No Shoes, No Shirts.

"We've arrived at the edge of the steppe now, Milord."

We've been walking for a few days now, or should I say moons? But now on the fourth moon, we're finally at the transition between the steppe and the forested-mountainous region that I had my eye on ever since I woke up for the first time here.

After talking to Levii for some time now so far on the journey, I've made a few self-discoveries.

She had given me a small mirror to look at myself with during the walk, and I now know how I look like.

My hair is green, and my eyes are a light orange. They look normal other than the orange coloring, but I think the most striking features present on me are my pointy ears, and the strange symbol present on my forehead.

It looks like an inverted pentagram written with red ink. I tried rubbing it off but no dice, it's as if it's a tattoo or something.

I asked Levii if she knew anything about it, and she said that she had no clue what it was; the grimoire had nothing on it either.

Another mystery to pile on to my growing pile- BUT!

I think I've figured out how to check out my information.

It was during the third night, Levii was asleep, and I was keeping watch. I was surprised to find out that this body needs sleep too, but not as much as a regular living thing, I think. But aside from that, back to what I've learned about my stats.

I was just thinking about my old self, my old body, and from that- the familiar gray display appeared.

// [Kai Tieldich] [Race: Human --> Perfect Homunculus]

[Class: Sage Assistant]

[Skills:

Absorption lvl ??

Reflection lvl ??

Magic Immunity lvl MAX

Physical Resistance lvl 9

Moon God's Stamina lvl ??

Moon God's Grace lvl ??

Moon God's Healing Embrace lvl ??

Moon God's Might lvl ??

Moon God's Charisma lvl ?? //Toggled Off//]

[Traits:

Moon God's Plaything

Twin-Suns Goddess' Envy

Virtual Strategist

Incarnate

Unliving Being

Recommended Route

Zodiac Candidate

Healing Entity]

[Progress to Complete ???: 0%]

[Servants:

Levii: Wind-Deity Imp Princess.]

[Cannot Manually Expend Mana, Recommended Mana Expenditure Permanent.]//

Yeesh, when I first saw the display a few days ago (I'm going to stick with days, saying moons is just weird) I couldn't believe at how many skills and traits I had.

I'm like a cheat character, it's ridiculous- I need a nerf.

Unbalanced game! UNBALANCED!

Kidding. Having these skills will be useful; hopefully, I think. But if Moon God's Charisma caused such an issue like it had with Levii, then I wonder if the other Skills that Ahriman had given me are causing an issue.

I don't think I need to mention that it's Ahriman who's likely the reason why I am the way I am right now. The vision, the fact that he's tied to the moon- the skills for crying out loud. Hell, the whole reincarnation thing.

But I do wonder why I had been chosen, and in a Homunculus of all things.

There should definitely be a better host for a world's God to be using as his 'plaything'.

But other than that, after the first time I saw my stats- I decided to toggle off my other Moon God's skills in hopes that it'll prevent any future issues.

When I had toggled off [Moon God's Might], I noticed that I wasn't absolutely pulverizing the grass anymore whenever I took even the lightest step. Maybe this was the culprit for the horror show that went down with the Paladin's dying left and right without me barely ever moving.

It's been a struggle doing my absolute best not to hurt Levii by accident, and now I think I can finally relax.

Levii took a step over the bordering grasses, beyond it was gravel and other loose rocks with towering trees in the near distance.

As I crossed over, I felt a warm feeling swell in my chest's scar. Is this a sign that we're getting close to Modos? Or am do I have ""heartburn""? Hopefully the prior.

"We should be arriving at Modos by the following daybreak Milord." Levii wiped off sweat from her brow, we've been walking non-stop since the morning; it now being a little after sunset.

"There should be a small village just up ahead, I believe we can find some lodging there." She failed to hide her excitement at the prospect of finally taking a bath- I should probably tell her I can't smell a thing.

...

