Chapter 90 – Next Preparatory Step

"We'll do it!"

Wico immediately exclaimed.

"I knew I could count on you, master. What are your rates?"

"1 gold per day for me and 20 silvers per day for Selva. You pay for every expense on the way."

"Deal."

It seemed business was separated from becoming her disciple, which was fine by me. I was ready to pay for the service in the first place. I nodded and took 40 silvers out, handing them to Selva.

"What's that?"

"Your salary for escorting me last time."

"I didn't ask for anything."

"No can do. Labor should be rewarded. The time you spent on me is money."

"He's right. Just take it, stupid Selva."

"Be quiet, master. Why 40 and not 20?"

"That's a bonus for handling the bandits."

"Kahahah, my new disciple knows how the world works, unlike my current disciple."

"You're being annoying, master. Well, all right, I'll take it."

"Good. Master, can you help me find a few more people willing to accompany us?"

"Huh? Why?"

"Aren’t two people escorting me too little?"

"I'm the strongest in the world. What are you worrying about?"

"I don't doubt your abilities, master, but what if we get attacked by several rank 6 fighters?"

"I'll kill them all."

I paused for a second.

"…Of course. Only you two, then?"

"That's right."

"Fine. We're departing tomorrow at 8 in the morning, from the northern exit."

"Tomorrow? You're acting fast, I like that! Okay, we'll be there!"

"Great. See you tomorrow, master, Selva."

I wasn't sure why she was so confident but that didn't matter. In case of a true emergency, I could always teleport to safety. And it wasn't like I couldn't fight either, even though I preferred to keep that option for the very last.

Anyway, my goal was mostly not to completely waste my time while waiting for the potential pandemic to end. All the money I was investing was earned within a week. I could always make more even if I lost everything.

My next step was the back alleys. It was a bit later than when I usually came but the boy still found me quickly, as if he had been waiting for me. I had gotten slightly more friendly with him in the past week, at least compared to the girl, who was still extremely cautious in all our interactions.

I was carrying a much larger bag than usual and he checked it curiously.

"I won't be able to come here for some time, boy, so I'm giving you enough to last for a couple of weeks."

Technically, the trip I planned should take about five days each way, around a week in total, but I prepared more just in case it took longer. The boy seemed surprised and slightly sad.

"Huh? Why? What are you doing, mister?"

"I'm away on a business trip for a week or two. Okay now, listen well. I'm going to give you some important advice."

He suddenly looked a lot more cautious toward me and I wondered if my phrasing was ill-chosen. I chose to ignore his reaction and continued.

"You and the girl should stop going out as much as possible for some time. Stay at home and don't leave."

"Why?"

"You'll know why soon. All right, I gave you the advice. You can listen to it or ignore it. It's up to you. Take this now."

I gave him the bag and I noticed he had a hard time lifting it since he was still small.

"Will you be fine?"

"I-I'm okay. I can do it."

"Good. I can't stay here much longer. I'll see you when I come back."

I left in a hurry. Not only did I not want to stay in a place where I believed the disease might be the strongest, but I also still had a lot to do before the end of the day.

I quickly went to the brothel to leave a message saying I wouldn't come for some time, just in case Linon or Berki worried about me.

My next stop was the bunnies' village. I took out my newly bought carriage along with two horses from its rental space and teleported everything close to the village as soon as I was out of sight. The horses looked sick for a while but recuperated quickly. It probably wouldn't be the last time those poor horses experienced teleportation. It was their bad luck to have been bought by me.

I usually came to the village in the morning and my second arrival of the day, in the evening, bewildered my bunnies' acquaintances.

"Oh, Tila. Why are you here again?"

"Hello again, Mrs. Fitak. I was wondering what was dazzling my eyes. To think it wasn't the sun but you instead."

"Hahaha, the sun is setting down, dear. I see you bought a new carriage with horses this time. That's good, it was hard to watch you pull that heavy cart by yourself."

"Yes, it'll be very useful."

"Would you like to come in and have some snacks?"

"I'd love to but I'm in a bit of a hurry right now."

"Oh, that's a shame."

I cut the chat short and excused myself. Soon enough, after greeting several more bunnies on the way, I parked in front of the Muyal's house and knocked on their door. Just like often, it was one of the two boys who opened it.

"Tila!"

"Zoke! Did you have a good day?"

"Yeah!"

"Come in, Tila."

At Zay's call, I entered the home. The family was in the middle of eating, which I believed should be the fifth meal based on the hour.

"Hello again, everyone. I'm sorry to bother you when it's so late."

"You're not a bother, Tila dear. Do you want to eat with us?"

Even though this was tempting, I had to refuse the mother's kind offer.

"Thank you but not this time, ma'am. I'm in a bit of a rush."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm leaving for a trip to Makji tomorrow morning and so I'd like to stock up on crops before going."

Zay spoke next.

"That's very sudden. Why didn't you tell us this morning?"

"It was decided during the day."

"I see. Makji, huh. Men aren't treated that well there. You should be careful."

"I will. I'll have some people escorting me, including a rank 6 sorceress. I should be fine."

"That's good. All right, we still have a lot of stock so it's not a problem at all. How much do you need?"

"About a week's worth. And if you don't see me coming after a week, it means the trip lasted longer than expected."

"Okay, we'll remember. Just be sure not to get into any trouble. Your safety is the most important thing."

"Thank you, sir."

It was always a pleasure to interact with this family since they always treated me well. Their words were sincere and they truly meant what they said.

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