Chapter 9

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Surprisingly, I received a rather weighty box to be sent to the "outer unreal" not in the seventh hall for the special, but at the common counter together with the usual couriers. It's strange, and I probably don't understand something yet.

A note of receipt of the parcel, a second's wait, a description of the road unfolded. What does it feel like to leave reality for another world?

Annoyance.

E-rang's quest was quite consistent with the most common B-rank's - go there, turn here, jump over this, knock on that... Only the description was three screens long. Also, a stern warning popped up:

Attention, it is strongly recommended to use the branded cape when fulfilling the order.

For the especially beautiful also played animation, a man in a raincoat jumped under the acid rain, happily waving his hands.

Yeah, right - the cape will soak up all the unreal and send it back into the System. And I get nothing. On the other hand, do I need it? I don't know yet. Probably I muttering for nothing and really not worth it. My level is good enough for me, there's no point in growing tentacles yet. Maybe later.

Turn into the passageway between the houses, walk with your right hand on the wall.

Because when you think about it, what have I gotten myself into? There's some unreal out there, with werewolves and witches. And I'm walking around, flapping my ears. And I'm pissed off, scared. Or rather, from nerves. What's to be scared of? What's the big deal, that I've been someplace I don't know? A hundred thousand times, in almost every game. They invent open worlds and quests with no indication of location, and you run around and look for it.

Enter the park through the gate.

So you think, is this an important nuance or can we skip it? The gate is half a hundred paces, and the car passage is ten. In theory, if the whole description is not made only for the locals, then we can ignore it. Comes to us some Neanderthal Vasya and he really better to walk, hand holding the wall. So he won't get run over by a car. But on the other hand just in case.

Follow the path to the north.

I had to open the app for orientation. Walking in the city using a compass? There's nothing strange about it! Four days as a courier were enough for me to understand that the city sometimes seems endless. I think you walk in familiar places, you've walked a hundred times, but you turn into the wrong alley and absolutely everything is unfamiliar. You cross a tiny square, fifty paces, and then you get distracted, and suddenly there are no people around, no high-rise buildings. And you go, you go, you topographic moron, in a circle. Only that you do not shout "aww," to everyone's delight.

Walk under the big tree

You still have to get through the bushes to get to it... And that's another thing - is it really all the magic of the place, or is this route necessary to set me up for something? And it's not about the path, it's about...

Wait, where does the path come from?

I looked around, checked the text of the quest: +Go to the big road, turn right, follow it to the city gate.

I looked around.

Somehow that's a little over the top. Or did someone read the thought of "lost in the park"? They'll do, but there's a path underfoot, a narrow dirt path, with tufts of grass around the edges, and a forest all around.

I sniffed - this time I didn't smell anything, but I'd been to a customer before. And this time I shouldn't wait for the detachments, they're far away... On the other hand, I had something to protect myself with now.

I looked around, listened. Silence, in the woods. So quiet, not paying attention to me. Grass under my feet is usual, flowers of the field, small ones can be seen. An ordinary bird flies by, wings flapping. And though this dried-up thing can be taken for a trace of the demonic hoof, most likely it is a cow. Especially since the scone is lying next to it, dried up.

Yeah, now I believe I'm in another world! Because we may have demons, but you don't see a cow in the middle of a metropolitan park. So let's go.

Well, this time it was somehow different. In the city, you walk measuring the way by storefronts, traffic lights, and standing urns. Here, in a rather sparse deciduous forest with shrubby undergrowth, there was nothing for the eye to fix on. The space was not sliced by anything and therefore seemed endless. Coming out to the road seemed like an event; I even breathed a sigh of relief. Turn right... where's the right?

I decided to pull the cape back after all. After I'd almost died of fright when a long snort came over my ear. Without any teleport, I jumped three meters in an unknown direction and then watched as the two bulls drove past me in a wagon.

Or are they oxen? It's kind of embarrassing to look under the tail. But the carriage...

I've seen more than a dozen of them!

I saw it in the manga and in the anime. And in games... The setting works. I'm home, Chewie!

