Babel

While waiting for the convoy to depart, Linnaeus' Party got to know Yorgen's a bit better. There was a very real chance they would be fighting alongside each other so it was necessary for them to have, at the very least, a basic understanding of each others' roles.As the total number of people in a Party could not exceed four people, Yorgen's three members were a thin and lanky man named Zezim, a rather weak looking youth named Cyrus, and a dark-skinned woman named Amanda.Zezim was a member of the Kyrie race, a group that could be demarcated due to their thin figures and, most importantly, the small wings that protruded from their backs. Though incapable of flight, they allowed the Kyrie to glide great distances and, while not the most powerful ability, SP could be sent into the feather to make them as sharp as low-quality blades. His role in the party was a mid-line Vanguard, supporting Yorgen in the frontlines with his quick and nimble attacks.Though Zezim stood out quite a bit, Cyrus had the more unique features, at least from Linnaeus' perspective. Despite being an adult, he had a short stature of around 120cm and, in stark contrast to the vast majority of races, his entire body was covered in fur. Though it was light around his face, a much thick coat covered the rest of his body while, poking out from behind, a rather thick tail could be seen extending nearly to the ground.Linnaeus had never seen one for himself, but Eliza informed him that Cyrus had features similar to a fox, including two large ears that weren't all that different from Emilia's. His fur, however, was a burnt orange mixed with browns, greys, and a bit of black. At the end of his tail, the color faded away to a pure white and, as could be expected from someone so small, they specialized in ranged attacks.Cyrus was purported to be the fastest member of Yorgen's Party and, to capitalize on this speed, he used a series of small cross-bows, one in each hand. When those didn't provide enough firepower, he would swap to a miniature arbalest on his back, a two-handed weapon that had enough kick to send most people backward unless they steeled themselves.The final member of Yorgen's Party, Amanda, actually stood out the least amongst their group based on unique features. She more than made up for this in her beauty, however, as she had unblemished olive-brown skin, slightly pointed ears, a shapely figure, brilliant purple eyes, and pale white hair. She was a hybrid of two different races, a Hume and a Licenai, a tribe with similar features to the Elvaan people.Though physically inferior to the rest of her Party members, Amanda was considered their Ace as she was their only magical attacker. She was the only one to openly reveal her Blessing within Yorgen's Party, both as a result of her pride and the fact it couldn't exactly be hidden. After all, even during their first encounter, she had a large white tiger following beside her, it's tail flickering with a ghostly blue flame.Amanda's Blessing was the relatively rare [Spirit Summoner], an ability that allowed her to summon a variety of different Spirits, creatures comprised of pure elemental energy. Though this required the user to form a contract with each Spirit they wanted to summon, exceptionally high Charisma and a fair amount of persistence had turned Amanda into a relatively capable Summoner.Overall, Yorgen's Party was both balanced and, based on first impressions, exceptional. Linnaeus felt it was fortunate to have been assigned the same carriage as them, even if Amanda caused Eliza and Emilia to stick to him. She looked at him with the eyes of a woman who had found something fun to play around with, a look Linnaeus had grown used to during his travels throughout the Slums.Fortunately, she didn't do anything overt to sow discord between the two Parties, a testament to the fact she cared about her own image. At most, she sent Linnaeus a playful wink before pretending to ignore the warning look from Eliza and the focused gaze of Emilia...---By the time both Parties got to know about each other, the convoy leader, a Merchant named Kross, had given the order to prepare for departure. This required Linnaeus and co to board the carriage, piling into the opening at the back or sitting on the staging perch. Since the inside was cramped due to the supplies, they decided to take turns resting while everyone else would be posted around the carriage to keep watch.It was all but guaranteed the convoy would be attacked at some point as, even if it was a deterrent to most bandit groups, monsters rarely made such considerations. The fourteenth carriage may be towards the latter half of the convoy but that actually increased the chances it would be attacked as bandits often targetted the final few vehicles in order to 'encourage' those in front to keep going.Fortunately, they weren't close enough to the back to have to worry about such a thing so, from the time of the departure until just before the light faded from the sky, Linnaeus spent most of his time making idle conversation with Yorgen and Cyrus.Linnaeus came to learn that Yorgen's Party had actually been together for three years at this point, meaning they had already lost the chance to leave the Crucible of Souls. Despite this, they lived their lives to the fullest, often traveling around between the various regions, seeking adventure and, when funds were tight, fortune.Since a major expedition was scheduled to take place at the beginning of next month, they decided to head to the Monster Ant Colony to make advance preparations. After all, it was a lot easier to get a good position within the expedition if you arrived earlier, rather than arriving last minute. This was due to the fact that the leaders of each expedition spent a considerable amount of time planning so if you arrived late, they had no way of fitting you in as anything more than fodder or cleanup troops.Though Linnaeus had already known about the upcoming Expedition, he still enjoyed talking with the amiable duo. They were very helpful and informative, something Linnaeus couldn't even consider in the past as kindness had always been a rare commodity within the Slums. Now, he was beginning to realize that most people weren't the malicious opportunists he had suspected them to be. Rather, so long as their livelihoods weren't threatened, a surprising number of people turned out to be nice.