Eric groaned as his consciousness slowly came back. His wrists hurt as he realized he was hanging from them. He hears the clink of the chains as he looks around. Eric was chained to a wall in a jail cell.

“What the hell? HEY! ANYONE THERE?” He shouts and hears nothing. “HELLO!”

“Quit ur shoutin’!” Eric heard a disgruntled voice yell.

It sounded like someone was shouting through a door or wall. Metallic clanks could be heard, a clunk of a lock and the sound of a heavy door being open. The clanking of metal boots got louder, and a heavy-set human in medieval armor came into view.

“Wat u want?” The man asks, with an annoyed look on his face.

“I would like to know why I am locked up and if I could be set free.”

The heavy man laughs. “No way in hells dats goin ta appen. U a dam spy.”

“What? I am not a spy.” Eric protested.

“Dat souns a lot like somthin a spy would say. U gonna rot in dere.”

Eric tries to argue with the man but is ignored as the man leaves. He tries calling for Luna for help, but she does not appear. Eric was unsure what else to do. He then noticed that his clothes had been swapped with some dirty, itchy rags. Eric continued attempting to be heard out, but his calls were never answered, even after his voice went hoarse.

Several hours later, the man returns to Eric’s cell, opens the door, and enters the cell.

“Aye, how does dis ding work?” The man holds up Eric’s smartphone.

Eric tried to tell the man he was not a spy and got hit in the stomach for it. He coughed, trying to recover, the man asked again, but the cycle repeated itself. After being struck multiple times, a heavy door could be heard opening, and numerous sets of steps could be heard. The man froze up and headed out to the hallway.

“Oh, allo dere Madam Inquisitor, awt can I do fer u today?”

The man seemed to be on edge as an older woman, with dark hair that had a few lines of gray in it, appeared in front of his cell. Though her hair showed her age, her face was delicate and smooth. Her icy blue eyes stared at Eric.

“Guard, who is this man?” The woman asked.

“Oh, dis ere is a spy. Found im in da river around da city. Only a spy oud do dat.” The guard answered.

“Really?” The woman asked skeptically.

She enters the cell, “Permit me to see through the veil of lies, [Truth Seeker].”

Her words sounded odd to Eric, but he understood what she said, and now her eyes were glowing golden.

“Prisoner, you will answer my questions. What is your name, and are you a spy from another country?”

“My name is Eric, ma'am, and no, I am not a spy.” Eric calmly answered.

“Do you mean harm to the people of our city or the city itself?”

"No ma'am. Am I in the city of Meerka?"

“I am asking the questions.” She leaned in and spoke quietly, “Were you wrongfully imprisoned?”

Eric nodded his answer.

“Very well.” She stepped out of the cell and ordered the soldiers with her to free Eric, the guard tried to protest, but she snapped at him.

“Tell me, guardsman, who was it that found him? Who imprisoned him? Who made the call that he was a spy?” She rattled off her questions at the guard.

“Uh, ell, uh, I don’t know who found ’im, I was just told to put ’im in da cell.”

Eric noticed her eyes still had the golden glow.

“Madam Inquisitor, he is also in possession of my property.”

The woman glanced at Eric and turned her gaze back to the guard.

“Do you have his property?” He tried to tell her he did not, but she cut him off, “Where is all of his property?”

The guard looked like he was going to attempt to lie again, but Eric cut in, “Hey asshole, she can tell you are lying, just give me my stuff and clothes back.”

The guard stopped, looked at Eric, and then back to the very angry-looking inquisitor. He stammered out an apology to the woman, but she was having none of it. She demanded he brings them to Eric’s property and returns what he had stolen.

Following them, Eric noticed that most of the building seemed made of stone with wooden rafters above. After going through a few doors, the guard led them into a small room with a dirty bed, a dresser, and a large chest. The guard unlocked and opened the trunk and turned Eric’s cell phone over to one of the soldiers.

One of the inquisitor soldiers told him to check for his property.

Eric checked the chest and found his pants, shirt, shoes, belt, wallet with everything inside, the small multi-tool he typically kept in his pocket, but his underwear and socks were missing. Eric grimaced as he figured out quickly what the guard must have done with them and honestly did not want them back with how smelly the man’s room was.

“Yes, though I think he is in possession of my undergarment and socks. I honestly don’t want those back since I think he is wearing them.”

The inquisitor looked at the guard, who meekly nodded.

“Strip him and throw him in a cell. I will see that his commander deals with him later.”

The soldiers moved to her command and dragged the crying guard away.

“Oh, I think you missed something. That is your coin purse, correct?” The inquisitor said to Eric.

He looked down and saw a heavy-looking pouch. “Um, I-.”

She cut him off, “Don’t forget to grab your coin purse.” She said coolly, turning and leaving the room, not giving him the chance to protest.

I guess she is saying it is mine now? He picked up the coin purse and followed after her.

They enter a large common room with tables. The inquisitor sat down in the most excellent chair in the room.

“You can change your clothes in the room over there. Micah, be sure to cast cleanse on him.”

