[I'm Josh.] kid 1

[Shasha!] Kid 2

[Umm... I'm Bonnie.] Kid 3

[Yosh! Nice to meet you Josh, Shasha, and Bonnie. Here's my friend, Billy.] me

[I'm Billy, nice to meet you!] Billy

[So, where are we going first, Mister?] Josh

[Hmm... Let's see... Maybe show us a way to fletcher first. My friend here needs some arrow.] Me

[All right! I know where a famous fletcher workshop is!] Josh

With that, we're following these three kids to a fletcher. It's a little bit far from the inn. Along the way, we pass the information center and it really bustling. It's a good thing we decide to check on it a little bit later because, by the looks of it, this hour seems to be their peak time.

[We arrived in a blacksmith alley, Mr. Dean! A fletcher is just a bit further down the road.] Billy

A blacksmith alley. It's true for its name because I can see a bunch of armor and weapon workshops all over the place. Maybe we'll visit one after this to get Billy some armor. While I do use the leather armor that Val gave me, Billy didn't use anything except a leather bracer on his right arm. It's more of a guard for his bowstring actually, so it'll be a good thing if he's can use proper armor. It'll also make us looks like a proper mercenary.

[We're here!] Josh

[Here, here!] Sasha

[Thank you kids!] Billy

[Then let's go inside.] Me

[Umm... We don't usually allow to go inside any store, Mister. You can go right ahead, we'll just be waiting here!] Josh

[Is that so? That's bad isn't it?] Me

It's truly an awful treatment. I don't know it's that bad in this world. Even a poor person is still a human you know. What's wrong with them going into a store? What if they actually have money and just want to buy something good for their family?

[Here, buy food from that stall while you waiting for us.] Billy

*whisper*

[Hoho... Didn't know you're good with kids, Billy?] Me

[Don't tease me, Mr. Dean! I'm close with a lot of kids back in Dasi.] Billy

Guess you also didn't have the heart to see their situation.

With that, we're going into the store.

[Welcome! Bows and arrows! Take a look around! Please, ask me if you don't find anything that suits you!] Shopkeeper

[Hi... Thank you. We only need arrows for now.] Me

[Sure, sure. Arrows and bolts are on that rack. Buy in a bulk of 20 and I'll cut the price for you!] Shopkeeper

They also sell crossbows here. I thought a fletcher is just making arrows. Guess they do everything here. A lot of bow and crossbow is just a mass-produced one and they just stack it on top of other.

There are some that they hang individually so maybe that's the higher-end ones. But upon a closer look, other than the use of metal ornament here and there, I can't see anything different. Maybe they made it with different kinds of woods? But regardless, I'm sure the bow that Billy uses is far more superior than any of this.

[Mr. Dean. I've got the arrows.] Billy

[Ah, right. Let me take a look at that for a sec.] Me

Billy gives me one of the arrows he wants to buy.

Hmm... it's not good. The shaft is too tick and a little bit short. I can understand this because a straight-bow are not designed to give an effective acceleration thus the speed to the arrows, that's why it compensates it by using thicker and heavier arrows to make it have enough energy to penetrate the target.

Meanwhile, the modern bow that I gave Billy is made to give more speed than a traditional straight-bow. By using the kinetic energy formula, a faster-moving lighter arrow can easily have more energy than a slow-moving heavy one. If you can double the speed then you'll quadruple the power so to speak.

[Maybe we need to order a custom-made one Billy. This arrow will not work properly for your bow.] Me

[Is that so? But I use the same one before and it works fine for me.] Billy

[Yeah it'll work, but not as good as you might expect. It's... It's hard to explain. Let's just go to the counter.] Me

We are walking to the counter.

[Excuse me. Do accept custom order for arrows?] Me

[Hmm? What's wrong with what we have?] Shopkeeper

[Nothing. We just need a slimmer and longer one. Something like this one, ] Me

I take out a modern arrow that I bought earlier for measurement. Well, I can just buy a bunch of this and give it to Billy. But modern arrows are designed for a target shooting game. It's not designed for shooting willy-nilly and leave it on the ground after you finished. That's why economy-wise, it's better to just use a wooden mass produce one where you won't mind that much if it's shattered or lost in the ground.

