Nureha bit her lips when she smelled cold steel as Indicus came near her. It was the taste of clean blades that didn't match well with women. "Is that it?" "Don't talk about him." Her furious words seemed to fall on deaf ears. It had always been this way. Of all the demands Nureha made, Indicus refused to oblige on this one thing. Indicus was willing to give up everything for this one. "I told you so didn't I? Of course I did. That man won't do. It didn't work despite all your efforts. That man has no worries to hold him back. He has always been like this. He is not a normal player, just background noise who has some minor accomplishments... Hey, Nureha?" Pain and horror seeped into Nureha's view. "That man is beyond your grasp. He is just a traitor with a little street smarts. Or rather, he has an obsession with cleanliness. And you stink like the sewers." She knew it was coming and had braced herself, but Indicus' remark still stung like salt on a wound. The countless memories she had suppressed in the darkness squirmed in Nureha's chest like restless spirits. That was what the white figures had been whispering about. It was the past Nureha had already left behind in the old world. "Who do you expect to approach and caress you? A filthy, broken hobo like you? Aren't you nothing but a stowaway on a train? Even the specks of dust on you are lies. The truth is that your past smells more pungent than an open sewage cover. Wearing your disgusting smile, with no control over your desires as you gaze longingly over to our side, a lowlife like you?" The intense terror that held a stranglehold over Nureha awoke. The plastic plates. Soup with pieces of trash mixed in. Hiding in the narrow storage compartment, hoping to evade detection. Her belongings were hidden from her, having to walk barefooted on the road. Memories of hiding in the bushes, not wanting her family to find her. The memories of all her failures. "Please face the truth. Don't ever hope that someone like you can connect socially with anyone. That's right, a dirty woman like you will only be able to make a contract with someone like me." She grit her teeth to hold back the feeling of nausea. It worked this time. Lucky. To hide her weakness, Nureha had to keep her eyes wide open. Indicus told the truth. But she could not bring herself to say it out loud. Nureha knew better than anyone else how filthy and disgusting she was. But knowing it yourself and someone bringing it up were two different matters. "Because you are a princess that looks nice from afar but is far from nice." Indicus pulled Nureha up by her ears, threatening to tear the fox ears off of the glaring Nureha. "That's why I told you it is troubling for you to run off to Akiba, Nureha. Please use some common sense. Things are different from your time in the saloon. You have a castle filled with mannequins you collected now. I am going to secure the Yamato server properly this time. Isn't that our deal, Nureha?" Nureha's hope and dreams. A dream she bet everything on so she wouldn't have to go back to that place. She was literally willing to do whatever it took to not go back. That's why she teamed up with Indicus. This was Nureha's castle, the city that never slept with its bright lights and wonderful reputation. "You want to make a home of your own?" Nureha nodded defiantly in order to hide her weak side from Indicus. "Is that so. The Conference of the Ten is about to begin." Indicus seemed to have lost interest in the current Nureha. It was impossible for Nureha to attend all the meetings too, she had no interest in the actual operation of the guild. "Because you are our honorable princess. Allow me to bear the message on your behalf. Because you are our precious guild master, Nureha." Indicus' footsteps grew distant as she left after leaving some sympathetic words as a parting gift. Nureha was losing herself in her cursed past and self loathing, curling even more tightly into a ball and hugging her tail close. Her extremities felt painful and cold. The blanket wrapped around her body felt heavy and didn't bring her any warmth. Her heartbeat grew erratic, her vision turned dark like an anemic attack. Terrible experiences and shameful recollections welled up, threatening to pull Nureha back to the old world. Indicus' remarks were spot on, forcing Nureha to fight the puppet-like figures alone. But a hint of a smile grew on Nureha's lips. '... That's right, a dirty woman like