The Problem

The serene expression on Raphael's face almost faltered, as he asked, "Really? And what might the problem be, Mayor Dawn?"

"The problem is we have no welcoming gift!" Sigil Dawn said, her eyebrow twitching with rage.

Raphael's forehead immediately scrunched, furrows appearing. "Welcome gift, Mayor Dawn?"

"Yes, a welcome gift. Are you deaf?" she asked, putting her hands on each side of her waist. "We have no welcome gift. You see, you're our first Traveler, but it seems you've arrived a lot earlier than we expected. What with most Travelers appearing around the main cities and towns of our Azure Kingdom, nobody expected the Gods' children to start appearing near villages for another month."

"Oh. Well, that's not a problem." Raphael said, looking at her questioningly. He did not remember such 'welcome gifts' being a thing in his past life.

"But yes it is! All Travelers that arrive within the Holy Week are supposed to receive equipment from Her Majesty."

"Please do not worry, how about instead of equipment, which I can always find, you help me with some guidance." Raphael proposed.

Sigil Dawn thought for a moment, before nodding in acceptance.

"What is it that you would need?" she asked.

"I would like to become a blacksmith."

"A blacksmith?" she said, surprised at the notion. "Are you sure? We could give you a couple of gold coins and some militia weapons and armor instead!"

Raphael vehemently shook his head.

"I am not as much of a fighter as my brothers and sisters. I am good at creating things, so becoming a blacksmith would be the best way to help the Azure Kingdom and Her Highness."

Sigil Dawn went back to her desk, where she sat down and considered Raphael's proposal. She took out a piece of paper, quickly jotted down a short note and poured some hot wax from a nearby candle and affixed a seal onto it. After she gave it a once over, she straightened and handed him the letter.

Accepting the note, Raphael glanced at it, seeing what looked like an unknown alphabet. After a few seconds, his system-enabled translator kicked in and the text changed before his eyes.

'This document confirms that its holder, one Jiver Lefevre, is entitled to directly become an apprentice of a blacksmith of his choosing.'

Even with the translation function, the text was barely legible, as if written under duress. Were it not for a seal in the form of a wave underneath, Raphael doubted whether anyone would take this document seriously.

The translator function was a valuable asset within the game, as it would allow one to read, listen and speak any language possible, as long as the player had acquired knowledge of that language. Although there were a few languages that were used as a common lingua franca, none of them were universal. Take Humans for instance - there were over 50 territories they inhabited, from empires that spanned thousands of kilometers from one end to the other, to tiny landlocked independent cities. These fifty territories, which were inhabited by millions of humans, had over one hundred languages, not counting the regional dialects! Then, if you added in the Elves, both Highborne and Dark ones, the Orcs, the Dwarves, the Halflings and so on, you would end up with over a thousand languages, written in numerous alphabets and rune systems. But, as long as players spent time and gained the appropriate knowledge from a regional Scholar, they would be able to read, understand and talk to the people of that region, as if it was in their native tongue.

"Thank you very much, Mayor Dawn!" he said.

"Please, it is Civil Servant Sigil Dawn. I am only temporarily holding down the fort, until a new mayor is elected. The last one died to a beast in the forest a few days ago. I don't know what we're going to do with that issue…" she answered, a troubled look on her face.

"What sort of beast was it?" Raphael asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. He was just about to turn around and leave.

"A gigantic wild boar, which Chol Bires stumbled upon during a hunting trip. He was out in the forest, hunting for some wild game - quite typical of him, or so the villagers said. He would often go out on hunting trips and donate whatever he killed to those in need. His horse came back a few hours after he went into the forest, badly injured, and the militia went out to find him. It took them two whole days to find his body, or what was left of it. He had been stabbed clean through the heart, his body covered in blood. His father, our town blacksmith Ziah Bires, even went as far as putting a bounty on its head, but none of the villagers have dared to even attempt it. I was told the previous mayor was the strongest person in Blue River, having once been a squire to a knight, so I guess it's quite natural for others to fear the beast that slayed him." Sigil sighed as she finished her short story.

Raphael's face took on a sullen look, as he offered his sincere condolences. He had barely managed to control his hand, which had trembled as he stopped it from grasping the tusk in his pocket.

"Well, I think it's about time I stopped wasting your time, Mayor Dawn. Would you mind giving me directions

'Best to check this with the blacksmith right away!' he decided, not fully trusting the appointed mayor. Although she was a beautiful young lady, that meant nothing to him, as a bureaucrat was a bureaucrat - never to be trusted!

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After he had once again gotten some instructions on how to not get lost, Raphael spent 10 minutes slowly marveling at the nearby streets as he made his way towards the blacksmith. As he walked, he contemplated how to best make use of the knowledge he had gained.

It was more than obvious that the Aged Wild Boar he had killed was the one that the previous mayor had fallen to. The question at hand was when he would stand to profit the most out of showing the tusk to the village blacksmith Ziah Bires.

The letter he had received from Sigil Dawn would allow him to become an apprentice blacksmith immediately, which would save him at least a few ingame days. Other players that had decided to take on the difficult road of becoming Crafters would need at least 2 days' worth of grinding, just to complete the mundane and annoying quests their trainers offered them. The quests offered nothing in return, except better favorability with the NPC in question. Favorability was very important, as one could not become an apprentice if the trainer was neutral with them. On top of that, even after they reached a Friendly state with an NPC, players always had to be wary of how they acted, because the smallest perceived slight could turn their world upside down, as NPCs were known for going from Friendly to Neutral, even Hostile at times. Raphael on the other hand had an official letter, which meant that as long as he didn't offend the blacksmith, he could learn its trade without having to go through the cumbersome quests.

As he came up to the distinct workshop, he heard a thunderous crash. Upon entering, Raphael saw a thin and ancient-looking person lying on the ground next to an anvil, a bent sword in one hand and a hammer in the other.

"Are you all right, sir?" Raphael asked, as he rushed towards the frail old man.

The blacksmith huffed and puffed, rage evident in his eyes, as he yelled, "YOU DAMN HALFWIT! LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE MADE ME DO TO THAT PRECIOUS SWORD. I SWEAR ON MY MOTHER, IF YOU'RE NOT OUT IN THREE SECONDS, WHY I'LL, I'LL–!"