WHAT IS THIIIS??

[What is this? Such craftsmanship! Where do you get this? It's so straight! And what's is this made of? It's hollow but how can it be made this strong?] Shopkeeper

[It's carbon fiber.] Me

LIKE HELL I WOULD SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT!

Ahh... I forget that something like this will happen.

[YEAH! WHAT IS THAT MR. DEAN?] Billy

[NOT YOU TOO BILLY!] Me

[Hahh... it's something that my master made. No matter how you'll ask, I can't answer who is my master, how it is made, and what material it uses. I'm sorry. But can you make something like that or not? Don't mind the material as long as the dimension matches.] Me

[Ye... Yeah... I'm sure I can make it. But why do you even need something this long and light? It won't do much than grazing a thick armor.] Shop keeper

[Oh, Mr. Dean told me it'll work better for this bow.]

Billy! Wait!

[WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!!] Shop keeper

Ahhh... You did it, Billy... Now deal with the consequences!

[Mr. Dean told me he made this one!] Billy

Did you just...

[Tell me, sir! Tell me how to make this! What are the purposes of this strange shape? Ah! I see! It gives more draw length! But how can it deliver a smooth draw like this? It must be the material! Tell me more about this, please!] Shopkeeper

Wow... He must be a very talented bowyer to know that much after holding the bow that quickly.

[You did it, Billy.] Me

I give a sharp glance to Billy

[I'm sorry, Mr. Dean! I'm as excited as this old man!] Billy

[I... I'll pay! I'll pay any price you want! Even if it's more than I have, I'll surely pay for it. Let's... Let's make a contract to make sure of that!] Shopkeeper

Ahh... It's very troublesome. Well, I don't mind tell this old man how to make a laminated recurve bow. The one that Billy has will still be more superior anyway because it uses fiberglass than animal horn. Modern glue is also more superior and weather resistant than...

Wait...

[A contract?] Me

[Yes, a contract. We can go to the bank right away if you wish! Please sir, at least for how little life I have left, I want to make something like this at least once...] Shopkeeper

[All right, all right, calm down. I won't mind giving you the technique to make this. But first, can you tell me about the bank?] Me

[You don't know about the bank, sir? You must be from a little village. Every kingdom has a bank. The one that I refer to is of course the bank of Kenari Kingdom...] Shopkeeper

It has many branches all across Kenari. You can keep your money there and take it back from any branch using a banknote. It can also handle and warrant any formal contract made there. If for example, a contract can't be fulfilled by either side, the bank will fulfill the payment to one side while taking the collateral from the other side according to the agreement.

This old man is a bit hasty. Didn't he realize he's risking his entire life for this? Well, I don't mind sharing my modern knowledge with someone so passionate as him, and earn some income on top of that is more than welcome. But of course, I also don't want to go as far as ruining his life.

So troublesome...

[How about it sir?] Shopkeeper

[Okay, okay. I'll teach you how to make the bow. But not today, we still have sightseeing to do. Maybe tomorrow?] Me

[Of course, sir. Oh, where do you staying for tonight, sir? I think it'll be better if I pick you up tomorrow and go straight to the bank from there.] Shopkeeper

[About that. I'm actually fine to just make an informal agreement with you. No need to involve the bank.] Me

[No, no, sir! I can't do that! I'm afraid it'll be a bigger case than an informal agreement can put up with. This is also proof of confidence for you about me. Don't worry sir, I'll also take care of the paperwork charges.] Shopkeeper

[Hahh... Fine... We sleep in little mugwort. You can pick us up tomorrow.] Me

[Certainly sir! Oh, I'll also borrow this arrow and process your order. Umm... Can I not also learn how to make this arrow?] Shopkeeper

[Now. Even I don't know how to make it myself, sorry] me

More like how do I explain a carbon fiber rod to you.