---While Linnaeus was having an amicable conversation with Yorgen and Cyrus, a very different kind of mood existed within the carriage's interior. There, Eliza and Emilia sat across from Amanda and her squirrel-like summon, a wind Spirit named Fei-Fei. The two sides stared icily back at each other, the atmosphere in the carriage lowering to match.Originally, Linnaeus had shown a fair amount of concern about what was taking place within the carriage but, after inquiring, all three girls unanimously informed him that nothing was wrong. Since then, he had emulated Yorgen and Cyrus, willfully ignoring the cold atmosphere that seemed more than a little counter-intuitive to their cooperation...Fortunately, when the time to battle actually came, there weren't any major hiccups as the monsters were easily dealt with by Cyrus and several other ranged attackers. Other than the convoy slowing a bit, in order to make it easier for the ground combatants to catch back up to their original carriages, nothing remiss had taken place by the time a loud horn blared, signaling they were stopping for the night.Since the girls were supposed to be resting during the day, they were the first half of the night's watch while Linnaeus, Yorgen, Cyrus, Zezim, and Krone all squeezed into the carriage's interior. It was a tight fit, especially for Zezim, but he managed to find a suitable position for himself on top of the less angular supplies.Overall, it wasn't the most pleasant experience but, perhaps as a result of their individual pride, none of the 'men' deigned to complain about the arrangements. Instead, they made idle conversation in subdued tones, discussing various topics that had no real relevance to their current situation...Though they all seemed to get along relatively well with each other, the fact they had only just met made it impossible for anyone to sleep peacefully. This was especially true for Linnaeus but, due to his past experiences, he was the least affected by their situation. Even if he had to stay awake until they reached the Monster Ant Colony, he wouldn't be affected so, until it was time for them to swap with the girls, he engaged in the hushed conversation while laying next to the unsurprisingly warm Cyrus.When it finally came time for the changeover, Linnaeus was the first to squeeze out of the carriage. There, he found Eliza dangling her legs off the side of the staging perch while Emilia and Amanda were nowhere to be seen.Without waiting for Linnaeus to ask the obvious, Eliza made a show of yawning before stating in a sleepy tone, "Emilia and that vixen are both scouting further out. Someone from the Company came around to have the night watch spread out in order to detect enemies at a greater distance. I don't have [Night Vision] so I stayed behind."Hearing Eliza's response, Linnaeus gave an understanding nod before extending his hand to her and saying, "Try and get some rest. We don't know what the coming days will bring so it is important to sleep when you can."After accepting his hand and allowing Linnaeus to pull her up, Eliza surprised him slightly by giving him a hug and whispering, "Make sure to follow your own advice, okay?"So as not to make him too uncomfortable, Eliza released Linnaeus immediately after her words fell. Then, after waiting for the other men to exit the carriage, she crawled inside to find a comfortable spot for herself. It would be impossible for her to get any meaningful sleep with Amanda in the same carriage but that didn't mean she couldn't secure the most comfortable position.Shortly after Eliza entered into the carriage, a high pitched whine that sounded both loud yet quiet could be heard echoing through the night's air. This seemed to be informing those less attentive to the schedule that it was time for a shift change as, for a few minutes, silent chaos could be seen by those with eyes attuned to the darkness.By the time the somewhat annoying noise faded away, Emilia and Amanda had both returned, the latter with what appeared to be a large python coiling around her shoulders. What separated it from a normal snake was the fact it had four distinct eyes while, along the ridges of its brow, small white feathers could be seen forming a shape similar to a crown.Linnaeus had a distinct impression that Amanda could be a very dangerous opponent so he was hoping Eliza and Emilia didn't upset her too much. Though he wouldn't hesitate to cut her throat or pierce her heart, none of Yorgen's Party members seemed to be bad people so it would leave a bad taste in his mouth if they came to blows.Fortunately, Emilia seemed to have lost her interest in Amanda during the time they had been apart as, without even sparing the snake-bearing woman a single glance, she happily hugged him before jumping into the carriage immediately thereafter. As a result, Linnaeus could hear Eliza utter a harsh complaint, followed by a dry laugh and apology from Emilia.Having seen Emilia hug Linnaeus, Amanda cocked her head to the side in amusement. She seemed to consider saying something but, before she could do so, Zezim placed his hand upon her shoulder and whispered, "Amanda, darling, please don't cause any trouble...can't you at least wait until we get to the settlement before you do anything...regrettable?"In response to her companion's warning, Amanda gave him a sidelong glance with her purple eyes before forcing him to retract his hand as her snake tried to slither across it. This caused Zezim to sigh before looking toward Linnaeus with an apologetic expression and shrugging helplessly...

