“I’ll bring some Olbaum Electorate Kingdom currency back with me. We can take a look at them then,” Vandal said. All the currency in the Amidd Empire was issued by the Empire itself, meaning they had a single currency. In the Olbaum Electorate Kingdom, however, the individual lords and dukes issued the currencies, so they had fourteen different types.
There was the unified currency called the baum, which could be used across the Electorate Kingdom, but that was all mixed in with the currencies issued by each domain. While Olbaum was all one nation, there were currency exchanges on the borders between each domain, and merchants who were active in multiple domains had to keep an eye on the exchange rates at all times.
In addition to all of that, new currencies had replaced old ones throughout history on multiple occasions. It wasn’t just about changing the face of the king carved into the coins; the metallic composition was also changed, in turn changing the value. It was quite possible that the currency would be completely different from 200 years ago.
“After a war six years ago, there’s one fewer domain, but it’s still very complex. If we’re going to make our own currency, we’ll have to proceed with care,” Vandal stated. They didn’t want the composition of the coins created in Talosheim to cause issues at a later date, such as inflation. Vandal recalled learning about something like that once happening in Japan.
Chezale was looking at Vandal in surprise.
“You still plan on going to the Heartner Domain?”
“Sure, I do,” Vandal replied. “Of course I do.”
“You’ve already delayed departure by seven days.”
“There are reasons for that.” Vandal scratched his ear. “Lots of reasons.”
He couldn’t deny that he had put off his departure seven times in a row. The party headed for the domain would be himself, Zulan and Braga from the ninja unit, and Eleonora due to her superior infiltration skills. They would also be taking Lefdia, to provide a little living (if that was the word) proof to Princess Lebia, as Lefdia was the left hand of her younger sister, Zandia.
The idea was for Vandal to proceed to a town in the Heartner Domain and check things out. If Detect Danger: Death didn’t pick up anything of note, he would call in the ninjas and Eleonora with Lefdia. He had been discussing this plan with everyone for a number of months. But when it finally came time to leave . . . .
Day one.
“No, no, no, I’m going!”
“Grrhing!”
“I wanna go, pwease I wanna go—no, that’s not gonna woooork!”
“Pauvina, I’m only going and coming right back. I won’t be gone ten days. Rapie, I can’t take you near a human settlement; you’d cause a panic. And Zadilis, please, can you stop that? It’s embarrassing!”
Vandal got held up by Pauvina, Rapieçage, and—for some reason—Zadilis. Pauvina and Rapieçage were quickly placated, but Zadilis fell into a deep hole due to her own childish behavior, considering her advanced years. It ended up taking the best part of the day to cheer her back up. Vandal had given up on departing that day and played with Vabi, Jadal, and the other kids.
Day two.
Vandal headed outside, sure that today would be the day. Then, a shadow fell over him, and in the next moment, he was snatched up into the air.
An ungodly screech racketed off his ears. The one abducting him was none other than Knochen, the Union Bone.
“Excuse me, I really do need to set out today!”
“Raaagh! Ooohn!”
“I really can’t take you, either!” Vandal insisted. Knochen was a Rank 8 Union Bone, meaning any sightings near human inhabitation would throw people into a mass panic. It was a disaster-level monster. “Once I register at the guild, I’ll get you certified as my subordinate monster!”
“Raaaah!” It still took the rest of the day to talk the beast down, while being forced to ride around on his bony back up in the sky.
Day three.
Vandal headed outside, sure that today would definitely be the day. Then he heard the sound of a horde of wings approaching, the sky darkened, and in the next moment, he was snatched up into the air.
Bzzzzzzzzzzz!
“I thought this was déjà vu, but nope. Cemetery Bees.” Dozens of the bees had grabbed onto Vandal and lifted him up, carrying him to the hive they had created. It was basically an extension to the castle. There, they offered him an assortment of honey and bugs. It seemed they were telling him to take these gifts and not leave.
“I’ll be back, okay? Don’t worry.”
Bzbzbzbzbzbz.
“I promise! Please, I don’t need to eat bug-based confections. At least let me cook them first!”
Vandal proceeded to do so, and the roasted bug balls with honey sauce actually turned out pretty great—crunchy on the outside, soft on the onside. Swap out the honey for a sweet-and-sour sauce and they might go well as a side dish, or with some alcohol.
Day four.
“Are you sure? I really think you should level up a little more. You said it yourself! You’re not getting many levels recently!”
That morning, it was Dalshia who held him up, worried about him going off into the world.
“It’s fine, Mom. I’ve hit a bit of a wall, sure, but I’m not getting weaker either,” Vandal assured her.
She was correct in that his level had suddenly stopped growing—what was generally called a “wall.” It was some cause for concern, but everything he could do yesterday, he could still do today. Furthermore, his growth wasn’t going to be stunted forever. A wall could be climbed. Kachia was an example of someone he knew who had hit her own wall, but she had overcome hers and was currently leveling up again. The timing of hitting the wall and the size of the wall one faced always varied. Some decided it was too much and gave up, but many managed to clear the wall and keep growing. Hitting a second wall was much more likely to cut an adventurer’s plans short.
According to most adventurers, they generally hit a wall around Grade D. Those who quickly overcame that would proceed to Grade C, while those who didn’t manage it right away—like Kachia—often experienced a slump. Former Grade A adventurer Borkz had overcome three walls in his career and had been facing a fourth when he was defeated by Mikhail.
Vandal tried to explain this context to Dalshia. “So I’m actually as strong as a Grade D adventurer,” Vandal concluded. “I won’t have any trouble popping into town and coming back.”
Certainly, every Grade D adventurer in the world would have something to say about such a claim. Dalshia was right there with them.