14xx/09/28 Johannes Calendar

158 days since arrival…

Three days have passed, and I STILL HAVEN'T SEEN HIS GREEN ASS!

I was doing my thing; collecting rumours and stories from the marketplace (you'll be surprise how much you can learn from listening nowadays), asking the local constabulary whether they have seen his green ass (They haven't as usual), talking to the workers at the docks (they're still celebrating the end of the storm), and I still haven't got a single clue where he was, or where Luka even is.

But just as I was about to lose all hope, a simple invitation for a drink from Kael was enough to reignite that fire.

The pub we went that night was called the Mermaid's Pub. Generic; I know. But that's the name, and for a good reason too. The outside doesn't look any different from the myriads of other white buildings within Port Natalia, save for the large shop signboard nailed above the door. The inside however, is an entirely different story.

To sum it all up, it was like someone opened a pub inside a shallow swimming pool. The waterproof furniture was elevated by their tall legs above the waist-high water, so people can still sit without touching the liquid. Problem is, the entire floor is flooded with clean water, so we have to wade through the pool as if we're going through a flooded house just to reach the bar counter. My displeasure wasn't shared by the scant few customers within the pub, their mind addled by alcohol and the flirtatious smiles of their mermaid attendance. Soft, romantic piano recitals only enhance the sultry voices of the waitresses, allowing them to effectively swindle away more money than what the customer would usually spend.

Thankfully, I am inured by the sight of pretty faces for ages now, and Kael…he was from Pornof. Something as weaksauce as this won't even make him bat an eyelid. So, to their astonishment, we resisted their siren calls and ordered a simple drink of cola.

And to my utter astonishment, they gave me a bottle of Coke.

I'm serious. I simply ordered the house specialty, which in the menu said was cola. I have no idea what they will give me, but I didn't expect them to simply hand us a couple of ice-cold Coca Cola bottles! Sure, the label was made from waxed red paper but that's it! The glass bottle was 100% a direct copy of the iconic Coke glass bottle, the colour of the liquid was as dark the original too! The taste was like the old Coke; except lemonier and has softer bubbles unlike the harsh tang of the original carbonated drink.

Fuck me dude, I prefer Pepsi.

Just as me and Kael was discussing about how they manage to create such a drink (10 gold coins on them finding a recipe from Tartarus Rift), the door opened and came in a teenage boy in blue overalls. Imagine my surprise when one of the mermaids picks him up, then place him at the seat right beside us!

Thinking that he was the son of one of the employees here, I struck a nice conversation with him, and was instead bamboozled completely again. This blue-haired, blue-eyed boy who looks like he hasn't even hit puberty properly yet was a fucking 25-years old working man who was married to a mermaid, whom used to work here!

Roughly two weeks ago, the mermaids rescued most of the sailors that fell into the sea when the storm at its apex destroyed their crafts. One of the few people they rescued was a man who looks eerily similar to Hito and a boy that fits Luka's description. As moving individual people is far easier than transporting massive cargoes for the mermaids, they were able to get them proper medical help on land in record time. In order to pay for their kindness, the group of heroes departed into the temple and resolved a crisis of abducted fishermen and mermaids, thus rescuing his wife, who happens to be brainwashed into being the Queen of Southern Sea.

He told me that she was so distraught over her crimes, that she joined the hero in order to clear her name and figure out how to restore the former queen. Me and Kael shared a knowing look at each other, but held our tongue to not tarnish his positive outlook. His wife went missing for a while, then returned home with the marriage registration papers, then left her husband as quickly as she came back in order to help her former queen by accompanying a young up-and-coming hero from overseas? Only a naïve fool will not see the implication.

Unfortunately, that fool was right in front of me being pampered and fawned on by a gaggle of attractive mermaids. How much money did he spent paying them to pamper him like that? How many times has he argued against himself in the mirror in favour of her faithfulness?

I did try to give him so proper advice, such as telling him to learn how to fight or buy a weapon. I am ashamed to say that I got a little heated in the end, but can you blame me? If I had a dollar for every time my employees asked me advices to deal with their cheating significant others, I'll have enough to build a skyscraper in the Harajuku District! I MEAN SERIOUSLY?! HOW HARD IS IT TO SIMPLY BE GENUINELY LOYAL AND LOVING TO EACH OTHER?! DOES THE TERM SACRED MEANS NOTHING TO PEOPLE ANYMORE!?

Putting that aside, I finally found a proper lead to where Hito is going; San Ilia. The Constantinople of this world. The Roma Capitale of the Ilias faiths. If this Luka truly is a hero ordained by the goddess herself, it's natural for him to first seek out the pope! And if not for the pope, the city would've been a mecca for traders alike, thus skyrocketing the availability of rarer and more powerful items a wealthy warrior needs in his travel!

The evidence is scarce, but it was enough. I have to reach San Ilia as fast as I can. The caravan is too slow for me, so I have to split away from the caravan. I am tired of being too slow to catch up to my homie. To hell with Chapter 2. To hell with the Rabbit. To hell with it all. I am done wasting my time here. I will catch up to him, hell and high water be damned!

Tomorrow, I'll formalize my end of contract with the Captain. Then, I will leave.

Tonight, I will rest as much as I can.