NOVEL NEXT chapter 21
21 – Salt Delivery Commotion (8)
It was a very sunny spring day.
In the midst of bright sunlight, gentle breeze, and the green gentle hills, Liana spoke.
“Erga, how about we buy a carriage? Since we have to keep moving anyway.”
“Didn’t you say you’d get tired of sitting in it sometimes?”
Liana tapped her chin.
“Well… that’s true, but then I wouldn’t need to be a guide anymore, right?”
“You think being a guide means constantly wandering around?”
“It’s not like that, but anyway…”
Liana glanced towards the baggage compartment.
“What if we put a folding bed or a straw mat in the baggage compartment so we can sleep comfortably?”
“Not a bad idea. We have a cover, so it’ll be perfect. We won’t have to sleep on the ground or get wet from the dew.”
“hehehe. That’s right, isn’t it?”
Liana laughed happily when I played along.
* * * * *
As the sun began to set, Liana pointed ahead and asked.
“What’s that? Who are those people? Are they street robbers?”
“I’ll take a look.”
I stood up slightly from the marble and observed the people in the distance.
“Hmm… Liana.”
“Why?”
“What kind of people are they, wearing the same armor and carrying the same sword?”
“I don’t know. Let me take a look.”
Liana, standing unsteadily, grabbed my shoulder and stretched her neck forward, looking ahead.
“Hmm… They seem like guards or something.”
“Guards, huh? The ones who catch bad people.”
“Yeah. Robbers don’t dress like that, so they must be guards, right?”
Well, I guess there’s no need to be on guard then.
The carriage continued steadily, and before I knew it, we were close to the people who seemed to be guards.
They were kneeling on the ground, talking seriously while feeling the ground with one knee.
Three men in leather armor and one woman in ordinary clothes with blonde hair.
“Hello?”
They turned their heads towards us at Liana’s cheerful greeting.
“Are you the guards?”
“Hello. We are the long-range reconnaissance unit.”
One of the men stood up, brushed off his hands, and took out a badge.
I didn’t know what it was, but Liana nodded when she saw it.
“So you’re from the Karabka City?”
“Yes. And this person here is an investigator dispatched from the capital.”
Liana greeted the woman.
“Hello, Detective.”
“Yes, nice to meet you.”
The detective replied with a friendly and bright voice, just like the patrol officers.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m doing various things.”
“What kind of things?”
“Well… like suddenly a new magic tower appeared, or a dragon built a nest, something like that?”
The detective replied playfully.
It was a nonsense that even I couldn’t make sense of, but Rianna’s eyes lit up as if she fell for it.
“A magic tower? A dragon? Oh my.”
The patrol officers smiled at Rianna, finding her cute and heartwarming.
Although Rianna seemed a bit silly and out of place, she was honestly quite adorable.
With just that foolish cuteness, she could offset everything.
Maybe it was an unintentional act.
It doesn’t seem like she’s completely innocent, judging from the way her eyes light up whenever she smells money.
“But where are you travelers headed? To Cabrika on this road?”
“Yes, that’s right. We’re delivering salt to Cabrika.”
“Salt, huh? Ah, then you’re not traveling long distances, just doing intermediate distribution.”
“Yes, that’s right. We departed from Toussaint Estate.”
The patrol officers seemed quite familiar with that place.
“Ah, then you must be the Thousand-Day Salt from the western sea. Are you going to the salt wholesale store in Cabrika?”
“Yes? Uh… hehehe… just a moment.”
Liana rummaged through her pocket and read the address written on a note.
“It seems to be roughly correct. Actually, this is my first time doing a transportation like this.”
“Oh, I see. That works out well. We’re just heading back to the headquarters. If you’re okay with it, why don’t you come with us?”
Liana turned to me at the patrol’s suggestion.
“What do you think, Erga?”
If it’s a long-distance patrol, it shouldn’t be too bad.
I can safely transport the salt as a companion.
“Sounds good. Let’s go together.”
And so, we ended up traveling with the long-distance patrol and the investigator who had come out from the capital.
* * * * *
They said that the investigator and the long-distance patrol were searching for traces of a fugitive criminal.
He’s someone like the head of a giant organization or the overall commander, a truly despicable criminal who muddies the city’s waters.
“What did he do wrong?”
“He’s suspected of trafficking drugs.”
“Oh my, how terrible. But if we already know who he is, can’t we just catch him right away?”
