Title- The Jump
It has been about 2 months since we arrived in the city of Jarleum. A city primarily of the agriculture industry with minor industrial capabilities. It seems that the maps I have acquired from purchases with money I have earned are that we are in a continent called Tempura, but none of the established regions are recognizable.
Seila can't determine what part of the world we are in because none of the places are registered in her database. Meaning two things, we are in a different world, or I am already dead and I got a second chance at life...Both make no sense but then again...I am not about to judge logic when a giant centipede comes out of the ground and nearly kills me.
At the moment, I have been basically the errand boy for the farmer of the village that was destroyed. They've lost a lot. So, I am assisting them by allowing them to focus on farming while I deal with the city errands like seeds, supplies, and other amenities they need. The remaining villagers have 4 acres of land for them to farm. There is plenty of space for the remaining ones. Plus, with them being close to a pretty major city of 30,000 people, they have plenty of opportunities beyond just farming. Children might be able to attend some of the minor schools.
I've, however, spent about 70% of my money to help the villagers, and the 30% on myself, such as clothes, equipment, and other things of my desire. Seelah said I looked good in a red bandana tight loosely around my neck with the tie at the end behind my neck and the main flag on my chest. I am not a fashionist, but I will take it as if I look nice.
Currently, I am searching for tomato seeds, and apparently, there is a higher demand than usual, and there are conveniently also on sale. The currency of this world is somewhat similar to mine but still different.
100 Cooper pieces=1 of silver
100 silver pieces=1 of gold
100 gold pieces-1 of platinum
Platinum is the highest currency, often reserved for status purchases. Such as mansion purchases or paying a mercenary army. Most people pay with silver terms as the norm. So if someone asks for 2,000 silver, they can either say 200,000 copper, which is beyond normal means of carrying conveniently. Or they can say. 20 gold coins. So more often than not, for small purchases like groceries, small items of clothing, and minor items, in general, people will ask copper coins. Medium purchases like tools, some kinds of jewelry, and low-level equipment are silver. Gold is often more high-quality items and goods. Platinum is often used for ultra-high-class items such as expensive items and nobility.
So far, I have a nice personal account of about 389 silver, equal to about 3 gold coins, at least. I could buy a small supply of decent equipment for personal use. Maybe a weapon of choice. Or armor. But as of right now, I have been given 5 silver coins(500 copper) to purchase tomato seeds. Tomato seed packs cost around just around 20 copper coins.
As I arrive at a nearby stall selling seeds at the discount, I hear a man making a public announcement near me. The stall is near a public square, where a lot of people gather for interactions and entertainment locally. Such as juggling, knife twinks, athletic behaviors, and magic shows. I have seen a couple.
I pay for all the seeds I can, which are about 4 silvers worth(400 coppers), I place them in a bag and begin to walk out when I hear the same man continue his rant. But this time, I listen to it more intently. He didn't allow me to spend 5 silver coins for some reason so.
"Come right here! C'mon don't be shy!" a man in a form attire that is similar to a suit that has a tailcoat to it.
Wearing fully black, with a white button-down shirt underneath. Black boots, and black pants. He has a brown mustache and slick back curled brown hair.
"C'mon, boys and girls! Please test your magic level and see for you're self. Only for 50 copper coins! You won't lose much really!" he continues.
I see some kind of glass ball that is on a purple pillow, it has some kind of golden-like device with some ornate digits that go up to 4 digits. I am guessing it is gauging the level of magic one has.
I see a woman walk over flipping a coin into a metal container and placing her hand on the orb, it glows a white light and the digits begin to flip wildly until it lands from right to left to a stop.
"298 Magic power, not bad, not bad!" the man says cheerfully, "Anyone else?!" he goes again.
I might as well, I don't know if I got magic
[For god sake don't have a lick of magic. It would be so funny if you had zero magic! PLEASE, GOD! Or gods...PLEASE MAKE HIM HAVE ZERO SO I CAN LAUGH AT HIM!]
Geez, you're so mean to me...
