Chapter 43: The Gnome Merchants' Guild

"Hey, buddy, sorry. Only viscounts and above are allowed to ride on horseback within the capital, but I'm nothing more than an ordinary member of the Nightblades. I won't be able to secure a noble position or anything of the sort," Wang Yu said, patting Torrent's cheek as he stood at the front of the villa.

"Hey, stop licking me. It tickles!" Perhaps because he understood what Wang Yu had said, Torrent was vigorously nuzzling Wang Yu. His big, soft tongue left Wang Yu's face covered in drool.

"Alright, then. I've got to catch up with a caravan of gnome merchants. Mira and Avia will take good care of you. I'm sure you'll do better here than fighting and running around with me. Just don't get so chubby that you can't move by the time I return!"

Wang Yu affectionately rubbed his little horse again as he sat down with his belongings right at the entrance to the estate.

Time had flown by; a month and a half had passed since the eventful battle at Avia's estate. With both Avia and Mira casting healing magic daily to the limits of his constitution, he had made a full recovery.

While he recuperated, Wang Yu told Avia tales of Earth and made a plan for his stash of gold. There was no way he would be able to lug around so much gold on his journey.

Mira had taken care of things. She had arranged for a caravan of gnome merchants to stop by; Wang Yu would be traveling to the capital with their caravan.

Torrent was an affectionate horse. Though he was reluctant to part with his master, he nuzzled against Wang Yu's neck one final time before trotting off.

Wang Yu wasn't worried about him. Considering Torrent's draconic lineage, the horse had practically become the overlord of the forest surrounding Avia's estate.

Wang Yu sat on his chest of golden coins as he looked down the road beyond the estate. It was mid-afternoon, but the summer's intense heat had faded.

Autumn had come early that year, and the weather had started to cool about a month ago. The sky was cloudy, and there was a slight breeze. Wang Yu felt very comfortable.

He tossed a coin in the air, watching it glint golden in the sunlight. It had taken him quite some effort to drag the chest of two thousand golden coins over to the entrance of the estate.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

In the end, he had given half his share back to Mira. The villa's reconstruction would be costly, and he hardly needed all that gold.

In doing so, he was essentially reserving a place for himself at the villa. If things ever went badly, he was sure Mira wouldn't turn him away.

Wang Yu wasn't waiting just for the gnome merchants to show up. According to Mira, while the guild could be a little eccentric, they were absolutely trustworthy about business.

If they claimed that they would arrive at four in the afternoon, then they would be there at four. There was little reason for Wang Yu to have been waiting in advance.

What Wang Yu was really waiting for was the small surprise that Avia had mentioned a few days ago, when they had said their farewells.

He really was curious, but he wasn't the type to guess when others wanted him to. Avia hadn't asked him to, and he was perfectly content to wait for Avia to reveal what it was in due time.

He could hear footsteps from behind. Without turning around, Wang Yu could tell that it was Avia. The young woman moved stealthily and cautiously snuck up toward him.

Even so, she was within range of Wang Yu's ripples. Considering the fact that they would be parting soon, however, he didn't mind playing around with Avia a little.

Wang Yu didn't turn around. He continued to gaze down the road in the distance. Once Avia had closed in on him, she suddenly jumped forward and shouted loudly, "Surprise!"

"Ahh!" Wang Yu shouted loudly but expressionlessly. Avia was the one who ended up stumbling back in shock instead.

"Why did you shout so loudly?!" Avia exclaimed, somewhat frustrated.

"You really are learning fast, aren't you?" Wang Yu scratched his head. He had merely told Avia a few anecdotes about Earth—but a few days later, she was already shouting "Surprise!" in English. It really was quite impressive, but after all, she was a genius...

"Because it's fun!" The young woman blushed and stuck out her tongue a little sheepishly.

Wang Yu nodded. He was relieved that Avia could now joke and laugh around him. She was no longer the reserved and timid young woman she had once been; now, she could let her youthful self shine through. That was a good sign.

"So, where's your surprise?" Wang Yu asked, amused.

"This is it. Surprise!" Avia struck the same pose as before, ready to "scare" him again.

Wang Yu said nothing. He glanced at her with an amused gaze until her face turned red. She faltered.

"Um, I was wondering... Are you in need of a trainee magician?" Avia blushed. She couldn't help but stammer under Wang Yu's watchful gaze.

Wang Yu broke into a smile. "I don't."

"Ah..." The girl's expression crumpled.

"I need an Avia by my side, though. I was just kidding—you're welcome to join me if you'd like." He held out a hand in invitation.

Avia's face lit up again. She happily accepted his hand.

