The morning brought clear weather to Frellon and Nick was anxious to learn more from Frederick and Vander about the world he had been transported into, but before he could mull over those thoughts in detail he was in for his first culture shock as he learned modern plumbing was not especially common. He found himself shivering in a small outhouse a dozen meters away from Frederick’s cottage to take care of his daily ritual, but on the positive side he was certainly wide awake by the time he made it back inside.
Thankfully, Frederick offered him a warm breakfast and they settled in around a small round wooden table to eat a simple meal of eggs and potatoes. Nick figured it was a good time to learn a few things and figure out what he should do next with some insight from Frederick.
"I guess I need to figure out the best way my station skill can be used. It is overwhelming knowing so little about this world. I don't even know where to start." Nick said.
Frederick speared a potato before he replied. "Ya have options but be cautious with whoever you reveal things to. The nobles would chain ya up and drag ya to the front lines if they found out you could circumvent station locks. Ya should look into hiring some bodyguards as soon as possible."
Nick nodded thoughtfully at his advice. He was definitely worried about the threat to himself, ensuring his safety would have to be a top priority. He couldn't take too many risks before he was confident in his protection. He felt things were simply moving too fast though and he felt the spike of anxiety start to rise back up in his chest. Bodyguards were a good idea but he knew he needed to know what they would be protecting him from first and ensure they didn’t inadvertently draw the wrong kind of attention if Frederick’s warnings were to be taken seriously.
“Do you think there is anyone in town that I should be worried about? I don’t want to rush into anything with my limited knowledge. I feel like I need to know so much more about well…everything.”
Frederick took time to think before he replied. “I suppose your brief appearance at the tavern last night could raise some suspicions but the folk of Frellon are the friendly type and unless ya give them a reason to think otherwise they should be easy enough to deal with.”
“I don’t suppose you could give me some advice on blending in?”
“Well the first one is easy. New clothes. You have some interesting fabrics from wherever you come from.”
Nick glanced down at his wrinkled shirt and worn boots. He hadn’t bothered to ask Frederick for a change of clothes the night before and the excitement of everything that happened made it a secondary thought.
“I suppose that makes sense. Are fashions from various cultures and regions not diverse in this world?”
“Fashions certainly vary but we don’t get many folks from beyond the kingdom’s borders this far into the plains. We are simple folk and don’t have the coin for anything beyond what will keep us warm and protected.” Frederick said thoughtfully over a sip of some steaming tea.
"That is a problem though. I don’t have any money or coins I should say. Does the station purchase goods directly if there are no buyers?"
Nick reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out his cell phone. He had found it was completely dead the night before. It didn’t power on or give any indication it was still functioning.
"Aye, it will but beyond corpses there are generally much better prices to be found on the market and it will only purchase finished goods, raw materials can’t be sold directly to the station. What sort of device do you have there?" Frederick inquired.
“It is a communication device from my world. They are quite expensive where I come from and use some fairly rare metals in their construction. Perhaps it could be worth something to the station even though it doesn’t function here.”
Nick gave a slight mental nudge toward his skill to summon Vander and in only a moment he appeared next to the table looking exactly as he had the night before.
"Good morning Vander. Can you tell us how much would the station purchase this for?" Nick inquired as he placed his phone on the table.
A familiar screen materialized and displayed the value 4 gold and 75 silver after a description of his device make, model, and technical specifications were listed. He was shocked at the value as well as the level of detail Vander was able to pull from his device. Based on the prices he saw in the market the previous day, gold coins were worth a lot.
"Wow, 4 gold and 75 silver. Well that certainly could help me get started." Nick said excitedly.
Frederick whistled in surprise. "That really must be something special. Ya might be able to get even more on the market for it."
"That seems like a pretty big risk. I don't want to inadvertently expose myself by putting it on the market. Are there ways to trade anonymously on the market?"
“Not directly. Others won’t be able to view the history of trades you make directly with the station but there are records created for all transactions between station users. The stations are diligent about tracking reputation and that includes for merchants and traders. Despite the horrors the station can cause it is at least fair, for the most part, in the transactions it facilitates.”
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Nick nodded thoughtfully as he made a decision.
“I think it is best to be safe until I know more and a little coin to get me started can’t hurt. Is 4 gold and 75 silvers enough to purchase some supplies and hire a bodyguard?”
“Aye, should be plenty for the basics and some reliable bodyguards once you decide where you want to go.”
