Winter had tightly gripped the entire region of Dralven. White snow covered the streets, and the freezing air discouraged anyone from leaving the warmth of their homes. However, amidst the biting cold, the once-sleepy town of Dralven—home to simple farmers—had become a hub of activity, astonishing even the adventurers recently freed from captivity.
Captain Garran, leader of the adventurer party, stood in the middle of the town square, his gaze sweeping over the unfamiliar structures that loomed above him. The muddy streets of the past were now paved with neatly arranged smooth stones, and glowing lights illuminated the paths even after sunset.
"You said this was just an ordinary town?" Clara, one of the party members, asked, her voice filled with awe. "Garran, look around. This doesn't look anything like the same place."
Garran took a deep breath, trying to process the sight before him. "I know, Clara. It's like this town has turned into something… otherworldly."
Once, Dralven had been a quiet, modest town where locals lived simple lives. But the arrival of Cero and the Arcana group had changed everything. In a short time, technology from Cero's world had begun to reshape the town.
Clara walked along the main road, marveling at the shops selling strange, unfamiliar items. "They're selling those odd tools. Look, Garran, what's that?"
Garran followed her gaze to a stall selling clothes. A mannequin stood at the front, dressed in an elegant gown with a modern design that radiated a subtle yet striking beauty. To Clara, it was extraordinary; to Garran, it was strange, sparking his curiosity.
Clara stopped abruptly, her eyes shining like a child who had just seen a new toy. "Garran! Look at that! That gown… it's absolutely stunning!"
Garran raised an eyebrow, feeling slightly awkward about Clara's enthusiastic reaction. "It's just a piece of cloth, Clara. Why are you making such a big deal about it?"
Clara spun around, glaring sharply at Garran. "Just a piece of cloth? You don't understand anything! Look at how the fabric falls, the details… and that thing holding it up! That's not an ordinary statue, is it?"
Garran glanced skeptically at the mannequin. "I don't know what that is. Looks like a big doll that's not creepy. I still don't see why it's caught your attention."
Ignoring his remark, Clara approached the stall, her hand almost brushing against the delicate fabric on the mannequin. The shopkeeper, a middle-aged woman with a warm smile, emerged from behind the counter.
"Ah, miss. Are you interested in this gown?" the shopkeeper asked in fluent Altheran, her voice gentle yet clear enough to draw Garran's attention.
Although Clara didn't fully understand the words, she guessed their meaning from the woman's gestures and expression. She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, it's amazing!"
Garran walked closer, crossing his arms. "How much for that?" he asked flatly, masking his unease at Clara's sudden interest in the gown.
The shopkeeper's smile widened. "This gown is made with the finest materials brought from the main island. The price is… three silver coins."
Clara immediately turned to Garran, her face glowing with hope. "Three silver coins, Garran! That's not expensive, right? I haven't bought new clothes in ages."
"Clara…" Garran let out a long sigh. "We're adventurers. We don't need fancy gowns like that. We need protective gear, weapons, and food. A pretty dress won't help us fight dragons or bandits."
"But Garran…" Clara interrupted in a pleading tone, her eyes shining like a child begging for candy. "I'm tired of this old leather armor. I just want to feel like a woman for once, even if it's only for a little while."
Rubbing his face with his hand, Garran tried to suppress his frustration. "Fine," he finally said, handing three silver coins to the shopkeeper. "But don't blame me if we can't afford beer later."
Clara beamed, hopping lightly with excitement as she carefully removed the gown from the mannequin. "Thank you, Garran! I promise this will be worth it."
As they continued through the market, Clara wore her new gown, a satisfied smile lighting her face. Her steps seemed lighter, as if she were no longer the hardened adventurer accustomed to the harshness of the road. Garran shook his head at her behavior but said nothing further.
The commotion from another party member, Kellen, soon drew their attention. Standing in front of a peculiar machine, Kellen's face was set with determination. The contraption was a large box with a claw-like mechanism inside, designed to grab items displayed at the bottom.
"This is my last coin, and I'm serious this time!" Kellen shouted, attracting not only his party's attention but also the curiosity of nearby locals.
Clara, Garran, and Lyria stopped in their tracks, staring blankly at Kellen. Inside the machine, a small dragon-shaped plush toy seemed to be the object of Kellen's obsession.
"Kellen…" Garran said with a tone of frustration, arms folded. "We're adventurers. Are you seriously wasting money on this thing?"
