Marten

Marten (マーテン) is the main settlement of the 57th Floor of Aincrad. Marten was a base camp city while the front line was still at the 59th Floor and is a popular place for its restaurants and as a tourist attraction.

Description
Marten is a large urban city, which has a large number of buildings built compactly, and with narrow alleyways between the buildings. All buildings within the city have red terracotta tile roofs and most of them have two to three floors, with the first floor having columns, most of which form arches. The city has stone floors and also has a round and spacious central plaza, with a park taking the most space within it. A rather large Gothic church or cathedral is located in the north side of the plaza, while the rest of the plaza is lined with Non-Player Character (NPC) and player-owned stores.

The outside area of Marten is a grassland filled with some craggy old trees.

Notable Locations

 * Unnamed NPC restaurant.
 * Cathedral
 * Marten's plaza
 * yaMahaya Lodge

A Murder Case in the Area
On April 22, 2024, Asuna and Kirito came to the city, as Asuna promised to treat Kirito to dinner at a restaurant of his choosing. However, their meal was interrupted when they heard a scream coming from outside. When they reached Marten's plaza, they noticed a person dangling from the 2nd floor of a cathedral at the front end loop of a rope. After the person died and a “Duel Winner” notification was not seen anywhere in the vicinity, Kirito and Asuna began investigating the mysterious Murder in the Area case. Unable to find the culprit anywhere, they asked the crowd at the cathedral for any eyewitnesses. After hearing the story of an eyewitness named Yolko, they escorted her to the yaMahaya Lodge, as she was reluctant to return to the lower floors by herself. The two then traveled to Algade to have Agil inspect the murder weapon.

The next morning on April 23, at 9:00, Asuna and Kirito gathered at the plaza of Marten and headed to a nearby cafe for breakfast. While eating and discussing, Kirito suggested testing a theory about the Damage over Time effect and they headed out of town. After proving that the Pierce Damage over Time effect was nullified within the Area, they returned to Yolko's inn by 10 AM and then went to a restaurant to talk about the case in private. After learning about the fate of the Golden Apple guild, they led Yolko back to the inn with several days worth of food. After discussing their remaining options on what to do next, they decided to contact Heathcliff for advice, so they traveled to Algade again to meet up with him.

After Schmitt requested to meet with Yolko before he would tell them the location of the shop that Grimlock frequented, Kirito and Asuna brought Schmitt to Yolko's room in the yaMahaya Lodge in Marten. After Yolko was seemingly killed within the inn room by a hooded player, Kirito jumped out through the window to reach the roof of the building opposite the inn and began chasing the hooded player. However, before Kirito was able to reach him, the player activated a Teleport Crystal under the cover of the five o'clock bell chime, preventing Kirito from hearing the destination. After he returned to the inn, he asked Schmitt for the location of the shop and to write down the names of the Golden Apple members, after which, they escorted him back to his guild headquarters on the 56th Floor.

Trivia

 * Marten's plaza was said to be round in the novel, while the anime portrays it as a rectangle.
 * The anime does not portray a Teleport Gate within Marten's central plaza.

Navigation
Marten Мартен Marten