you will only be able to make a contract with someone like me.' That's not true. Things are different now. Such a contract was just a verbal agreement that you couldn't bring yourself to voice out. It was even less binding than remarks between strangers who happened to meet on the streets. Aside from her contract with Indicus, Nureha made another promise with someone else. '... it is better to be your enemy, your wish would more likely be fulfilled this way.' The young man whom Indicus had dismissed as useless left these parting words for Nureha, offering some meager support for her. The dull rings of the bell from somewhere far away told her it was 9pm. The hands on the face of the clock seemed to be clogged with glue, moving so slow that the night seemed endless. The bodies of Adventurers were able to move effortlessly even when they felt sleepy. This physical advantage became the lock that trapped Nureha in the dungeon of nightfall. She alternated endlessly between dozing off and waking up startled. Nureha waged her battle tonight in her room as usual. "One day, I will definitely..." Nureha uttered this prayers as she fell into shallow slumber. 2 A group of men and women gathered in the weird room. Ornaments adorned the pillars and drapes hung on the walls. Flowers were displayed from vases with delicate designs, the tables and chairs were plated with gold. But they paled in comparison to the lively congregation. The 8 members with colorful personalities and their posse. "Where did Indicus go?" A man wearing clothes like a court official's and glasses asked. "She went to visit our princess. It shouldn't take long. Don't worry, Zerudeyusu." The woman in military attire replied. "It has been a while since the appointed time of 'when the moon rises' right?" "The princess has always been like this." "Those two should just marry each other." The young voices filled with arrogance joined in with interest, mixing with one another.
The relationships between the seat generals were complicated. It was unique as the guild was formed by absorbing all the Adventurers in the west of Yamato. It was fundamentally different from a guild formed by friends or people with similar interest in MMOs such as Elder Tales. This colossal organisation made from lots of guilds had the goal of helping the Adventurers survive in this alternate world. It had been with this goal in mind from the very beginning. Although there were individuals that called for equality similar to normal guilds, the fact remained that they were divided into various cliques. People with a normal level of street smarts were able to understand this. And there was more. To found such a gigantic guild, Nureha had pulled the Guards from the south to her side from the very beginning. The Guards from the south were under the jurisdiction of the Itsuki clan. It was an order that worked for the People of the Land from the very start. As the guild master, Nureha obtained the status and power that matched her position, the 'Councillor of the West'. The senate that ruled alongside the Itsuki clan had also displayed great interest in the rise of Nureha and wanted to get on her good side. Minami was built on the delicate balance between the cliques among the Adventurers, the Itsuki clan and the senate of the People of the Land. Kazu represented one of these factions. The security organisation 'Wolves of Mibu' kept Minami safe, keeping bribery and fraud at bay. But in actual fact, it was Kazu's private army. 'Wolves of Mibu' was set up by Kazu and his allies, determined to stop the corruption in the south. Their influence was limited in Minami, but they managed to obtain a seat within the Conference of the Ten as an official department within the guild. Behind Kazu were two bodyguards dressed in black. Few seat generals attended meetings with guards. Bringing guards was meaningless for this conference. It was just a superficial front. Kazu squinted his eyes and looked towards the seat on the top platform. The top seat was a delicately crafted throne for a queen that seemed to be from a fairy tale. This empty seat belonged to the guild master of Plant hwyaden, Nureha. One step down was the tea server and silver cart. A round seat that appeared unused. There was no one there, but it actually belonged to the no. 2 seat of the council. It was the seat of the maid Indicus. Both of them were still absent. The meeting would probably begin when Indicus showed up.
