The guards at the gates were surprisingly friendly. They didn’t wear any armor and just wore casual uniforms. It comprised of a grey coat over a simple white shirt. It wasn’t anything fancy. They had swords attached at the hips, but Mash could tell that one of them never touched his. The hilt of one of the knight’s swords didn’t have any wear on it. Even as the four of them approached, the knights’ attention was clearly on the children.

The knights asked for some basic identification and let them by after confirming their identities. So long as they weren’t inherently evil like bandits, they seemed to have no problem letting them through. One of the knights had never taken his eyes of the playing children, and Mash guessed that they acted as glorified nursemaids. Strange for someone of their level, but to each their own. He could understand that there might be joy in an idle life. Though to reach their level, they must have been in their fair share of dangerous situations.

The knights let the group pass, and before entering Mash asked about paying for the fruit he had eaten. One of the knights chuckled a bit and said that it would be fine so long as they didn’t take too many. Mash let him know that he had eaten five, but that didn’t seem to be a problem, and the knight told them that there were thousands of trees with the fruit. Accepting the gesture for what it was, Mash just thanked the man.

They entered the village and Mash was amazed by the structure. On the surface, it looked like a densely packed town or something that was almost a city. The only thing making it seem less grand than the capital was that the buildings were relatively short. They looked more like the homes that you would find in a village, though they were pressed together like the buildings in a town or city. The roads were made of cobblestone too, and he noticed that there was a gradual descent toward the center of the village.

Mash and the others didn’t need much prompting and walked down the decline, trying to figure out how the city was structured. The buildings were all made of stone, and there were puffs of smoke coming from the rooftops. It wasn’t quite the cold season yet, but there was a chill breeze in the air. They had actually missed the first hot season while they were in the dungeon, and the weather was quickly getting cold again. The weather had been a little erratic as of late. Maybe the strange situation with the dungeons was affecting the weather? Was that possible?

Not many people cared much about the weather, as any serious disaster could be avoided by some skilled mages. Most of the time it never got that far, with Elkard the God of Storms managing any serious storms and disasters. They still happened, but the people would have ample warning before any major storms. The town would probably have at least one church dedicated to the God. It was common in most villages, especially those built around rivers and lakes. A single priest from that church would be able to prevent things like surprise floods.

As the group walked further into town, they passed a few inns. They weren’t much bigger than the surrounding homes, and many of them were surprisingly full. Mash didn’t know if that was a good sign or a bad one. It probably meant that this dungeon that they were heading to was being flooded by people. If the dungeon didn’t separate those who entered, then most of the items and monsters would already be gone. Hopefully, it was the type of dungeon that moved or shifted once a day. That would prevent too much stagnation among the resources. Although, Mash didn’t care as much for the items or monsters. He was much more interested in simply exploring another world.

He hoped that the other adventurers wouldn't blindly massacre an intelligent race, but Mash knew that there was little mercy among adventurers. Most people wouldn’t spare creatures if they weren’t humanoid. Mash wanted to try communicating with the people he met there. He should at least be able to get his words to them but needed to work on making the connection go both ways. He could practice later. There would be some time to train after finding an inn to stay at.

The village was definitely weird, and they only received a few glances from the people on the street. The people here had probably grown accustomed to seeing adventurers, especially since the dungeon had appeared nearby. He just hoped that the adventurers weren’t leaving a bad impression but doubted it.

Mash’s went eyes went wide as he saw where the decline was leading. His friends seemed equally as shocked. The village was split by a large ravine. There were thick stone bridges that connected the two sides. Furthermore, there were stairs that descended the walls of the ravine, and he saw buildings layered along the walls. These buildings were straighter and taller than the ones on the surface. There were even several that poked out from the ravine, and others that hung over the chasm. At the bottom, he could barely make out the flowing water at the bottom and realized that there was a river there. He was tempted to jump in but decided against it. It wouldn’t actually be dangerous, and he knew that it was just a childish desire.

The others were just as amazed by the sight. After staring down the ravine for a while, Red pointed out two inns that obviously had rooms that would hang over the ravine. She suggested that they check whether the rooms were available or not. Mash didn’t think there would be any, but Red said that some inns would refuse common adventurers. Asking her why they would accept them, she simply pointed towards Mash’s family crest. All of his clothing had the symbol on it, though it was more hidden on some of them. Mash nodded, realizing that his family’s symbol would probably be well known among noble communities, especially considering the recent engagement. Well, it was at least something they could try, and the four of them headed towards the nearest building.

The building was made of painted stone, and it stood out as it was the only green building he could see. It was called the Hanging Vine. The name fit the building perfectly as the inn had rooms that literally hung over the ravine. He was hoping for one of those rooms. It was more because he expected those rooms to be the nicest. Plus, he had gotten used to a little bit of luxury.

