## Chapter 378 – The Color From Space
“This way, please!”
Following the girl’s guidance, I entered the inner part of the barn.
“As I mentioned, the deposit plus the rental fee comes to 5 silver! The daily rental for a Quetes for luggage is 25 coppers, so if you return in ten days, you’ll get a refund of 2 silver and 50 coppers!”
A daily rental of 25 coppers seemed reasonable.
In the old days, I would have been screaming, “What the hell? This damn bird costs more than a person! What a fucked up world!” But I’m different now.
The meteorite is worth the investment.
“This bird’s worth more than a D-rank adventurer.”
“Hey, Blackie, can you even compare them?”
“Of course not.”
This livestock is more trustworthy than those useless bastards.
In fact, its abilities are better too.
It’s less versatile than a person because it’s not human, but it surpasses humans when it comes to the purpose of carrying luggage. That’s why they charge more.
This isn’t a place that values incompetent people.
ㅡKweaaaaaak!
ㅡGuek! Guegegegek!
ㅡGyureaaak!!!
All that could be heard from the barn were the desperate screams of creatures that were once monsters but had been reduced to livestock. But can we really use these guys who are wailing like this?
“Here, this is the one.”
The girl opened the door of the stall, divided into sections, and pulled the rope attached to the saddle of the Quetes sitting inside.
ㅡKweak.
The Quetes, blinking its eyes, slowly walked out.
Indeed, it was a subspecies of the Cockatrice.
The creature’s two legs, covered in brown feathers, looked very sturdy. If it was a gym rat who had worked its lower body that hard, it would be sufficient for carrying luggage.
It didn’t cry out much, so it seemed docile.
“Here, if you pull this, it’ll go on its own. Try touching it.”
The girl handed the rope to Winia. It seemed docile since it didn’t act up even when Winia pulled it.
“This one can carry about the weight of two adult women and travel for several hours. It’s an omnivore, so you can give it grass or the meat of hunted monsters, bones and all. Its beak is big enough to crush bones.”
As expected, a monster is still a monster.
“Can we just let it graze on leaves and grass in the mountains?”
“Yes. If you’re traveling, you don’t have to worry about food costs.”
The girl kindly answered my question.
“But can this thing tell what it can eat?”
“Of course. We keep taking it outside to feed, so the Quetes knows what kind of grass it can eat. It doesn’t eat what it doesn’t know. But be careful, it might accidentally eat poisonous plants or mushrooms, so be careful about that. If it dies, you’ll have to pay for it. Please be careful.”
It seemed that the price of a luggage Quetes of this size was about 7 silver.
It was cheaper than a horse, but it seemed expensive considering the cost of living.
A low-level adventurer’s daily living expenses are 3-5 coppers. The poor live on 1-2 coppers. Thinking from their perspective, it’s a ridiculous price.
But since it wasn’t raised to be used by those guys anyway, it’s probably a fair price.
“I see. I understand. Here’s the payment.”
“Have a pleasant trip!”
After paying, I came out of the barn and decided to load the backpack onto the Quetes’ back using the rope I bought yesterday.
It was a more difficult task than I thought, so when I was struggling, Cloudie quickly taught me how to load luggage onto livestock with her skillful hands.
“Oh, as expected of a desert dark elf.”
“I’ve escorted a lot of caravans. Now that I’ve shown you, Katt, you can do it too, right?”
“I’ll try it next time, so watch me then.”
“Okay. I’ll watch you.”
As expected, she had a lot of experience from living a long time.
ㅡKweak.
The Quetes was quite docile and didn’t act up while we were loading the luggage. Seeing this, Winia stroked its neck and said.
“It seems like we chose well since it’s so docile. Let’s go now.”
I awkwardly reached out and pulled the rope attached to the Quetes’ saddle and beak. Then, as I pulled, it stretched its legs and moved forward.
ㅡThud, thud.
It was docile and listened well.
As expected, there was nothing wrong with the saying that beasts are better than humans. Above all, it was my first time having this kind of experience, so it was quite fresh and amazing.
“Oh, oh. This thing moves.”
“Hehe. Of course it moves. That’s what it’s for. Anyway, let’s go.”
I immediately went inside the castle gate and came out of the north gate again.
Now, the real journey to find the meteorite begins.
I didn’t know what the result would be, but I was looking forward to it. I guess that’s why all the adventurers leave to find meteorites.
People who go to an uncertain new world with great hope, isn’t that what an adventurer is?
When you think about it, the adventurers on Earth who set sail after hearing that gold and pepper were piled up were no different. If there’s a lot of money involved, people will jump in headfirst. That’s the characteristic of the human race.
Desire is the fuel of humanity.
“Winia, the way?”
Winia, who took out the map, started explaining.
“First, we have to go straight along this road, and then turn off from the middle. As far as I can see, we don’t need to detour, and if we go straight, even taking some mountain paths, it’ll take 5 days. If we’re lucky, we can get there in 4 days.”
“Okay. It shouldn’t be too difficult.”
ㅡKweak.
“But this thing really moves well.”
The Quetes was silently carrying our luggage and walking along, moving its two legs. It was said that its speed was moderate and its stamina was quite good, so there would be no problem moving.
And since it moves on two legs, it can go to places where a carriage can’t. It even eats on its own, so it’s useful.