"Are you telling us that the connection with the upper world is fading?" One step below Kazu, the old man in the eighth seat said with stifled laughter. "Shut up. The continued supervision of system messages was decided by the conference right?" The old man laughed as he watched Quon's bashful attitude. There was a hint of cloudy cruelty behind his laughing eyes. The 8th seat, the Sage of Mirror Lake, Jerad Gan. The leading authority on People of the Land magic and history. With his knowledge and magic powers, he pushed the frontier of development of new techniques together with Zerude. "Our princess... will probably be absent tonight too." The ninth seat Roreiru Dawn, the chief Sentinal, mumbled to himself when the talented beauty dressed in a maid outfit, Indicus, entered the hall. Her footsteps akin to striking the floor resonated like a bell announcing the beginning of the show. "Let's start the Conference of the Ten. Let's begin with the report on the social welfare facility in the city." Indicus forewent the opening address and started the conference abruptly. And this topic had been on the top of the agenda recently. Kazu held his breath like a submarine, keeping his heart cool and collected. Minami was a peaceful and prosperous city. But this was built on the exploitation of the People of the Land. There were 10,000 Adventurers living in Minami; the number of People of the Land was 3 times this number. Although the People of the Land operated many eateries and lodging rentals, most of them did this as serfs. Serfs were People of the Land who provided services for the Adventurers. It was popular as it relieved Adventurers from the hassle of everyday life chores while providing the People of the Land with relatively high remuneration. But this in turn led to the development of troublesome issues. The prosperity of Minami was constructed with the cover up of this filth and corruption in mind. The conference carried on as Kazu's mind drifted away. The biggest policy the governing body of Minami was pushing for was the administration of Guildpass. The People of the Land residing in Minami and affiliated with Plant hwyaden could collect their pass at the state run office. The Guildpass was divided into many ranks, allowing the holder to enjoy free services at corresponding restaurants and hotels befitting their status. This would eliminate the need for members to bring a wallet when going out. The Guildpass was issued free of charge and could be renewed every 3 months, which would contribute to the economical development of Minami in the future. Kazu renewed his resolve as he listened to the glamorous report. Things were definitely going to get ugly. He understood the benefits of Guildpass. It would guarantee the minimum quality of life for Adventurers who were avoiding fighting monsters for loot. It would also enable more meaningful policies for Plant hwyaden, such as purchasing management. But this came at the expense of the People of the Land. Wolves of Mibu existed to uphold justice in the city. This meant protecting the weak. In order to lessen the suffering of the People of the Land who were being ignored by the Adventurers, Kazu's group fought on.
"No, please don't mind me. Saving the trouble is also important. For the Kunie, this is a matter of grave importance."
"Ha..."
"Since you are here, that means you have some level of understanding about the Kunie."
"That's right. I heard about from Mr ReGan."
"Ah. I am impressed that this is in the records of Mirror Lake."
"It is only polite to keep notes."
Shiroe replied with a bitter face.
This was not being polite.
According to ReGan's research of his ancient texts, the knowledge that the Kunie clan was based in this zone had become a card for Shiroe to negotiate with. 'I know where your home base is', a move that was threatening by nature. Shiroe knew this bordered on being malicious. He did not forbid or hesitate in doing this, but Shiroe definitely didn't decide to do this gleefully.
He was frustrated when forming the Round Table Council.
He was on the verge of lecturing the major guilds who were ignoring these obvious issues. He was so frustrated that he didn't even care about using intimidation to get his way.
But the Kunie clan did not give up the duty they inherited since ancient times. At least they didn't plan to.
"Although I really hope to provide assistance to Master Shiroe of the Round Table Council, please allow me to reject."
"Why?"
"Because this goes against our obligations to our ancestors."
Shiroe sighed.
Shiroe knew from the beginning that this was going to be hard. That's why he invited ReGan and did all sorts of investigation to prepare for this. Their findings indicated that there were no records of the Kunie banking service providing loans, investing, or financing any business. They simply provided cash deposit and withdrawal facilities.
Shiroe recalled the previous meeting he had with Kinjo. Equity ratio, credit, trust fund... terms that were common sense for earthlings like Shiroe were foreign concepts for Kinjo. If Shiroe explained them, Kinjo would be able to understand what these phrases meant, but that was it.
The entity known as banks in Akiba were not the same thing as banks on earth. This was the conclusion Shiroe and the others had drawn. It was closer to a storage facility, not a financial organization.
That was baffling.