"But didn't you say you wanted to stay with your mother for a while longer?" Wang Yu asked, genuinely surprised. He had expected that Avia would be staying with her mother for some time.

"I was planning to, but she encouraged me to go with you. I think she does want me to stay, but..." Avia looked a bit torn.

"She seems a bit strange, but I can't pinpoint precisely how or why. Anyway, I'm thrilled to be heading to the capital with you!"

Wang Yu nodded. Mira likely wanted her daughter to get more experience with the world at large, despite the fact that she would miss her.

He had a lot of respect for Mira, who was both competent and caring.

Gold, supplies, everything—Mira had handled it all. Despite his growing knowledge, he wasn't skilled with such arrangements, whereas Mira took care of everything smoothly.

He hadn't noticed anything suspicious about her even after spending a month in the estate. Caution was fine, but paranoia wasn't necessary.

Great! It wouldn't have felt right without you and Torrent around," Wang Yu replied. He shifted to make space on the chest beside him for her.

"Really?" Avia sounded very happy. She took the offered seat.

Wang Yu glanced at Avia again and noticed that she was dressed differently than usual. She was wearing a tailored, travel-friendly outfit instead of her usual dress.

She wore a crisp white shirt and fitted gray pants. Her golden hair was tied back into a ponytail. She was clearly very prepared for the journey; Wang Yu thought she looked great.

The two of them sat by the gate in front of the estate, looking a bit like an old couple on a village bench from a distance.

Before long, hoofbeats could be heard from a distance. Wang Yu squinted to see the outline of a caravan coming their way, with at least a dozen carriages.

The caravan moved quickly and stopped before the manor, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Wang Yu noted that the driver at the front was a burly orc with thick fur and well-developed muscles.

Despite his fierce appearance, he had a friendly expression on his face. With a flick of his whip, he steered the horses into a full stop.

Wang Yu stood up and walked over. The orc called out, "Are you Mr. Wang Yu?" His coarse, booming voice was nonetheless quite polite.

"That's me. I'm here to store some gold and catch a ride to the capital." Wang Yu pointed to the chest next to Avia.

The orc immediately banged on the carriage to his back. "Wake up, Mr. Elliot! We've got a big client!"

"Damn it, Emmon, don't make such a fuss! I fell out of bed!" a shrill voice called back from inside. The carriage door burst open.

A small, yellow-skinned creature in a brown robe jumped out and ran over, but not before kicking the orc in the knee.

"Don't forget the gold, boss." The orc seemed unbothered; Elliot was too small and he too big for Elliot's kick to do much of anything. He pointed at Wang Yu's chest of gold.

"Oh, oh, oh, right! A big client indeed. Two thousand golden coins!" The gnome completely forgot his grudge against the orc, rushed over to Wang Yu's chest, and yanked open its lid with impressive speed.

The glint of gold blinded him. He began to cackle gleefully, biting into a coin to check its authenticity. Then, he shouted, "It's real! We'll be rich!"

Wang Yu watched the gnome with amusement, the first he had met. He was rather short and goofy-looking, but was far better than their goblin counterparts, who were as short but had green skin instead. So these were gnomes...

They were exactly as Mira had described—so eccentric that if Wang Yu didn't know better, he would have expected this gnome, a certain Mr. Elliot, to run away with his gold.

In truth, however, gnomes were particularly trustworthy. The Gnome Merchants' Guild held trading licenses in all major kingdoms despite being a non-human organization—save for the barbarians in the north, who would slaughter them and cook them in stews.

"What're you staring at?" the gnome called out irritably, sensing Wang Yu's intrigued look.

"Oh, nothing. You really have a merchant's vibe," Wang Yu replied.

"You've got a good eye. I, Mr. Elliot, am one of the top figures in Aleisterre's Gnome Merchants' Guild!" Elliot, thinking that Wang Yu was praising him, puffed out his chest.

Just then, the burly orc headed over and whispered something to the gnome—in a voice that might have been small to him but not to anyone else. "Boss! We're the only Gnome Merchants' Guild branch in Aleisterre, and he's Wang Yu! You can't offend him!"

Elliot froze instantly. He turned toward Wang Yu with a wide, ingratiating smile.

"Honored customer, I'm very sorry. I should have recognized you right away! I was simply so excited to see so much gold, and I may have been a little rude. Please, forgive me!"

Wang Yu, laid-back as ever, shook his head to indicate that everything was fine.

"Good, good! In that case, I'll deposit your money into our guild's vault right away. Rest assured. The Gnome Merchants' Guild's mana crystal card is accepted as a currency throughout the capital!

