《Memories of the Gluttonous Sage》Day 4 (8)
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On the way there, Cain spots a few notices reminding the citizens about the importance of personal hygiene. Weird… They shouldn't be aware of this quite yet. It's possible someone from my world, or somewhere similar, crossed over as well. Or perhaps my prediction about their technological advancement is off… Cain begins to simulate the possible reasons for these notes.
After smoothly walking past the shop the girls went into, Cain is curious as to where the inn is. So far they've just passed shops and restaurants.
"How long until we get to the inn?" Cain asks, with a hint of curiosity in his tone.
"We're almost there." Jacob responds in a calm tone.
"Anything I should know about the inn beforehand?"
"Not really. Actually…" After remembering something, Jacob pulls out his notepad and flips through the pages.
"The inn rents rooms out on a weekly and monthly basis. You are in possession of the room for the amount of time you pay. At the end of the contract you have one day to vacate your belongings.
"This is to provide adventurers a place to live even though they frequently leave the city. I believe the founder of this establishment was the half-son of the Rapidclaw family." Jacob closes his small notepad and tucks into his pocket.
'Interesting… It's like a fast-paced apartment. Does this half-son come from another world as well? Or does he just have ideas not belonging to this era, perhaps influenced by those who crossed over…' Cain begins to think deeply about the origins of the owner while walking up to a courtyard.
Cain inspects the courtyard's walls, estimating how big it is inside. Jacob gestures to Cain to enter.
"Huh? Is this the inn?" Cain asked, visibly confused.
"Yep. Rick Rapidclaw got privileges to build and manage this courtyard for the apartments in exchange for giving up on the succession. It's built in a square shape with each edge housing many rooms. In the center is the residence of the workers, servants, and Rick." Jared responded before briefly heading inside.
Woah… That's smart… A courtyard this big would need a lot of funds to manage. Not only does he not have to deal with the politics and potential threats to his life, he can even gain a small profit by renting out the extra rooms… I should be careful around him, he sounds crafty. Cain ponders while walking inside what would normally be gates.
Unlike traditional courtyards, the gateway was actually a doorway to an office like room with a hallway leading to what appeared to be more rooms on the left and right. The office attendant greeted the guests who just walked in.
"Long time no see, Jared, Jacob. How may I help you?" The attendant nods slightly at each name.
"Hey Rick, what are you doing here working by yourself? We're just here to rent out another room for a new addition to our party." Jared walks up and greets Rick. They appear to be casual friends.
"Sadly, some attendants requested the next few days off due to mana exhaustion because of the ceremony that was held not too long ago. I warned them not to overdo it, but oh well… I just wish the church wouldn't be so overbearing about these ceremonies.
"Anyways… who is this new addition?" Rick appeared to be genuinely sad when he mentioned his workers. In an attempt to not stray too deep into politics, he quickly diverted the subject.
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Cain walked forward, greeting himself. "Greetings, I am Cain. I'll be joining Horizon for a few months. By any chance, are there any rooms next to them available?" Cain lowers his head a tiny bit, showing his sincerity.
Rick pulled out a leather bound binder from under the desk. Skimming through the dividers, he opened it up and flipped through the pages quickly. "There is one that was emptied out not too long ago next to Victoria and Veronica's room. There is only one bedroom and washroom, is this okay with you?"
"Yep. How much is it to rent for 3 months?" Cain replied swiftly.
"3 months… are you sure? That's longer than most residents rent here." Rick asks, concerned and confused due to Cain's request. Cain confirms his decision with a small nod.
"All right then… let's see.... Normally it's 7 silver per room, per week. If you rent by month it's discounted to 21 silver though. Altogether, it would be 63 silver for your stay. This includes free water and food during your stay.
"10% would be needed to be paid as a deposit, and the rest can be paid at the end of every month. How would you like to pay? In cash or credit?" Rick quickly calculated the costs while speaking.
"Wait… credit?" Cain asks, a little shocked. Credit shouldn't exist if the economical and technological level is at medieval levels. Perhaps one of my earlier theories was correct?