[Ahh... Such a shame...] Shopkeeper

He looks really depressed. Sorry old man.

Let's just go out of his shop.

[Hahh... We end up not getting any arrows today.] Billy

[And who's fault is that!] Me

[Wa... But it's you who show that strange shafted arrow first, Mr. Dean! Also, we actually get a potential side income from this, didn't we??] Billy

I just give a side glance to Billy.

[Sorry...] Billy

[[Mister Dean, mister Billy!!]]

[Ah, sorry kid. It takes longer than expected.] Me

[Umm... That's fine, but...] Josh

[We're sorry Mr. Billy. The skewers that you order is getting cold...] Sasha

[Sorry...] Bonnie

[What? You didn't eat it?] Billy

[Hmm? Don't you order this for you?] Josh

[No, it's not! I told you to buy it so you can eat it while you waiting for us.] Billy

[But...] Josh

[No but... Hahh... I'm sorry I didn't ask you well enough and now it's getting cold. But just eat it. I bought it for you.] Billy

[[Seriously?? Thank you, Mr. Billy!!]]

[Now, now. We need to buy some armor now.] Me

[Okway! Itz tizh ways!] Josh

Can't you swallow it first josh?

--------------------------------------------------

We successfully buy armor for Billy. Now he looks more like a mercenary than that green fairies cartoons character.

He chooses a light leather body armor with a little bit of steel plate protecting his left chest. While he makes his pick in the armor shop, I also bought a level 3 polyethylene-based body armor from my weapon shop. It's way lighter than the steel one and can receive cuts and blunt force way better than soft body armor made from kevlar.

With that, now we're going to the information center to take a look at what kind of job is available. It's a lot quieter now in the afternoon so we can easily see the information board inside.

[Welcome! I never see you before, are you new here?] Receptionist

[Hi, we do. Umm... We're new to this information center thing. Can you explain how we take the job here?] Me

[No, problem! As you can see, The board on your right containing all the requests from Romora while the left ones are from the neighboring villages and towns. To take any request from Romora, you need to bring the paper with you. After you completed the job, please ask for the person you work for to signing the paper as proof of completion and you can bring back the signed paper here to receive your payment. For the request outside Romora, you can just go to the location and ask a village elder or the information center there for the details. They are also the ones who'll pay you directly.] Receptionist

[I see... It might seem a roundabout way for doing this but I can see the intentions.] Me

[Yes, we're sorry if it is a bit complicated, but it's to make sure that the request from Romora is always up to date.] Receptionist

[How about the one from outside Romora?] Me

[Well... Sadly, I can't say the same for the ones outside Romora. There is a case that the request is already completed when a wanderer arrives at the location so my suggestion is to take a quest that is far before the expiration date written there. Oh, the expiration date for each request is exactly 30 days so you can calculate how fresh the request is.] Receptionist

[Hmm... All right then. Thank you for the explanation.] Me

[No problem. Please ask me if you need more detail or the direction for the job location.] Receptionist

"Fix leaked roofs", " find my cat", "rats problem". Reckon there are not that many need for mercenaries inside Romora.

"Unknown disease", "wild boar problem", "bandit subjugation". Yep, all the interesting one is from outside. But then we also need to consider how long the job has been posted here.

[Find anything, Billy?] Me

[How about this one?] Billy

Billy pointing one of the papers.

[Goblins spotted. A goblin has been spotted near the villages. No victim yet. Need someone to check the location and do the subjugation if possible.] Billy

[Hmm... Sound interesting. But don't it sounds a little bit dangerous? I don't know... Do you ever meet with goblins Billy?] Me

[I don't. But I heard that they are a weak monster.] Billy

Nope. I know from all the books and movies that they're a mischief little brat that always attacking in big groups. Also, what if this is a flag and we end up finding a goblin village or something? Nope. Not until I have a minigun and mortar.

[How about this?] Me

I try to divert his attention.