We walked along the road endlessly.
Since I wasn’t carrying luggage and just walking, it wasn’t hard at all, and it was even enjoyable, like going on a picnic.
However, I was bothered by the other people I encountered along the way and the adventurers who were going in the same direction.
In this era, people you meet outside are potential robbers.
“Ah, this is a story I heard from Karin.”
“From the Swordmaster?”
Winia looked at my face when I tried to tell a story.
Winia doesn’t particularly like Karin. But she and Cloudie have become so close that they sleep using each other as pillows.
“Winia. Do you hate Karin?”
“Who said I hate her? I just… feel that way. I haven’t seen the Swordmaster that much. I’ve been with Cloudie for so long, so she’s just like a sister now.”
“Oh, Winia. Do you finally think of me that way?”
“I said something similar last time. Don’t touch me. Ah, I said don’t touch me.”
Cloudie clung to Winia. She had said that she liked Winia because I loved her and Winia said she would have my child, so she was also fond of Winia.
“Karin said she wanted to see you sometime later.”
Anyway, I mentioned Karin to Winia.
“That person? Well, I want to talk to her again too. Let’s go together sometime after this is over.”
“Okay.”
“So, Blackie, what did you hear from that Karin?”
“This is a story I heard from Karin.”
This is a story Karin told me when I was recovering from my arm injury after fighting a troll.
“In some kingdom, when young knight aspirants first enlist, they undergo basic training for almost a year.”
“Of course they’d train them, they’re knights.”
“Hmm, knights.”
Winia and Cloudie both showed interest.
Of course, if you enlist for the first time, you have to undergo various training.
“During the basic training, many drop out, and some are revealed to have no talent, but after a year, they are sorted out to some extent.”
To me, who had been honorably discharged as an army sergeant due to the cursed conscription system, it was a familiar story, like hearing about the military life of a soldier from another unit.
“Anyway, to enter the kingdom’s knighthood as a new knight, you have to complete that one year of basic training, and there’s a final gate there.”
What Karin told me was about that final gate.
“It’s hunting trolls.”
“Trolls?”
“Oho?”
We happened to catch a troll last time.
I continued walking and talking.
“In order to finally select the guys who have completed a year of long training, they take them to a large forest with many secret swamps managed by the kingdom. There are supposed to be a lot of trolls there.”
In other words, it’s a survival game with a goal to achieve.
“Here, the trainees are paired into groups of three and put into the forest.”
“If they hunt a troll there, do they pass?”
“That’s right. Cloudie.”
Cloudie was right.
“If they bring back a troll’s head, they pass. If they give up or don’t bring it back, they fail. Of course, if they die, they also fail. About half of them pass this process.”
It was a pretty harsh condition.
“They’re looking at their combat power to hunt trolls, their survival skills in the wilderness, their tracking skills, their ability to complete missions, their mental strength, and their cooperation.”
“It’s a bit cruel, but it’s a reasonable story. It’s also practical.”
Winia nodded and said.
That’s what I think too.
They’re supposed to be kingdom knights, so they have to do that much.
“That’s an interesting story. Which kingdom is it?”
“I didn’t ask.”
“Why didn’t you ask?”
Because it’s not important.
Anyway, we walked diligently while talking about this and that. Neither we nor the Quetes carrying the backpack seemed to be having a hard time.
Rather, our steps were still light.
“Let’s turn off from here. I think we’ll have to climb a mountain.”
“The good times are all gone.”
We had been walking from early morning until afternoon, so it was time to change direction. We went straight along the mountain path.
ㅡKweak, kwek.
It was a little uneasy, but the Quetes climbed the mountain path well.
There seemed to be nothing to worry about. Even during lunchtime, when we roughly unloaded our luggage, it would pick leaves and bushes on its own.
When I poured water into its mouth, it drank it quietly.
It also sat down and rested on its own.
“This thing is pretty useful, isn’t it?”
“Yeah? I might use it often in the future.”
Winia seemed quite pleased too. We were taking that mountain path and in the late afternoon, a valley appeared.
ㅡShwaaaaa.
Winia, who looked at the map, said that we had to go along the valley path from here.
“But I don’t think we can move any further today. It’s late, and we have to let the Quetes rest so it can move tomorrow too. We’re camping here today. Blackie, let’s take that out.”
“That thing.”
I immediately tied the Quetes to a nearby tree, unloaded the luggage, and took out the camping supplies I had purchased. I took out a long stick, a tent, and a rope.
It was perfect since it was next to the valley.
We could set up a tent here.
The three of us immediately worked together to set up the tent. It was a primitive tent that was just a stick tied with a rope to make a frame and covered with a tarp, but it was enough for the three of us to go inside and sleep.
We immediately made a bonfire too.
Now, we can eat dinner, wash up in the valley, and then take turns keeping watch while we sleep. The sun will set soon.
“I think it’s okay to wash here, right? No one’s watching, right?”
Winia said, taking off her coat. It seemed like there were no people around, so no one would be watching.
“Do you want to wash? I’ll keep watch. Wash with Cloudie.”
“I will. Sister, let’s wash together. Blackie, please take out my underwear and towel.”
“Okay.”
This just feels like we’re on a camping trip.
I received the clothes from Cloudie and Winia and folded them.
