Chapter 4

Pull yourself together Niall, he thought, but he couldn’t stop crying. I should be happy, this place is nice, I’m alive, Pat and Colt are alive, so why am I so sad? I shouldn’t have yelled at Ryu like that, gosh I’ve ruined everything for myself.

“Holá?”

“What,” Niall muttered, he looked up in a daze. Standing a few feet away from him was a short skinny man with a small porcelain cup and plate in hand.

“You seemed sad, I brought you an espresso, on the house!” he chuckled. He gestured for Niall to take the cup. Niall just stared at it then the man. “Hurry before it gets cold,” the man urged.

“Ok,” Niall said, taking the cup. He took a sip and instinctively his eyes shut and a relaxing buzz ran from the top off his head and down his spine. The espresso was even better than the coffee Gus had made that morning. Earthy notes clung to a soft fruit palate leaving a winey aftertaste as the brown honey like drink trickled down Niall’s tongue.

“Oh my god, that’s amazing,” Niall gasped. The only worry on his mind was how to get a second cup of the liquid ambrosia.

“Thank you, thank you,” the man beamed, clearly proud of his work.

“My name is Niall by the way,” Niall said introducing himself, “thank you for the coffee…”

“Antonio,” the man said with a little bow. “My mama always said there wasn't anything a cup of coffee couldn’t fix.”

“That was the best coffee I’ve ever had.”

“It seemed you were having a hard time with Ryu. He likes to break people down when he meets them. He means well but cuts deep, you see.”

“It's ok, I’ve been acting like a baby.”

“No, no,” Antonio said, he sat down next to Niall. “You feel for a reason and seeing your pain can help you fix it. We don’t know where to stitch ourselves unless we see blood, right?”

“That's one way to put it,” Niall laughed. “Do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Ask away.”

“Does it ever get boring being here? I mean what's the point of it all?”

“Boring? Occasionally, but everyday I am happy, and that is what matters. I’m happy because of all my friends, and the things I do bring me pride.”

“What if the person who makes me happy isn't here?” Niall asked.

“Friend, there is no answer to the question you ask. You must come to terms or spend forever searching for them. Only you can decide.” Antonio rose from the bench, “now I must go back to my cafe, those rascals are probably ready for their next round,” he said loud enough for his patrons to hear. A few cheered back. “Come by anytime, Niall. Our friend Gus wouldnt have brought you here if he didnt think you would fit.”

Niall gave a weak smile and watched as Antonio walked away. He exhaled softly, the espresso had relaxed him.

I guess I should go find Ryu.

“Hey Niall, what do you think so far?” Gus called out as Niall approached the carriage. Niall saw that he had converted the thing into a makeshift store. Knicknacks and gadgets hung like garland from a foldable awning. A dozen odd bottles containing a rainbow of liquids were displayed besides mysterious bags.

“What's all this?” Niall asked.

“Ah this?” Gus said, slapping the side of his carriage. “Just a little side venture I have, keeps the lights on. Where’s Ryu?”

“That's what I came to you for,” Niall began to say.

“I thought he was showing you around town. It has only been twenty minutes.”

“I got mad at him and told him to go away,” Niall explained sheepishly.

“That old crow,” Gus exhausted, “he always goes in hard. I swear he was either an inquisitor or Freud in a past life. Do you even want to talk to him again or are we wasting our time here?”

“No,” Niall stressed, “I want to talk to him, and see the town. The issue is me, not him or anyone else. I know my choices and I want to understand more about this world before I make my decision.”

Gus smiled slyly, “alrighty then sir, let's go find Ryu.”

They found Ryu walking around the outskirts of town. Silvermoss was laid out in a circle, the square in the center and a road wrapping around it. A third road wrapped around the edge of town creating a border between the buildings and farm land.

“Ah Gus and Niall, will you join me for a walk?” Ryu greeted them.

“I’m just dropping him off, don’t scare him off again,” Gus warned.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you Ryu,” Niall apologized.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“There is no need for an apology,” Ryu said, “I understand that you are going through the toughest transition you’ll likely ever go through.”

“No I need to apologize,” Niall pushed, “I need to clear my mind and see things for how they are, I know you are only trying to help and I pushed back because I’m trying to hold back.”

Ryu nodded silently accepting the apology. “Let's walk then.”

Niall moved to Ryu's side. To their left was a long row of six or seven attached two story homes. All of the windows were open and their curtains gently waved in the wind. From a window Niall could hear the soft strum of a guitar playing a gentle melody, from another house he caught the smell of an apple pie baking. “It’s very peaceful here,” Niall commented.

“Yes, why don’t we talk about something lighter than before. Let me tell you about the town,” Ryu suggested.

“Ok,” Niall agreed.

“Please stop me if anything needs explaining. Many things are different here compared to the old world that I now take for granted.”

“How long have you been here?” Niall asked.

“Ha, that alone is a hard question as time passes differently here. We have four seasons here that make up a year but the full cycle only lasts three hundred days. I stopped paying attention long ago but I’ve been through about four hundred of these cycles, if I had to make a guess.”

“Woah that's a long time,” Niall said.

“Not when you think of all the years I still have,” Ryu smiled.

