Ch.34The City of Gems, Metals, and Stone

Thanks to Mina’s amazing skills, we secured dried ground and fuel, allowing us to set up the most comfortable camping environment we’d ever had.

Jessica, who had verified that pyroxysite’s heat could completely melt even diamond dust ice in a short time, gathered all the metal utensils from her bag to prepare a large amount of warm water. Using this water, we washed our hair and bodies, thoroughly cleaning off the mud and stone dust. We were able to fall asleep feeling more refreshed than usual.

The next morning, after washing our faces and brushing our teeth, the three of us changed into spare clothes from our bags and set off looking neat and tidy, as if yesterday’s disheveled appearance had been a lie.

In Mina’s case, since she had no spare clothes, she had to wear her work clothes after washing them with water, but even that looked much better compared to yesterday’s mud-covered state.

Thanks to the clear weather and Ancestor’s transport capabilities, our marching speed improved dramatically again. Despite significant delays due to bad weather and rescue operations, we were able to arrive at Jemest’s east gate, surrounded by stone walls, around 1 PM on the fourth day as originally planned.

“Wow… the entire city is surrounded by stone walls.”

“Amazing. It’s like a fortress.”

“As you can see, this area is barren rocky terrain, so they couldn’t source the timber needed for city construction. But thanks to meeting the dwarves of Blackforge Mine and receiving stone supplies, the city was completed much more solidly than initially planned.”

“The dwarves were willing to provide stone to foreigners wanting to build a city near their land?”

“At that time, the Karn Farm, which was the dwarves’ food production site, was suffering from severe labor shortages. They agreed to a multi-year stone supply plan on the condition that a large workforce would be dispatched there. The Second Western City, which became Grantis’s largest industrial city based on the abundant metal and gem resources buried in the surrounding area, was named Jemest (JeMeSt), taking two letters each from Jewel, Metal, and Stone.”

“Huh… so that’s why it looks like this. It’s an impressive city worthy of its name.”

As we entered the east gate while listening to Jessica’s explanation, what appeared before our eyes was a straight main street much better maintained than Oxville’s boulevard, lined with elegant stone buildings.

The sound of hammering could be heard throughout the city, and temporary stalls were selling corn-based snacks such as roasted corn and popcorn.

“The farmland around the city walls looked like wheat fields, but it seems they grow corn too?”

“Corn is a specialty of Karn Farm. It’s also the favorite crop of the dwarf race.”

“Well, they’ve mostly handed over management to humans now. Since corn grows so tall, taking care of it is no small task.”

Mina, who had somehow bought a bag of popcorn, said this with a nonchalant face.

Handing over the management of staple food production to another race… is that really okay, dwarves…

“Now that we’ve safely arrived in Jemest, I’ll sell the pyroxysite and return to the mine before sunset.”

“Is Blackforge Mine close to here?”

“It’s on the middle of that mountain over there. If you have time before leaving Jemest, please stop by. I want to thank you properly for your help, and I also have some jobs I’d like to entrust to reliable adventurers.”

“Alright. I’ll visit once I finish my urgent business in Jemest.”

“Promise? I’ll be waiting! Bye-bye~”

As we watched Mina’s back as she ran cheerfully toward the marketplace, Jessica muttered in a low voice.

“…Despite what she says, it would be better to visit Blackforge Mine no earlier than tomorrow afternoon.”

“Why? If there’s work available, wouldn’t it be better to go quickly before other adventurers take it?”

“Regardless of how much the pyroxysite sells for, a dwarf with money in hand isn’t likely to quietly go home, right? She’ll probably go to a tavern and drink whiskey until she’s completely drunk, then head back to Blackforge Mine sometime tomorrow morning.”

“Oh…”

Though she looks like a child, a dwarf is still a dwarf. Is their body made of infinite alcohol…?

After parting with Mina, we first headed to a nearby saddlery to purchase tack and saddlebags for Ancestor. Having a giant horse roaming the streets without even a bridle could make the city folk uneasy.