[Dangerous mutant bear. Our hunter spotted an abnormal bear sleeping in a cave near villages. Need someone to subjugate it before it attacks people. Didn't sound that exciting.] Billy

[Come on! It's a perfect job for us, especially that you're a hunter yourself. It also said that it's abnormal so maybe it's a 3 meters bear or something. Also looks! It's not even a week it's been posted. Considering that we still need to wait for your arrow, it'll work better for us than that goblins one.] Me

[Well, you might be right about that. But I am still eager to meet some goblins though.] Billy

[I... I'm interested too. But why don't we hunt the bear first to test your new arrow? I mean it'll be bad if we end up fighting a lot of goblins when you are still not familiar with your arrow right?] Me

[Hmm... Alright... Now that you mention it, I'm also want to test the arrow you designed and I think a bear is a good target for that.] Billy

[Yep. You'll see just how good the arrow is. I specially design the shape from the ground up to match the type of bow you use, you know.] Me

Alright. Safe!

[Do you want to take a quest now?] Receptionist

[Ah, haha... Sorry, but I think we'll take it later. We're still waiting for some stuff to be made.] Me

...

We're finishing our sightseeing and go back to the inn before sunset. With that, the job for Josh's gang is done. Before we part, I give the 5 piece copper that they hesitantly accepted. I can easily see a very joyous face after they receive it. I'll definitely hire them again for something if we meet later.

And now, dinner time.

It's a very different atmosphere than when we just came here. Right now, I can see a lot of people babbling and jabbering with their friends. Some also do a toast with each other. Maybe they're a party of mercenaries after a job well done.

[Here. I'm sure it'll be a lot better than before]

Said the waiter while putting our meal on the table. Grilled meat with some kind of herb and potatoes.

And it's quite nice. But still, there are no spices put in here so I take out my pepper once again.

[Can I also have one, Mr. Dean?] Billy

[Ohhh... What is it, Billy? Aren't you afraid that this will blow your head or something?] Me

[Come on... I know that is pepper! It's not something that I am usually able to eat you know...] Billy

[Hahaha... Here.] Me

I give Billy another sachet.

[Heyy! Isn't it Mr. Dean and Billy?]

[Oh! Mr. Andreas!] Billy

[We meet again Andreas!] Me

[So it's really you, huh?] Andreas

Said Andreas while sitting next to me

[What? Do you expect someone else?] Me

[No, no... I just heard that a Princess from another kingdom is coming here while accompanied by 2 mercenaries and one of my friends said that the mercenaries in question are spotted in this inn. It's you, isn't it?] Andreas

[Yeah? Maybe? What of it?] Me

[Story of course! Come on, spill some beans, will you?] Andreas

[Hahh... The only thing I know is her name is Laniella from the Otista Kingdom.] Me

[That's it? I already know that much.] Andreas

[Yeah, unfortunately, that is it. I also want to know their purposes but alas, it's either that I do not have a talent as a bard or that the guards she's with are all tight-lipped.] Me

[Oh, we also caught a spy when we're camping. It seems that they're targeting the Princess.] Billy

[And that.] Me

[Hmm... Interesting... A Princess with questionable security is going into a neighboring kingdom even though she has a risk of being targeted by a spy or an assassin.] Andreas

[Pretty much, yeah.] Me

[Ah, whatever. I'll just find more information later. Why don't we celebrate our meeting right now! Barman! Bring me an ale!] Andreas

[By the way, you look good on that armor Billy!] Andreas

[Thank you. Just bought it today.] Billy

[Oh yeah, do you know where Val is Andreas?] Me

[Val? He's already leaving Romora 2 days ago. I don't know where he's going. Though I can find some information if you want.] Andreas

[Nah... Just leave it. He's a traveling merchant after all.] Me

[Here's your drink, sir.] Waiter

[[Toast!]]

We drink a little bit too much that night.

I forget that I need to make a contract in the bank the next day. An activity that you must do with a clear head, not with a hangover one.