Nick tapped the sell option on the display and his cellphone vanished and was replaced by a small stack of gold and silver coins. He smiled as he snagged a gold coin off the top of the small pile and felt the weight of it in his hand. He had never held such a hefty coin before and he had to admit there was a certain appeal that paper money couldn’t capture.
Frederick didn't bat an eye at Nick’s phone disappearing act and the sudden stack of coins on his kitchen table.
"It is wise of you to keep a low profile." Frederick commented.
Nick placed the coin back on the table before responding.
The more he learned the more he realized he was out of his depth and rushing into anything would not be a good idea. He realized he needed someone like Frederick to advise him on the workings of the world, at least until he got a better understanding of things. He had no clue about contracts or bodyguards without his advice.
"Frederick I feel like you are the only person I can trust as fate brought us together. Would it be possible to stay with you until I get my bearings? I can even pay some coin to help out with expenses.”
Frederick gave a low chuckle. "Visitors are scarce this time of year and I don’t mind the company. I could use some help in the workshop if you are willing to learn a little about my trade. I’ll give you a place to stay in exchange for some labor and I can help you learn what you need to get by."
Nick smiled brightly and internally felt a weight being lifted. He hadn’t realized how much anxiety had been building. Knowing he had a place to stay and learn a bit more about the situation he’d found himself in was a huge stress relief.
“It would be my pleasure to help out and I am grateful for any knowledge you can provide.”
Frederick chuckled again at Nick’s excited reply.
“How about we take the morning to get some of your questions answered. Then we can purchase some new clothes for ya.”
“You are too kind.I guess to start. where exactly is Frellon located and what else is around?"
Suddenly a new screen appeared and a spinning globe was displayed. The landmasses were completely unfamiliar to Nick and the sea to land ratio was way off from what he was used to seeing from Earth. It was closer to an equal split compared to Earth's largely water covered surface.
Frederick smiled at the visual assistance as he replied. "We are in Frellon, as ya know. A small town in the heartland of the kingdom of Repstrom. I know little of the rest of the world but we fight wars to the North and West. The frontiers stretch South and East. There are constantly new stations found and settlements pushed into the frontier but it seems never ending. The stations open up the whole world to ya though. You can accept contracts to help tame the frontiers from across many kingdoms or pay a transfer tax to move into stations open to settlers. Contracts are generally a safer option however. Settlers are always at risk of being transported into dangerous situations."
"Incredible! Vander what is the size of the planet compared to Earth?"
"Unknown. No record for a planet named Earth was found in my records."
Nick drummed his fingers on the table in thought. He was troubled by not having a grasp of the size of the world he was in.
"How many humans are there on Proelium?" he asked, hoping for something to go off of.
"Approximately 29.4 billion." Vander replied.
"Good lord. That is insane, the planet must be enormous to support that many. What is the most populous sapient race on the planet?" he asked in a state of temporary shock.
"Ratkins with a population of approximately 284.9 billion individuals."
Nick was once again momentarily speechless. He realized the numbers shared by Vander meant there were likely trillions of sapient creatures on Proelium living, fighting, and dying leading to many more questions and some disturbing thoughts.
"Frederick, how large is the capital city in this kingdom and are there races that inherently dislike and fight one another?" Nick asked hesitantly.
"Aye, the capital city Fretton is home to at least five hundred thousand people. Wars are fought regardless of race. The nobility of our kingdom is of the human race but there are lots of races that live under their rule. Some as slaves but many free. The front lines are made up of several other nations and are constantly shifting as battles are fought. There is a Dwarven kingdom to the North and an Orc kingdom to the West but there are no true loyalties to one's race. Coins and the opportunity to level and get achievements is all that matters to most." Frederick answered.
Nick reflected on the brutality of Frederick's statement. He knew he would have to toughen up to live in his new world and understand that peace was not the objective for most, but it seemed at odds with the peaceful sleepy town of Frellon.
"Vandar, how many stations are there on the planet?"
"That information is unavailable. The number and location of stations is restricted information." Vandar replied.
Nick nodded. He recognized stations were incredibly important to every aspect of how people lived and were highly coveted. It would be dangerous if information about them was readily available and it gave him some peace of mind that information about his personal station would be protected.
Frederick cleared away the plates and said "There is never a lack of folks looking to take advantage of the opportunities provided but danger is always present. Perhaps Vander can give us some clothing options for ya from the market..”
Nick nodded in agreement. If he wanted to stay unnoticed, some new clothes to help him blend in would be a good place to start.