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We landed next to the country border and let the horse take us into Barius by land. There were many people standing on the other side, probably to welcome us into their country. Civil officials, knights and soldiers guarding them, and many carriages with provisions to feed them all, it was quite a crowd. We had experienced something similar when we went to Leble, so it was not as surprising this time. Only Diaria was excited, as this was a new experience for her.

Barius struck me as a rather calm city, as opposed to how busy Bordaule usually is. The air felt dry and the sun shone brightly, but it was not as strong as in a desert. Thanks to that warm climate, the plants growing along the roads were tall and flowering.

I could also see many huts along the roads, for soldiers to stay in and respond to any emergency that could happen. Thanks to that the whole country was quite peaceful, both crime and monster spawn rates being low. Since these were all measures Bordaule had never taken, Luvias was impressed by it all and she kept asking all sorts of questions to the civil officials.

Sometimes we would pass by merchants or adventurers, who were all sunburnt and mostly wore short sleeves and short pants. The way they greeted us with bright smiles went to show just how peaceful this country is.

It was very different from Leble, traveling in a carriage actually felt calming here. There was no crime or monsters around as well, so it was hard to imagine something could hold us back. Three weeks after we crossed the borders, and after visiting many cities, we finally arrived at the capital Cusantos.

“Thanks for enduring that long trip with us. Welcome to our royal capital, Cusantos.”

One of the civil officials traveling with us said with a proud tone. He also was our guide as we walked through the city, talking in detail about different landmarks until we reached the royal palace.

“Lapis, look! It’s the ocean!”
“Yeah, it’s really big.”
“So that’s the ocean… It’s pretty different to see it than just reading about it in books.”
“It’s even bigger than the lakes we have.”
“Is all that saltwater..? I guess they never have to worry about running out of salt around here.”

Out of all five of us, I was the only one who had seen the ocean before. The others were really excited seeing it for the first time, speaking about it like little children. At first, they were slightly bothered by the particular smell of the sea, but they got used to it really quickly.

Cusantos was on the east end of the country, right against the ocean. When I looked to the east, I could see many fisher boats, as well as trading vessels and transport ships, many of which were anchored near the harbor. The port was also pretty big, at least as large as a small city, and was divided into three parts. One was a market for fresh fish, the other was for merchants who just arrived and wanted to sell their wares, and the third for travelers that disembarked here. Each of them had many burly and muscular workers, sunburnt and sweating as they worked non-stop. I had never seen anyone in Bordaule work with such passion.

“This port is connected with all the other countries, so we have a constant influx of ships. Would you perhaps like to try going on a short cruise after your meeting with Bandit is over?”
“For sure!”
“Me too. I’ve only been in small boats on rivers before, so this will be a new experience for me.”
“Bordaule is a landlocked country after all. Most people have never been on ships before, not to mention seeing the ocean.”
“Same here. I wasn’t part of the navy.”
“Alright then, we’ll get on a ship once we hear what Bandit wants.”

I would never refuse to hear what they all said, so I also gave a positive reply. After we looked at the harbor, we continued on a road leading to the palace. From what I could see, this was the main road as well, both sides crowded with merchants all the way.

“We might not measure up to Bordaule in terms of economic power, but I’m sure we offer a more diverse selection of items.”

As he had said, I could see many interesting items in shops everywhere. Most seaside countries were like that, they had access to products from far-off lands. In a way, the large variety of things made me feel like I could live here without doing anything and never get bored.

“And here we have it, the royal palace. Her Highness the Queen will greet you shortly, and after that you’ll meet Bandit.”

It was a bit shocking to hear that, but apparently, this country was ruled by a queen. Her name is Titis, and she was still in her late twenties. She had inherited her position from her late father, and even at her young age, she had managed to steer the country into a time of prosperity and success. She was also friendly with the populace, shining like a bright sun illuminating everyone, making her very popular. To top it all off, her looks were nothing to scoff at, so men, mostly young men, also had overwhelming support for her.

“We’ll go through the main gates now, everyone please stay inside the carriage.”