An armored soldier acknowledged the order and followed Eric into the room. Micah began casting a spell.

“Soap and sudsy, clean from top to bottom. [Cleanse],” The soldier, Micah, cast the spell.

A comforting, warm feeling washed over Eric from his head to his toes.

At the end of the feeling, it felt like he just finished taking a nice hot shower.

“Wow.

That is a great spell. No need to take a shower with that.”

Micah cocked his helmet-covered head, “What is a sha-wer?”

“Oh, it is like taking a bath, but standing.” Eric answered quickly, hoping that baths existed.

Micah nodded his head in understanding, “Oh, I see, the water must be deep for that. What an odd way to bathe.” Micah said, heading back to the common room.

Eric’s clothes smelled musty. He figured they were not correctly dried when he was fished out of the river.

“Hmm, let’s give it a try then.”

He placed the clothes down on the table, then used his knowledge of magic to channel his own.

“Soap and sudsy, clean from top to bottom. [Cleanse].” He felt a bit of his magic get used for the spell and saw some white bubbles raise up from the clothes and vanish.

Picking up his shirt, it felt like it was freshly washed.

He sniffed it, “Wow, this spell is handy. I will have to thank Micah.”

Changing into his clothes and putting his personal items in his pockets, he headed out of the room.

The soldiers who carried the guard off were back, handing some paperwork over to the inquisitor.

“This is what we learned, Lady Vannil. The guard was not the only one. Here is a list of co-conspirators and stolen items.”

She thanked the soldier and sent one of them off to notify the guard commander. They work very efficiently. So Lady Inquisitor is Lady Vannil, good to know. Eric thought.

“Ah, good, you are done. Tell me, do you have your papers on you?” Lady Vannil asked.

Eric figured that his license from his world would only create many issues and most likely would not work in this world.

“I am sorry, Madam Inquisitor, but if you are asking if I have identification papers, I do not.” He was telling the truth, he had no form of identification from the world, so if she was checking for lies, he would be safe.

“Well then, I will have you accompany us back to my office. I will have to ask you some additional questions, but after that, I will be able to issue a new set of papers for a silver.” She gave a bemused smirk.

“Right, I am very unfamiliar with local customs and such. What is the proper way I should be addressing you?” Eric asked.

A female soldier next to Lady Vannil spoke up, “You can address her as Madam Inquisitor, Milady, or if she permits it, Lady Vannil.”

“Greela, I can speak for myself. You may call me Lady Vannil. I prefer to keep things a bit laxer when the situation permits.” Eric thanked her, addressing her as Lady Vannil.

“Oh, Micah, correct?” Micah nodded at Eric’s question. “Thanks for showing me that spell. I was able to clean my clothes with it.”

They all stopped and looked at him dumbfounded.

Shit, was I not supposed to be able to cast it? Eric thought as Micah broke the silence with a question.

“Eric, did you learned how to cast the cleanse spell after seeing me cast it once?”

Crap... I definitely was not supposed to cast it.

“Interesting.” Lady Vannil commented while smirking curiously.

I think I know what one of the questions are going to be later…

The guard she sent out for the guard commander returned with a grizzled old man with a finely chiseled face, muscular body, and a magnificently bushy white mustache.

“Lady Vannil, I heard about what happened from your message. I have ordered six of my captains and their teams to hunt down and arrest all the guilty parties. Though I apologize to ask, could I get some assistance finding the victims or their families, please? I will work on getting compensation put together for them.”

She nodded in agreement to his request as the commander noticed Eric, “Is he one of the victims?”

Lady Vannil chuckled, “Yes, he seems to be an immigrant. I will be taking him back with me to get his paperwork done as an apology from our kingdom. He has been compensated already.”

The commander nodded his understanding as Eric learned the purpose of the coin purse now. After issuing orders to one of her team, Lady Vannil and her team headed out of the prison with Eric in tow.

The sun was high up in the sky, sometime around early afternoon that Eric could guess. Lady Vannil entered an exquisite red carriage with gold-colored trim.

“Come, Eric, you will ride with me.”

Eric was a bit hesitant and looked to Micah, who nodded lightly with a reassuring smile. Eric climbed into the carriage and sat across from Lady Vannil. She turned and began looking out the window with a bored expression on her face. Micah climbed in, sitting next to Eric. A holler from one of Lady Vannil’s team signaled the beginning of their trip to her office.

Looking out the window, Eric wanted to see where he ended up after Luna’s mistake. The road was paved with smooth stone tiles, but they did not compensate for the dips between stone slates, making a slightly bumpy ride. Yup, this thing could use some shocks… Eric thought as he shifted on his thickly cushioned seat.

“Carriage rides can be a bit rough on the rump, but it is better than trying to walk back to the office.” Micah chimed in, noticing Eric’s slight discomfort.

“Sorry, I have never really ridden in a carriage before. Are there different types of carriages, Micah?”

Micah nodded. “Yes, there are some that use some mystery system that completely eliminates all the bouncing, but those ones are strictly… limited to a select few.” Micah trailed off at the end of their answer.

