MTLNOVEL Chapter 8: Go to town.
"This strange carriage… how can it move without horses pulling it?"
"It runs on magic. Just let it be and don't get involved. Those pesky mages… If they dare to flaunt their power like this, they're almost certainly from the Empire."
At the town gate, a few guards were murmuring among themselves. They held spears with wooden shafts and metal spearheads. Their armor was made of interwoven rattan fibers, looking rather primitive. Darius Noctis thought that a single spark could set it ablaze.
"But the Governor-general is hosting an important guest, so we need to check thoroughly," one of the guards said.
Then he stepped forward bravely, blocking Darius Noctis's carriage. The other guards followed suit, surrounding the vehicle and curiously inspecting it.
Darius Noctis jumped down and saw some of them running their hands over the carriage. One even raised his spear, about to tap on it. Alarmed, he quickly shouted:
"Hey, hey! Don't touch it! You'll scratch the paint."
"Where are you from? Does your carriage run on magic? Is the carriage body made of iron?" the guard asked curiously, pausing his inspection.
"Hey, focus on the main task. Ask him for his travel permit," another, seemingly more experienced, guard reminded.
"Oh, right. Where's your travel permit? Phucloc Town is a central hub, and the Governor-general resides here. Entry requires a permit, I hope you understand," the guard scratched his head as he spoke politely to Darius Noctis.
'Damn it, I need a travel permit?' Darius Noctis thought.
If he couldn't enter the town, he would have no choice but to camp outside. He could have someone buy supplies for him. After all, his carriage was well-equipped. As long as he could find a river, pond, or lake, he wouldn't have to worry about water.
Thinking this, Darius Noctis relaxed a little and gave a wry smile.
"Sorry, I lost my travel permit. My carriage doesn't carry any goods—just food and personal belongings. I'm a traveling vendor, selling Hu tieu to make a living."
"You lost your permit?… That won't do. The rules state that without a permit, you can't enter," the guard said with a troubled expression, slightly worried that the man before him might cause trouble. His face looked like someone about to stir up an incident.
The guard didn't really want to keep an Imperial citizen outside. The Empire was vast and powerful—especially its merchants, who were all wealthy beyond measure. Even though this wasn't Imperial territory, no one wanted to make things difficult for an Imperial citizen.
Not to mention, Imperial merchants usually had dozens, if not hundreds, of attendants with them. Yet, this merchant was traveling alone. The guard had heard of merchants like this before—renowned Mages who specialized in selling mysterious artifacts called magic tools for fellow Mages.
"What should we do? He doesn't have a travel permit. We're only doing a routine check, but he looks like an Imperial magic tool merchant. And what the hell is Hu tieu? Have you ever heard of it?" the curious guard whispered to the more experienced one.
"Ask him how he lost his permit. We can issue him a new one if he can prove his identity. But if he wants to bring his carriage inside, we'll have to inspect his goods," the senior guard whispered back. He knew that inspecting a magic tool merchant's inventory was risky—it was an easy way to make enemies.
"Alright, let's do that. It's been years since an Imperial citizen came through here. Best not to cause trouble. People like us shouldn't get involved in things above our station," the curious guard sighed. Whether the merchant bore a grudge or not was beyond their control—either choice carried risks.
"Oh, isn't that the Hu tieu vendor?"
At that moment, a passerby greeted Darius Noctis.
"Are you here to buy ingredients? Why are you still standing outside?" A man in his 30s—short, fat, and with a toothpick in his mouth—walked over, smiling.
Darius Noctis looked at him. He vaguely recalled a plump man who ate a lot of Hu tieu that morning. If he remembered correctly, the man had even paid generously—with a string of Dailong silver coins.
"You know this man, Young Master Trinh?" the senior guard asked.
The fat man, Trinh, walked up and patted the two guards on the shoulder, laughing heartily.
"Yeah! Haven't you heard the townsfolk talking about that amazing breakfast stall just a mile outside town? It's the Hu tieu vendor! Seriously, you guys spend all day guarding this broken town gate and don't know how to enjoy life."
The guards exchanged glances. They had indeed heard about it, but no one was free to go a mile outside town just to eat. Only people who worked outside before dawn or idle folks like Young Master Trinh would do that.
"Let me introduce you—this is the Hu tieu vendor… Uh, what's your name again?"
"Darius Noctis," he replied.
"Right! Noctis! You're blocking the world's top chef here. Even the royal palace's Ngự Thiện Phòng (Imperial Kitchen) can't compete with him!" Trinh laughed.
"Are you here to buy ingredients, Noctis? Let me introduce you to my supplier—freshest ingredients guaranteed. Just make me a few special bowls, and we're good. Of course, I'll pay… Ever since breakfast, I can't get the taste of your Hu tieu out of my mouth. Lunch felt like eating garbage."
Trinh kept rubbing his hands together while sighing in longing.
"If Young Master Trinh vouches for him, we'll allow him to enter," the senior guard said.
"So, he lost his travel permit? No problem, I'll take him to get a new one. I know this town like the back of my hand. Even the Governor-general isn't as rich as my family. Just leave it to me," Trinh laughed heartily.
And so, Darius Noctis found himself driving his carriage through the town gate in a daze. Trinh sat beside him, gawking at the vehicle's interior. He was so fat that he occupied the entire seat, forcing Woof to curl up beneath him. Meanwhile, Meow lay lazily on the dashboard, indifferent to the world.
"This carriage runs on magic, doesn't it? Are you a Mage, Noctis? I really couldn't tell! I've always wanted to be a Mage, but I couldn't awaken any elements. If I had magic, I wouldn't be this fat, haha!"
