Sweet fields of grass and an orchard of apples… It’s such a nice change of pace from the rice fields and herbs. They usually smell nice, but the climate isn’t suitable for certain foods, so we have to import them leading them to be fairly rare. I have Zig Grab me an apple and start feeding it to me, a bit early for picking but still better than our rations for the desert. It was a bit awkward having someone feed me at first, but I lost my shame after needing to use the restroom…. Haaa I need to learn how to use a transmutation circle to clean myself or something…

While lost in thought Zig stiffens slightly turning his gaze off into the distance. There is a man that looks somewhat overweight running towards us. Pale skin, dark brown short hair with a beard. What’s more interesting is what he’s carrying. In his hands is an old-style double barrel shotgun. Haaa are guns that common here? That the common people have access to them?

“Lord sssshould I disssspose of him? He obvioussssly meansss you harm.” The hiss in his voice vibrating against his mask making it come out a little funnier.

“No, just disarm him. I’d like a conversation with him without a gun pointed at me.” Zig nods before dashing into the trees. The man finally gets within yelling distance, doubled over he catches his breath for a moment before yelling out to me. “Alright, -haah- get the hell off my property. I’ll -haa- give you and the big… where the hell did the big fucker go?” Right as he says that looking over at me Zig barrels into him from the side knocking the man prone dazed on the floor. Snatching the shotgun from the dazed man’s hands he bends it at the release then breaking it over his knee with superhuman strength… I mean I’d like to have looked at that but oh well…

At this point the man realizes that he’s screwed. “I-I don’t mean you any trouble… please don’t kill me. I don’t have any money on hand. I already hired pickers and the crops haven’t been harvested for sale yet so I don’t have nothin for you cept apples for you to carry…” I feel a little bad… I don’t want to threaten him or anything.

“Relax we don’t mean you any harm. My associate just doesn’t take kindly to people pointing guns in my direction.” He looks up at me then back over at Zig with fear in his eyes.

“What… what do you want then?” He seems to cling to the hope that we won’t hurt him.

“Well, I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me. I’m curious about the level of technology within Amestris and the level of infrastructure, you know plumbing public transportation and other commodities?” The man just looks at me completely lost and rapidly looking nervous… right, this is a common farmer. The sight of a gun got me excited about industrial progress and I didn’t consider the basics.

“I-I don’t know what your saying sir… please uh I might be able to help though? Um commodities? Like sales and such I-I sell apples from mah orchard but there are a couple of other farms in the area. Some apples at old Henies place and Betunia grows strawberrys and other fruits?” He looks at me hopefully, gaining a little bit more confidence as he starts speaking. One glance down at his broken shotgun with a frown makes him shrink back down slightly.

“Not quite what I was hoping to learn about but still helpful. What direction is it to the nearest town?” He points off towards the other end of the Orchard.

“That way to get to Youswell. B-but it’s mostly a mining settlement. They don’t have much else besides ore a-and farming goods… w-we get by one small things. Please don’t hurt anyone… If you take the train north, you can get to north east city…” I give him a long look. Zig gives off a low hiss to intimidate him further.

“-sigh- Is that really the name of the town?” He shakes slightly.

“Ye-yes sir. It’s uh it’s on the border between north area and east area so w-we called it northeast city…” Oh god they are idiots too, aren’t they? Please tell me they didn’t just develop guns and prosthetics, but they don’t have any public education.

“-sigh- alright, what about this?” I kick the remains of his gun. “Are these common? Also are cars common?” He looks at me a bit confused again. “Yeah, uh that’s just a gun sir. You can buy’m for a decent price from Gregs place in Youswell. He uses the ore to make tools mostly but can also make a decent piece. Otherwise, you’d need to wait on a trader to bring’m in from north east city.” I give him another look stopping what he was going to say. Interesting so smithing is still a common enough process, but industrial notes are there.

“Well, I apologise for giving you a scare. I’ll fix up your shotgun for you.” He gives me a look as I gesture for Zig. He slinks over with far more grace then his form should have grabbing my metal transmutation circle out from one of the side pouches placing it on my face and the side of the shotgun on it. A few small jolts of lightning and the man on the floor looks even more scared then the sight of Zig breaking his gun.

“OH! You’re one of them alchemists! I didn’t know that sir I’m very sorry for anything wrong I might have done. Thank you for fixing my shotgun. Are you a state alchemist with the military or something? Just recently we had one of them come through and help out the town. Some of the soldiers are still there and are mighty thankful for everything he did for us.”

Oh? Alchemy is something that is highly valued here. Good to know.

“Well, let’s get back to your town for now. I’d like to see if I can talk to some sort of government or something to get my papers signed so I’m here legally.”

We walk for another hour before reaching a small town. There are clear signs of men that work in coal and iron mining around. The large buildings made mostly from wood. The infrastructure looking well. No cars but a rough dirt road is made. I also see train tracks and a station off on the side which is promising. Walking up to what looks like an old western saloon I poke my head in and see a bunch of miners drinking and cheering while throwing darts at a wanted poster of a man with a balding head and a long thin mustache.

“Well, I best get back to my farmstead. I’m sure Beth can sort you right out.” He turns and waves walking away. I never did get his name. Oh well, he was helpful getting this far. I walk into the bar and several patrons give me odd looks, likely because of the limblessness and Zig’s large frame behind me.

A cheerful woman with blond hair pops around a bar counter with a plate of drinks for a table. She sets it down before coming up to me. “You look new in town, names Beth what brings you to these parts?” Despite her cheery mood I can see some of the men giving Zig a weary look and tensing. Likely not fully trusting strangers.

