Ch 83 – A Quick Stop in the Kingdom of Or
"Thank you miss, thank you!" I said while bowing my head multiple times towards the kind old lady in front of me as she patted me on the back.
"Don't worry kid, I could see that you are in an unfortunate position right now, so feel free to stay at a discounted price" said the old lady as I nodded and bowed more to show my thanks.
After that, I gave her 5 silver coins so that I can stay here for 5 days and that should be enough to earn a source of income and go towards the Magic Kingdom in the far west of the Central Continent.
With hurried steps, I went away from the rowdy downstairs towards my temporary room upstairs with 5 silver coins left for me to spend for the following days which is a bit grim on how expensive the stuff is for learning magic along with magic materials needed.
"Okay, let's start planning" I muttered the moment I entered my room and plopped down on my bed to maximize my brainpower by sitting on a lotus position.
What is the stuff I can monetize that I have?
Knowledge, magic, adventuring, odd jobs…
"Hmm, what is the most monetizable skill that I have?" I muttered and flipped the pages of the Akashic Records to see what the data presented itself to me.
"Hmm, maybe I can join the Mage's Guild? Though the fee is more expensive… sigh, no money means no way to earn money, and me having no offensive spells means a higher chance of encountering danger with adventuring, so this way is the most logical!" I said with a fire in my eyes as determination fueled my soul!
(A Few Hours Later)
"Thank you kind sir for the silver coins! Now please stand still while I cast clean" I said with an amicable smile as a big burly man stood in front of me with a ragged appearance that shows how dirty he was.
And with a wave of my make up wooden stick wand and a short chant, the tip glowed a white light that showered the man with mana as his whole body became affected by the magic spell Clean cleaning every single fiber of his being that brought a sense of euphoria to the mind.
"Uoooh!" shouted the man as his eyes rolled to the back of his head while he unconsciously flexed his muscles.
"Finish!" I said as the glow around him went away while he regained back his clarity and looked at his body with shining eyes.
"Woah! I'm so shiny!" said the man as he touches his body, his muscles, his biceps along with his now rejuvenated hair.
"Hehe, thank you dear customers but that would be, for now, I'll be back again by tomorrow so if anyone wants a quick wash and clean on anything, just stop by and pay me some coins," I said with a smile as the crowd around me nodded and went away while I look at the pouch beside me that let out the satisfying sound of metals clanking with each other.
Just like that, I earned more than a hundred silver coins which I can change into gold coins later but the weight adds more to the value for me, but a whole clean is about 1 – 5 silver, and cleaning an item is 10 – 50 copper depending on how big and dirty it is which is a considerably fair price due to it being instant and more effective than just cleaning it with soap and cloth.
With a yawn and a crack from my bones due to the stress, I stood up from the stool that I borrowed from the kind Inn Owner and went back upstairs to rest and continue my small business tomorrow.
As I entered my room, I summoned a ball of light with a single command and made it float to the middle of the room as a source of light compared to using a crude candle while the Akashic Records floated beside me and opened itself to a certain page which I was interested about for the past few hours.
"How does mana transform into the different elements? Just from this alone, it is either creating matter out of nowhere, reality manipulation, or… this universe is not made of matter but a different substance all together like magicules or something like that" I muttered while I read the passages of text I was able to gather from my experience with magic and how it felt.
Whenever I created a water ball, it felt like I am manipulating something that is not only my mana but something else that allows the creation of this water ball which intrigues me because this might allow me to do something similar to a spirit's ability to control a singular element at an impossible degree with magic.
"Hmm… sigh, I lack knowledge just like most times so I'll leave that for later once I really need it" I muttered and closed the book and lay down on the bed, preparing to sleep to prepare for tomorrow's booming business and earn a few more hundred silver coins so that I can go to the Magic Kingdom.
(A Few Days Later)
"Goodbye, guys!" I said to the people inside the inn as I gained a bit of a reputation among the regulars of the inn as the kind newbie mage who gives free cold water and cheap cleaning because I already lowered my price by the third day but I already have 5 gold coins made which is a fortune for a normal family.
"Goodbye kiddo! Take care of yourself!" shouted a muscular bald man in the distance having a mug in his hands.
"Take care Kira," said the inn owner beside me with a big ol' smile.
"Take care!" shouted the whole inn as tears dripped down my eyes.
"Goodbye!" I shouted the last time and turned around and just like that, I went to walk away from the inn and towards the marketplace to buy some food and other stuff I need for the adventure I will partake in.
After a while, I bought all the necessities I needed for my travel which should take me more than 1 day, probably 2 days based on the speed I could go on top of the book.
With a quick nod to the guards, I got out along with many others like adventurers and merchants which brought my sense to a very low level and after a few minutes of walking along the intended path, we all diverged paths and I intentionally went to a different path that doesn't lead to the Magic Kingdom as many will want to visit that place, I instead went towards the path for another kingdom with no one else walking along this path which would allow me to ride on top of the book without worry.
With a small hop, I got on top of the enlarged book and flew at a quick pace to the intended direction while sitting down in a comfortable position on top of the open pages of the book.
As the winds fluttered my hair, I wore a huge smile at how fun this felt, just gliding along this wide-open field of grass under the warm sun and blue cloudy sky far away from anyone else.
I traversed through many interesting terrains and beautiful sceneries throughout the day from rivers, small forests, fields of grass, and flowery mountains, I gathered many interesting items along the way from a colorful bouquet of flowers along with some fruits I snacked on, it further enhanced the experience of adventuring.
Not only that, I also reached D-rank in mana amount and C rank should be a few days away but my spells are still a pitiful F-rank and none of them are offensive which is a bit worrying but I do have a secret weapon up my sleeves called a magical book that can be as big as a building.
And as the sun finally set and the moon now rising in the distance, I arrived at a field full of small hills and no monsters in sight, a good place to sleep which isn't really a problem due to a property of the book I wield.
"Akashic Records! House of Books!" I said as a series of floating white books appeared all around me that then transformed into a literal floating cube in the sky with nothing inside it, so the House of Books is a bit of an exaggeration but it's still a house, so that's that.
With a quick hop away from the floating book I was on, I entered the floating barren cube of books and felt the hard book floor which is a bit uncomfortable for a bed but this is fine even if I suffer from back pain tomorrow because pain is but a sensation produced by the brain.
"So, tomorrow would be the 9th day I was gone as Kyouma, so stopping at the Magic Kingdom should be a good checkpoint for myself and return as Kyouma tomorrow" I muttered while the "door" of the cube closed itself making the room go into a near pitch-black scape if not for the bits of moonlight peeking through the small holes between the books.
AN: This is 1566 words, you're welcome.
Does the math checks out? Idk, all I'm saying is I'm basically God and can dictate the truth, the real truth.
The Sword of Damocles hangs above each and everyone one of you with its ever present threat of despair, so send me some power stones with your power of friendship and save the thousands perhaps even millions to come who will read this masterpiece immortalized in the tunnels of time.
(April 20, 2022 – 147th day of writing)