As he walked through the bustling streets, his attention was drawn to the various food vendor stalls lining the roadside. The displays showcased an array of fruits, some bearing a slight resemblance to those he was accustomed to, while others were entirely foreign to him.
Despite having traveled a considerable distance from his initial teleportation point, Arlo still found himself unsure of his destination. Though he had initially thought of the area as a town, the sheer size and scope of the place suggested it might be closer to a capital city.
The fact that he couldn't communicate with anyone only added to his confusion and sense of being lost.
'It would be nice if I could figure out a way to make money in this world too. Maybe I could trade goods from my original world... but for that, I'd need enough money to buy the goods there in the first place, and I'm beyond broke.' He sighed, realizing the limitations of his current situation. 'Regardless, I won't be able to do anything unless I'm able to communicate with the people here.'
With that thought in mind, Arlo glanced down at the grimoire in his hand, a glimmer of hope sparking in his eyes. He opened the book and began flipping through the pages as he walked, his focus unwavering.
"Maybe there's a translation spell in here. I think I remember seeing one in the intermediate class magic section..."
Determined to find a solution, Arlo continued to search through the pages, his eyes scanning each one carefully. After what felt like a minute of intense concentration, his efforts were rewarded as he stumbled upon the spell he had been seeking.
"Ah, it's here!" Arlo exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement. "Let's see... visualize the words of the language you would like to translate. The better the visualization, the better the translation..." He read the instructions carefully, his eyes widening as he reached the end.
"The effects from the spell are permanent I only need to cast it once! The chant goes…”
Without wasting any time, Arlo began to chant the spell, his eyes fixed on the glowing words that seemed to glow on the pages of the grimoire.
"Intermediate Translation Magic: Language Decryption!" he declared.
[MP: 60% -> 59%]
As he finished the chant, a blinding light flashed from the book, engulfing the surroundings. However, much to Arlo's surprise, nothing seemed to change, and he didn't feel any different.
[Translation Magic Unlocked.]
Just as he began to doubt the effectiveness of the spell, Arlo overheard a few whispers from the people around him.
"That boy's clothes are strange. I wonder where he got them from..." one voice mused.
"He's probably another traveling magician. Just ignore him," another dismissed.
"Why is he unleashing magic out of nowhere like that? He almost gave me a heart attack," a third complained.
Normally, the attention might have been too much for Arlo to handle, but the joy he felt from being able to understand their words overshadowed any discomfort.
'I can understand them!' he thought, a grin spreading across his face. 'But does it work both ways? Can they understand me?'
Ignoring the whispers, Arlo spotted a food vendor nearby and decided to test his newfound ability. "Um, excuse me," he called out as he approached the stall.
The vendor was a short, muscular man with a long brown beard and gray hair, resembling a dwarf from a fantasy setting. Arlo found it a bit surprising to see a dwarf working as a food vendor, as he had always associated them with blacksmithing.
"Do you know where's a good place to get information here?" Arlo asked.
Now that he found himself in an unfamiliar environment, the smartest course of action was to gather information. Of course, he wasn't sure where to start. In most fantasy stories, the go-to place would be an adventurer's guild, but he had no idea if such a thing existed in this world in the first place.
"Information, eh? Those are some unusual clothes. You must be a traveler..." the dwarf remarked, eyeing Arlo with curiosity..
Arlo's eyes lit up as he nodded excitedly, thrilled that the spell had worked and the vendor had understood him clearly.
The dwarf stroked his beard thoughtfully for a few seconds before pointing down the road. "Just head down this road, turn right, and keep going towards the town center. It's a bit of a long walk, but you'll find the Myrium Trading Company there. Don't worry, it's one of the biggest trading companies in the area, so it's hard to miss."
"Myrium Trading Company?" Arlo repeated.
"Yeah, since you're a traveler, I'm sure they can provide you with any information you might need," the dwarf explained. "You could also go to the Adventurer's Guild, but that's further away on the other side of the capital city."
Grateful for the clear instructions, Arlo bowed and thanked the vendor before setting off down the road as directed.
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'Myrium Trading Company, huh? Not only will I be able to gather information there, but I might also be able to exchange some goods,' Arlo mused. 'Although, I didn't really bring anything with me to trade...'
Letting out a sigh, Arlo continued walking, only to have his attention captured by a beautiful river running beside one of the buildings.
The river seemed to wind its way through the city, adding to its already picturesque charm. He had always read about scenes like this in stories and seen them in anime, but nothing could compare to witnessing it in person.
"This capital city is gorgeous..." Arlo muttered to himself, tightening his grasp on the grimoire.
'It would be amazing if I could bring Serena and Sylvia here one day,' he thought, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
With that thought spurring him on, Arlo hurried towards his destination, eager to gather the information he needed and start earning money as soon as possible.
Shortly after, he reached the building the vendor had described. True to the dwarf's words, it was the largest building in the area, with many carriages parked in front and a large sign at the entrance that read "Myrium Trading Company."
