Having cast aside his two past lives to live the troubled and dangerous life of a hero, Vance couldn't quite say how he felt. With the emotional willpower blessed to him by the right of being a High Human, he couldn't know he was scared and nor could Vance say he was nervous. Worry was still very much a feeling Vance could get, as his experience at the hill had taught him that, but other than that, he couldn't quite find the means to quantify the situation he had been placed in. Back when he was an Earthling, he lived the dull and 'exciting' life of a struggling History Professor, having to teach history, and now he was getting to create it.

Such thoughts filled his mind as he continued down alone on the road leading towards the mountains. Time alone to one's mind was often a dangerous thing, but to Vance, it was a means to compartmentalise all he had gone through and prepare for what was ahead. Vance still had nine seals he had to remove, and each one tied to a deity that had yet to come into contact with him. The best way to unlock those seals was likely finding those champions of the nine other gods, so Vance figured.

"One challenge after another..." Vance thought.

Walking the dirt path towards the mountains, there was hardly anything else he could do beyond thinking. That was until he turned around a bend and came to spot a town off in the distance. The telltale signs of life and activity could be seen in the form of smoke billowing out from stone chimneys. The closer Vance got, the more he could make out the make and appearance of the town in question.

Despite being far off from the big cities, the town itself appeared well off with newer well-built brick homes with wood framing and trim, painted in the Kendirii style (white base, green frames and columns, and brown trim) prevalent in most towns and villages within the Kingdom. The town itself was nestled in the middle of a large clearing surrounded by woodlands, with much of the more extensive cleared land being used for farming and raising livestock. The roads were also well maintained and groomed, ensuring ease of access to any would-be visitor like Vance. Overall, the place looked to be thriving despite the battles waging not far from its borders. Though, given what Vance knew of the area, it was likely because the town itself was home to a tourist attraction of sorts, the First Emperor's tomb.

Yet, as Vance approached, he noticed a surprising lack of guards, or rather none at all. Something you'd never see in most towns and cities was a wall, and if one didn't have that, then they'd at least have a small garrison of guards to patrol and keep the people safe. However, this town had none of that as far as Vance could make out.

Anyone taking the road entering the community would find the dirt road seamlessly transitioned into worn cobblestone streets, showcasing the wealth of this town. The street itself led towards a central square. Vance found the townspeople out and about, chatting and generally living as one would expect from such an area.

Walking up to a fountain in the middle of the square, Vance began to scan for someone to talk to as a means to gather intelligence. It didn't take long before he was able to pick someone out in the crowd, namely a couple who were chatting a mere ten feet from him.

"Excuse me."

An elven woman turned to face Vance, "Hmm? Yes?"

"Sorry to interrupt, I'm new to these parts. Came up from the city of Luna, some ways away from here, and I'm a little..."

"Lost?" answered the second, a young black man who looked to be a few years older than Vance.

Nodding with a chuckle, "Yeah... that."

With a shared smile and laugh, the couple wasted no time in showing the hospitality Kendirewen was well known for. "Well, if you didn't see the sign on your way in, this is the town of Julianius." The man started. "We're a small but thriving little town, as you no doubt noticed given the location."

"Yeah, the tomb of the First Emperor," Vance answered.

"Yup! We take pride in being the stewards of sorts of Tavaria's hero Emperor, but..."

Raising a brow, "Something wrong?"

"Well, no, not exactly, but I'm sure you likely saw or heard the news about the battle fought over at the Kendirewen Hills?" The man added.

"A bit, yeah. During my travels, I could hear canons being fired off in the distance, but what does that have to do with Julianius?" Vance asked, trying to hide the fact he had been involved in the battle, as was mentioned earlier.

Frowning, the Elf spoke up this time, "Sadly, most of our Guards were called to assist the Royal Army..."

"Ah... leaving you defenceless?"

The man nodded and replied first, "Yeah. Damn, Lespan's are trying to push further inland every year!"

Vance nodded in response. Now it made sense why there were no guards or defences in place, although that was also a weird thing to learn, as he didn't remember hearing of any reinforcements? Instead, they were still short many soldiers, with even Vance's own regiment being short well over four hundred soldiers, so to hear how an entire town's guard was called to reinforce the Royal Army was a bit suspicious.

"So... how do you defend against monsters and the like?" Vance asked.

The man shrugged, "Not much we can do besides form a small militia." He paused, pulling out a small wooden dog tag that showed he was once a soldier, "Most like myself served with the Royal Army, much like yourself." He said, pointing to Vance's own, prompting him to look down then up. "So, if we do get attacked, we at least have enough people here who know how to use a musket. Hell, most goblins run just hearing the crack of a musket, so we're not too worried."

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"Still..." Vance started, "What if bandits or highwaymen come knocking? Surely that would be enough cause for concern?"

"Well, thankfully, we have an adventures guild here." The Elf answered, pointing towards one of the larger buildings that faced the square.

Vance pursed his lips in thought. He didn't know much about this world, even when recalling memories of his time as a farm boy, as he wasn't near any large cities or towns like this place to witness or even hear news of such guilds. Still, Vance supposed it wouldn't be a shock to see mercenaries thrive, more so with the Civil War waging. With soldiers and militias off fighting in the wars, it would fall to others to protect the towns from the threats that dwelled in the shadows. Unlike Earth, this was a world of multiple sentient species, of magic, and of monsters. Monsters like Goblins, dire wolves, and giant bugs the size of a truck called this world home.

"Well, I suppose that's a net positive then," Vance said.

