I really didn’t want to get on another ship.

  Just thinking about puking until my head spun made me sick.

  I wanted to take the land route and never board another boat again, but Bernadia insisted this ship would rock far less than the last one, so I reluctantly agreed.

  And he was right—the motion was much gentler.

  I realized the previous nightmare had been because we were on a tiny boat fighting rough waves.

  It wasn’t completely comfortable, but at least I could enjoy the sea breeze.

  The air was a little sticky, yet the endless sky and sea gave an indescribable sense of freedom.

  The thrill of the ship racing along with the wind was a completely different kind of fun from horseback riding.

  The trip from Ternova to Tricia would take only half a day.

  After clearing port procedures, we docked.

  The moment Denaris and the others stepped off, the Moon Maiden pulled away again to wait offshore.

  There simply wasn’t any space to moor her.

  Right after disembarking, we reached immigration. Citizens of the same country could pass with just an ID check.

  Cargo ships docked elsewhere for unloading and customs inspection.

  Once we cleared immigration, a bustling shopping street lined with trading houses came into view.

  The crowd was comparable to the capital—people flowing in every direction.

  And this was supposedly a quiet period. I couldn’t even imagine how lively it must have been at its peak.

  People wore all kinds of clothing. Many outfits resembled the hakama and haori we knew.

  The whole city had a unique scent.

  Massive amounts of spices from southern countries flowed in here before spreading to every corner of the continent.

  Cooks from all nations gathered too, so you could enjoy dishes from every land and climate.

  Some people even traveled here specifically for the food.

  We hadn’t eaten yet, so we started looking for a place, but the streets were packed with restaurants and it was hard to choose.

  “Do you like spicy food?” Bernadia asked.

  “I don’t hate it, but I’d rather not have anything too extreme…” Liera said.

  “We can ask them to go easy on the heat. The spice-heavy dishes here are worth trying.”

  He led us into a restaurant specializing in southern cuisine.

  The moment we stepped inside, the intense aroma hit us and everyone covered their noses.

  Bernadia ordered several dishes.

  Soon the same citrus juice we’d had in Ternova arrived.

  “You really know your way around, Bernadia.”

  “I travel a lot. I love this juice too—it pairs perfectly with the spices.”

  The food arrived, every dish loaded with fragrant spices. Even the chicken was incredibly aromatic. We ate in near silence.

  The heat was dialed down, but countless layers of aroma still danced through our noses.

  It was strangely pleasant, and we kept eating.

  The sweet-sour-bitter juice washed away the tingling on our tongues and refreshed us.

  Everyone seemed to love it. Bernadia looked genuinely happy.

  That was when several men approached.

  “You folks aren’t from around here. Those clothes… are you Trician royalty?”

  The question seemed aimed at Denaris.

  “No, I’m from far up north in the Alias domain. Did the Trician royal family wear clothes like this?”

  “That’s Haran-style clothing.”

  The man was wearing a similar outfit—his long tunic hiked up to show muscular legs.

  “Alias… I see. So the Haran culture still lingers up there.”

  “Are you Haran people? In my homeland only a few traces remain, but I hear it’s still strong in the northern forests.”

  “I see. You’re carrying a very fine blade, so I thought you might have returned home. My mistake. Enjoy the city.”

  As he turned to leave, Denaris called after him.

  “You know about blades?”

  The man looked back.

  “Of course. Almost no one can make them anymore, but a few still exist. Collectors pay ridiculous prices. Be careful—they’re often stolen.”

  So rarity gave them value. Maybe Legolis had a business opportunity.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “If you’re interested in blades, ask Matilda at the port guild. She’s the best appraiser in town.”

  “Thank you. I’ll do that.”

  The man left looking a little lonely.

  “Everyone probably misses the old days,” Denaris said.

  “The city has changed so much. Work has dried up, so life must be hard for them.”

  “Bernadia, you seem to know a lot. I’d love to hear the story.”

  Bernadia began telling them about Tricia.

  The capital of the Kingdom of Tricia had thrived on trade since ancient times. Long ago, iron flowed out from this city to surrounding nations, transforming cultures across the continent.

  Maritime trade always carried danger—shipwrecks, storms, pirates. One lost cargo could bankrupt an entire trading house.

  That was why insurance was created.

  They calculated the value of cargo, charged a percentage as a premium, and paid out in case of loss.

  Premiums used to be high—over twenty percent—but recently they had dropped to ten to fifteen percent.

  The reason was the creation of a maritime defense organization—the navy.

  Tricia had extremely low taxes because customs duties covered almost everything.

  Most of that revenue went straight into the navy.

  Ships sailed in convoys with escort vessels, drastically reducing pirate attacks.

  Weather damage still happened, but even that decreased.

  Longer routes were accepted if they lowered risk.

  Insurance payouts required submitting a logbook. If a ship sailed through dangerous waters despite known bad weather, the payout was heavily reduced.

  By lowering risk, more ships came to the city and it prospered.

  The insurance system that supported all of this had been backed by the Trician royal family.

  Every lord in Tricia was related by blood, and the king was chosen from among them.

  They each contributed a fixed amount to an insurance fund and subsidized part of the premiums.

  But ultimately, the lords themselves were the underwriters.

  Every insurance contract bore their signature and seal, making payment legally binding.

  Because they had to pay no matter what, the system worked.

  If nothing happened, the underwriters kept the premiums.

  In other words, gambling was the nobles’ main source of income.

  That system collapsed eighteen years ago when Tricia was annexed by the Kaios family.

  The Kaios house seized the insurance fund.

  The lords had kept most of their wealth in their own insurance companies, so their personal assets were small. Soon after the Kaios takeover, most businesses folded.

  The public announcement that the lords had been exiled abroad only accelerated the collapse.

