AWDC Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The Capital, Ryadra

The 600-kilometer journey to the capital was thankfully peaceful, without any attacks from bandits or beasts.

Although Jim and I had only just come of age, we were dressed as knights, and Roy was apparently famous as a skilled warrior.

Naturally, no one would dare pick a fight with such a group, or attempt to rob us.

Moreover, the治安 (chian – public order) of this country seemed to be considerably better than in foreign lands.

The capital, Ryadra, was a large city with a population of nearly 80,000.

It was surrounded by walls far higher than those of Milona Town, and the gates were wide and strongly built.

Having prospered as a port town since ancient times, wheat, fur, and minerals came from the eastern Luxabrau Theocracy, while glassware, crafts, and wine came from the western Zaal Empire, making it a bustling commercial hub.

Furthermore, the imported agricultural and mineral products were processed, leading to thriving light industries such as bread, dried noodles, clothing, and shoes.

In other words, the capital of Ryadra was a town developing with a focus on transportation, commerce, and industry.

Here, Roy’s name recognition didn’t work, and each of us was checked by the gatekeepers individually.

“So, all three of you are from Toriholi Village in the south.”

The guard checked the identification from the lord.

But it goes without saying that we entered the town without any problems.

Upon entering the town, I was struck by the well-maintained roads and buildings, and the large number of passersby.

“Whoa, this is amazing. What a crowd!” Jim and I exclaimed involuntarily.

Roy, in order to guide the two newcomers, took us to the market without going directly to the inn.

“How about it? This is the liveliness of the capital.” He teased the newcomers a little.

“Toma, why do so many people gather here?”

“Hmm, I don’t know, but it’s amazing that this many people can do business.”

“That’s right, if a town prospers, this many people will gather.”

Roy brought us to the capital to make us realize the importance of economic prosperity.

“When people gather, become wealthy, and prosper, it becomes such a magnificent capital.”

His aim worked perfectly, and the two of us were captivated by the town’s bustle.

About a hundred years had passed since the first king founded the Frank Kingdom.

The capital of Ryadra had never been caught up in war, and was enjoying a peaceful and calm era.

Of course, there were dissatisfactions and complaints among the people, such as differences in status, gaps in wealth, and prejudices between races.

Therefore, quarrels, disputes, and crimes were inevitable.

These things follow every country and every world, with varying degrees.

Perhaps because this country was younger than its two neighboring countries, differences in status and wealth were relatively small.

This could also be said to be the result of the good reign continuing from King Ken.

I didn’t experience any overt prejudice between races, either in the village or in this capital.

I vaguely remembered living in a much more modern and culturally advanced city in my previous life.

But even when I came into contact with the bustle of this capital, my memories didn’t return.

Perhaps it was because this town was too different from the town I lived in in my previous life.

Most of the streets were made of stone or brick. Wood was only used for doors and windows.

There was only a little glass for lighting, and of course, there was no concrete.

It was a landscape that didn’t remind me of Japan at all.

About half as many people gather in Milona Town as in the capital.

However, Milona lacks glamour.

I felt that the people in this capital had the余裕 (yoyuu – leeway) to enjoy life.

Just looking at the clothes of the people walking in the town, they were somehow refined.

The fact that flowers were displayed on the windowsills of private houses and in front of shops gave a glimpse into the lives of the people here.

The abundance of goods in the storefronts told the story of how prosperous the businesses in the capital were.

“Seeing the capital for the first time must have tired you out. Rest well today.

From tomorrow, you’ll be able to meet John and the others, and negotiate with merchants.”

When we entered the Robertson family’s mansion in the capital, they had us take a break early.

It was the residence of a Baron’s family, and now only servants were stationed there.

In the past, during the time of the previous generation, guests were invited and received as a bare minimum of etiquette.

Splendid parties were sometimes held in this mansion as well.

Of course, this cost money, and the reason the Robertson family lived a rural life was to reduce entertainment expenses.

The Robertson family rarely had business in the capital, but they maintained the mansion simply to maintain the appearance of nobility.

Only the lord’s family, Roy, and others used it when they came to the capital occasionally.

By the way, Roy had a private room, but Jim and I shared a room.

From the next morning, Roy began to energetically gather information on merchants and the capital.

All three of us changed from knight attire to merchant attire, and decided to sell paper.

However, the two young men were only listening behind Roy to see what kind of negotiations would take place.

Selling this paper was more difficult than I had imagined.

After all, there wasn’t even a bookstore, let alone a stationery store.

Printing didn’t exist in this world yet. Naturally, books could only be copied by hand. Moreover, the sheepskin that was the material for paper was very expensive and not widely distributed. Paper made by spreading reeds and the like tore easily and was useless.

The absence of paper meant that we could monopolize a large market, but people themselves didn’t know about paper.

We headed to a general store that seemed to be the only place that might sell paper.

“Shopkeeper, do you have any pens?”

“Pens? We don’t have anything like that here.”

That was the reply from many shops.

Finally, one shop had pens and ink.

Roy checked the price and confirmed the price of parchment.

However, I was wondering why Roy didn’t say anything about paper at all.

“Why don’t you mention the paper?”

Roy’s purpose should be to obtain a sales route for paper. However, that didn’t come up in his conversation with the shopkeeper.

Most of it was spent gathering information on the products currently on the market.

“It’s been a long time since I left the capital. Besides, I was a warrior, so I’m not familiar with business.

Most of the old acquaintances I knew only dealt with armor and daily necessities.

Some of those shops have already disappeared or gone out of business.

I don’t know if the people who have taken over are trustworthy.

I thought it would be better to look for a shop that seemed interested in paper after visiting several shops.

But if there are so few shops that will handle paper, I think we have to be careful about selling it.”

Roy seemed to be still groping around for which merchants to negotiate with in this capital.

We also looked at the items on display in the shops to see if they were shops that might handle paper.

In any case, we had no choice but to follow Roy and see what happened.