"Mhm. By the way, I don't think I caught your name yet, I'm William Burnair, and this is my wife, Aelizabeth. We live just south of here if you ever want to visit. You can spot our place pretty easily as it's the only farmhouse one would see coming in or out of the town." The man introduced himself, offering to shake Vance's hand.

Taking Vance answered, "Vance, Vance Wolfram. Pleasure's all mine, and I'll likely take you up on that offer once I'm done with my business here."

"Sounds like a plan! We're just out shopping now for a few things, but if you have any more questions, I'm more than willing to answer them before we get going." William stated warmly.

"Nope, nothing right now..." He answered, before snapping his fingers, "Wait; actually, I do have one more. Do any of you know any way into the mountains by chance? Any dwarven works or such?"

Pursing his lips, William shook his head and looked towards Aelizabeth, who did the same, "Can't say that I do, sorry. Why?"

"Ah, I'm actually here to study the Emperor's tomb. I'm hoping to find some old ruins in the area to study them. I often work as a scout for the large Universities in the capital." Vance said.

"Oh, well, if that's the case, I'd check in with the Adventurer's Guild. They're likely to know more than most since they've been responsible for keeping the roads up to the tomb clear of monsters and trolls." Aelizabeth said.

"Sounds good. I'll go do that then and let you two get back to your shopping. It was a pleasure meeting with both of you."

"And with you! And remember, don't hesitate to visit!" William and Aelizabeth said before walking off, leaving Vance alone once more.

Watching the couple walk off a bit longer, he peered over his shoulder. Looking towards the guildhall, he noted how it seemed the more lively of places here in Julianius, even more than the storefronts.

"Huh... guess business is pretty good then?" Vance thought as he walked towards the hall.

Making his way through the throng of people near the double doors, Vance stepped inside, and his nose was quickly assaulted by the stench of beer, vomit, and cooked food. Clearly, the guildhall was also a beerhall as well. Heading further inside, Vance took a look at the surrounding area. As one would expect from a guildhall straight out of the medieval era, the layout was pretty standard. Wooden columns were adorned with posters, new and old, and from what Vance could see, they were extra requests and offers from the townspeople, much like one would see in a cafe on Earth. In contrast, the actual mission and job requests board were located at the far left side of the hall, where most adventurers or Vance assumed had to be gathered.

Upon a brief glimpse, he could see that there was a large variety of jobs posted, which said a lot about the area's prosperity. He refocused on his original objective by giving his head a mental shake and moved to the reception desk.

"Good afternoon. How can I help you today?" Greeted a young human woman with raven locks that cascaded down to the middle of her back.

As Vance approached, he could see she was a rather beautiful woman, and a quick guess told him she, like all the other receptionists, were selected and hired based on their looks as well as their intelligence.

"Afternoon." Vance started, "I'm actually here on a job, namely to explore the mountains near the Emperor's tomb." Vance said, leaning on the front desk.

"Oh? Well, I can try to answer any questions you might have! The tomb is actually the town's main attraction, so there are plenty of signs pointing to the site, and the road is marked as well."

Scratching the back of his head, "Uh, no, I'm not here to see the tomb itself per se, but rather look around it. I have reason to believe there might be a cave system that leads to a separate chamber, so I'm curious if there have been any reports of strange or unique looking caves and or tunnels in the mountains." Vance asked.

The Receptionist looked puzzled for a second, then almost as if she had a light bulb pop up; she reached under the desk and pulled out a map showing the mountain range. "Actually, there is one cave. A large cave nearby the tomb!" She exclaimed, pointing to the spot on the map.

Vance looked at the map, his ability to memorise already activated as he studied the map. "I see... is there a chance I could get a copy of this map?"

Nodding, she pushed the map towards Vance, who took it and folded it away in his vest pocket. "Thanks."

"Yup, we're happy to help! Though, we do ask if you find any artefacts that you leave them there... we've had problems with looters and tomb raiders in the past and... well, we say this for your safety more than the tomb." She warned.

Vance raised a brow, "Oh? Why? What's at the tomb?"

"Nothing other than a few royal guards, but the cave I showed you was built by the Dwarves just before the Emperor died and strangely filled it with traps. Strange and ancient magic protects the whole site that the Dwarves today can't fully comprehend, let alone replicate." She started, "All I can say is that there have been other expeditions like your own private one, but each has ended in disaster, so I have to stress caution when exploring the cave and the tunnels within."

"Good to know," Vance replied, trying to sound worried.

Try as he might, he still didn't feel fearful of what awaited him, but what he did know was whatever it was that Julia wanted him to find laid undisturbed within that cave.

"Right, well, thanks for the information. I'll report all my findings here should I come across anything." Vance noted warmly.

The Receptionist visibly brightened in mood, "Thank you! We're always excited to learn more about the tomb and the secrets the Emperor had left us."

Just as Vanced nodded and turned to leave, she reached out to stop him, "Oh! Hold a moment. If you'd like, we can send a few adventurers to join you as protection?"

Shaking his head, he raised his hand to refuse, "No need, thank you, though. I don't expect I'll be doing any fighting, and if I am, I have my trusty flintlock and sword here to ward off any possible threats." He noted by tapping each as if to illustrate his point.

"Alright, we pray Julia watches over you then!" She said warmly before giving him a wave goodbye.

Exiting the hall and emerging once more into the open town square, Vance took a moment to collect his thoughts. There was a lot to do and a lot that waited for him up that mountain. He could feel there was a great deal of unknowns waiting for him there, but he needed answers, and he wasn't sure it would cost him more than he was willing to give up. But, not wanting to waste any more time in town, Vance started his trek up the mountain slope.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained..."