Though Amanda's behavior was a mild concern, the fact she had yet to even speak to him outside of their initial introductions gave Linnaeus the impression she wasn't a real threat. Thus, in response to Zezim's concerns, he gave a shrug of his own before disappearing under the cover of night.As someone with [Night Vision], Linnaeus already expected to be given a similar task to Emilia so he took the initiative to venture out ahead of time. While it may not be safest to go alone, his [Presence Concealment], [Stealth], and [Assassination] were far more useful when he could actually make use of them.With this in mind, Linnaeus trecked out a few hundred meters from the convoy, scaling a nearby hill to give himself a better vantage point. Truthfully, he was more worried about being attacked by the members of the convoy than any dangerous monsters as, while the night often brought danger, the plains and forests outside of the established gathering areas were sparsely populated with genuine threats.In the low light, it was easy to mistake friends for foe so, if he encountered another member of the convoy, there was a non-negligible chance they would mistake him as a scout. This was the danger of not knowing everyone else on the convoy but, due to having signed similar contracts, they would at least receive a notification after the first attack; warning them of the penalty if they continue to attack an ally.While the Akashic System served as the foundation for virtually everyone's life, that didn't mean it was completely without loopholes. Those that were clever could manipulate others to carry out all kinds of schemes that violated the usual rules and restrictions put in place by the system. Thus, in the brief moment where they didn't know whether or not they were friends or foes, there was a chance people could kill each other without getting flagged by the system. After all, in situations like this, accidents did happen...Fortunately, even after an hour manning his post, Linnaeus only saw a single duo approach near his position. Most people didn't venture nearly as far out as he did so, with the distance between each of the carriages, overlap was only possible if someone decided to roam around, patrolling.Since they wanted to make use of the same hill he was using, the duo approached until they were only a few meters away from Linnaeus' location. Despite this, they didn't seem to notice him at all as they were more focused on their hushed conversation than their actual surroundings.Hearing the duo talk about mundane topics, Linnaeus just rolled his eyes while internally willing them to move on quickly.As if to spite this thought, the male of the duo sat down on the grass and, after teasing his female companion, they ended up flirting together while watching the faux-stars overhead.Realizing they were going to stay for the long haul Linnaeus focused his mind, ensuring his presence was completely erased as he did his best to ignore them and focus on his surroundings. They were actually giving him a bit of experience every couple of seconds so, while it was annoying to have a couple flirting nearby, he at least received a minor benefit as a result.---Just under four hours after the change in shift had been called, a trumpet sound could be heard echoing throughout the area, breathing life into the convoy once again. This caused the duo who had been cuddling to rise with a start, departing from the hill to return to their own place in the convoy.Finally liberated from his unsuspecting companions, Linnaeus appeared a few seconds after the duo had departed, a bit of fatigue visible in his eyes as he stretched his limbs. Staying still for nearly three hours wasn't the most pleasant experience as the blood would settle due to poor circulation. As a result, his left leg had temporarily lost feeling and, even after it began to return, Linnaeus had to deal with a prickly feeling for several seconds before he was finally able to jog down the hill...Though she was never a morning person, Eliza was waiting for him near the back of the carriage with visible bags under her eyes. It was easy to see she had stayed awake all night but, knowing it