They entered the building and Mash was surprised to see that the first floor seemed to be a restaurant. Tables were laid out, and they were filled by people wearing nice clothing. Suits and dresses were scattered among the crowd. Mash’s group was underdressed, but they remained confident as they strode further into the building. They approached the obvious owner, as he stood behind a desk with keys splayed on a wall behind him.

“Hello, we would like any rooms you have that overhang the ravine.”

Red sounded confident and didn’t even mention any family names. The man didn’t bat an eye either, or only returned her request with an immaculate bow. He wore a traditional suit, though it was colored green to match the exterior of the building. A quick look around showed Mash that all the workers also wore green, and he guessed that was part of a uniform. The man had perfect back hair, that was obviously layered with grease. It stuck closely to his scalp, and the man looked very happy to see the four of them.

“Of course, my lady, I am Gabriel, and would be glad to welcome someone from the Stellumbra household.”

He smoothly grabbed two keys from behind him while making the bow. He also stressed Mash’s family name, obviously meaning it to be heard by the nearby nobles. The word would spread quickly, and the place would probably get a lot of visitors. Mash’s family was small, but they quickly rose to power, and he knew that even he would be fairly recognizable at this point. Even without the symbol, he hadn’t really done anything to hide his appearance.

Mash didn’t really know how to respond to the man, and only nodded towards him. He caught Luke stopping Jill from saying something insulting, and Mash was glad for it. Red picked up the keys, and Mash was surprised to see that she didn’t have to pay anything upfront. Apparently, this inn trusted that its visitors would be able to pay, and they would only need to pay when they left. Once, Red had the keys she gave the man a quick goodbye before pushing Mash and the others up the stairs.

The building had a strange shape on the outside, where it looked like a cane meant for walking. They had to walk up several flights of stairs, before breaking into a long hallway. There were doors along both walls, though not across from one another. Instead, the doors alternated, which made him think that the rooms would be extremely large. There were magical crystals hung on the walls for light, and the floor was actually made of glass. They could look through and see the ravine as they walked towards their room.

Once they got to the end of the hall, they descended two flights of stairs before Red stopped them. Their room would be here, and she led them to a room at the very end of the hallway. This hallway was surprisingly short, especially considering how big the building had seemed. She unlocked the door, and Mash quickly rushed inside. Jill beat him by teleporting, but he was a close second. The room was large, and his eyes were immediately drawn toward the large semi-circular couch that looked towards a balcony. It was designed so that the couch was actually angled downwards, and they would be able to look into the ravine from the entrance.

Their living space was large, and he noticed that there were five doors along the walls. He moved towards one of them and could tell that they were bedrooms. Exploring the room like a child, he opened one of the doors, and he was surprised to see a dining room. This room had not seemed so large for the outside, but now he realized that it was probably the only room on this floor.

There were some small foods and drinks laid out on the dining table, and Mash looked at the spread with a bit of shock. Jill teleported into the room a moment later, grabbing some kind of cake and stuffing it into her mouth. She also grabbed a piece of paper from the table and began reading it. As Mash and the others entered the room and began snacking on the cakes, Jill explained what the letter had said.

“It’s basically just asking Mash to eat at the restaurant in a couple of hours. It also says that they won’t charge us for anything but the room if he did so. Looks like Mash is getting the special treatment.”

Jill sounded amused and was going to say more, but she was stopped by Red, who spoke quickly.

“That’s great and all, but we need to decide if we want to do what he asks.”

Red sounded like it was big deal, but Mash had been planning on eating here either way. Honestly, the food had smelled good when they were down there, and he wouldn’t mind getting a free meal. It did feel a bit weird though, as he was essentially getting a free meal for just being related to his brother.

“I don’t mind, the food smelled good anyway.”

Mash expressed his intentions and his words seemed to annoy Red. That soon changed into a short lecture where she explained how important Mash’s actions would be. Everything he did would reflect on his family and accepting a bribe like this would be in bad form. Calling it a bribe sounded a little extreme, as he had already been planning on eating at the restaurant. Luke saved him from the lecture by offering an obvious solution.

“We can just pay for the meal like everyone else. That way it wouldn’t be accepting a bribe. And how does anybody know anyway?”

Red just shrugged at his words.

“I don’t know, but back home my family couldn’t even buy clothing without every noble in the city finding out.”

She sounded tired as she explained what her life had been like when she was part of the Venfir family. That did sound tiresome, and Mash could understand the wariness. However, Mash didn’t want to change his lifestyle and decided that he would rather act the vagabond than the stiff and proper noble. He didn’t want to change how he lived or who he was just because his family had gained some status.