Fake Survivor 12

Chapter 12

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Edited by: Kanaa-senpai

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 Those guys who were surrounding that girl were taken away by the guards.

 They seemed pretty obedient, but… maybe that’s why they weren’t restrained or anything.

 I confirmed that everything was alright, and then I got rid of the transparent Magic Armor wire that was used to strangle those guys.

 Oh, that girl who was surrounded by those men is now looking around her surroundings.

 If I try to get close to her, ‘something weird’ might happen… so I’ll just pretend I don’t know her and avert my eyes.

* * *

 After waiting for a bit, a group of adventurers lined up behind me.

 ”Man, it’s taking forever. I went to bed early last night, but I’m still late.”

 ”That’s because you bought a girl, didn’t you? You used up your energy, so you need more sleep.”

 ”That can’t be helped. Compared to the girls inside, the ones outside are cheap, and if you think about the taxes, it’s better to buy them outside and save money.”

 ”That makes sense, but… why not just live in an outer town then?”

 ”Are you kidding me? If we didn’t live inside, we’d have to pay money every time we pass through the gate. We’re gonna be dungeon exploring for a while, so we need to stick it out inside for now.”

 ”That’s true, I guess.”

 ”But that girl I bought last night was a real find, though…”

 Their conversation shifted to the girl they bought yesterday.

 In the real world, I knew about Dragon’s Lunamaria, so their conversation was pretty interesting… but yeah, girls are expensive in this city.

 Well, I don’t have much money right now, and I’m thinking of holding off for a bit, anyway.

 Even if I buy it… Since I’m hiding my ‘true identity’, it’s not like I’m in the mood to share personal information. I prefer dealing with business-like women, it’s more convenient for me.

 It’s not a big deal if I’m careful, but if we get too close, the possibility of me slipping up and saying something I shouldn’t increases.

 Separately, I’m worried about the rumor that if you don’t live in the city, you’ll be charged a toll.

 Whether you’re entering or leaving, you’ll have to pay either way, so how do they distinguish between residents and non-residents? I was wondering about that… and it was cleared up when my number was called for the inspection.

 ”Next… huh? New face?”

 ”Yes.”

 ”Then, touch this.”

 The inspector pointed to a round orb.

 ”What’s this?”

 ”This magic item can tell if you’re visiting the city for the first time. If it’s your first time, it glows.”

 ”Whoa. Does it harm your body or anything?”

 ”I’ve never heard of that happening.”

 ”Is that so… then.”

 I was uneasy because I’d read about similar items being dangerous in novels and in real life, but if I hesitated here, I wouldn’t be able to enter the city, and I’d be bothering the people in line behind me.

 So, I decided to touch the orb, and it glowed white for about 3 seconds before turning off.

 The inspector confirmed that and then asked about something else.

 ”Alright, you’re definitely a first-timer. You look like an adventurer, don’t you? Do you have a guild card?”

 ”No, not yet.”

 ”Then get one made right away. There are various reasons, but the most important one is related to taxes. You can ask about the details at the guild. The guild is in a large building in the square straight ahead.”

 ”Okay, got it.”

 Since there were many people waiting in line, I had to make my explanation brief to the person in charge, and then I passed through the gate and entered the city.

 Oh, I wasn’t charged an entrance fee.

 But don’t you need to pay when you enter?

 But the people I overheard talking earlier said you have to pay every time you pass through.

 Is it only exempt for the first time you come here?

 Well, I’ll confirm that later.

* * *

 As I entered the town, I was overwhelmed by the noise and got a lively impression.

 Among the people coming and going, I heard the most frequent advertisement for inns… or rather, it was more like solicitation.

 To efficiently lure customers, I saw many good-looking women.

 ”Hey, mister, have you decided on an inn? If it’s you, I can offer a personal service, you know?”

 A woman said that, swaying her chest, which was quite large, to tempt me.

 She’s beautiful, and her swaying chest is quite impressive, so I’m interested in that “personal service”…

 ”I’m entering this city for the first time, so I’ll decide after I check how much I can earn.”

 ”Oh, really? But if that’s the case… do you plan to enter a dungeon right away?”

 ”I’ll register at the guild first, but…”

 ”Uh-huh…”

 The woman, who seemed to be in her 20s and was soliciting for an inn, was somehow taken aback by my words.

 ”What’s wrong?”