“Welcome… Whoa!? What kind of horse is this?!”

“Hey there, I’d like to buy some tack for this horse.”

“Now that’s an impressive horse. Where did you buy it? Or did you catch a wild one? What breed is it??”

“Ah~ An elf I know introduced me to it. I was told it’s a rare breed, but I don’t know the details myself.”

I couldn’t honestly say “It’s an artifact-level treasure found in ancient ruins,” so I made something up, but the saddlery owner seemed satisfied with just that explanation. He didn’t ask any further questions and simply examined various parts of Ancestor’s body, repeatedly uttering short exclamations like “hmm” and “ooh.”

“I plan to use it as a pack horse. Do you have tack that would fit this one’s build?”

“No problem! We have various sizes available. Let’s see, a pack horse… You’ll need a halter, reins, saddle, stirrups, and a harness too. What kind of budget do you have in mind?”

“Budget…”

Having no idea about tack prices in Grantis, I glanced at Jessica for help. She gave a slight smile and stepped forward.

“About 30 gold in total. Half of that for the harness.”

“30 gold? That’s ridiculous! Look at the size of this horse. This is closer to a warhorse than a pack horse! A cheap bridle would snap with just one shake of its head, and it would run away.”

“You can’t handle a wild horse just because the reins are sturdy. Ancestor is a specially trained horse that never disobeys its master’s commands or runs away. We brought it all the way here from Ambers Ranch without even a bridle.”

“How about investing at least 100 gold? Even if it’s a pack horse, a fine steed like this deserves matching equipment. I have a premium saddle made from swamp hydra materials…”

“I’m not looking to splurge on a pack horse saddle. Honestly, I could just lead it around as is, but people get scared if it doesn’t at least have a halter, so I’m just buying this for appearance’s sake.”

“Then 50 gold! For 50 gold, I’ll provide a comfortable saddle and a durable harness. How could such a magnificent horse wear a cheap saddle and a dull, earthy halter? It would call into question not just the horse’s but also the owner’s dignity!”

“…If you put it that way, fine. But the budget for the saddle must be within 25 gold.”

“Agreed. I’ll bring them right away!”

What the saddlery owner brought out from the back of the shop was a saddle made of three types of leather—brown, white, and purple—and a halter, reins, and harness all in a uniform deep blue color.

The items weren’t too flashy compared to Ancestor’s coat color, yet they avoided looking drab—a good balance that showed the expert’s eye for quality.

“Do you need saddlebags? I don’t have anything ready-made for a horse of this size, so it would take about two days to make them.”

“I bought a backpack just a few days ago, so I plan to just place it on the horse for now. Here’s 50 gold.”

When Jessica paid for the tack, the saddlery owner, along with an assistant, skillfully fitted the equipment onto Ancestor.

They seemed slightly nervous about what might happen if this massive creature acted up, but Ancestor stood perfectly still without even blinking until the fitting was complete. Wrapped in the blue halter and harness, Ancestor looked much more like a proper pack horse as we left the shop.

“Merchants really can’t be trusted.”

“Jessica, you were amazing. A master of haggling.”

“Ah, without Jessica, who knows what kind of price gouging we would have faced… We should really learn from this.”

From the moment we left the store, Seti’s eyes were filled with respect and awe as she looked at Jessica.

The practiced responses that came from two years of adventuring experience were not something that Seti, a native, or I, from a completely different world, could easily match.

“All that praise won’t get you anything, you know.”

“Wouldn’t it get me a little something? Like some service tonight… Ow!”

“What are you saying in such a crowded place… Let’s find lodging first. We’ll get a place with a stable so we can leave Ancestor there while we’re out, understood?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Even with pack horse tack, bringing a horse as large as Ancestor into the marketplace would inconvenience people.

Accepting this reasoning, I rubbed my firmly pinched arm and began following Jessica.