“Oh,” Niall said, realizing the implication of Ryu’s words. A few hundred years is a drop in the bucket compared to eternity. “What’s it like living that long?”

“At first hard, but once I started to find myself,” he paused to think of his next words, “... time began to slip and merge and it no longer became the primary factor of my existence.”

“I think I’m starting to understand,” Niall said. “How long have you been in Silvermoss?”

“I along with a dozen friends, some still here, others not, moved here about two hundred cycles ago with the goal of building a town focused on prioritizing happiness, because trust me that is the only thing that is worth persisting in this world,” Ryu explained.

“So everyone is happy?”

“For the most part, of course we have our issues but that is why we have our rules. Occasionally folk decide to move away. I hadn’t mentioned it before but we have a ban against usury. Of course you can lend to a friend but you can never expect to be repaid. We only give what we are willing to lose because a debt can lose not just money but a friend. A favor may lose you money but you keep a friend.”

They passed the row of homes and were then under the shadow of a wide building which looked like a warehouse.

“So, what does everyone do then?” Niall asked.

“Everyone has a class, many of them are specialized and have some kind of business or trade related to it. Those with less desires to specialize are simply farmers who man the fields overseen by the town. You must understand Niall, many of the old world’s problems do not exist here. There are no famines, food grows twice as fast as the old world and more plentifully. This world is vastly larger than the old, with enough land for every person if they so wished could have their own kingdom. So what is in demand in this world is beauty, art, perfection… the things that require mastery, which most people did not have time to achieve in their old lives but deeply desired in their heart of hearts.”

“So is the world just a bunch of tiny towns like this one?”

“No, in truth no one knows the true extent of the world. We are on a microcontinent shaped like a banana, with a few islands pocketing the coast. You arrived from the north which is mostly wild grass and hills for miles. A few villages are known to exist on the far north coast, but we rarely see visitors from there. To the south of us is a small city named Ballast, a port city full of traders and merchants. And on the southern tip of the continent is a small country called Rosa. It is a peaceful nation and well known for the clothes that it exports through Ballast to across the Eastern Sea.”

“And what about the rest of the world?” Niall asked.

“As varied as the old world. Some continents are broiled in war and self imposed strife, but most are peaceful. Again the world is vast and I suggest if you are interested seek out Indira and she can show you maps she’s collected.”

A pair of fieldhands crossed their path waving as they passed.

“It seems like most folk are wrapping up their work for the day,” Ryu commented.

“It can’t be much past noon?” Niall remarked.

Ryu continued to walk without a response. “You can stay with me tonight,” he announced.

“And then after that?” Niall asked.

“If you’re staying I’ll find some work for you in town so that you can save enough money to start your own homestead, that is what you would want?”

For the first time Niall realized he had up until that moment only been going with the momentum. He still didn’t fully understand the whole class system, let alone this new world. “Yeah, I think I want to set up my own site. I appreciate towns, but I’ve always known I was meant to be on the edge of them not in them. What kind of work are you thinking I’ll do?”

“Dom and Rodrico are the town builders, but they’re masons. We haven’t had a skilled carpenter around in over a hundred cycles,” Ryu explained.

“Well, I’m not a master carpenter but I understand structural design and I’ve enough practical building experience from…” Niall paused, he wasn’t sure how to talk about his life. “From building my own farm.”

“Well, it seems like we found a carpenter then,” Ryu smiled, “that is if you decide to stay.”

“I’ll make my decision by the morning,” Niall confirmed with a nod, “but if everything you’ve told me is true then I think I have my answer. How long do you think until I can start on my homestead?” Niall was getting excited thinking about the possibilities for his farmstead. Ideas for barns and a little rancher were already running through his head. A blankslate.

“I’ll have to run it over with the rest of the town but we can probably pay you two silvers a day to start out, more depending on the types of projects you work on. Many folk have been waiting ages to build and expand, but stone buildings are slow to build and getting material is difficult and it is expensive to hire the Builders Guild out of Ballast,” Ryu remarked. “Right now, Dom and Rodrico do mostly repair work, but we’ll worry about that tomorrow. Let's finish our tour.”

At Ryu's leisurely pace they completed a loop of Silvermoss in about three hours. Ryu pointed out each building and its purpose. Niall saw the large communal stables and barns used to house the town’s two dozen or so horses, mostly used for plowing and porting, however there were a few used for riding. Next to them were five tall silos. Ryu explained how most of the food that was grown was for the town but the villagers also refined goods to sell in Ballast and in turn bought things they couldn’t produce on their own. A sixth stone silo was under construction but when they passed by there was not any work going on.

Back in the square, Ryu pointed out the town hall, the largest building in town, where feast, parties, and other activities were held as well as town meetings. Also around the square were Antonio’s cafe, a tailor, a general store, a bakery, Talia’s Pub, and a Library. About a third of the villagers ran small businesses out of their homes but from what Niall saw no one kept to set hours.

“What do you think?” Ryu asked when they were back at his house. The sun was starting to set. Street lamps were being lit and the square was filling with people on the move to visit friends.

“Honestly, if I saw this place back in the old world I’d think it was a cult,” Niall said, earning a laugh out of Ryu, “but here… it somehow just feels right.”