Chapter 27

{ Laws of the Nobility }

4th day of the 5th Month – HEC, 375
Norlangarth – Zakkaria

The relationship between Rulid Village and Zakkaria was a mutualistic one, of which both settlements oft traded resources with one another. Traditional herbs and medicine from deep within the mountains and herbs of the far north would be exchanged for ores and tools from the town closer to the main city, along with a variety of other materials that one area couldn't get access to.

Now, that wasn't to say that Rulid didn't have the things other towns had; just a shortage of them. Just as they had only one single blacksmith in their village, Zakkaria had close to five times the amount, and that had been enough to get his hopes up.

Unfortunately, this being the seventh shop he's already visited this morning, his luck wasn't looking so good.

"Sorry, kiddo, but we don't got any wood-carving equipment on us."

"Aw, really?"

"Aye. This isn't metal, after all, so it's not something we can just use to forge a sword through the typical procedure," even with the soot on his face and the sweat drenching his shirt, he managed to stay patient throughout his explanation. "As you know, if we have metal, we'd melt it down and then shape it appropriately, cooling it down later. But wood is…"

"Not something you can melt," his answer got a nod. "So, how would you make this into a weapon? Like, theoretically, I mean."

"Hmm… The only thing I can think of is carving it, which wouldn't make it a very good sword—it would have a lower durability than an average sword forged from metal. Then again, this is a really strong piece of wood, so I think it should be fine. But regardless, none of us have grindstones strong enough to make this."

Shoot. Then they'd just have to continue on to Centoria. The previous tree-cutter, Garitta, had told them that he knew a guy in the central city called… what was it? Sadore? The guy was a master craftsman, and would probably be able to turn this Gigas Cedar branch into a real sword. He'd really hoped that someone in Zakkaria could have done the job, but he supposed they'd have to wait until they get to the main city.

Thanking the smith, he secured the large Gigas Cedar branch in cloth and tied it to his back, making sure that it wasn't going to slip off his back. He then left the shop, and made his way down the road to a café where the rest of his friends were likely having lunch at.

'Have patience, Kirito. When you reach Centoria, you are sure to receive your sword by then, though it will certainly take a bit of time.'

'Kind of wished I could've just sent it over to Centoria and have it crafted there in the meantime, but ah well. No use complaining about it, eh?'

'Indeed. And think of it this way! The longer the wait, the sweeter the moment will be when you inevitably gain what you've waited for.'

The boy laughed, nodding softly. 'Fair enough.'

Still, it really would be sick to have a sword all of his own. He couldn't possibly hope to ask Eugeo for his sword every single time, but the guy had been completely fine with it; heck, he even told him off for making the suggestion of getting a simple sword, calling it 'a waste of funds'. He let the idea die down afterwards.

Eventually, he reached a café building situated adjacent to what seemed to be a flower shop. He stepped inside, jingles playing a high-pitched melody that had him unconsciously grinning. The other three sat close to a corner in the back, Eugeo waving at him the moment he noticed his presence.

"So?" The flaxen-haired boy asked. "How did it go?"

"No luck. We really won't find anyone who can make my sword until we get to Centoria."

"I never thought I would have met a swordsman who never had a sword of his own," Medina hummed, her initial surprise over the matter having faded away with time. "What branch is it, actually?"

"It's the branch of the Gigas Cedar, taken from the very tip of the tree," he said, setting it down on the floor and rolling his shoulders to ease the tension. "Aah… So anyways, Garitta—he was the tree-cutter assigned to the tree before us—said that it would make a really good sword because it had absorbed the highest amount of energy from Solus' light."

"I see… It would make for a very interesting weapon, considering that it's wood…"

"But it's a strong material. I trust Garitta."

"And heavy," Eugeo deadpanned. "I tried lifting it up the other day and I thought I was going to lose my arms. How did you walk around everywhere with that thing on your back?"

"Bro, we both trained our bodies together."

Charlotte laid a hand on Eugeo's shoulder. "Well, considering your condition, you weren't able to undertake the same level of training as Kirito did. His sessions were typically more strenuous, while yours were tailored towards your physicality."

Their red-haired companion perked up, looking over to the blond. "Wait, is something wrong? Are you alright?"

"Ah. Well, a couple years back, I got injured, so I can't use my right as well as I used to," seeing her eyes widen with sympathy, he was quick to wave her off. "But it's okay, really! I'm now great enough at being left-handed, and I've already done all the training I needed. A shame that I'm not as physically strong as Kirito, though, but…"

"Hey now, don't say that. I'm certain that you're still good."

