As long as he could remember, Jor never would have thought he would be in a situation where he was in right now.

"You alright there?" The man, for clearly he was a man, was an older gentleman. Salt and pepper grey hair, round nose, and a belly. The arms were thick and looked tough from constant years of hard labor. He was also the owner of a vegetable stall within the market place. "Where's your mama, boy?"

It was unfortunate that he was stuck in a medieval world with little to no resources. Even worse, he looked like a ten-year-old boy. That... makes things difficult.

The city he found himself in belonged to a primitive one. It resembled something of the early Middle Ages of the fifth or sixth century CE. Though the buildings seemed well constructed, the roads were nothing more than dirt for the caravans and wheeled carts to pass through. The lack of plumbing, Jor thought, felt rather disquieting.

But, the streets did look clean.

What was interesting, however, were the number of people that resembled the God Anubis. Their skin ranged from pitch black, to brown, white, or red. No fur or hair to be found. The ears were a straight triangle that pointed like the head of a spear above their heads. The females were slimmer, with feminine curves and chests, but no lesser than their male counterparts in terms of height.

The humans also made a living here, who were just as numerous as their counterparts.

"Boy?" It was the stall owner again, who called out. He looked worried. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," Jor called out. The language was clearly different to his own, yet he understood him. Even able to speak the language. Odd, that. It came to him as naturally as if he grew around it. "Is there a library nearby I can access?"

The man's brows disappeared into his hairline, and said, "You speak well, boy, for one so young," He shook his head in wonder. "The only ones to access any sort of books belong to the Millenium Academy, the Magus Institute, the government, or the University of Xahar."

Jor cocked his head to the side, with a raised brow.

He scratched his head in wonder, as he immediately understood the gesture. "Smart lad, aren't you?" A sigh escaped his lips. "The only way to access the Millenium Academy is if you were gifted from the gods. As for Xahar? Well, unless you've got some sort of connection to a high-level official, or passed the entrance exams, you're about as much chance to attend the university as I do becoming a king."

A pause in thought. "And as for the Magus Institute, well, anyone can join so long as you have shown the aptitude for magic and a strong mind. All they have to do is take a few tests. The only problem is, the nobles have a strong sway with the king, and rarely let a commoner-born child enter their enlightened school for magic."

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"And the government is the same, then," Jor finished. Then, he asked, "Gifted, you say? What does that mean, exactly?"

The man looked surprised. "Well, gifted. Champions. Demigods. The blood of the very Gods themselves flows through their veins. Every child who has shown such abilities in the country, phesrusian or human, should they be found, will be taken to the academy. The child of the family would be taken care of until the child is of age to graduate."

"What's the ratio between these demigods and non-demigods? And the magus and non-magus."

The man's eyes only narrowed in thought, as he scratched his chin. "Well, one in a thousand, I should say. These demigods are not that rare, but numerous enough that more than a few champions outside this nation go on adventures into dungeons and other dangerous areas no one else is willing to do." He shrugged. "Mages are numerous, with hundreds in their ranks.

"Adventures?" Jor asked, in particular with the adventures they supposedly go on. "What are they seeking?

The man shrugged. "Glory? Treasure? Strength? Any number of reasons."

"Huh...," Jor had no idea how to take that. It seemed too fantastical to really believe all this nonsense. So they were gifted with powers that normal people don't have. And trying to figure out what kind of powers they had would be the hard part. Especially if he wanted to figure out a way into a library.

Hmm.

Jor could always break in, but he didn't know the layout, their defenses, or their abilities, both the mages and the champions. The government would be an even bigger problem. The best place to start would be the university, or perhaps try his luck with entering the mage institute. But he was physically too young to do much of anything, and he doubted anyone would take him seriously.

Well. Other than the old man attending to his stall.

Then an idea came to him. Why not gain their attention in his own way?

Jor tilted his head toward him. "My name is Jor. Thank you for helping me."

"No problem, lad," The man said. "Well, my name is Hallan. Come by any time if you need any more news. But, lad, you really are too young to be out and about alone in the city."

"I'm alone," Jor shrugged. He turned to fully face the man. "I have a proposal, Mister Hallan. Are you willing to listen?"

Any other boy, Hallan would have chased the boy away with his broom. But, he didn't. He looked at the unusual boy like he's never seen anything like it. A boy with exceptional maturity, and a kind of intelligence that boggled the man's mind from just a few minutes of a conversation. It was... an experience to be sure, for the man.

So, he decided to listen.

"I'm alone in a city I don't know anything about, with a culture I'm alien to," Jor locked eyes with the curious but focused man. "My proposal is simple. I will make you money. Enough that your family had only dreamt of. In turn, you will be my right-hand man."

Hallan's face blanked. There were many things he could have done, at that moment. Chased him away with a few words, or ignored it as tripe of a young lad with dreams too big to fill. Yet, there was a certain focused look upon his violet eyes. A strange boy, with exotic features that belonged to no boy in this side of the world.

He listened.