The Merchant City of Dorter

Chapter 4: The Merchant City of Dorter

Utakata entered the town after henged into a brown-haired civilian with coarse tunic that he saw before entering the town. The townsguard who stationed at the gate at first suspiciously staring at him, but they didn't stop him from entering the town.

[You have discovered 'The Merchant City of Dorter']

[+ 5.000 Exp]

[+50 SP]

The inside of the city slightly reminded him of Kirigakure. While the building material used and style of architecture is different, the overall layout describe one word. Inequality. 

The building were constructed following the earth elevation. With a tall hill as the center, rock castle of enormous scale stood there proudly. Then at the middle part there was a residential area, followed by dilapidated housing at the bottom part of the city.

He quietly observed the town and its inhabitants. Utakata attention was on some of the patrolling guards. They were wearing hardened leather armor with metal plate on some part, green cloak with a lion crest on his back. Their weapon was a polearm. He couldn't really determine their strength unless they fight, but Utakata isn't the kind who find a trouble when he could just avoid it.

Utakata didn't know how the system has done it, but he could read this world's written language without any problem. After undoing his henge in a dark alley, he entered an inn of some kind establishment. Immediately after he arrived, he was greeted by the proprietress who lazily leaned on the wooden bar table. It seems like the business didn't look quite good these days. 

"Welcome, come for a drink or lodge?"

She had a brown hair and her brunette hair tied into a ponytail. Though she's a bit on the plumper side, Utakata stared at that massive melons for a while. He know that those two mound of happiness rivaling the size of her auburn-haired senpai. Her attire consist of a one-piece moss green dress made of thin fabric. With the area around her belly tied with some kind of obi but with a lot of string and decorative lace. 

When he scrutinized the strange piece of clothing, a notification popped out.

[Corset] [A tightly fitting laced or stiffened outer bodice or dress.]

Yeah, he definitely observed that piece of clothing rather fiercely.

[From the constant observation you've unlocked a new skill (Identify)]

[Identify] 

[Active] | [Cost: 10 Chakra]

[Focus your eyes to identify an object by seeing it through and compare it with the common knowledge.]

'Is this a dojutsu?'

[No, it's of the the skill from Skill Tree.]

'So that's how I can open the skill huh? Any advice on how to open other skills?'

[Skills can be acquired through various means, I suggest host to experiment it by yourself.]

'Pretty much a nice way telling me that you ain't telling.'

"Young man, what put you in daze?" the innkeeper asked as Utakata just dazedly stared at her bust. She knew that she was stunning at her prime, but to think that even now she still had the charm.

"I'll take a room for the night, Mrs. Innkeeper. Though before that ..." Utakata took out some drop materials he looted from the monster outside and show it to her, "do you know where I can sell these?"

"Quite the loot you got there." the brunette mature proprietress took a good look at him with renewed gaze, she continued. "Poacher's Den in the east side of the city. Big tent, crowdy, foul smell, you won't gonna miss it." 

"I see, I'll go there first and cash these things out. Please prepare me a room and I'll return afterward. Ah, can you please prepare a meal for me? Though I got no coin with me, but maybe I can use this as collateral." Utakata brought out three health potions.

"Aight, I'll be waiting then. If you don't show up tonight, then I'll be keeping these and I'll rent the room for someone else who pays."

"Thanks Mrs. ..."

"Margry."

"Margry ..., I'm Bob." Utakata said after thinking some name. 

Well, it's actually not exactly random. He want to say bubble, but for somehow he didn't say that and ended up with Bob. Surprisingly, he thought that the name 'Bob' might be pretty common in this world's culture as the proprietress didn't comment about it.

"Okay, I'll write your name in the log."

Utakata bade farewell and go to the Poacher's Den. He looked around the place and observe the surrounding. Seeing the people here was a sight to wonder, different place, culture, and history. At least, there's no such place back in the Elemental Nation.

Soon enough, he spotted a large tent that filled with looted item such as carcasses, shell, leather, or anything that can be extracted from dead monster. 

He looked around and saw another kind of fighting force of this world, maybe a mercenary. They didn't have the uniform like the guards, only mismatched armor while wielding various kinds of weapon. Sword, axe, polearm, dagger, bow and arrow. There's a cloaked individual who carry a crooked wooden staff but has greater chakra ... energy signature than any others personel.

[From the constant observation on living being you've unlocked a new skill (Inspect)]

[Inspect] 

[Active] | [Cost: 50 Chakra]

[Focus your eyes to inspect the character status of the target.]

'That's certainly useful ..., I should use this on that person.'

[Inspect]

[Name: Ellysa Grimsworth]

[Age: 17] | [Gender: Female]

[Job: Black Mage] | [Level: 5]

[Affiliation: Order of the Northern Sky]

[HP: 40/52] | [MP: 53/194]

[Bravery: 53] | [Faith: 70]

[Attack: 6] | [Defense: 6]

[Magick: 11] | [Resist: 10]

[Speed: 5] | [Luck: 3]

'What's a Black Mage? Is it the same as Majutsushi? And why is that the overall status looks different from mine?'