If anything, a part of him wondered if this supposed 'handicap' of his hadn't ended up making him an even more deft swordsman. After all, having to switch handedness that he'd been used to all his life, and figuring out ways to make up for his reduced dexterity due to the absence of his right arm, he might prove to be a lot more skilled than he seemed.

And yet, Eugeo just sighed, shaking his head. "Let's hope so. We've never had the opportunity to spar with one another, let alone test ourselves against someone else, so there's no idea."

"Really? How come?"

"We always did think about it, but we'd always been busy with just our training that we never considered sparring. Then again, we did fight with Charlotte before, and she is crazy strong."

"Ooh. What weapon does she use?"

"I am a martial fighter," Charlotte said. "Hence, I use no weapons, save for my own body."

While Medina gasped in surprise, Kirito reminisced over their three prior years of training, shuddering at just how powerful she was. It must be some kind of quote unquote 'martial style'. Perhaps techniques were used to reinforce her body?

Humming, Kirito looked over to the side, calling for a waiter to make his order for a drink. "Coming!" A young lad—hell, he looked to be younger than even him and Eugeo—called out in a high-pitched tone. Footsteps approach them after a while, and the bright smile adorning his face was enough to make him return the gesture. "Hello. What can we get you?"

"I want what my brother here is drinking," he gestured to Eugeo's drink. "What is it?"

"It's a mix of wildberries harvested from the surrounding forests, with a trace of wild herbs that provide a fresh aftertaste. It's a new blend that one of ours came up with, and it's been pretty popular so far."

"Cool. I'll have one of that."

"And what will you eat?"

His first instinct was to eye Eugeo's cake. Eugeo promptly moved the plate a little further away from him, making him pout while the other two laughed at the interaction. "Oh, I see how it is. No sharing it is, huh?"

"You'd eat only a little. At least get an entire slice for yourself."

"I… Fine, fine," he rolled his eyes. "A slice of burnt cheesecake."

"Alright. We'll be back with your order soon."

"You and Eugeo are brothers?" Medina asked when the waiter left, making him shake his head.

"Not at all. I mean, we literally look nothing alike," to emphasize the point, he hooked one arm around his neck and dragged him close to him, making him whine out. "Look at us. It's literally impossible to find a sliver of similarities between us."

"Well, I guess. Then you're…"

"Heh, well, I'm an orphan," her eyes widened at that. Kirito simply shrugged his shoulders. "Don't worry about it. I'm not bothered by it. In any case, even if the two of us ain't brothers by blood, I like to think that if I did have a sibling, Eugeo would be it. I mean, we pretty much act like it sometimes."

"I'm good. Euden and Eugene are good enough. You're just more trouble than its worth."

"Uh-huh. And I wonder who it was that covered for you any time you got bullied by all the other kids."

"Guh..! T-That was in the past! It's not like I'm bullied anymore! Plus, your solutions were always so reckless!"

"Still worked," he shrugged back. "Either way, I've got no idea if I've even got a family out there. The sister who took care of us never told me if there was anyone who left me outside of the church, so that's not something I've got a clue about."

"I see…" Green eyes regarded him with some trepidation. She was probably worried that she'd say something to offend him. She's so sweet. "Are you curious?"

"Certainly, but as I said, I don't really mind," he shrugged once more with a little grin. "Maybe they had a reason, or they couldn't afford to raise me. Either way, I've had a good life in Rulid thus far, and I've a family of little brothers and sisters back there, so life is good enough."

Surprise made way for naked joy. "That's wonderful to hear."

"Heh. Don't need to make a big deal out of it," he paused when the waiter from earlier arrived at their table to set his cake and drink down. He nodded at him as he left, then grinned to everyone else. "So let's change the topic; where do y'all wanna' go to today?"

And, just as expected, a myriad of responses came to the fore. Looks like the day was going to be busy indeed.

In a brand new place, there was much to do—and indeed, they did aplenty, which mostly equated to exploring every crook and nanny of the town and visiting the parts where they'd never gone to the day prior.

It was funny how practically everywhere looked the same, yet with the noticeable changes here and there in terms of colours, what shops could be find and the differing numbers of people walking down the streets, there was enough difference to see. It was strange how that worked, but that worked to keep the novelty from completely disappearing.