I walk up to the guy and hand him 1 of my silver coin and he reaches behind his table and hands me back 50 copper coins in return.
"Alright, just place your hand here sir!"
I place my hand on the orb and it begins to glow a low white light and the digits begin flipping wildly again like the woman.
*10 seconds later*
"Uh...Is it supposed to wait this long?" I ask
"Not really, about 4 seconds is enough. Take your hand off it and place it back again. Sometimes that fixes it. Sometimes when it cycles magic to measure the power level it gets a bit overused and goes into a dormant state." the man says.
Then the orb begins to glow instead of white but instead a black color. Then within 5 seconds of turning black, it begins to shake and the orb shatters in my hand cutting it and sending some shards everywhere.
"Dammit!" I say dropping my bag of seeds.
I hold my hand closely and see it has shards of the orb.
"Fuck fuck fuck!" I hold it close to me, pick up my bag of seeds, and get out of there.
"S-sir! I am so sorry, I-I don't know what happened! This has never happened it only ever happens when someone focuses the magic in the orb to purposefully and violently make it unstable. P-please here! for the damages!" he reaches behind the desk and pulls out a pouch of coins and tosses it at me. But since my right hand has glass in it, and my left one is holding the bag of seeds it just hits me on the face.
"Sir, would you like some assistance?" a soothing but calm male voice calls out.
I turn around a see a man in white armor, with large shoulder plates, and a lion insignia in the center of his breastplate walking up to me. He has a sword on his left hip with a white handle, with a lion hilt. He had brown eyes and blond hair that is neatly cut and straight.
"Uhm, how would you assist me?" I ask
"Give me your hand, I will show you.
He walks up to me, at a height taller than me. Likely that of 6'1
[He's 6'3]
Close enough
He takes my hand and begins to look at it, and begins to violently shake it around causing my hand to spasm.
"Ow, ow, ow what the flying fuck are you doing?!" I yell
"Please, calm yourself. I am sure this was unexpected"
"Ya think? That is why I am cussing a storm right now!"
He thanks takes his index finger poking gently into the palm of my hand, and then a circular yellow-like rune begins to form above my hand. Then it begins to glow brighter and the wounds on my hand begin to seal themselves up.
"Woah! How did...How did you do that?" I yell in astonishment
[I need that...I want that....]
"It is called restoration magic. Used to increase the healing process days quickly. I am merely a novice. But a master can heal wounds that can become fatal within seconds. But it takes a lot to master. Think of it almost like increased natural healing speed instead of instant healing. I would also like to speak with you." he says bending over to pick up the bag of seeds.
"Uh, yeah sure," I say
I follow him over to a vacant table in the public square and he then sits with his right leg over the left one and then speaks.
"What are your clans name?" he asks
"Huh?"
"Your clan, the last name. The Clan family name you are associated with. Who are they?" he asks more detailed
"I uh, don't have one sir. I am from an isolated place in the rural mountains beyond the Great Jagged Mounts."
I have been used to using that story to the point I just depend on it.
"Are there more members of this family you came from, however?"
"No, my father disappeared from my life, and my mother died when I was young from a disease she was stricken with. Live alone most of my life in isolation until recently.
"If I may also ask, how did you get your uh, scars? You eye specifically. But if you don't seek to explain about it, I perfectly understand." he says rustling his armor.
"Well, I got attacked by a wild animal and it tore out my eye as a kid. I had no choice but to get to the closest doctor and he removed the eye in order to prevent infection."
"I see, I am sorry you had to go through that. But now I will get on with why I am actually here. Do you know why the orb shattered? I was standing afar watching people doing the test." he asks with fingers interconnected.
"Uh, no...I don't know anything about magic to be honest."
"Then I shall explain it. The reason why the orb like that could explode is because it was trying to focus your magic and was overwhelmed."
"Huh?"