The fact that real banks didn't exist in this world could be rationalized. But the inability to obtain loans was too unnatural. Shiroe was not a professional so he was not too sure, but the act of borrowing money should have a long history. On further thought, Shiroe remembered that the Romans loaned money. Rome existed in the BC era. For this world that seemed to be in the middle ages, the progress of civilization seemed too slow if the concept of loans did not exist.
Shiroe couldn't get a straight answer from ReGan when he explained all of this to him. Going by the account of the People of the Land Elissa, it was very rare to see the act of borrowing money between the nobles and the peasants.
She had not seen such acts of loans between peasants either.
That's why the merchants did not hold much authority in this world. Basically all trades were done between the aristocrats; the merchants just executed the trade and delivered the goods. People of the Land that were half noble and half merchant existed.
Also, the credibility of the currency did not lie with the nobles and royalty.
The aristocrats, who were the rulers, did not create the currency for market use. The currency was all 'discovered' when they defeated monsters. The money supply would increase if they continued defeating monsters. The currency in circulation in a country on earth was created and made legal tender by the government, but this concept did not apply here.
The credibility of the currency lay in its universality.
There was only one currency in circulation in this world. Gold, half gold and quarter gold were the units, there was no name for money. This was different from earth where USD and Euros were in circulation together; there was only one currency here. There was no need to give it a name. It was simply called gold, nuggets, or coins. Shiroe thought that the currency was not limited to the Yamato server, and was applicable worldwide, making it legal tender in the whole world.
This meant that it had the credibility of 'not turning into junk no matter where you went'. The credibility had nothing to do with the military might of countries; it was simply because there were no other forms of currencies. In a sense, it was more credible then the currencies of earth which might lose their value if the countries distributing it went bankrupt. Even if the League of Freedom Towns Eastal or the Holy Empire Westelande crumbled, the gold in Maihama would still retain its value.
On the other hand, the rare metal the currency was made from held value as well, but smelting them requires extra effort. But Shiroe was convinced that the main source of credibility for this currency still lay in its universality.
There were issues with the Kunie's bank as well. Although they were no different than a safe-box, its security was top notch. The money you deposited was guaranteed to be safe. Most of the bank was situated in its own unique zone, and guards were a common sight. The bank also had unknown ID authentication technology. It was entirely possible to deposit cash in one bank and withdraw from another branch immediately. It also included the sale of zones and the collection of upkeep cost. All these convenient services were available by adopting gold as your currency of choice.
This system was too convenient and self autonomous to not take advantage of. But there were other reasons why the governors did not create their own forms of currency.
"We can get gold when we defeat monsters right, Mr Kinjo?"
"Yes, you are right."
Shiroe dove straight to the point.
"We can obtain hundreds of gold by looting chests in the dungeons."
"Fortune favors the brave."
"Since the Kunie do not provide loans, what if we find the person distributing all this gold and take it before it is given out. What do you think about this method?"
5
ReGan was excited.
He had befriended Shiroe of Log Horizon in the Palace of Eternal Ice, and was here on his invitation. Shiroe was like the arrival of a hurricane, bringing the house down.
ReGan held high regards for the young man with eyes that seemed to gaze both into the past and into the future. Just like the time when ReGan heated the library as he explained the findings he devoted his whole life to, World Fraction. This young man managed to grasp all of this in one night, a rare talented Archmage.
ReGan watched Shiroe's profile so intensely he seemed to have forgotten how to breathe.
Shiroe, the young man who introduced himself to be from Log Horizon, was an Adventurer who made his living through the use of magic. Adventurers were strong. They were entities that could overwhelm People of the Land. Be it warriors, scouts, healing magic, or mages, Adventurers were geniuses at whatever they did.
All Adventurers were elites, but there were only a select few who were worthy of the title of Archmage. Although Adventurers were powerful, their abilities were often too specialized for use in aspects other than battle. For the knowledgeable mages who explored the mysteries of the world, magic used for fighting was nothing more than parlor tricks.
