Chapter 4: No money

Lu looked at Esther who seemed so proud of her accomplished task. "Esther...that's...called a statue...that's not a person. But still, thanks".

She knit her eyebrows, and then pouted. "Ehh?? Oh no! I'm sorry to have let you down" she said and sat on the edge of the pool of water under the fountain statue. "I'm...tired too...have to...sleep" She said weakly, before shrinking into a small glowing ball before evaporating into mid-air.

Lu merely sighed. I figured as much, he told his little friend who was no longer there.

Lu was relieved to see that it wasn't at all a person. It was a statue with black accentuates on its hair, and its eyes weren't even colored. From her head water dripped down into the pool below her, and people would sometimes drop a coin or two.

A wishing well. Lu's heart almost slowed to a stop when he calmed down.

"You, boy with the gray hair" he heard a call.

He almost didn't realize it referred to him because he didn't originally have gray hair. Still he remembered it just in time and looked to his left. He saw an old lady dressed in simple pieces of colored fabrics. She sat on a chair across a table, and on top of it was a single mysterious item under red drapes. She combed her light yellowish brown hair and her neon orange eyes stared right at Lu.

"Me?" Lu pointed at himself.

"Yes" the old lady nodded.

Lu reluctantly walked towards her with suspicion.

She pulled the piece of red cloth and revealed a smooth glass ball sitting comfortably on a golden pillow. "I see that you aren't from here".

Lu sighed and explained, "You can say that to just about anybody who comes through the gates. Lady, I'm sorry, but I have no money to spare for your cheap gimmicks. Some unexpecting travellers might have fallen for it, but even out of courtesy, I can't give you anything even if I wanted to".

The old woman smiled. "That is true. However, can you still say the same if I also reveal that you aren't just from another country, but from another world".

Lu's eyes widened. He couldn't hide that he was at the very least, intrigued.

"You have a question in mind. If I knew what it is, I wouldn't ask you." The woman waved her hand over the glass ball. "As you can see, I've used my animus twice already, so you only have one question to have an answer to, but if and only if you'd agree to my terms".

It was only then that Lu recognized that the old woman wasn't a con artist as he thought, but was using her animus. She must have a hex related to life-reading, and have built herself a living out of it.

A wave of inquiries swirled through his mind. How do I live from here on? Is there anything bad that might happen to me so I can prepare for it? Is there anything that I should start improving on for a better quality of life? Should I hide my jetblack eyes? The list went on.

However, there were two questions question that rose to his attention, but as he was told only one of them can get an answer, the first was about Esther's family, and the second was the zero on his wrist. He thought long and hard and contemplated which one had more importance to him, but it was already obvious if that was the question

"What does the zero on my wrist mean?" he asked. It pained him to sacrifice another's interest for his own, but if there was so much to know, Lu knew he has to know more about himself. He has no idea if he actually poses any threat, not that he knows so far, but if the zero would be the cause of harm for Esther then he surely would have regretted it. Lu, even if he was raised with a silver spoon, was raised well, and quite strict enough to learn about life.

"What zero?" the lady forcefully pulled his arms and inspected his wrists. He dragged along with it with surprising force. "Where is it?" she asked, turning his skin round and round.

Lu, after retaining a very uncomfortable position for a time, requested to move on with a simple cough. The lady took the hind and sat up straight, regaining her professional aura.

Her smile disappeared, "I must warn you, that my vision is not as clear as you may take it to be. It's akin to peeking through a keyhole. I should ask you though, are you certain this is what you want to inquire about?"

Lu nodded, "I'm sure".

The lady waved her hands in the air and the ball started glowing. Her body vibrated and she acted as if some unseen power was forcing her back to straighten up.

After a while the lady exhaled in relief.

Lu was restlessly looking at her, nervous about the results. To him it was as if he just had a tarot reading with 100% accuracy.

The old lady had a horrified look for a brief moment. She then stood up as if something was so uncomfortable it didn't let her stay the same place she experienced it.

She took a deep breath, which made Lu more anxious for making him wonder what it meant.

"My boy. Would you really like to know?", she asked.

Lu's puzzled look told her that he didn't know what to say. More precisely, he wanted to know, but seeing how she acted, it seemed like she feels he wouldn't want to know.

Lu stared blankly at the fortune teller, without any action for a few moments of silence.

The old woman looked up to the sky with a pained smile on her face, silent for a few peaceful seconds before speaking. "Listen, Lu. Do you love this world?" she asked.

Lu's eyes widened. His thoughts were screaming but he chose to shut them silent. He merely uttered what he felt was best to say. "Yes, I do love this world"

The old lady looked back down to him and smiled kindly. "I see. Then you'll understand, wouldn't you?".