"The first time you you tried to use the orb, it wasn't able to register fully your magic power. But then you took your hand off, the orb still had enough of your magic left over that had not dissipated. Since you placed your hand back on it, it was not able to lets just say "drain itself of your magic power yet. You basically stacked you magic in the orb a to the point it got overloaded and exploded in your hand."
"So that means..."
"Your magic power was so large that caused a high level orb designed for measuring the magic power of people to explode."
[I think guy is a con artist no way YOU are that powerful]
We both sit there for a couple of minutes until I finally say something to break the silence.
"Uh...Now what." I ask him
"Well the most logical kind of thing. Apply for the academy in the capitol of Celicia."
"Huh?"
"Wow, you must've really been living in a far away region. Simply put it, the academy is where many people in the arts of magic history, alchemy, religon, a bit of science, and military training go to for those with the aptitude for it at a young age can apply. There are a few ways to apply. One, you can apply through the use of money to get into the application exams. But this method is considered very expensive relatively and averagely, it is the cost of a commoners payment by roughly 30 years altogether. Two, you can get in through being of nobility for free. Three, you get recommended by someone of nobility or high status of society to get into the academy. The one who recommends someone only has to pay half the fee of getting that persin into the academy.
However, oftentimes, these are seen as privilege and curruption as they reserve all the best education and gets handed to nobility and the rich without effort. I have seen the records. Nobility in the academy isn't as good as it once was. Nobility used to be able to get into the academy for a fee and excel in many subjects. But now, many of them get lazy and find the academy as a luxurious school with no responsibilities, and get away with getting high position in society without effort. While the commoners in society must pay in the thousands just to get into the academy whom averagely have less of a higher education to begin with. For them to pay high amounts of money to get into the academy while having averagely lower education, while nobility gets in for free while having higher income is quite an obvious sign of curruption and issues of the social classes of Celicia still." he finishes and with a long sigh.
"So where is this all going, might I ask?"
"I am asking if you want me to reccomend you into the academy. You see, me and my family came simply as farmer of a small village. we we rose up through society even though none of ny family have nobility to begin with. no marriage, no wealth, nor influence. just farmers. I studied harder than most, I took more beatings that most. and now I fight both on the battlefield and at home to find talent that isn't given to them on a platter. Your talent is yet to be found. but, I know potential is incredibly high. I ask about your clan name so I could see if I can look into your families wealth. from the way you look, you're an Easterling. But the way you spoke. As well as stating you came from a rural mountain region with no high class suggests you wouldn't be able to pay the fees. Plus, you were carrying a bag of tomato seeds so I found your predicament to be 'lesser' for nobility to act."
"I see. What do you gain from recommending me to the Academy?" I ask leaning forward in the seat.
"I gain the right to brag that the norm can be broken. Commoner or those of unheard backgrounds can not only get in, but nobility has fallen from such a term and are below that of a peasent in terms of willpower. Plus I have some nobles I want to slap the smug looks off there face when they see a random Easterling outsider outshine a noble son or daughter who've had position of power for generations. Oh the face they would make if they see that..." he looks up at the sky a bit and jsut does that for a while until I finally say something.
"I'll...think about it. I want to speak with those I am working with. they've been through a lot recently, and I helped them through it as well. I would feel... Well, bad just up and lraving to the academy." I say rubbing the side of my right temple
"Heh," the man chuckles briefly
"Huh?" I say looking back at him
"I think I found the best person fit for my recommendation. You seem to fit most of what I am looking for. Someone of unknown background or less noble background. they are not an inheritor of wealth, they have no formal education that is known, and they have an actually care for commoners and those around them. People like that have more determination than most nobility do nowadays. Like I said, Nobility back then had more dignity, honor, and willpower. Now they are freeloaders who speak ill and trample on commoners as below them, everything gets handed down to them. Might explain why Celicia is going into a a decline in power and neighboring nations are eyeing our borders. So now, I shall leave you to your decision. If you so desire to communicate with me again, go this address in the city and say the code on the paper. My estate guardsmen will recognize it and alert me that it is a persin of great importance. Have a good day sir." he finished with a note card on the table.
[I think is a con man]