"Ah, we thought you knew since you gave your adventurer card to Veronica earlier. Could you please explain the credit system Rick? Cain just arrived in this country recently." Jared picks up on the source of confusion and swiftly asks Rick to fill Cain in on the missing details.
Heck… I just did that because I thought using the Dean's name as a guarantor of my debt would solve any issues the vendors might have… I didn't know a system like this existed… Cain thought while giving an apologetic smile and a small laugh of nervousness.
"Sure. The debt system is employed by the Adventurer's Guild and enforced by the Rapidclaw and Imperial family. Any adventurer can use their id card to incur debt from vendors instead of payment. In this case, the guild will pay the vendor immediately, while charging the adventurer the same amount, but with 2% compound interest.
"Each payment must be paid at the end of the month and be no less than 10% of the total debt. If an adventurer is unable to pay the first month of their debt, they will be charged 2% more interest, for a total of 4%, for the next month.
"After a second month of missed payments, all earnings from quests will be forcibly taken and given to the guild. If any adventurer incurs debt more than 10x of their monthly earnings from quests, and does not pay for three months straight, all of their assets will be forcibly seized and sold by the Rapidclaw family to pay off their debts.
"Earnings from events given out by the guild will deduct the principal amount first, instead of the accumulated monthly interest. This is to encourage adventurers to participate in events handed out by the guild. Roughly 80% of all adventurers are in debt, although 60% of these are in very small quantities."
Rick finishes his explanation then stares at Cain silently. "Any questions?"
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—Group Chat: Dresil, Bob, Cain— (15ms)
Cain: Dresil, can you give me my card real quick? You'll get it back within a few minutes. Bob, I'll need you to teleport it to me and then teleport it back in a few minutes, please.
Bob: Understood.
Dresil: Of course, Master.
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Cain responds swiftly, "Nope, makes sense to me. Please charge me using credit." Cain extends his hand outward, seemingly giving something to Rick, yet nothing was in Cain's hands. Rick stares at Cain in bewilderment.
Just before he was about to speak up, a card dropped onto Cain's hands, who then uses his index and middle fingers to grab the card from his palm and offer it to Rick. Rick extends his hand to a magic circle on the desk.
The circles light up and an additional, identical circle rises and hovers a few decimeters from the desk's surface. Rick inserts the card between two magic circles that shift and rotate for a few seconds before resting on the desk and dimming. He hands the card back to Cain.
"All done."
Cain grabs the card, seconds later it disappears through a portal. "Thanks. Let's head back to the guild now. I'm getting kind of hungry… The blacksmith is right next to it right? I'll stop by before joining you guys for food, the girls are probably there already." Cain turns around to address Jacob and Jared on the side. Jacob gets up from the chair he was sitting on with a little bit of struggle.
"Sure, it's about that time. Are you always hungry or something? I'm surprised you didn't eat any snacks on the way here." Jacob says after he's finally on his feet.
"I ran out…" Cain responds with a dejected look. Jared gives a light pat on his shoulder.
Cain begins to think over the credit system in depth while the group leaves the inn. With this system, isn't it possible to force adventurers to fight for them? All they need is to disguise a war as an event, and those who are heavily in debt have choice but to comply…
Not to mention, since it is enforced by the Imperial and the Rapidclaw families, it's possible they could turn every adventurer in debt into pseudo-slaves if they demand their debt to be paid. Interesting…
At this point, the group are in front of the shop they hid at. Cain pauses his thinking and questions Jacob. "Are you guys in debt?"
Jacob takes out the small notepad and flips to the finances section. "Nope. Victoria manages all of our finances and makes sure we do not fall into debt, even if it's only one copper."
"That's good…" Cain commented before thinking. She's only 17, right? I noticed her observation was abnormal amongst her group, coupled with the fact she manages the parties finances, it's reasonable to assume she's had a decent education.
