Seeing everything was as he expected, Ethan closed the menus and continued his walk, this time with purpose. He needed to map out the entire place as much as possible, to be sure everything was still as he remembered. He did have the map, but the map in Lost World Online functioned with the discovery system, meaning he had to go to or close to a place for it to open up to him.
But, as long as everything remained the same, he wouldn't need to worry much about the map, since he knew most of Lost World intimately, in the same manner he knew his studio apartment…
Nevertheless, the festival continued around him as the day slowly approached afternoon.
Along the way, Ethan found himself slowing down and sometimes stopping, just to observe.
He even spotted the local blacksmith hammering away at his forge, sweat dripping down his face with the rhythmic clang, clang, clang of metal on metal.
In the game, that blacksmith had been a quest giver and a shop interface. Here, he was just another person, doing his job and living his life. Perhaps even more satisfying, was to see him move away from hammering to do other things… it was fascinating to watch, since he used to have only a handful of animations.
It was fascinating, and more so even, terrifying. Then again, Ethan had already at least more than halfway accepted that this was a real world and not the same game he used to play.
His best imaginations had actually come alive! Getting isekai'd! Becoming powerful, slaying mythical creatures and splitting mountains! Rocking a handsome face and a little brother above finger length and width!—actually, he was never amongst that community, he was well blessed by the heavens in that area… though, he never really used it, did he?
Anyway, with all those fantasies he used to occupy himself with, he never expected that he wouldn't be enjoying it. Those isekai stories he'd read, those anime he'd watched late at night when he should've been sleeping—they were happening to him. Transported to another world. Given a new body. Starting over with nothing.
The Dream Life of every cultured man!
But then, Lost World Online isn't exactly a game and world anyone should be happy about getting isekai'd into, really.
Well… as the saying goes, -Careful what you wish for, you just might get it-… or was that just Eminem?
Anyway, he surveyed enough to be convinced all was the same, and then the sun was getting lower already, painting the sky in beautiful shades of orange and pink, the most beautiful sky he had seen yet… well, as someone who barely touched grass, it might have been an overstatement since he seldom saw any sunset, not in the city littered with tall buildings.
As for the festival, it showed no signs of stopping, if anything, it seemed to be getting livelier as evening approached.
Just then, his stomach growled. When had he last eaten? In the real world, it had been over a day, but here, who could say?
'Do I even need to eat?' he wondered, but his growling stomach answered that question clearly enough. This body—his body now—needed sustenance, not just a bunch of code running on servers. Not only that, but he also needed rest, he could actually feel the tiredness in his legs, a feeling he wasn't so used to.
He also needed time to process everything and if possible, make a plan, so there really was only one place to go.
He navigated through the winding streets, using his memories. Salt Fish Town had three inns: the Gilded Trout, the Silver Scale, and the Rusty Anchor.
Ethan headed for the Rusty Anchor which was the cheapest, well, money wasn't the real issue, since all three Inns didn't differ much in cost or quality. But when it really got down to it, no matter how much cheaper it was, it was favourable. He had no idea if his five gold coins made him rich or poor, so better to be conservative until he confirmed his hypothesis.
He found the Inn easily, tucked into a corner near the town's small port. It was a squat, two story building with a faded sign showing an anchor covered in rust. Through the window, he could see the warm orange glow of the common room.
He walked up to it and pushed the door, getting a smell of something delicious. He quickly spotted a few people inside, all of them drinking rather than eating. He attributed it to the ongoing festival and just walked in. As soon as he stepped in, all eyes were on him—it was rather strange to see such a tall person afterall, there was no way he wouldn't attract the attention.
If he had paid attention while walking around, he would have noticed the stares, but he was too preoccupied.
Ethan didn't waste time and walked up to the bar side, just like in the game. Behind the bar stood a heavyset man with a magnificent beard, wiping down mugs with a rag, and for a moment there, it looked just like his in-game animation. In the game, this had been Innkeeper Grom, a simple vendor NPC who rented rooms for 1 gold coin a night.
He looked up at Ethan as he approached, "help you, stranger?" Grom's voice was gruff but not unfriendly.
Ethan approached the bar, acutely aware of how he looked—like a dirt-poor traveler who'd spent the day walking through mud. "I need a room for the night." He said.
Grom sized him up with a practiced eye. "Thirty copper, includes breakfast. Extra five if you want dinner tonight."
"I'll take both," Ethan said. He could just pull out the coin from thin air using his inventory, but he advised himself against it.
He passed his hand behind, close fisted, and pulled out one of his gold coins.
Grom's eyes widened slightly. "You want to break a gold piece? You sure, lad? That's a lot of coin to be carrying around for someone dressed like…"
He trailed off diplomatically.
Ethan blinked. "Is it? How much is—"
"A gold piece is a hundred silver, son, and that in turn's a hundred copper. You're asking me for change on what most folks around here make in several months."
'No shit, I am rich indeed.' He thought to himself in delight. He hadn't been rich in a long while.
"I, uh," Ethan stammered, feeling extremely stupid, or at least he tried to appear so for as much as his acting skills could take him. "I'll still take the room… And dinner."
Grom shrugged and pulled out a lockbox from under the bar, counting out change for him. He handed Ethan a stack of coins.
"That's a real pain, you know? Room three, top of the stairs. Dinner'll be ready in an hour. Mutton stew tonight."
"Thank you."
"Also, you might not want to be flashing that around everywhere. Not sure where you found it—" Grom said, glancing at Ethan's hip, "don't care either, but be careful." Grom advised.
Ethan nodded, offered thanks, then left. Hearing an NPC he had interacted with quite a few times talk so much at length and even offer advise… it was fascinating.
He climbed the creaky wooden stairs to the second floor, found room three, and unlocked it with the iron key Grom had given him.
The room was small and simple, with a single bed with a straw mattress, a small table with a washbasin, one chair, and a tiny window overlooking the street.
Ethan closed the door, locked it, and sat on the bed.
The mattress was lumpy and smelled faintly of mildew, not unexpected, but he actually didn't see it coming. The place was certainly worse than a roadside motel.
He lay back, fitting himself in an awkward position as the space was too little for his height, staring at the rough wooden ceiling. Part of him—surprisingly, a large part—expected to wake up and find himself back in his shitty apartment, back in his own actual body. Another part of him, however, knew that wasn't going to happen.
This was as real as anything. All of a sudden, he had become the character he created, Yamamoto Odinson… 'Such a dumb name.' He thought to himself with slight embarrassment. If only he had known this would be an actual life he would be living, he would have chosen a more fitting name!