Right!

Okay so, this was probably a parallel world.

And to know more about it and its people, I needed to read a book. Problem was, I couldn't read anything. Yes, I could understand their language somehow but I couldn't read it.

For some reason, their language felt very… English. I didn't think they were speaking a different language. But sometimes it did feel odd how they pronounced some words. They actually pronounced the moon as moan, so that was a thing.

"So that's when the first ancestor emerged and bestowed life on earth," Siarre said.

Dark, dimly lit, kind of misty in a sense. A library. Ordinary people weren't permitted in. Only undead and half-dead like these two were.

Dead people were apparently the elites of this new world. They controlled everything a few thousand years ago, and despite losing their status as rulers, they retained their elite status to some extent.

"So, all life vanished in the apocalypse and this mysterious ancestor sprung up from his grave and gave life again?" I asked.

Since I couldn't read, I asked these two to explain things in detail. And they were more than happy to.

"Yes. And so emerged the ten Primarchs of Arin. They ruled the world for the next ten thousand years and each created one mortal race."

"These ten Primark, were they undead?"

"Yes, the Primarchs were indeed undead, in nature. Three of them were skeletons just like you. So, it's entirely possible you're one of their great descendants!" Escalor stared, very pumped.

I had a very hard time believing all this crap but it sufficed to say, this world, or rather the current civilization was merely eleven thousand years old.

And yet, this level of sophistication and complexity was hard to swallow. Besides, they even had magic. 'Things rising up from the grave….' The plot was very horror movie-esque.

But there was a fundamental difference.

Namely-

"So, it's not that they discriminate against us but rather," I paused.

"They revere us as the superior race," Siarre said. "But as I mentioned before, the Primarchs are gone. And we, the half deads are hardly considered majestic. But that's where you come in. You, the first true undead revived after a whole millennium, would prove our hypothesis and enable us to reach even greater depths of research and fame!"

They were researchers. Both born seven hundred years ago, they were somewhat warriors. Or rather knights, I suppose in a way. But after a few hundred years of war and fighting, they gave up on all that and decided to explore the world. First, they started off as adventurers and then moved on to being full-fledged researchers. But they only researched on living things and why once dead, those things didn't turn into half-dead or vice versa. They also researched why half-dead nature was even a thing. It was only recently they started researching on the undead. And boy did they make a breakthrough. Just finding my existence was good enough for them to get sanctioned by their high council of elders or whatever, two countries away.

"That's why you want me to testify or whatever at the guild…" I mumbled.

"Yes, sire…"

They knelt down. Even though they knew I wasn't a Primarch. They still treated me like one. In the hopes of progressing their research and careers. Understandable.

And I would have loved to help them.

However-

"I would of course need a few things. As things are, I probably won't be able to speak with anyone without these rings. So, unless there's something better available, I'd like to keep the ring and I'd like some spares."

I had more information about the world. But fundamentally, I was still a novice. I was naïve and I didn't really know my way. But these two did. They wanted to use me, so it wasn't an issue if I wanted to use them too, right?

"But of course, sir!"

"Alright, next, buy me some books on magic and history. And I need you to teach me how to read the language before you leave this city. I also need you to teach me the spell you use for that extended storage."

"Consider it done sir." Escalor was really ecstatic but his companion too. I took her to be a bit more rational and stoic but I was definitely wrong.

They were very, very willing. I guess fame and research meant a lot to these two. Or maybe there was more?

That out of the way- "Alright let's go buy some clothes and stuff…"

Because although I didn't really feel much, all that staring and stuff was kind of getting awkward. Even in the library, the place where typical mortals weren't around, the zombies here just stared. Some whispered, and some just dropped down praying… awkward.

Apparently, skeletons were really a rarity these days.

It wasn't like there weren't any around. In fact, the world still had about a hundred or so from some ten-eleven centuries ago. But the few that were, didn't come out like me. And they were kind of really old at this point. Definitely over a thousand years old and stuff. All of them were super elites and no one knew just how many were still kicking in reality.

Which kind of begged the question. 'If skeletons don't have dicks, how were they making kids?'

Truly a mystery, indeed.

***

 Red.

Red British aristocrat like dress with a black shirt underneath and a cape behind me.

"Are you sure, this is the only good piece you have?" I said.

Warm white lighting. Bright place with lots of rack full of clothes and mirrors. A clothing shop.

The attendants were foaming with excitement, while the two halfdead nodded in serious approval.

"Yes, sire. That is the only fitting clothes we can provide. In fact, this is the best suit in the whole city, I guarantee!"

The old man, the owner of this place bowed before me as he delivered his words in a solemn tone, almost on the verge of tears. Escalor had given his ring to the man, so I could speak to him telepathically.

Actually, now that I was in front of a mirror, I could see how my face moved! Or rather, how it didn't. Even when I groaned, there was no movement…. I could still open and close my mouth though. 'No green stuff?'

Also, yeah, I didn't need food. Why? It'd been over twelve hours but I didn't feel a darn speck of hunger. Besides, I didn't even have insides to digest the food to begin with.

'I just wanted something normal…' Something like those adventurers… armors and stuff.

Sigh.

But it was what it was. I'd always been the shy type. Never really able to express my thoughts properly. Always thinking of people. Always thinking how to impress them. Always thinking I didn't want to trouble them. Or so I'd been for the first half of my life. But then addiction kicked in and I didn't give two fucks about who did what or thought what about me.

Now, I must admit, caring about what others thought of me was a bad idea and a bad principle to live by. But completely ignoring people's thoughts and feelings was also kind of dumb in the sense of 'I wasn't all knowing.'

This old man had been in business longer than I'd been kicking. So, he knew things I didn't.

Which was why- out of respect- "Guess, I'll take it." I said, staring at the two behind me. "You can afford this though, right?"

"Of course, we can!" Siarre chuckled. "Probably…."

Not very confidence inspiring but oh well.

"But why clothes?" I wondered. "Why not just plain armor?"

Because I sure couldn't wear armor on top of this.

"Why would you require armor? Are you planning on going out again?" Siarre asked.

"I've been thinking about it."

I was a gamer. Not a pro and not very good but I was still a gamer. And my gamer instincts were screaming at me to get some armor, get a spear or something and go out busting some nu- ahem….

 "Before all that, let us head to the guild first and…" And Escalor was kind of getting impatient at this point.

"As for your payment. Would half be alright for now?" Siarre said. "WE'll pay the rest after we're paid at the guild," she said.

The old man gave me a look, turned to the two half-deads and smiled. "But of course. It's always a privilege to be favored by noble beings."

Anyway-

Siarre paid the old man. In coins.

Well, of course she did. But the coins were odd. They weren't coins I was used to.

"How do you manufacture these?" I asked.

The coins, assuming they could be called coins, were not round. I saw three kinds. Triangle, square and a pentagon. All different colors. They were kind of perfectly shaped, no discrepancies between one another and they even had writing similar to squiggly English.

Tringle, red, worth ten breads.

Square, blue, worth one hundred breads.

And Pentagon, black, worth one thousand breads.

They were interchangeable in that sense.

Probably.

"They're manufactured by the Garbachina empire. And then distributed all over the world; our coin systems were vastly outdated, so everyone adopted these coins instead."

"Empire? How many countries are there?"

"3," Escalor paused. "Although you may consider the independent states countries in their own right."

Fair enough. I kind of wanted to know more but that's what the books were for. I'd first have to learn how to read though.

Anyway, "To the guild then?"

"Right!"