This level of education should be fairly expensive during medieval times, so she's probably from a merchant family, powerful group, or hidden clan. Ugh… I'm reminded of those cliche cultivation comics…
Cain shivers slightly due to the amount of cringe this thought brought. He looks around quickly and discovers they're already in front of the Weapons shop. The group turns left and continues to walk towards the Adventurer's Guild. They continue on their stroll while Cain messages Dresil.
—Dms: Dresil and Cain— (45ms)
Cain: You guys done shopping?
Dresil: Just about, Master. We're about to enter the guild and grab a table for dinner. Does the Master want anything to eat?
Cain: You know what I like, just hold back some since we're not paying for it.
Dresil: Understood, Master.
Cain: Anything suspicious on your end? The gazes didn't seem to go away.
Dresil: Nothing happened here Master. Are you sure you're not being paranoid?
Cain: It's better to be paranoid than for it to be true. Keep an eye out, my gut tells me something is up.
Dresil: Will do Master. Anything else?
Cain: ...We need snacks…
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This conversation occurred in less than a second. In other words, the group is still turning left, avoiding the crowds here and there.
"Dresil just told me the girls are getting a table for us at the guild. They seem to be done with their shopping." Cain speaks, noticing a suspicious priest.
"Already? They ended early… Did something happen?" Jared asked, a tad bit concerned.
"Nope, they got to the guild with no incidents along the way. I wonder if they stopped short because of my credit… I'm a new adventurer who's yet to get an official rank afterall."
"Perhaps, at least we didn't get dragged in with them." Jacob stated.
"Indeed… Are there any good stores to buy some snacks around here?" Cain asked, trying to keep his mouth from drooling.
"We passed some good food stalls. Veronica likes the meat skewers from the shop up here on the right." Jared gestures to his right at a nearby empty food vendor.
"They close up around this time, so I recommend coming by in the morning or after lunch, their food is affordable too." Jacob adds.
"Oooohhh, I see." Cain nods his head. Then quickly messages Dresil.
—Dms: Dresil and Cain— (13ms)
Cain: I found a nearby food vendor. According to the boys, their food is good. We should restock our snacks here.
Dresil: No need to worry, Master. I've already asked Veronica about all of the good food stalls and took notes on which ones would be best for our snack storage.
Dresil: I've also taught Bob how to make a dimension that restricts and kills all living things for food storage. According to your memories, this should prevent all microorganisms that cause food to spoil, thus prolonging the life of your snacks.
Dresil: He is busy creating a 25m³ space for snack storage right now. It should be done by the time dinner ends, so he won't be busy by the time you need to talk with Rex and Bob.
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—Cain's speedy thoughts— (25ms)
Cain: test…
Cain: derp
Cain: Sweet, this works. This will be used to organize my thoughts using my subconscious but also storing them for my conscious to look at later.
Cain: It seems with some small amount of mana my thoughts can be processed faster here… perhaps that's due to the fact my subconscious is processing the thoughts and I'm not vocalizing them in my head.
Cain: Both are methods to speed up thought processes… but where does the mana usage come from then? Meh, I'll add it to the Things to Research Later List right now.
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Requiem of Souls
Did you ever wonder that there might be another world? a world where magic exists? A world where dragons, devils, gods and more. Well, our Mc thought that those worlds were but the fantasy of crazed writers, and would only read about them in books and stories.However, he was transported to such a world, he and his classmates. A world where the laws made by men were easily bent, where life itself was not worth the pebbles on the roads.Betrayed by his classmates and offered as an unholy sacrifice, Daiki finds himself in hell, bound to eternal torment and destitution, forced to undergo hideous torments for sins he has yet to commit, Daiki swears to bring down the ones responsible over his demise. The story 'truly' starts with the journey to hell and its seven circles, it is but the beginning of an event that will shake the heavens. "I shall bring the divine to their knees and call upon the requiem...For it is my task...and my revenge." (World mythology is included in this story, from Christian: like the fallen angels. The four horsemen the princes of hell, even Celtic, Indian, African, Greek, Hebrew, Egyptian and more. A lot of mythologies have been included within this story to add to its complexity and beauty, I hope you are a fan of old myths, this story is filled with them) Before you start reading the reviews i advise you to read for yourself first, positive or negative reviews might give you a wrong pre based idea on the story, many great stories in this website have horrible reviews and many poor stories have positive ones, you are the judge of your choice don't let others make you refuse a story just because their opinion of it is different of yours. Btw I am a non-native speaker and have self-taught myself English. So if you find mistakes please help me with proofing. Edit : currently editing early chapters (7/17/2017) (Book cover is not mine...) Oh by the way i just joind the LITRPG group if any of you want to read more work you can head there and enjoy the content My name Is Boucetta Amr, owner of this work, and i only allowed Royal Road, Amazon and Webnovel to publish this work on their pages. Any other copy of this work seen in any other website is stolen or being used without my permission, if you were asked to pay to read this anywhere other than amazon, you are being scammed.
