'Quite typical for them.' Asher thought as he looked at the men strolling along the footpath. Several cars moved along the road. Each car had a silver hue to it, made of reinforced metal. Some had red silver paint on it; some had others.
The sun shined on Asher he scratched his forehead.
"What now?" Asher mumbled with a yawn as he moved to one of the footpaths. Strangers passing by stole a glance at him every now and then. However, he couldn't care less.
"Why is someone from the outer districts here? And what is that in his hand?"
"I am pretty sure that is the entrance card of the inner districts."
"Why does he have it?"
Asher heard several people muttering the same thing. Good thing his sense of hearing was good. Slowly noting the faces of the muttering people, he went forward as a sweet yet roast aroma entered his nostrils.
Slavia came into his mouth, and he gulped it down instantly.
"No time for it." Asher said as he bypassed the coffee shop beside him. Across the street, a man stood wearing a hat. He wore a furnished coat, and his hat hid his face from Asher's view. With a hand in his pocket, a car stopped in front of it.
'This is so stupid.' Asher thought as he rushed towards that man.
The furnished man brought his hand forward, opening the car door.
"Excuse me." Asher said as he panted, reaching the man just in time.
"Yes?" The man said in a deep voice. His golden eyes flashed as he looked at him.
"Mind giving me a ride to the inner district gate? I can pay." Asher said he took out a slum of notes in his hands. Each has the word ten written on it.
The man raised one of his eyebrows as his gaze fell on the cash. Too stunned to speak, he simply nodded as he brought his hand forward.
Asher stepped back at the last moment as the man was about to take the money. The man let out a small "hmph" as he stared at Asher.
"First drop me off, then you take the money." Asher said nonchalantly as he looked at the man's hazy gaze. The man sighed briefly before gesturing for Asher to enter the car.
Asher reluctantly entered the car; trusting someone was something Asher hated to do, even if it were his friends. The man entered the car alongside Asher, closing the door.
"To the Inner Royal Academic Center, please." The man said in his young voice as Asher suddenly felt a force pushing him backward. The car was moving with a speed that stunned Asher, who had never really seated himself in a car in his life.
At least up until now.
The car had furnished black foam seats within, the color of the door being the same. Asher took a deep sigh as a rose aroma entered him. His tense muscles relaxed as he finally allowed his frail body to enjoy the moment calmly.
They looked at Asher, his expression hidden beneath the shadow of his hat. A small smile appeared on his face as he looked out his window again. Asher narrowed his eyes as he noticed everything that had happened from the corner of his eye.
He suddenly had an urge to let out a small chuckle; however, he immediately forced it down.
'The Academic Center is near the inner district gate, I can walk that distance myself.' Asher thought as he laid his head backward, closing his eyes.
In the outer districts, if someone told Asher he would get to experience such comfort, he would probably spit and laugh at that guy's face.
'Hah, what times have come.' Asher thought as his lips curled upwards one-sided. The cold air of the air conditioner waved his hair lightly as he opened his eyes after some time.
The car had stopped moving as the man was staring at his watch.
"Have we arrived?" Asher said as he looked at the man with a nonchalant expression.
The man nodded as he opened his side of the door and exited the car, and so did Asher. A gentle, warm breeze crashed onto his face as he saw the car move away.
"Here," Asher said as he brought out the cash and handed it to the man. The man placed that cash in his pocket as he started to walk away opposite Asher.
"Give my greetings to Cassius."
"What?" Asher said as his eyes widened, seemingly surprised at the man saying that name.
'How did he know.' Asher thought as he shook his head; shrugging off the thought, he started to move in the opposite direction. Several furnished houses were present as the aroma got much more heavy.
Across the street, various shops stood. Some were coffee shops, while some were grocery stores. However, soon, his eyes caught another store. The store could be said to be a skyscraper by its size.
What really intrigued him was the name of the shop that was written on the board beside its entrance.
'Arsenal Inventory.' Asher read as he started to move towards his destination.
---------
With the introduction to essence in this world, many such mysteries came, still unknown. One of them was the Eternal Curse. Asher had always heard about system web novels and comics in his childhood, and Eternal Curse was basically the same thing but much different.
Or that's what he had heard at least; he had heard it from a random old man across his shed in a destroyed neighborhood that had been infested by flies and what and what not.
"Ugh." Asher said as he shook his head once again, resisting the urge to slap himself to oblivion.
Just across the street, Asher could see another gate, but much larger and much more furnished. In front of it stood a patrol of guards instead of the previous two. A bubble of rage started to convulse within Asher, but he resisted.
"I hate this indifference." Asher mumbled as he strolled towards his destination.
'I have to meet someone important, after all.'