Now that the request had been accepted, it was time to carry it out.

  With the eastern edge of the Caldron Country being so far from its southern parts, the journey would take a full day of travel, less under ideal conditions.

  Their destination was the rural city of Fens, located near the old bell farms, beyond the misty marshlands and dilapidated forest trails.

  The return trip would be no easier, and since the client had not offered to cover their travel or rations, that burden fell squarely on the shoulders of Duskfall. They were responsible for three days worth of food, weapons and among other stuff.

  No matter how mundane it sounded, careful preparation for anything was what kept Vultures alive.

  And so, everyone was split into pairs or groups, each assigned a responsibility for the upcoming three day expedition.

  It was also a faster way to ensure to get the move on a lot quicker too cause if everyone followed each other for simple stuff, this request would take a lot longer to complete.

  Yuzuriha wasn’t in on all the details. Not that she was expecting to be or was expected to contribute anything of significance.

  Despite how involved she felt just minutes ago, she quickly found herself on the fringes of being a passenger than a participant.

  She was just a kid in their eyes after all. Even if she was technically older than some here. Still, she also had a role to play in all of this.

  The best she could do was pay close attention to when Temperance explained who would do what.

  The first pairings were Temperance Wrenleigh, Silas and Seth.

  Temperance had taken the twins with her to secure transportation. With horse drawn carriage being the only viable way to reach Fens, they needed at least two. Each one could only comfortably fit four to five people with their gear.

  The standard fare was 12 wens per person, regardless of distance. But they’d need to negotiate with the drivers for a three day trip with them.

  Plus given the fact that the journey to Fens would take an entire day, they would also need the drivers to camp with them or return and come back later, which added more wens to the deal.

  Temperance planned to negotiate a package to pay for extra for discretion, should anything go wrong and they needed to return urgently.

  That took care of transport.

  Next up was gathering supplies and emergency gear, which was handled by Agnes Thorne and Tobias Gall.

  The latter being the group’s chemist, he was responsible for securing flares, chalk, binding ropes, and lanterns. He also mentioned needing several bottles of dried monk’s rot for unknown reasons.

  Agnes, being the most physically reliable, accompanied Tobias to get the bulk of the expedition supplies. Since intimidation came naturally to her, she haggled hard on prices and made sure that her partner didn't get swindled.

  Arthur Ainsbury was responsible for reconnaissance. A task he took on by himself and nobody challenged him for it. This proved the trust they had in him. Or maybe because he worked better that way.

  At any rate, he was tasked with gathering any further information on the drowned chapel of St. Vicar. The location might have been far but there were bound to be whispers from traders, old pilgrims or church bureaucrats.

  And Arthur was suited for the job. He had a knack for weaving through any place or anyone to piece together local history.

  He was especially interested in learning more about the nobility behind this Lark Greaves guy and also why the Sunclad left the place alone after the cult was wiped out.

  If there were Fallen Souls detected nearby, then why hadn’t the Church of the Cruel Sun finished the job?

  Those were the questions Arthur aimed to get answers for.

  On the other hand, Marcille Drapes and Yor Drapes were on rations and sustenance duty.

  Their job was simple enough. Just get rations for a team of seven for three days or more if they were being cautious. Nonperishables like dried meat, fruit, and hard bread were priorities. They had to get canned and jarred goods for backup as well.

  Among other essentials included water flasks, and a few sweet things at Yuzuriha’s request. A bit selfish but knowing she was going to eat hard, dried food for 3 days made her beg for something with flair.

  Of course on their way to Fens, they might encounter a lot more cities where they can just keep restocking if they run out. However, the issue is that it would take too long, potentially dragging out their trip.

  And besides, food was a lot cheaper on Danly Street. The Drapes sisters had managed to attain three days' worth of food for less than 20 wens. It was their budget, so it was expected.

  However, the thing that had Yuzuriha on edge the most was how quiet Marcille was the whole way. She wasn’t her normal self and she understood why.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  For three days they would be leaving Leo and Willow by themselves. Well not really by themselves, more like with their fellow tenant Mary Eliose.

  Marcille had sent a telegram to plead with the woman and ended up in a debt she must pay back once she arrives. Grace could have probably done it for free since she really liked them, especially Leo but after the incident, Marcille’s trust in her was hanging by a thread.

  Yuzuriha frowned because she knew this was her fault. Even if she were to explain exactly what happened, it wouldn’t change her older sister’s mind.

  She clenched her fists. Maybe that was cowardly, but she just wasn’t ready for that conversation.

  By dusk all of them had returned to the Coffin & Crown bar but they gathered at the back, rather than the front.

  Their bags were packed. Supplies sorted. And two horse-drawn carriages lined up and ready to go.

  Despite knowing the dangers of this job, Yuzuriha couldn’t help but get internally excited that she was going to be exploring a bit more about this world.

  The expedition would begin at dawn.

  The rural city of Fens awaited!

  ***

  The currency used by the Tinsel Kingdom is called the ‘Wens’.

  It first originated during the Reconstruction Period after the collapse of the prior feudal economy. The wens were introduced by the newly formed Crowned Banking House of Tinsel, 678 years ago.

  Its sole purpose was to stabilize the economy and to unite a chaotic barter populace under one fiscal identity which seemed to work for the most part.