Tearing into his meat skewer, Kirito took a moment to appreciate the plentiful tastes of herbs and spices before swallowing. "Man. Rulid makes these too during festivities. What meat is this?"

"Lamb, from what I heard."

"It's great!" He finished his skewer before tossing it away in a can, prepared everywhere for disposal of rubbish. Any littering was violating the «Taboo Index», and everyone knew what that lead to. "A little more pricey than all the other meats, huh?"

"Fish would typically cost the least when compared it to all the other animals that require a lot of time and feed to grow. I am unsure, though I believe beef is the priciest of meats. For commercial purposes, butchers and farmers would choose to slaughter steers, heifers, and cows whose age range around thirty to forty-two months, which would be two years and above. Assuming the steer weighs four hundred and ninety-seven kilorams, the entire steer would cost a thousand, one hundred and sixty Shia," pausing, Charlotte looked to the group. "Did you catch all of that?"

Did he? He wasn't sure. He felt like his brain had just melted from all the numbers and terms she'd been spouting off. Medina looked lost, blinking and straining to make heads and tails of what she just said, while Eugeo looked as if he was physically hurting.

Charlotte eyed them, and a little smile surfaced. "To summarize, beef is very expensive compared to fish. Of course, that all depends on weight, breed, age and usage."

"Good to know…"

Goddesses, she was so knowledgeable. As if it wasn't enough for her to be super strong, she just had to have the smarts of an entire library's worth. How was that fair?

He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. He supposed there was some importance in pursuing knowledge as well; what good of a human being would he be if all he knew was to swing a sword, but lacking in everything else?

But really, he didn't expect Charlotte to know so much about the pricing of cattle. Seriously, that's a weird flex if there was ever one.

"I… suppose the lesson we can take from all of this is to better appreciate everything that we have?" Oh, Medina. Bless her heart for managing to find the silver lining in everything. He, on the other hand, literally felt like throwing up. "In any case, is it okay if we go visit the meeting venue?"

"Oh, good idea. We'd seen it when we arrived here, but we never exactly took a look at it."

"We have to," Kirito declared, pumping a fist. "All three of us are aspiring swordsmen! Plus Charlotte!" The woman in question rolled her eyes, amused. "Not visiting the one place in town where all veteran swordsman go to would be a missed opportunity."

"A-And maybe we could spar with each other!" Medina chirped, sounding excited. "I really want to see what you two's sword styles are like! It would be an honour to fight with you two!"

"And the same for us," Eugeo chuckled. "We'd never fought against a noble before. The experience would be great."

"Exactly. We should—"

The sound of something shattering resounded cleanly in the air. Kirito blinked, wondering if that had been his imagination, only to then notice the quizzical looks on the others' faces as they looked around. So it wasn't just him.

It didn't take long before a door to a restaurant nearby swung wide open, their heads snapping its way and watching as the door smacked against the wall as a single man with long grey hair wearing an indigo vest stepped out. Upon his face was the nastiest of sneers he'd ever seen in his life, and it made him gulp.

"Filthy peasants! You couldn't even get my order right!" He yelled back inside, moving away. "What a waste of my day. I'll never return to this place ever again…"

He stomped away before anyone could say anything to him, making his distaste so obvious simply by the aura he was emanating. It was only when his figure was completely gone did Kirito glance back towards the shop, a pang of worry guiding him inside, the others following shortly.

The interior of the shop was a simple layout of a restaurant with plenty of tables covered with cloth, and wooden chairs with a coat of white paint. Potted plants hung from the ceiling by chains, and the splotches of colours upon the walls made it seem as if they were canvases that a child painted upon solely with the intent of making it much more colourful. There were only a couple of tables occupied, and all of them were quiet.

That likely had to do with the sight of the young woman standing in the centre, the top part of her blouse and apron soaked and her hair damp. At her feet were shards of porcelain, and she stared down at them motionless, almost like she was a statue.

"Um," shit. This was awkward. What was he supposed to say? "Are you alright? We heard a commotion outside."

"…Eh?" His voice snapped her out of her trance, eyes staring up to meet his and fear apparent in her gaze. "A-Ah..! It's nothing, sir! Please, don't pay me any heed… I just…" She shook her head. "It's nothing. Please excuse me."

She bowed at them, then retreated to the back to retrieve some cleaning materials. Kirito watched her leave, and the worry in his gut twisted into a pang of annoyance.

"What the heck was that back there? Did he wake up on the wrong side of the bed, or something?"

