After we packed our various gear, I was told to pull the carriage, while Jorgen and Hannah sit in it along with their belongings. I think back to the time I have spent here as it is enveloped slowly by the fog due to me moving farther away. I have become something outrageous by old world standards. I really wanted there to be an athletics organisation where I could compare run times and weight lifts to see how bad it is in this world. I should be far stronger than normal according to Jorgen, but that old codger still had the upper hand last time we sparred.
Jorgen shouts directions to me and we eventually end up at the village. I wonder how he tells which way is which, as I couldn't tell if I was running in circles or going in a distinct direction. There was no road and a general lack of landmarks. That coupled with the generally low visibility of this world must make it incredibly tricky to navigate.
When we arrive at Jorgen's house it is already close to dinner time. "Old man Jorgen, I am going to say hi to my mom" I say, as I turn to leave, wanting to leave the unpacking to Hannah and Jorgen, but I am stopped.
"Don't! That would be very rude." He informs me. "Your family has new homes and you can't just show up unannounced at them, especially around dinner time. What would people not think?" I was about to log this under "rules for new world" in my brain, but then I remembered I never really did this in my old world, and thus don't know if it is general common sense or not.
"They aren't running anywhere, boy, you can see them tomorrow. Let's unload the carriage while Hannah makes dinner." And so the evening is spent eating dinner and practicing magic patterns. I can't make 2 different patterns simultaneously yet, but Hannah has complemented in almost all other aspects, so I try to get it to 100% by practicing it whenever I can.
The next day we enjoy a simple breakfast, before Jorgen and I head to the temple. I am getting excited.
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Priest Yuro sees us and comes running with a troubled expression on his face. "By god, Old Man Jorgen, would it have killed you to tell us you where coming back? We had thought you headed to some other village or died somewhere."
Jorgen just laughs before saying "You know how I am, young Yuro. I trust adding this one to the batch this year isn't going to be a problem, right?" He says while gesturing at me.
"Is it young Yos? You seem to have become a fine man. Old man, I always have spare supplies, but if everyone acted like you did it would be complete chaos, please consider it in the future."
I simply nodded at the question and took the compliment while the two old men bicker on.
"Good thing there is only one of me then!" Jorgen says and laughs. Yuro furrow his brows a little.
"Anyway, we must make haste, there is less than an hour till we begin, come with me young Yos."
Wait, it's today? I was sure there would have been a couple of days of leeway. Jorgen has no sense of decency. So I think while being dragged along hurriedly by the priest. We enter a large house, which I have seen before. It has a large room usually used for dining on the children's festival, but today I am dragged to a smaller room in the back. I am given a white tunic and something else; a pair of white cloth tubes with two holes in them and pieces of thin rope.
I put on the tunic and soon someone else comes in and helps me with the rest. I follow his intructions of putting tying one piece of rope to one of the holes, drag it on with the rope facing my back, then drag the rope over my opposite shoulder and tying it to the front end of the pant leg at a place where it feels comfortable, then cut off excess rope. They are extremely loose, like slightly larger than my thighs all the way down, but it is quickly "fixed" by tying another piece of rope around my ankles.
Through the years spent in the woods, I have outgrown my shoes, but here I am also given some wooden ones, slightly difficult to move in. When I am done, I am hurried by the person who was helping me, I suspect a volunteer or apprentice or something, as he drags me along to the temple. Twenty or so kids the same age of me, are already lined up, so I take my place at the end of the line. Seems the ceremony is about to begin.