Episode 124
EPISODE.62
The contents of the parchment suddenly changed.
why? for what reason?
It wasn’t long before the question marks in my head bit one after the other. Russell was able to come up with an assumption that came pretty close to the answer.
‘Because I’m close to the Kuril Islands?’
It made some sense if the purpose of this parchment from the beginning was to send him to the Kuril Islands.
After that, it was used up, so it was changed to a new content.
‘The problem is, what does this parchment represent…’
A place where a river of flame overlaps with a river of ice.
Go back to the end of the river of fire.
It was a place that couldn’t actually exist if the flames overlapped and flowed over the river of ice.
Perhaps it is a metaphor for something.
‘Is it hot water or lava-?’
No matter how hard I tried, nothing came to mind.
Russell immediately shook his head.
‘For now, I have no choice but to try my best or collect information.’
Thinking that, I turned my head.
Standing at the head of the deck, he gazed ahead. Beyond the coolly parting waves, the land was getting closer and closer.
It was the Kuril Islands.
.
.
“Okay then, let’s drop the anchor!”
“Check everything one by one before folding the sails and anchoring!”
As soon as the ship arrived at one of the piers in the Kuril Islands, the top officials got busy.
Except for when the pirates appeared, they seemed busier than when they were on the sea.
It has to be.
If it was up to sailors to leave the land and sail the sea, it was time for them to be active from now on.
The acting chief, leaving behind those who move around so busy.
Colin came towards Russell. To be precise, it was towards Russell and Aidan standing next to him.
“Thank you very much. Thanks to the two of you, I was able to safely arrive in Kuril.”
Aidan waved his hand with a puzzled expression toward him as he bowed his head deeply.
“What did I do…. It was all done by the Ludman Wizard here.”
I was going to say Russell, but I changed it urgently, so my name became Rudman.
Colin thought it was simply a twisted tongue, but didn’t take it too seriously.
Instead, he said to Aidan, who waved his hand.
“no. I heard from Wizard Ridman, but he tried to do something with magic even when he was on drugs? I am grateful enough for that.”
“But…”
He blurted out his words, but he didn’t feel bad. Aidan scratched the back of my head with an embarrassed expression.
“And again, Mister Readman. Thank you very much.”
In the meantime, he greeted Russell once more and took out a slip from his bosom.
“This is the reward we promised.”
Remuneration as a 4-circle wizard.
In the past, it was a level that I couldn’t even dream of.
However, that was only a story before the return, and it did not apply to Russell now.
Not only was he already a count who had the right to collect taxes from the three cities, but he was also one of the major shareholders of the Michelin Merchant.
If the Michelin Merchants had expanded their business to trade with the Kuril Islands, they would have come aboard their own ships.
Thinking so, Russell’s eyes twitched as he accepted the slip.
It was because the amount was written on the slip several times more than expected.
“This is…”
Colin began explaining before Russell could even ask.
“That wizard who hid his identity and got on board.”
I was talking about Carl Neyman.
“When we interrogated the captive pirates, we found out that his identity was Mulk.”
“Mulk?”
The answer came from Aidan.
“He is the leader of a famous pirate fleet near Mulk Hurin. Probably because the bounty on him was -…”
It was roughly the same as the amount written on the slip. If you add the payment you were supposed to receive to this -.
‘Still a little too much?’
“In addition to the bounty, I added a little more as a thank you.”
Since he saved the cost of one 4th circle mage, adding this much didn’t hurt him.
‘And through this opportunity, there must be an idea to open up.’
Circle 4 freelance wizards weren’t that common. Of course, it would have to be considered that the possibility of a person named Readman Lou would be active in this neighborhood again.
“I’ll be fine for now.”
It was the money I was willing to give.
There was no reason for refusal, so Russell put the money intact in his pocket.
“Me too…”
Aidan also took the slip, and it wasn’t until Colin got to the point.
“What will you do when you die?”
Unlike Aidan, who had a round-trip escort contract, Russell only signed a one-way contract.
Russell pondered for a while before answering his question.
“I came here for a personal purpose, so I cannot promise when I will return.”
“You say you can’t make an appointment….”
“Because I don’t know if it will be a month or two months.”
If you’re lucky, it’ll be over in a fortnight. At that, Colin sighed with an expression of regret.
“Ah, that’s right.”
He opened his mouth meaningfully as if he still couldn’t let go of his lingering feelings.
“We plan to stay in this port for about 40 days. It will take that much time to dispose of all the items you brought and buy the spices.”
“All right. If I finish my business and come back, if the La Paz Merchant and the Acting Chief are still in Kuril, I will sign the contract at that time as well.”
He smiled contentedly, as if he had achieved his goal.
“Haha, then I’ll be waiting for you. I hope you achieve your goal.”
After that formal greeting, Russell got off the boat. At the same time, he pursed his lips.
[Perhaps the next time we see each other, it will most likely be a salt tower.]
“…!!”
It was a message magic sent to Aidan Owl.
* * *
Jeobeok Jeobeok-.
