32 Chapter 32
Aaron knew he would be bored as hell if he spent his time in a carriage travelling to Willow's den. Although he had Ryan for company last time around, he was still bored for most part. He decided to find a caravan or something of that sorts this time around. He asked the inn keeper for the same. The inn keeper told him about the place where the caravans gathered for their journey. Aaron decided to go and have a look. He could always ask for the carriage otherwise.
Once he had his mid day meal and rested for a bit, he asked for the directions.
He stepped out if the inn, still carrying his sword. He liked the feeling of carrying a sword so freely. He might have got arrested if he did that on earth.
He strolled through the streets at an leisurely pace. It was the first time in 7 years that he was truly out. He saw the people passing by. The shops lining the streets. The street urchins running by. It was underdeveloped and much messier than Indigo city. But it held its own charm for the current Aaron. He soon reached the place he was looking for. There were a few people in different groups. He went up to a group and asked about a caravan to Willow's den.
"I dont think there is a caravan to Willow's den. Its a bit of a remote area, you wont find big caravans going there frequently. But I think there is one going to Rivertown. You could take that. You could arrange something from there if you want. " The man replied.
"Thank you. I would like that. Are you the one going?" Aaron asked. He knew of Rivertown obviously. It wasnt far from Willow's den.
"I am not going in that direction. But I know the one going. "
"Hey David, I got one for you." He yelled at the one named David.
Now the one called David was a brute of a man. He was wide chested and was taller than Aaron by almost a head and a half. Although Aaron was 15, but he was tall for his age. David cut quite a figure. He was clean shaved and had average features.
Aaron saw the man nodding towards him so Aaron approached David.
"You want to go to Rivertown with me? "
David looked at Aaron from top to down. His eyes lingered on the sword for a couple of seconds. He could see this was a young boy with no experience.
"I could take you. But our caravan has some rules. You must help with the daily chores. You wont get a single carriage. You will be sharing the carriage with 3 other persons. And lastly, I see you are carrying a sword. I assume you atleast know how to use it a little. So, in case we are attacked, you have to help us defend if we need it. The charge would be 20 silvers including meals. Do you agree?"
Aaron thought about the conditions. They were geniune enough. The price was something he could easily afford. He didnt know if it was the right one though. If you easily let people take advantage of you, they would take you as fools. So Aaron thought of bargaining a little.
"I agree with the conditions. But dont you think the price you asked for is a bit too much? "
David was surprised seeing Aaron take a stand.
"Alright. I will go with 18 silvers. No less. If I dont make a profit, there is no sense in running these caravans. "
Aaron thought about it a little. Looking at David's expression, it seemed he wont budge.
"Okay. I agree. I am Aaron by the way. "
"I am David. I am the caravan leader. We have a total of 6 person in my team. We will be leaving tomorrow morning. You need to pay half the money upfront and rest half once we get to the destination. And don't be late. "
Aaron paid the man 9 silvers and left.
He went to the association to ask for some books for his journey.
"I am sorry Aaron. I cant let you carry the books away. Our rule is that you could read them for free if you are in the Modena city area, but not take them away. But if you want some common books, I could point you to a store which is the best in Modena city. "
"Thank you. That will be good. "
As Aaron reached the book store, he saw it was actually a very small place and looked a little run down.
He thought about how he was told that it was the best.
He still decided to step in have a look.
"Hello. I am looking for some books. "
"What kind are you looking for, came the reply of the store owner?"
"What kind of books do you have?"
"We have books about the history, basic science, mathematics, life of great mages of the past, some children stories."
"Can I have a look at the history and life of mages books?" Aaron didn't expect to find good books for mathematics and science. So he gave the other genre a try.
The shopkeeper took out some books for Aaron. The history books were similar to what Aaron had already read. He found a few books about mages which he hadnt read. He had a dissapointed espression though.
Looking at him the shopkeeper knew what Aaron was thinking.
"This is indeed the best of what Modena has to offer in terms of books. You might find more in personal collections of the rich, but they usually arent up for sale. "
"Copying books is an expensive process. Also the number of people actually buying them is even fewer. Only the rich could afford it. Plus how many people do you think can read. Knowing how to read is a privilege. And even if they could, having food was more important than books for most people."
Hearing the man caused Aaron to seriously ponder. He was reborned. He was in a different world. Sometimes, he still thought he was on earth and judged accordingly. He had assumed that most people would know how to read. Plus he had always taken books for granted. He always had access to them. On earth as well as the institute here. He never understood the struggle a common man had here. He had to start thinking as a person of this world now. He was not on earth and thinking that way wouldn't help him.
He paid the shopkeeper and took his books away. It was already late evening by the time he reached the inn.
He asked his food to be sent to his room.
The small incident had left a big influence of him. It had jolted him up. Aaron decided that he would try and change his way of thinking.
He ate, took a bath and went to bed early. He was pretty tired with not getting much sleep last night. He kept thinking about what the storekeeper had said and slowly fell asleep.