  The only one that survived was the insurance company of Princess Claudia IV, who had married into the Valerius house.

  In reality, it had either merged with or become a subsidiary of the Valerius company.

  The Kaios house naturally hated this and imposed heavy taxes on the insurance business.

  Claudia responded by bundling insurance into her maritime security fees, effectively making the insurance industry disappear.

  This cat-and-mouse game continued, and Tricia’s commerce cooled rapidly. Meanwhile, the power struggle between Claudia and the Kaios house raged on.

  It had calmed somewhat after the marriage between Miredias III and Clarissa, when the Valerius house agreed to raise the general tax rate from five to ten percent.

  But after Miredias’s death, the conflict flared up again.

  “Things have become unstable again recently, but let’s talk about the details at the inn. I’ve already reserved rooms—shall we go?”

  He paid the bill and led the way.

  The inn was on a hill, with large rooms in a style reminiscent of a noble mansion. A small garden offered a panoramic view of the city.

  He laughed and said the “extra income” had come in handy.

  There were multiple bedrooms, but with five people there weren’t enough beds. Felix volunteered to sleep in the living room, so it worked out.

  Then they discussed their next steps.

  “First, let me tell you what I couldn’t say earlier.”

  Last year, Alexios raised the general tax rate to thirteen percent and abolished taxes on the now-defunct insurance industry so he could start his own underwriter business.

  But with no track record or experience, his company couldn’t secure contracts.

  After all, the navy he controlled was worse than pirates.

  Still, he lowered premiums and kept the business barely alive.

  Recently he had been aggressively approaching the old established companies in Tricia, slowly gaining ground and turning a profit.

  And finally his efforts paid off—more than a dozen companies switched to Alexios’s firm.

  He was in high spirits.

  He boasted that he would steal Tricia from Clarissa and take full control.

  “Even if he lowers premiums, his navy is still worse than pirates, right? Won’t he just bleed money?” Felix asked.

  “He will. But if nothing happens despite having pirate-level defenses, that’s lucky. We need to find out why.”

  When Denaris said that, everyone nodded.

  “The port guild knows the real story, right?” Fiona asked.

  “More like the reality on the ground. They’re the organization that supports the people who actually work the docks.”

  Bernadia answered.

  “They also said she’s a blade appraiser. Showing her the sword might be the quickest way.”

  Denaris patted the hilt of his blade.

  It was a bit of a long shot, but they decided to go with it.

  The port guild was near the customs office.

  They handled unloading cargo from ships.

  They didn’t let crews do it themselves to prevent theft.

  The customs office hired workers for the job, but heavy labor came with injuries.

  An injury meant lost wages and trouble feeding a family.

  At first it was just a mutual-aid group, but it grew into a full organization.

  Now it even owned buildings, making it an annoyance for the Kaios house.

  A muscular man stood at the entrance, wearing his long tunic neatly.

  Denaris approached him.

  “Hello. Is there a woman named Matilda here?”

  “Yeah, she’s here. What do you need?”

  “I heard she’s an expert on blades.”

  Denaris showed him the sword at his waist.

  “I’d like to speak with her if possible.”

  The man glanced at the blade, smiled faintly, and said “Wait here” before disappearing inside.

  A short while later he returned, grinning.

  “She’ll see you. Follow me.”

  He led them to a room at the back and knocked. A woman’s voice answered.

  “Welcome to the Port Guild. I’m Corvios Matilda, representative of the guild. Have a seat.”

  She stood and offered the couch.

  “I’m Alias Denaris. Thank you for seeing me.”

  She was wearing hakama-style pants.

  A man’s sash held them at the waist.

  Her long tunic was deep crimson, the hakama charcoal gray.

  There was delicate embroidery on the collar.

  She looked surprisingly young.

  Denaris removed the sword from his belt and sat.

  “Thank you for taking time out of your busy day.”

  “No need to thank me. Compared to the old days, we’ve got too much free time. Too many idle hands. You actually use that blade, huh? Almost no one does anymore.”

  “Yes. I’ve never used it in real combat, though.”

  “I see. I love blades but I’ve never cut anything with one. May I?”

  Denaris nodded and handed it over.

  Matilda slowly drew the blade and her eyes widened.

  “Blue steel… So it really exists.”

  “You’ve heard of it?”

  “Yes. I heard there used to be iron like this. First time I’ve actually seen it.”

  “I only got it recently. It was made for me.”

  “So there are still people who can make them. I wonder what materials they used. The grain is beautiful too.”

  “Do you own any blades?”

  “I did once. My mother had one. When I was a child I had a terrible fever for several days. She sold it to pay for medicine. It was a family heirloom.”

  “That’s a shame. But—if it’s not your mother’s blade—would you be interested in getting one?”

  “Of course. I love looking at blade steel. These days I mostly punch and kick, so I don’t use swords, but still…”

  Denaris smiled.

  “I know the smith. He seemed eager to make more. I can introduce you.”

  “Where is he?”

  “In my homeland—the Alias domain.”

  “So you’re from the north. I’d love to have one.”

  “Is there demand?”

  “Collectors will pay a fortune. If they see this blade they’ll offer a serious sum. Not many people can actually use them anymore—the technique has been lost. My mother knew it. She taught me with a wooden sword. If the price is right, I’d buy one myself.”

  “I’ll write to him and ask.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I was surprised, though. The guild representative is a woman.”

  Matilda grinned, showing her teeth.

  “It’s tradition. Want to hear the story?”

  “Please.”

  She talked endlessly.

  Denaris listened with genuine delight, completely forgetting about work.

  Thank you so much for reading! ??

  If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a rating or a review!

  Your feedback is greatly appreciated and really encourages both the original author and the translator to keep bringing more chapters.

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  See you in the next chapter!