"So, you do this every time you come into a town?" I questioned Marwall as I looked around myself in wonder. I haven't been to a farmer's market in a while, after all. Plus, with all of the various races here are kind of cool to look at. Some of them are little beast guys like my merchant friend, some orcs...like I saw before, and still there was more, that being the elves. Now, I expected elves to be more human-like in their appearance or something, but I guess it makes sense that if they were the same as me, some people wouldn't have balked at my appearance.

Most of the elves I've seen are kind of like what you'd expect elves to be, except for two issues with them. The first, is that their face and body is kind of arranged differently. Their ears are a bit higher up on their head, their eyes are a bit closer together, they literally have no hair, at least for the normal ones that I can see, and finally they only have nostrils instead of actual noses. The second issues is that they're kind of made up of.... I guess the appropriate term would be various elements? Some are made up of pebbles, while others are made of plants. I asked Marwall about it earlier, and he just said that most elves, or evs as they're called here, start off kind of like me. Nothing on them whatsoever except a tiny bit of fur that was a vestigial tail which falls off later in life. As they grow older, certain affinities express themselves and things with that affinity are attracted to them. The expressed affinity seems to come from factors of their environment which increase the chances of forming an affinity with materials common to that environment. As the elf grows older, the bare bits get covered and eventually replace with the material until they look like what I see here. He even told me about some elves he met that were made up of sand and wind, which I think I've seen on of the earlier ones, although they were hard to parse between, considering the only different between that one and the other earth aligned is the color they have. I have to say though, that I find all of this intensely fascinating.

I mean, I already know that affinities can change a person's natural form, but it seems amazing that an entire species naturally developed like that without any outside interference. Just thinking about the complexity and unlikeliness of the situation leads my mind to wander into strange thoughts I'd rather not dwell on. Thankfully, I was able to mentally give myself a shake and turn my attention back to the conversation which I had started with Marwall once we had parked our carriage. He flipped his little chalk tablet towards me to show his writings, which I found a little bit strange.

I had seen that he had paper and writing implements around here before while he was unpacking crates full of objects I couldn't gleam the purposes of. He even managed to write on some of it with some quills and...brown ink. Don't really want to think about what would cause that difference in pigmentation, but I digress. The main point I'm trying to put out, is that he has paper. He doesn't need the chalkboard. Although...yeah. I think I might have had an epiphany. The reason he doesn't use paper is that this is that it's rare. Well, either the paper's rare or the ink is. He was especially careful just packing that stuff up while he was opening the side of the carriage, almost like one of those food trucks that patrolled the city. But, I'm pulled out of those thoughts of home as I notice that the chalkboard had turned back towards me at some point while I was in deep thought.

'For some towns, yes. More often than not I save that specific light scroll for towns that like me rather than the cities I visit. They don't often let me make as big of a splash inside their city walls.' He said. I nodded towards him, and turned back towards the counter that had formed from the opening of the side of the carriage. The mechanism to do so looked quite well taken care of, as there was hardly any rust around the hinges and locks. Plus, I was a bit surprised when the wooden counter popped up like a spring, which is probably what caused it. I tore my gaze away from the counter itself towards what lay in front of it. There wasn't much of a line that had formed to buy whatever Marwall was selling, but I think that might've been because Kojo was sleeping beside the carriage. Or at least, I think he was. Can't really tell when he does anyway, so I'll just assume he likes to do so. However, bringing my gaze away from the outside world back towards the interior of the carriage, I had to voice a question that was on my mind ever since Marwall tasked me with doing this.

"Why did you want me to man the shop, anyway?" Scribbling fills the air and stops before he turns the slate towards me.

'You are the only one that can actually talk to others in this group. I'd much rather you be able to read what's on the list that I gave you and answer people who ask what we have out loud.' Ah. Makes sense I guess.

"Do I get paid for this?" A little rasp escapes his throat. Before he shakes his head and pulls out another slate that was lying next to him within a pile. Did he prewrite responses on all of those?

'Only if we sell something.' Ahh...well...guess I got to give it my all if I want to get paid. But...even if I'm in another world, it's still rather weird that I'm just doing a 9-5 for my first job as a magic cashier. Figured I could do adventuring stuff like join a guild or something, but then again I haven't really heard about them yet, so they probably don't exist. Besides, everyone's got to start somewhere after all. Wait...did we ever talk about why we aren't travelling anymore to a city? If I can go home, I probably should get to a church or something since if magic exists, gods might too. They'd definitely know what would be going on, unless they aren't omniscient or even exist at all.

"So, is there a reason we aren't heading to the city as fast as we can?" He lifts his little hat off his face and stares at me. He doesn't move for a second, before getting a somewhat big slate to write on. Chalk scratching fills the air as he writes a few words and turns it towards me.

'Your village wasn't very religious, were they?' Is this something I should know about? Cautiously, I shake my head and he scribbles some more.

