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Unaware of the determination of the rest of her 'team', Emilia continued heading towards the closest city marked on the map while taking care of the stray monsters in their path, mostly just small packs of wind wolves.
A bit troublesome to deal with at the start due to their group attack tactics, but not that big of a deal for the two of them.
Emilia wasn't quite sure whether to be happy or not that there were no further 'unique' encounters to follow up the 'Crazed Adventurer', though.
"Halt! You don't seem to be from around here. Present your permit, or pay a fee of one gold coin to enter the city!"
Looking at the sneering guards, Emilia sighed. 'Oh great, it's one of those…'
Most of the 'important' characters in Arcadia followed their 'scripts', but for the rest… it was like they had a will of their own.
Of course, 'intelligent' beings came in lots of 'flavors', and not all of them were good.
Cynthia chuckled. "Well, given that the world will uses the minds of the 'non-participants' in the game as 'fuel' for all these characters, it's only to be expected."
Emilia frowned. "One gold coin… isn't that too much for the entry fee?"
Crystal also folded her arms, nodding. "It's too much."
The two guards just grinned in response. "If you can't pay up, feel free to turn around."
"Our city doesn't need more beggars."
Neither of them felt happy being treated so rudely, but Emilia still restrained her temper. "I see… I didn't realize that the city didn't welcome traders. I spent most of what I was carrying purchasing goods from hunters on the way, ahh… what a pity. Daddy will definitely scold us when we get back."
Just as she pretended to turn around and head back, one of the guards quickly stepped forward to stop her. "Hold on!"
"Yes…?"
Looking at the confused look on her face, the man wasn't quite sure if she was pretending, and sighed. "Alright, we can't just kick two girls back to the forest this late. You'll definitely be eaten by wolves, even if you're an elf. Your village is a few miles off to the south, is it not?"
The other guard also nodded. "True. How about you hand over what you have now, and give us the rest later? Since you have items to trade, it shouldn't be difficult to earn what you need."
Naturally, with the lack of luggage on the two of them, the guards assumed that they must be carrying some 'valuable' goods that could fit in their pockets.
Unfortunately, keeping such a thing might attract trouble later if they were discovered, so it wasn't worth it.
The crimson-haired elf blinked. "Will three silver coins be enough?"
The two guards stared at each other covertly before nodding. "The amount doesn't matter, just remember to return with the rest later."
Anyway, even if the two girls ran away, the extra silver they made from this 'private transaction' would still be enough for a few nights worth of drinks.
Emilia grinned, looking ecstatic. "Really?! Thank you so much! I'll definitely return!"
As soon as the two of them were through the gates, the chiming of bells alerted them to multiple new notifications.
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You have entered a city!
[Trading Hub] Unlocked!
[Crafting] Unlocked!
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Crystal quickly forgot about the guards as she checked out the new options while following Emilia.
The [Trading Hub] seemed to be a market interface that allowed players to buy and sell from each other. It included separate tabs for different types of items, be it materials or equipment.
The [Crafting] menu, on the other hand, seemed to be completely blank, with the only option being to add a recipe.
Crystal fiddled around with the market for a few more minutes, checking out the different options. And before she noticed it, they'd already arrived at their destination.
"As expected, the center of the town does have a teleportation formation!" Emilia exclaimed in joy.
Her 'surprise' was clearly fake, but Crystal still couldn't help but smile. "Are you curious where it will lead us?"
Emilia nodded enthusiastically. "Of course!"
"Shouldn't we check out the rest of this city first, though?"
The crimson-haired elf seemed to hesitate for a moment, then quickly shook her head in denial. "No no, we spent so long moving around, it will be the end of the day soon. If we're too late in checking it out, wouldn't I die of curiosity while waiting for the next chance?"
Naturally, Crystal understood that her girlfriend must have her own reasons, and only nodded in understanding. "Let's check it out, then."
Had it been any other player in their place, they would definitely not waste a gold coin so easily at this point of the game even if they could.
After all, without even exploring the city they were in, heading for some other place at such a high price seemed like such a waste.
But Emilia already had a plan in mind, so she didn't hesitate at all.
"One gold coin for the transfer—"
"Here you go!"
Luckily, there was no crowd of gawkers to witness or record them this time around.
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With the exception of the beginner towns, the teleportation formations in Arcadia were generally only used to speed up travel between different major cities. Moreover, while the 'residents' could move around freely to any part of their own 'Kingdom', the players faced some restrictions.
To be able to 'teleport' to a destination of their choice, they must have visited it at least once before.
Luckily, the 'capital' was one 'destination' that was always unlocked from the start, and Emilia knew it would be more than worth it to spend one gold heading there in advance.
Not only could she get started on the 'main quest' early, but she could also 'discover' the way to unite the 'Crimson Witches' as well!
Emilia grinned as she stared at the bustling and prosperous square. "So this is the capital of the 'Fire Kingdom', Vermillion City, huh? Not bad!"
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