In the game, NPCs couldn't do that unless they had specific roles like guards or guild receptionists, but here… or was it just a guess? Regardless, it was something to note.
"I'll be careful," he said.
Once he left, he made his way to the town's transportation hub—a cleared area near the south gate where merchants and travelers gathered.
He could only wish for the feature that allowed for skipping travel, only wish.
Observing the people and merchants that weren't difficult to spot from their attire, it didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for. He soon found a merchant calling out to passersby; "Heading to Millhaven! Room for three more passengers! Fifty coppers each!"
'What is this guy? Half a silver just for transport?' Even if he didn't know what was normal, that was half a silver coin!
While he was wondering if he should take a different wagon, he heard the merchant to explain to somehow who was complaining and voicing out his very thoughts. The merchant only shook his head with a heavy sigh, "the road ain't safe, friend. Bandits and worse these days. You're paying for my guards as much as the ride. What's the point if you get there a corpse?" Harsh words, but he was right.
Thinking about it, Ethan could recall that the areas around the beginner towns were surely dangerous for level 0s and 1s, since monsters up to level 6 and 7 even, roamed around, but bandits? That was new.
In the end, it made sense, at least to some extent, so Ethan approached. "I'll take a spot." He said.
The merchant looked him over—young, poorly equipped, but with confident bearing. "You got the coin?"
Ethan pulled out fifty copper pieces from his pouch. The merchant counted them quickly, nodded, and gestured to the wagon. "Climb in. We leave in an hour." He said.
Ethan was quite interested at how the system helped him when it came to money. He didn't check when he first used it, but the system could make change for him so he could always give the exact amount he wanted. He wasn't sure if that was totally normal, since he wasn't sure if NPCs—or at least the people who used to be—had systems or he was the only one.
The journey to Millhaven took two full days. Two days of rattling along in a covered wagon with two other passengers—a middle-aged woman, and an older man who claimed to be a traveling scribe.
The travel was uneventful, thankfully, just two days of bumpy roads, brief stops for meals and necessities, and nights camping by the roadside with the merchant's hired guards keeping watch.
This was actually good, since Ethan was doing things he had never done in his life! Like camping…
For the time being, he had yet to feel the need to use the toilet, and he was anticipating his first in this world… certainly was going to be quite the experience for a city lad who had never squatted to take a dump his entire life, talk less of doing so in a bush.
That aside, Yamamoto spent most of the journey in his own head, reviewing everything he knew about the quest.
They did encounter danger once—a group of wolves on the second day that got too curious about the wagon when they had stopped for a short break, but the merchant's guards, both competent-looking warriors with proper equipment, drove them off with crossbow bolts and aggressive shouts.
Seeing their impressive performance, Ethan could only conclude that they were archers. He couldn't tell since these were NPCs, but regular guards in these low level areas were normally around level 10 or so.
When they finally rolled into Millhaven on the evening of the second day, Yamamoto felt his pulse quicken. According to his mental calendar, this was day four since he'd arrived. The quest would trigger the following night—the fifth night.
He had only one day to prepare, so he would do so starting the following day.
Millhaven was larger and more prosperous than Salt Fish Town. The buildings were better maintained, with proper streets that didn't have mud everywhere, and there was an actual stone wall around the perimeter—a kind of town that served as a regional hub, not too big, not too small.
Ethan found an Inn to stay at, the Copper Mug. It was reasonably priced at 1 silver a night, and the rooms also looked way better, though the matrass was still too short, nothing could change that.
He went to sleep and woke up early the next day to behind combing through the town. He first of all allocated all his free stat points into Agility, bringing it to 7, from 3. Surprisingly, he didn't really feel any faster per-se, neither did he feel any boost in strength or energy. When he moved his hand experimentally, though, he quickly found that he was faster than before, and probably more responsive. It was fascinating how his capabilities had changed just like that.
'This is wild when you experience it, huh?'
He went ahead to get some equipment. There were tons of free stuff lying around, and he new the spots to look, for a few of them.
He spent the rest of the day combing through Millhaven, gathering all he could find, both useful and not.
Later on, he checked each item's stats to take inventory:
[Leather Boots] (Common)
Durability: 15/15
Effect: +5% attack speed
[Old Straw Hat] (Common)
Durability: 8/8
Effect: +5% defense, Weak facial concealment
[Worn Gloves] (Common)
Durability: 12/12
The boots and hat were keepers. The gloves went into his inventory as backup. He also found a few other pieces—a Cracked Shield, some Tattered Robes meant for mages, a Rusty Dagger—but nothing useful for his build.
With that, he was as ready as he could get, and the day had actually gone by, and now, night had come.