Chapter 13

[You have gained 20 EXP and 1 Bronze Ando Coin.]

Darius had immediately cast another Sparks spell into the gullet of the snake, immediately killing it. It was charred internally, and a pungent trail of smoke wafted out from its esophagus.

Darius placed the carcass down and withdrew his iron dagger. Just like with the boar, he collected the fangs of the snake, which was a much easier task since it was surrounded by flesh.

Even though such things nominally had no value, to Darius they were precious. The day he wanted to convert an item upwards that was similar to these things, he would be eternally grateful for his thoughtfulness.

He also noted something interesting. Since the experience reward for killing enemies at the same level was 5 exp, he had wondered how much it would be for enemies above his level.

Well, it seemed like Darius had received his answer. For one level above, he gained 20 exp. That was four times his base reward, which made him certain that his path to progression lay in defeating stronger foes.

He also received a single Bronze Ando Coin. The currency for the Andrato Kingdom was called the Ando Coin, and there were three tiers. There was the lowly Bronze Ando Coin, the middle-class' Silver Ando Coin, and the elite's Gold Ando Coin.

The gap in value between these three tiers was truly great. 1,000 Bronze Ando Coins were needed to make 1 Silver Ando Coin, and the same applied for Silver Ando Coins to Gold Ando Coins.

Darius only knew that Ando Coins at the Bronze level could guarantee a living for all peasants and low-tier adventurers. The purchasing power of 1 Bronze Ando Coin was enough to buy groceries to last a family of four 1 week if they rationed carefully.

It should be noted that groceries were dirt cheap in Andrato due to an economical issue pertaining to dungeons, but Darius did not have enough information from the infopack to highlight this. 

As for a Silver Ando Coin, in terms of economic value, it could be used to buy good quality housing or property, afford one a few servants and keep an extended family of about 12 living like a middle-class family for about 3 months depending.

As for Gold Ando Coins, they were almost exclusively used by the nobles and royalty, as well as top-tier adventures and professional mages. They could buy estates, fleets of slaves and servants, as well as maintain a whole clan for a year.

Darius held the Ando Coin and flicked it around. It was genuine bronze with the sigil of a sword bathed in holy light on one side, with the carving of a woman with delicate features wearing a crown on the other.

Thinking like this, Darius rubbed his chin. He had obviously considered manifesting currency with his Transmutation ability, but wanted to encounter society first before he judged whether that would be wise or not.

His Small Database Infoblock had provided him with a good amount of basic information, but that was it, all the information had been basic. It wasn't called a 'small' Infobock for nothing after all, as what it gave him was limited.

Darius had to pause his journey after walking about 10 kilometers because he was exhausted. As he rested with his back against the bark of a tree and his bum on the grassy forest floor, he had to admit, those games he had played with his nephews and son had never bothered to display how tiring long-distance walking could be.

As someone who had relied on vehicular transportation from the modern world, Darius was not really ready for long-distance trekking of this nature. At first, it had felt wonderful and invigorating, now Darius wished he could sprout wings and fly.

While rubbing his chin, Darius collected some earth from the forest floor and filled his flask to the brim with it. After that, he concentrated.

[Would you like to change the flaskful of sand into a flaskful of drinking water? This will cost 0.01 Conversion Points.]

It literally cost a pittance to change sand to water!

Then again, water was a simple substance and sand was also quite simple, so the conversion was basically only in terms of matter, not design, like with man-made things.

This also told Darius that changing matter from one type to another that was considered natural or of nature, cost far less than artificial changes. Once again, this should be a given, but building a habit of assumptions based on 'it should be obvious' when one can draw a factual conclusion was bad.

Darius made the conversion and felt the flask become slightly heavier almost instantly. He gazed into it and saw the clearest water he had ever seen that almost sparkled with purity.

Instead of being colorless, it actually glowed a little, showing that this wasn't simple water at all.

[Pure Water - Liquid

Durability: 1/1

Description: Water distilled by the most powerful methods known. This liquid can nourish the body of those who drink it, improving blood flow, lifespan, and vitality when consumed repetitively over a long period of time.]

Ah, the fabled water of purity. Back on Earth, when Darius had attended church to keep up his image of a god-fearing man, the pastor had held a sermon telling his flock that once upon a time, when their world was still young, the people had drunk from water that was so pure, it had boosted the longevity of early humans, which was how they had lived so long… aside from the various deaths by conflict or predators in the wild.

Curious, Darius drank a mouthful of the water. It tasted… strange. It basically tasted clean… like really clean. It was a hard sensation to describe, but it felt like he was washing his mouth and throat with something that removed all of his body's filth.

However, its effect was almost immediate. Darius felt energized and hale, his former fatigue greatly bleeding away as if he had rested for an entire day.

Darius gazed at the almost full flask with respect. If just one sip could yield such amazing results, then he should be fine for as long as the flask remained full. Afterward... well, all he had to do was convert some sand to water to retain this effect.

Darius rose to his feet and continued walking through this unnamed forest. It was truly located in an unassuming place, smack dab in the middle of the Plains of the Green which was treated as the outskirts of the Andrato Kingdom.

Towards the side of Plains of Death, the north was unconquered land that was considered to be where the territorial line of the Kingdom was drawn.