Somnium, the not so medieval town. The building and houses are still made with the same material as wood and stones. The roads are made with smooth stones with lamp posts every few often, blazing bright fire powered with the 'magic' that The World gave.
Even with the knowledge that the otherworlders gave, the towns and cities in The World are still lacking behind from modern time. Otherworlders as in people that come from the internet.
Civilization from The World studied this thing called the internet. Everyone convinces themselves the internet is another realm, a mysterious realm with a huge history behind it.
This realm of the internet would open portals or rifts to The World and spit out creatures with their famous history from the internet. Occasionally this internet realm would also bring humans, these humans brought knowledge with them.
Many of these otherworlders brought culture, politics, economy, and others concepts and ideas but it wasn't enough to completely change The World.
And so with people of The World still in process of learning these so-called things from the internet, Somnium is one of the few that are in the mix of these changes.
Zefa looks at the building in front of him, the school. The town is big enough to have one. With also different buildings with different purposes. Purposes that should not be invented yet.
Oddly enough, from outside the school looks like a prison. The classroom or whatever these people from this world called it, doubles as a wall that surround the school area with the middle having smaller buildings and an empty field.
It's like the people were arguing between building a school or an academy. Maybe they are still confused about the difference between these places.
Zefa then walks into the area inside. Empty. No security guarding the entrance and no sign of any student or any other people.
"Is it Sunday or something?" Zefa thought out loud looking around the place.
Zefa then realized what was he supposed to do? The guard just dropped him off this place without any instructions on what to do next.
So Zefa search for the most important-looking building to maybe find someone that he can ask information for. It's the building in the front left corner of the area.
The whole place was really well made, there are stone paths connecting every building in the center and around the inner wall. Entering the building through a double door Zefa could see the building floor made out of polished marble.
Flowers inside clay pots lined up the hallway every few meters. The sun shines through the hollow windows to illuminate the insides. Silent, nobody was inside.
Zefa walks down the hallway and around the building feeling a little worried, maybe something was wrong. Past many doors and intersections, Zefa found another double door, could be leading to an important room.
Zefa let out a small sigh and was about to knock on the door when he heard a voice coming from behind him.
"Excuse me?" The voice was silvery.
Zefa turns around to see the person with the voice, he had to tilt his head up a little to see face to face.
Wearing a gray tunic, not the modern one. He stood tall looking at Zefa with such confidence. Staring with his black eyes through his glasses, his black hair completing the set.
The glasses were rectangles with a wooden frame. Reading glasses in the past was round and not compact but with the help of people basically coming from the future, modifying it wouldn't be a problem.
"I saw you walking around the place. Do you have any intention here?" He asked.
"Uh.. I'm Zefa, I'm new here," Zefa said after taking a moment to answer.
"Zefa? Hmm.. the first youth to come from that realm?" The teacher asked. Zefa had guessed this man to be a teacher from this place.
"Yes. I was just escorted by a guard telling me this is a school or some sort."
"It's a little different but it indeed is. Let's go find a place to talk," The teacher said turning around, Zefa followed after him.
They didn't walk far when they entered a room, it looked like a resting room. Probably the teachers break room.
"Why is the school so empty?" Zefa asked after sitting down on a chair.
"It's been a rough week, you don't need to worry about it," The teacher said with calm in his voice. So the school being empty wasn't anything serious, Zefa thought.
"Do I have to sign any paper or anything?" Zefa asked, unsure how he would just come into this school.
"Signing? Oh don't worry, the guard has already taken care of it," The teacher said a little confused at first.
Zefa was about to ask another question when the teacher asked him first.
"You came from that realm, right? You know, they only put you in this school so they can learn more from you. The guard before has probably sent messages to bigger cities that a youth otherworlder has come in this town," The teacher smiled at Zefa.
"Well I don't really have a choice or they will take me by force," Zefa said scratching his head. These people really want to learn about that realm.
"Otherworlders, Internet Surfer, Cyberspace Kind, they have many names. Each of them brought different knowledge. And every time they arrived, they were instantly sent to bigger cities to help
it grow. They all have something interesting in them," The teacher said with a grin on his face.
Zefa stares at him with a complicated frown. This isn't your average teacher, he knows a lot about this subject, maybe he's researching them. The room went silent, the teacher looking at Zefa wanting to learn about otherworlders. And Zefa thinking if he should play the kid act or to be serious.
"Otherworlders know a lot about their world but they barely know ours. Here some money so you can get what you need and explore the town, learn more about it. I'll explain to you more when you come back," The teacher said breaking the silence. Getting to his pocket and giving Zefa a leather pouch filled with the currency of this world.
"Then I will be back at dusk. Thank you for your help Mr..?" Zefa asked getting up and taking the pouch.
"It's Hendriko Effendi, just call me Mr.Hendry. Take your time learning the town," Mr Hendry said giving Zefa a little hand wave.
Zefa closed the door of the room. The teacher, Mr Hendry was weird. He knows a lot about otherworlders, probably the internet too. Zefa set that thought aside for now, he can talk to him later again. Right now, Zefa got a town to explore.