Chapter 24: Punishment
Some time had already passed since the day had begun. People were filling the streets and as Ryan left the Mercenary House, people were beginning to go in.
Seeing the amount of people go inside surprised him a bit.
Ryan: 'Looks like there are actually more mercenaries in this world than I initially thought. The game really didn't do them any credit.'
He started walking towards the stables where he left his horses. Along with a place to house your horse(s), there was a good chance that it also sold stables. If he couldn't get one there, he would probably have to go to one of the fancier stores in the town to find one. This also was a chance for him to buy a horse for Makalov.
Eventually arriving, he saw someone feeding his two horses some stacks of hay. It was the man he paid to take care of them for the day.
Ryan walked up to him.
Ryan: "How are they?"
Stable Owner: "Oh, the guy from last night. Your horses are doing just fine. They're well bred and raised so there shouldn't be any problem with their health. I'm actually curious about how you came across these two, quality horses like these are usually owned by nobles and the wealthy."
Ryan: "Believe it or not, I actually got them after dealing with some bandits."
Stable Owner: "Hooo~. So you got lucky then."
Ryan: "Yea. It was pretty obvious that they stole from some noble, so I just took care of them and returned the goods back to their owner. I was rewarded with these two and a good amount of gold."
He was obviously making all of this up, however, horses like these were too eye-catching. There was a good chance that the man in front of him would report his suspicions to the guards which would cause him some annoyance.
Ryan started to change the subject and explain why he was currently here.
Ryan: "On the topic of horses, I wanted to know if I could buy one off of you. Furthermore, I'm wondering if you also sell any carriages here."
Stable Owner: "Carriages? And why would you need another horse?"
Ryan nodded.
Ryan: "The horse is for a friend of mine. The carriage, on the other hand, is something I need for the journey ahead. As I mentioned before, I got some gold as a reward so the price for the two shouldn't be a problem. I just want something that can be pulled by my two current horses."
The owner thought for a bit before turning towards Ryan.
Stable Owner: "I can easily sell you one of my horses, although they won't be as good as yours."
Ryan just nodded.
Stable Owner: "And as for a carriage, if the kind carriages you want are like the ones the nobles have, then I don't own any of those. However, I do have some wagons in the back storage, but I don't know if those will be to your liking.
Ryan: "Can I see them then?"
Stable Owner: "Sure. Follow me."
Putting down his pitchfork, he guided Ryan into the back of the stables. The two soon came across an area of that was enclosed by tall double doors. After the owner spent some effort opening up the room Ryan was able to see what was inside.
The right side of the room was layered with some iron tools and many other spare equipment. To the left of the room were a few wooden wagons that were lined up. They were all wooden and they all had different styles.
Stable Owner: "You can see all the wagons I own to the left."
He pointed towards the first wagon. It was noticeably better than the rest.
Stable Owner: "That's the best one I own. It's probably a bit lackluster compared to a carriage than what you would like, but I assure you that it'll last you a while. Your horses should easily be able to pull it if you don't completely fill up the back."
Ryan went up to take a closer look at it.
After carefully inspecting the wagon, it honestly was in better condition than it looked. The wheels looked a bit old but still sturdy, the wood was fairly thick and durable, and the roof was covered by layers of cloth so no water would be able to get through.
Honestly, Ryan was looking for a wagon just like this, ordinary-looking but in good condition, but he thought carriages in wagons were the same thing. He didn't think that the type of word or phrase said should be defined by the purpose and the quality of the subject.
Seeing that the wagon passed Ryan's checklist, he immediately wanted to buy it.
After haggling for a bit, Ryan paid the man a good bit of gold for the wagon and a decent horse and asked him to take everything along with his two original horses to the southern gate in an hour.
Before continuing on his journey, Ryan spent some time going to various stores to buy supplies with some of his leftover gold. He also bought some books to keep him occupied along the way. At the end of the day, Ryan was left with a bit more than half of his initial gold left, around 3000 gold.
Once he was done preparing, Ryan really stood out among the people walking on the road. He was carrying a barrel full of water over his right shoulder and was gripping multiple bags with his left arm. This level of preparation might have been a bit overkill, but it was always better to be over prepared than under.