"Looks like the spell is able to translate text too. That's perfect!" Arlo exclaimed, his voice filled with relief and excitement as he paused by the entrance. "Well then, let's see what's inside..."
As he pushed the door open and stepped into the building, Arlo was greeted by a warm breeze that stood in stark contrast to the cold outside. The interior of the Myrium Trading Company was impressive, with a spacious room featuring waiting tables and several receptionist desks at the far end. A staircase behind the desks led up to the second floor, hinting at even more activity beyond the main area.
The trading company seemed to be quite busy, with a few lines forming in front of the desks. Despite the wait, no one appeared to be complaining, leading Arlo to believe that this was a common occurrence. Outside, he had noticed numerous carriages parked, with workers carrying goods in and out of the storage areas.
'No wonder it's considered one of the biggest trading companies,' Arlo thought to himself as he joined the shortest line.
The wait lasted around fifteen minutes, but finally, it was Arlo's turn to be attended. The receptionist, a young man with short brown hair and black eyes, greeted him with a kind smile. He was tall and dressed in an elegant period attire that suited the professional atmosphere of the trading company.
'Brown seems to be a common hair color here. My black hair probably stands out a little,' Arlo mused.
"Good evening, how may I help you?" the receptionist asked, his tone polite and welcoming.
"Ah, I'm a traveler. I was told I could come here if I needed any information," Arlo explained, trying to keep his nerves in check.
Without breaking his professional smile, the receptionist glanced at Arlo's unusual clothes before nodding. "Of course, what would you like to know?"
Encouraged by the receptionist's willingness to help, Arlo didn't hold back and asked everything that had come to mind. He tried to hurry the conversation along, mindful of the line behind him and not wanting to keep others waiting for too long.
Within a few minutes of conversation, Arlo had all of his questions answered. He learned that the city they were in was called Lithra, the capital of the Kingdom of Jarha, one of the three major kingdoms on the continent.
The currency used in the Kingdom of Jarha was known as Jarha coins, with bronze being the lowest denomination and platinum the highest. One hundred bronze coins made up a silver coin, one hundred silver coins made up a gold coin, and one thousand gold coins made up a platinum coin.
The receptionist, intrigued by Arlo's lack of knowledge about the area, inquired, "To think that you knew so little about this place... not even the continent where we're at... Excuse me for asking, but are you a noble? The quality of your clothes seems very high..."
At the mention of nobility, Arlo's expression grew more serious.
'Nobility, huh? I did see a castle on the way here, and based on the medieval setting, it's not much of a surprise. However, I wonder how much being a noble affects how someone is treated here. I'd like to ask more about it, but I can already feel the people behind me starting to get annoyed.'
"No, I'm not a noble," Arlo replied. "These clothes are from my home country. Thank you for answering my questions. Before I go, I was wondering if I could get a map of this city, the kingdom, and the outskirts."
Arlo knew that if he wanted to safely try out his more potent [Intermediate Class] and [Advanced Class] spells, he would need to venture outside the city. Having a map to avoid getting lost would be invaluable.
"We sell maps here, but unfortunately, we don't hand those out for free," the receptionist explained. "You should be able to get one at the Adventurer's Guild for free if you register, though. Albeit, it won't be an advanced map."
'Adventurer's Guild, huh? If it's the same type of adventurer's guild I'm thinking of, then it would be similar to the Hunter's Association. They recruit people to complete tasks for them and reward them with money,' Arlo mused.
"Alright, that's all from me. Thank you for taking the time to explain everything to me, Mr...?" Arlo trailed off.
“Ah, you can just call me Miro.” The receptionist responded.
“Thank you Mr Miro.”
With a grateful bow, Arlo thanked Miro for the directions to the Adventurer's Guild and made his way out of the Myrium Trading Company. As he stepped outside, he leaned against the wall and gazed up at the night sky, staring at the three moons that hung overhead.
'Adventurer's Guild... Miro mentioned a little about it. Something about there being all kinds of requests, from monster subjugation to picking herbs outside the city. I sort of want to check out what it's like. They'll also give me a map if I register, which will be very useful,' Arlo mused.
Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, Arlo looked down the road ahead. There was a lot to worry about and even more to do, and the weight of it all was starting to stress him out. Yet, somehow, it felt far better than being stuck inside his room, doing nothing.
With a determined nod, Arlo set off down the path before him, following the directions Miro had provided to reach the Adventurer's Guild. Fortunately, the guild was positioned near the city's entrance, meaning that after his visit, he could leave the city right away.
After an hour of walking across the city, Arlo finally arrived at the building. He had been worried that he might have accidentally passed it during his long trek, but upon seeing it, he realized there was no way he could have missed it.
Not only was the Adventurer's Guild one of the largest buildings in the area, but it was also one of the noisiest. Even from outside, Arlo could hear people cheering and speaking with great enthusiasm. The passersby seemed accustomed to the lively atmosphere, not batting an eye at the commotion.
Arlo paused in front of the entrance and looked up at the large wooden sign that read "Adventurer's Guild."