'There are some gods who only show up at their churches at specific times. For this particular city, its church's goddess doesn't show up until around late at night on [Selesday].'...That's...weird. That word isn't translating right. Is it the name for the day that doesn't translate correctly, or are there maybe more than seven days per week so it's just giving me the literal word for it instead of its equivalent?

"Sorry, I couldn't get that last word. I may know the language, but my reading skills are kind of bad." He looks at me puzzled, before he writes more words down.

'The day where the sun is the closest to us.'...I'm sorry, closest? Does the sun move? Shit. Well, I know it moves a lot back on my world, but is it so noticeable that you can see it from the ground? How do seasons work then? Guess I might just have to go for the throat then.

"How many days are in a week for you? I'm used to a calendar with seven." His eyes gains a bit of clarity, before he scribbles some more.

'Ahh. That explains it. You are on the inferior moons calendar. Makes sense. You should probably get a bit of new knowledge then. There are 9 days per week. 10 weeks per season. That help?' Ahh...that's...that's a bit weird. Then again, different world, different time...probably. No, yes! Wait...yeah, I'd be a different age here. Shit, I'm going to have to get paper for this.

"Thanks, I'll have to ask for the day's names later then."

'Don't see why you can't ask now. Not like there's many customers around.' He swipes away the previous writings, and proceeds to scribble a lot more on a bigger slate that was about the size of his entire body before somehow managing to turn it towards me. 'First is [Mirday], the day where the three [moons] are the most visible in the night sky. Then there's [Clenday], the day where most churches go and recruit potential priests. After that, is [Glauday], when most children of age receive their first classes. Then, [Harpusday] happens. It's when most open air markets open, which happens to be today. [Papraday]. I forget what happens then cause I usually travel that day. [Trelday], which is the start of rest for most of the working classes. [Jurday], which I can't recall off the top of my head either. Then there's [Trusday], which is the final day of rest for the working classes. Finally, there's [Selesday], when some churches restrict access to their respective gods, which is when we'll arrive when we leave tomorrow.'

Are the moons called something different here? It translated funky again. It'd be a bit weird to ask about what the moons are called though. Feel like that would be common knowledge. Also, kind of cool that there's all this fantasy stuff just in my face. It's a shame though that some of the days are more than two syllables. Really makes it weird just saying the days in a row. Should I ask about the history? No. Probably wouldn't know anyway considering most people wouldn't know how our days formed back home except for the especially interested in history. I mean, I don't even know how our days got named except some of its from romans or something.

"Thanks for the info." He nods towards me, before leaning back in his makeshift pile of cloths, and putting his hat back on his head. It partly covered his eyes as he laid down, the feather in the cap wafting lazily in the slight breeze in the carriage. Guess he's going back to sleep. With a sigh, I pull my attention from the indoor part of the carriage back to the outside. There wasn't really much to attend to though. Most people seemed to avoid the carriage like it carried a plague. More often than not, they'd visit other produce venues. Gotta be honest though, even if it was boring standing there waiting for a customer, it was kind of interesting just people watching.

Every now and then, I'd see something strange, like a striped tail, or perhaps something tangible that I could get, like that purple spiked vegetable I can see being exchanged for...copper? Wait...what is the money system here? I thought my gold coins would've been the basic cash since it was given to me by the system, but is it not like that? Am I actually a rich vagrant? Probably won't know until I buy something, and even then, I don't think I'll get a chance to if I'm manning this counter. Plus, if it is weird to get gold from the system, then I think something might just be weird for me in general in regards to it, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Eventually.

"Excuse me, mister." I look around, snapped out of my wonderings to find an elven child below me, barefoot on the grass and gravel.

"Yes?"

"Do ya have anythin' tha' stops nightmares? I heard from Tim that he got sometin' from here awhile ago, and he forgot the scary dreams." Whoa. Geeze kid, loaded question.

"Hang on a second honey, I'll check our stock." I pull out the tablet that Marwall pre-wrote for me, for our inventory. However, I'm interrupted from my musings from Marwall tapping me on the back. I turn around to find he's already handed me something, and already shoved a tablet in my face.

'Mind-Chaser, 4 Silver. Activate it by tapping it to your head before going to bed.' I...can't tell if that's a good price or not for a kid. I take it from him, slide the curtains of the carriage behind me, and turn back towards the girl.

"Here you go honey. That'll be four silver." She looks a little surprised before she reaches through her tunic to pull out a pouch wrapped around her neck. Opening it, I can see a lot of bronze coins, but not a lot of silver. She shakily hands me 3 silver and 10 copper. I guess, the exchange rate for certain money types operates on a 10 system as well, somehow. Then again, most people here had 10 fingers, so it would make sense for their things to operate on base 10.

"Thanks mister, now [hell] won't leak in my thoughts."...What? Before I can ask any questions, she has already walked back intp the crowded bustle some feet away slightly skipping in either excitement or joy with her now noticeable tail trailing along the floor. The only trace I can get from her now, is the slight giggling she lets out as she heads down the road towards a cluster of buildings, maybe houses. What...what did she mean by hell leaking?

