Côte Sud was famous for its signature white sand beaches that extended fifteen kilometers from east to west. Steep mountains loomed just back from the coast, leaving only a narrow strip of land fit for habitation. What little space there was, however, was jam-packed with enormous hotels. This was, after all, one of the Yupiter Empire’s top resort destinations.
Among them were five particularly grand establishments. The exterior of each was a different color—red, blue, green, black, and gold. The gold one was the newest and most magnificent, bedecked in gold leaves that on their own would have cost a king’s ransom to replace. The glitter of its gilded walls was visible for miles around, securing the hotel’s reputation as the premier holiday destination for nobles and wealthy merchants who saw opulence as a virtue and set apart a great store by how much they could stand out.
Surrounding all this luxury were trees of a kind Nina hadn’t seen before.
“Whatever might those be?” she wondered aloud.
“Oh, those are palm trees. You get coconut juice and oil from them.”
“Can you really?” Nina gasped. “You’re so knowledgeable, Emily!”
“’Snothing,” Emily mumbled. She didn’t usually blush at direct praise, but she could hardly admit that she’d seen the same trees in a different world.
“All right, everyone!” called the merchant who’d employed them. “That concludes your protection duties!”
The adventurers all palpably relaxed. Even with easy jobs, this moment was always a relief.
“And if any of your purses are feeling extra full, we’d welcome your patronage at our hotel,” the merchant added, unable to resist a little self-promotion.
“That’d better come with a discount!” one of the adventurers called back.
“Of course. As a special favor, we’ll knock off...ten percent!”
“Gee, how generous!” The adventurer rolled his eyes, drawing a big laugh from the crowd. Everyone felt able to joke around now that they were safe in Côte Sud, the immediate dangers behind them.
The leader of each of the parties went up to get the head of the merchant company to sign off on their job. When Emily’s turn came, he said brightly, “You and the rest of Maid & Co. are welcome to stay for half price. We’d love to have you!”
A man with a round face and a goatee, he had treated all the adventurers with equal courtesy throughout the journey. It had made Emily think he was trustworthy, but now, she wasn’t so sure.
“Half price? Sounds like there’s a catch.”
The man laughed sheepishly. “Well, I hold out hope that our hot spring hotel might convince you to sign an exclusive contract...”
“Not gonna happen,” Emily told him. “We’ll be leaving the empire eventually.”
“That’s a pity.”
“Still, we’ll drop by if anything comes up.”
“I look forward to it,” the man said, his smile never faltering as he took Emily’s job form and signed his name: “Mals Mojito.”
Even his name is round, she thought.
After making their farewells, Astrid went to the tourist information center and was given three recommendations for lodgings. The first was expensive but clean, the second moderately priced but safe, and the third was cheap but a little dodgy. Incidentally, the hotel operated by the Mojito Merchant House was far more expensive than even the first of Astrid’s options. They clearly catered to a more well-to-do kind of customer, because even at half price, the nightly rate was still pretty steep. That glittering gold hotel must charge even more...
In any case, it was only just past noon, so they decided to go take a look at each of their options. However you looked at it, the first was a risk-free option, though the rooms were a little small for the price. The second was unexpectedly nice. Meals weren’t included, but Nina could take care of that, and it’d be fun to go shopping around the resort town.
“Now for number three...”
It was entertaining just going around the different inns. The view of the ocean was blocked by the line of bigger hotels, but in the gaps between them they caught glimpses of sunlight and dazzling white sand.
Before anyone could stop her, Emily took off, running and leaping down to the sand.
“Time to hit the beach!” she hollered, holding on to her hat to keep the wind from blowing it off.
The beach was divided up into several sections. There were wealthy families with servants in tow amusing themselves, and children splashing about in the surf. Their pale complexions suggested that they weren’t locals. They all gave each other a wide berth, which kept the beach from feeling crowded. The sun was scorching, but there was a wonderfully cool breeze.
“Ahhh, that hits the spot,” Emily sighed.
“What’d you go running off like that for?” Astrid said as they caught up.
“The ocean is so vast...” Nina murmured.
“Chi has never seen it before either.”
Nina and Tien drank in the new sights.
“Guys, guys!” Emily said suddenly. “We can’t have a beach holiday dressed like this! Let’s go get new clothes!”
And so the four of them set off for the shops. There were plenty of stores catering to everyday customers, not just the guests at the luxury hotels.
“Come on in! And where have you young ladies come from? You won’t find dyed garments like these in the capital—”
“—seashells for souvenirs? This color is unique to Côte Sud—”
“—try our juice! You haven’t had the real resort experience until you’ve wandered around with a coconut in one hand—”
Nina’s eyes sparkled as she looked at different wares. It was all so new and fresh.
“Nina, here.”
“Oh!” Nina accepted a carved-out coconut full of fruit juice from Emily.