7 Pearl Azure Kingdom

"We're here"

After Reika left and Leon suggested for us to go drinking, he led me to a shady alleyway where the establishment is located. The dark alley had all sorts of people present but for the most part, they were harmless, just simply laughing and drinking with their peers. Most of them seemed like warriors for they were equipped with weapons and light paddings for protection. In fact, I've noticed this when I first arrived in this city that most people carried weapons around. It's very similar to the world that i've came from yet everyone seems to be filled with happiness and smiles. As I learn more and more about this world, I can't help but feel odd.

"Oy Kazuo, come on, let's get seated"

"Right"

The building of the establishment looked slightly worn out. The exterior was made out of logs stacked on top of each other with a large entrance located at the center where a door was not present. It simply had a large wooden board hanging down that had the picture of two swords and a plate. As for the interior, plenty of round wooden oak tables with barrels for seats surrounded the area. On the inner part of the establishment, a counter made out of large barrels could be seen where people sat on smaller barrel seats drinking the night away. Behind the counter, even more barrels was protruding out of a shelf where waitress could be seen pouring large wooden mugs with what smells like ale and rye.

I've never seen so many barrels before..

Even though the sun has not completely set, the place was bustling with people. As we looked for a seat, we soon realized that it was completely filled so we had to settle for the counter.

"Phew.. I'm glad we got here early or else we would have to sit on the floor"

"It gets that busy huh.."

"Oh yeah. At night, even the floor will be full"

"What an easy going establishment"

While looking around, a sweet perky voice coming from behind the counter caught my attention.

"Welcome customers. What would you like for today"

"We'll have two servings of the house special as well as two pints of chilled ale"

"Coming right up!"

The waitress reached for two mugs and poured alcohol from the barrel behind the counter. Soon after, she handed us two pints and Leon immediately drank it at an astonishing speed.

"Kuuuuuh! That hits the spot"

After witnessing the satisfied expression of Leon, I also proceeded to drink the ale.

It's good!

The sweet fruity taste of the ale left me with a deep impression of longing for more. The cold chill of the drink instantly made me feel refreshed.

"What the heck, why is this so good"

"Right?"

Before the food could arrive, both Leon and I have already downed three pints of the cold ale.

"Haa.. I don't even need food no more. I could just keep drinking this until the sun comes back up"

"Hehe, you won't be saying that once you taste the food from here"

Gulp

"Is.. Is it that good"

"You'll see"

Bang

A large wooden platter filled with cubed glazed meat shook the counter from how heavy it was. The scent of the glazed meat made me salivate uncontrollably. After swallowing my saliva, I took one bite.

…

(*)

Ah-

After I regained my consciousness back, the once heaping pile of meats that sat comfortably on the wooden platter was now nowhere to be found.

Where the hell did it go?

I only remember taking my first bite then my consciousness faded away.

"Phew, that was good"

"Eh? What happened to my food though?"

"What are you talking about? You devoured it like a demonic beast"

"..."

This place is dangerous.

"Haha after surviving a calamity, the ale and food tastes even better"

"I suppose. Anyways, I wonder why that guy was so irritable?"

"If you're talking about Gorko then that's to be expected. In this city, there's not many people who are well versed with elemental magic so his ego became incredibly inflated"

"Oh I see"

Speaking of which, this might be a good opportunity to learn more about this world.

"Hey Leon, do you mind if you tell me more about this place"

"Right, you're not from around here. Ok no problem. Where do you want me to start?"

"If possible, everything. From what city we're in, what the governance is like and the situation of the world"

"What the heck.."

He looked at me with a bewildered expression.

"Since I'm also new here, I guess i'll tell you what I've learned so far. I'm sure you know this already but we are inside of the Pearl Azure Kingdom. It's a distant country located inside a formation of mountains. The place we are currently is called Krom City where the majority of people are adventurers as opposed to magicians. In a world centered around magic, this city is quite unique in its own way. Which is to say why Gorko was so arrogant before, being a magician in a city lacking with magicians and all. This city is one of the many that is governed by the Blue Silk clan. Ah, you probably don't know the situation of the kingdom so let me explain. In this kingdom there are a total of eight royal clans that governs the populace. Each one of the eight clans will have their own territory so they only govern their own territory. The Azure clan is also part of the eight clans which directly controls the other seven clans. I guess you could say that the leader of the Azure clan could be considered the king. The Azure clan also has their own territory to govern but the other seven clans has to answer to their calling"

Hmm, so the kingdom is controlled by the eight royal clans and the highest position could be found within the so called Azure clan.

