'I should have guessed it, it is a pretty standard distribution of fractions for a fantasy world' Leo thought as he said his goodbyes to another merchant he had questioned and like the previous 3 times, the merchant wasn't pleased that Leo was distracting him from real customers. Wasting all his time as he said, not like he had any customers to begin with.
There was a reason why Leo had chosen him to question and not those with tons of customers eager for Leo to get out of the line. Besides the unsurprisingly unwelcoming merchants, he had learned a lot about this world.
Or rather about this town and in extension this country. He had been looked at strangely when he asked them about the apparently most common knowledge, but they quickly realized that Leo was a newcomer.
So, during a short conversation and a few questions, they weren't surprised that he didn't knew about the everlasting war between mankind and the many kingdoms of beasts. Apparently, there were some beasts that had reached a high enough level to be able to unite a region under their leadership.
Considering the evolution, the beasts in this world had to undertake to survive not only against their fellow beasts but also against the treacherous humans, it wasn't that surprising that some grew intelligent enough to become a threat for the regions humans have claimed for themselves.
It had led to some disaster in the past but nowadays the respective territories have solid defenses at the borders, making it unlikely for either of them to successfully invade the other territory.
Unfortunately, the kingdoms of beasts as well as the territories of mankind weren't a united front against their respective adversaries. There were a lot of infighting, making the war only an opportunity to stab their former ally in the back to gain more land back home.
Sadly, that seemed to be rather common theme as for humans it was easier to take over a human territory than a kingdom of beasts. Amid this insidiously situation, there were a few players that remained a constant in the war.
There was the frontline faction called the Legion. It was one of the first human settlements that held strong against the ever-present beasts. The Legion had a lot of high-level members and was undoubtedly more powerful than any other human territory.
If it hadn't had the kingdom of beasts breathing down their neck, they could have already taken over every human settlement, creating a United Territory on this planet.
Oh, the planet was called Orbis. It was just a Latin word for world. This just made Leo realize that humans had been to the other side for quite some time. The planet was probably called differently in the past but like earth it had changed with the new influx of people from other countries and another time.
Even if Leo was excited to know all these trivial information, this wasn't something he needed to know right now, as the needed strength to participate at the frontlines was too far away for him. They said that one needed to be at least a strong mid-level cultivator to be able to survive and gain some benefits there.
It would take him several decades to reach that level the merchant told him. They also hinted at the fact that there were a few ranks above high-level, but Leo had already anticipated as much. It was unlikely that the reference guide would just reveal information that was so far away for the average newcomer that they might never come into contact with their entire life.
On his way back he started to pay closer attention to the actual goods the merchant offered and found the sight interesting to say the least. They sold weapons and armor in the open on the market next to food and clothes.
These weapons weren't even comparable to the one's back on earth, Leo realized when a merchant demonstrated the sharpness of a sword on a stack of bricks. Seeing it slice through it like butter made Leo excited but also apprehensive. Like the animals and the people, the tools they had for killing exceeded earth in many ways, though some tools lacked in others.
They had bows and crossbows, but the merchants here didn't present any hot weapons. Leo already had proven that hot weapons worked with the pistol that Sarah had fired in the forest on Deadman's Island, although he couldn't really take what he had experienced there at face value.
Apparently, the transition islands had more of an amalgamation of the laws of the two worlds. Some laws applied on the island while others didn't, there was something strange going on there and nobody knows what and why.
Maybe the higher-ups just wouldn't tell the common man to not freak them out, but fact was that whatever happens there, it allowed for some strange things to happen that only happen on those islands.
The wails of the long dead people on Deadman's Island were an example for that, even though something akin to ghosts existed in this world nothing resembled the ever-present death throes.
Leo made another round on the market before going back to their temporal abode of the faction Terra. Even though, it wasn't a sect, it was one of the factions that had a name. Terra was more of a government than a guild, sect, or mercenary group, considering that there were rumors that they had friends in high places.
They were responsible for the safety of the people like the guards that had led them to their building. Terra also had some expedition outside to stomp any growing beast's herds that would threaten nearby villages and other human settlements.
It was a strong fraction with a solid foundation in the human territory and it seemed to be growing stronger with time, especially with its hold onto several gaps between worlds and with the ever-increasing influx of new members.
It wasn't surprising for Leo as he had heard of some requirements other factions put up for newcomers, in comparison the way to enter Terra was rather lax. Leo knew that an easy entry isn't necessarily a good thing.
