Chapter 8: Sprites

After a rather eventful afternoon, Lu decided to put off all that had happened so far. His primary concern as of the moment was receiving an employment from anyone that was willing to put up with his conditions.

As things were, dinner was looking quite impossible, given the money he had left. There being only a few hours left until night falls, he thought to resort to another relatively easy bounty so that at the very least something was on the menu tonight, though of course if things go south a night at an inn was always the priority.

Lu returns to the town hall, and once again couldn't help but drool as he envied the people who were feasting on delicacies.

"Why does the government building look like a big time restaurant anyway!" He complained, prying himself away from the sight reluctantly and strayed headstrong toward the quest board.

Amidst the distracting smell of the freshly fired food, he was browsing through the thick accumulation of pinned papers, then a familiar figure passed by. The blonde desk lady.

"Oh there you are!" she called out to him with a smile.

"You were expecting me?" Lu asked. Seeing the entirety of the desk lady's figure for once, he realized that she looked more of a head waitress rather than someone who processed files. He wouldn't really be surprised if she did serve the customers in the tavern part of the town hall.

"Well, one could say that. I was just about to post this up and recalled you saying that you didn't have any means to earn currency. I'm not saying that I'm assuming you can't though!" she laughed. "Anyway, I suppose you would want to see this" she held out a piece of paper to him.

Lu looked at her with a little more respect after hearing about her ability to remember what someone said to her, even if it was only yesterday, considering the number of people that she has met over that short period of time.

He read the contents of the freshly inked paper and wondered why the document was in english. In fact, all he has read so far was english, and it was only now that he realize it.

The desk lady explained, "A delivery commision just came up. It was an adventurer in the city of Craih, our neighboring in the far west. He sent a letter to us saying they need medicine for the sick. This endeavor might be dangerous, but is worth more than just the life of the people you might save"

Lu was reading the bottom part when she finished, and quickly understood what she meant. The reward for completion was 1,000 credits, and he had to squint twice to confirm if his eyes were not deceiving him.

"As you can see the reward is quite handsome. All of the bounties that requires its hunters to go outside the gates are all sky high. I recommend you take this one before someone else does, as what happens with all other outside bounties".

Lu nodded, "Thanks, tavern lady" he said in acknowledgement. He sees that she wasn't just suggesting him to take the commisssion just because she runs good business from it, but also because sick people were suffering as they speak and wanted to aid them. Lu felt this urgency as well, however his logical side gets the better of him, just as it does most of the time.

"How do I get paid?" He asked.

"I take it that you accept it then?" She asked back. Her eyes and lips that stretched into a smile tells Lu that she can also talk business just as much.

Lu sighed then smiled back. "Well, one could say that" he teased her with her own expression from earlier.

"Thank you for your cooperation. I was right to approach you, after all. You have to get back here to get paid, along with a token that will serve as your proof. I will be back to tell you after we have set preparations, and thank you too for your patience" she said.

With nothing better to do, Lu decided to pass the time by roaming the city hall and taking in the sights.

By doing so, he could easily identify that the building housed many functions. First, it was also a diner, with tables arranged at the center of it. The number of chairs beside the tables differed from two to eight to fill the needs of its customers whether they be just someone looking to eat, a couple, a small group, or a big family

At the corner was the desk lady's counter. Papers presumably official documents piled up on it and similar papers in the cubic shelves behind it. A single stamp decorated its center alongside a call bell. Lu felt admiration but at the same time confusion. He would ask, how was there was a tap-bell at such a medieval age. Yet again, it wasn't his world. What say does he have in its technological progression?

At the opposite edge of the large room was a door, and with some of the other guests going through, so he assumed jt was not a restricted area.

He pushed through the door and entered a long hallway. At the end of it were two signboards. One written with "entertainment" and an arrow below it pointing to the left, and one with "relief rooms" pointing to the right.

Lu lightened up at the word entertainment, with one thing in mind -- videogames.

His heart started beating as excitedly as he was when he approached the door to it like a dam that broke down, releasing the floodgates. However, he was disappointed after what was revealed to him.

What he saw was books organized inside tall wooden racks aligned in a domino manner where if the first of them falls over to the wrong side, all of them will come after.

"A...librarby. What was I thinking?" Lu scolded himself with dismay.

The other guests appear to be enjoying their time here in silence and solitude, yet Lu never took fancy in this type of leisure. It was the exact opposite of the feeling of playing videogames.

While reading books is passive and can be relaxing at times, videogames were interactive, and at extreme times can be physically and mentally taxing.

The library was split into two floors with the second being a balcony. Chairs and tables dotted in spaces for readers looking to take a seat while enjoying their read. The floor was made of polished wood and so is most of the furniture, spare a few buttons like wheels on portable step ladders.

To the left is an opening to a smaller space with a lable "games" at the top. Regrettably, it was pertaining to board games, playing cards, and the like.

Lu wanted to go but nobody was playing and only a handful of people were in the library. In addition, it was also awkward to start challenging people out if nowhere. He could imagine how he would feel if he were just trying to mind his own business quietly, and someone would just pop up and say, "Hey wanna play with me?". While it did happen quite regularly in his past, he looked at it in a perspective where he wasn't a professional gamer.

To the right is a glass door with wooden edges. It leads to a playground and some sort of gym. Lu was tnever the sporty type, and in fact he needed physical training to adjust to the new world. However, it wasnt the right time.

At the far end were booths with glass doors. Inside them different musical instruments. Lu presumes those stalls are soundproof, or at least muted for those who prefer that solitary type of entertainment. Lu could play the guitar and drums taught by Leila herself, but he was neither in the mood nor is able to spend his time in luxury sitting for hours.

On another note, he was surprised instruments from his world exists in this one at all. Perhaps the enlarged emphasis on the need for survival decreased the number of people who had nothing better to do with their lives than invent other musical instruments.

After taking into account his options, he regretfully admits that the books were his best choice of pastime at the moment. Walking through the rows of titles, he was willing to settle for whichever catches to his attention first

He started at the end where the informational and educational publications were situated like encyclopedias.

Realizing it was a mistake to start there, he zoomed past the books only to be stopped by an irritating sight. A thin novel was noticeably misplaced on top of the fence of hulking encyclopedias. Lu picked it up and felt the dust sheet transfer to his fingertips.

"Was it left here and nobody noticed for a long time?", Lu thought, considering the highest probability event.

Blowing and wiping some of the dust off, he was then able to clearly see the cover, which is only a plain yellow blonde, like Esther's hair. He proceeded to read the title, "The sprites of Monitum". Needless to say, Lu was a little alarmed after he read the last word. He immediately checked out its contents, and he saw scribbles and texts describing ethereal humanoid creatures with animal parts and features. "Like Esther...", he thought.

He lost himself in skimming and was surprised when a crimson feather darted between his fingers, closing the book and leaving a small hole on the impact zone as well.

He turned to the source of the quill and found the desk lady with an unreadable but obviously anxious expression.

"Did you see the author's name?" she asked.

Lu's gaze shifted to the book once more, but the blonde lady took it off his hands forcefully.

Involuntarily relying on his memory, he said, "Teri Rema. Who is it? Is it someone important?".

"Then I guess there's no dodging this bullet" The tavern lady sighed.

Lu's thoughts drifted to why she knows what a bullet is, and was about to inquire, but he had to focus on the more important matters at hand.

"Follow me" the tavern lady said, and Lu obediantly trailed behind her.