episode_0034

As is the case with all cities, Aronvault was built on the foundation of a water source called groundwater.

The southern part of the New World, a fertile land, is virtually impossible to farm due to the monsters swarming from the Golden Forest.

On the other hand, the north, which is mostly wasteland, is a very barren land with hot sunlight during the day and cold at night, and little rainfall.

Uniquely, water springs up from underground in this area, which is why farming flourishes with corn, jalapenos, grapes, and aloe.

Because of the harsh environment, monsters are rare and the open land makes it easy to eliminate monsters, making it one of the few areas in the New World where farming is possible.

A place without worries about floods or droughts.

Aaron’s Vault is the first city settled by pioneers who explored the New World in the early days.

A kingdom now ruled by the vampire lord Bloodmir and his descendants.

Erica and I walked past the city walls surrounding the farmland, marveling at its scale, and then passed through the city gates into the interior.

There was a bit of trouble with the guards during that process.

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“Are you from the South?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Please show me your ID.”

There was no separate identification, but he showed his adventurer badge.

“What brings you here?”

“I came here to settle down.”

“Settlement?”

“… … Yes.”

The guards guarding the castle gate glared at us as if we were illegal immigrants.

If you understand the game’s setting literally, northerners are never happy with southerners.

Because they felt that the huge amount of silver and gold produced in the South would disrupt the economic soundness of the North, and thus the land would be handed over to outsiders.

As the New World fever swept through the mainland, so many people were pouring into the New World that the aftermath left them extremely wary of outsiders settling in.

However, recently, Margrave Bloodmir’s policies have changed significantly, and a railway connection project with the south is underway, and the atmosphere has changed to one of accepting and accommodating outsiders.

This may be because, with the development of cities, production has increased and food consumption in the south has increased, large-scale trade is now judged to be profitable.

The railway will probably be connected within a year… …

“… … Please show me the bag.”

A request in a blunt, businesslike tone.

I obediently handed my bag over to the guard.

“… … This is.”

“Oh…”

All the guards looked very surprised as a huge amount of silver bars poured out of the bag.

“Please wait a moment.”

… … After a while, the person who appeared to be the person in charge of the security guard guarding this place was called in front of me.

“My name is Knight Corbin, captain of the Southern Third Gate Guard.”

“Sir Corbyn. It’s an honor to meet you.”

Captain Corbin was a very grumpy-looking middle-aged man with curly brown hair, an overgrown moustache, and a sunken face.

Judging from the full-plate mail and cloak made of quite luxurious material, one could guess his wealth and social status.

As soon as Corbin arrived, he started to examine the silver bars, then asked sharply where they came from.

“Where did this silver come from? Why isn’t there a seal?”

Silver bars cannot be used directly. Usually, after a purity check, they must be stamped with the seal of the local nobility or go to the currency management office to receive permission before they can be used.

Since it doesn’t exist, I doubt it.

I sold the name of Baron Defois, a force I had previously been a part of.

“Silver ingots produced in the mines of Baron Depoy of the Golden Forest. As you know, new settlers in the South are not able to grant their own licenses for precious metals produced. Sir Corbin, can you look at me for a moment? I have some advice to give you regarding settlement.”

“… … Okay. Get your stuff and come over here. Guys! Help me pack it.”

“Yep!”

When I explained the reason and asked him to look at me separately for a moment, his attitude changed completely.

A cliché story.

It means to stab moderately.

The place Corbin followed was the office inside the barracks, located just beyond the wall.

Corbin was kind enough to grind his own coffee beans and serve them to us.

“How is your coffee?”

“Yes, anything is fine.”

Knock knock knock.

“But what is the relationship between the two of you?”

“Ah… I haven’t uploaded the food yet, but we are a couple to be.”

The fact that they were a married couple was a pre-arranged kiss to avoid suspicion.

“Oh… I guess you’re ending your adventurer life and settling down here.”

“Yes. I guess it’s hard to continue living the adventurer’s life since there’s someone to take responsibility for.”

“I understand. There are many people who settle down like that. More than anything, I am really jealous as a man because your wife is so beautiful.”