"He said something about getting his order wrong," Eugeo noted with a frown. "But to react that harshly seems a little too much. Plus, he even broke the cup, which isn't even his in the first place. It belongs to the restaurant."

"Yeah. That's literally breaking the «Taboo Index». What was he thinking?"

"Likely not. Blinded by rage, he allowed himself to lash out at the workers just to sate his dissatisfaction."

Charlotte's words made him click his tongue. To think there were people like that out here. Everyone back home were always cordial with one another and with visitors, so things had been downright joyful. But seeing that prick behave that way here was doing bad for his mood.

"Well, we can't let him get away with it. We need to go report him to a local guard. We'll let them handle him."

"…Unfortunately, that won't work."

He and Eugeo perked up, looking back at Medina, who was staring guiltily at the floor. "What do you mean, Medina?" His friend asked.

"It's… He was a noble. I recognized him. He's from a third-ranking noble house whose family is known to make annual contributions to the town in the form of monetary donations. It'd be difficult for them to take action against him."

"Not only that, but he would likely be protected by the laws of the empire. Is that correct, Medina?"

"Y-Yeah. Unfortunately."

"What? That's ridiculous. The laws established should hold everyone in the same regard."

"N-Not necessarily," Medina squirmed in her spot, unwilling to meet his gaze. "Even though there's the «Taboo Index», there's also the «Empire Fundamental Law», which grants nobles of fourth class and above to exact judgement upon commoners and lower-ranking nobles in any way they wish to."

He could hear Eugeo gasp. Or was that him? He couldn't tell. "What? I never heard of that!"

"Likely because Rulid simply didn't possess any nobility for the law to reach us," Charlotte hummed, looking uncomfortable. "And combined with one of the clauses within the «Taboo Index», which prevents a person from obstructing the nobles' right to judge others, you wouldn't be wrong to say that they're granted complete immunity from any repercussions."

"What?! But that isn't fair!" He yelled. "The «Taboo Index» exists to maintain balance across all regions and classes! That kind of loophole just gives the nobility a greater advantage compared to the commoners! There's no way that's right!"

It wasn't. And yet, no one said a thing. The silence was too much, and Kirito felt his heart drop, staring from one to another and feeling sick.

His eyes then searched the crowd, and out of every one of them, he'd be confident to say that most of them were average citizens of Zakkaria. Perhaps there were a few low-ranking nobles, judging by the little decorations on their clothes, but most of them were just middle-class people. And all of them had their heads lowered, too ashamed and too terrified to say anything.

This was… ridiculous. How could there be a rule within the «Taboo Index» that prioritized the high class over the others? It should have treated everyone equally, which would have prevented any form of discrimination or oppression towards another party.

Someone returned to the scene. The young waitress swept the shards into a dustpan, but she never said a single word to either of them, keeping her gaze glued to the floor all the while. Just looking at her hunched figure and expression of thinly-veiled anguish left him feeling sick to the core, and it never went away when she disappeared to the kitchen once more.

Moments later, sat upon an empty table, a couple of glasses were set on their table. No words were spared before the waiter, this time a young boy with red hair, got back to cleaning up the tables.

Asking for a cup of tea was a decision he made on a whim, and he wasn't even in the mood to drink anything. Not after everything he'd just witnessed. And, judging by the looks of unease on the rest of his friends' expressions, he wasn't the only one.

At this point, practically everyone had vacated the shop, perhaps feeling too awkward from the prior commotion to stay. At least they'd been cordial about things and even paid for their meals, but that still didn't change everything else. With how quiet it was, he could literally hear the poor girl sobbing in the back, accompanied with soft reassuring words from her colleague. It was private, and he felt horrible that he could hear it all, so he forced himself to tune it out.

"I still don't understand," he said once more, looking to Medina. "You said that nobles can be excluded from the typical ruling of the «Taboo Index». How come?"

"It's… not exactly saying that we're completely immune to it. In fact, if we violate it—say, for example, we hurt someone and lowered their «Life» on purpose—we'd still be punished."

"But?"

"But… there are some loopholes established within the clauses of the «Taboo Index» that favour the nobility, thus granting them some amount of leeway over the average citizens. Just like what you saw yesterday…"

"I…" He already understood that they existed. What he struggled to understand now were the intricacies behind the entire issue. He'd never exactly thought about the law before, and he felt like his lack of knowledge was coming back to bite him in the ass. "Try to explain this situation for us. How is it that the laws are playing a role in keeping him safe?"

