A week later, early morning.

I'm standing at the gate in front of our house with Eric and Anna.

Eric has tasked me with going to Luton on my own and retrieve his sword from Gondo, as he thinks it should be ready by now.

Although he is confident in my ability to fulfill the task, Anna on the other hand is a bit worried.

"Got everything you need, Alex?"

She asks as she adjusts my clothes.

"Yeah, yeah stop worrying, i'll be fine. All i'm doing is retrieving the sword and then coming straight back home."

"it's just that you'll be going so far alone for the first time, i don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"He's going to have to learn the route eventually so why not now? You'll be fine, right Alex?"

"Sigh, yes."

I'm about to leave when Eric grabs my shoulder.

"If you get hungry, you can use this money to buy something to eat on your way back."

He hands me a coin pouch and tie it to my belt.

I give them a nod, and they wave and watch me leave.

Fortunately the path to Luton is straight forward, so there isn't much to memorize and should only take about three to four hours.

This is also a great opportunity to see more of the surrounding areas, and as i'm not in a hurry, i can do so at my own pace.

It's mostly open fields of grass and crops, but at least it's something.

The air is surprisingly fresh when compared to the place where i lived, which was in the city, wherever that was.

I could also use this moment to work on my cardio.

If i jog, i could reach Luton faster.

Hmm, i already did my morning exercises so might as well.

I stop and stretch my legs just in case, and start jogging.

There is a wheatfield close to our house where Eric works at and i volunteered to work there a few times, not for free though.

This small body can't do much yet but starting early gives me a stronger head start.

I haven't thought about it much, but if things go smoothly, i'll move out once i become an adult, whatever age that might be in this world, and start my journey towards greater strength.

After some time, i come across a house i didn't notice the first time we went through here.

I look at it for no particular reason.

Just a simple, single-story house with a spacious yard, a tree and some bushes surrounded by a wooden fence.

Next to the property is a large field of flowers of different colors.

Suddenly someone stands up among the flowers.

It's the elf girl i saw a week ago at Luton's gate.

Her white hair and dress stands out among the colorful flowers.

She sees me jogging past her house and she offers me a small wave.

I don't return and instead turn my attention back to the road.

Does Eric and Anna know we have neighbors?

At around half-way point, pass by a lake close to the road, swimming could also improve my body.

I manage to reach Luton without stopping after about two and a half hours later.

I walk past the gates and decide to rest on a nearby bench before i go to Gondo's shop.

"Whew..."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Good workout if i do say so myself.

Hmm, not as many people here as last week, maybe there was an event or something.

I reach into my pocket and pull out a small piece of paper Eric gave me.

It has instructions how to reach Gondo's shop from the gate, since i didn't pay much attention the first time.

I follow the directions on the paper, walking through the same streets as last week.

Two moderately armored people walk past me.

Judging from their matching attire and a symbol on their chest and back, i assume they're the guards Eric mentioned that operate here in Luton.

One of them is carrying a spear and the other one has a sword sheathed on his belt.

I reach Gondo's shop.

The forge next to it has three dwarves working, they probably work for Gondo.

The bell rings when the door opens.

The shop is empty except for Gondo, who is leaning against the counter and counting his money.

I see four types of coins in his hand, judging by their color, size and quantity, i assume them to be: copper, silver and gold.

I can't identify the fourth one, it might be more valuable than gold, since there's only one of them.

"Gondo, i'm here for Eric's sword."

He puts the coins inside a pouch and ties it shut.

"You usually start with a greeting when entering someones shop."

I roll my eyes.

"Hello, do you have it or not?"

"Yeah, i have it. I finished reforging and sharpening it yesterday."

He steps down from his stool and walks to the backroom.

Shortly after he comes back with the sword and hands it over to me.

It weights more than i though and i almost drop it on the floor.

With his help, we strap it on my back.

It's quite long so i have to tilt it slightly so that i can move properly.

"Hey Gondo, what were you doing earlier? I saw coins."

"I was counting my profits, why?"

"I was just wondering if you could teach me about them, just the basics are fine."

Of course i already know how currency works in general but in this world it might be different.

"Hmm, fine."