wasn't the best idea to inquire, he offered a slight smile and said, "Good morning, Eliza."In response to his greeting, Eliza released a loud yawn before closing the short distance between them and giving him a quick. Then, after issuing a small hum, she released his body and said in a slightly more energetic tone, "Good morning, Lin...have you eaten anything?"Shaking his head, Linnaeus said, "I'll get something to eat once we start moving. If you're still tired, try and get some rest after we depart."Since it looked like the convoy would set out at any moment, Linnaeus felt they didn't even have time to stand around talking, much less eat breakfast. Eliza seemed to realize this as well so, after an acknowledging smile, she climbed into the back of the carriage, joining the waiting Emilia, the latter of which was already snacking on a large sweet bun full of curry...Seeing the ravenous girl happily busying herself with breakfast, Linnaeus just waved at her before hopping onto the staging perch next to a disgruntled-looking Yorgen. When he noticed Linnaeus was looking, however, a smile returned to his face as he lightly nudged the former with his elbow and asked, "How'd tha night watch go, lad? Any troubles afoot?"Though Yorgen would undoubtedly get a kick out of it, Linnaeus elected not to mentioned the duo that had 'invaded' his post during the watch. Instead, he just shook his head, explaining, "It was an uneventful evening."Hearing Linnaeus' response, Yorgen gave a half-laugh-half-snort, a peculiar reaction that Linnaeus didn't really know how to interpret. Fortunately, he followed up the strange noise, explaining in a hushed tone, "It was a right battle around 'ere, ya keen? Them lasses don't know the meanin' of civility. Never in me life did I regret choosin' ta stay back and keep watch more'n I did last night."Since it didn't take an overactive imagination to understand what Yorgen was getting at, Linnaeus offered a wry smile in response, choosing to withhold a remark. He had the distinct impression that all three girls had heard Yorgen's remark as, despite his efforts to speak in a hushed tone, his deep and gruff voice carried far.Fortunately, before Yorgen could say anything else to potentially trigger the girls, Krone and Cyrus returned to the carriage, the latter actually sitting on the former's shoulders.Seeing the unexpected sight, Linnaeus was at a momentary loss while Yorgen, reacting as if it was the most normal thing in the world, just asked the duo, "How'd tha night watch go? Any troubles?"Krone wasn't the most personable person in the world so it was Cyrus who, after hopping off the former's shoulders, answered, "We were attacked by a small group of Rashu but, thanks to Big Bro, I was able to deal with them without too much trouble~!"Hearing how Cyrus addressed Krone, Linnaeus gave the latter a questioning look but, instead of an actual response, the grey-skin man just snorted before disappearing around the carriage to sit at the front.Though Krone's response wasn't all that surprising, the fact Cyrus happily followed after him caused the cogs in Linnaeus' mind to jam up. This was noticed by Yorgen who, after a bit of gruff laughter, took it upon himself to explain, "Cyrus is a good lad. He's always had a knack fer makin' friends. It don't matter if yer the quiet type or the gruff type. If Cyrus wants ta be yer friend, he'll find a way to break through yer shell."In response to Yorgen's claim, a feminine voice rang out from within the carriage, stating, "Yorgen may be our Party Leader but Cyrus is the glue that holds us all together. If he hadn't begged to have me join the Party, I would have stayed in the Western Kingdom."Hearing Amanda suddenly insert herself into the conversation, Linnaeus turned his head to find the sensual woman smiling at him. In response to her words, however, Yorgen guffawed before stating, "Don't let that lass' words fool ye. She ended up following our little lad back like a lost kitten, ain't that right, Mandy?"Rather than dignify Yorgen's words with a response, Amanda crossed her arms, propping up her breasts slightly as she turned her head in a huff. This resulted in another loud bellow from Yorgen while, back in the carriage, Emilia and Eliza were looking at the brown-skinned beauty with what could only be described as 'taunting' expressions...