Chapter 4, Welcome to the truth 2

"Wait a moment... Huh?!"

I tried to calm myself and gather my thoughts, but I couldn't. This wasn't Arabic or English, so it shouldn't be familiar or understandable. Why could I comprehend it so easily then?

"Don't try to dwell on it. This is a highly complex process. Just know that you'll become capable of understanding and speaking Manthian like it's your native language," Adam explained.

"Manthian language?!"

'Yes, that's right. This is the language I couldn't understand before, but...'

"Ugh, my head..."

The headache began to throb from the intense thinking.

"It seems your student is as stubborn as you. Not a good sign I dare say," the man commented, walking back to his desk, while Adam awkwardly scratched his neck as he looked away.

At this point, I decided to accept the situation and not dwell on it too much.

'I can magically understand this bloody language, that's what I will think about.'

"Alright alright, it's time to introduce you two," Adam clapped his hands. "This is Ali Saifeddine, who will be my student from today onward as I told you. Ali, this is the most brilliant scientist in the True Realm, Mr. Dan."

"How many times do I have to tell you not to abbreviate my name like that? It's James Danvers," the scientist shouted, slamming his hands on his desk.

I approached the scientist and said, "Well, It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Ali Saifeddine," extending my hand for a handshake.

Mr. Dan, or as my teacher called him, glanced at me for three seconds, then shook my hand. "At least you have good manners. Now, let's move on to the next thing."

"Hmm?" I was confused what was this second thing, didn't it just finish with me getting to know how to speak?

"The price will be one gold piece."

"Huh?!"

was I supposed to pay?

"What do you mean by 'huh?' Did you think you would get to learn an entire language in a fraction of a second for free? This technology is valuable. You should pay at least a thousand gold pieces, but I reduced the price because it's your first time in the True Realm."

I was stunned, I mean he is right, if we were in the outer world, this kind of technology would be so valuable maybe more than 100000 dollars, but still, I am a child who got kidnapped from home with no coin in my pocket.

Here I looked at my kidnapper, my teacher Adam, but found him avoiding eye contact.

'Is he trying to ditch me now?'

"You have one year to pay your debt."

here I was intrigued to know the consequences if I didn't pay but I didn't dare, this is a bloody magical place, I bet they never heard of child abuse, yet at this point, I thought of a rather ingenious idea.

"S-sir, I have a better idea. What do you think?"

From the looks on James and Adam's faces, it seemed they were intrigued by my idea.

"Let's hear it then," James said.

"Since I'm just a little kid and can't pay anything, my guardian, or in this case my teacher should pay for me. What do you say?"

James smirked at our conversation, seeming to enjoy the direction it was taking, then looked at both of us mischievously.

"Well, what do you think of my idea?" I asked with a smirk as I felt him liking my idea.

"Of course, I'm a compassionate man. I won't let a little child bear such a responsibility while there's an adult to support him," James declared proudly, his glasses gleaming as he raised his head.

here James got a small notebook from his pocket and flipped a few pages.

"so Adam's debt had become 3956 gold coins."

"Huh?!" I yelled with Adam simultaneously, how did one coin turn into a 3956, was it because he gave the discount to me as a new one in the true realm but it got huge for my teacher since he is not new?

"W-Wait a moment, I take it back. If transferring the debt from me to him will make it grow like this, then I'll try to gather one gold piece on my own," I said nervously.

"No," James said firmly. "I won't let a little child bear such a debt while there's a full-grown adult in front of us," he repeated, his demeanour exuding pride.

"B-but..."

"I guess there is something you didn't understand kid," the man cut me here

"What?"

"the original debt of your annoying teacher here was 3955, it became 3956 after adding yours."

"wha...?!"

"WHAT?!!!" Adam snapped here and walked towards the scientist and yelled in his face "Where did all that amount come from?!!"

James pushed his glasses slightly upwards with his finger and then lifted his notebook, saying.

"10 cloning capsules for 500 gold coins each.

15 portable teleportation gates for 300 gold coins each.

7th of September 2013, I lent you 700 gold coins... "

James continued reading the list in front of him without stopping, and with each sentence he uttered, Adam's face seemed to darken gradually, each sentence seemed more of a heavy attack on my teacher.

"Finally, the student's debt is one gold coin, and the total is 3956 gold coins."

Mr. Dan finished reading the list and calmly placed the notebook on the desk, but Adam didn't move at all, while the Scientist was looking at him with a victorious grin.

After a few moments, Adam snapped again, "Why did you charge me for all of this?! I thought you gave me gifts because we're friends, Mr. Danvers."

James replied by yelling as well, "Ha? Friends? Are you kidding me? Do you think a friend would give his friend all this amount? And do you only know my full name when you want to avoid payment?"

"No matter what, don't you see that I'm just a poor man? Look at the torn cloak I'm wearing right now."

"SHUT UP, you lying scoundrel! Poor, you say? Then give me your old ragged cloak now and forget about your debt."

"What? Are you trying to deceive me now?!!"

"I don't want to hear the word of deception from you!!"

The two continued their shouting match, while I headed to one of the chairs on the side of the room and sat down.

I sighed as I continued to watch them yelling for a while.

"Pssst," I heard a voice behind me.

