Before they could continue their conversation Gvene interrupted with a smile and said, "Dinner is ready boys."
They each got a bowl of vegetable soup with a few pieces of wolf meat. The taste was quite good and Erik was hungry enough since he didn't eat anything for the whole day. He quickly wolfed down the soup and thanked Gvene for her hospitality.
After the dinner, he asked if they knew where he could spend the night. Grim asked him if he had any money and Erik shook his head in response.
Grim thought for a while and then took a few coins from his pocket and said, "Here, take these. It should be enough to spend the night in the Bloodhorn Inn. You will find it if you follow the road. The general store is probably already closed so you should wait until tomorrow and then you can sell those crystals. They should help you get enough money for a few days. "
"Thank you for your advice," said Erik with a smile.
"Haha, nonsense. It's the least we can do for you. It's been a while since we meet such a well-mannered and courageous young man. The wolf skins also help," Grim winked at him.
Erik understood it immediately. Wolf skins and meat were apparently worth much more than he previously imagined.
He bid his farewells and left the Frolf couple. A few minutes later he came by a much bigger building. There was a big red rock by its side and on the sign, it said 'Bloodhorn Inn'. Erik showed a wry smile and shook his head at the look of it. At least the name was memorable.
It was getting late and the sun was already gone. He didn't waste any more time and went inside. There were a few people sitting and drinking by the different tables spread on the bottom floor. They were staring at him like he was some special animal on display. It made him feel uncomfortable.
He tried to ignore them and went to the old man by the bar, and asked him if he could get a room for the night.
The man looked at him from top to bottom, his eyes lingered on his torn shirt and bandaged arm. "It's ten copper coins for the room and five for breakfast."
Erik looked at the coins in his pocket. It was exactly fifteen copper coins. 'Looks like he gave me just enough,' he smiled bitterly to himself. He placed the coins on the counter.
The man looked at him coldly and lightly snorted, "Your room is on the first floor, second on the left. Here's the key. Don't sleep too long or you will miss breakfast. And you have to be out of here by noon tomorrow," said the man with an unfriendly tone and then didn't pay any more attention to him.
Erik went to the first floor as instructed and unlocked his room. It was a small chamber about five square meters with a small bed and a table with a chair by the window. He closed the door behind him and went to the window.
Looking out he saw only darkness in the distance. There were no city lights, no noise, and no music from the nightlife. For the first time in a long while, he felt lonely. Looking at the starry sky he sighed. The sky was clear and he could see tens of thousands of stars peacefully shining in the cold night.
After a few minutes of observation, he shook his head with a sad expression on his face. There were no stars or constellations he could recognize. This was the last clue that confirmed that he was not on Earth anymore.
He already confirmed this was not a time travel. Although some plants and animals were similar to those on Earth, they were still different. The main difference was the crystal in the animal's skull. There were no records of anything even remotely similar on his home planet.
He wasn't even sure if he was even in his home galaxy anymore. He didn't know what to do. He had no money, no knowledge of this new world, and he was all alone with no one he could trust.
Erik sat on the bed and took out the Elemental Codex. It was the only thing he had left. He smiled bitterly. He opened his palm and whispered, "Fire".
A small flame ignited. It was dancing on his palm. He could feel its heat radiating in the room. Watching the flame for a while he felt his body slowly becoming tired as the weird energy was leaving his body. It was the flow of Mana feeding the small flame.
He concentrated on the fire urging it to become bigger. In an instant, the flame grew to the size of a human, raging inside the small room. It was like a flame emperor trying to burn the world to ashes. Well, not quite, but it was kinda scary.
Erik got frightened and immediately cut off the flow of Mana to the flame. The ceiling was black and it was releasing a faint trace of smoke. He was looking at his palm with a scared but also an intrigued look.
He started laughing heartily and then laid down on his bed looking at the ceiling.
Maybe this world will finally be able to satisfy his curiosity and fill the void deep inside his heart. A call for adventure and exploration was slowly born inside him. Just thinking about all the new things he could learn and discover made him excited.
He lifted his hand and made a fist with determination in his eyes, "Magic. The mysterious force of the universe. I will tear apart the veil of mystery around you!"
With his vast knowledge and intellect, life should be easy and smooth, without any problems whatsoever.