"Wake up, little man! Today we are going to know your name form the temple. Get up and freshen up. Dad and mom are waiting in the hall." Elder sister Aidyn shook me and whisper me in my ears.
Rubbing my eyes, I got up and tried to look at my strange surrounding. Then, I remembered the name-giving ceremony and my dad getting the hotel rooms for one night. I went to the bathroom and refreshed myself. I then accompanied my eldest sister to the hall for meeting my parents and other siblings.
As I was still feeling sleepy, my eldest sister picked me and hugged her tightly like a baby monkey. We went down where she put and let me sit beside her.
"How are you feeling Little Snow?" mother asked me while combing my hair properly.
"Excited! Mom. When we are going to the temple?" I asked while smiling brightly.
My dad replied, "When the sun is at the highest point in the sky, we would go to the temple for your name and other necessary results."
Ooooohhhhhhhh!
Now that we have a full day to ourselves, we all decided to roam around the main village city. I was extremely excited to have my first city excursion in this life. This time instead of my mother, my eldest sister Aidyn decided to accompany me as mother and father have some stuff to do. While my other brothers and sister have something to buy for their upcoming academy sessions.
Holding my elder sister's hand, we started our tour of Seabach City. For me, this was the first city in this magical world. I was excited and expected to several different things in the market. Watching me excited, she picked me up and put me on her shoulder.
Please don't expect her to some fragile women, she is the one the strongest human being after my father and mother.
She said, "This city is not very big, you know. The capital city and many other different cities such as Academic City, White City, Bide City, and many other cities are much bigger than this city. It is one of the smallest cities in the whole empire."
"Well! I don't mind it. It is my first time visiting any city outside our home" I replied with a very excited voice.
Calming down a little bit, I said, "Regarding it being a small city, I would transform this city into one the biggest city in the whole city elder sis. Being small doesn't mean it's bad, it's just the matter of perspective sister."
My sister nodded her head without saying anything. Thinking about the food, I asked, "Where is the market sister? I want to visit the market and see different kinds of fish and other vegetables."
Matching my enthusiasm, she agreed with me and said, "Okay! Let's go to the market." She started to run towards the market. The feeling of air against my face and hair made me more excited.
After some time we reached the market place. It was an amazing sight to watch. The number of people exceeds the total number of people I have seen in this life. She picked me again and put me on her waist without any extra effort. Then we entered the market.
In the market, I came across several sea animals. I saw some of the similar sea animals such as octopus, sea shrimp, lobsters, and many other animals. Many other fishes were being sold in the market. I was really surprised at the verity of products harvested from the sea.
"What's that sister?" pointing at an octopus, I asked. She replied, "Oh! That one is eight-leg fish. They are one of the delicious food in this city. Many people like to eat them. They are nutritious and good for growing children. Don't you remember, its favorite dishes."
Ohhhhhhhhhh!
Now that remember that mother would regularly cook such dishes for me as I dislike other food cooked in our house. In this world, people would generally put anything edible in the pot of water and cook it or rather boil it some common seasonings.
After looking at the wet market, I decided to take a look at the part of the market where vegetables and fruits were being sold. At that moment, I encountered a rather disturbing sight. A man with a child of similar age to me was lying on the road. They were begging for some food and salt.
This site greatly disturbed me. Noticing my sudden change, my sister looked at my eyes and patted my head. She said, "Is that disturbing to you?" I nodded my head with disappointment. It seems like poverty is common to the kind of world present. Lovingly she said, "This is one truth of the life and a problem that our country is facing for a long duration of time. Our lack of food grains and sources of salt has been the cause of worry for several generations of our kingdom. We are only able to import rock salt from one of the friendly countries but the price they are demanding is extremely high."
I was shocked at her words. We don't have a source of salt, are seriously kidding me? Don't they know the method of evaporation?
It also made me realize that our parents would regularly spend a chockfull of their salary, just to afford our food. Thinking about it, made me ashamed about complaints against the plain food at home.
My elder sister smiled understanding my inner feelings, "You don't have to worry about anything Little Snow. Both mom and dad earn enough money to support our family and then you got me. Don't you know, how powerful I am? Earning money is nothing to me, so don't you worry about anything and grow up to become a wonderful man to share our responsibility."
She kissed on my forehead and put a silver coin on the bowl of the beggar. She said softly, "Go and treat your child then move to the mayor's building. There you and your child would be fed and if possible they would also offer you a job." Thanking while crying, both father and son went to the mayor's building.
Watching the pair of father and son, something clicked inside me. It seems like I have to do some changes to ensure my comfortable life here, in this magical world.