"Your eyes probably had something to do with it as well." His mother said after a while of the pair walking down the street.

"What do you mean?" He asked, a little confused about what his eyes had to do with being referred to as a 'young lord'.

"Children don't usually form their core so young. Only those with an essence body or inherited bloodline have noticeable traits, like your eyes."

"Those children are usually members of powerful families with strong bloodlines, so it's not uncommon for them to have a noble title. Having an essence body is even rarer, so she must have thought you were from a family with a strong bloodline." Valeria said after giving it some thought as the duo dodged out of the way of an oncoming cart.

"Mother, can you tell me about bloodlines?" He curiously asked as he looked up at her.

"It would be best for your father to explain that once you start training." She replied as they passed a man calling out, trying to flog his wares.

He wanted to ask more but felt guilty for the books, so he bit his tongue instead.

They crossed the street and wound through a mass of tents and people, moving towards their tavern in the distance. His parents had agreed to a meal with the guard captain's family this evening, so they were slightly rushed to return.

Getting back, they quickly got changed, with him dressing in an outfit his mother had him measured out for earlier. A runner had dropped it off at the tavern while they were still shopping, and he looked at himself in a mirror.

He wore a dark blue tight-fitting tunic made of a material that reminded him of Nylon but thicker. On his lower half were cream-coloured linen pants and short slipper shoes made from brown leather. Unlike those back on Earth, the pants had no pockets. For storage, he had pouches attached to his leather belt.

It was a case of being dressed up by his mother, but he couldn't help but be happy with how it all came together.

"Our rides here. Are you ready?" His father called out as he strode into the room, wearing a similar outfit as himself but with a black top instead.

"Ready." He said as he turned to the door.

His mother entered at that point wearing a flowing green dress with long sleeves. She looked very regal with the green dress and her dark red hair.

"Let's go, shall we?" Valeria said.

The trio headed outside, boarding a carriage that shot off through the winding city streets before pulling up outside a late stately home.

They were greeted at the door by Cleon and welcomed into his home, where they met his family. The man had a beautiful wife with pale white skin, pink lips and raven hair who wore a blue dress, contrasting with Cleon's Yellow outfit.

Stood beside them were three kids, roughly the ages of Eight, six and four. They stood in a line, with the two boys being the elder and younger, with the girl standing in the middle.

"Welcome, welcome. I'm sure you remember my wife Helen and my children Bias, Arte and Demos." Cleon said as he pointed at each child, from eldest to youngest.

"Children, this is Marcus, his wife Valeria and their son Athanatos."

The group exchanged pleasantries before moving into a spacious dining hall. He noted the luxuriously decorated house they walked through on the way there. The hall was an ample open space with a thick marble table that dominated the centre.

It seemed that being the guard captain for a city lord paid well.

Marcus and Valeria were placed at each end of the table in the seats of honour, with the host family and himself in the middle. Mostly, the event was just small talk between the adults, with the children either eating silently or mumbling between themselves.

"Children, it's rude to whisper when we have guests. Anything you want to share?" Helen said, her voice reproachful at her children's show of bad manners.

"Arte keeps asking why his eyes look like that." The eldest Bias said as he pointed over at him.

Thanos had been minding his business and demolishing the help yourself buffet on the table, so he was a little taken aback at everyone now staring at him.

He looked around, sucking in a salad leaf hanging from his mouth, causing him to cough as it got stuck in his throat.

"It's rude to point out someone else's differences, dear. Say sorry." Cleon said to his daughter, who sat there squirming in her seat, looking like a rabbit caught in some headlights.

"Ss... Sorry. I just thought they looked nice." The cute young girl quietly said as she stammered out the words.

*cough*

"Thanks." He said, still coughing as he hit his chest with his fist a few times, relieved to feel the leaf go down correctly.

Great, now everyone thinks I'm an idiot.

He looked over at his parents, who were just smiling. He just wanted to eat peacefully and hated being the centre of attention.

The grub he was getting in the city was bringing out his inner foodie, and the spread tonight had been the best by far. All he wanted was to be left alone to eat or, even better, left alone with everything on the table. Instead, he got dragged into being sociable.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"It seems you've got an admirer." His mother leaned in from his left and spoke.

Great, a childish infatuation is all I need.

In his old life, he had always wondered what it would be like to visit another world. Now, he had the opportunity to explore and experience one, so he planned to make the most of these little moments.

He leant over the table, scooping up some strange-looking fruits and shovelled them into his mouth, head down, as the conversation continued.

"I've some good news to share with everyone tonight." Cleon rose from his seat and said after a while, gaining everyone's attention.

"The war between Lycia and Nereyda is over. This news just arrived from the capital and was passed down to me from the city lord." Cleon said as he looked over at Marcus.

"For however long that'll last," Marcus said dryly after a few moments.

"The order came from on high. It seems that the sects got involved this time," Cleon said as he sat back down, straightening his clothing.

"The sects don't usually get involved in inter-kingdom conflicts. Why now?" Valeria said, sounding confused.

"We're not sure. This order came down from the Emperor. It's not just Lycia, as even the other vassal kingdoms serving the empire got forced into a state of peace. What do you make of this, Marcus?" Cleon asked as he looked over his father while drinking wine.

It seemed that the man valued his father's insight into this matter.

