Zak took me from the Port of Lindh to the Port of Flakes, which is close to the royal capital.
Zak explained to me that since the Port of Flakes is also a diplomatic base, most of the trade with Rhodocaius on the southern continent and Kainahatan on the eastern continent is mainly done here.
The docks where ships from other countries arrive are completely separate from the general ports where domestic ships arrive. Even in the general ports where domestic ships enter and leave the country, ships that do not have an entry contract will be met by a magical barrier and will not be allowed to enter the port.
The application for entry contracts is divided between the Trade Bureau of the Kingdom of Elementia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Maritime Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, depending on whether the ship is overseas or domestic.
As I mentioned earlier, there is a separate port for foreign ships to enter the port, and the buildings there, including the customs office, tower over the harbor like a fortress, making the port look very intimidating.
New foreign ships that don’t have a contractual agreement and come suddenly are also met by the magical barriers and can’t enter the port, but those who don’t give up and come persistently are said to be eliminated by the magicians stationed at the customs of the port.
After Zak and I arrived at the general port, we were able to enter the port city without any problems. It was a completely different world from the rural town I had known.
There was a buzz of activity, shops dealing with rare foreign miscellaneous goods, shops dealing with fabrics, shops dealing with exotic clothing designs, and so on. And there were cafes and other shops lined up, as well as a number of exotic stalls that delighted the eyes of those who saw them.
They are rare for me, and Zak took my hand while he walked around with me.
Zak is very tall. I’ve never met anyone so tall before.
And since he’s still wearing his robe, I can’t even see his face, and from the height difference, we might look like a father and son. I walked around while thinking such vague thoughts.
Since I was a child, I had never had the experience of being led by someone’s hand, so I was a little embarrassed. The hand felt smooth and comfortable, and I could feel its warmth.
It seems that the pick-up carriage has a designated carriage stop location, and the carriage for Zak’s house is waiting there.
Zak told me that if I wanted to see the port city, I could take a closer look and walk with him some more, so I decided to accept his offer. Because I want to see it.
Besides, I could smell delicious scents coming from all over the place.
Gyurugyuru!
Ah, my stomach is growling!
“What, do you have a bullfrog in your belly?”
“No, no, no, no. I’m hungry and I need to eat something.”
I was so embarrassed that I said it like I was angry…When you’re hungry, it’s easy to get angry. And, fortunately, I have money.
“Oh, don’t be so mad, I’ll buy you something you like. What’s the best?”
Zak let out a happy voice, let go of the hand he was pulling and took a drawstring from his pocket.
“Oh, it’s okay, I have money, I’ll be fine.”
“It’s not all right, the fee is paid by me when I’m with you. Don’t hold back.”
“Well, if you say so, I won’t turn it down either.”
I didn’t hesitate to point out what I wanted to eat.
“I want to eat that. It looks so good.”
I can hear the sound of sizzling ingredients being poured onto a griddle and smell the fragrant aroma. The old man of the shop is at the front of the stall where he works cleverly by himself.
The old man threw flour, egg, and soup stock into a small, used-looking bowl, mixed it, and sprinkled spices on it.
He mixed it in some shredded vegetables and slices of pork belly, stirred it up, and then poured the egg mixture from earlier into a thin, round stream, like a crepe, and returned it to bake.
Then he put a raw egg on the edge of the griddle with one hand on the side of the egg, poured the egg in a sizzling manner, and poked the yolk with the corner of the spatula to crush it, and put the burnt dough on top of it and pressed it down.
When the dough was cooked, the egg and dough were wrapped around a flat bamboo stick, which is a little wider than my finger, and spread sauce on it with a brush.
The sauce is a tangy and rich sauce, and when it spills out onto the grill, it creates a sizzling, fragrant and irresistible aroma.
As I watched the sequence of events, I asked,
“Uncle, this one, what’s this food called?”
“Oh, boy, they call them eastern flatbreads, with a sauce made of fruits and vegetables, choux pastry and honey. It’s really good, 120 elk.”
It looks delicious, with a smile on the old man’s face.
Then Zak, who was wearing a black hood, quickly pulled out 240 elk.
“Two, please.”
“Hey, thanks.”
He wraps it around the stick, twirling it around, and passes it around with the sauce.
“Heyyy! It’s so good!”
I shouted with a mouthful of food, grunting and groaning.
“Mmmm, delicious!”
It’s like Zak couldn’t help himself.
We ate the pork belly side by side and chomped on it. The pork belly was crispy in some parts, and all sorts of goodness was condensed into this skewered grill.
It was delicious. It was as if I hadn’t had good food in decades. Even if it is inexpensive, there is still good food.
“Yes? What are you always eating?”
“Mana.”
“Mana? What’s that?”
“I was just kidding. But I had long since forgotten what makes something taste good.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound like much fun. There are plenty of other good, inexpensive things to eat.”
“Well, then let’s come again together.”
“Yes!”
Afterwards, Zak bought me a few things that looked like the kind of candy I wanted, and we left the bustling port city. I had never had such a good time before.
Zak took me to an aristocratic carriage stop, and when we approached the magnificent carriage, a coachman greeted Zak with a deep bow.
“Sir, welcome back, we have been expecting you.”
I later found out that Zak had magically contacted the mansion to send a carriage to the port city for me.
He called the carriage in light of my physical condition, which had unconsciously used a great purification magic on him. This was a distance where he would normally use relocation magic to fly directly to the mansion.
“Sorry for the short notice, Filgred, thank you.”
“That’s very kind of you, sir.”
The older brother, called Filgred, was a very beautiful man. He was beautiful, like the one in the story, like an elf, and he was eye-catching enough to make people around him turn around and look twice.
But it didn’t bring that much of a shock to me, as I had seen Zak first.
“This girl is Fiara. She’s my purifier.”
“Thank you, sir. I congratulate you. Mademoiselle, my name is Filgred. Nice to meet you.”
“Oh, yes, nice to meet you.”
The older brother, who gently put his hand on me and helped me into the carriage when I didn’t look like a young lady from any angle, was, according to Zak later, half-elf and half-human.
I didn’t know that elves still existed today. I thought they only existed in picture books.
We got on a carriage and rode along the high and long city wall to the port city gate of Elementia. The pattern of the stone pavement with colored stones was beautiful.
There is a city wall to enter the adjoining castle town, and all entrances and exits are confirmed at the port city gate.
Roughly speaking, there are two gates leading to the royal capital. There is a special gate for foreign nobles and other foreigners, and a general gate for domestic visitors.
The general gate is also divided into three parts. One is for domestic merchants, another is for the general public and the other is for the nobility. It seems that the gate is designed to prevent problems.
I took my birthplace card out of the house, but I thought it would have given away my location if I had used it.
I got in Zak’s pick-up carriage and went through the nobleman’s gate into the castle town, so I didn’t need it, which was a relief.
Whew!
***
Details About Monetary Value
One large gold coin = 100,000 yen = 100,000 elks
One gold coin = 10,000 yen/elks
One large silver coin = 1,000 yen/elks
One silver coin = 100 yen/elks
One copper coin = 10 yen/elks
*Folks usually spend their money in units called elks
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