Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 65
65. Mari-nee and the people inside Cardia (Part 1)
In front of me lies the royal capital, Cardia.
I’m not sure how to describe it, but if I were to forcibly put it into words, it would feel something like Mont Saint-Michel, floating on land.
Mont Saint-Michel refers to a small island off the coast of western France and the monastery built atop it.
The monastery is constructed like a castle, surrounded by a town, and I recall seeing in a book that there are seawalls built around its perimeter, perhaps to fend off waves.
The first time I saw it, I was amazed by its mysterious appearance floating on the sea, and I couldn’t help but wonder, why go through the trouble of building it on the sea? It’s a nostalgic memory now.
On the other hand, the royal capital, Cardia, dwarfs Mont Saint-Michel in horizontal expanse. Instead of seawalls, it is encircled by sturdy walls, and besides those visible, there are two more layers of walls within the city, with one particularly tall wall resembling a castle in the center.
Surrounded by walls, it’s hard to gauge its depth, but could it be housing thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people?
As the carriage approaches, one can truly appreciate its size, making me doubt if my sense of scale is accurate.
Among the roads leading to the capital, this one the carriage is traversing seems to be the widest, with many people coming and going.
At the end of the road stands a grand gate, matching the stature of the walls.
In front of the gate, perhaps for inspection, many people are lined up.
“With this much lining up, it seems like it’ll take quite a while to enter the capital,”
The people in line take a step forward and then halt, repeating the process.
Since each person needs to be checked, I guess it can’t be helped.
Just as I was thinking that,
“No, no need to worry,”
Thomas-san calmly drove the carriage past the people in line.
“Hey, you! Why are you so brazenly overtaking the people waiting in line?!”
Kanna-san voiced our thoughts.
It’s not just cutting in line, it’s a complete breach of etiquette, isn’t it?
We unanimously agreed that it should be stopped forcefully, but the people in line remained indifferent.
Huh?
Rather than getting angry, they don’t seem to mind?
“This carriage is special even among those run by the Adventurers Guild. It’s not just about its appearance. Only those recognized by the guild for their character can ride this carriage. Therefore, those who ride this carriage can enter the capital without undergoing inspection, just like nobles.”
As if to prove his words true, the carriage arrived at the gate without being stopped and smoothly entered the capital.
The carriage fare to the capital must have been considerable, but there’s a reason for its high cost.
I, who thought four horses were excessive and a smaller carriage would do, silently reflected.
It’s not always about being cheaper.
I guess Graham-san must have anticipated this… No, maybe not.
I can easily imagine him demanding, “The finest carriage befitting Her Holiness!” to the guild staff.
There was probably no consideration for such added value or such matters.
Yeah, I think we’ll need to have a serious talk with these people sometime soon…
…Don’t you think?
Inside the outer walls, there are black cobblestones, and simple stone buildings are erected at regular intervals.
Because they’re man-made, it’s natural for them to be artificial, but their uniform construction lacks consideration for the inhabitants, giving off a sense of coldness.
Reflecting that, the residents seem to wear worried expressions about hygiene, and there are people who look rough around the edges.
It feels like a planned slum area, doesn’t it?
“Within the outer walls, there are areas like this where commoners reside.”
“What are commoners?”
“Commoners refer literally to the people who come from outside the capital. So, even if they are citizens of Cardia, if they don’t live in the capital, for example, if someone from Eden were to move to the capital, they would generally be placed in this area first, the outer city. The same applies to those from outside the country.”
Even though they’re from the same country, there’s still a difference in treatment. Is it inevitable?
With a lingering feeling of discomfort, the carriage continues on its way.
Once again, as we approached the wall and gate, the official in charge of inspections quickly waved the carriage through.
Beyond the wall, the color of the cobblestones changed to a light green.
When thinking of green stones, in reality, the only thing that comes to mind besides gemstones is moss-covered garden stones, but the pastel hue of these stones gave off a serene feeling.
Though they were cobblestones, it felt as if we were running through a grassy field.
“From here on is where the citizens live, the inner city. Citizens are those who have the right to own a house in the capital and bear the duty of taxation. Many of them have been living in the capital for generations and take pride in being citizens,”
I wonder if it’s like living in an affluent area of Tokyo for many years and feeling a sense of status about it?
Maybe if the difference between the walls and the color of the cobblestones were more pronounced, I would feel even more so.
“Further ahead is the noble district, but for now, we’ll only go as far as the inner city. The Adventurers Guild of the capital is only located here.”
Saying so, Thomas continued to drive the carriage for about ten minutes.
A few buildings, one or two heads taller than the rest, came into view.
“We’ve arrived. This is the Adventurers Guild of the capital.”
The building, made of slightly faded red bricks as if to match the color of the cobblestones, looked like an old station house.
While the Adventurers Guild in Eden was only one story, this one was three stories tall.
In terms of width and depth, it could easily fit three or four of the Eden guilds combined.
“As expected of the Adventurers Guild of the capital.”
“It’s quite large.”
“It has a charming atmosphere. I like this nostalgic style.”
Mareus-san’s words were received by Roulette-san, and Kanna-san expressed her thoughts.
After thanking Thomas-san and parting ways, we entered the Adventurers Guild.
Though the scale was different, the interior was almost identical to the Adventurers Guild in Eden.
In the center were rows of receptionists for processing quests, while on the right were counters for dismantling and delivering goods, and on the left were multiple bulletin boards.
Probably the residents, but everywhere seemed bustling with people.
Although I’m curious about what quests are available, we have a different purpose right now.
That purpose is one of these multiple bulletin boards.
One of them is the trading bulletin board that was implemented in this major update.
One of the reasons we left the city of Eden and headed to the royal capital, right?
“While the foods made by the guild members are fine, the issue lies with Maria’s foods with buffs.”
“Thanks to Maria-chan’s hard work these past few days, the effects of the buffs have been further enhanced. Setting the price is quite tricky.”
“Let’s go with a bold price here. The commission fee occurs not at registration but at the time of sale.”
The three of them are discussing the pricing of the foods I made.
…Looks like they’re having fun?
I remember dreaming of cooking even after I got home, you know??
I glanced at them with a blank expression, but the three of them were completely absorbed in setting the prices, paying no attention to me.
I let out a sigh and decided to do some stretching in a quiet corner where there weren’t many people.
While waiting, feeling a bit lonely, I called Nero and Kuuga, and they came over to comfort me, snuggling up to me and soothing me with their fluffiness.
Aww, thank you both…
I wish someday Nero and Kuuga could eat too.
If they could, I’d make lots of delicious things for them.
Thanks to the two of them, my troubled heart was gradually calming down.
For the first time in a long while, I could almost see the figure of peace and tranquility that had left my side.
At that moment…
“What’s that white creature I’ve never seen before! It’s too good for commoners, hand it over to me, a noble!!”
…The figure of peace and tranquility turned out to be a mirage.
Before my powerless eyes, stood a boy about two years older than Van, wearing clothes reminiscent of nobility.
Well, since he claims to be a noble, it’s not strange for him to be dressed like one, but still, he gives off an incredibly familiar vibe.
Was the peace I thought I saw actually transforming into unrest?
In my mind, I entitled this unnamed boy as Leon Jr.