---After about fifteen minutes of checking the wheels and axels of each carriage, each of the drivers, starting from the rear, issued a loud bellow. This continued until their shouts reached the very front of the convoy. Afterward, a loud sequence of trumpeting echoed through the area, followed by the convoy setting out.If they made good time, it was possible to reach the Monster Ant Colony without having to set camp for a second night so, with this in mind, the Dumbswallows were urged to increase their pace. Since he was riding on the back of a carriage, Linnaeus was able to see how swiftly the ground was moving beneath them and, while he could move faster in short bursts, the fact the silly-looking birds could keep the pace for more than half a day reminded him that monsters couldn't be underestimated.With another carriage following on a few dozen meters behind theirs, Linnaeus could see into the eyes of the Dumbswallows at the very head of the procession. They seemed to genuinely enjoy the act of running as, rather than anguish or frustration, they had glimmering eyes filled with happiness as they somehow managed to keep pace with each other, rarely falling out of cadence.Other than strange thoughts of what would happen if he accidentally fell off the back of his carriage and got trampled by the resolute birds, Linnaeus found himself wondering what it would be like to ride on the back of a Dumbswallow. He knew they could be mounted, as he had seen several people riding them around, so it was worth looking into if they ended up wanting to travel without relying on merchant convoys in the future...As if he could read Linnaeus' mind, Yorgen nudged him slightly, stating, "Don't stare too long, lad. Some say Dumswallows have the power to make anyone that looks into their eyes just as dumb as them. Yer better off gettin' a Pack Lizard or a Steelback if ya want to find a mount. They may be a wee bit slower but they're a lot easier to rear than the onery bastards."Though Linnaeus knew what a Pack Lizard was, as they were nearly as common as Dumbswallows, he had never heard of a Steelbacks. Since he was always eager for new knowledge and information, he immediately inquired further, asking, "Can you tell me more about Steelbacks? We're still pretty new to the Fifth Floor so any information is helpful."Like most of the Dwarves Linnaeus had encountered thus far, Yorgen had no problem at all when it came to sharing information. Their entire race seemed to be full of rather jovial fellows so, without beating around the bush in the slightest, he happily droned on about Steelbacks for nearly half an hour. As a result, Linnaeus learned they were basically giant feline creatures but, rather than a coat of fine fur, they were covered in sleek, steel-like, scales.Though it took some training to ride one, Steelbacks were far more nimble than Dumbswallows and, in a combat situation, they were capable of providing direct support due to their ferocity and razor-sharp claws. The females even had retractable spines on their tails, able to pierce through plate steel and demolish tree trunks with considerable ease. The only real downside was the fact you had to be present at the time of a new Steelbacks birth so they could imprint on you. They were fiercely loyal creatures so, unless you had a Blessing related to taming, it was impossible to acquire one without contacting a specialized breeder and waiting upwards of half a year...(A/N: Sorry for the recent delays. I ended up getting sick for a short while but, rather than sickness, the main reason behind the slow releases was due to the fact I was plotting out the story. Originally, I started writing just to create a unique world from scratch but, as I don't want the story to go on for thousands of chapters, I had to plot out a more comprehensive storyline. Now that I have a better idea of the direction I want the story to take, I will be returning to daily releases once again. Thank you for your patience and understanding.)