"Marwall, what did she mean?" He doesn't answer. "Marwall!!!" He sits up surprised from his reclining position before falling off his chair. He fumes a little before getting up and writing very angrily on a nearby slate.

'What?!? I already gave you the thing, what else is there?!?'

"Why did that child say hell was in her dreams?" At this, his look becomes pensive before bordering on outright pity. He stares at me for awhile, before erasing what he has on his slate, and re-presenting it to me with his new dialogue.

'Oh. That poor girl. Seems she's of age now.'

"What does puberty have anything to do with this?" Puzzled, he writes some more.

'Sorry, forgot your kind hasn't had much contact with gods. Young minds of a certain age in a place near a realm of influence are prone to certain impressions from that realm. Impressions of that god's personal dominion.'

"That!...That isn't right!"

'No. That is why we have these devices, after all. Depending on the nightmare or dream, the child could choose to follow where they want to go.' While I read his new writing, I can tell he isn't studying my face for social cues. He's more...staring at the sky.

"Did you have one too?" At this, he winces slightly before relaxing a little bit and sitting back down. He ponders something and looks back and forth from the ceiling and his chalkboard slate. It was without fanfare that he began the process of creating new writing to take the place of the old.

'Yes. I was drowning in the desert.'...Drowning? How? It's a dream, normally you wake up when pain happens.

"How?" He looks uncomfortable for a minute, before he slowly reaches underneath his chair pulling at a floor board. It gives way slightly, letting light touch something that probably hadn't seen it in a while. There, lay a large tablet, premade, and with...illustrations.

'Sand swirled like the sea and rushed down my throat while I tried to push myself above it all. I could sometimes see skeletons grasping for the open sky before being consumed by the sand as well. Never to be heard from again, until the tides relinquish, and even then, their bones would be ground down until finally they would become the sand that sweeps more under its thrall. Near the end, I could begin to feel my flesh giving way to fresh bone.' That's...that's goddamn scary for a kid. I mean, I didn't have a nightmare like that before, but I did have one about everyone but me being made up of bees. And that scared the crap out of me.

"How old were you?" He snaps out of whatever vision he had, before putting the large tablet he brought out back under the board before bringing up to my vision a smaller one, with only a couple of notches, premade as well.

'6, but that was because I grew up in a heavily religious city. There were churches almost everywhere, and none were more vocal than the agricultural ones. After all, the city was maintained by a multitude of farms, so most people got scared of not doing their daily tasks to maintain the gods' local influence in the region.'

"That's still messed up man. Why can't you just hand one of those things to everyone? Why do you have to make them pay?"

'You don't think I already offer them a discount. This is a particularly poor town, Dave. At the price I was giving it, it's costing me money to even buy it in the first place. I would love for there to be one available for everyone if their could be, but not many people can make these magical items cheaply.' I sit in silence on the little stool, registering Marwall's note. I turn away from him nodding, and staring back at the village. Only now do I notice how run down everything is. I knew before that this was basically a hovel, simply because it wasn't my world with all of its modern comforts. Magic could eleviate the need for anything I was used to, but these people probably didn't have much to their name whatsoever, so I just pushed aside what I was seeing. It was only now that I let it pass into my eyes instead of passed them. The shingles had been falling off of many of the buildings roofs, the people aren't wearing much in the way of clothes, albeit some of them probably don't have a choice because of their bodies, but even then those that could've worn clothing simply only had the bare minimum of threadwork done to make a headband and basic underwear. Nothing like the skirt that the young girl who approached me had. In fact, now that I'm focusing, I can see that many of the children are wearing clothing while the adults barely have anything. Looking at the state of it all, I think I'm beginning to feel the weight of it all sinking in. The groaning of the carriage under the movement of Marwall, the voices outside speaking a different language that I can understand even if I don't know it, the slight haze of green I can see to the immediate left of me, and the ever present bars at the bottom of my vision. Oh....Oh god.

This...this is too much. Why is this too much? I could handle killing animals and things because the situation called for it. I could even accept something like this system I was forced to have. I could even explain understanding Kojo, because I thought maybe I had developed something like Wilson the volleyball. I can even explain that I am understanding this language, because...why can I explain understanding this language? Isn't understanding the language a really bad thing? Like, gods can see in my head and read all my thoughts? Why....why are my thoughts so hazy?

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Where was I? Oh, yeah. Got to man the counter. Just like when I worked in fast food. Shouldn't be too big of a problem. After today though, we're finally going to go to the city. See if I can find a church and tell whether or not that gods exist, and if they are, why the heck was I taken from my home like that? I can't keep the smile off my face either, I'm so excited. I'm kind of bored though. Even with people watching, I still haven't had a single person walk up and buy something. Must be something that Kojo's doing with his bulk. Oh well.