章節 22: Now We're Ranking Up
Accomplishing so many quests so quickly bumped us up to Purple rank. Now we could take better-paying jobs. Linze was finally mollified by this.
As we scanned the requests board, a name – Zanac Zenfield – abruptly drew my attention. I peered closer at the flyer, and directions to inquire at the store FASHION KING ZANAC proved that it was the same person. "Let's take this one. I know the guy."
Elze leaned in closer in order to inspect the flyer. "Deliver a letter to the capital, travel expenses covered … reward is seven silver coins. That sounds good. We can't divide that so cleanly between the three of us though."
"Ehh, just use the last silver to buy something for all of us. Things usually are more expensive in the city. How long does it usually take to reach the capital from here?"
"I'm not sure," Else rezponded. "Five days by carriage, I guess?"
I hummed and rubbed my chin. "And Zanac can't send someone in his employ specifically but must ask some random adventurer to deliver his message? Suspicious!" But I nodded. "Let's do this thing!"
Elze took down the flyer and brought it to the receptionist.
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When we entered, Zanac immediately recognized me and moved to call us over. As soon as he learned I had become an adventurer and was there in response to his request at the Guild, he brought us over to the back room.
"Zanac Zenfield, I am quite cross with you!"
"Why, whatever for, Sir Playa?"
"Belfast is a silk-producing country. You should be worried over something that would break your country's monopoly over a strategic luxury good! Nations have these things called absolute advantages, and because you can get away with basically paying for things with silk to other countries your currency doesn't lose as much raw coinage in circulation."
His smile didn't falter even the slightest bit. "Looks like my trust was not misplaced at all! It really warms my heart to know you already care for Belfast's welfare so soon."
"Why wouldn't I? This is where I make my money. The more disposable income people have, the more quests for adventurers. Unless you have some dark secret I am ethically opposed to, like slavery or warmongering imperialism, it's to my benefit to see it prosper."
"You will have no problem with that! Belfast has ever been the most peaceful of nations!"
Elze's eyes glazed over. "Let's go, Linze. Let the men talk business. There's got to be something less boring to look at in this dress shop."
Zanac heard her and said that she was free to look at and try out any dresses. If she liked something, he would reserve it for her when she got back from the quest.
"Um… if you don't mind, I would actually like to stay here? I think I might learn something."
Elze stared askance at Linze for a moment. She made a show of thinking about it, and decided that she could allow herself to be selfish this once. "If you're sure?"
Linze nodded. And so Elze left, by herself, and so could allow herself to indulge in a little girlishness instead of the strong front she normally displayed.
Which left Zanac and I staring at Linze. She shrank back under our combined attention, and we then stared at each other again.
"Explain absolute advantage?" I asked Zanac.
"No, you were the first to use that interesting way of referring to it, please go ahead."
So I gave a short summary of macroeconomics and absolute advantages. A country that could produce a good or service of equal value at a lower unit cost has the ability to produce more sales or profit margins compared to its rivals. Belfast could produce silk much more cheaply than other countries. So it doesn't matter if it was cheap in Belfast, that always meant that they could afford to sell more to many more customers.
Because of this Belfast didn't need to try to compete with other goods that other nations could produce more cheaply – like maybe wine, or metals, etc., and buy from them directly. Instead of two nations competing with indigenous products they both benefit from trading each other's superior products.
In theory, this economic dependence also fosters cross-border travel, friendships, and reduces a need for war to make any gains.
Linze nodded. "Is this like how Refleese is known for fish?"
"It is exactly like that," Zanac replied. He looked up towards me. "But unfortunately, there is also a drawback to what you were saying, Sir Playah. Would you care to guess how that monopoly might also harm its own nation?"
Well that was an odd look of fervor on his face. I guess I never considered that Zanac might be a patriot of sorts.
"A dependence on it…? Using the excess flow to paper over its own deficiencies in economic policy?" Like oil and Venezuela? "How a reduction in trade value would cause everything else dependent on it to plummet...?"
I paused, none of these sounded satisfying. "Oh! A monopoly stifles competition. It actively works against innovation in favor of the status quo!"
"EXACTLY!" Zanac cried out shrilly. "And I am all about INNOVATION! Trying new things, forging new styles, bringing you the fashions of the future – TODAY!"
The short man positively blazed with righteous zeal. "Belfast's fashions don't innovate, most of it geared towards the noble classes, and even when silk is cheaper here than other nations it's still beyond the reach of most people!
Their heart for fashion is stifled, their clothes only crude and dreary, because they are trained from birth to see fashion as frivolous! Beyond their budget! A thing only for the rich instead of a way of enriching their lives! WHEN A KINGDOM IS FREE IN ITS FASHIONS, IT IS FREE IN ITS SPIRIT!"
"Wow."
"Wow."
Linze had her palms together and stared at Zanac with glittering, awestruck eyes. "How amazing, Mister Zanac!"
I nodded. "I can respect that. All right, let's talk about your message to the capital. I need to make some research first and then we can start deal with everything when we get back."
