Jiang sat down on a bench outside the church, pulling out his phone. The screen flickered to life as he opened the flight app, his fingers moving quickly. Aylin stood next to him, looking at the device with a mix of curiosity and confusion.
"What are you doing?" she asked, peering over his shoulder.
"Booking our flight," Jiang replied, scanning the available options. "We need to get to Rome as soon as possible."
"Flight?" Aylin repeated, tilting her head slightly. "You mean... flying in one of those machines I've heard about? You need permission to fly?"
Jiang chuckled, not looking away from the screen. "Yeah, pretty much. We don't just hop on planes for free. You have to buy a ticket."
She stared at him, clearly trying to wrap her mind around the idea. "In my world, when we need to travel, we use portals or ride beasts. I can't imagine needing to... buy permission."
"Different worlds, different rules," Jiang said, narrowing his eyes as he compared flight prices. "And buying permission isn't cheap either." He tapped one option, then hesitated, glancing at her. "We need something direct, no layovers. A layover could kill time we don't have."
Aylin didn't argue, her gaze fixed on the phone as he confirmed the booking.
"There's a flight tonight," Jiang continued, quickly filling in their details. "We'll get there in about twelve hours. Should leave us with enough time."
Aylin folded her arms, looking somewhat uneasy. "And it's safe?"
Jiang smirked as he finalized the purchase. "Flying's the safest way to travel here. Much safer than, say, fighting a Yokai." He hit 'confirm,' and the screen displayed a booking confirmation. "Alright, we're set. Now all we need to do is wait until tonight."
He let out a sigh of relief, but it didn't last long. The price of the tickets flashed on the screen: $4,500 for the two of them.
"Great. There goes almost five grand," Jiang muttered, staring at the amount for a moment before shaking his head.
Aylin leaned in, her eyes narrowing. "Five grand? Is that a lot?"
"Yeah," Jiang said, rubbing his temples. "It's a lot. This is what you get when you're flying out of the country last minute. I wouldn't have had the money if it weren't for that system drop. Guess I can thank... whatever that was."
"Still got plenty left," Jiang muttered, more to himself than Aylin. He closed the app, slipping his phone into his pocket. The system's $25,000 was still sitting strong, even after the ramen lunch and these expensive tickets. He took a mental tally—after today's spending, he had used about $5,000. Not bad, considering how little time they had to get everything ready.
Aylin, watching him with a curious expression, asked, "What are you talking about?"
Jiang waved a hand dismissively. "The system gave me some money along with... other things. Let's just say I'm not broke yet, even after dropping all this cash."
Aylin tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing. "Your world runs on these... 'dollars,' right? You pay to survive?"
Jiang chuckled. "Yeah, you could say that. You pay for food, shelter, travel—everything. And let's not even get started on health insurance."
Aylin frowned. "It seems so restrictive. In my world, we don't have to... pay for basic things. People fight for what they need or trade services. It sounds simpler."
Jiang leaned back against the bench. "Yeah, well, sometimes I wish it worked like that here. But it is what it is. Anyway, we'll land with about 50ish hours left on your timer. That gives us enough time to meet the cardinal and figure out how to use the rod."
Aylin glanced at him, a mix of determination and curiosity in her eyes. "It's strange to think that everything in your world has to be... calculated like this. Time, money, resources. People in my world just... do things. Some of them fly, some create portals. You don't need permission."
Jiang grinned. "Yeah, well, welcome to Earth. We're stuck with airports and overpriced plane tickets."
Aylin sighed, folding her arms. "It sounds... inefficient. But I suppose I'll have to get used to it."
"Don't worry, flying's not so bad," Jiang said, standing up and stretching. "Besides, we've got time to kill before the flight. Let's grab some food and relax a bit.
They walked down the street toward a small diner that Jiang frequented. The familiar neon sign flickered above the door as they entered, the smell of fried food and coffee filling the air. Aylin eyed the surroundings with a mix of curiosity and skepticism.
"Welcome to a diner," Jiang said, sliding into a booth and grabbing a menu. "Simple food, but it hits the spot."
Aylin picked up the menu, scanning it with a raised eyebrow. "Everything here is... strange."
Jiang grinned. "It's not survival food, that's for sure. It's comfort food. Something you eat when you want to feel good."
Aylin glanced at him. "You humans need food for comfort?"
Jiang chuckled. "Sometimes, yeah. It's not all about surviving. Sometimes you just need something that tastes good."
She seemed to consider that for a moment before sighing. "Alright. I'll try whatever you recommend."
He waved the waitress over and ordered two cheeseburgers, fries, and sodas. After a few minutes, the food arrived, and Aylin stared down at the burger with a mix of suspicion and curiosity.
"This is it?" she asked, poking at it lightly.
"Yep," Jiang said, taking a big bite of his own burger. "Trust me, it's good."