Chapter 79: Lady Misu

Bremen City, as the largest city in the Bremen region, does not have just one gate like Hogen City.

Gao De took a detour for half an hour, avoiding the caravan, and entered through another gate: River Gate.

Bremen City handles an enormous daily flow of travelers; even with multiple gates distributing the crowd, it remains just as busy.

So when Gao De stepped calmly into the city, no one paid him any attention.

Only a group of plain-dressed youths loitering near the gate noticed him.

After exchanging a few words, a boy in a hemp robe stepped forward.

“Hello, sir, do you need a guide? I know most areas of the city well, including where the wandering street vendors are today.”

“Whether you need lodging, to find someone, or to seek work, I can point you in the right direction.”

Clearly, Gao De’s dusty appearance and bundled belongings made his outsider status obvious.

For a newcomer, having a local guide was indeed necessary.

Gao De thought for a moment and asked the key question:

“How much do you charge?”

“Sir, one silver coin will hire me for the entire afternoon!” the hemp-robed boy exclaimed happily.

“Fine, lead the way.” Gao De pulled a silver coin from his pocket and tossed it to the boy.

—Gao De, well aware of the principle that wealth must not be displayed, had tucked his pouch full of gold coins inside his robe, keeping only a small amount of change in his pocket for daily use.

This way, he wouldn’t expose his wealth when withdrawing money and attract the attention of opportunistic eyes.

During his journey, Gao De had already planned where he would go and what he would do after entering the city.

The first thing upon entering was to rent a house.

Unless something unexpected happened, he would stay in Bremen City for a considerable time; staying at an inn would be too expensive.

“Sir, if you want to rent a house in Bremen City, there are many options,” said the boy named Leyman, who immediately gave Gao De a detailed rundown after hearing his needs.

“First, the best environment, best security, and strictest regulations are in Shenliujie District, where the city’s nobles, top merchants, and mage lords mostly live.”

“But the rent there exceeds two hundred Xien gold coins per year.”

Perfect, Gao De thought without hesitation.

“Then there’s Siren District, the city’s busiest commercial zone—convenient, pleasant living conditions, though prices are still high, with annual rents generally between one hundred and two hundred Xien gold coins.”

Perfect, still no need to think: “Then there’s Dewei District, where Dewei Street is lined with small shops—though not as grand as Siren District, it’s still a commercial area, with good security and convenience.”

“Houses there typically rent for twenty to one hundred Xien gold coins per year.”

“Next is Kamengde District, where Kamengdejie is filled with small workshops, and most residents are local artisans.”

“Or Tekton District, where residents are mostly shop employees from the city.”

“Housing in both districts is lower-middle class, but prices are cheap, with annual rents around twenty gold coins.”

“As for the cheapest housing in Bremen City, it’s in Hogen District—there, a single room rents for just two silver coins per week, totaling only five gold and four silver per year.”

Gao De had figured it out.

The district names and street names in Bremen City directly correspond to city names from the Bremen region.

And unfortunately, the cheapest housing in Bremen City was in Hogen District—Gao De, who had just left Hogen City, had no desire to revisit his old home, and immediately eliminated Hogen District.

“Take me to Kamengdejie,” Gao De said after a moment’s thought to Leyman.

“Sir, Bremen City is very large, and the districts are far apart—we’re at River Gate now, and it’s six or seven kilometers to Kamengdejie!” Leyman gently reminded him.

Good heavens! Gao De was startled. Roughly speaking, Bremen City might rival a third- or fourth-tier city from his past life.

“Then let’s take a carriage,” Gao De readily agreed.

“Sir, we can wait a few minutes here—the next public carriage to Kamengde District will arrive soon.”

“Public carriage?” It sounded novel—clearly, Hogen City had no such thing; this was almost certainly exclusive to large cities like Bremen.

“Yes, short-distance fare is two copper coins, full route is four copper coins. From here to Kamengde District, it’s four copper coins per person; if you hire a private carriage, it’ll cost at least sixteen copper.” Leyman explained.

“Alright, we’ll wait.”

After about three or four minutes, the creaking of wheels announced a carriage drawn by two horses, resembling a platform, appearing in view and stopping near River Gate.

Nearly twenty people disembarked from the carriage.

The carriage had two levels, with the door at the rear and fifteen sliding windows.

Twelve people could sit inside, and fourteen more could sit on the upper level, accessed by a ladder.

The driver sat atop the carriage.

Beside the door stood a fare collector.

This truly fascinated Gao De.

“Two people, to Kamengdejie,” Gao De handed the fare collector a silver coin.

“Full fare, four copper per person—eight copper total. Here’s your four copper back,” the collector said, pulling four copper coins from his box and handing them to Gao De.

“Thank you.” Gao De took the coins and climbed with Leyman to the upper level.

After about ten minutes of waiting, the carriage was full and began moving.

Along the street, houses with chimneys lined the way, some with garden-like courtyards.

Passengers came and went, boarding and alighting continuously.

Since this public carriage had no fixed stops, it simply followed a fixed route, stopping anywhere passengers signaled.

The ride was smooth and uneventful; after about forty minutes, Gao De arrived at Kamengdejie.

“Lead me to Kamengdejie No. 267,” Gao De said, his goal clear after disembarking.

“No problem, sir, follow me,” Leyman assured him confidently.

Guided by Leyman, Gao De reached Kamengdejie No. 267—a semi-detached two-story house.

The house featured intricate carvings and a stone foundation.

Flowering plants lined both sides of the entrance, revealing the owner’s sense of taste.

The windows were draped with linen curtains, gently swaying in the breeze.

Two purple wisteria vines grew from the ground, winding around each other until they reached the windows, adding a touch of wild charm to the building.

Gao De stepped slowly up the porch stairs, raised his right hand, and lightly knocked on the wooden door.

After a dozen seconds, the heavy door opened, revealing a woman in a floor-length silk robe, watching Gao De with caution.

“Who are you?”

“Hello, I’m looking for Lady Misu,” Gao De smiled.

(End of chapter)