"Thank you." Dharen mumbled at the man. "Some food and a bed I would like, just for the night. I will be gone tomorrow." The man just nodded his head.
"I will get you some food, and then come back. You look like you could use someone to talk to, to be honest."
Hearing that, Dharen was a little surprised that man could tell what was going on through his head, but then again with the way that this day had been going for him, he was not surprised anymore.
His first full encounter with human society, or well society in general he guessed at this point, had not been what he was expecting at all.
This mediaeval world, at least that is what he had an inkling of suspicion that this world was, from the armour and weapons that he had seen and sold, well that and the town and that accursed battlefield too.
But the part of dragons, bloodlines was something that took him fully by surprise, the system to did mention much to him on this at all, but now, looking back he should have really thought more and not just assumed deep down that it would have been some kind of advanced technology and with all that he had found out already, there was certainly to be some kind of magic that existed in this world as well.
The man soon came back with a steaming bowl of stew and placed that down on the table, with a thick chunk of bread.
"Here, this will fill you up. We can talk as you eat. So my name is Drake and I run this establishment. Though unlike what it appears to be, it is rather popular, just you are coming through here at a weird time of year."
Taking a small taste of the stew, Dharen could not help but let out a happy noise, as the flavours of the food exploded in his mouth. This was far better than he had expected it to taste from its appearance. The man, Drake just smiled as he saw the reaction of Dharen.
After a few moments, Dharen then taking a break from his food looked up at the smiling Drake. "My name is Dharen, and what do you mean by a weird time of year?"
Drake just chuckled at the words he heard, "It seems like you do not know much huh Dharen? This town, and the few others like it, that exist around the river that cuts off the Academy Isle from the rest of the Southern Province are normally only busy when the academy is on holiday or when the new year is starting."
Looking up curiously, Dharen asked "What do you mean? What academy?"
Drake almost burst out laughing at the words that he heard. You will tell me you do not know about the warlords next," he said with a small chuckle.
Dharen just looked at him blankly, not knowing a thing.
Drake, seeing this, was stunned just like the shopkeeper in the tailors shop had been not all that long ago.
"Well I do really wonder what kind of hole you have crawled out from Dharen. The warlords are the nickname for the three largest powers that exist in the South. The academy is a neutral zone and is protected by the entire South. It has been that way since, well, forever."
Hearing about the safety of the academy, Dharen finally realised it was the most likely place that the arrow had been taking him too, it would make sense for it to be a place that he could survive in this world if it was a protected neutral ground.
"This academy, what is it like? What do they teach?" The curiosity as well as what would normally have been considered to be a rather stupid and dumb question made Drake chuckle a little more.
"I would not know what it is like, there is a way point, once you cross the bridge and if you are not admitted as a student or having been invited inside, you can not enter. As for what they teach, it is just about everything from what I hear. The children of nobles all go there, as well as those with outstanding talents in some field as well as the children of rather wealthy nobles. It's the place to be for those who are aspiring to be something with their lives."
Drake spoke, with a hint of reverence in his life, and from the look in his eyes, Dharen could not help but think that Drake had tried to go there when he was younger and had been rejected admission for one reason or another.
"It really must be amazing huh, and do they take late admissions?" His question made Drake finally relax a bit, as Dharen had finally asked what was considered by him to be a normal question after hearing all of this.
"As far as I know, they do not take any late admissions but then again they have made an exception or two in the past, at least that is what the rumours have said, but for what and who no one knows that much. And the new year has not long started, so you might as well try your luck. Eat up Dharen and get some rest, oh and it's one shilling for the night."
Nodding his head, and passing over the shilling. Dharen soon finished his food and his drink. Then walking over to the bar, behind which Drake was cleaning a random mug for what looked like no real reason other than a strong habit most probably coming from a life time of bar work.
Dharen asked him, "What room am I in? Also how much is a shilling worth?"
Drake just shook his head now at the two questions he heard. He had more than gotten used to the odd and weird person that Dharen had appeared to be.
"You are up the stairs, with the second door on your left. As for a shilling, a family can live off of ten shillings a month if they spend well enough. It's more expensive here because of the ingredients in the stew before you ask, they help you in many ways."
Dharen just nodded his head at the words, and thought in his head, that the tailor must have used some amazing fabrics for her outfits to cost so much to him, if the tailor had heard the thoughts in his head she would have laughed loudly at how well she had managed to fool him into parting with his money.
Dharen soon had walked up the stairs and found his room, quickly he settled into the bed finding it far more comfortable than the countryside where he did not have much other than the hard dirt to sleep on, with that he soon fell asleep.