I kept a dozen paces behind the cart and followed it. I didn't try to ask for a ride, because I was told to go, so I went. So I'm in another world. In the very setting, I had indicated. Why this one? Because there are clear rules, described by dozens and hundreds of scenarios, novels, and chapter books. If I have my way in the unreal, why not in the part of it in which I will have some chance?

Of course, there are all kinds of evil in abundance, from bandits to dragons, but I'll get away from the former, and the latter... well, then it's fate. But the reward for the quest is great, with a minimum of movement.

I backed up a little more when I noticed the carriage driver peeking out from behind the canopy. We'd better not arouse suspicion; the local might be a shell-shocked veteran or something worse, maybe he'd get shot or cast a spell. It's better to think about the prospects, there's nothing else to think about.

The second question after choosing a setting was "to go there under warranty or not". On the one hand, being calm and confident in the normality of what's going on I like. But on the other hand, that reassurance doesn't give me a chance to focus on the little things, and they can be important. Why did I come here? To earn points? I don't really need them. Yeah, a miracle's great, but you can make money without one. The adventure? Survivors talk about how much fun it was. And the invisible ghosts of their fallen comrades try to kick the storytellers in the ass. So far, I need to be here for one reason: to be good at something, you have to do it. Daddy's favorite teaching.

I'll make safe "B" quests - I'll become good at them. If I want more, I have to break into serious business. And here I am helped by another feature of the setting, which does not do without, namely the "order board". They're not included in the System, are they? So it's a way for side income, well, and to explore the world at the same time.

For now, I have to deal with the main question of how to walk from here to here and back without the System's prompting. The sub-question is, is there an artificer in town that can charge the rings? Yes, I don't like the fact that all the goodies come from the Delivery window. I want an alternative.

"Whoa! Halt!"

I walked mechanically around the wagon and stared in amazement at the city wall that had appeared unnoticed. It's not much of a wall, six meters high, but there is a tower with a flag, and there are many signs of life around it. The suburbs were not observed, only some authentic medieval-looking buildings. The people, the same carters, were also authentic - that is ornate, bright, combed. It is not every day that they go to town! There were no smeared faces, for some reason, all were able to wash their faces.

Well, I got there, what's next?

Once through the city gates, follow the directions on the app. Your destination is the shop of the Master Audway.

"Where to?"

I asked the guard with the halberd rather vaguely, and I forgot to say hello, but it was no new to any strangers: "Go to the tables, behind the wall only after registration."

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Nodding, I headed to the "customs" office. There, a middle-aged man in armbands habitually looked me over and asked: "Purpose of arrival?"

"Delivering an order for... master Audway."

The clerk pulled up a large register, flipped through it, and nodded: "Yes, the fee has been paid. You are allowed to stay in the city for one day."

"And night?"

He looked at me like an old city dweller at a country bumpkin: "A day is one revolution of the light around the world. Until tomorrow noon, you are a guest in the city."

I nodded. A guest is a guest.

"Attach it to your clothes," they handed me something like a piece of leather. "It's enough just to attach it. When you leave the city, give it to any guard or attendant. Next."

Actually, his intonation was exactly the same as when I was carrying a box of doughnuts to a fancy business center. There, the rules of conduct were recited in the same familiar way, with the same tone and the same words. It even seemed like a man...

"Where can I change money?"

The clerk nodded indifferently to a nearby table. An imposing lady sitting there, when she heard about the money, perked up and beckoned me with her hand. I scooped out a half handful of change from my pocket and handed it over. For some reason, I expected that the lady would pull out her phone and turn on the identifier, but she did it with a slightly glowing rectangular pebble.

"Odd coins."

"You don't accept these?"

"Why not, the embossing is visible, the metal is good, the filling is decent. I give you three silver and two "scales".

Perhaps I should have bargained, but my "Eloquence" is not pumped up.

The silvers were about a centimeter and a half in diameter, and the scales were half that size. After inquiring, I got the answer - to spend the night in the common room of a decent inn with dinner, that is analogous to the same hostel, it is silver. For a private room is already two. Not rich, in short, but at least I do not go with an empty pocket.