After a little more walking and a delve into the forested region ahead nearing the mountains, we arrive at the entrance of a small village. A handful of cottages line a central large cottage, as it's now night- no one is walking around outside.

But as we walked into the village proper, I get the idea that whatever hope of lodging we're hoping for won't come true.

"No Clean Water and No Food." A sign was posted outside of the villages only inn.

"No... No Clean Water? Ahh...." Levii held back tears as she rubbed her shoulders pitifully, I feel for her need to want to feel clean. It makes me wonder if I smell bad- oh balls.... baaaallls

I have to be mindful of that now, ugh.

"Levii... do I... do I smell bad?" I gulped fearfully waiting for the Princess' verdict.

She turned around from her despair at the sign and faced me, her eyes visibly confused.

"No Milord?"

"Rather... You smell kind of sweet." She gave a cute sniff in the air.

"It's how you've always smelled, even when we first met- it's another reason why I didn't consider you a threat when I found you in the Steppe."

"Your smell is how should I say... disarming? I don't know, it just feels comfortable to be around with."

"Hohh... you don't say..."

So, I smell good? Well, I'll be, now I'm curious as to how I smell- but too bad I can't find that out.

"Why do you ask Milord? Is it perhaps.... o-oh." She looked at me with widened eyes, fear creeping on her worried face.

"D-D-Do I? Do I smell.... b-b-b-b-ba-baa?" She couldn't say it, the word continued to trip on her tongue.

"No, no no no. No, you don't smell bad at all!" I waved my arms around frantically to try and dispel her doubts.

"Actually, to be honest with you- I can't smell anything at all with this nose, haha. But I bet that- wait, what's the matter?"

World-class moron should be a trait present on my information.

// New Trait [World-Class Moron] Unlocked//

Wow.

Levii didn't cheer up at all from my attempts at convincing her she didn't smell bad. Rather, me telling her that I can't actually smell made her feel even worse. Why? Beats me, but I know I'm an idiot- somehow.

But before I could apologize, the inn door opened- and out from it a rather burly older man with a single horn on his balding head appeared, a bushy mustache hid most of his mouth.

"Hrmm? Guests?" His voice matched his body with how gruff sounding it was, not an inch of hospitality radiated from it.

Levii was still in a daze of womanly defeat, so I spoke up in her stead.

"How much for a room for the night?" I motioned to Levii and I, he looked at us funny.

"How much? Are you from the middle of nowhere-" He looked down at what we were wearing and cut his rant short.

"Ah, Steppe folk- no wonder."

"Whatever coin you got is worthless, you can thank her Highness for that."

"We only take labor here, if you go and get me some lumber, I'll give you a room-"

But he pointed at the sign, I nodded in compliance.

"Come back here in half an hour with the lumber, or else I'm turning in." And like that, he shut the door shut on us both- with a new quest in tow.

"Smell... smell.... ahhh" Levii was still in her trance, I grabbed her by her shoulders and lightly shook her; now possible with me toggling off my skills from earlier.

She's got some really nice shoulders, heheh.

She returned to reality, forcing me to let go of her toned, yet slender shoulders (what a shame).

"W-What? Oh, Milord- Hello, did we get the room?" I found her occasional air headedness very endearing.

"No, he didn't want any of the coin you had on hand- saying that it was worthless."

"Worthless? How could that be? How does royal coin become worthless?"

"Well- I might have an idea as to how- but I'll explain later, we have to go find some wood for the innkeeper, that's what he's taking as payment instead for a room." I spot a clearing of woods leading outside of the village, I walk towards it as Levii follows suit.

...

After nearly half-an-hour, I manage to find a quite a few sizeable sticks of wood for the innkeeper. They're dry thankfully, so they should be useful for fuel. But not too dry, so they can also be used for woodworking- best of both worlds.

Levii knocked on the door as I held onto the large stack of lumber, the door soon opened with the same man again.

He inspects the wood in my arms for a moment and gives a small nod of approval.