With about thirty minutes left until they were scheduled to meet, Eliza arrived in the plaza to find Emilia, once again, clinging to Linnaeus. This caused her mood to diminish but, after the previous incident; she ultimately just released a small sigh before dodging through foot traffic to approach the duo.Sensing Eliza's approach, Emilia's ears perked up and, as a compromise of her own, she stopped leaning against Linnaeus' shoulder; rising to her feet to happily exclaim, "Liz, you're late~"Hearing Emilia's remark, Eliza gave her a pointed look before dodging the former's attempt to hug her, replying, "Our meeting time isn't for another half an hour. You and Lin are just a little early, that's all."After stating her piece to Emilia, Eliza chose to momentarily ignore her; closing the remaining distance to Linnaeus and giving him a spontaneous hug. This caused the latter to tense up but, compared to the past, he calmed down quickly before reciprocating.Before things could get out of hand, Linnaeus lightly pat Eliza's back, his eyes taking in their surroundings as he said, "We're drawing a lot of attention..."Though she wanted to remark that it didn't matter if others were watching them, Eliza knew that Linnaeus was still an inherently cautious person. She also didn't want to put too much pressure on him so, after squeezing him a little tighter; she released his body and said, "I haven't eaten yet. I imagine you already bought food for that glutton, right?"With Eliza releasing his body, Linnaeus continued to observe their surroundings for a few seconds longer while; in response to her question, he pulled out a small bag of cookies. He had expected something like this to happen so, knowing Eliza's preference for sweets; he made sure to obtain some in advance.Seeing Linnaeus profer a bag of cookies in an instant, a smile blossomed on Eliza's face as she reached out to secure them for herself. This was, hopefully, enough to keep her occupied until Krone finally arrived; though Linnaeus would never voice this thought out loud...---Though it was starting to seem as if Krone was going to arrive late, he ultimately beat the clock by a few minutes.To prevent an incident where Eliza lambasted an ally in public, Linnaeus preempted her actions by rising to meet the grey-skinned man, making it clear he hadn't done anything wrong by saying, "You have arrived just in time. Did you finish everything you needed to do? If we're late, the next convoy won't be until tomorrow morning."For a brief moment, Krone had been considering whether or not he should apologize so, hearing Linnaeus' words; he felt slightly conflicted. In the end, however, he nodded his head, answering, "I have finished my preparations..." before, in a much lower tone, adding, "I had intended to be earlier...I got sidetracked along the way...sorry."Now, it was Linnaeus' turn to be surprised but, as per usual, it didn't really show on his face. He just nodded in response to Krone's words, saying, "I understand, thanks for explaining things. I never doubted you had a reason. Besides, you are still on time so there's no need to apologize. Come, If everyone is ready, we'll be on our way."With the brief exchange between Linnaeus and Krone, Eliza felt it would be too awkward for her to say anything so; without further incident, the Party moved on to their destination: a Company-owned building that specialized in the transport of personnel and goods between Central City and the Monster Ant Colony.Though it was possible to reach the colony on foot, everyone had agreed that a five-day journey wasn't really something to look forward to. The risk of being attacked by bandits increased when traveling in small groups so; after the recent attack, they opted to travel with a convoy.By paying a variable transfer fee, they could either act as simple passengers or; in order to save on Kindling; serve as escorts for the convoy. The latter was, by and large, the more popular option so it wasn't uncommon for a convoy to be escorted by well over a hundred people.It was common sense that, if you wanted to traverse the common routes; traveling in a larger group was a lot safer. The only reason Linnaeus and co hadn't done so previously was largely due to the former's paranoia; combined with the fact that Eliza and Emilia had basically been broke at the time.Now that they had a bit of flexibility in their finances, securing passage with a convoy not only decreased the chances of a bandit encounter but it also reduced the total travel time by a fair amount.Rather than walk or run, they would be traveling in large reinforced wagons that were pulled along by a type of domesticated monster known, 'affectionately', as a Dumbswallow. They were large bipedal birds that stood well over three meters in height; their muscular frames covered in a thick plumage of vibrant feathers.The two most notable traits of a Dumbswallow were their almost comically oversized heads and their muscular three-toed feet. The former gave them a somewhat cute appearance, as they also had somewhat big eyes and curved beaks but; as the name suggested, they were notoriously dull creatures.Due to generations of selective breeding from a very small genetic pool, they had now reached the point that; if you didn't stop them from eating, a Dumbswallow would literally eat until their stomach ruptured. This made them somewhat dangerous as, with their powerful legs, they could even dent 20cm thick plate-iron with relative ease.Fortunately, while they were somewhat notorious for their intellect, Dumbswallows imprinted on their owners immediately after birth. This made them surprisingly easy to handle, so long as you knew how to properly care for them...When Linnaeus and co first laid eyes on the rather colorful creatures, Eliza's eyes lit up as she couldn't help but remark, "They are so adorable..." in a subdued tone. As for Emilia, she had to wipe