As I entered under the gate tower, I thought there was something about such an outpost outside. Clerks wouldn't just bide their time in the rain and wind. It's not like playing solitaire with a smart-ass look on your face when no one's looking, it's clear to everyone what they're doing. And there's no room for a bribe... It's kind of savage, but it's not stupid.

The town didn't impress me in any way. When my mother took me to Europe, I was bored in such places. Everything is compact, clean, everything is in place. There's even a tourist attraction, a statue on the square - an unfamiliar man on a riding lizard proudly pointing somewhere with his sword. The streets are wide enough for two wagons like the one I saw, and there's still room for stalls of goods. Not too many, because most of the vendors were in stores.

Glass, good glass - meter-wide pieces, and more. Metal, cheap enough to make signs. Tile roofs, but that doesn't tell you anything. The houses are three stories at most. The people around are most ordinary, the style of dress as in the nineteenth century, but you can see that it is not fashion, but technology. There's good cloth and woolen cloth here... my granddad drilled my brains out with it all! I had to learn.

I wondered about moral markers, but almost immediately a matron with a gown sweeping the sidewalk went by in one direction. And in the other direction, two obvious mercenaries. One in men's pants and the other in a dress with a puffy skirt that did not cover her knees.

It matches the setting!

I looked at the beast folk that had passed by without interest, I had already seen enough. I'm settling into the wonders, getting used to them. The only strange thing is that I did not see it through the phone, but with my eyes. Well big, well furr, so what?

I should have stood out in some way, causing surprise, but a minute later my colleague walked by. He was dressed about the same, with a lopsided hat on his head and a wicker box on his back. Apparently, my current occupation is also one of the oldest.

Well, at least here I don't seem like a loser, but like a solid and successful person. If you are fat in this world, you have extra food, all the time. You're a slick businessman, you have good luck, you're able to store up fat. Eh, self-reassurance...

Fifteen minutes of leisurely walking with the phone in my hands led to a typical shop with a mortar and pestle on the sign. The customer turned out to be a mustachioed old man, rubbing his hands together happily as I took his order out of the bag. What can you wear from our world? Well, first thought: if it's unreal here, then I'm carrying magically pure blanks and preparations. The second is technological knickknacks that take too long to make here, like lenses, plastic stampings, flasks of all sorts... Yeah, if you don't know the needs, you can't capture the market. Okay, let's keep our eyes open.

Finally, the customer nodded, and two "scales" were placed on the bag. Apparently, it was a sufficient tip in his opinion. Well, I'm not going to be offended; I'm happy with any profit.

I wasn't asked to stop, get something to eat, or talk about the road, so I just marked "order delivered" and went outside. So, what now? Let's ask a passerby: "Can you tell me where the Adventurer's Guild is?"

The passerby stopped, looked at me thoughtfully, and only after making a decision began to describe the road in such detail that I even suspected he was a quest writer. Finally, he finished and said goodbye, and left without listening to my thanks. Apparently, unhurriedness and thoroughness are in high demand here.

I, suddenly realizing, took out my phone. If I was walking with an order on a map, could I use it to plot a route? It turned out that some of the houses had signatures, and the main points like "City Guard Building," "Town Hall," or the same "Adventurers' Guild" had bright signatures of their own. The roads around the city were also marked.

The "abandoned crypt (inhabited)" icon a kilometer from the city destroyed me.

WTF!? A dangerous foray into the unreal. An hour's walk and all the trouble was where to have lunch. And how I prepared myself! Remembered the rules, figured out the appeal, worked through the tactics of fighting all the known monsters! Where the hell is my adventure? There are even dangerous places signed here!

Shame on you.

Well, I'm going to sit and take a walk. Waiting for orders is part of my job. After looking around once more, I took out my phone, spent five minutes making an overview tour, and then moved on, taking my time. I looked at the passers-by, just like that, then through the scanner. I looked at the merchandise but in general, everything was more expensive than at home, so I did not buy anything.

Then the rain started drizzling, and I turned to the door, which smelled delicious. Obviously, it wasn't a top-notch diner, but it wasn't bad. They gave me a big bowl of gruel and tripe for the silver. I think it was something my grandfather used to make for his dogs, but they ate it willingly. However, the porridge was accompanied by a flatbread the size of a plate and a mug of beer.

