"-Yup, everything checks out."
I blink. It sorta feels like I unpaused a movie partway through, because there's a fairly armored guard handing me back my ID and I'm already grabbing it. "Jamaarl Birgwell" it says. It even has a little picture of me, and it's basically what I looked like originally but with the Kymein features of long ears and a bit paler skin.
"Can't imagine the trouble it was to get an ID after being a wild child for so long, but whatever."
I'm glad I don't have to imagine it, either. Foreign citizenship was quite a troubling topic back on Earth, and trying to wrap my head around a second world's version of it seemed like too much effort.
"Anyway, welcome to Camlyonn. Just be wary of strangers, THAT holiday is said to be happening any moment now, and I'd prefer keeping my job here than being dragged into whatever happens this time…"
Oh boy, we're playing the Pronoun Game already! Everyone's least favorite not–a-gameshow show where people talk about someone or something with pronouns and refuse to elaborate. Joy. I'm just gonna press for info…
"Actually, I heard talk of it on my way here and was curious to learn more."
"Oh yeah, you probably never got educated on it, huh? Well, there's a few general stores with pamphlets about the whole thing, so check those out."
Pamphlets, perfect. A term I recognize and not some weirdly named fantasy version like "Chishirolls" or whatever.
"Ahh, I wonder if the mortals have barely hung on or have begun to thrive. I bet it's thriving. I've been getting a lot of happy prayers and quality offerings, so it's probably that.
I hear Kandance comment from my closed God Panel, which no one else should be able to hear. But I mean, a lot can happen in tens of thousands of years, so who knows. I just nod my head and walk through the gates as they open for me.
And the sight is… mixed. Like, imagine a metropolitan city built with a magic-esque design philosophy. There's plenty of structures and even a few skyscrapers I can see from here, but the materials they're made out of are more colorful and shiny. There are roads and sidewalks paved with arcane runes, and the many stores and other kinds of buildings are intermixed with vendor stalls and parks. If you asked a non-American what 2000's America would look like if it existed in their favorite JRPG, their answer would probably be fifty percent close to what this place looks like.
"Wow… these mortals could only manage a few small villages per race last time I witnessed them…"
Guess even an ex-Goddess can be surprised by her creations. Still, I found one of those general stores near the entrance area, and not only did they have a free map of this "Camlyonn" town, but one of the pamphlets too. Though it was a bit cloudy outside, almost looking like it'd rain soon, so I went inside and found a convenient bench to sit on while reading.
"THE DAY WILL COME THIS YEAR!"
Well that's not ominous at all.
"Every thousand or so years, though the date has shifted around every time, a consistent pattern has become apparent to even our ancestors. Someone from one of the seven dominant races will become "The Hero"."
… Yeah that makes sense. It's happened twenty four times before on a semi-consistent basis, the people here probably expect it by this point. Kandance seems surprised, though, and starts reading it herself.
"Their method of appearance varies throughout historical records. The most common is when they appear as full adults. Second most is that they come as a newborn. And a few cases describe an already-known citizen suddenly gaining a new personality and talent. But regardless of the form they take, they all share similar traits…"
I begin to visualize each of the three scenarios, alongside whatever else Kandance talks about. It's another habit of mine, imagining what these things would look like if they were drawn and animated by professionals. This habit also made me wish that an "idea visualizer" would be made on Earth someday while I was… still there, since I get way too many of these and artists are expensive.
"One: the Hero will possess knowledge of another world known as Earth. Descriptions of Earth have helped all of us to develop cities of similar quality in an attempt to match their seemingly advanced prowess."
Ah. Gotta be careful to mention it, then.
"Fun Fact: Did you know that early historians used to refer to Earth as Japan? This is due to many of the first Heroes calling it their home! It wasn't until clarifications from later Heroes that we learned Japan is just one of many civilizations, called Countries, on Earth."
"Is there a bias towards Japanese people in your system or something?"
"Honestly? I think it's just a coincidence. That, or the death rate in Japan is high enough to cause an imbalance."
I mean, I couldn't answer that. I was born and raised in America, not Japan. Anyway, I picked up where she left off.
"Two: the abilities of the Hero are not known to exist until after their arrival. Each Hero usually has a unique ability, some of whom claim to be gifts from the Goddess Herself. While some have become replicable and a part of our daily lives, others remain unable to be copied."
"Ooooh, they refer to me in uppercase! I am so honored to have such faithful mortals…"
I feel like it'd be more honorable if they used her name or title, but maybe they don't want to write all that out. I don't tell her that, anyway.
"Did You Know?: There are only two cases in history where multiple Heroes had similar powers! Three different Heroes across different eras all knew a "Monster-Speak" skill. The other is when two Heroes in a row both had an "Alchemy" skill."
"Oh yeah, those did happen. Honestly, some of your fellow Earth mortals need to work on their creativity."
Not like I can tell them, so… whatever? I let Kandance read the next part so I can read the last."
"And three: the Hero, whether alone or with a party of adventurers made up of people they meet here, will bring a new age in the world of Fanta Regauss. Whether it be self-contained in areas like a change of governance, or affect the entire world like the birth of the seventh race, only time will tell what the new Hero will do."
You wanna know what surprises me more? That the name "Fanta Regauss" has stuck with the world for so long. Earth has been called stuff like Terra and Gaia in the past, so the fact that these people still use the first name given to their world is interesting to me.
"Aww, there's no fun fact here…"
Guess they ran out? I dunno. Anyway, I read the last part.
"While many still debate if a Hero is a good or bad thing for our world, the coming of a Hero is still considered a worldwide holiday known as the Year of the Hero. It is our hope that if the Hero sees our wishes for cooperation, they may consider wanting to better our world. However, Heroes are still people, and people are complex, so all we can do is pray to Yugaria Dasshudily Kandance, The One Whom The Stars Shine For, that the twenty-fifth Hero is a kind and helpful one."
Oh, I take it back, they do use her full name and title here. Well I'm glad I never said anything, otherwise Kandance would totally gloat about it for my entire trip here.
"I'm glad they continue to venerate my name, it deserves the praise. Still, I never expected them to start building their world around the Earth mortals that my system brings here…"
"What… what did you expect?"
I feel like if an overpowered person started popping up every thousands of years in any world, they'd start doing exactly that.
"I mean, so many of them said they wished to start anew with simple lives or ones where they blend into the background! And yet it sounds like every single one ended up changing something about Fanta Regauss!"
Well, she did call the powers she gave them "cheats". It's hard not to cause major change when you can do things no one should be able to. But then again, it seems like some of the cheats have become actual mechanics of the world itself. Like when there's a bug or glitch in a video game and the developers intentionally keep it in and make it a part of the game itself. That'll have to be something I look into during my stay here…