- Hancock would like very much to continue talking.
Beautiful though it may be, we cannot spend all day staring at the aetheryte.
Come, come, let us move along. The markets are next!
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I do not like the cut of that man's jib. Not one bit.
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I note that our would-be host has elected to dress in the local fashion.
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Even the aetherytes look different here...
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<sniff> <sniff> I say, what is that I smell wafting from yonder teahouse? Could it be─ Yes, could it just possibly be the scent of whispered secrets waiting to be overheard?
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Greetings, sir, and welcome to the Kugane branch offices of the East Aldenard Trading Company. Do you have an appointment?
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We have arrived at the largest shopping district in Kugane: Kogane Dori!
"Kugane,“ as you are doubtless unaware, is an ancient Hingan word for gold. So, in this prosperous port where golden fortunes are made, lesser fortunes, or ”kogane,“ are earned by the local merchants. It's all quite logical once you learn the language.
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Heh heh heh... Now you're beginning to speak my language...
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Oho! A kindred spirit! What a pleasure it is to meet a young lady who appreciates the value of hard-won coin!
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Hancock of the East Aldenard Trading Company. You are with clients today?
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Why, if it isn't Master Keiten! Pray allow me to introduce to you my esteemed guests, but recently come from distant Eorzea.
This kind and generous soul supervises all transactions here in Kogane Dori.
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Your sincerity is ever appreciated. As he says, I am Keiten of the Hakuuchi clan, and it is my honor to serve as overseer of these markets.
As we receive many foreign visitors in Kugane, we accept all manner of currencies. Rest assured, your Eorzean gil are welcome here. I invite you to peruse our wares at your leisure.
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Arms, armor, foodstuffs, potables─here you will find all of them and more.
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Well, well. I would expect no less of a bustling port...
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Just look at all these garish designs... Not fond of subtlety, are they.
Hm, is that a theater over there?
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No sign of Gosetsu or Yugiri here. Not that I expected to stumble across them just like that. Though it would have been nice...
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Greetings, sir, and welcome to the Kugane branch offices of the East Aldenard Trading Company. Do you have an appointment?
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If we may pause here for a moment...
This road leads to the Ijin-gai: the district in which “ijin”─or foreigners─are permitted to reside.
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Would this also be where the foreign embassies are found─including that of a certain empire?
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Precisely. So you see, it would not be at all unusual to cross paths with one of our Garlean cousins here. With this in mind, I would encourage you to choose your words carefully. We would not want any physical altercations, after all, such spats being strictly forbidden!
The Sekiseigumi punish breaches of the peace quite severely. I have seen foreigners permanently exiled for a single violation─though, to be fair, this is not common. More often than not, they are executed on the spot.
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What, cut down then and there!? You're joking, right?
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Would that I were, but alas, these samurai are a humorless lot.
Why, I recall one instance when a foreign merchant in his cups dared lay hands upon a Hingan aristocrat in front of a Sekiseigumi. The samurai cut him in half with a single stroke.
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Ugh, I don't even want to think about that...
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So, as you see, it would behoove you to behave. Failing that, we may be forced to “part ways” with one another─or you with yourselves, in the manner of the late Teledji Adeledji!
...Oh, how I amuse myself. But we must carry on! I have yet to show you the Garlean Consulate!
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Hmm...the district up ahead has a different air about it.
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Hmm... We're actually quite far from the docks now, aren't we. This place is bigger than I thought.
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Don't think I haven't memorized every detail of that street! There's at least half a dozen shops that will soon be enjoying my custom!
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Greetings, sir, and welcome to the Kugane branch offices of the East Aldenard Trading Company. Do you have an appointment?
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This, as you may have surmised, is the consulate of you-know-who. Mark the guards at the gate─are their uniforms not different from those you have seen in the West?
Were you to travel far and wide, you would find that many such variations exist, often inspired by local designs. All of which goes to show that even a massive empire seeking to rule all of creation is not without its artisans!
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So that building's full of Garleans...
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Compared to the Hingan architecture, this seems drab and uninspired. Or mayhap I have simply had my fill of Garlean aesthetics, such as they are.
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Some might call it unwise to loiter outside the gates of a hostile empire's consulate.
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Danger! Excitement! Intrigue! Oh, my!
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Greetings, sir, and welcome to the Kugane branch offices of the East Aldenard Trading Company. Do you have an appointment?
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