Chapter 236 Village Bean
Additional Chapter. Thanks to swcowboy for supporting the book!
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The journey to the village, which Adam mistakenly called a city due to a misunderstanding, wasn't too challenging. On the contrary, a path well-trodden by carriages and pedestrians led to it. On both sides, there was a forest, and in the distance behind, a beach was visible. Straying a decent distance, Adam initially felt uneasy, but after Calissa's encouragement, he continued on his way.
He wore fairly simple attire, unchanged since he arrived in this world. It was unclear how he acquired it, but presumably, it was a system's doing. In reality, the clothing was straightforward—a white knight's shirt and black trousers, protected by black greaves.
Such a set of clothing wasn't suitable for all seasons, but it served him well and looked quite good. Unable to access the system, his inventory was simply blocked, leaving him with no other choice.
"Speaking of the system. Even after this time, there were no notifications that the update was completed, making me worry. Do I have to give it up?" he thought, feeling a slight panic.
After all, the system had become a part of his life, and despite suspecting it as part of a conspiracy, he couldn't help but become attached to this power. In the Lower Realm, he didn't use it as intended, as he had different plans at that time, aiming not to become the strongest but to gain as much power as possible.
Although that plan was decent, in his current situation, it was necessary to build strength as quickly as possible, or else he could simply become prey for the beasts.
Fortunately, Calissa was by his side, always helping him and informing him of everything he needed to know. For his safety, she warned about many hidden dangers and shared the traditions prevalent in this world, including the beliefs.
While in the Lower Realm, the primary object of worship was the Goddess of Light, here monotheism wasn't practiced. Numerous religions and gods coexisted with each other. The religion of the Goddess of Light also existed here, and according to Calissa, it was the same God as in the Lower Realm.
Adam couldn't help but remember the New Gods he once heard about from Casanova. The New Gods were representatives of a group of deities whose goal was to spread their religion, unlike the non-interventionist policy of the ancient gods.
"The names of the gods are very loud. But then why was there monotheism in the Lower Realm?" Adam asked, puzzled.
Even if the Lower Realm, as its name implied, wasn't the most developed, it still harbored numerous beings, each representing a valuable resource, especially concerning the collection of faith—a goal pursued by the New Gods. However, in the Lower Realm, the primary focus was on the Goddess of Light. Calissa had no precise answer to this question.
"Who knows them? I'm just an ordinary cat who doesn't delve into the affairs of higher beings. I simply lived by the beach, hunting for fish and other weaklings until you emerged from the sea," Calissa replied with a purring sound, hopping onto his shoulder, then onto his head. Yawning, she added, "Anyway, I want to take a nap. Your eyes are in place, hands and legs too, so you'll manage to reach the human settlement. I'll catch a catnap for now."
The man didn't respond, rolling his eyes at such self-satisfied behavior. Over the time he spent with this cat, he had grown tired of her temperament. But he had no other choice; he had to deal with her since Calissa possessed a wealth of information.
Two hours later, Adam could finally make out the city gates. It was simply enormous, as were the walls. His neck ached from trying to find the end of the wall.
Waiting in line and lost in his thoughts, he occasionally heard whispers and felt eyes upon him. Without a doubt, wherever he went, Adam stood out due to his unique beauty. Given the special aura around him, many young girls couldn't help but blush, falling in love with him. The fact that a magical creature was sleeping on his head also attracted attention.
There were even bolder middle-aged women approaching him, flirting. Adam didn't resist much, enjoying the conversations.
As the line shortened, there were only three people in front of Adam.
"Well then, see you in the village, handsome. Visit our house. It's located at Edris Street, house 15..."
"I'll drop by," Adam replied with a smile, bidding them farewell. Without changing his expression, he thought to himself, "Village? I thought with these dimensions, it should be a large city, but it's just a village... is everything always exaggerated in the Higher Realm?"
Shaking his head, the man moved forward towards the guard, but before he could introduce himself, the guard rushed somewhere.