her mouth with the back of her hand; her opinion of the birds clearly different from Eliza's.Linnaeus saw their contrasting reactions and before he realized it, a small smile had spread across his face. This immediately made him feel as though something was wrong, however, so it lasted for less than a second before he stated, "Don't gawk, Emilia. The last thing we need is you getting sent careening across the market after spooking the birds..."Hearing Linnaeus comment, Emilia's ears drooped slightly as she looked toward him with a slight pout on her face. Still, she followed his order and, though she didn't realize it; this was the correct decision as the closest Dumbswallow had been eyeing her; it's feathers beginning to puff up in response to the 'danger' it felt...Fortunately, without any incidents occurring, Linnaeus managed to find one of the Merchants affiliated with the Company and, without too much hassle, they were able to secure escort roles in the convoy. Though this required them to sign a contract, they ultimately only ended up paying a total of four-hundred Kindling between them. In exchange, they would have to proactively defend the convoy; turning over most of the materials obtained in exchange for a monetary reward.Since most people prepared their supplies before heading out to locations like the Monster Ant Colony, most Merchant convoys saw it as an opportunity to secure cheap materials. After all, they had massive wagons that could hold a ton of additional materials and drop items; items that the escorts would have had to leave behind unless they wanted to strain their SP reserves.Though this arrangement annoyed Linnaeus quite a bit, as the stipulations of the contract made it so that the convoy could essentially take detours; Eliza explained to him that only fools would do such a thing. For a Merchant Company, reputation and trust were more important than the actual items they traded as; without these two things, nobody would purchase from them.Unless a business had a monopoly, there were no benefits in exploiting mercenaries and small Parties as the negative reputation they acquire would quickly bring them to ruin. Thus, while the contract did have a few troublesome clauses, these were actually written in to give the Company a bit of wiggle room when it came to choosing a route.Depending on various factors, such as natural weather phenomena, environmental hazards, and monster hordes, it was sometimes necessary to change routes in order to ensure the safety of the convoy. If the contract forced them to follow an exact route, there was a good chance they could walk into an irreversible situation, the most common of which was having bandits intermixed into the escort; feeding route information to their companions.Being a cautious person himself, Linnaeus could understand the concerns of the Company so, after Eliza's explanation; he ultimately signed the contract. At the same time, however, he made a mental note to always investigate the Companies they worked with in the future. It made him feel uncomfortable to simply trust people on principle alone; especially when binding contracts were involved...---In total, the convoy consisted of twenty-three carriages; each pulled by a duo of Dumbswallows. They were capable of setting an average pace of around 100km per hour and, if properly fed, it was a simple feat for them to travel upwards of fifteen hours per day. To guarantee this, the total number of Dumbswallows was twice the necessary amount; half of which would be 'resting' by trotting along without pulling a wagon.Linnaeus' Party had been assigned to the fourteenth carriage, a six-wheeled wagon formed from Ironwood and reinforced with Blacksteel plating. It was transporting non-essential goods, such as bolts, screws, and additional plating. These would only be necessary if a carriage was disabled during a monster attack so there were only two Parties assigned to protect it, Linnaeus' and one led by a stout man with dark-red hair and a beard that extended to his chest.Since they would be traveling together for more than two days, Linnaeus restrained his urge to simply ignore the man. Instead, he approached the stout figure who, despite appearing to be middle-aged, was only slightly taller than Linnaeus himself. This was due to the fact the man was clearly a Dwarf; evident by his short stature, intricately groomed beard, trunk-like limbs, flat nose, and small, pointed, ears.Seeing the youthful and rather frail figure approach him, the Dwarf raised one of his thick brows, asking, "Aye, what can ah do ye for, lass?"Hearing the man address him as 'lass', Linneaus had to forcibly restrain a facial twitch in order to form a wry smile as he replied, "My name is Linnaeus Finnian. Our Parties will be working together over the next couple of days so I thought I would introduce myself. Also...I am not a girl..."Without making any effort to hide his surprise at all, the Dwarven man gave Linnaeus another take before remarking, "Sorry, lad. Ye might've guessed it but ah'm a Dwarven folk. Names Yorgen Kilncrusher. Ain't easy tellin tha gender of other tribes apart. Hope yer an understandin' lad."Toward the end of his words, Yorgen extended his hand in a gesture of goodwill, a somewhat crooked but good-natured smile on his face. Linnaeus hesitated for a brief moment when he saw this but, realizing the other party had no malicious intentions; he ultimately extended his own, much smaller hand...Despite their comparable heights, Yorgen's hands were more than twice the size and thickness of Linnaeus'. They were also incomparably rough and calloused, a stark contrast to the delicate and nimble fingers of the young Manalyte hybrid. This made their handshake somewhat awkward but, known to be a social bunch, Yorgen just laughed it off after a cheeky remark; easing the tensions between the two Parties with humor.

Chapter 75: Familiarity