Holga had lived with Edgin for a long time, so she also kept spare gear at his house. As adventurers, they wasted no time—soon they were dressed and back in the living room.
Holga's armor had a distinct barbarian tribe style, made from animal pelts. Edgin, on the other hand, wore fitted trousers and a leather jacket with a modern feel, looking much more refreshed.
Edgin retrieved his old lute from a hidden compartment in the wall. After gazing at it for a long moment, he called Holga and Aoko to leave with him.
The three found a table in the corner of the tavern on the inn's first floor. Aoko ordered herself a seemingly normal roast beef, while the other two had mead, bread, cheese, and roast turkey.
"...This is barely cooked at all," Aoko concluded after staring at her beef for a while—it was still quite bloody.
"That's how people here in the Ten Towns like it," Edgin explained. "Should I tell the owner to cook it more for you?"
"No, I'll do it myself." Aoko made a strange gesture at her plate, and a jet of flame shot from her fingertip, roasting the beef.
With her precise control of the heat, the barely cooked beef soon gave off a strong aroma, drawing the attention of other diners.
Satisfied with her work, Aoko stopped the magical flames, took out a bottle of seasoning, and generously sprinkled it over the beef.
She took a deep breath of the aroma, cut off a piece, and tasted it, her eyes lighting up as she quickly ate the rest.
"You know how to eat," Edgin couldn't help but comment. "Is everyone in your hometown like this?"
Aoko recalled her past life memories and nodded, not pausing her eating.
The real reason the beef was so delicious wasn't Aoko's technique or the seasoning, but the quality of the beef itself.
This wasn't wagyu or anything like that—but in this world, animals contained magical energy.
Everything in the Forgotten Realms contained magical energy, and the Weave is the network that connects it all.
After eating the beef, Aoko felt a barely perceptible increase in her spiritual sense—something she'd never experienced before, no matter what she ate.
Maybe the food in Fairy Britain was full of magic too, but it never increased her spiritual sense—clearly, it wasn't the same kind of thing.
After some drinks and food, Edgin produced a map from somewhere and spread it on the table. Aoko used a bit of magic to clean the grease from her lips as she examined it.
The map was finely made but not very accurate. Aoko thought to herself that, having seen the official Faerûn map in her previous life, this one was still a bit off.
"Where do you think Forge would take Kira?" Holga asked, taking a swig of her drink.
"To a big city," Edgin replied, studying the map. "He joined us to make money and then enjoy city life."
"Here," Edgin pointed to a port city called Luskan. "We'll go to Luskan, find a ship to Baldur's Gate, and then head north. We'll search each big city along the way until we find Forge."
"If we're going to Baldur's Gate, I'm interested," Aoko recalled memories of the BG3 game. "There must be a lot of magical knowledge there."
"You're right, Baldur's Gate is the biggest city on the Sword Coast," Edgin said. "Once we get there—"
"Damn it!" Holga suddenly cursed, pointing at a wanted poster on a pillar in the tavern. "Isn't that Forge?!"
"Forge is the Lord of Neverwinter...?" Edgin was shocked. "How the hell is that possible?"
"If he has a 9th-level archmage with him," Aoko reminded, "then it's not that strange."
"You're right!" Edgin said after thinking it over. "We'll leave for Neverwinter first thing tomorrow! I don't care how he did it, as long as we find Kira!"
Aoko didn't care which big city they went to. Neverwinter or Baldur's Gate—it was all the same to her, as long as she could learn new magic and improve her skills.
After spending the night in Edgin's guest room, the three set out again early the next day.
This journey was much harder than before, as they had to cross the Spine of the World. Luckily, with Aoko's magic, nothing too difficult happened.
After three days crossing the mountains, they passed through places like Termalaine, Hotenow Volcano, and the Wastes, following the coastal road south from Luskan, and finally arrived at the grandest city of the north coast of Faerûn—Neverwinter.
They made no unnecessary stops, heading straight to their destination. Still, Aoko occasionally used illusion magic to record the beautiful sights.
Incidentally, some of Aoko's machines with more electronic components had failed, including her camera. This was probably due to the world's rules in Forgotten Realms.
"Is there some festival going on?" Aoko asked, noticing the tents and colorful, singing, dancing crowds near Neverwinter's north gate.
"The Great Games, probably," Edgin answered. "It hasn't been held for decades. Didn't expect it to start up again."
"What's that? Some kind of competition?" Aoko inquired.
"They build a maze in the arena, put in adventurer teams and monsters," Edgin explained. "The last surviving team wins a big prize. My father took me to the last games."
"Was there a winner?" Holga asked.
"There was one guy left for the final round," Edgin said. "But he got eaten, so there was no winner."
"How about we split up?" Aoko said, eyeing a magic shop. "I want to see if there are any rare scrolls for sale."
"No problem," Edgin replied. "Holga and I will check Neverwinter Castle. As lord, Forge must be there. Once we find Kira, let's have a feast—my treat."
"Okay," Aoko nodded. "I'll wait for you by the east gate once I'm done."