Green eyes met black, and the girl nodded after a short while. "Right. Before we begin, what do you understand about the «Taboo Index»?"

Not much, he would admit, but it was something that practically all kids had to be taught about the moment they learnt how to read and write. "It's the one law in the entirety of the Human Empire that everyone has to follow. It was written by the Axiom Church, and covers all sorts of topics; crimes and their appropriate punishments, prohibition of harming other human lives, a limit on the act of hunting wildlife… there's even some stuff there that's tailored specifically to protect us, like forbidding us from visiting poison swamps and even listing plants that could negatively affect livestock."

"Wow. You know quite a lot."

"I only know the surface bits," he replied to Eugeo, shaking his head. "I just happened to hear Sulinea talk about it one time, so I asked her stuff. Even so, the part about someone obstructing a noble's right to judge is new to me."

"It's exactly as it's said, and it has to do with the «Empire Fundamental Law». That law grants nobles the ability to mete out judgement to others. And since the «Taboo Index» forbids people from disrupting that…" They really would be free to do anything they wanted. "It's the same here. The noble from earlier would have had the right to get away with all that he did since it was part of his 'judgement'. So long as he didn't actively hurt the girl, then everything was fine."

"But it's not fine. That was harassment. She has her rights too."

"And those rights are, unfortunately, meaningless in the face of his authority. He got away with it because he technically has the permit to do so."

Bloody hell… Was that how things were? And worse, was that how things had always been before all of this? That was a depressing thought to bear, and the more he thought about it, the more likely that such was the case.

Kirito breathed out, the sound coming out hoarse. They'd really been living under a rock, then. Not on purpose, for sure, but for the fact that Rulid's environment had been so warm and friendly, suddenly being exposed to all of this injustice that had always been there was just…

Something touched their table with a soft clank. He looked up, spotting the boy from earlier who bore a weak smile of his own. "A bowl of fresh berries harvested from the forest nearby."

"Uhh… I don't think any of us ordered this."

"It's on the house," he said. "Take it as a thank-you for looking after my colleague earlier."

"We didn't really do anything…"

"It's okay. The fact that you worried for her and tried to help was more than enough. She asked me to give you this. And you don't need to pay for it," he added quickly. "Really. Please, take this as a gesture of our gratitude."

Shit… Now he felt bad. Still, it'd be rude to reject such a kind gesture. "Thanks. And look after her for us," the young boy smiled, clearly grateful for their thoughtfulness. It was only when he was gone did Kirito turn back to the others, speaking in a hushed tone. "So. What do we do?"

"What do you mean 'what do we do'?"

"We have to help them. And, by extension, this entire town."

"That would be difficult," Medina frowned. "After all, this relates to the very laws of the empires. No one but the Axiom Church have the right to alter it—and they likely wouldn't considering just how effective they are at maintaining the balance."

"But it's clearly not helping all these people. All these workers have to deal with all of this nonsense, and likely for years. We can't just let things continue like this."

"While you'll find none of us in disagreement, it's something that not a single one of us hold power to change. It's as Medina said; this is law that has been established for centuries. There isn't anything we can do to change that. If anything, any efforts on our parts is likely to make things worse for these people—"

"—Take that man from earlier, for example. He strikes me as the vengeful type. There's a possibility that he, and perhaps other nobles like him, might try something against anyone here as payback. And even if we wanted to remain to keep watch, we can't stay forever. Eventually, we would have to leave for Centoria, and the situation would go back to how it was before."

…That was possible. Because they wouldn't be there to watch the shops anymore, they really could just decide to go back to how things were before. Heck, they might even do worse. The people here would be vulnerable. If he was really pissed, he might even try to run them out of business.

Damn it… Talk about unfavourable conditions. He hadn't thought their visit to Zakkaria would be an exposure to the uglier side of politics and sociality. And wasn't it a sobering thought to consider that practically all other towns and cities in the Human Empire operated the same way for years?

'We've been fortunate all our lives that Rulid Village was never like that. Everyone was just too kind and tolerable of one another, so things had been utterly great.'

Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for this town, and he felt too heavy-hearted to leave things as they were. But he also understood that it was way beyond their abilities to do much about things, just as Medina and Charlotte pointed out.

Shaking his head, he plucked a berry and popped it into his mouth. "So," he said between his chewing. "What can we do? Realistically, I mean."

"I guess making a report to the local guard is the best thing we could do. However, I'd like to make a suggestion."

"By all means."

