It was my third day in this new world, and I still hadn't gotten used to it.
I missed my bed, my room, my family. Here, sleeping meant laying our backs wherever we could—stone, dirt floor, or wood didn't matter. Thank goodness Jess had brought a cloth as thick as a comforter, keeping us from catching a cold.
As I woke up, the sun was just beginning to rise—a perfect time for the chickens' daily morning screams. I tidied up my makeshift bed, packed my things, and looked around. Jess was nowhere to be found. I scanned the area behind some rocks and saw him near the bushes, picking something. It looked like an onion.
Was he trying to cook breakfast already? How early did this guy even wake up?
"Morning," I greeted him, as was my habit.
He just gave a simple nod.
We began cooking our meal for the morning. While eating, I still wondered about the material we used to kill that boar yesterday, so I finally asked him.
"What is this?" I asked, pointing to the paper-like cloth.
"Pall," he replied.
So 'pall' was the term for the material with no characters written on it—in other words, the blank one.
"This... pall atang."
That's what it was called when it had characters and was ready to use. This information came with a bonus: it was one of the most popular items you could sell in any town. You could use it for everything from household chores to fighting monsters. It was made from the wood of a specific tree; its texture felt like animal hide but was more flexible, like paper. Apparently, you only got this from trees far from pollution, located in areas with lots of good energy.
Energy and Stones
There were two types of energy.
The first was Bad Energy. It could be found in monsters, whether you killed them or when they used magic attacks. You naturally collected more of this energy by slaying them.
The second was Good Energy. This was found in nature, wild animals, trees, and even rivers. And they stored this energy in stones.
They used a stone called 'sulpung' to store the bad energy, and 'sengpet' to store the good energy. How did they store it? You just had to carry it with you, and the stone would collect it automatically, like a magnet for energy. Cool stuff.
As for the 'pall atang,' I'd just call them Scrolls. And the stones? Bad Stone and Good Stone.
They used the Bad Stone to inscribe the characters onto the scroll, and the Good Stone as a weapon or a projectile. I learned a lot this time about their methods of fighting.
We were done eating. Time to move.
We walked safely, picking up herbs, grass, and fruits along the way. Why the hell was he picking grass? I still had no idea. I just hoped we wouldn't run into any threats like the 'dorbab' boar. After a few hours of walking, we safely reached a small town.
The Town of Merauth
As we entered the town, all I could see were broken, dilapidated houses. The street was made of dirt. The houses were built from tree trunks, their walls were made of leaves, and the roofs were covered in grass. Every structure looked like a simple hut. It was clearly a poor town.
No electricity. No marketplace. No tall buildings. No fast-food joints. Obviously, no Wi-Fi. The children looked malnourished and thin. I could see families sitting outside their homes on logs, eating just fruits and vegetables.
Jess and I continued walking until we reached a partially finished house. He lived here? Wow. Half of the house was made of wood and grass, and the other half only had a roof of leaves. But looking at the wall, you could see some bones, claws, and skulls of animals mounted there.
I sat on a random log while Jess talked to a woman.
"Mother, I'm back #%#÷€ miro &%÷^ friend, *ש^ found ₹√'¥ forest of umrot."
I was having trouble understanding them again. I knew a few words, but man, this was hard.
They kept talking in words that flew right over my head. Once they finished, Jess gave the fruits and the grass to his mother, along with some dried meat. Then, he grabbed some wheat and vegetables.
His mother started drying the grass under the sun as soon as we left. "Bye!"
We kept walking through the town until we reached another small house. This one, however, had lots of wooden chairs and tables. I believed it was a school for children.
"Maria!" Jess called out as we entered the gate. "Maria!!!"
Who was Maria? Maybe someone he knew?
"Who's there?!"
A young lady appeared, wearing a long dress that looked like a nun's habit—a combination of yellow, pink, and white. She had long, straight black hair. Damn girl! I wondered who she was.
And once again, another conversation I couldn't understand. Was there really no translation magic in this world? I half-felt like they were trying to sell me into a black market or perhaps talking against me.
After they finished, Jess told me that Maria wanted to be a teacher, so she helped out here to teach the kids during her free time.
They had recently built this house for kids who wanted to learn and play. Other parents also left their children here while they went out of town to earn money.
"You... live... here... learn... write... read... speak..."
"Yes," I replied. And why would I say no to that?
It was good that Jess had taught me some basic words. I hoped to learn a lot more here. We went inside the house. There were many rooms, and since they all looked the same, I randomly selected one. I didn't have much to unpack; only a single bag that Jess had lent to me.
She gave me the door key, showed me where the kitchen, the bathroom, and the well were. That was nice; I had never tried to use a well before.
Before the sun set, we had a small dinner with some of the kids—a meal of bread, herbs, and fruits. Didn't they have rice or meat?
After we were done eating, Maria gave me two books. More children's books, maybe?
"Read... study... later..." she said, flashing a bright smile.
"Yes." That single word was all I could offer.
After a little more small talk, Jess and Maria headed to their own homes. I went to my room and looked outside the window. This was a small town nestled beside a mountain, with a river on the other side. Though the town wasn't doing well—perhaps they were suffering from a famine?—the people who lived here were incredibly kind. They gave me food, clothes, and even a room to stay.
Tomorrow would be a new day where I could learn something new, and I was excited.
But for now, it was already dark.
Time to go to sleep.