“Yes, I was just wondering where I can stay at and if there was any way for a traveler to get an ID card? I’m from Xing and want to be here legally.” She looks a bit surprised at that.

“From Xing? That’s mighty far off. You’d have to of come in through the desert.” She gives us both an appraising look before nodding her head. “There’s a military outpost that used to be ran by a rat of a man. I don’t think it’s been remaned yet, so you’ll need to either hop on the train for north or south for the nearest identification point. We don’t get many people coming in from the east but lucky for you I used to work as a clerk in North East city.” She gives a smirk at that.

“Thank you for the information… When is the next train heading out?”

“Not until tomorrow hun, you can stay the night if you got any money in those bags?” She gestures to the large sack on Zigs back. I nod before hesitating for a moment.

“I also know… alchemy. If you have anything that needs fixing?” She gives me a look then glances at my arms and covered eyes.

“Alright… we had an alchemist in here not too long ago so there isn’t much that’s needing repairs otherwise I’d of loved you to be here not even two weeks ago.” Letting out a sigh I gesture to Zig. He digs through the pack until pulling out a small bag full of gold marks.

“These are gold marks. They are gold to a 95% purity. How much is it worth to you?” Her eyes go wide looking at the coins being taken out before one of the patrons snap her out of it. Gold is clearly valuable. It’s not that big of a deal if she rips me off, I don’t intend to get rid of all of it.

“We ain’t falling for that trick. The alchemist from before used it to help us buy our freedom from that rat. We ain’t falling for fake gold like that idiot.” I cock my head sideways… fake gold? How did he do that?

“How did he make fake gold? Transmutation is a bit permanent?” He looks at me like an idiot.

“I don’t know he made’m look like bars of gold when really they were just rocks. Little pipsqueak managed to trade the rat for the whole town, so I know not to trust any alchemist with gold.” He looks at the baggy closely before scoffing. “Doesn’t even look right, the shines too bright. Real stuff looks a bit greyer and duller.” Zig’s fist tightens on the bag slightly as I hear a low hiss coming from him. Alright, interesting perhaps alchemy can do some things that Alkahestry can’t.

“What direction did this other alchemist go?” ignoring the man’s slight for a moment longer. He just starts walking off before Zig plants his hand on his shoulder stopping him in his tracks.

“My lord will not be ignored.” I can see the man wince as he tries to shrug off the hand that has him rooted in place. The bar maid looks at this with wide eyes and starts backing off as several of the men start grabbing tankards and other items to prepare themselves for a fight.

“I don’t mean any trouble. But I also don’t like being called a liar or a cheat. I’d also like that question answered.” When it's obvious he still doesn't want to talk I use the transmutation circle on my mouth. I do a little trick I’ve learned for sound. Stilling the frequencies that travel in the air in an area. It makes things a bit off, and wrong to suddenly hear nothing. A few of the people in the bar start looking nervous seeing the small sparks of electricity dancing across the circle on my mouth. One man tries to speak up to another but can’t hear their own voice. Then they realize that breathing is a little bit harder as the air is being stilled the air fighting the bull from breathing but not being strong enough to stop it. They are all starting to panic as I stop my hold on the air and they all start gasping for breath.

“Sorry about that, but I would much rather do this peacefully.” Smiling behind my mask. The man turns and glares at me.

“-sigh- The pipsqueak and his brother went to south east town, said something about heading off to East town before heading going off to Reole to deal with some fanatics or something.” He maintains eye contact. I smile and have Zig give him one coin much to his annoyed surprise.

“Thanks for your information. Also, those aren’t fake. I don’t know how that alchemist made fake gold, but I am unable to. I won’t trade all of them but I’d just like some spending money and a place to stay for the night.” I turn to the bar maid.

“R-right hun… uh we got a place upstairs it’s pretty cheap just don’t go causing any more trouble. I’ll trust ya on the coins but if I wake up in the marrow and they turned into chips of wood we’ll be coming after ya.” I let out a small chuckle at the idea of them trying to catch me and Zig.

“Alright, sounds fair to me.” My tone must have placated her because she lets out a nice smile and shows me up to the room. She takes 3 coins and says she’ll fetch us some stew as we are left in a small room alone.

“So Zig how are you liking the-“My thoughts are torn away as I see a small room on the side. Looking in I see something I didn’t think I’d see again for years… a toilet.

“OH THANK MERCIFUL LORD! I’m never going back to Xing.” Zig gives me an annoyed grunt at that. Looking over at him he doesn’t seem to understand. “Look, I get it you might like shitting in a hole where you can smell the other people’s stuff, but I’d prefer this thank you.” He looks at me annoyed again but doesn’t say a word.

I spend the rest of the night bouncing questions off any patron that’ll listen trying to find out what else there is in the cities. By the time it’s time to sleep I’m brewing up a storm of ideas on what I can do with Alchemy and Alkahestry with this sort of structure… I hope the larger cities are even better than this… Already I like this place more. Then I have to deal with the grumblings of Haru saying the intimidation was unecissary then Shimada praising me... Not sure how I should feel about that.

Sliding into bed I surprisingly get a quest notification.

New Chain Side quest: Arrest a criminal or kill a guard New Chain Side quest: Copy an Alchemists transmutation circle

Interesting, I’m being given a choice here… Likely for the black sludge versus the white stuff Haru got. I’ll take the white soul karma stuff thank you very much. Besides killing guards would be wrong and I’d become wanted in the country with a much better state of living.