14xx/7/12
167 days since arrival…
San Ilia at last!
The last few days were surprisingly uneventful. Most of us were issued a Monster Ward Bracelet to hide from the gaze of roaming Monster Girls. Not sure how a silver bracelet does that other than magic, but we never used our weapons throughout the travel. That is good. Boring is better than terrifying.
The village outside the castle wall is prosperous, but their wellness pales in comparison to San Ilia. The tall, dour grey walls surrounding the castle gives no indication of what it guarded, only that it was well-maintaned enough to mean that the treasure within is valuable enough. And I was right.
San Ilia was a beautiful city, a modern architectural wonder made from white marble and generous wealth. The city was luxurious, not a single wooden house in sight and white marbles as far as the eyes can see. If it wasn't for my guide's presence as well as the iron-clad guards that roam the city I would have assumed that I was back in modern day Venice.
It was literally a city of water and land. Gallons after gallons of clear water pools behind the walls as the river system recycles the water around the city via a very comprehensive network of waterways and canals between the marble roads and squares. At the horizon was an imposing castle that floats on top of a large waterfall. Like a multi-storied water fountain, the waterfall was the starting point of the rivers where they flowed downward toward the walls and into a series of pipes near the walls.
Looking deeper into the river system, the canals that runs through the city looks like another alternative roads that was just flooded with 3 feet deep water. The little statues that stood at each intersection also reinforce the water road aesthetic. If I design cities where both human and sea creatures can visit each other with ease, I think I would've designed the same thing too.
Hearing the reputation of this city as a pious and blessed city I was actually hesitant on having Latina with me. I can tell everybody that Sophie was a weird-looking staff given to me by my father, but what about a 7-foot-tall horse with a woman's body attached to the part where the horse's head was supposed to be?
My fear was alleviated once I saw a small family of a human dude with a girl that was fused with a crocodile walked toward the front gate with a smile. The guards smiled back at them and let them in. When our crew arrived, he looked at the Captain with a grave smile and opened the gate as quickly as he can.
We didn't go through the main road, instead we took a series of smaller roads hidden away in the nooks and cranny of the building. I was worried for a few minutes, as many chokepoints we passed were a prime target for ambush. But we arrived safely all the same, at the back of the castle where the supplies were stored and guarded by a small company of soldiers armed with spears and guns.
After that, it was just formalizing my end of contract, and me and the rest of the crew is free to do whatever they want to do.
Kael decided to go straight to the library and apply for a job there. Natsuki and Oskar decided to go to the cathedral to apply for a permanent job as well. Me? I decided to find a gunshop where the Battle Brothers got their rifles.
My first search brought me to a local weapon store recommended to me by the Captain. Aside from the absolutely beautiful craftsmanship of the custom weaponries sold in there, I was surprised that they also sold black powder rifles and revolvers. Specifically, the San Ilia variant of the Remington 1858 revolver. This one look like they were made with chrome finish and wooded handgrip, as if to mimic the look of a Single Action Army. Hell, they even market it as the Peacemaker!
But I was lucky to make friends with two of the rifle-wielding Battle Brothers members back there. When I name-dropped Ali and Sahil, the old shopkeeper's face morphed into a wide grin. He led me to the back of the shop, and showed me his secret stash. "For special customers" he said, as he showed me his arsenal of war.
Sharps rifles, blackpowder revolvers, metallic cartridges, double-barrel shotguns, blunderbuss, flintlocks…It was a hodgepodge of both late and early 19th century weaponries! All the Makinas they found in the Tartarus Rifts were not only reverse-engineered, but was also manufactured in small amount with ammunitions as well!
And their ammunitions, by the devils the ammunitions! I was expecting Black powders, but they've improvised with a new kind of gunpowder made from a carefully prepared mixture of Fire and Lightning Stones, which was colloquially known as 'Volatile Dust.' It performed as well as modern smokeless gunpowder, but the requirement of needing an originally magical items like the elemental stones sours the concept to me. What's the bloody point of gunpowder and guns if they still needed magic to function?
I decided to buy some though, I'm not willing to spend more than what was needed on that shop. It's 40 gold per bullet for fuck sake! I'll be paying at least 2400 gold coins just to refill my pouches from nothing to combat ready! But I'm willing to pay a 5-round clip for Sophie and I to figure out how it worked.
We booked a simple room at a nearby hotel. The prices are exorbitant, but its quality is undeniable. Not to mention that they have soundproof room which I've tested with Latina beforehand (Latina attested that she cannot hear me scream my ass off even from outside the door.)
Aside from my new discovery of the ammo type this city offers, I am still nowhere near close to my original target. But I am tired from my travels. So I will rest for tonight, and I'll continue my adventure tomorrow.