"What the hell?" thought Adam, frowning, until he heard loud exclamations. Turning around, he saw a luxurious carriage led by two enormous horses resembling Shires. They were white and looked very powerful, likely magical creatures, as Adam sensed a potent aura from them.
The carriage's doors bore a splendidly adorned coat of arms—a two-headed eagle holding a knight's sword in its grip, with roses behind it. Presumably, this belonged to someone from the aristocracy, as per Calissa's words, indicating that this village was under the Holy Empire of Moonlight's jurisdiction.
And now, the carriage reached the wide open gates. On either side of a small tunnel stood guards, seven on each side. With thunderous voices, they proclaimed, "Long live Knight Clinton!"
Their cheer was too loud, and their voices rough, yet it didn't elicit any adverse reactions. Most in the queue bowed their heads, not daring to look directly at the carriage. Adam blended into the crowd and narrowed his eyes when he felt a powerful aura inside the carriage, comparable to Veronica's aura. It greatly disturbed him.
"As expected from the Higher Realm. Such a powerful practitioner here is merely a knight. I fear to imagine the Emperor's level," thought Adam, sighing.
After twenty minutes, the guards returned to their positions. The queue was disrupted, but Adam managed to squeeze through and be the first. Ignoring discontented exclamations, he greeted the guards.
"Hello... so, can I see your identification?" the guard asked, looking into Adam's eyes. Noticing his puzzlement, the guard sighed, "God, even in Bin, which is just a village, everyone has an ID. Where did you come from, the wilderness?"
He gestured towards his colleague and nodded towards Adam.
"Listen, send this lad with the cat on his head to Bronson; let him quickly issue an ID for our village."
"From which wilderness is he, damn it? I thought the Empire had long popularized ID issuance." The guard shook his head and called Adam, "Come on, follow me; we'll get you an ID, and then you can stroll around Bin. But remember, you'll have to work for two years to pay it off."
"Alright."
Adam had no choice but to nod. He followed the guard named John, who was quite sociable and chatted all the way. Before entering the city, Adam came up with a backstory.
Supposedly, he was a youth from a village who decided to move to a better place. He found the village of Bin to work and settle down. John didn't doubt his story, and it was evident that delving into Adam's past wasn't particularly interesting to him. They were led to a small building inside the village, attached to an observation tower.
Climbing the stairs, Adam glanced at the village with the corner of his eye. Indeed, it looked like a city. In size, it was like two Sedyons, but judging solely by development, Bin was not even worth mentioning.
After half an hour, Adam emerged from the building with John.
"Now, you are an official resident of the village of Bin. You'll have to work for two years or less if you find a good job, and paying 150,000 rihms will grant you citizenship," said John, explaining further, "You can also pay in installments. For example, allocate from 10% to 70% of your salary. But that's up to your convenience."
"I think I'll pay it all at once... is there a deadline?" asked Adam.
"As far as I know, the absolute deadline is five years. Within this time, you'll manage to earn that much money, provided you don't squander it on nonsense," replied John, waving his hand, and quickening his pace. He turned around and said over his shoulder, "You better make an effort! You're a young lad, so there's no shortage of opportunities for you! Good luck!"
"Thank you."
Adam smiled and watched John leave, then looked at the ID card in his hands. It was a standard ID card, with his name written on it, and it contained a magical stone inside that memorized his magical energy. This was done to prevent forgery. With this ID card, he could apply for official work.
"Speaking of work... I need to find something suitable for me," he thought and headed towards the center.
John mentioned that in the village center, there was a bulletin board where job announcements were usually posted. Most of the time, these were jobs for ordinary people. After twenty minutes, Adam finally reached the village square. There were already quite a few people on the bulletin board. He squeezed into the crowd and started looking at the announcements.
["Jared's BBQ Shop is looking for a butcher. Conditions..."]
[Forge "Iron Horse" is looking for blacksmiths. Minimum 25 years of experience.]
To be continued...
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