"Finally. Not too shabby if I say so myself."
I muttered to myself as I watched the house I built block by block with my own two hands.
Made out of Acacia wood, it was a beautiful house that took me an entire day to create, not to mention the three days it took me to cut down the trees and harvest the materials needed for its construction.
Walking into the house, I could not help but gasp as I felt the overwhelming eldritch energies keeping the structure together. Otherwise, this affront to proper architecture would have fallen on my head the moment I was done.
Inside, there are a few wooden torches to illuminate the area. Two Furnaces to smelt my metals and ores. A smoker to cook my fish and meats. A bed, courtesy of the kind villagers nearby. And a crafting table in the corner.
It was not much, but it was home for now. At least until I manage to find some good stuff and gain enough materials to upgrade it for more safety.
As the square sun in the sky set, I heard the noise of the village's bell being rung, indicating that it was time for all the villagers to rush home and take shelter lest they become food for the monsters.
Outside the house, through the thick but flawlessly clean glass, my unnatural eyes saw the strange energies in the air gather into clumps as the sun set. Once the sun was completely gone, and only the darkness remained with the hauntingly beautiful moon starting to rise, these clumps gained corporeal forms, revealing the monsters that would now hunt for prey.
Spotting the spiders in the distance along with a few skeletons and the odd Creeper, I took out my Sone Sword and Wooden Shield, preparing for a long night of farming.
Let's hope I don't end up dead this night.
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'Damn! It's more of a town than a village!'
Steve thought internally as he slowly walked towards the rather large wooden walls separating the town from the outside world, making sure not to walk too fast or too slow so as not to draw too much attention to himself, blending in with the sparse few humans that he could see travelling into and out of the village.
When he first saw the humans, he had been ecstatic, thinking that he and his wife had finally gone back to Earth, fulfilling their lifelong wish.
However, it was only when he observed the humans from a distance, letting his superhuman brain decode their clothing styles, body language, and mannerisms, that he finally realized that the was wrong with his assumptions.
They were human. There was no doubt about it. However, their society definitely did not belong on Earth, so he and his wife could not be on Earth.
They may have forgotten a lot of things about their home world over the centuries, but Steve still remembers that, except for the USA, it was impossible for people to carry firearms as openly as these people were carrying, not to mention the high-caliber snipers he saw along with various other cold weapons.
There was also the discrepancy of the travellers travelling on foot instead of using cars, buses, trains, or flights.
With his hopes having been dashed, Steve decided that he would do what he had set out to do. Scout the town and see what it has to offer in terms of knowledge, resources, and a potential home base.
That was why he stored his armor away and took out a long cloak that his wife once made for him many centuries ago when they were in the mood for roleplaying as mysterious travellers, even though most people of the Overworld knew them very well by that point.
With the tan cloak hiding all of his features except for his face, he did not stand out much among the other travellers.
However, he had been too naive in his thinking, because he was immediately stopped by the guards when they saw him.
"Halt! Stranger. Who are you?"
"I am a traveller looking for some information and maybe some trading."
Steve watched as the guards looked at each other before the older guard motioned to the younger one, who approached Steve.
What happened next made Steve stare with wide eyes as the young man took out something that was eerily similar to a smartphone, albeit being see-through as if made of glass, and aligned it with Steve's face.
Steve's eyes caught the long list of people that flashed for barely a second on the screen before it shone green, making the young man nod towards the older one.
Steve saw how the body language of the guards relaxed slightly at that as the older guard, the one who had stopped him before, smiled at the Builder.
"Sorry about that. Can't take chances with the bandinds in the area, ya know?"
Steve simply nodded his head at those words, not willing to expose his lack of knowledge about what was going on, so that he would not stick out much.
The old man smiled at Steve's nod and motioned him towards the gates.
"Welcome to Kuroyuri. If you are looking to buy something or for the local Inn and taverns, head to the Main Street island. As for information, I recommend the Tavern since Huntsmen frequent that place a lot, so the master might know about whatever information you are looking for."
Steve simply nodded his head at those words before acting like he was reaching into a pocket, while in truth, he was reaching into his storage.
Taking out a small Gold nugget, he handed it to the guard, who gave Steve a stunned look.
"S-Sir! I can't-"
"Don't worry. Consider it payment for helping me out."
Looking at the joy on the guard's face, Steve simply walked in.
This bribe served two functions. One was to make the guard remember his face so that there would not be any problems in the future should he choose to return here. Another was to see if gold had any value in this world and if Steve could use it as a way to obtain the local currency.
Given the joy in the older guard's eyes and the greedy looks directed by the other guards towards the older one, it was clear to the Builder that his assumption had been right.
Gold had value in this world.
This meant that things could go relatively easily, given the tons of gold in his storage.
'First things first. I need to look for a pawn shop or something similar where I can trade the Gold for the local currency. Then, it's time to get myself and Alex a smartphone!'
Steve could not help but grin as that thought came to his mind.
Given the many centuries he and his wife had spent away from modern civilization, it was a given that they were starved of the modern conveniences, including the powerful tools known as smartphones and the Internet.
Now that Steve spotted something similar, he was like a shark that had just smelled blood.
With a grin, Steve made his way quickly towards the Main Street island, one of the seven islands that made up the town of Kuroyuri.
Not knowing that his wife was in the process of making her own discovery about this world.
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Author notes: Read 10 chapters ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/Tiranus2