“Haha! Thank you.”

“hoho…”

Although she is comparatively inferior to Lena or Jayna, Erica is objectively very pretty.

“You’ve really thought it through. If you want to live a stable life, there’s no place like this in the New World. Come on, try it. The coffee made from beans produced here is amazing!”

While we were talking, Corbin offered me coffee with sugar. It smelled very convincing.

As usual, I focused my senses and carefully smelled the scent to see if there were any foreign substances.

“Ahem! This smells really good. Oppa! Try it quickly.”

“Yeah.”

Meanwhile, Erica had already taken a sip of her coffee and was smiling brightly, offering me a drink too.

She was treated like a slave, a servant and a part-time employee at an adventurer’s party, so she felt very good being treated like a VIP and having her beauty praised.

Her bright smile was as innocent as that of a country girl who had just moved to Seoul.

But why does Jayna’s appearance linger in Erica’s appearance?

My heart ached and I felt sad.

It’s been quite some time since Jaina was kidnapped and sold, so she may have already been eaten or turned into a vampire.

‘It’s so painful just thinking about it…’

I didn’t even want to imagine it.

At that moment, Erica’s well-toned legs and cleavage caught my eye.

As expected, there is only one way to alleviate this pain.

Even if it is only a temporary pleasure… …

… … After that, Corbin asked about the purity of the silver bars and explained the situation in Aaronbolt City in detail, saying that he would help me settle down safely.

“… … The further inland you go, the more expensive the land becomes. There are tax breaks, and if you want to develop farmland, it is better to settle in District 4… … ”

… … After listening to the story for a while, at some point the main topic of silver bullion disposal and licensing issues came up. It was what I had been waiting for.

“To get the license for silver bullion as per the standard, you have to pay 30% in taxes. However, if you apply for the newlywed settlement package through my introduction, I can treat you as a citizen and only deduct a total fee of about 10%.”

“Oh! Really?”

“Yes. You can also get citizenship. You have the obligation to pay taxes and provide support in the event of war. The railroad construction will be completed by next year, so if you can settle in early, you will be very lucky!”

Corbyn’s offer was too sweet.

He seemed to be very kind and generous, but in the end, his hidden intention was only one thing.

That you must have your own ‘letter of recommendation’.

Without hesitation, I immediately took out ten 1-kilogram silver bars and placed them in front of him.

“I will only trust Captain Corbin.”

“Haha! No, what is this… Then I will accept it without hesitation as a win-win for both of us!”

After finishing the conversation, I followed Corbin to the carriage and went to the city hall in District 1, the central district, to register as a citizen, and then went to the currency control office to go through the silver bullion quality inspection and licensing process.

Sure, money and power are good.

He won the captain’s heart and became personally acquainted with him simply because he had a lot of money.

Thanks to his influence, even the natives of the north, who are usually wary of outsiders, greeted me with friendly smiles. The power of connections.

Erica was also suddenly treated like a lady, and she seemed really excited about doing laundry in the past.

“Brother. After I exchange my money, can I go buy some clothes first?’

“Okay then.”

She was so obsessed with being treated like a lady that she went crazy buying clothes to match.

By the way, when I went to the city hall to register my marriage and become a citizen, I learned something shocking.

Erica writes her date of birth on the paperwork… her age…

… … He was much younger than I thought.

The girl handling the documents looked at it and gave it a cold stare with a fierce look in her eyes.

“Your wife is very young.”

For a moment, I felt like a criminal.

At the same time, my will to take responsibility for and protect Erica grew stronger.

Also, considering that her body could still grow bigger, anticipation for how much she would grow into a beauty soared like a storm.

Strangely enough, from that time on, Erica started to look cuter and prettier.

This kind of married couple play is also part of the setup for exchanging silver bullion, and originally, Erica was planning to spend some time with him as a sex partner for eating.

Suddenly I felt a new desire stirring in my heart.

Even though they are a fake couple.

Maybe it wouldn’t be bad to just live like this?

Considering the possibility that we might not be able to find Jaina…