Joshua sat inside a carriage and pulled open the curtain, looking at both sides.

  It was a carriage Joshua had "borrowed" from the Duke of Bohe driver was Zenarth at first, but the moment they ehe Human Realm, Joshua specially hired a vilger to serve as the driver while Zenarth stayed behind in the duke's domain on stand-by.

  It took about three days for the carriage to get out of the mountain forest, which had been blocked by heavy snow, and the pedestrians on the road finally increased.

  "Is the human traffi Nornd that rge?"

  Joshua watched the crowds on the road, and many of the carriages were so luxurious that they did not look like something a oner would have. Along the way, Joshua also saw a rge number of mert caravans.

  Just from the se on the road alone, Joshua could already imagine how prosperous Nornd was.

  "The human traffic? I think they are messengers from various tries. Joshua, aren't you here in Nornd for the purpose of participating in 'The Great Exhibition' in two months' time?"

  Melina and Ynor were sitting across from Joshua. As a true blue businesswoman, she immediately guessed the meaning of the strange words from Joshua's mouth.

  The businesswoman looked at the caravans outside and remembered her goods, which had all been reduced to nothing half a month ago, and she could not help but sigh.

  "No... I'm going to Nornd with Ciri to visit a friend. Perhaps I will participate in the exhibition ter."

  Joshua remembered that here was a simir gathering ba Earth. The British Empire had held the first World Trade Fair in the form of The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations in 1851. At that time, the empire on which the sun never set invited various tries across the world to participate in the fair.

  "While it may be a little abrupt, could you reveal what you pn to show there? Of course, if it is not ve..."

  Melina immediately smelled a business opportunity.

  Ever sinored the Patent and Cht Law thirty years ago, the mages in Nornd realized that the improvement of their own powers alone could not ge the world. Many ambitious mages started to study the manufacturing of arotech[1], and Alchemic Ateliers rose across the try.

  That led to Nornd's world-leading magic research to once again take a huge step forward.

  Of course, this small try that was prised of masters and adepts could not be pared to the rge tries around it, so Nornd had always taken a ral position.

  The only reason why tries did not dare move against Nornd was that it weled all intelligent life in the world and shared knowledge with them.

  That led to situations where the emperor of an empire ossibly an alumnus of a certain school in Nornd, and his father may have served as a professor in a uy in the try, so on and so forth.

  Plus, Nornd's "Magi Ranking Qualificatioificate" was the standard that all tries around the world measured against.

  However, the real ched bance against the tries in this world was the fact that Nornd just had way too many powerful beings amongst their archmages.

  Melina knew some superficial magical knowledge. She clearly knew how much value a ype of arotech was. If Joshua were to have such a device, Melina would not o bother about her destroyed goods at all.

  But that depended on Joshua's willio give her the teology to turn her losses into a odity.

  "No harm in telling you. The thing I'm going to exhibit is here."

  Joshua poi his head, but the businesswoman wore a fused look instead.

  "Don't you worry, Mdm. Jant. I will talk business with you wheime is right. It will be a busihat earns you immeasurable wealth."

  What Joshua wao express was, of course, the window before his eyes. As Melina did not learn the God of Order's magic, she was not able to see the program Joshua had written.

  "Then I shall await yood news, Joshua."

  Melina had inally po take advantage of the World Exhibition to make a fortune in Nornd. Sadly, the unforeseen disaster totally ruined her pns, yet Melina did not seem to feel entirely down.

  She held her hand out and touched Ynor's long silver hair. The succubus was now in men's clothing, and his hair was tied into a ponytail. Yet, that did not give Ynor any hint of maess, rather it made him look even more like a tender young dy.

  heless, Ynor had fessed his true name and geo Melina. Despite knowing that, Melina still unselfishly accepted Ynor for who he was and repared to raise him.

  To live in Nornd, it was not enough just to have a house. Melina needed a stable source of ine, and doing business was the only thing she knew. Without any capital or merdise, Melina had no way to start, but Joshua's response gave her a glimmer of hope.

  Amidst the versation, the carriage had slowly reached the gates of Nornd. The city had no walls, rather a transparent magical barrier had been raised in its pce.

  "Nornd was built on the ruins of an a civilization. The untouchable walls structed by the civilization that returo dust has made Nornd the stro fortress in the world."

  That was a narration Joshua had seen in "The History of the World", and he had to undergo an iion before he ehe city's borders.

  Melina did not carry any goods with her, so the tariff was only a few silver s.

  Despite that, the tariff itself was heavy enough for most oners.

  After crossing the border, they tinued on for awo hours, passing through several small towns and vilges along the way before finally entering Nornd proper, the most prosperous city in the world.

  Joshua opehe carriage door and got down from it. The air around him was much fresher than the Demonic Realm. The architectural style of the ey had a hint of the 19th-tury Victorian era, but the clothes of the pedestrians were more of a hodgepodge.

  Dunefolks, lizardmen, elves, dwarfs, gnomes, and goblins... Joshua could easily identify the silhouette of the races oreets.

  However, the mages in robes numbered the most there.

  "This is my address, Joshua... If you have any good news, you fihere."

  Melina handed Joshua a piece of paper, and on it was the accurate name of a pce.

  "I will. Ynor, I hope you get used to this city's life as soon as possible."

  Joshua's words were a and eve sounded like he was wishing him well. Ynor immediately nodded in response.

  Joshua then picked up his suitcase and closed the carriage door.

  "Where are we goi?"

  Ciri sounded weak as she stood beside Joshua.

  The result of the Pong showdown during the whole journey was 1:210. Ciri was quite sure that Joshua definitely cheated, but as much as she protested, it had no effect.

  "Didn't you say you were here to see your sister?"

  The city was now at its most chaotient, and to find the theater that the Duke of Bones had mentioned, Joshua o first find a way to get a map of the city. However, having a local to guide him was much more useful than a map.

  "Ugh, I..."

  It should have been a very joyous thing for Ciri to leave the Demonic Realm aurn to the human world. Yet, when she remembered that she was going to see her sister in such a state, Ciri could not lift her head at all.

  Ciri tugged at the "colr" around her neck. She had bee too engrossed pying the game with Joshua on the way that she had almost fotten she was Joshua's prisoner.

  "Alright, let me think. It should be here."

  That was not Ciri's first time in Nornd, and she was rather familiar with the surrounding of the city district. With Ciri leading the way, Joshua officially started his tour of Nornd.

  Weebkun