He goes behind the counter and opens the coin pouch.

"Currency is ranked by value and have four tiers. Start from the lowest tier, copper."

He places a copper coin with the number 50 on it in front of me.

"Silver."

He places a silver coin next to the copper one, it has the number 10.

"Gold."

Obvious and it has the number one.

"And lastly, the most valuable coin, platinum."

He flips it into the air and catches it between his fingers, it also has the number one.

He puts the coins except for the copper one back inside the pouch.

"The number on the coin tells its value. This single copper coin has the value of 50 copper coins."

He takes out another pouch and places five copper coins on the table, each one having the number 10 on them.

"A copper coin with a 10 on it, equals to two copper coins worth five. Notice the difference in size."

He places two copper coins with the numbers five on them on the table.

"And finally, a coin with a five on it, equals to five of these coins worth one. This rule applies to all tiers of coins"

He places five copper coins with the number one on them.

"When moving to the next tier, 100 copper coins is worth one silver coin, 100 silver coins is worth one gold coin and so on. Understood?"

Sounds simple enough.

"Yeah, i think i get it now. Oh, i heard you and Eric talking about a war last week, can you tell me more?"

"No. Get going, i'm busy."

With that Gondo escorts me outside and closes the door behind me.

Eh, whatever.

I open the coin pouch and count how much money Eric gave me.

15 silver coins worth of money.

I feel a bit hungry so i decide to stop by the market and see what they have on offer.

I browse several food stalls, i'm suprised by how cheap some options are.

A whole loaf of bread for 50 copper coins and a whole roasted chicken for two silver.

My stomach grumbles and i'm next in line.

"Give me a whole bag of chicken drumsticks."

The sword feels uncomfortable on my back so i won't jog back home.

I keep a steady pace as i throw away the bare chicken bones as i eat.

They're tasty but could use some more seasoning.

I reach the lake and throw the last chicken bone away.

The water looks clear and clean enough for swimming.

In the distance there are several fishermen fishing on it.

It's the middle of summer and feels warm to the touch.

Speaking of summer there are quite a bit of similarities between old world and this new world.

For example, the season are the same and the year feels the same length.

There are 12 months, adding up to 365 days and the day is the usual 24 hours long.

The New Year is celebrated with other holy days but i remember Anna telling me that they vary from kingdom to kingdom.

I resume my journey home and reach the flowerfield again.

The elf girl is there again, but this time there's also three boys.

They look a bit older than me and her, and it looks like they're talking to her.

I can't see much from this distance but she is looking down at the ground.

Suddenly the boys start stomping and ripping the flowers while laughing loudly.

She bursts into tears and runs away, they boys also leave shortly after.

Our eyes meet for a moment before i avert my eyes and continue walking.

I'm not really surprised by the sight.

This world may seem calm and peaceful on the surface, but i'm sure there are hidden cruelties of the world happening everywhere.

A fact of life, i guess.

I finally arrive back home, just in time for dinner by the smell of it.

"Alex, you're back."

Eric greets me by the gate.

"Any problems?"

"None."

He unties the straps on my back and takes the sword.

The sun reflects brightly off it when he takes it out of its scabbard.

"Excellent work as always, Gondo."

He grabs the handle with both hands and takes a stance, holding the sword in front of him.

Next, he slides his left foot forward.

He goes silent and his face becomes serious, an expression i recognize.

Slowly, he moves the sword above his head and swings down with impressive speed.

The speed and power of the swing is strong enough to bend the grass below him and the wind caused by it hits my face.

He takes his left hand off the handle and performs a series of fast swings against the air.

My eyes are wide open from amazement.

If this is considered good swordsmanship, it's no wonder he was a successful mercenary.

Lying on my bed at night, i recall Eric swinging his sword.

He was a successful mercenary, so he must've been strong, and still is.

Does this mean you can become successful if you're strong?

What kind of strong individuals are there in the history of this world?

There's magic too, and so far i've seen two types: Anna's healing magic and Gondo's 'Condition' spell, which he used to check the condition of Eric's sword.

There's much to be learned if i'm to become the strongest in this new world, the possibilities are endless!