 ”No, I mean, you’re saying you’ll register, but that means you’re not an adventurer yet, right? Your equipment looks brand new, and can you really hunt monsters?”

 Ah, I think she thinks I’m an amateur because my equipment, made with “Imitation,” has almost no damage.

 As an adventurer, I’m actually an amateur…

 ”I’ve been hunting monsters every day, so I think I’ll be okay with an experienced opponent, at least.”

 ”Is that so? If you register now, you’ll be hunting in shallow waters since you’re alone, and you won’t be able to earn much, right?”

 ”Maybe so.”

 ”Haa, what a pain.”

 The woman who said this with a surprised tone leaned in, lowering her voice as if it was about money.

 ”If you have a certain amount of money, it would be better to secure a room early, don’t you think?”

 She didn’t seem to be in a hurry, so she thought I must have had some money.

 ”Is it really better to decide early?”

 ”Yeah. If you wait too long, the good rooms will be taken, and you’ll be stuck with a bad one.”

 Well, it’s not like she’s spreading bad rumors online or anything. She’s just being straightforward.

 Even if word gets around, there are many people who come to this town aiming to strike it rich, so the bad rumors wouldn’t reach newcomers like me.

 The woman who was trying to persuade me, a lone traveler, started promoting her inn again.

 ”Our inn isn’t that expensive, and if you stay for a night and don’t think it’s worth it, you can always switch to another inn.”

 ”But how much is it?”

 ”Even our cheapest room with breakfast is 3000 Oar per night.”

 I learned that Oar is the currency unit of this country when I traveled with a merchant caravan.

 It’s like this:

 Square Copper Coin: 100 Oar

 Round Copper Coin: 500 Oar

 Square Silver Coin: 1000 Oar

 and so on, with the value increasing in the order of copper, silver, gold, and white gold.

 So 100 Oar is roughly 100 yen, which means the lodging fee would be around 3000 yen.

 ”I can pay, but it’s a bit steep.”

 As I said this, the woman pulled back again.

 ”Eh… So you came here with that kind of thinking, huh? There’s taxes every month, and if you don’t pay, you’ll get kicked out of the city, okay?”

 ”Ah, I’ve heard that story before.”

 ”Yeah. This country is prospering because of this city, so they have their own taxes too. Well, it’s not like it’s separate from the national taxes or anything, but… let’s just say it’s a way to encourage adventurers to dive into dungeons.”

 ”So, that means it’s not like they’re taking taxes twice, right?”

 ”Well, you’ll figure that out later. The payment is due at the end of the month. You still have some time.”

 ”There’s only about 10 days left. Can I really pay a month’s worth in that time?”

 Hmm, I didn’t ask about the exact amount of taxes, did I?

 When I asked the woman puller, she told me with a shocked face.

 ”Heh, you’re new around here, but don’t you think you’re lacking a sense of crisis? For adventurers, there’s a rank system, and as you go up in rank, your taxes increase too. At the lowest rank… I think it’s around 30,000 Oar?”

 ”How much does one usually earn?”

 ”Well, it’s rare for one person to enter the dungeon alone… But for a rookie team, one person can earn around 5,000 Oar a day, right?”

 5,000 Oar a day?

 Even if you form a team and earn more, that’s still 5,000 Oar per person per day…

 If you do the simple math, that’s 50,000 Oar in 10 days. If I splurge on food using “Imitation” and factor in accommodation costs… it’s tough.

 Of course, that’s just an average earning, and it’s not like I can only earn that much…

 The reward for helping that merchant group that got attacked by a group of goblins was 10,000 Oar and one night’s accommodation, which was quite generous…

 However…

 ”With the lodging fee I heard about earlier, more than half of my money will disappear…”

 ”I’m not asking you to stay at my house every day. Still, on the first day you arrived in town, it’s better to stay at a good inn, get a good rest, and then challenge the dungeon, don’t you think?”

 ”Hmm, that’s true…”

 In the end, I’ll just have to try it out.

 ”For now, I’ll go to the guild and then head to the dungeon. I need to see how far I can go myself, or else I won’t know what to do.”

 ”That’s…can’t be helped, I suppose. You’re not going to stay at some weird place, are you?”

 ”Yes, thank you very much.”

 And with that, I parted ways with the woman who had been guiding me and headed towards the Adventurer’s Guild.

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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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