Darius Noctis forced a smile, but inwardly, he thought, This guy's fat because he eats too much. Magic or not, that won't change.
The main road inside town was wide enough for his carriage to pass comfortably, but there were too many pedestrians. He had to ease off the accelerator and cruise at a slow 10 km/h.
Through the rearview mirror and the side windows, Darius Noctis noticed a crowd gathering behind him, pointing and whispering. Some of his morning customers were explaining to the curious onlookers, and before he knew it, dozens of people were trailing behind his vehicle, fascinated.
"Noctis, you seem to be quite popular in this town. Could you stay here for a few days and keep selling that hủ tiếu? If you need anything, I'll make sure you get it," Trinh said, squinting as he smiled. He wanted Darius Noctis to stay as long as possible—definitely more than just a few days.
Trinh's nonstop chatter made it hard for Darius Noctis to focus on his surroundings. Just then, a child, driven by curiosity, suddenly darted out in front of the car. Darius Noctis didn't have time to hit the brakes, but the car's system automatically detected the obstacle and stopped on its own.
He immediately opened the door and jumped out. If he accidentally ran someone over just after arriving in this world, his life would be over. Thankfully, when he reached the front of the car, he saw that the child was unharmed. Instead, the kid was staring intently at the side mirror, utterly mesmerized.
"Wow! This piece of metal is so shiny it reflects my face!"
By now, the crowd around the car had grown to hundreds of people, blocking his path. They gawked, pointed, and examined both him and the vehicle as if they had never seen anything like it before.
Worse still, several people had started touching his car. Among them was a burly, bearded man knocking on the vehicle with a boong boong sound. His hands were filthy, and the moment he touched the white car, he left a dark handprint on the metal surface. Every spot he touched became smudged.
"Stop touching it! Stop knocking! If you damage it, you'll have to pay for it," Darius Noctis glared at the man, his voice firm. The bearded man was tall and strong, but Darius Noctis was even taller—at least half a head above him.
"S-Sorry, my bad! I've never seen an Imperial visitor before," the man chuckled sheepishly, scratching his head as he quickly stepped back.
Although Noctis's expression was intimidating, the man couldn't contain his curiosity. He hesitated before asking, "May I ask you something? Why is this metal white and glossy like this? Your car must consume a lot of magic energy to run, right?"
Another rugged, broad-shouldered man was staring at Noctis's car, completely enthralled. His messy beard and oil-stained clothes made him look like a mechanic straight out of an auto repair shop from Noctis's old world.
He seemed to be around Noctis's age. His hands were covered in grime, and when he wiped his forehead, he smeared a fresh streak of black across his already filthy face.
Grinning, he continued, "I know a little magic myself. I've been working on building a magic-powered vehicle. Sorry for getting it dirty—let me grab a cloth and clean it up."
At that moment, Trinh jumped down from the car and shouted:
"Hey! Look all you want, but don't touch! This is an Imperial vehicle! If you break it, selling your entire life wouldn't be enough to pay for it. Even if I sold everything I own, I probably still wouldn't afford it! If any of you damage it, you're doomed!"
Hearing this, the surrounding townsfolk—many of whom had been reaching out to touch the car—immediately recoiled as if electrocuted. A few clutched their chests in relief, while the burly, oil-stained man turned pale.
He hadn't expected the car to be that expensive. If he couldn't clean off the stain, wouldn't he be in debt for life? Panicked, he rushed off to fetch a rag and hurried back, intending to wipe the car clean. But before he could, Noctis stopped him.
Seeing the cloth in the man's hand—blackened to the point of resembling Meow's fur—Noctis shook his head.
"No need. Just leave it. I'll handle it myself."
Noctis opened the trunk, took out a glass cleaner and a clean cloth, sprayed the smudged areas, and wiped them down. Within moments, the surface gleamed again, while the cloth had turned pitch black. He rinsed it out and hung it on the windshield wiper to dry.
"You can look all you want, but don't touch the car. If anything gets damaged, it'll be a pain for me to fix. This vehicle can't be repaired. I'm heading to the market to buy some supplies. Woof, come watch the car."
Noctis knocked twice on the trunk. Immediately, Woof jumped down and positioned himself at the back of the car, standing tall with his chest puffed out—attempting to look fierce. But in reality, he was skinny and scruffy, with a perpetually vacant, goofy expression that made him look anything but intimidating.
"The wholesale market is just up ahead. Take whatever you need, no charge. Do you need a lot? I can call some servants to carry your goods," Trinh said cheerfully as he walked alongside Noctis, introducing the various stalls.
Meanwhile, the townsfolk who had gathered around began whispering among themselves.
"That annoying fat Trinh actually knows how to butter someone up? That Noctis guy must be pretty high-status. No wonder—Imperial people are always wealthy. He's probably a merchant like Trinh."
"Of course he is! How many carriages do you know that move without horses? Let's just keep our distance. Thank goodness we didn't touch it."
"Ugh, I just think that 'Iron Head' guy has no sense. That car is worth a fortune, and yet he stood so close to it. What if his stare alone caused damage? Worse, he even dared to touch it! If he really broke something, even selling his whole blacksmith shop wouldn't be enough to pay for it."
"Hey, old lady! Watch your mouth! My brother was just looking—he didn't do anything wrong. If you're too scared to get close, then scram! Next time you come to buy knives, I'll charge you double."
A young girl, barely in her teens, suddenly stepped forward and snapped at the gossiping crowd. She was cute and sweet-looking, completely different from her rough and rugged brother.
"Hmph! As if your family's blacksmith shop is the only one around! I can walk a few more streets and buy from someone else."
"Then go! Walk those extra streets because of your big mouth. Serves you right!" the girl huffed coldly.