"The calm before the storm, perhaps? My clan will be ascending in the next few decades, and that's usually a bloody affair for the continent. The prominent family clans and the sects have never been on good terms." Marcus replied after seeming to take a short moment to think about it.

Thanos found the conversation between the pair interesting, so he slowed down his effort to wipe the table clean to pay better attention. He leant back in his chair, washing his latest tester down with a cup of fruit juice, wishing he could take his belt off and spread out.

"The city lord heard a rumour about a large essence pocket opening in the northern ice flows. Could that be the cause?" Cleon curiously asked, looking at Marcus.

"I doubt it. Essence pockets are rare but not unheard of, and they do pop up now and then. The juniors of the sects and clans are usually sent in to compete for resources. The higher-ups don't even bother with them. I can't see why one would cause this situation." Marcus quickly replied with a shake of his head as he ate.

"Hmm, I guess we'll find out eventually. The royal family has also put out a class one bounty. Do you think that could be something to do with it?" Cleon continued to pry his father with questions.

"Doubtful. Whilst a class one bounty is something even members of my family would try to claim, it would never affect the mundane world. Wars still happened even when the entire continent raced to catch the Twilight Fiend in my youth. What's the bounty?" Marcus asked after voicing his opinion on the matter.

"It's this," Cleon said, and a large scroll appeared in his hand as if by magic. The man must have had a spatial storage tool of some kind. He unravelled the scroll and held it out for everyone to see.

The picture on the scroll was a lifelike drawing with such visual clarity that he thought he was momentarily looking at a smart screen.

The image depicted a beautiful woman with East Asian features dressed in a tight-fitting black dress. She looked like some kind of seductress apart from the giant monstrosity beside her.

It was a massive form that reminded him of a giant bear roaring into the sky with only its large mouth visible, but instead of being covered in fur, it was coated with torn flesh hanging from visible bones. Under the duo's image was the information

Wu Zetian, The Nightmare Witch.

Class one bounty.

Please report any information to your nearest Mercenary guild branch.

Extremely dangerous.

"It's not often a class one bounty gets issued. She must've made some powerful enemies." Marcus said with a whistle as his eyes roamed over at the warrant.

"Do you think a big war will come in the future then?" Cleon asked after some time, rolling the parchment up before he was interrupted by his wife.

"Enough with all the boring talk of war, why don't we discuss something else?" Helen said as she interrupted the pair with a bored look.

The conversation for the night became a lot less engaging at that point, so he went back to stuffing his face. He wondered how his tiny body had consumed so much without feeling sated. Perhaps it had something to do with ageing faster here and the need for more food to compensate, as he was always hungry lately.

I just need a good nap now.

He couldn't help but pray for a swift end to this night as his bed was calling to him, and he felt a food coma coming on.

"Kids, Who'd like some treats?" Cleon called out as some servants brought in trays of beautiful-looking delicacies.

"Me!" He called out without thinking, and everyone turned to look at him with a hint of amusement.

Crap, did I just say that out loud?

***

Sitting in the back of the carriage as they returned to the tavern, he couldn't help but undo his belt and cradle his belly as he let out a contented sigh.

"You sure got your fill tonight, son," Marcus said as he looked over with a smile at seeing his antics.

"I just hope Cleon and Helen don't think we're starving you," Valeria said with a slight shake of her head and a smile.

He couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. He had probably been a little overzealous in trying anything and everything.

It really was a good spread!

"Sorry. I just wanted to try all the new food." He said as he sheepishly looked across at his mother and father.

"It's okay. As long as you had fun." His mother said.

The ride back didn't seem to take as long as the one there now that the streets had less traffic. Before he knew it, he was all tucked up in bed at the tavern.

It's time to read that book and get some answers.

His room shared an adjoining door with his parent's bedroom, and he could hear them sitting outside on their balcony drinking.

It wasn't like back on Earth with the need for technology and baby monitors, as his parents seemed just as efficient at noticing when he was up and about with their enhanced senses.

He knew there was no chance he could get out of bed and over to the stack of books without drawing one of them over to check on him, and that would only lead to it getting taken. So he needed a plan.

It was a little silly playing cloak and dagger games against his parents, and he couldn't help but wonder if these kinds of moments were things he had missed out on in his past life. It was also a little fun and allowed him to practise his first cultivation rule: Always have a plan.

With that in mind, he got out of bed, went through his parent's room, and out onto the balcony where the pair sat.

"What is it?" His mother asked as the couple had stopped talking at sensing his arrival.

"I need the toilet." He flatly said as he shifted on his feet like he was desperate for the loo.

"Okay, well, head to the bathroom and hurry back." She replied, smiling gently at him as she sipped on some wine.

"It's also dark in my room. I don't like it. Can I have a Lightstone for the night?" He asked, not turning to leave. His parents shared a glance before his father spoke up.

"Okay, I'll put a stone in there while you go to the bathroom," Marcus said, standing up and stretching. Thanos nodded and thanked him as he went to the bathroom.

He wasn't lying about needing the bathroom after all he had eaten tonight, but he was about the light. Sleeping in the dark was preferable; he had been doing so for a while now. The issue there was he needed the light to read tonight, and now he had it.

After returning from the bathroom, he said goodnight. On his way through the room, he snagged the Lightstone covered in a cloth to dim it and the book he wasn't meant to read and returned to bed. His parents were none the wiser and happily chatting.

Okay. Time to get some answers.