Apparently, I overpaid - there were four typical adventurers at the next table, and they got a much bigger bowl plus a jug for the same coin. They didn't get any tortillas. Maybe there's some kind of corporate discount?

A little domestic sketch - money was used for its intended purpose before my eyes. The innkeeper's assistant pulled down the lever, which I thought was the lamp mount, shook the metal circle out of the slot that opened, took a new one out of the purse, inserted the "battery" in the slot, and raised the "switch" back up. All this was accompanied by a flicker of lights in the hall, which did not attract the public's attention in the slightest.

So you have to wonder - is this magical stagnation or normal techno-barbarism?

Magic, indistinguishable technology, yes, yes...

Finally, the rain dug in, and it brightened up outside the window. I finished the rest, threw my bag behind me, and went out without saying goodbye. It seemed that there would be no orders, so I'd better get home before dark. What is there to do? All as at the start of a new server: zero skills, starter gear, location does not know, as monsters, but you have to somehow pump up faster. And the constant choice between "buy a new dagger" or " buy the next rank of spells".

And there is no hope for the co-guilders and viewers of the channel. They, too, are naked and just out of the sandbox.

I could poke around in the Guild since it's there but first impressions are things you have to think about beforehand. A peddler comes, pennies in his pocket, no skills, no knowledge of the world - how will he be accepted? No, I should not.

There's nothing else to do.

Ay, why do I talk myself into...

After all, I didn't leave without a souvenir. I heard from the corner of my ear that pots were cheap, and I remembered choosing between two rooms, and the difference was that one had a jar of flowers and the other didn't. Well, if the chance came up, I'd better take it.

The silver and scales went to the potter, and I put a jug wrapped in straw in my bag. It's pretty, but it's very simple - it's not a souvenir, a dustpan, but a real household item. Well, it's time to go home.

The guard accepted my "pass," and I didn't even bother averting his eyes, poking my finger into the distance. Step - transfer, poke here, there - step, repeat.

The driver of the oncoming carriage frowned when I appeared beside him, but didn't even flinch. I was a second later, far away. Finally, the map in the app showed me that it was time to go deeper into the woods. Oh, it's too bad to be poor - no "city portal scrolls," no "return stones," everything is harsh - just stomp your feet. And they, by the way, are aching by nightfall!

Such a job, to get there is half the job, or rather even a third - you still have to come back.

Follow the trail, keeping it to the right. At the tree with the broken top, turn left.

I didn't turn left. There was a clearing there, and I had a jug! I needed flowers in it.

Of course, the prettiest flowers turned out to have prickles, small, splintery, and brittle. Not all of them, but I took the time to sort through them. Finally, having picked the red ones, the safe ones, I put them around the prickly blue ones and stuffed them into the bag.

Turn left...

Twenty minutes later, I was standing at the subway entrance.

Tired but satisfied, I return from my first external quest. Two thousand system bonuses await me... and nothing else. And I'd been thinking a lot about it.

However, the main thing here is that I come back in one piece.

At home, I poured water into a jug and stuck the bouquet in it, trying not to stab myself. Did it seem okay? I looked for my phone, took a long time to take a picture of it, so I would have something to show my mother if she asked.

Buzz.

What that...

The "auction" app recognizes the ingredient...

I stared at the scanner-lit flower, trying to keep my jaw shut. The blue one. There was a whole field of them. Damn...

Buzz.

Congratulations on completing a challenging assignment

Your level increased.

New Delivery System tools are available to you.

I rubbed my eyes and was about to lift a finger, but the phone buzzed again.

A dear employee of the Delivery System! We offer you to read the terms and conditions of the preferential contract...

Oh, judging by the unfamiliar logo - competitors. Are they trying to poach me? Well, of course, everyone wants valuable and efficient employees.

I sighed, scrolled through the app, resolutely moved the warranty slider to "on," then turned off the sound and shoved the phone under my pillow. To hell with all of you, I'll figure it out tomorrow.

By the way, I came back from another world. It's not every day it happens!

I have the right to rest.

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