"If we're going to report him, we should leave our identities out of it. Considering how he's a noble, he'd have connections, and it'd be easy for him to trace things back to us afterwards. Then again, he never properly saw us, so we should be safe on that front."

"Ah. Then sure, we can do that. Where do we make reports either way?"

"There are guardhouses situated at every gate of the town. We can approach them, and they'll provide you with a document that you can write on to report any incidents that happen. Submitting your identity is optional if you explain things, though you might need to provide some personal details."

"I guess that's the best we can do, then. Come on, let's get moving."

They finished their drinks and berries, paid extra (much to the workers' surprise and gratitude. Well, they at least deserved something nice after what they had to deal with today), then left the establishment to head back to the first gate that they'd passed through on the first day.

They were a little far from their destination, but that gave them plenty of time to properly consolidate the events of today and make full certain that there were no irregularities or missed points. Then again, there wasn't much they could say, since they hadn't completely witnessed the events and only came upon the aftermath, but hopefully that would be enough to validify their testimony as witnesses.

Even if the empire's laws supposedly gave the guy the leeway to do whatever he wanted, he hoped the officials would at least take action if someone actually submitted a proper report. There was no way they could just continue to ignore all the issues going on.

The supposed guardhouse was apparently a portion of the wall expanded and structured into some kind of post, with two guards stationed inside. Medina explained that their job was dealing with registrations and logistics, so while any issues or inquiries could be made to any guards positioned around the town, these ones would be the ones to handle all the paperwork.

Being a noble herself, Medina knew enough about how every town worked, and he was so glad they had her with them. They'd never had to do anything like this before, so having someone to guide them through the process was real neat.

'And it's a shame that a lot of nobles can't be anything close to what she's like,' he thought with a huff. 'Seriously. She's such a wonderful person. Even though she's nobility, she treated all three of us no differently. Can't more people just be like her?'

"…so after we are done with our report, I suggest we return to our abode. I doubt anyone here is in the mood to visit the meeting venue."

"You're not wrong there," Eugeo smiled weakly. "Today's been chaotic enough. Hopefully, things would calm down tomorrow."

'Would it, though?' He hated how pessimistic he sounded in his own head, but with all that Medina and Charlotte had brought up earlier, it made him look at things from a bigger picture. 'After all, what are the odds that the same issue was happening in a different part of town? We might not even know. Plus, it's happened before, so us stepping into this is just unlucky, but… it's there.'

After all, it wasn't like that one guy was the only noble in this town, or in the entirety of the Human Empire. For every hundred people, it was inevitable that there was going to be one bad apple—and when taking the hundred thousands of people into consideration, just how many of them were just as horrible as the noble today?

Someone had actively harassed and berated another living being. How was he not arrested, when all Alice had done was touch the soil of the other side yet deserved the chopping block?

Well, whatever. Let's hope this works.

Author's Notes:

Kirito and Eugeo had to deal with plenty of shit from those two noble bastards (Raios and Humbert) during their academy days. I'm unsure if the novel ever covered that same treatment whenever they were out in the city or prior to their enrolment, and the theme of classism was an interesting one that I felt wasn't explored enough within the story. After all, the establishment of the nobility and many classes was a driving force behind the toxicity of the Human Empire's social environment and much of the story's conflicts before the great war. Very fascinating.

Moving on, Underworld had specific terms in regards to length: meters (mer), kilometers (kilor), centimeters (cen), millimeters (mil), liters (lil). You'll notice that I used the wrong measurements in previous chapters, so I'll be using these new units of measurements going forwards.

The mass of something, apparently, is called rams, which was the Underworld unit corresponding to grams. I found this in the third part of If We Could Walk Together, which is a short story pertaining to the cake-verse. As such, we will be referring to grams as rams and kilograms as kilorams.

On the subject of the price of cows, it was noted that a single adult cow would range between $700 and $2000, so we used the average of a thousand dollars. I referred to websites such as FaunaFacts and USDA Agricultural Marketing Service to get a faint idea of cow weights, prices, qualities and the like.

As for the currency of Underworld, it could be based off medieval currency, even if the world did possess some Japanese origin in terms of the language. Regardless, I'll have to ask everyone to be patient with me if I end up making absolute bollocks of the prices here and there. For my own ease (and hopefully yours too), treat Underworld currency the same way as US dollar, so that's that.

…God damn. I gotta' admit, writing stories are likely the only time I'd be doing a hell lot of reading. Talk about crazy, lmao.