"I can increase the reward to one gold –"
"That's really not necessa-wait, what the hell am I saying? I'll take it!" I waved hand up, and then back down. "But funding is not really a concern. I want a custom suit."
Zanac leered and angled his head in closer. "Ohohoho. Do tell?" Then he blinked and stood straight up. "Wait! Drawing paper! Designs! NORA!"
"Yees, Mister Zenfield?"
Nora emerged from behind a curtain. She was now wearing a modified suit with tighter cream-colored pants, lacking a jacket but instead a white shirt with puffed shoulders. Her hair was still up in a bun. A short, but plunging vest and pleats and frills around the button line drew attention to the generous curve of her breasts. She wore eye-catchingly white gloves.
All that was missing were some pointed eyeglasses. I couldn't help but to blush.
Nora noticed that I was staring, even with the thing on the face covering my eyes, and blushed as well. Her eyes were wide open, her chest heaving with emotion, remembering the humiliating things we had her do.
Monika smirked impishly.
Zanac broke the impasse by excitedly demanding drawing instruments.
I sketched out a version of the Char Aznable costume. I'd considered reversing the colors, since Char's regular OYW costume actually looked silly when worn by real people, but wearing black when walking outdoors was hot. It was not at all good adventuring attire.
I settled for making it a more muted red, almost the color of blood. I retained the gold inlaid eagle iconography, but for much the same reason as Batman wore an eye-catching yellow symbol on his chest. If the enemy would just aim at the place where I could wear adequate armor beneath instead of my face, that would be appreciated.
The inside of the cape would also be black, but I mentioned I was looking for a custom enchantment for that. I wanted the inside to look like the night sky, no matter how it flapped, it would always show the same immobile view instead of stars shifting like they were just so much sequins sewn into the fabric.
Basically, Utsuho Reuji's cape. ⁽¹⁾
Considering that was in a \VIDEOS\Favorite\ folder, Monika instantly understood what I was after. She staggered weakly on her feet and gasped /"Oh my god, the syndrome is real. What is this Dark History you wish to recreate?"/
Monika, please. Please don't take this from me.
"Interesting! A very novel challenge indeed, thank you, Sir Playah!"
"No hurry. It must be made of combat-ready materials, though I likely will want another set made of lighter materials for daily wear. I'd be fine with something easy to wash, as I'll often be too busy to deal with things like that myself."
"I… I could do that…" Linze offered.
"Thank you, but no. You're my team-mate, not my maid. We can easily have inn laundry services deal with that." I looked up towards Zanac. "Now, about the message you want us to deliver?"
He waved nonchalantly. "No hurry as well, though it would be a problem if left too long. I would like you to deliver a letter to Viscount Swordrick in the capital. If you mention my name, he should know what it's about. I would also like you to return with a response from the viscount."
"Understood."
Zanac handed over a sealed cylinder, and a bag of money. "These are your travel expenses. Please feel free to spend some at the capital too, while you're away!"
We emerged to see Elze standing in front of a mirror, holding a long one-piece sundress to her chest but still not putting it on. A salesgirl behind her tried to hide her exasperation.
Linze and I considered how it might look on her and both raised thumbs up. "I approve!" we said at the same time.
"Hueeeeeh!" Elze roughly shoved the dress to the salesgirl and leapt back. "That was nothing! You saw nothing!"
"It's nothing to get so embarrassed about. It's no trouble," I replied. I moved over to help the fallen salesgirl back up to her feet. "Except this. You shouldn't be too rough with maidens, Elze. Are you all right, miss?"
"I… I'm fine, milord."
I raised her hand to my lips. "I'm so happy to hear that. I apologize on behalf of my team-mate. Please tell Zanac to reserve that dress. We will be back for it."
"Y-yes, milord."
/"Playeerrr. Okay, that. That HAS to be deliberate."/
Elze looked to the left, then to the right, and then cried out "I'm sorry too!"
"Do you accept her apology?"
"… yes, yes, of course, sir!"
"Excellent. Thank you. Let's go, Elze, Linze. We've got a job to do."
/"Look at youuuu, you smooth Playah. What's your angle this time?"/
"I've worked in the service sector. It wouldn't do to have her think Elze belongs on the notalwaysright(dot)com horror stories."
/"That sounds like a lie, you shameless flirt,"/ she snorted.
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We set out to prepare for the journey. First by informing Micah we would be away for about five to ten days. Maybe up to two weeks. I could tell she was barely able to keep herself from fist-pumping with glee about more free money. Up front payments were awesome.
"Any chance of a little refund?"
"Ahahaha. No."
"Heh. Okay then, just tell me where I can rent a carriage for a trip to the capital."
"Aw, criminy. Now I'm just jealous!"
While I went off to procure our transportation, Linze went out to buy food for the trip while Elze managed whatever items we might need along. A couple of hours later, our preparations were complete.
And so, early in the morning, we turned our backs on Reflet and set out towards the capital.
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⁽¹⁾https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLTpJJAraG8
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Bluepencil
Bluepencil It is an awesome video. Made by one guy using on an old version of MMD, and still unmatched among the depictions of what danmaku might look like with the safeties turned off.
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