The Lone Wanderer

Chapter 129: Bogside Town

“What did you tell them?” Percy asked, watching Nesha return with some folded clothes held in one hand, a bucket of water in the other.

The sun was already at its apex, the girl having taken all morning for the round trip. In fact, Percy had started getting worried at some point, thinking it might have not been too wise to send her alone in that state. He also felt a little guilty over the harsh things he’d said the night before, though he knew she had to hear them.

“The truth. More or less. I just said my travelling companion wasn’t presentable, and he was too embarrassed to walk in public looking like that. I obviously didn’t go into details, but they’re going to see you later, so I couldn’t just hide your existence entirely.”

Percy nodded, as he finally took the dreaded tunic off, using it to wipe some grime off him. Next, he took the bucket from Nesha, washing up as well as he could. Which wasn’t that well. At least, his skin was visible by the time he was done. Sadly, he didn’t have anything clean to dry himself with, so he just used his pure mana to get most of the water off him, before donning his new clothes. The linen fabric was cheap and unassuming, but it was really soft, and a hundred times more comfortable than the mismatched leather pieces.

Finally, the two headed to the town together, still having lots of items on their agenda for today. As soon as they entered, Percy looked around curiously, this being his first time in a commoner town on Remior. It definitely wasn’t as bad as the primitive village he had encountered on the world with the brown fog, but it wasn’t nearly as majestic as the Alchemists’ Guild either.

There weren’t any mushrooms looming over their heads, nor any colourful motes bathing the place in their lustre – just the warm rays of the midday sun. Nobody had bothered to dress the streets in cobblestone either, the locals happy to walk on simple roads of paved dirt. As for the houses, most of them were wooden huts, lining up either side of the streets.

The petite buildings looked nothing like his family’s grandiose mansion, their exteriors full of patches and holes, their walls marred with mould and rot. The acrid scent of old wood permeated the place, mixed with the even worse odours of piss and excrement. As for the people, they were all dressed in cheap, ragged clothes – not unlike his own. What surprised him the most was that he couldn’t see anybody at Green!

‘On second thought, maybe it’s not that strange…’

While Yellow-born commoners emerged at the same rate as nobles, they rarely remained commoners for long. Most Houses were eager to recruit them, marrying them into their families. It was actually the opposite situation from how Red-borns were treated – often getting kicked out of their families and left to leave as commoners.

Of course, Orange-borns could still reach Green as they aged, but peasants rarely got to live that long, often getting killed in wars or games between noble Houses. Still, there should have been some of them around. Mentally noting to look into this later, Percy then turned to Nesha.

“I imagine you’ve asked around about the shops?”

“Yes. There should be a glassmaker a couple blocks away.”

It didn’t take them long to find the place, the soft jingle of a bell ringing as they opened the door of the humble shop.

“Good morning!” a female voice said absentmindedly, as the two spotted a middle-aged lady with her back facing them, looking for something on a shelf. Only after she turned around did her brow crease. “Oh? Newcomers to the town?”

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“Do you not get them often?” Percy asked, noticing her reaction was a little strange.

The lady seemed somewhat taken aback by his question, shifting nervously on her feet.

“O-Oh, no. No. It’s just, I was a little surprised is all. We get newcomers all the time.” she said, clearly trying to sound calm.

Percy didn’t miss the traces of unease in her tone though. Nesha also flashed him a quick glance.

‘So, she’s lying, huh? Does that have to do with the mysterious absence of Green cores in the town?’

Outwardly, he simply smiled.

“Do you make eyewear by any chance? My friend here lost her own, and she was hoping to buy a new pair.”

Happy to change the topic, the shop owner gestured at a different shelf, were multiple pairs of glasses were lined up. Their designs were somewhat crude, but that made sense. It would be strange to expect the same quality of glasses they could buy in the Guild, or get commissioned by their Houses. Nesha tried a few pairs, not looking particularly happy with any of them. Seemingly lowering her expectations, she eventually settled on one, before turning to the lady.

“I’ll take these for now, but would it be possible to order a customized pair halfway between these and these?” she asked.

“Sure, they’ll take about two weeks to make though. I’ll also need you to pay half their cost in advance. Together, it’ll be a silver and sixty coppers.”

Percy handed her two red coins and three brown chips, getting a few coppers back. Then, he and Nesha bid her farewell, leaving the shop.

“What do you think the deal is with this place?” Nesha whispered after adjusting her new glasses.

“My guess? House Tantalus.” Percy replied, keeping his voice down too.

Due to his enemies’… peculiarities, it was entirely possible they treated the commoners under their jurisdiction like livestock, using them to feed their bloodline’s insatiable appetite. It was just speculation but, given what he knew about the noble House and their blatant disregard for human life, Percy was confident it was spot on.

It would also explain the mysterious absence of Greens in the town. After all, what better people to kill first than the strongest of the locals? That way, the towns under House Tantalus’s control would never amass enough strength to revolt.

“Disgusting.” Nesha spat.

With their mood completely ruined, and their stomachs churned, the two continued their shopping in silence, buying some supplies for their new life. They kept their expenses to a minimum, while also asking around for a cheap place to stay. They had plenty of money to splurge if they wanted, but they had to stick to their roles.

In the end, they were told about an abandoned house in a corner of the town. Apparently, they could stay there for free. It was tiny and its condition left much to be desired, but its owner had died years ago, so nobody would care much if they took it.

“Are you actually planning to work as a blacksmith?” Nesha asked, probably recalling what he’d told the guards the day before.

Percy nodded. He did need to put up the appearance of working during his stay here, and any opportunity to put Sengo’s teachings to practice would help him incorporate them in his magic. Plus, he could help people out in the process, which was what he’d promised to do. Of course, he didn’t think he’d be particularly good at it – it wasn’t an art one could master after a single demonstration. That said, the locals’ standards were lower too, and being an amateur would only make his act more believable.

“Though, I guess these people might need their houses repaired more than they need steel tools…” he smiled bitterly, looking at the shoddy huts. Most of them probably leaked water whenever it rained.

Still, they were unlikely to trust a complete stranger with their houses. Furthermore, he didn’t even know if he could find all the materials he needed to make concrete here. Finally, concrete would be harder to explain than a slightly more sophisticated approach to metallurgy.

‘Let’s leave it for some other time…’

Arriving at their new abode, they quickly noticed it was in an even worse state than they had been led to believe. Decrepit might be an apt term. The hut was tiny, half of it collapsed. It would take them a few days to patch it up into something liveable. At least, their higher grades would help with the physical labour involved.

Percy shrugged.

‘I guess I would have had to renovate the place anyway, to build myself a workshop.’

He had no idea how to recreate Sengo’s contraptions, but a simple stone forge and an anvil shouldn’t be too difficult to put together. As for the tools and materials, they could try selling some monster parts from the bog, though he’d rather not make it too obvious that they could hunt Yellow beasts. The weaker he and Nesha appeared, the less likely to connect them to the murders, or the Guild.

‘At least, we won’t starve…’