Yuri Empire

「 Amazing. The city is on the water… 」 

Melfalude was taken aback by the sheer beauty of the scenery.

―――This is the city of Ulysses, which she been visited many times in the past with『Transfer Gate』.

This time, however, she was not in the familiar『Labyrinth Area』, but in the『Tourist Zone』in the northern part of the city.

Unlike the『Labyrinth Area』which tends to give the impression of being crowded because of its tall buildings and the large number of people, the 『Tourist Zone』is, to my surprise, a lot more crowded. The『Tourist Zone』is an extremely unique place, as all the buildings and streets in the area are built on a lake.

This is probably due to the effect of the【Purification Ward】. In the lake, which is kept crystal clear and clean, many people were wearing swimsuits and enjoying swimming.

「 It's amazing… Are we going to swim here too? 」 

「 Yes, we bought swimsuits, so let's go swimming. 」 

The person who answers Melfalude's words is a girl named Yubel Rapier, the fifth concubine of Her Majesty Yuri, who is showing her around the tourist section of Ulysses today.

She seems to be a princess of a nation called the Rapier Kingdom, which is located far to the west of the Yuri Empire.

Yuri Empire and the Rapier Kingdom are in an alliance. It is said that the two countries are quite far apart, but as long as there is a『Transfer Gate』set up by Her Majesty Yuri, it is not a problem at all, so diplomatic relations are said to be close.

Before entering the tourist zone, Melfalude went to a clothing store in the labyrinthine zone and bought a swimsuit that Yubel had recommended.

This is a special garment that does not interfere with swimming while wearing it, and people who enjoy swimming in the lake of this『Tourist Zone』are supposed to wear it.

By the way, if you swim naked, you will be caught.

「 You'll need a place to change, so let's go to the inn where I usually stay. You can leave your luggage there. 」 

「 That would be great. I don't want to carry my luggage around if I'm going to enjoy swimming. 」 

Yubel led Melfalude through the streets of the『Tourist Zone』.

The streets of this section are all on the lake, so the streets are constructed like a series of wooden bridges. Melfalude wondered if it would not corrode if so much wood was used in such a watery place.

「 This wooden promenade is called『Boardwalk』. All the wood is coated with a special paint created by alchemy that repels water, so even if it is covered with water, there will be no problem with its durability. 」 

「 Oh, I didn't know there was such a paint. That makes sense… 」 

As if seeing through Melfalude's doubts, Yubel told her that.

The wooden promenade was strangely pleasant to walk on, as it felt different from ordinary streets. It was also somewhat interesting to hear the clacking of the hard shoes with each step.

It was also a bit of a luxury to be able to look at the beautiful and cool lake while walking anywhere in the city.

「 By the way, it is said that this section was originally built with an emphasis on scenery so that rich people such as nobles and wealthy people from allied countries would like to use it.

That's why they charge a certain amount of ‘entrance fee' to enter this section, and the lodgings in the section are also set at a higher rate. 」 

「 Is that so? If that's the case, are all the people swimming in the lake now rich? 」 

「 No, that's the thing. The Yuri Empire and its allies have become very rich in the past two years. The income of all the people has increased and they can now afford to live in a place where even the common people can afford a little luxury. 」 

「 Oh, that's a wonderful story. It's ideal that everyone's life is rich together. 」

In response to Yubel's words, Melfalude was quietly impressed.

Perhaps the reason why the people's lives are so stable and prosperous is because of the Labyrinth.

If there were such a place where anyone could safely earn money without needing any special knowledge or skills, the number of poor people from the Yuri Empire and its allies would surely decrease dramatically.

Moreover, as long as you go to the Labyrinth, your level will surely grow, and your income will surely increase steadily.

Even if at first you can only earn enough to maintain your lifestyle, as long as you continue your activities as an explorer, you will be able to increase your living margin.

It seemed like a dream come true that anyone could have access to such a luxurious place as this『Tourist Zone』as long as they kept working hard.

「 You see, I usually stay in the Yuritania Palace or in that hotel called the Ulysses Butterfly. 」 

As she said this, Yubel pointed to a very eye-catching building.

It wasn't much in terms of height. It's probably 10 to 12 stories high, but there are a lot of high-rise buildings in the labyrinth section of Ulysses, so it's not a particularly tall building compared to that.

However, if Melfalude had to guess, she would say that the Ulysses Butterfly is without a doubt the most luxurious lodging in the tourist section. It's such a beautiful building, both magnificent and opulent, that one glance at it is enough to convince.

She wanted to stay here just once in her life. It's such a beautiful building with such an excellent exterior that you can't help but think about it.

「 …How much does it cost per night? 」 

Melfalude unexpectedly said those words.

When Yubel heard those words, she smiled with a slightly bitter smile.

「 I think it's not as much as you think, Melfalude-san.

Right, for example, if you are an explorer―――perhaps if you are level 60 or so, you can easily stay here with just your daily earnings. 」 

「 Hee… That sounds a lot cheaper than I was expecting. 」 

Currently, Melfalude's level has risen to 98 for〔Hunter〕and 26 <Spiritualist>.

The average person is probably a level 60 or so. If she wants to do it, it's nice to know that even Melfalude earnings will be enough to stay.

「 But in that case, you can only stay in a regular room. If you want to stay in a special room such as a『suite』, you will need to earn several times as much. 」 

「 Ahh, I see… So there are different classes for different rooms in the same inn. 」 

「 Yes. If you rent a room with a higher classification, the price is different. 」

「 I'm not going to ask you for a specific price. I'm scared. 」 

Even in a high-class inn like this, a room with a particularly high standard. It seemed to Melfalude that it would not be surprising if they charged an eye-popping amount.