## Chapter eighteen, Burgundy and burgers

When we got closer to the city of Burgundy I let Jojo know that we should look for a place to set down. We soon found a spot on a small hill, where she landed and I jumped off. I told her that she had two choices: either she stayed here. I planned on being away for two to three days but my plans seldom worked. Or she let me put her in my [Inventory].

“Green Raven I’m not comfortable with getting into your [Inventory], but I’m even less comfortable with staying here. Can we try it out?“

“For sure, I put you in there and then bring you out straight away?”

“Yes”

I put Jojo in my [Inventory] and then brought her out almost instantly. And asked her “How did it feel?”

“It isn’t something I’d do for fun but it works, but let us try again, want to check if we can communicate when I’m in your [Inventory].”

We tried that and it worked fine, both could initiate communication so that was good. After that I started the trek into the city, this was the first time I encountered a place where the city had walls, and guards at the gates. I chose the busiest gate with the most foot traffic, thinking I’d blend in with the rest of people going to and from the city. I didn’t have anything to hide, it was more that I wanted to be inconspicuous. And I needn’t to worry the bored guards barely looked at me and just waved me through. “Yoerus, can you guide me to the nearest Inn of good reputation. I want to take a bath, eat and level up. And a place that has a room large for me and Jojo.”

“Looking, might take a short while, just walk around and I’ll shout when I have something for us.”

“Sounds good.” We had just passed the northern gate as it was called, the city of Burgundy was large and here was also the first place with highrises in stone, or highrises maybe was to oversell it but there were four and five storey buildings, higher than I’ve encountered before. In the other villages there were 2 story buildings that were the highest. It wasn’t just the high buildings that made it seem large, there were also people everywhere. And I saw at least two different markets with stalls selling all sorts of things. I didn’t go close enough to see everything but there were food stalls among them and I thought I’d go by them later. I started to cough and it was no wonder, the streets were made of hard packed dirt and it looked like it was a long time since this land saw any rain. Each step pulled up dirt that swirled around one's feet, and when it passed carts pulled by some kind of draft animal, it did not get better. “Yoerus do you have something for us? I need to get out of these streets now.”

“I might have something, but might I come with a suggestion first?”

“What?” I said as I landed another cough and felt how I had sand in my face and nose.

“Just at the other side of the street, if you look to your right, you see the store called ‘Adventures are us’, that is one good place to offload your things in your [Inventory] that you don’t want to ‘carry’ with you anymore.”

I didn’t say anything, no need, because it was a good idea, I just looked up and saw the store and headed right for it. The store was like the one I’ve seen in Raeen but this one was, of course, like everything in Burgundy, big. Much bigger than any store I’ve seen before. It even had a storefront with display windows that showed all kinds of stuff, among them a tent, a portable fireplace and a sleeping bag. When I walked in through the door, a small bell rang, and the shopkeeper appeared “Hi, there how may I be of assistance?”

“Hi, I’m looking to sell and buy, I have lots of things I ‘found’ along the way that might be of interest to you.”

The shopkeeper went to a bench and showed me with their hand that I could put out what I wanted to sell. I followed after him, and then looked inside my [Inventory], it had been a long time since I opened it so I must admit I wasn’t too sure of all things I had there.

Inventory

Inventory Slots 19/28

Bonded items:

Sword Green Ravens Disciple

Robe of grandness

Hat of grandness

1 Pair of shoes, fair quality

Inventory

Jojo, QueenaFant, pet

1 Knife, good quality, Equipped

1 Axe, good quality

1 Sword, level 2, fair quality

20 Daggers, level 30, low quality

1 Dagger, level unknown, quality unknown

1 Water-skin, ¾ full, fair quality

1 Canfee-skin, ¾ full, fair quality

1 Canteen 1 for 5 liters, Canfee, 5 liters left

1 Canteen 1 for 5 liters, Water, 5 liters left

35 Rations, good quality

2 medium health potions

1 Tent for 2 persons

3 Wood Wolf sleeping bags

1 Firemaker

3 Arrows of Judgment

18 Gronners pelts

2 Dark Steam Cloud Spores

3 Raidon sandwiches

3 Binoculars

2 Bino cores

18 TerraLizzard cores

10 Keys for cages

“I’m going to drop everything I want to sell, and we’ll see what you want to buy”

Once more he showed with their hands that it was okay, he seemed to be a man of small words.

I dropped:

1 Sword, level 2, fair quality

20 Daggers, level 30, low quality

1 Dagger, level unknown, quality unknown

3 Arrows of Judgment

18 Gronners pelts

2 Dark Steam Cloud Spores

3 Raidon sandwiches

2 Binoculars

2 Bino cores

18 TerraLizzard cores

I thought I’d save one of the binoculars even if I had Yoerus now and he kind of made it obsolete.