"Is there something else that you want to ask about?"

"Ya actually i'm not too familiar with something. Earlier, you mentioned magics and levels. Can you explain that to me?"

"You must have lived in a really small village without magic huh.. Ya sure but I'm not too sure as well for my knowledge about magic is limited. For the most part, this whole entire world relies on magic. The level i'm referring to I believe is the standard measurement for the amount of mana that is present on a person or monster. Gorko was a level 6 magician which means that the level for his mana capacity is level 6. As for the wolf king, it's a level 20 beast which means that it's a monster capable of using magic. Not all monsters and beasts have levels but the ones that do are quite dangerous"

I see. It's very similar to a standard fantasy rpg I suppose.

"If you want to learn more about magic, I hear that the adventurer's association is now offering free lectures about the basics and history of magic"

"Adventurer's association?"

"It's one of the three associations that can be found in this kingdom. Adventurer's association, Merchant's association, and Hunter's association. The Adventurer's association allows people to become full fledged adventurers that slay monsters and beasts for a living. In there, you can sell magic shards and magic crystals for money as well as being commissioned into jobs proposed by other people. In fact, the job to guard me was also commissioned by you and Reika. There are also other programs within the Adventurer's association such as learning how to fight and as such. Now, they also apparently offer teaching magic. As for the Merchant's association, I'm currently trying to become a member as of this moment. If you have a membership, then you won't have to be taxed by the royal clans when you decide to set up an establishment. Adventurers can also benefit by selling unwanted items to the Merchant's association. They also offer a daily stall where they can sell their items to other people and adventurers. As for the Hunter's association, i'm not too sure either. I know that they focus on hunting beast as opposed to slaying monsters. I heard that you can go there to sell beasts that they might want"

From what i've heard so far, it seems like the living lifestyle in this kingdom is quite well off. They have plenty of opportunities to earn money from the three associations that Leon has mentioned.

(*)

"Oi Leon, your such a lightweight. You haven't even finished your eleventh pint yet!"

"Shut up.. Not everyone is a freakish monster like you"

Leon and I spent the night away by drinking and talking about our lives. I've come to know that Leon is an aspiring merchant and that his next goal is to make it big in the capital of the royal clan of this territory.

"Haaa.. I wish that I was as strong as you Kazuo.. If I was, then I might have been able to change everything"

As he spoke those words, regret and misery landed on his countenance. I reached for my pint and drank the last remaining ale inside.

"Strength is not everything. Even when you are strong, there are some things that you can't prevent. You can only keep going forward or else you will be forever stuck inside a never ending abyss of misery. What really matters is a strong heart that will never waver"

"...You're right. Hey Kazuo, when I leave this city tomorrow, you need to come visit me ok? It's not easy for me to find a friend as straightforward as you.."

"I will definitely come visit you. You're the very first friend i've made in this kingdom so I'll definitely treasure this friendship"

"Good! Just come to the royal capital and I'll definitely spot you. Your freakishly long hair stands out too much hahaha"

Right.. I should do something about that. I went to reach for my pocket and pulled out the dagger that Gorko tried to stab me with. I placed it on my hair and removed half of it.

"Ah! What the hell are you doing! The hair looked elegant on you though!"

"It's annoying though.. It flies everywhere and I feel irritated just by looking at it"

"In that case, here, take this dragon's whisker to tie your hair. It's pretty expensive but I the scarlet color fits you well"

"Are you sure?"

"If I say i'm giving it to you then i'm giving it to you! Don't worry. Just take it as a symbol for our friendship"

"I feel bad if i'm the only one receiving though.."

"Then give me your hair"

He looked at me dead in the eyes with a serious look.

"Get the hell away from me you're gross"

"Ah so cold!"

"Oh I know"

I reached for my neck and took off the silver pendant. Upon closer inspection, I can tell that the craftsmanship was quite extraordinary.

"Here, take this"

"What is it? It looks oddly familiar for some reason"

"No clue. Some old man just gave it to me"

"What the hell, I don't want that then"

"Just take it. I don't want it either"

"Fine.."

After he reluctantly received the silver pendant, I smiled and tied my hair with the scarlet string that he handed me. Afterwards, we spent the rest of the night drinking as we reminisce of our past.