"You can use it anywhere in the capital, and you can withdraw coins from it at every major town. Plus, you'll get at least 5% interest on an annual basis!" Elliot, still smiling, handed Wang Yu a black card.

"Now, get to work, you blockhead! Help move our honored customer's coins into the vault!" Elliot kicked Emmon again.

"Yes, Boss!" Emmon replied. He hauled the chest off.

Wang Yu glanced at the black card that Elliot had given him and examined it. It felt like stone, but had remarkable flexibility.

When he bent it a little, it snapped back immediately. There was a gnome's face with an exaggerated smile drawn on it; Wang Yu couldn't help but suspect that Elliot had been responsible for that detail himself.

After storing the card, Wang Yu glanced in the direction in which the orc Emmon had gone. The ground was stamped with footprints from the orc's own weight and the heavy chest of golden coins. Wang Yu himself had only managed to drag the chest along, whereas Emmon had lifted it effortlessly. He was clearly at least as strong as an ordinary knight.

"Honored customer, please, board the carriage! We'll be setting off shortly." Elliot rubbed his hands together as he looked toward Wang Yu. The gesture seemed a little sly, though it wasn't particularly unpleasant.

"Ah, right, I'll be bringing a magician as companion. Will that be fine?"

"Of course, of course! Any friend of our honored customer is welcome. My carriage is more than spacious enough," Ellliot readily agreed, his attitude impeccably accommodating.

"Let's go, Avia," Wang Yu called out. The two of them stepped into Elliot's carriage.

The gnome followed them inside. The interior was indeed spacious, and the carriage as a whole was clearly well crafted.

There were a few bedrolls spread neatly on the floor, and a small stove in the corner was lit with a bit of incense that filled the air with a calming scent.

"Ling grass?" Wang Yu asked, sniffing at the air. He sounded a bit surprised.

"Are you skilled with herbology too, Mr. Wang Yu? Emmon has trouble sleeping, so I got some of this to help him rest better. Orcs really are quite costly!" Elliot seemed impressed by Wang Yu's knowledge.

With a crack of Emmon's whip, the lead horses began to pull the carriages forward. The sound of the hoofbeats and grinding wheels was hardly noticeable thanks to the carriage's excellent soundproofing.

Avia poked her head out the carriage window, watching as the estate gradually faded away in the distance. She couldn't help but feel upset about the thought of leaving her mother.

Noticing her mood, Wang Yu patted her shoulder in a comforting gesture. She leaned against him, closed her eyes, and began to meditate.

The caravan trundled on as dusk gave way to night. Elliot climbed up onto a wooden plank hanging from the carriage wall and dozed off there. Wang Yu observed the setup—there were just two ropes holding it up, explaining why Elliot had fallen off it when Emmon had jostled the carriage.

"Boss, dinner's ready!" Emmon shouted. The accompanying rap on the carriage caused it to jolt. Elliot fell off his "bed" again.

"Argh!" Elliot, rudely awoken, was just about to shout in anger when he remembered that he had guests. He quickly swallowed his words and extended Wang Yu a warm invitation to dinner.

Wang Yu and Avia followed Elliot out of the carriage, where Emmon had already set up a bonfire by the side of the road. There was a large pot simmering above it; he had prepared rations for the horses as well.

Wang Yu accepted a bowl of stew from Emmon. It was hearty and flavorful, with meat and vegetables included. Emmon was a far better cook than he was, it seemed.

Avia sat by Wang Yu's side and consumed her own bowl of stew. Meanwhile, Elliot grumbled about Emmon's enormous appetite, claiming that he had finished off half the pot himself.

Suddenly, Avia asked Elliot curiously, "Mr. Elliot, don't you have any guards for your caravan?"

"Of course, but we don't need a bunch of weaklings. Emmon might be a little dumb, but he's seriously strong. Even a knight might struggle to beat him!" Elliot responded. He patted Emmon's solid muscles.

"And we also have an excellent elf ranger. With her around, no one would be able to ambush us," Elliot continued proudly.

Just as he said this, Wang Yu's constantly active inner eye detected a presence in their vicinity, a figure cloaked in shadow. Her pointed ears clearly marked her as an elf.

A cool female voice spoke up. "Vena, ranger, at your service."

The cloaked elf had approached silently, and Wang Yu hadn't noticed her until she passed into the range of his inner eye. Her stealth was indeed impressive.

Despite her calm, cool demeanor and appearance, Vena was surprisingly uninhibited. She removed her hood, revealing the striking beauty characteristic of elves, and scooped herself a bowl of stew. She ate heartily.

With everyone gathered around the fire and sharing a satisfying meal, the atmosphere was surprisingly warm and convivial.