The shopkeeper sorted through the goods and soon they were in three different categories, the weapons, binoculars and keys in one, the arrows, sandwiches and the pelts ino one and finally the cores and spores in one.

“The weapons are mostly low end crap, so are the keys but I’ll take them. I know a blacksmith that will gladly take them and smelt it down. The dagger that seems to be some kind of dagger used at a ritual is more interesting and for the low fee of 10 gold I can tell you about it, but I’m not interested in buying it. These kinds of daggers bring the clientele I don’t want here. The alchemist ingredients I’ll buy. I know an alchemist in town that would be happy to get them. The cores and spores are really something, I have never seen anything like it, where did you find them you say?”

“Not to be an ass but I have no intentions to say where I found or got this stuff, if that’s not okay for you I’ll take my things and go. So if you are okay with that, let me know what you are willing to pay for the things you want to buy.”

“Yes, sorry didn’t mean to upset you. Hmm, let’s see the things for the blacksmith I can give you 20 golds, the binoculars 100 gold each, the alchemist things 5 golds. The cores and spores are hard to set a price on but if I buy them all, 20 000 gold?”

Wow, that much? I had been a bit unsure if I should try to sell them or not, but if a regular shopkeeper were willing to cough up that much dough for something he said he didn’t know anything about, I better keep them. It wasn’t like I needed the money right now and I had the room for them in my [Inventory], I had decided but thought I would change tactics. “Tell you what, I need some new shoes and maybe some other things, so can we put this on paus, until I find what I’m looking for?”

The shopkeeper agreed and went to get me a new pair of shoes.

“Green Raven, if I were you I’d keep the cores and spores for another time, I know that I have answered none of your questions regarding these items, and there is a reason for that. But I can say as much that it would be dumb to sell them for 20 k gold, they are worth much, much more.”

“Yes, I gathered that, that’s why I’m buying shoes, and selling off the other things but the cores I'll keep” and as I said that I put them back in my [Inventory], just as the shopkeeper returned. He had a glint in his eyes now, or if I thought about it, it had appeared as soon as he got his eyes on the cores.

“Here are 3 different shoes in what I believe is your size, the first is just regular shoes in leather in good quality, the other two are more expensive but with Runes of different kinds that make them faster or self mending.”

“I’m looking for the best ones, for an adventure moves around a lot,” I couldn’t let him know that I had Jojo, so for the best that he thought that I traveled on foot. Especially now when I have decided not to sell the cores. “So tell me about the two pairs of shoes with Runes on them.”

“Certainly,” he showed me the first ones, both was made of leather but these ones were in red and the other was in a regular brown color, that had wings embroidered on them, “these ones will not let you fly, but you will notice that walking is not that hard anymore, they are silent regardless of the surface, they self mend, and you take the length of two steps instead of one for every step taken. It takes a little time to get used too, but when you have you will never want to wear anything else. The other pair don’t have the Rune, ‘Take two for one’ but the other Runes are the same. The first ones,” he pointed to the ones in red leather. I can part with it for 1000 gold and the other ones you can get for 250 gold.”

“I’ll take the red ones, so if I calculate correctly I owe you 775 gold for the shoes minus the stuff you buy from me. I’ve decided to keep the cores for now.”

“Are you sure? Maybe I was a bit of a cheap skate, let us say 50 000 gold for the cores and the rest and I’ll give you the shoes for free.”

The name of the shopkeeper was Jones, it said so on the name tag he had on his shirt. So instead of answering I just sent 775 gold to him, changed into the new shoes and put the blood rite dagger back in my [Inventory]. Then I turned and left the store. “Yoerus please tell me that you have an inn for us by now?”

“Good choice of shoes Green Raven, and thank you for not selling the cores, even when he upped the price on them. One Bino core is worth 35 k gold, the TerraLizzards core are each worth 15 k gold, but to be honest their worth is not in how much you can sell them for, it’s what you can use them for when the time is right”

At this time I interrupted him and just said, “The inn? Do you have a location? Put on my map and let us go there in silence.” At that I got a ‘Hmph’ from Yoerus, but signs appeared on my map, and I started to walk to the inn called ‘The Smelly Duck’. One thing that the shopkeeper told me was true, the shoes were amazing, it felt like I just floated past everyone I encountered on my way over to the inn. But since for every step I took, I moved two steps I was hard to keep up with and soon I stood in front of the Smelly Duck. It had a large sign painted of a Duck that was about to be thrown into a lake by other ducks, probably because it smelled. There were clean glass windows so you could see inside, at this time midday it looked like it was quite full inside with the lunch crowd. And here is where I heard Jojo let me know that she was along for the ride too.