Shiroe was one of the few Adventurers who deserved the title of Archmage.
ReGan thought that there were four paths to sage-hood in this world.
All these routes were independent and did not intercept.
In this feudal era, technology and knowledge were secrets not to be divulged. The knowledge was then passed down as secrets which were not made known publicly by those who inherited it.
The knowledge of this world was retained in this manner, and there were four ways to reach the pinnacle of knowledge.
First of these would be the path of research as a People of the Land, which ReGan belonged to.
The options to study openly were available through the academy of Tsukuba, to research in the shadows would be the way of the Mirror Lake. As a Sage of Mirror Lake, he kept watch over the 'Forgotten Lake of Books', also known as the Mirror Lake. They were students who challenged the known perception of the world.
The second way was the Adventurers. As the Sage of Mirror Lake, ReGan thought the magic and knowledge of Adventurers were totally different from People of the Land. Their magic was powerful, but was essentially similar to People of the Land. But even so, their knowledge seemed to have a source that was out of this world.
Did the Adventurers seal a part of their soul in an alternate world? ReGan believed that there were signs that showed this. And this alternate world might be linked with the golden era. After the Catastrophe, the Adventurers came up with all sorts of miraculous discoveries and inventions. It was already common knowledge to the mages of Tsukuba and ReGan that these discoveries were linked to the super technology of the golden era.
The third method was to use the powers of the Ancients. The ones who could easily attain powers beyond the limits of the People of the Land were the Adventurers and the Ancients. Just like Adventurers, the Ancients were heroes that were beyond the understanding of the People of the Land. Those who were on the level of the People of the Land were humans, elves, dwarves, half-alvs, werecats, wolf-fangs, fox-tails, and race of ceremony.
The Ancients also inherited secrets from days of old, a close society that protected the world as bands of knights.
The last way available would be the path of the Kunie clan.
They were shrouded in too many mysteries, so the contents of ReGan's knowledge about them were all speculations. Although they were People of the Land, they were not academics like Tsukuba academy or Mirror Lake. Inheriting the technology passed to them for countless eons, their influence went beyond Yamato and affected continents beyond the ocean.
They had similarities with Mirror Lake which collected and studied the knowledge of the past, but the Kunie did not make this knowledge available to others. The key difference from the researchers of Tsukuba and Mirror Lake was their lock down of information. They did not actively engage People of the Land or conduct research. They had no curiosity, a clan that shied away from contact.
Mirror Lake which focused on all types of knowledge had attempted to contact the Kunie clan dozens of times. But there had been zero records of success in terms of information exchange.
A member of the Kunie, Log Horizon's Shiroe, and ReGan being seated at the same table was a cause of excitement for ReGan.
Shiroe's words had shocked the Kunie's leader.
Kinjo let out a deep breath, wearing his emotionless mask once again in silence. He stayed that way for a long time.
"Master Shiroe, did you really think this was possible?"
After hearing the long awaited reply from Kinyou, Shiroe gave a small nod after stealing a glance at ReGan.
It's about time for me to step in, ReGan thought as he calmed himself and spoke.
"Shiroe has brought up a point that has never been mentioned before. But speaking of which, this is one of the unexplained mysteries of this world. This is a viewpoint that will complement the Spirit Theory. The monsters are ever spawning. But where do their gold and loot come from? There must be some system in place that grants the monsters with these treasures. This is a new perspective that does not exist in the library of books in Mirror Lake. I am sure, I have browsed through all of them."
ReGan pushed the circlet with purple crystals on his head out of habit. This magic item gave ReGan a great sense of insight and memory retention. But it was still a metallic headgear, and ReGan still couldn't get use to this circlet that had been passed down through the generations no matter how long he wore it.
But it would not be possible to complete the investigation this round without the aid of the magic circlet. Even with the circlet, they wouldn't be able to make any headway without the records left by ReGan's predecessor.