In this world, development was ongoing, yet their firearms resembled antiquated versions of those from before but diverged from the experiences of the trio. Motors hadn't been created from their perspective yet; they still relied on traditional means to traverse from point A to B.
The lack of infrastructure seemed somewhat normal to Elijah but left Julia and Kai feeling perplexed. They sat at a booth with plates of food before them, Elijah already indulging voraciously. "Bring me more," he shouted.
Kai looked concerned and asked, "Can you afford this?" Adan nodded reassuringly, saying, "Don't worry about it."
"You'll worry in a minute," Julia interjected as another plate landed before Elijah. "Okay, enough now," she said as a hologram appeared in front of her. "Before you took me, I was still connected to the database, but establishing a connection was the challenge, though doable."
Elijah, still eating as if he weren't listening, drew Adan's interest. "What's that?" he asked.
"I managed to download everything we needed before the link to the database was severed due to distance. This planet is called Nexisn, with three large continents.
Its power levels range from E+ to D+ rank. According to records, they categorize their realm into Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, King, and Emperor tiers," Julia explained, and pausing Elijah's eating spree after three plates, aware of the limitation.
Kai then inquired, "Do you know which tier corresponds to what rank?"
"Basic tier equals G-, Intermediate tier spans from G to G+, Advanced tier ranges from F- to F+, King tier from E- to E+, and Emperor tier from D- to D+. The Emperors are revered as gods here, so it's best we avoid them for now," Julia concluded, glancing to her right to find Elijah gone.
"Where did he go?" she shouted, visibly angered. "He's the leader, but he's not even paying attention! What the heck?"
Chuckling nervously, Kai attempted to calm her down. "Just calm down, Julia." But she continued to glare at him with dead eyes, instilling fear in his heart, prompting him to change the subject. "What tier was the monster we arrived with?"
Adan, still in shock, took a moment before responding, "Um... It was Intermediate tier."
"At the peak of Intermediate tier," Julia clarified, still visibly frustrated. Adan nodded before she continued, "Because our damn leader isn't here." Her tone momentarily sounded demonic, sending a shiver down Kai's spine. "Mind if I ask some other questions?"
Somewhere in the village, Elijah observed everyone fulfilling their roles with a smile, his heart filled with joy. Spotting someone staring at him, he approached and greeted, "Hey, old man." Before he could finish, the old man slammed his head.
"Respect your elders, you idiot!" The old man's hand met an unyielding force, causing more pain than he expected. Remaining calm, Elijah apologized, "Sorry, Mister, it's just an old habit of mine."
"If you know what you did wrong, it's okay. Anyway, where are you from, kid? I haven't seen you around here," the old man inquired.
"Oh, I'm not from around here. Just wanted to see the place before leaving," Elijah replied, noticing something peculiar.
'How can he understand me when I am speaking a different language? And how can I understand him?' Elijah wondered, listening carefully to the old man's words, comprehending them perfectly, though they didn't sound like his own language.
'Strange.'
"That explains it. So, you're with the people who came with that bear monster," the old man remarked.
"Yes, sir. Is it causing any trouble?" Elijah inquired, maintaining his smile.
"No, but people seem to be afraid of it. If you don't mind, could you move the beast somewhere else?" The old man's tone shifted slightly as he realized why his hand hurt when he hit Elijah.
He was a warrior, strong enough to tame an intermediate tier beast. Fear crept into his heart at the thought of confronting a young master, but he concealed his emotions. Elijah's nonchalance put the old man at ease.
"Not a problem. Do you know anywhere close but safe for it to stay temporarily?" Elijah asked, to which the old man directed him to a location near the ocean.
"What's your name, kid?" the old man inquired.
"Call me Elijah. And you, old... I mean, Mister?" Elijah asked, settling on a nearby branch.
"Just call me Old Man John. Everyone calls me that around here, but it's strange for someone who doesn't even live here to call me that," John explained.
Elijah chuckled and said, "Okay, Old Man John. Do you mind telling me who that girl is staring at me?" He gestured behind John, spotting a girl with golden hair darting away.
"She's not the only one; every woman and girl here is staring at you, kid," John remarked. Elijah chuckled and glanced around.
"I bet you couldn't beat me, young man. When I was young, I was a ladies' magnet," John boasted.
Elijah chuckled, intrigued. "Tell me more, Old Man."