"So, what's the name of the town?" Takeshi asked as he and Mollie walked through foliage and he and she brushed off low hanging branches now and then that got in their way.
" It's called Star Tar town. It was named after the first mayor who developed the town, star being the thing she liked and tar being her last name. Pretty arbitrary but I think it's nice."
"I see, nice name indeed." Takeshi replied but he couldn't help but shake his head internally and roll his eyes at the laziness of it. 'Star Tar town? You might as well go all in and name it Starter Town.'
A part of him wondered if some god was laughing at him, leading him into a town named 'Starter' in all but spelling.
It wouldn't be the strangest twist in his isekai life so far. But he brushed it off and didn't put much thought into it as he kept his pace with Mollie.
Seeing as a minute had already passed after he replied and it seemed Mollie who had been concise and brief throughout their walk to town so far, he decided to ask her a question he hoped was a yes.
"So Mollie, your town has a library I could visit? I like reading up on books of the places I visit, it's interesting to see what stories and things people have written down and passed down over the years. Especially history and how a place came to be."
"Um yeah we actually have one but other towns nearby don't. A carpenter and his wife settled down decades ago you see and he built a library for his wife since she was a scribe and also liked collecting books, they've got a sizable amount in there. You'll see it pass the gates when we get there, a big plaque with gold lettering—hard to miss."
"Hm."
As the silence between the two began once more, this time Mollie was the one to speak up.
"Hey, so do you work in business or something Arthur?"
"Huh? Where'd that come from?"
"Well it's mostly from the clothes you wear, you've got a sleek black coat, polished leather boots, those black pants of yours, a prim and proper haircut and a rich vibe I guess."
"Is that how you see me? Well it's nothing like that, these are just clothes I like to wear. But I have worked as a merchant and teacher before and looking sharp is something I've taken a liking to after many years."
"I see." Mollie nodded.
-xxx-xxx-
1 hour later, Takeshi and Mollie, who had been walking since morning with only occasional talking here and there with Takeshi seemingly the only one taking initiative most of the time, had finally come across a dirt trail and some smoke trails in the distance obstructed by trees.
"We're only a few minutes away now, do you have some money to pay for an inn? You said before that a beast forced you to drop your luggage while escaping. I could accommodate you in my log cabin that's just outside of town. I mostly use it after hunting, for reasons such as butchering, curing meat and storage for herbs as well. It's got the minimum of a bed, toilet and a bath. I'll have to warn you though the slaughter house near the cabin reeks."
"I'll take you up on that offer, and don't worry i've worked in a slaughterhouse before, it might be tough at the start since it's been a long time since i've been in one but i'll get used to it."
Just as the two finished conversing, so too did their obstructed view vanish as only a few hundred meters in front of them was the town they've been walking hours to get to.
Looking at the sight before him Takeshi nodded his head at the sight that lay before him. A towering wall of stone that lay hundreds of meters horizontally on each side with a height of around 10 to 11 or so give or take, takeshi guessed.
As they walked along the dirt path that turned more and more into a cobblestone path the closer they got to the gates of the town, Takeshi now got a clearer look at the two guards he saw at a distance who he now clearly see are dressed in leather armour.
One was a 32 year black skinned man with short stature but his muscular frame that exuded strength gave an imposing look to him overall.
On his left he held a spear two heads taller than his height and had a frown on his face with a bald head that shined a beacon that even his eyes hurt looking at it. Takeshi reckoned it was due to having to stand for long hours under the sun that he had that resting bitch face.
The other, a 24 year old tanned woman also held a spear as well, unlike the man next to her she was much taller than her counter, but as he scanned upwards Takeshi raised an eyebrow at the woman's shaved head, matching her partner's. Not the usual look for a woman but not something he'd think too much about.
As the two got closer to the town, the sound of people bustling about got louder and louder as well as the smell of freshly baked goods and cooked delicacies that got stronger as it wafted through the air.
When they got closer the man called out to them.
"Mollie! What took you so long! You're a day late!I thought you said you'd be back by noon, you got the wolf meat I asked you to get? And who's the fucker next to ya, a merchent or something?" The man greeted as he motioned with hands while talking and directed his gaze towards the middle aged man as he finished talking.
"No Bron he's not a merchant, he's a nomad who saved me from a blackstone wolf alpha that appeared while I was getting your stupid wolf meat and as for the wolf meat you wanted I'll deliver it to your house by the time your shift is done but you better pay damn extra." Mollie replied with an edge to her voice with a slight frown.
"Oh, no wonder you were late! It's good to know I'll be able to cook some good meat now, but don't look at me like that. I'll pay you well since you went through all the trouble and even faced off against a knight class beast." Bron said brushing off how she nearly died.
Takeshi and the guard woman stayed silent throughout the exchange, the woman not caring and doing her duty while Takeshi didn't mind and showed a neutral expression as he waited.
After they finished talking, the bald man finally let them in.
"Sorry about that, I'm going to go buy some herbs and spices in the market and you can check out the library or join me if you want for whatever reason. Meet me by 1 here since I'll also be buying some other stuff, you can check the time with Time poles around town." Mollie explained.
"Anyways I'll see you later so we can go to the cabin." Stated Mollie as she pointed to a pole and then started walking off.
Looking at the pole Mollie pointed at which stood at 3 meters and a yellow tinted glass cube on top, Takeshi spooted the time on the faces of the glass cube in all cardinal directions.
Scrutinising the pole, Takeshi was intrigued on how it worked as he spotted a crystal of some sorts through the glass cube sitting in the center floating as it gave off traces of mana.
He also speculated it may serve a dual function as a street light as well due to the soft yellow glow he noticed it emitting.
Checking the time that read 11am Takeshi swerved his head around as he tried to spot the library that Mollie mentioned would be visible at the entrance. And lied she did not as Takeshi easily spotted the golden plaque that read Willow's Library.
Weaving through the crowd of people that were out and about and going throughout their business, Takeshi stood in front of a dark wooden two story building which held the repository of knowledge Takeshi was ready to steal to understand the kind of world this was, what he was going to face and encounter and what he was treading through.
Placing his hand on the door handle Takeshi pulled the library door open and welcomed in the woody and smokey smell that rushed towards the door.
Breathing it all in he couldn't help but smile as memories of him as a child running around and picking up books resurfaced in his mind.
Before he was unexpectedly spirited away, he'd used to read everything. From novels to manga,manhua and manhwa but he mostly used online websites instead of acquiring and reading physical works.
He did own several shelves of physical copies of books though, he really liked collecting them but didn't get to read them due to work, which is why reading online became the norm as it was more convenient and could be accessed anywhere instead of having to carry something physical which would be inconvenient to travel with.
Despite his inclination towards online work It truly put a smile on his face to be back and he wondered what works of art he'll find in this library.
Taking a step forward and heading towards the elderly librarian sitting behind a counter to his right side, he strode with excitement written on his face and a determined attitude in his eyes.