8 220Who Cares about an Isekai? Surely not me! (New version)
Ran just wanted to be left alone. She just wanted a nap. She suddenly woke up on her way to an Isekai and told she was now a Hero who would fight the Demon Race alongside 11 others. So what if she could design her skills and body? So what if she was the last hope of humanity? Nobody asked her if she wanted this, so why should she care about their world? ___________________________________________________________________
8 410The Unlit Flame
Gray. His hair, his clothes, his ability, his identity. To Kezner, gray represented his whole life, but there was just one thing about it he found funny. Gray is created by mixing black and white, so why is it he only experienced the black of life and not a tinge of white? The Black Flame incident that occured in the capital of the planet Zeklon was unprecedented, especially in the damage caused. Hundreds upon hundreds of corpses were swallowed to ease the hunger of the black flames. The black flames not only ate his family, but his happiness. Now an orphan, facing his last year of high school before moving to a higher education, Kezner is simply aimless, a wanderer of life, leaving behind a trail of nothing but black flames.
8 219My Angel
Rosalie Hale. Forks High's ice queen.Hayden Taylor. New girl.Not exactly Romeo and Juliet.
8 55444. (Completed)
"Montana, come here." He nodded his head toward the door, leaving out of the room. Staying silent as Ms. Carol looked at me, I kissed the back of Josiah's hand before leaving out of the room. As I walked out, Messiah stood there looking at me in disgust while I closed the door. "What are you doing that shit for?" "Huh?" I said since I had nothing else to say, just trying to stall time to get my words together."Why are you stripping, Monty?"Sighing, I decided that I wasn't going to lie like I'd originally planned to do after listening to Chocolate's stupid advice. "Money." I spoke simply and he scoffed as I looked down."Why not just ask Josiah for money instead doing hoe shit?" "First of all, It's not doing hoe shit. I don't have sex with anyone. I just dance. And I don't want to ask him for any money. It's not his job to take care of me.""So stripping..." He trailed off with a laugh."..stripping was the last resort? Instead of putting your pride aside?" Saying nothing, I just looked at him with pleading eyes."Please don't tell him, Messiah." I could already tell by the look on his face that he was going to tell him."I ain't gon' tell him.." Thank God. I thought. "..you are." "What?!" I shrieked. "No. I'm not.""You are." He spoke in a demanding tone."Please. You know how he is." I expressed"And you know how he is too but you made that bed." "Messiah, he's going to kill me." I begged."I know." He shook his head, walking away from me."Better figure it out. You got until the end of the day to tell him or I will." He mumbled before walking back into the room.
8 185HIS ALPHA
Her lips brush against his, "Mine," she whispers before kissing him. Sparks flew throughout both of their bodies and their lips molded together perfectly. "You're defiantly coming home with me," she says as she pulls away. Aella winks at him before leaving him frozen against the tree. Adonis Accardi is the Beta to the Moon Stone pack and when he attends a gala for unmated wolves, he didn't expect to meet his mate.Aella Xavier is the Alpha to River Eclipse pack, she is known to be the deadliest Alpha in California but she isn't that at all.Adonis and Aella go off with a rocky start but damn it will be a smooth finish, so just read it.
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