In Another World as a…Bus Driver?

Third person POV

 After that, Russell and his group went to their main purpose of going to that city: to explore and check it out. So, he drove the bus to a secluded spot in the urban area of the city and parked it there. Once that was done, Russell turned off the engine and unbuckled his seatbelt, before standing up from his driver's seat and grabbing his knapsack and book. "Okay, let's go."

As Russell's party and group stood up and grabbed their belongings, John woke up from his short nap, standing up and coming out of its spot in the dashboard. "We're here now?"

 "Yes, we are, John-kun," Russell said to him back.

Then, all of them got off and stood on solid ground in the secluded spot in the big city.

Cassius and his horse-riding group, who had been following them the whole time, got off their horses and went to them.

 "Welcome to Fernlay City," Cassius said to them.

Russell heard that and looked at him back. "Oh, thanks, it seems that you had been here before, right?"

Cassius then nodded. "Yes, Russell-kun, I had been here a few times in the past. In fact, my friend Alder was born here and grew up here as well."

Russell then got that, and Alder confirmed that.

 "Don't worry, all of you," Cassius said to Russell and his party and group, "me and Alder knew this city very well. We'll guide you then."

Russell was happy to hear that, knowing that someone will guide him and his group in that unfamiliar city.

 So, all of them went through the big city, with Cassius and Alder guiding them along the way by explaining about the city itself. Taryn was with them being positive for them while knowing that she and her two friends are still waiting for the reply from the royal family back in the capital. The three spies had left their horses behind at the secluded spot because they knew it was hard for them to take them to the crowded city streets. The tour was long and involves mostly in crowded streets. It was now less than half an hour before lunch time, but Alder knew a good place to eat somewhere in the city.

 A bit later, the entire group encountered a show in the form of a traveling stage and a traveling salesman, who was luring customers with his product that can heal any ailment. The salesman and his seemingly injured assistant, who was another man, are demonstrating the supposed wonders of their strange, bottled concoction by having the assistant drinking it and, supposedly getting healed by it. This caused the crowd of people to gasp in amazement, and the salesman said to them, "Yes, only for 5 gold coins each." So, without knowing what it was actually, most of the crowd started to buy his product in big quantities.

Azalea and Adrian joined in and bought a few bottles of the stuff.

But, Russell, Cassius, Taryn, Alder, and others were skeptical about the product's claims.

However, they couldn't question that to the salesman, who was busy getting money from the uninformed customers.

 Then, as the crowd dispersed and left the scene, the salesman and his assistant counted the money they had collected from their recent customers. Azalea and Adrian came back to their group with 4 bottles of the stuff.

 "These things are good," Azalea said to them, "try them out."

Rai and Russell got one each while Kelly and the three royal spies refrained from getting one.

So, the four opened the bottles, and a bitter, herbal-like aroma came out.

Rai sniffed it and seemed to like it.

Russell, meanwhile, remained skeptical while looking at the bottle's label and liquid in the bottle.

The liquid is green, but when Russell tilted the bottle, it was a little finicky than smooth like water.

And then, he sniffed it, smelling its herbal-like aroma, before looking at the liquid itself through the bottle's hole in the top.

 As his friends were enjoying their new purchase, the young bus driver began to think about the potential side effects of drinking that green, herbal-like-smelling concoction. While thinking, he gasped at one possibility about it; and that possibility is…

 "It must be snake oil!" his mind yelled out.

Now he knew that he and his group had fallen for a scam by the traveling salesman.

So, Russell looked at Azalea, Adrian, and Rai. "Wait!"

Those three friends of his looked at him.

 "Let me try it first," Russell replied, before taking a sip of the bottled medicine.

This surprised the others.

 "What are you doing?" Kelly responded to this.

Then, Russell tasted the liquid and found it…repulsive and gross, prompting him to spit it out immediately after tasting it.

 "Ugh! Gross!" he commented.

Then, he looked at the bottle. "What is this thing?!"

 "What's wrong with that?" Adrian asked him.

Russell then looked at him, Rai, and Azalea. "Guys, I don't think that thing heals every kind of sickness. This one must be a fraud."

In response to that, Adrian, Azalea, and Rai tasted the supposedly fake medicine, found that it was gross, and spitted it out immediately.

Rai found it very repulsive. "My tongue said no to that!"

 "What did I just buy?" Adrian asked.

Azalea found it so gross she wants to wash her tongue with water now.

 "No way…" Cassius commented to this.

 "We just got scammed?" Taryn asked.

Russell then looked at the three spies. "Yeah, I think so."

Kelly and Ria ran to Rai and asked if she was okay.

Rai was still gagging on the bitter, repulsive taste of the cheap liquid medicine.

 "Yeah, it's so gross," Rai replied back.

Seeing that, Russell looked at the traveling salesman and his assistant and thought, "Those guys over there must be fraudsters…"