The low sound of footsteps was regularly heard.
It was the sound of Russell getting off the ship and making a loud turn around the port city where the ship was anchored.
This is the island of the Beasts ruled by the Beast King Muyaho.
‘Kuril Island.’
And the port city of Jamilla, that was the name of this city.
Is it because
Jamilla’s appearance was more distinctive and exotic than any other province Russell knew.
It was a wooden building with all the roofs, walls and terraces carved straight from trees.
The houses thus created stretched along the coastline.
It did not stop there, but also used trees to build a short bridge over the sea and to hang floating houses along the bridge.
Rather than an ordinary city, it somehow felt like a tourist attraction.
The only difference is that the people living in that exotic city are not humans, but prisoners.
The cat-eared cat-human tribe, the western-human tribe with their tail hanging from the mouse’s ear, and so on.
Back up-.
At that time, I saw a beastman with a curled tail and sparse brown hair leaping from building to building with nimble movements.
Judging by the quick movements of a monkey, it’s probably-.
‘Are they the ape people?’
As it was on the outskirts of the island, it was difficult to see the beasts of beasts, who were said to be in charge of actual military force within the beasts.
Other than that, most of the human beings that can be seen from time to time are merchants or sailors and mercenaries who came with them.
‘I have to get the information first.’
In a normal case, he would have used the Mage Tower’s information network. If not, I would have gone to the information guild.
However, this is the Kuril Islands.
It was a place where the influence of the Endymion Mage Tower did not reach, and it was not even clear whether an information guild existed.
This means that neither the former nor the latter can be used.
‘Then…’
After thinking about it for a while, Russell headed to a pub.
As much as the beastmen also enjoy drinking, there are several pubs located in Jamilla City.
Among them, Russell visited the largest pub in the city.
The reason Russell visited this pub was simple.
‘Because a bar is usually one of the places where the most people gather in a city.’
The pub was a place overflowing with information as much as there were overflowing people.
It’s not that the continent’s information guilds are operating under the guise of pubs for nothing.
with my daughter-
Upon entering, the figures of those who had been drinking since broad daylight came in.
The sailors who came with the merchants and…
the ‘beast tribe waitress.’
The owner or the bartender, who was unknown, was a beastman wearing goat horns and glasses.
“I’d like a beer cold enough to freeze the ice, please.”
As I approached and put a silver coin on top of the bar, he muttered as he raised his glasses.
“Isn’t it overpriced for a pint of beer? Mee-.”
At that question, Russell shrugged.
“Please give the appetizers in moderation in the form of fruits, and let’s use the remaining balance after excluding alcohol and appetizers as the cost of asking questions.”
Then, when he replied skillfully, the mountain goat nodded moderately and took the silver coin.
Subsequently, he put down a platter with several types of fruit and a glass of beer in front of Russell and asked again.
“Yes, human friend. You don’t seem to be a sailor or a merchant…what do you want to ask?”
“Is there a place where a river of fire flows on this island?”
“A river of fire?”
He tilted his head and pursed his lips as if in difficulty.
“If you are talking about lava, there are several places. Mee-.”
The Kuril Islands were huge islands created by the eruption of an underwater volcanic eruption. Of course, now it was just a dormant volcano that had not erupted for hundreds of years.
“Then, are there places where rivers of fire overlap with rivers of ice?”
When I asked again, the mountain goat gazed at Russell with an expression of ‘What kind of bullshit is that?’
He clicked the tip of his tongue, asking if he was saying something that made sense.
“I have never heard such a strange story in my life. Mee-.”
“Um…”
I looked around a few more nearby pubs just in case, but nothing changed much.
The same was true even when I asked an older prisoner who had lived nearby for a long time.
‘In the end, I’m going to have to sell a little more footwork…’
The island with the size of a small kingdom was the Kuril Islands.
It would be impossible to check all of this island even if you wander around until the foreign travel research is over.
‘In the end, how many more times do I have to come?’
It was the moment when he sighed and was about to move towards the island.
“Rock-.”
A familiar animal cry came from the treetops outside the city.
“If you are going inside the island, don’t you need a guide? Will it be better? Laugh?”
Looking up, I saw a monkey-man hanging upside down on a tree.
It seemed like he was pretending to be good, but his eyes were shining as if he was projecting a desire he couldn’t hide.
Not only that, but I also felt a group of signs following him.
‘It’s probably because he scattered a few silver coins while asking for information.’
I would have thought they would smell and flock to the action that lasted only a few hours. Russell snorted inwardly.
Don’t you know that the inside has already been read?
The guy hanging himself from a tree branch using his tail clapped his feet and clapped his hands at the same time.
He then raised his two fingers upright.
“You will never regret two silver coins in an hour. Laugh.”
sorry yes
You will never regret it.
‘Perhaps it’s not me who regrets-.’
Russell murmured to himself as he stared at the somehow quiet forest beyond the backs of the monkey beasts.
‘Because it will be you guys.’
dragon-swallowed wizard