“Green Raven, I’m hungry and thirsty and tired, please stop admiring that window and just go in and get us a room.”

I didn’t answer, just pulled the door open and went inside. This inn was much quieter compared to the last one I had visited. And smelled better despite the name of the place. As soon as I entered, the barkeep looked up and with a friendly smile beckoned me over to the bar. “Hi there traveler, how can I help you?

“Hi, I need a bath, a large room, and food sent up to the room.”

We haggled a bit over the price and then I had a room on the third floor, overlooking the main street. But first a bath, the bathhouse was located two buildings over, and I went straight there before checking out my room. Felt that when I went to the room, I’d not exit until morning, better get clean first. The bathhouses were called ‘Better baths’ and I must admit they were a bit better than the one in Raeen but the one there won on the close location to the inn. That done, I went back to the inn and nodded to the barkeep who asked if I wanted food sent up now. It was a spacious room with enough space for both me and Jojo. I didn’t need to wait long before I heard a knock on the door, it was the food they had brought up. It was some kind of stew and freshly baked bread, it must have come straight from the oven, since it was still warm. They had also sent with a goblet of Bork. As soon as I closed the door I got Jojo out of my [Inventory], to her big relief.

“Feels great to be outside again, oh, is that the food?” She said while pointing to the stew.

“Yes it is,” and she just lunged for the food, “just leave something for me. But if you like Bork you can have all of it. I don’t drink that.”

“Yes please,” she said and started to eat in a manner that showed that she was starving. I soon told her that she could have all of the food, and I just ate from the bread. I also explained that I would space out and do some admin work in the form of leveling up and I most likely would pass out after. And she was not to worry. Jojo barley nodded just showled food into her mouth, the poor thing. I thought that we needed to try if she could access other things in my [Inventory] then she could eat and drink while in there. Maybe if I put her in the same section as the food? Things to think about, but now time to level up. I knew that I had quite a few levels to go since I got over 3000 XP after I killed the cult followers and leader, and now when I thought about it. Those people were barely human and I had no issue at all killing them. Funny how those things end up solving itself, I was worried just for nothing. I brought up my status windows first.

Status:

Name: Green Raven

Level: 29

Coins: 12 177 gold, 47 silver,

51 rusty copper.

Attributes:

Strength 15

Dexterity 10

Endurance 10

Vitality 45

Intelligence 13

Wisdom 80

Available points: 5

Health: 450/450

Stamina: 100/100

Mana: 800/800

Skills:

[Inspect item] level 2/10

[Inspect being] level 4/10

[Telekinesis] level 5, Area 1, Strength 4

[Copy] level 2, Slot one: Focused Hit, level 20. Slot two:

[Roots] level 1

I also got an item from Userus and a level up from a skill, but since I’d probably get that now when I reached level 30 I’d wait and see what I got. This is where I got an idea, “Yoerus, since you know everything about me, do you also know how many levels I have XP for?”

“Yes, you have XP enough to make it to level 33”

“Thank you Yoerus,” I said, so that was very useful information. I was level 29 now, so if I went up to level 32, and then I’d have one as usual for combat healing.

I read through the level up notifications.

Congratulations you have reached level 30

You have 3 unspent points to spend on your stats. An additional 2 points for being from another world.

Congratulations since you have reached level 30 you can choose to get a new random skill or level up one of your existing skills.

Congratulations you have reached level 31

You have 3 unspent points to spend on your stats. An additional 2 points for being from another world.

Congratulations you have reached level 32

You have 3 unspent points to spend on your stats. An additional 2 points for being from another world.

So 20 unspent points, first I put 5 in Vitality, 2 in Intelligence, 3 in Strength and the remaining 10 I put in wisdom. From the quest reward, I chose to level up [Telekinesis] to level 6, and this time I chose Area, and got it up to 2, and the distance the skill had expanded to 10 meters. The [Roots] had worked okay but they broke easily so I chose to level it up to level 2 instead of getting a new skill, from leveling to 30.

Status:

Name: Green Raven

Level: 32

Coins: 12 177 gold, 47 silver,

51 rusty copper.

Attributes:

Strength 18

Dexterity 10

Endurance 10

Vitality 50

Intelligence 15

Wisdom 90

Available points: 0

Health: 500/500

Stamina: 100/100

Mana: 900/900

Skills:

[Inspect item] level 2/10

[Inspect being] level 4/10

[Telekinesis] level 6, Area 2, Strength 4

[Copy] level 2, Slot one: Focused Hit, level 20. Slot two:

[Roots] level 2

Meanwhile Jojo had finished the food and bork and I had pulled out one of my sleeping bags that she had crashed on. So I closed down the status window as I lay down on the bed and then pain and blackness.