Introduction Arc: Chapter 5.
The two parties have finalized their deals. Master Enchanter, livid with the deal, offered to give Winter a ride in his carriage towards Newbie Town. An offer that Winter accepted without hesitation.
The Master Enchanter ordered his assistants to pack up, prematurely closing the busy stall, which troubled the uneasy crowd. He ignored their pleas to buy, satisfied with today's trade.
"They're refugees? Where'd they come from?" Winter said, skimming the book he had obtained in the earlier trade, which detailed the history of this world. However, Bricks was the one actually reading and analyzing everything.
"The far east." Master Enchanter replied with a distracted tone. "The dragon lord's army has made a landing on the beaches. There were attempts to retake it, but they've all been fruitless." He said, scrutinizing the sword with a barely concealed grin.
"I must say, the quality of this sword is superb. It's a bit grimy, but nothing that a hot water can't clean." Master Enchanter said, putting the sword closer to the carriage's window, flicking out a piece of gore.
Winter remained silent, picking up the pace in flipping the book's pages; he was getting impatient. He needed a summary of the whole world's history. *Clap!* He was now done with the world's history book, so he moved on to the heroes' legacy book. He flipped the pages with an even faster pace.
Master Enchanter didn't notice the flipping, eyes still focused on the sword. "I must say, I thought you had a group with you, but you're all alone."
"I can handle myself well."
"Of course." Master Enchanter said, eyeing the dagger on Winter's new sheath. (You dumb prick, that burning rune won't last, and although that dagger is from a hero, it doesn't bear their name.) He thought, snickering.
(Runes are difficult to obtain, and information about them is guarded. Maybe I should've focused on duping nobles, my honest living selling shoddy protection items doesn't pay well anyway.) Master Enchanter thought, grinning tightly.
*Clap!* Winter was finished with the skimming and flipping. He looked outside the carriage and was instantly enamored by the sight. Newbie Town was no longer a town; it was now a beautiful city full of bustling activity.
He can't wait to explore the city and meet his childhood heroes. The ones that are still alive, at least.
"You can drop me off here. Thank you for the ride, Master Enchanter." Winter said, exiting the carriage and taking a big whiff of the city's air. He approached the fountain that was in the middle of the intersection, where carvings were engraved in the walls.
◆ [ A summary has been made, do you want to hear it? ] ◆
Bricks said, but his words fell on deaf ears.
The water was glistening, sparkling as it came out of the statue of a small child's urn. The sun's light offered a beautiful reflection on the wavy water. Winter savored the moment, a warm, fuzzy feeling coming over him. He grabbed the water; it was cold but embracing.
Winter felt alive; he felt like he jumped into a picture book. The world was so warmly welcoming. The people were also warm, nodding and smiling at him. They greeted him as if he were a local, not a foreigner, and he shyly greeted them back.
The houses appeared strangely Renaissance, barely coming out of the medieval era. It looked comfortable and quaint. The people wore fine clothes, and they were all neatly clean; almost everyone looked pretty and nice.
"I want to see everything." Winter thought, walking away from the fountain.
A trip to the Great Bridge caused his heart to flutter. In the game, the bridge was merely a large hundred meter ancient tree that fell after a battle, but now, it was a white marbled bridge. Winter leaned, looking beneath the bridge. The water was clean, sparkling clean.
A trip to the colosseum caused his excitement to rise. There were gladiators, dressed in the roughest armors, fighting with vigor. The colosseum was colossal; he sat in the furthest, and the gladiators seemed like ants. Fortunately, a big, floating magical hologram above the colosseum allowed everyone to view the fight.
Finally, a trip to a tall hill caused him to kneel in shock, this time with even more tears in his eyes. The sun was setting, and the view was insanely picturesque. A wide lake could be seen in the distance, with sunlight spreading across the skyline. A breeze blew from the east, providing a gentle breeze that fluttered his hair.
The people around him were just as enamored by the view, despite them being locals and having seen the setting sun a thousand times. They all glared at Winter, especially the children who were giggling. Winter paid them no mind; his worries had faded, and what was left was pure bliss.
(I wish every day were this beautiful.) Winter thought, rising and fixing his leather armor. (I wonder if the nights are just as beautiful as the day.)
Winter approached a young adult couple who were sharing a large piece of cheese. "Excuse me, do you know where the best tavern is?"
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Winter sat in the farthest corner inside the tavern, drinking from a cold mug of beer. Apparently, he came at the right time. A close group of four adventurers was promoted to a higher rank, and they all gave the people inside a free drink.
"Hurrah to the Night Generals!"
"Good luck to you four!"
A lot of cheering and dancing then happened; it was as if every minute that passed, the tavern got more rowdier. The armored city guards even joined in on the fun, drinking a free mug of beer, then going back to their posts.
Winter witnessed everything with a smile. He wished to be a part of this world, but he had responsibilities to attend to. He had a family.
(I want to go back to my world, and preferably while still in this form. Magic exists here; reverse transmigration must be possible.) He thought, approaching a board that had a lot of request posters.
"Cull the undead manifestations in the night forest region," Winter said, reading the post. (What are undead manifestations? Ghosts? Skeletons?)
Winter shrugged. (Whatever, it sounds easy. I've a limitless burn rune dagger. That merchant must've thought that this was a temporary one. Thank god for Bricks for telling me what that merchant was planning.) Winter thought, recalling Bricks' analysis of the merchant.
◆ [ Analyzing Character: Shifty, speech pattern is reminiscent of a lying merchant, eyes always averting, slightly flushed face and hands, words are too synthetic. Verdict: The target is trying to scam you, but doesn't know the full potential of the dagger. ] ◆
(You got that just by looking at him? Damn.)
Winter unpinned the job poster and took it with him, leaving the tavern and heading to the night forest region while routinely asking for directions if he was going the right way.