Lu then stared aside with a blank expression. Reliving the last moments of his past life wasn't what he expected, nor did he know what it meant. However, the way the old lady announced her reading told Lu that he was not supposed to question it until he knew he was ready, and right now he believes that he is not.

"My, I'm getting old. I'm retiring after this one. You really had me good." she laughed weakly. "If you really want to find out, feel free to see to it yourself. I can only tell you how to know. However, do note that if you take this path, you will make choices you can never take back" she warned.

"What do I need to, or need to not do?" Lu asked.

"It is as easy to walk the path as it is to turn away from it. You will come to realize that they head to a very similar direction, though they are completely different. Bare in mind that you will reach the end of the current road and will eventually get to the part where the road splits, and once they do you must make a choice"

The boy looked up in deep thought and recorded the words in his mind. While he doesn't know yet how it is related to the zero on his wrist, he does not know, but he intends to as soon as he surmises that he was ready.

He was then brought back down from his daydream in a quick realization "Oh, the pay!" Lu hurriedly searched his body for anything he had.

"It is but alright. I've lied. I always use my first read on wandering travellers to find out how much they would pay me for my service. I've also seen that you'll help me up and close up my shop for me. Regardless, your fee is waived. I have no more need for items. This is my last read" the fortune teller collapsed with pained smile on her face.

After he put her in a comfortable position for sleeping, Lu closed the little stall just as she said he would.

Despite the interchange of acts of kindness, Lu left with a heavy feeling in his chest, which fortunately for him decreased with every step.

He headed for the town hall where official papers and records should be held, processed and stored.

While asking for directions along the way, the locals were very friendly to him, just that they were avoiding eye contact, and their uneasiness it obvious.

Half of them even even asked which of his parents had black eyes, and if they had raven hair but avoided the question everytime, not that he knows either. He wondered how the locals would react if he didn't have powder his head.

He was led to the town hall on the elevated region of the town. After draining his stamina up the stairs, he finally made it.

The town hall wasn't what he expected it to look like. It was more of an open tavern than a place where important documents were processed.

The people inside were merrily chatting, drinking, and eating with each other on tables that filled the space. They were each dressed in leather armor with individual styles.

A whiff of the delicious hot and piping foods lifted Lu's spirits and he couldn't help but smile as he set foot inside the building.

At the front polished wooden desk was a blonde lady wearing the staff's blue and white uniform.

"Excuse me, I would like to know how I could apply for residency" Lu said.

The lady smiled at him, "Welcome! Are you a new person? A retiring adventurer or perhaps... you have black eyes..." she slowed down from her chipper, professional tone midway after looking at Lu.

Lu sighed, "Yes," he bowed down. "But my hair is gray and my parents are dead". He never anticipated to use that introduction, as dark as it was. But as the situation called, he thought that he may as well help himself to it.

She stared into his eyes. "It's really dark..." she said and was lost in awe for a while. When she snapped back she was met with Lu's unimpressed face.

"I'm very sorry" she bowed briefly. "It is not everyday that we see someone with such characteristics. Please forgive my intrusiveness"

"It's fine, ma'am" he said.

Her loud apologetic sentence announced to some of the others that he had black eyes. Now that attention was drawn to him, he felt uncomfortable knowing that gazes followed him around and won't go away anytime soon. He took advantage of the busy atmosphere to remain incognito, but the lady ruined it for him just now. But he wasn't bothered too much. He knew he'd be in rumors sooner or later anyway.

The desk lady coughed once to regain her professional attitude. "Moving forward, please select an unclaimed territory within the walls. Selecting a plot outside of the walls are currently inaccessible due to lack of resources for extending and adjusting walls, so please be patient while we're at it", she said, then presented him a map of the village with a dozen of squares to choose from.

"Is this one vacant?" Lu asked. A tug pulled at his heart again, because on the surface this was one step toward not ever helping Esther at all. He was already making up excuses in his head to make her wait until he has all the info he needs. He does not intend to stay forever, but basic needs are basic needs.

"That one would be 220,000,000 credits" she bowed and handed him a beautifully written contract and a quill pen. "Sign here and building your home is all that is left. The city doesn't require much processing so you can enjoy your benefits instantly".

Lu nodded and smiled. Out of his muscle memory, Lu swiped the air in front of him, trying to pull out an interface out of mid-air. Sweat formed on his temple as he realized something that had long slipped his mind.

The atmosphere had him forget that he was not in a game, but real life. He almost cried when he recognized this fact and almost burned in shame.

A new life in a new world sure is hard, he thought, slightly nervous about how he was supposed to face the tavern lady at this point.

No interface, no inventory, no money. What was I even thinking?