I had the same thought as Liana.
If there’s suspicion, why not catch him and make him spill everything.
The investigator smiled and shook his head.
“That’s not so simple. They’re deeply rooted organizations, so they’re experts in that field. They’re not easily caught.”
“For most cases, we use subordinates who can pass through the gray area between legality and illegality, and who can be easily cut off at any time. It’s very difficult to specifically target and eliminate the core.”
A patrol officer next to me interrupted.
I felt a little puzzled by the explanation.
“Even if that’s the case, if we clearly know that person is a bad person, shouldn’t we just apprehend them and interrogate them?”
“hahahaha, sir. Without evidence, we can’t do that.”
“Evidence…”
“Think about it. What would happen if we suddenly suspected that there might be drugs in this carriage and arrested you all without evidence?”
“Ah…yes. I understand.”
“So, it’s important for us to stick around for a long time and gather evidence.”
The investigator explained how they dealt with such criminals.
They keep monitoring and as soon as they commit a minor offense, like making a loud noise or using an unauthorized radio, they arrest them.
Then they hit them with the strongest punishment they can for that offense and let them go, but they continue to monitor them.
If they get caught again, this time they receive a heavier punishment.
They said they repeat this process indefinitely.
“Recently, the guy suddenly disappeared from the city, so I was searching for any traces of where he might have gone. Surveillance is just as important as arresting.”
“If you get caught once, it’ll really be a headache. I’ll be careful.”
The investigator lightly chuckled at my joke.
“You won’t have to worry about getting caught by me, unless it’s something serious.”
As night fell, we stopped at a suitable place and prepared for camping.
We propped up the wood and set the carriage diagonally forward to create space.
In the center, we gathered firewood and lit a bonfire, taking out our rations.
The patrolmen boiled grains and flour in hot water.
When I asked what kind of porridge it was, I didn’t hear it properly.
It was a thick porridge with dried meat and cheese pieces, a favorite when we ventured far outside the city like this.
“It’s easy to carry and easy to cook.”
Riana and I had some fresh ingredients because we had just left Makjarung.
Following Riana’s instructions, I thinly sliced the vegetables and meat with a versatile knife.
I put them in a pot and boiled them with water.
Riana added crushed tomatoes, salt, and other ingredients with a ladle and stirred for a while.
“I’m making stew.”
“That’s right. I made plenty, so try the taste.”
Riana kindly scooped the stew with a ladle and served it to each of us.
“Hmm…”
Looking at the stew in the bowl, there was nothing to say except for that.
The stew was much thinner and the smell of the meat was stronger than what we had eaten at the inn.
The greasy broth had grayish chunks of meat floating like drowned bodies, and the vegetables I haphazardly sliced looked like they could grow roots if planted on the ground.
The patrolmen hesitated to eat even though Riana offered it to them.
“Try the taste. I’m confident in my stew, hehehe.”
“Ah, yes… I understand…”
We ate with a feeling of disinterest.
“Oh my…”
One of the patrol officers exclaimed with surprise.
“Wow… um…”
“How is it? Is the seasoning not right?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just… um… it tastes expensive.”
“That’s right. I seasoned it with salt.”
Riana, pleased with the compliment, smiled brightly.
The patrol officers, who had been mesmerized by her smile, suddenly started devouring the stew.
They seemed completely enchanted.
The investigator, with a bewildered expression, only poked at the stew and didn’t seem to dare to eat it.
I, too, couldn’t bring myself to enjoy the taste.
“Excuse me. You seem to be enjoying it, but would you like to switch this stew with that porridge?”
“Please do.”
The porridge made by the patrol officers wasn’t anything special either.
It had a chewy texture, but overall it was bland, making me wonder what it tasted like.
Still, it was edible compared to Riana’s stew, so I reluctantly filled my stomach with it.
Wait a minute… Did she say she seasoned it with salt…?
Where did she get that expensive salt to put in the stew? That girl?
Could it be…?
“Hey, Liana… Do you happen to…”
“hehehe… Yes, I do… Only Erga knows about it…”
Liana narrowed her eyes.
“What if someone finds out about the official transport and tries to sneak a bit?”
“It’s fine. There’s a lot, so I only took a tiny amount from there. It won’t be noticeable. Don’t worry.”
Hmm… Is that so…?
Well, I mean, it’s just taking a pinch from a carriage full of salt boxes… Shouldn’t be a problem.