Thus, Ebony went down the stairs to the lobby of the inn where she had stayed to recover her strength. She hurried over to the receptionist and spoke to her in a friendly tone.
"Good afternoon, sorry about the commotion earlier, umm… excuse me, could you tell me what city we're in? And also if you know where I can find a good blacksmith nearby?"
"Good afternoon… We're in the border city of Reignner. Since we're in contact with an ungoverned zone, we have a large flow of adventurers, so the city has many blacksmiths in the adventurers' district" the red-haired woman replied kindly.
"Uh-huh, and where is that exactly?" the blonde asked, her hair messy as she cleaned her ear with a finger.
"(What a disgusting woman, she has no manners at all)… Well, I'm afraid I don't know. I just arrived in the city like you… (Now get out, I'm not helping you anymore)" the receptionist thought while keeping a fake smile.
"Oh wow, that's a shame. Well, thanks anyway, pretty" Ebony replied naturally, flirting without effort at the receptionist's beauty.
Thus, the disheveled blonde left the inn, while the receptionist remained behind with a stunned look, shaken by the unexpected flirtation.
Ebony began walking that Sunday afternoon. On weekends, the city of Reignner bloomed with life thanks to border trade, so the streets were packed with adventurers of many different races.
The blonde walked among humans, dwarves, and even savages, who caught her attention the most, being partially humanoid with animal traits.
As she moved forward, she couldn't help but feel amazed by the medieval clothing, clean and colorful, yet at the same time she felt the wary stares directed at her.
In her previous life as a man, she had been very careless about her appearance, something no one minded as long as her clothes were clean. But now, as a woman, everything seemed different.
Since arriving, this was the first time she had walked in public with her female body, and to make matters worse, she was wearing a dress open at the front, leaving her legs exposed to any wandering gaze.
Although she didn't want to admit it, her face was beautiful and well-kept, and the dress highlighted a figure that attracted the attention of passing adventurers clad in armor and carrying swords.
However, her long, messy hair and the smell of her unwashed body immediately changed the expression of anyone interested, replacing it with confusion that seemed to question her sanity.
"(This is bullshit… I don't get why they're looking at me so weird… I checked the mirror before leaving)" Ebony thought, accustomed to not caring about her appearance.
"(Whatever, it's not like anyone's paying me to please strangers. Right now, the urgent thing is finding a blacksmith)" she thought as she kept searching while walking through the city.
The houses were rustic but built with a precision worthy of the world she came from. The streets were wide enough for carriages, and the sidewalks spaced for comfortable walking.
After walking more than three blocks while asking for directions from street vendors selling food and flowers, she finally reached the Adventurers' District. It had taverns and inns with prices ranging from three to five copper coins per night.
In this area, she began looking for blacksmith signs, quickly finding a street where forges stood side by side. In a hurry, she entered the only blacksmith shop without any customers waiting.
"Good afternoon!" Ebony shouted as she entered, enjoying the magical atmosphere in the air.
"What's so good about it?" asked a dwarf in a foul mood as he heated a sword until it glowed red in a small furnace.
"Heh heh… Yeah, I guess… Sir, can you take an urgent commission? I'll pay very well, and it's for tomorrow morning" the girl said as she pulled out the gold coins she had saved.
"Tomorrow?! Do I look like an owl to you, working all night? This is a blacksmith shop, girl, not a damn mage's store" the dwarf replied without stopping his work, keeping his back turned to the blonde the entire time.
"I know it's sudden, but it's good pay, I promise" Ebony said as she approached the wooden counter and showed ten gold coins and five thunder crystals.
The crackling sound of the crystals made the dwarf stop his work, and he quickly moved to the counter to examine the payment. His eyebrows were so thick it looked like he didn't even have eyes.
"Oh… Ho ho ho, you should've started with that, miss. What do you want old Sigurd to make for you?" said the red-haired man as he rubbed his hands together.
"Well…" Ebony flashed a confident smile, thinking everything was already set. "Do you have paper and a pencil?"
.
.
.
After a full hour of discussion, the blonde finally left the dwarf's forge. Once outside, she stretched her arms, unable to stop smiling.
"Well, with that, everything's ready, and it was cheaper than I expected" the girl muttered to herself while looking at her remaining money, five gold coins and five silver.
Since she still had money, without thinking too much, she began looking for something to eat around the city. She didn't remember the city being this big; back when she had walked through it, it had barely been a large town.
After a few minutes of searching, she found a stall selling "stew bombs", they had been her favorites in the game. She didn't know what they tasted like, but they were cheap and restored a good amount of health.
"Excuse me, how much does your food cost?" the girl asked, her mouth watering at the pleasant smell coming from the vendor's basket.
"Good… afternoon… The bombs are three for five copper coins, or one for two" replied the vendor, who had cat ears, while struggling not to react to the unpleasant smell of the unexpected customer.
"Perfect! Give me thirty!" Ebony replied excitedly. Since one gold coin was worth ten silver, and one silver was worth ten copper, she had the exact change for her order.
The girl looked at her doubtfully, but after preparing the order in a paper bag, the disheveled blonde handed over the five silver coins she had.
The young blonde walked until she found a familiar place, the town's first plaza. It was a quiet area with few people and only a water fountain.
It brought back memories of the game she loved so much, and now it was hard for her to recognize it.
Ebony decided to sit on a bench in the plaza. As the sun dipped below the horizon, she began to eat.
The food consisted of mashed potato balls coated in a fried corn-starch crust, with a small amount of meat stew in miniature cuts at the center of each sphere.
When she took her first bite, she felt the flavors of each ingredient blend in her mouth. The thick liquid of the stew almost dripped onto her clothes, but she carefully controlled each bite.
For her, eating that food felt like a dream. It was delicious, and she had no intention of sharing it with anyone. It was her food, paid for with her own money, money earned with her own blood, and that final tear was her farewell to her old life of poverty.