Ch.118The Second Continent’s First City: Aparcart (1)

The Iron Walker party finally arrived at Miriam.

As the ship’s mooring lines were tied to the port, planks were laid down, and people and supplies began to disembark onto the dock.

This meant I had returned to being just an ordinary knight with no further responsibility for the ship. I took a deep breath and greeted the helmsman and the deck officer.

“Thank you for your hard work these past three weeks. I’ll be on my way now. Don’t forget what I told you.”

What I had told them meant giving compensation to the families of the deceased crew members (including the captain).

“How could we forget? We survived thanks to Lord Victor… Even if we encounter pirates again, we will certainly wipe the tears of their families with gold coins.”

“Haha. What an interesting expression. Well then, I’ll take my leave. Glory to the sun.”

“Glory to the sun!”

I bowed my head to show them respect, then disembarked with my party members.

Since there were five of us, the 1,000 gold coins were divided equally, with each receiving 200 coins, and no party member complained about this arrangement.

Finally, I explained the situation to the official who came to inspect the ship’s condition, transferred my authority, and left the barnacle-covered dock, bidding farewell to the Mary Ross, which had protected us for a total of 5 weeks.

Soon she would undergo repairs, be staffed with crew members, have a captain appointed, and once again carry cargo and passengers across the vast sea, traversing from continent to continent.

May the sun’s guidance be with her and their journey.

I gazed at the port officials boarding the ship, and the crew members bowed their heads as they looked at us.

With this, one connection ends and leads to the next.

With that thought, I led my party toward the plaza of this city, Aparkart.

After resting briefly in a pavilion built to escape the summer heat, we began discussing what we should do next.

“We’ve been at sea for 5 weeks, so let’s give our bodies some rest now. We’ve unknowingly accumulated fatigue from living at sea.”

“I agree. Besides, we’ve been through intense battles. And all we’ve had to eat was hardtack and salted meat at best, so it would be wise to visit an inn and recover from our journey with proper food and drink.”

“I agree too. Ugh… sleeping in a hammock wasn’t all that great.”

“People really do sleep best in a solid bed, don’t they?”

Hearing my party members’ opinions, it seemed they were thinking exactly the same as I was.

I’ve heard that other parties clash over such trivial matters, but mine doesn’t, so I can truly say we are blessed.

“Since we’ve earned plenty of money, let’s try a high-class inn. We can gather information about this city while we’re at it.”

“I’m in favor! The boss is paying, right?”

“Of course.”

“Hehehe… going to eat delicious food…”

Following the elven sisters’ unanimous decision, we wandered around the city looking for the most expensive and best inn, and before long, we found ourselves standing before the largest hotel (not an inn) in the city.

The hotel was called “Aparkart’s Hospitality,” and there was a stone monument stating it was a historic hotel with over 100 years of history.

Upon closer inspection, the monument also contained some information about the building—its height was exactly 1,050 meters.

1.05 km… a rather odd height, but when I read the inscription stating that the builder was 105 years old when construction began, I nodded in understanding.

In Parcifal too, it was common practice to adjust a building’s form or height to commemorate the achievements or age of its builder.

“Aparkart’s Hospitality… truly a grand name.”

Beside me, Simon muttered as he read the inscription on the monument, while I crossed my arms and craned my neck, trying to see the top of the building.

“They must have named it with confidence. And judging by the size of the building, they seem to be doing well enough to justify that confidence.”

“Hmm.”

“Let’s go in already! I’m hungry!”

Lucia’s whining made my right eardrum send a “Please save me, master!” signal, and it took less than half of half a second for my brain to receive that signal and trigger the emotion of “annoyance.”

I pinched Lucia’s cheek and entered the hotel, with her grumbling as she followed behind me.

*

“Welcome to Aparkart’s Hospitality! How may I assist you?”

A counter clerk with a resonant voice welcomed us, and we breathed in the remarkably fresh air, thanks to the air purifiers and air conditioning, as we approached the counter.

“I’d like to book three rooms.”

“Yes~ Three rooms, is it? Which grade would you prefer?”

“What grades are available?”

“We have Economy, Premium, Business, Prestige, and Suite. Economy and Premium are recommended for common folk, Business for the middle class, and Prestige and Suite for the upper class.”

“What’s the difference between Prestige and Suite?”

“The Suite class offers larger rooms, 36-hour room service, a small hot spring made with natural bedrock water, a sauna, and a pool.”

“How much does a Suite room cost?”

“Suite rooms are a bit more expensive as they include room service and meal service. It’s 300 silver coins per day.”

“Hmm…”

Having never stayed in a hotel before, I wasn’t sure if this was expensive, cheap, or reasonable.

But well, money was something I had in abundance right now…

She said 300 silver coins per day, so multiplied by 10 days, that’s 3,000 coins.

And since we need three rooms, multiplied by 3, that’s 9,000 coins.

Since 1,000 silver coins equal 1 gold coin, I would need to pay 9 gold coins.

With that calculation, I took out 9 gold coins from my spatial storage and handed them to the clerk.

“Three Suite rooms. For one week’s stay.”

“Oh my…”

Perhaps not expecting me to have so much money, the clerk briefly widened her features.

But that lasted only a moment before her features returned to normal, and after taking the money I handed her, she began making a call on a wired telephone.

“Manager? Yes, this is the front desk. Could you arrange three Suite rooms? A married couple, an elderly man, and two female elves will be staying… Yes. The cost has been paid, of course. Yes, all in cash. They say they’ll stay for a week. Yes. Understood.”

After finishing her conversation, she smiled at me again.

“It is our honor to accommodate you in the Suite rooms of Aparkart’s Hospitality. Concierges will soon arrive to guide you to your Suite rooms, so please wait a moment.”

I nodded, and the female clerk smiled brightly. We moved a little away from the desk and waited for the concierges to arrive.

“Haah…”

“Why are you sighing, Master?”

“Just thinking how life has brought me to a day where I can indulge in such luxury.”

“Hahaha! Anyone listening would think you’re a 100-year-old man. You’re still so young it’s hardly worth mentioning. Of course you should have days like this!”

Simon said with a chuckle, while the elven sisters were already discussing what they would do for fun in the Suite rooms.

“Simon.”

“Yes?”

“Have you been to places like this before? Being a sage, I thought you might have been involved with nobles or wealthy people somehow.”

“Ah… about five or six times? Not that many. This is my first time staying in a Suite room… Most of the time I visited to give advice on business or investments.”

“Ha. That seems rather worldly for a sage’s work.”

“I have to make a living too. Honestly, business and investment are ultimately fifty-fifty gambles. If it goes well, it’s my credit; if not, it’s your fault.”

“True enough.”

Having lived on the streets, I knew all too well how much people can blame others throughout their lives.

As we were talking, the elevator came down, and neatly dressed concierges approached us.

“Excuse me. Are you the guests who booked the Suite rooms?”

“That’s right.”

“It is our honor to serve you. Please follow us. We will take the utmost care of you during your stay at Aparkart’s Hospitality.”

We followed the concierges into the elevator, and after a minute of admiring the view from the glass elevator, we arrived at the Suite rooms where we would stay for a week.

“Sir Knight and Lady, please use room 504. Sage, please use room 505. Elven ladies, please use room 506. If you need anything, please use the room service, and meals will be delivered at 9, 18, and 28 o’clock. If you wish to adjust meal times, please contact guest services.”

“Understood. You may leave now.”

At my dismissal, the concierges bowed politely and disappeared somewhere, and I entered Suite room 504 with my wife.