"Good work, that should be enough for a few days. Your room is upstairs to the left. The restroom is located outside of the village right over there." He points to a small outhouse located near a tree bordering the village.

"Other than that, that's all we can offer- be gone by noon." He motions us to come inside, and we follow. He grabs the stack of lumber from my arms and disappears into a room on the first floor, we take his directions and go upstairs to find our lodging.

The room we've been given is modest, about half the size of Levii's house from her village. The only furnishings are a bed, a nightstand, and a single chair.

Is this... the beginning of a secret H-scene?

A Man, a Woman- alone in a room with only one bed.

But this shouldn't be possible, I've made zero progress on Levii-

UNLESS?

"I'll sleep on the chair; you take the bed Levii- you're tired from the journey no doubt."

// Trait [World-Class Moron] Lost. //

Sometimes, you have to give up a route to save a playthrough...

"If you insist Milord, thank you." She walked toward the bed and made herself comfortable as she laid down her belongings on the nightstand, I left my grimoire and cane-staff under the chair as I sat down on the wooden-carved rocker.

So to think- how the hell did the demon currency lose all of its value?

There are two possibilities that I know of.

One: Inflation

Two: Redenomination.

Inflation occurs when the value of goods and basic services, like water or food, rise dramatically (I am simplifying this to an extreme degree).

When that happens, money loses value, resulting in someone needing more and more money to buy something as basic as maybe a loaf of bread. Sometimes, when that kind of case gets so out of hand, the value of money itself becomes so drastically low that the people of country abandon it all together- instead using another form of currency.

I remember the first few times I had played Epoch, if this happened to your kingdom then it was a dead run. Trying to make a comeback with a spiraling economy is near-next to impossible, unless you take some handouts from another kingdom to bail you out. But the NPC kingdoms would usually almost always ask for vassaldom, which you guessed it- results in a game over (but you do get some bonus points for 'saving' your kingdom at the end if that's something worth mentioning).

Now for the second possibility, Redenomination.

Redenomination happens when a country adopts a new form of currency or forcefully rescales the current value of their existing currency's value. Funnily enough, this is often a tool used to curb inflation, usually when it reaches absurd heights like hyperinflation. knock a few zeros of existing currency or just up and use another kind of currency (An example being a few countries in Europe adopting the Euro).

This feature didn't exist in Epoch, so I didn't want to mention it when talking about inflation. I'd imagine the developers would've seen it as a way to cheese the demerit of inflation for players, so it was never implemented (that being my best guess anyhow).

So, now that I have my thoughts in order- what happened to the value of the currency?

Levii had briefly explained to me how the money system works, that being Stolgs, the official name of the singular coin used by Demon-kind.

its looks as though its not made of a valuable metal, so it itself can't be used as value without the official engraved stamping of the kingdom.

Hmmmm.... has the Queen really dropped the ball this hard? To allow this kind of fuck-up to occur within five years of her reign? If I do end up seeing her... no once I DO see her, I'll- I'lll... I'll...!

Sigh.

I can't just assume that it's her fault, there are far too many angles to look at this.

But, if theres one thing I can bet on from this whole thing...

There's someone who's winning out of this crapfest. And it's not the Queen.

"Hey Levii I'll tell you about the royal coin issue-"

I caught my voice just short of waking the now peacefully sleeping girl on the bed.

Phew, I should be more mindful.

I sat up from the chair and walked over-

Do I? Dare I? Staring isn't a crime!

She's so beautiful, ahhhh-

"F-father."

"..."

I carefully cover her with the bed's blanket, once she was covered she stopped trembling from what I'd imagine to be a terrible dream.

I then carefully sat back down on the chair, sinking into it as quietly as I could. If shame were a status effect, it'd be applied on me as a permanent debuff.

Stupid, stupid.

She's a real person here, not a visual novel route heroine.

I think it's time to go to sleep.

///