Lyria, standing next to Garran, covered her face with her hand, clearly embarrassed. "I can't believe you're doing this in front of strangers. Stop before you embarrass all of us."
But Kellen didn't hear them. His focus was entirely on the machine. With fierce determination, he gripped the control lever, his eyes locked on the metal claw slowly descending toward the dragon plush.
"Get it! Get it!" he muttered to himself, like a mantra.
Clara sighed deeply and glanced at Garran with a knowing smile. "You should have stopped him before we got here."
"I didn't know he'd get this into it," Garran replied irritably. "Besides, I was busy making sure you didn't buy out the entire market earlier."
Clara smirked. "Oh, so now I'm the problem?"
Meanwhile, Kellen's efforts continued. The claw finally grasped the dragon plush, and his eyes lit up with triumphant excitement. "I got it—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the plush slipped from the claw's grip and fell back into the machine.
"WHAT?!" Kellen banged his fist on the machine in frustration. "This thing is rigged!"
Clara stifled her laughter, while Lyria finally lowered her hands from her face. "Kellen," she said, her voice a mixture of embarrassment and disbelief, "have you forgotten we're in someone else's town? You're making us look like a traveling circus."
A nearby child, who had been watching with wide eyes, approached Kellen. The child, with innocent curiosity, looked up at him.
"Mister, you're not very good at this game, are you?" the child asked earnestly, their tone drawing laughter from Clara and Lyria.
Kellen, his face red with embarrassment, knelt to the child's level. "Hey, this thing is rigged, okay? I almost had it!"
The child tilted their head skeptically. "My brother always wins from this machine. He says the trick is not to force the claw too much."
"Really?" Kellen murmured, now intently listening to the child's advice. "All right, I'll try again."
Lyria grabbed Kellen's arm before he could insert another coin. "Kellen, enough! We have to go. Or are you planning to waste all our money here?"
"But the kid said—" Kellen protested.
Garran clapped Kellen on the shoulder, firmly. "If you've got any coins left, save them for dinner. We don't have money to waste on toys."
Finally, after a tense moment, Kellen sighed in defeat. "Fine, fine," he said, standing up. "But next time, I'm coming back, and I will win that plush."
By the end of their journey through the market, Garran stood in a small square, observing the bustling crowd with a serious expression. While his companions were absorbed in their newfound distractions and amusements, his thoughts turned to something larger.
"This town," Garran murmured, his gaze scanning the surroundings, "isn't the same small town I once visited. Arcana has turned it into something we've never seen before."
The waitress smiled. "Lately, yes."
Meanwhile, Kellen was watching a large man at a nearby table, laughing boisterously. The man spoke in a language entirely unfamiliar to Kellen, but his laughter and gestures made it clear he was enjoying himself.
"That language… is he from another world?" Kellen whispered.
The waitress overheard the question and chuckled. "Maybe. We don't really care where they're from, as long as they pay their bills."
Suddenly, a loud voice erupted from another table. A drunken local man stood up, pointing at one of the foreign guests speaking in an unfamiliar tongue. "What are you saying? Are you mocking me?!"
The room fell silent, all eyes turning toward the man. The foreign guest, a man with short white hair and dressed entirely in black, stared back expressionlessly.
Garran could feel the tension rising, and he quickly stepped forward to defuse the situation. "Hey, calm down. Nobody's looking for trouble here."
The drunkard turned to Garran, his face red with anger and alcohol. "What's it to you? This is our place! They come here, talking in their strange language, making us look like fools!"
Garran raised his hands calmly. "I just care about keeping people safe. You're drunk. Sit down and enjoy your drink."
The man hesitated for a moment but eventually sat back down, grumbling under his breath. The atmosphere slowly returned to normal, though the tension lingered in the air.
Clara approached Garran afterward, speaking in a low voice. "Do you think this is going to be a big problem?"
Garran nodded. "It might be. Tensions like this can explode at any moment. Arcana has changed this town, but not everyone is ready to accept those changes."
As they returned to their table, Garran glanced around the bar. This place, bringing together so many different people under one roof, was a symbol of what Arcana had introduced to Dralven: progress, diversity, but also the potential for conflict.
"We need to stay alert," he murmured. "This place could become the flashpoint for something much larger. If Arcana isn't careful, this town could erupt."
Clara, sipping her drink, raised an eyebrow at Garran. "You worry too much, Garran. Just enjoy the evening. We don't know when we'll get to come back here."
Garran nodded but kept his thoughts on the tension he sensed around them. The world was changing, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for it.