I turned around to find the girl from earlier looking towards me through the door, beckoning with her hand. It seemed the shouting match wasn't going to end anytime soon, so I decided to join her.

"It seems they're going to continue shouting for a while again," the girl remarked and handed me a juice box after we sat together at a table.

"Thank you," I sipped a little and asked, "Does this usually happen?"

"Hehehe, every time your teacher comes here."

"So, you're... uh..." Here, I remembered that I didn't know her name yet, she said her name before I could understand the language.

"Hahahahahaha," the girl burst out laughing to the point where tears began to well up in her eyes, it was kind of frustrating she and Adam kept laughing the same way.

"Hah, sorry, sorry, I forgot for a moment that you were an ordinary just ten minutes ago," the girl wiped her eyes and extended her hand towards me, "My name is Amber Volkov. Nice to meet you, Ali."

"nice to meet you, uh Miss Amber," I said, shaking her hand again.

"No, just call me Amber or big sister. I'm only twenty, after all. hey by the way, why not become my little brother?" she suggested.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

what is this woman talking about, who asks a stranger to be his sibling just like that?

"w-well, nothing special, don't you want a pretty big sister to help you in this new place you know nothing about?" she clarified, her face looking a little bit nervous.

"I have my teacher."

"true, but don't you think it's better to have more friends and acquaintances? and especially someone like me."

"you talk like an important person or something."

"Well, as you see, I'm the only one Dr. James trusts to assist him in his lab. So, my knowledge and skills are superior to a lot of people else in the Middle world, if not in the entire True realm," she boasted.

I looked around. Despite the vastness of the laboratory, there was no one else but us, so maybe it was right, also if I remember correctly I saw a picture of the genius warrior with the same face as the Doctor on one of the 3d 3d advertising boards when we were outside so he must be famous.

"So, I'll give you a lot of information you're interested in. Plus, you'll have priority in obtaining new inventions before anyone else," she continued.

She intrigued me here, and just as I was about to express my admiration for our deal, she added one really important thing for me.

"I'll delay your debts from a year to five years."

"What? Alright, agreed," I replied.

"Yes!" The girl sighed in relief.

'Wasn't I supposed to be the one happy here?' is what I thought.

"so now" she asked with a smile.

"Hmm?"

"tell me more about the outside world," she suggested.

"the outside world?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you going to fulfil your big sister's request now?" she joked.

"Wait a moment. Was all this talk earlier just so you get to know more of the outside world?"

"Of course."

I felt a bit foolish for doubting her intentions earlier, I can't believe I doubted her, this is so stupid, I would have told her anyway if she just asked, but I wouldn't refuse any free benefits.

"Why do you want to ask me about this? Didn't you go to the outside world before?" I inquired.

"I think you're mistaken about something little brother. Not everyone can go to the outside world," she explained.

"What?! but my teacher said he can open this portal to send me back."

"Yes, your teacher the strange warrior was an ordinary like you, so he can open the portal, you can't open the portal to a place you haven't been there before, especially the outside world."

"my teacher is an ordinary as well?!"

"you didn't know? then how do you think he could speak the same language as you?"

"And did you call him what now? the strange warrior?"

"Yes, that's his title, most strong or famous warriors have one."

"What about you and Mr. Dan?"

"hehe, the doctor will increase your debt if he hears you, but anyway, I am the Red Rose and Dr. James is the scholar warrior."

"with all due respect, these names sound stupid."

".... I will pretend I didn't hear that."

the girl showed a small fraction of a cold expression for just a single second but it was terrifying for me.

"s-sorry."

the girl sighed and said with a serious face, her cold eyes emitting immense pressure over me, "Let me give you this first advice as your big sister, this world is not nice, especially for you ordinaries"

"what do you mean?"

"You see, most of us warriors in this true realm are bastards that hate ordinaries the most, in other words, some of us see you as lower than animals."

"W-wait, it can't be that bad right?"

"Unfortunately it is worse than you imagine, you see, ordinaries have no rights as human beings, most commoners that get here end up either slaves, toys, lap rats, or dead for fun."

I froze in my place this is worse than a horror movie, wasn't I lucky to get to this place? No, I guess I am lucky my teacher didn't decide to just make me a slave, or to just kill me.

the girl sighed and said with a sympathetic face, "Just keep your origin hidden, don't trust anyone except me, your teacher, Dr. James, and probably Mr. Hans I believe you met him on the way."

I gulped and tried to relax for now, at least I have three I can trust I guess, I nodded and she smiled.

"Okay, then little brother now let me tell....."

Here the door to the Doctor's office opened, and my teacher came out with a smile on his face, followed by James with a complicated expression.

"Hey Ali, let's go," my teacher said.

"huh ... oh, Okay, see you later Amber."

"See you later. Visit us again soon," Amber waved away with a smile.

"Don't come again, and remember one year," Mr Dan added annoyed.

We started climbing the stairs.

I said, "What was he talking about?"

"Oh? While you and that girl were talking, I convinced him to take 1000 gold coins from my debt and convert them into 10 pieces for you," Adam explained.

"What? How could you do this to me? How could he agree to this?" I yelled angrily.

"This is one of your wonderful teacher's skills, which I call negotiation," Adam replied proudly.

"Th-that's not the point..."

Adam didn't seem to listen to me as he kept laughing and saying how great he is.