What was unexpected was the way that people looked at him while he passed by. From the way in which he was carrying all that baggage without a sweat, people were immediately able to tell that Ryan was a very strong man. Since women were usually attracted to the strong, he occasionally felt lusting glances directed his way. This also meant that he felt hostile glances from the men who were jealous of the attention women were giving this man.
Ryan inwardly sighed.
Ryan: 'No matter where I am or what I do, I somehow keep on drawing too much attention. This is so annoying.'
Trying to ignore the gazes as he was making his way to the gate, Ryan noticed that a group of people was gathering in front of him. Knowing what was going, he just smiled and made his way through the crowd.
At the southern exit, everyone's eyes were drawn to what was dangling above the gates. There were 5 people covered in bruises and hanging there with their clothes nailed to the stone wall. They were all pantsless and only had a thin sheet of cloth covering their privates.
Everyone was pointing and laughing at the men. Although they did not know how they came to this situation, that did not mean that this sight was not hilarious.
No one except the perpetrator knew the reason why these people were hanging there, but they must've immensely angered somebody influential since the prep made sure that no one would be able to help them down. They were surrounded by a Shrine Barrier, a magical item that prevents anything from going in or out a small radius for a set amount of time.
The people believed that only the rich would be able to afford an item like this and that person's wealth must've been enormous for him to spend it casually like this. No one could tell for sure since the people dangling had not said a word the entire time. All they did was close their eyes, mute their ears, and prayed in their hearts that this day would just end. They were so embarrassed right now that they would probably kill themselves if they could.
If it wasn't obvious, these people were the men that tried to rob and cheat Ryan last night. After beating them half to death, he dragged their bodies to this place and hung them so he could have a nice laugh leaving the town. Although he was hesitant in using his magical items for this, seeing this scene made him feel like it was worth it.
He had taken plenty from Valtome's treasures and still had some left over, but until now, had no use for items like that. Even if he was surrounded, he had already proven that was able to take on anyone that came his way without a scratch. They were items that could only be possibly useful in the far future.
Seeing that he had arrived here earlier than expected, Ryan put down the water barrel and bags and waited for the stable owner and Makalov to arrive. Getting bored of watching his handiwork, he pulled out a book he had just bought and started reading.
You would expect that after some time had passed, the crowd would eventually disperse, but the fact was that although some people leaving, others were coming. The early birds were being replaced by the heavy sleepers who woke up later than the average person.
A few minutes go by and finally, the stable owner arrives with three horses with Ryan's two horses dragging the cart and the new one all saddled up on the side. He handed the reins to Ryan and went back to his shop.
As Ryan was loading the wagon, Makalov surprisingly arrived a little earlier than expected. He was stunned after seeing who was hanging on the wall and ran towards Ryan when he spotted him.
Makalov: "Ryan, what's going on here? Why are the leader and the other guys up there?"
Ryan: "Oh, Makalov! You're here early. Don't worry about them, I'll explain on the road. Help me finish loading the things."
Makalov: "But shouldn't we try to help them down."
Ryan: "Don't worry, they'll be fine. And we can't do anything anyway, they're being surrounded by a Shrine Barrier."
Makalov: "A what?"
Ryan sighed.
Ryan: 'I really don't want to take the time to explain it.'
Ryan: "Just help me finish packing, get on that horse, and let get out of here."
Makalov was too stunned to think straight and just did what Ryan said with an extremely confused look. Soon they were all set and started riding towards the gate. After a loose inspection from the guards, Ryan and Makalov started setting off towards Persis.
When they were a good distance away Luria, Ryan stood up from his seat, turned around, and yelled.
Ryan: "NEXT TIME SOMEONE HELPS YOU OUT, DON'T TRY TO STAB HIM IN THE BACK!!"
Ryan yell startled the horses, but it startled Makalov even more.
Makalov: "Can you now tell me what the hell is going on!?"
Ryan sighed again and started explaining what happened last night.
Ryan: 'How was this guy ever a main character?'
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
AndyLyn
AndyLyn Sorry guys.
Got addicted to the new Teamfight Tactics and that's been using all my brain power.
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