Chapter 96 96 – The Same City
We sold all our gold coins and got many bronze coins engraved with three crossed lines.
"The dragon head logo of the kingdom of Durcia doesn't seem to have appeared in this era," Ayre muttered while holding the one gold coin I left behind. "If my guess is correct, we might be somewhere between four hundred and five hundred years ago."
"I see." I kept watching the clothes of the people passing by in Madcrest city. Unlike in the era of the Durcia kingdom, none of their clothes wore wooden buttons but rather a series of ropes.
However, other than that, everything is very similar to the future. On earth, four hundred to five hundred years is a very long time for civilization to develop. They should have had a car or computer in the Durcia kingdom era.
It's like God doesn't want the people of the planet Mistrea to progress any further.
"Sir," Ayre called me.
I did ask her to use that word instead of usual things so no one would suspect us.
"What?" My gaze fell to where Ayre pointed; a drinking pub, which again resembled the other buildings.
"Maybe we can get some information in that place."
"Sure." I changed my course to that place. As soon as I opened the door, my eyes were greeted with the sight of empty chairs and tables.
"Good morning, sir." The bartender, a man with a crooked nose and a thin mustache, greeted us while wiping a wooden jug. "No one usually comes here before the afternoon."
It seems at this time, people have already done the tradition of entering the house before sunset.
"If you don't expect guests at this time, why do you keep this place open?" I smiled, then sat in front of the long wooden counter. "Ah, sorry if I was rude. You must have known I was here, right?"
"What else do you need besides a drink?" He smiled back and placed his palms on the counter. "So, what do you two want, sir, madam?"
"Someone who is a magic expert."
The bartender chuckled. "What I mean is, what do you two want to drink? And if you want to meet great wizards, you have to go to the big cities. Most of them do research there."
"Then give me the best drink you've got." I shrugged just as Ayre put a small bag of money on the counter. "And I want to know a great magician who has no affiliation with the government."
I mean magicians who practice illegal activities and hide. Of course, we couldn't have asked a registered magic user for help. We might attract attention.
This magic that we will use is most likely unknown to people in this era, after all.
The bartender sneered, then his face became tense. "You think you can get information that easily? I've never seen you here. So, leave or order a drink."
"You're going to let her do something to you?" I glanced at Ayre.
The shapeshifter general bent down, holding her right hand, which had begun to grow scales. She also looked in pain.
As usual, the acting of a shapeshifter is extraordinary. All of this is just a play we made for situations like this.
"This is a magic curse," I whispered. "She needs to be taken care of right away, but we can't go to our usual place for her treatment. And she's very impatient. It's about our lives, sir."
I covered the bartender's mouth with my hand before he spoke again. "Her movement in her monster form is super swift. If she goes berserk, we won't have time to dodge, let alone call for help. She can guess you know something, and she doesn't like it when you hide it."
Ayre let out a hiss like a snake, her eyes turned yellow, and her pupils became lines.
I didn't know the bartender had any information about the person we were looking for. I'm just making guesses from his behavior, and the gamble is worth it.
Slowly, I removed my hand from the bartender's mouth. "Now, talk, fast."
Snorting in annoyance, he took out a small piece of square paper from his pocket, then threw it in front of me. "Go northwest. This thing will vibrate when you reach her safe house. Then, show this paper to the occupants."
I widen a smile, stand up, and fix the bartender's outfit. "I don't know your name yet, sir."
"Kevin." He replied in a sharp tone, and his eyes darted to Ayre, who now looked normal. "Actually, who are you two?"
"We can be your friends or enemies, depending on you." I slide the money bag closer to him. "See you later. We'll come back to you if we need more information."
The bartender snorted again and put the bag under the counter. "Please, don't come again."
I smiled again and turned around to leave.
"We're lucky to have found the right place immediately, sir," Ayre whispered.
I chuckled. "But that doesn't mean it's easy. I didn't think we'd have to resort to a trick like that."
We had just walked a few steps when two women entered. They wear full armor like soldiers and have the logo of three crossed stripes on their chests.
"Is it okay for us to drink in the morning?" One of them, with shoulder-length pale purple hair, looked worried.
The other, with short curly pink hair, snorted. "We've been guarding this town all night, new kid. We should reward ourselves. We'll be able to sleep well after this. Relax, it's on me."
The purple-haired woman then looked at me. "Is there anything I can help you with, sir?"
"Ah." Frozen a few seconds ago, I hid my surprise with a smile. "I thought you were someone I knew, but I was wrong. I'm sorry."
"Well, no problem." She still raised an eyebrow, probably still surprised at my behavior.
"Please excuse me, then." After saying that, I continued walking with Ayre.
I have mixed feelings. It was someone I know, but with a younger, less pale face. Her hair is also slightly shorter, and her left eye hasn't turned red yet.
It was Emily as a human before becoming undead.