  The bank is located at the Ryoal capital city, same with the Saint Sable College.

  From that came the wen, a decimalized currency to standardize value across the country. 1 wen could be divided into 100 scants, smaller units designed for minor purchases such as street foods, postage, cheap theatre seats and the like.

  Yuzuriha had never actually seen the notes or coins herself or had any recollection of them. At least not with her eyes that is.

  She did remember from one of Grace’s homeschool classes that the design changes every century or so to mark political transitions in the nation. The current series was that of the historical figure Saint Arlo Sable, a reformer from the noble House of Sable.

  A fun fact was that the name ‘wen’ was derived from the old word ‘wensworth’ which means ‘worth of a man’s day’. This served as a representative of the value of a full day of basic labor during the early days of industrialization.

  If Yuzuriha had to compare it to the currency of one of her old world’s states, the United Kingdom. The wen would be stronger than the pound, but ultimately weaker than the Kuwaiti dinar.

  All of this was just pure speculation of course, without the full understanding of it, she couldn’t make a proper conclusion.

  At any rate, she was currently curled up on Marcille’s lap inside a moving carriage. Her cheeks were pressed gently onto her older sister’s thigh, and her hands tucked in between the folds of her long skirt.

  She didn’t feel cold, and even if she was, she would just take in the warmth Marcille was radiating. She just felt comfortable in the position she was in. And despite how small Yuzuriha looked beside her, she was still a 30 year old woman.

  Sometimes she forgot how young and old she was. At other times, she felt inclined to lean toward the former, which wasn’t inherently bad given the circumstances.

  But that wasn’t the point right now. The point was that they had long left the working class city, where the Drapes family had spent most of their lives in.

  They had left its borders hours ago, and the night had already swallowed up the sun in stages. Yuzuriha could tell even though she’s blind.

  As established, she had keen senses. So, she could feel it in the way the air cooled through the slats of the carriage and how it had gotten calmer, no longer buffered by the din of city life.

  The ride had been quiet for the most part. Marcille played absently with Yuzuriha’s hair, winding blonde strands between her fingers, probably because she was under the impression that her little sister had fallen asleep.

  She didn’t mind it, in fact, it was comforting. Even that noise of the wooden wheels over gravel and the rocking of the cabin was strangely comforting.

  Maybe this was what childhood was supposed to feel like.

  Even in her old life Yuzuriha didn’t take many trips to relax somewhere. All of them were always business related. Up until now, she never saw the appeal of one, even though this wasn’t technically a trip, more like a mission….still, it felt…peaceful.

  Not because of the cushions beneath her or the cloak draped over her shoulders, but because of the person she shared it with.

  Inside this quiet carriage, it was just the two Drapes sisters, along with Tobias and Agnes. The former had been nose deep in some pocket-sized book for the past hour. He had not said a single word since departure, but he was still wearing that plague doctor mask.

  Agnes on the hand had passed out against the sidewall with her arms crossed around her giant hammer. Every now and then, she would mutter something unintelligible before settling down again.

  The others, Arthur, the twins Silas and Seth, and Temperance rode ahead in the lead carriage. Since they had left the confines of Gray City and it was night time, they had to traverse the lands more cautiously.

  This was why Arthur rode on top of their carriage. It was his turn to be on lookout for potential robbers, highwaymen or dangerous beasts.

  Yuzuriha inhaled softly. Her breath came in slow puffs, as if her body had finally decided it could afford to relax. Her eyes were closed as well. She didn’t need them to see honestly.

  In hindsight, it seemed as though she had succumbed to the comforting atmosphere of the night. However, that was far from it.

  Ever since they began their journey, Yuzuriha had been focused on one and one thing only. That was putting in more practice with what she could do with her acquired sight.

  With slow, disciplined control, she focused on expanding the sense of visual field the Azure Ooze granted her. This was done to test the limits of its capabilities.

  It didn’t take long till the Sacrament responded to her intent like a ripple across water. She felt a shimmer of astris pulse around her skin.

  And from her mind’s eye, a dome of sight bloomed outward in a 360 degrees field sculpting everything around her in shapes and colors.

  As expected, the results weren’t a crystal clear image.

  As she learnt from yesterday’s attempts, to extract an outline from that abstract world required intense concentration. It was one thing to see colors and shape, but it was completely different to define a person’s features.

  That's where the real effort lay.

  Without Sawatari turning and filtering most information she picked up, she knew she would’ve already drained herself dry of astris.

  Sawatari enabled her to expend less energy on her sight, the reason why she could keep it operational at all times.

  Her attempts right then were one of the reasons she rested her head on Marcille’s lap. The whole thing was exhausting, if she sat upright, she would immediately collapse. Laying down let her conserve what little mental energy she had left.

  Yuzuriha’s visual field stretched outward in all directions, encompassing the twin carriages and extending beyond in a wide dome-like radius roughly 46 meters. If she tried to push it further than that, then the feedback would make her nauseous.

  Still, it was enough for now. At least she did achieve something. She held onto that state of control until Tobias eventually fell asleep like Agnes.

  Suddenly, her brows twitched.

  Up ahead she picked up movement. Shapes flickered in a muddy hue between red and gray. By their shapes, she could tell they weren’t animals, they were people, at least seven of them.

  Immediately, Yuzuriha could tell who they were…

  ‘...Bandits?!’