['I think that's because you're from different world.']

'Saiken-sama? Did you know something?'

['Indeed, to put it simply: Every beings is bound to their world's natural law. Because you're someone from a place with different law than this world, thus you will become an anomaly. If it's true, then that explains why your character status seems different than them. Though, it's only a hypothesize at this point as I don't know how to prove anything.'] Rokubi said regarding his system.

'Hmmm ...'

['This one just noticed it but, how did you know my name. Human?']

'Ah, I thought you'd never asked me about that. Can't you read through my memories?'

['Unfortunately, I can't do that. I never proud of my mastery over Yin-Yang ninshu.']

'I see. Well, it's a long story, but let me phrase it in short sentence. Someone killed me and extracted you from my body to resurrect the Juubi, after that I returned to the past. About few days before I fought with my captor. I don't know how and why I received the Traveler System, but if I can gain power and prevent my miserable death. I'll do just that by doing whatever this system throw at me.'

['Resurrecting the Juubi, you said? How is that possible? And who is it that want to collect all of us?']

"Welcome to my shop. What is it that you need?" a bald man with supple fat on his cheek down to his neck asked.

Utakata just realized that when he communicate with the bijuu, this man had approached him.

'I'd love to continue the story but, let's stop here and let me finish my business first. I'll properly tell you the whole story when I returned to the inn.'

['Is this petty business is more important than explaining things to me?'] Rokubi morosely stated.

'Saiken-sama, even if I rushed it and explained it to you ..., I'm afraid that you won't leave me be and would ask me another questions. Let me deal with my things first so I can answer every question that you want to ask. Please be patient for a little bit.'

['Che ..., very well then, don't make me wait too long.']

Finally focusing his attention to the fat poacher, Utakata took out his loots. "I want to sell some of these."

"Ohhh, never thought you got that strength packed up inside those twig of limbs."

"So, how much would you buy these?"

"All of it ..., how about 200 gil?"

Utakata sensed a slight change in the chakra signature of the fat merchant. It's not a chakra per se because this world has different energy system, but he just stick with chakra for now before learning something new about it.

Steeled his expression, he glared at him flaring a tiny bit of his chakra and asked. "Are you jesting with me now?"

"Okay, okay ..., I'll buy everything for 500 gil."

"Make it 800."

"No, at least 600."

"900."

"Do not play game, twerp. 650 or go find someone else to buy your junk then." there's only one poaching den in this town so even if he searched for other buyer, he would ended up in this place in the end.

"Okay, 700 and you get all of these."

"Nah, can't do ..., six-seventy." 

"Deal."

[From the specific action of bargaining you've unlocked a new skill (Negotiation)]

[Negotiation] 

[Passive]

[Gives you the advantage in negotiating price. Can also be used in other situation.]

"..." the poacher just grunted and took out his coin pouch. He took six gold and seven silver coin and passed it to him. 

The gold coin is decagonal plate about 5 cm radius engraved with twin lions holding a shield at the tail and a portrait of some historical figure which said St. Ajora Glabados. As for the silver coin, it was round 3 cm in radius with the same twin lions with shield heraldry and another historical figure at the head, this time it was the portrait of an old man, Ondoria Atkascha III. All of them engraved with circling letter which read 'Ivalice Alliance'.

After finished with selling his loot, Utakata spend the noon looking around the mining town. He went to an Outfitter and got stupefied because he found something that come from his world. They sold a samurai armor and a ninja garb, the latter looks like a traditional attire for shinobi. And Samurai is the prized warrior hailing from the Country of Iron. Seems like, somewhere in this world there's a place that was parallel with elemental nation's culture.

Utakata with his limited budget bought a piece of clothing and a trouser. Yes, he could henged himself into some civilian. But he can't do this method for indefinitely. Though the chakra consumption for henge is almost negligible, but a minuscule chakra lost is still a lost.

Finished, he returned back to the inn. The inn still devoid of people when he came back. He went to the proprietress and paid for the stay with a portion of venison soup for dinner. He sat on the bar and waited for his dinner to be served.

"Mrs. Margry. What's the news around the town ..."

To pass the time and in order to understand the world that he will stay in this short year, he wanted to dig information from the proprietress.

Not much information he got is useful. The current King has fallen to sickness, a knight order who defeated a group of peasants who form a brigandry, half-century conflict of the two kingdoms which drives people to death and poverty. Something that didn't matter much to him who was an outsider.

Utakata then asked about how people fend and train against those strange monster lurking about outside the town. The innkeeper stated that the rich merchant or noble descendant was sent to a noble house for knight training. But those who's a peasant came to the Soldier's Hall and learn the bare minimum skill for survival and self-protection. 

"Can anyone, regardless of identity join this Soldier's Halls?"

"Why, yes of course. Even if you're dead poor or a war orphan without money, you could learn a move or two from that place and then paid the tuition afterward with your wage as a sellsword."

"I see ..." Utakata nodded and think maybe he would take the Soldier's Hall a little visit.

He was quite interested in how the people in this world fight. And about that Black Mage ..., he wonders if he learns to be a mage then his power would skyrocket.