Ch.6464. Toolung Harbor (1)

After about two weeks of busy travel to visit the Holy Empire’s Imperial Pasture…

[Yaaawn…]

‘What’s wrong, sleepy?’

[Yeah, a little…]

That day, as usual, I was gently stroking Robo, who had nestled his head in my arms while I controlled the Tarasque.

Robo was not only fluffy but fantastically soft, making him the best cushion. Despite his massive size, his behavior was that of nothing more than an ordinary dog.

Anyway, the weather was quite nice.

Drowsy from the warm sunlight, Robo had quietly fallen asleep at some point, and whether or not he knew he was a wolf, he curled up on the floor, purring softly.

‘…He is a wolf, right?’

It was enough to make me question it momentarily. Despite being as large as a one-ton truck, Robo was behaving like a puppy.

…Considering Robo’s actual age, this behavior was normal, but still.

“Sleep well, Robo.”

[Kiuung…]

After quietly moving the deeply sleeping Robo onto the bed, I headed to the terrace to fight off the drowsiness that was gradually overtaking me.

“Mmmmm…”

I stretched my arms wide, enjoying the uniquely dry summer of the Western Continent while taking a sip of the cool orange juice I’d brought from the kitchen.

And during that moment… a certain memory suddenly surfaced in my mind.

The Tarasque was currently heading to Toulon County.

It’s a territory located right next to the Duchy of Marseille, the largest port city in the Frankish Kingdom and a center of maritime trade.

Its position as a trading city is relatively inferior compared to the neighboring Duchy of Marseille, but nevertheless, Toulon County has managed to become an excellent port city…

The secret lies in the overwhelming fishing revenue of the Port of Toulon.

The waters near Toulon Port are among the finest fishing grounds in the southern Western Continent, with various seafood and an enormous herring fishery.

The herring population in the waters near Toulon is so abundant that during breeding season, the sea turns white with herring milt. With many large fish feeding on these herring, it’s an environment where fishing industry naturally flourishes.

And… I had taken note of these characteristics of Toulon County.

In my previous life, I was a Korean who loved seafood more than most, and not having much access to seafood in this life had been somewhat stressful.

Of course, I had eaten cheap smoked herring plenty of times, even when I was still a serf in the inland regions.

But now that I was finally visiting the coast, I desperately wanted to eat some really fresh seafood.

I didn’t care what it was. I wanted to try this world’s unique fantasy seafood and the special dishes of coastal cities.

“…Sophia, I have a favor to ask.”

Thinking that there was no need to hurry for a while and that making a detour wouldn’t be bad, I went to the front yard where Sophia was resting and carefully made my suggestion…

“…Comrade, the Prophet was naturally planning to grant your request.”

Sophia answered me as if wondering why I would ask such an obvious thing, and then spoke to me in a calm and dignified tone.

“The Prophet would rather ask you. The Prophet is not that narrow-minded.”

Sophia, who was usually expressionless, rarely showed emotion as she spoke.

She said that she was simply accompanying me on my journey, and that being too cautious might seem like a lack of trust.

“…I suppose that’s true.”

“Yes, it is, Comrade…”

And when Sophia called me “Comrade” as she always did, I gathered my courage to express a small complaint I had been harboring.

“Hey, you know. Don’t you think ‘Comrade’ sounds too formal?”

“…Then, what should I call you?”

“Just call me by my name. When you say ‘Comrade,’ it feels like there’s a distance between us.”

No sooner had I finished speaking than Sophia, who had been staring at me expressionlessly, opened her mouth with great difficulty…

“G-Gregory… Is this better?”

“…Yes.”

She answered me in a very awkward voice.

※ ※ ※

Anyway, apart from sorting out how to address each other, after deciding on our intermediate destination (Toulon County),

we began driving the Tarasque toward the outskirts of the county, which was on our way anyway.

Our destination was none other than the port city of Toulon, where the count’s castle was located. It was the largest fishing distribution city in the Frankish Kingdom.

The fishing industry in Toulon was massive, almost on the scale of a national project.

Particularly, the herring fishery, which accounted for over 90% of Toulon’s exports, was truly remarkable in scale.

From the shipbuilding industry that constructed fishing vessels, to the actual fishing operations.

The number of adventurers hired to repel sea creatures and pirates that attacked fishing vessels was also considerable.

Among the threats to fishing vessels, various man-eating fish monsters living in the sea constituted the majority. These fish monsters were powerful creatures that targeted fishing vessels, which were dangerous but abundant with prey.

Pirates who went after the fish were also a significant nuisance. Pirates infamous for sinking countless ships out of greed were divided into several categories.

Most were “traditional” pirates who simply raided ships for their wealth.

But among these pirates, many had joined forces with pagan groups, and the infamy of ghost ships was particularly well-known among sailors.

To protect fishing vessels from these threats, adventurers joined fishing expeditions, and the fishermen of Toulon Port were warriors more formidable than most veteran adventurers.

In any case, the herring fishery created an enormous number of jobs.

Beyond direct fishing, there were jobs in processing the caught herring—cleaning, salting, smoking, and transporting them.

Each of these industries created a tremendous number of jobs…

“Let’s walk from here.”

“Yes, I understand, Gregory. We might be discovered otherwise.”

After traveling through the forest and approaching human territory, Sophia and I “put” the Tarasque into Sophia’s demonic essence storage before entering the realm of humanity.

You might wonder how this is possible, but in short, it’s a trick that works because the Tarasque is treated as an object.

Though the Tarasque looks like a living being due to its turtle-like appearance, unlike its appearance, the Tarasque is a shell without a soul.

In other words, the Tarasque can be placed in the demonic essence storage, which can only hold inanimate objects.

Additionally, the fairies living on the Tarasque’s back can remain safe because the upper part is treated as part of the “other world” and the Aleinos Forest.

Perhaps because the interior is treated as a “separate world,” they are considered to exist within the “other world” rather than inside the storage.

So we moved around with our lightened bodies, then summoned our riding companions, Robo and Astra, and ran frantically for quite some time—

“This is Toulon Port…!”

“What an amazing sight…”

After running without rest for about 10 minutes, we were able to climb to the top of a hill that offered a panoramic view of the entire Toulon Port.

Toulon Port, this medieval fantasy-style harbor, looked as if it had just emerged from some game.

On one side of the dock, fishing boats were constantly coming and going, transferring fish.

Hundreds to thousands of dock workers moved boxes full of fish, and cranes, presumably operated by magic, were in motion.

In one corner of the port, fish were being transported into a huge factory-like building.

From the opposite exit, processed fish in barrels were being moved beyond by carts.

At a more distant dock, a massive monster—presumably a whale or giant fish-type monster—was being dismantled.

They were removing the thick skin and cutting the exposed meat into pieces for transport.

They separated the fat for oil extraction, and even the remaining parts were being taken away to be decomposed and used as fertilizer.

After taking in this vibrant scene and being overwhelmed by it, we prepared to descend to Toulon Port.

Our goal was to conquer all the famous eateries in this port.