Aside from the fact that they were obviously a faction of quantity than quality, there was the fact that humans don't have a high sense of belonging if the volunteered entry of a group was easily attainable.
If humans wanted to join a group and they had to work hard for it, they would be more loyal to the group they had joined, which meant if the members weren't forced into joining a sect, they would be more loyal than the members in Terra.
Leo could already see the problems that would inevitably arise from this. A bunch of mob characters against the elite few. The fact that cultivation increasingly extended the lifetime of the person as he cultivates made it more problematic.
In a few years, the sects would have amassed a lot of strong cultivators loyal to them while Terra amasses heaps of average people. This world wasn't one in which the masses could reign supreme. With a high enough cultivation, one could establish themselves firmly.
In fact, Leo was puzzled that this hasn't happened yet. Terra didn't seem to be that old of a faction, maybe a few hundred years at best. Compared to the numerous ancient sects and guilds that amounted next to nothing.
Maybe they restricted each other making them vary to take Terra over? Leo guessed as he was walking towards their room. Inside he could see the others talking excitedly as if they had found out something tremendous.
As he sat down and listened in on their conversation, he quickly grew disinterested as they talked about the benefits of cultivation. Oh, not the benefits in power and speed but what it did to their skin and the overall enhancement to their natural beauty.
Seems like that was a major point of interest for the girls. Leo guessed that was something to be excited about as it would reduce the necessity of a lot of their hygiene products.
He would have thought that it was less of importance to Shunlei and Laura since he knew them more as formidable women that happened to be natural beauties. Of course, he didn't say that out loud as he wasn't suicidal, but he did take this opportunity to complement them cheesily.
Easy boyfriend points to earn by telling them how beautiful he already found them, and he wasn't sure he could imagine them even more beautiful. Even if they playfully denied it, everyone liked to be complimented.
They then talked about their own little journey through the city. Leo stayed more in the market area as he talked to the merchants that sold herbs and weapons and the like, while the others went further away from the masses.
Maybe it was somewhat dangerous to wander around considering that there seemed to be a Orbis supremist club that hunted down any talented newcomer if they threatened their superiority and their sacred lands, but they needed a diverse viewpoint on the local situation.
The three had wandered a bit out and made their way to where the commoners lived and worked and had a chat with them. Leo was surprised that they didn't come across some generic thug in an alleyway, but not everything that he predicted turned out to be true.
If the unpleasant side of the fantasy world stayed away from them, he wouldn't complain about it too much. Ah, he also didn't want no conflict since that would mean less opportunity to slap some faces and show off, right?
Leo got his priorities straight, after all. As they talked about which factions to join some factions' name were mentioned more than once.
Terra, Arcanum, Shade, Holy Light, and Hellfire. It was obvious that the last four were corresponding to the affinity the group was revealed to, and it was apparently the best sect to join to grow the quickest.
Shade was known as the rogues and thieves. It had many abilities for those interested in stealth and the ability to manipulate shadow and dark anima. The members, if they weren't sought out, were usually not seen very often as they liked to be unknown.
Holy Light was more treated as the doctors of this world. If someone had an ailment, they would go to this sect to get healed for a compensation, of course. They had to eat too, after all.
They also helped the farmers with their crops, making starvation rarer than most countries back on earth even if the technology in that department lagged behind.
Hellfire was a sect for the hotheaded it seemed. A lot of powerful members that were known to not be messed with.
Arcanum was a sect for those that focused on the abilities of the mind and how to bend the world to one's will. They were known to be mysterious and resourceful. Most would avoid provoking them as the common people believed that they would be cursed to death by them.
Terra was also often mentioned since they had lax recruitment requirements and even though they weren't as specialized as the other factions, they appeared to be rather resourceful and considering their amiable greeting by their guards they had a favorable impression of them.
However, this didn't make them choose them as their joining a faction would determine the next months they would spend at. There was also the unasked question if they should join a faction together since there were guilds like the mercenary guild and the adventure guild.
The mercenary guild was laxer than even Terra since they were in only for the money. Inside the faction the members could buy almost everything they had to offer just with money. The thing is, they were also only loyal to money, making any allies there would be a gamble.
The adventure guild was more of an exploration group as they had to wander into deep wilderness to get an item someone has requested or just to make sure the populace of the spirit beasts near human settlements remained on the low side.