.

Nobody in this country would steal gemstones anyway.

Plenty of sellers, no buyers. The nation controlled the supply by selling monster-sourced gems directly to merchants.

That left only the Elemental crystal deal.

Unfortunately, when he went to inquire, his contact had been summoned to the royal castle. No one was available to trade.

The crystal was far too valuable to just leave with someone, so he'd try again another day.

There was also the matter of registering Azu and the others for the Ocelot Colosseum.

Leisurely sightseeing would have to wait.

Master looked at the gold hair ornament. It would suit Azu's silver hair nicely, so he pinned it on her.

Azu froze for a moment in surprise, then thanked Master in a trembling voice.