Limited? What the hell does that mean? Maybe they are hard to make here? Eric saw Micah was not going to answer a follow-up question even if he asked, so he kept it to himself. Looking back out the window, they finally headed through a portcullis onto a large road.

“This is the main road of Meerka. You can fit about four carriages side by side, even with food stalls on the sides. Though you will typically only see single lines of them moving down the center of the road.” Micah explained as the sound of life grew around them.

Eric could see most people were wearing clothes he would see in fantasy movies or RPG video games. Most of the populace was dressed in simple clothing that looked to be made with wool or cotton. The smell of cooked meat in the air caused Eric’s stomach to growl.

“You were in prison since last night, correct? You probably have not eaten since then. My Lady, permission to purchase some food?” Micah asked.

Lady Vannil nodded, and Micah hopped out of the carriage to pick up some of the tasty-smelling food. He is pretty nimble to do that even with a moving carriage.

A couple minutes later, the carriage shook lightly, “It is I, my Lady.” Micah said before being told she could re-enter.

Micah hopped inside, holding a few meat skewers in his left hand. Handing one to Eric, he offered one to Lady Vannil, who said she would eat when they got back to the office. Micah happily bit into his one skewer while handing the other over to Eric. Not bad, little on the salty side, but the meat is pretty tender and juicy. After finishing the two skewers, sating his hunger, Micah shared his canteen of water which Eric appreciated. As he handed the canteen back, he asked Micah what kind of meat it was out of curiosity.

“Ahahaha, you ate the meat without knowing what it was? No matter. It was simple thorn rabbit meat.” Micah then saw the confusion on Eric’s face and answered before the question was asked.

“I am guessing you are not familiar? They are a common monster in the forest nearby. Thorn rabbits are small yet fast and covered in spines. The thorns themselves mostly cause inflammation at the puncture point but are mostly non-lethal. Their meat is tender, so they are hunted regularly. I think jobs for those pay around ten copper per rabbit.”

“Jobs?”

Eric asked.

“Yes, there is the Hunter’s Guild. They mostly commission jobs hunting for food or plants. They take care not to drive any food or medicinal plant sources to extinction. Other guilds would include; Adventurers, Merchant, Maritime, Crafters, Workers, and Casters. Any of those catch your interest? I can introduce you to any of them.” Micah offered.

“Crafters guild, though I am curious about the others.” Eric answered Micah.

Lady Vannil cut in briefly, “Crafters, huh?” She asked with a sly smile before returning to her bored people watching. Micah started explaining after a short pause.

First was the Crafters Guild, which included blacksmiths, tinkerers, rune-crafters, alchemists, carpenters, masons, and builders.

Maritime primarily dealt with shipbuilding, docks, and most everything water-related or shipping.

Casters dealt with magic scrolls, enchanting, and spell grimoires that would help people learn spells.

The Merchant and Worker’s guild were a bit special as they interacted with all the other guilds.

The Worker’s Guild was more of a government-run guild to help keep people actively employed and keep homelessness to a minimum. Worker’s would provide extra labor to guilds at their request and assist individuals with finding work.

Merchants were the busiest out of all the guilds as they would sell produced items made by the crafters, buy materials from adventurers and hunters to sell to others, work with maritime to trade with other cities, and even sell simple enchanted items made by the casters. It was a lot of information, but by the time Micah finished his explanation, the carriage came to a stop.

“Finally.” Lady Vannil said, climbing out of the carriage. She rubbed her rump briefly as she stretched.

“My Lady, that is unbecoming.” Micah said as he climbed out, chastising Lady Vannil.

“I don’t give a damn what others think. If those idiot nobles want to make comments of how unladylike I am, I will dig up some dirt on them and see who is more embarrassed in the end.” She said with confident defiance.

Seriously need to make sure I never get on her wrong side… Ever.

Eric stepped out of the carriage, a dull pain plaguing his rear and lower back. Putting his hands on his hips, he stretched his back, rolled his legs in small circles to get the blood flowing, and did a few knee raises.

“What is it you are doing?” Lady Vannil asked curiously.

“Oh, just a bit of stretching and getting my legs limber again.”

She asked him to show her how to do it herself, and after a couple of minutes, she was doing it too.

“Well, that does feel much better. Thank you, Eric. Let’s head inside.” She stated and headed toward the two-story building.

Once inside, there was a large common room on the first floor. A few soldiers with matching uniforms of the inquisitors were relaxing at the tables, enjoying a meal. When they saw Lady Vannil, they stood and saluted, which she told them to return to their lunch and reminded them that she preferred them to not pay her any mind unless she says something. Returning to their meal, Lady Vannil asked for Micah to gather some lunch from the cook and bring it up to her office for the three of them. Micah headed off to the side room that looked to be the kitchen.

Eric followed Lady Vannil up to her office on the second floor. Her office was spacious and clean with only some simple decorations, but she had a couple more gaudy ones mounted on the wall behind her desk.

Those look like a medieval coat of arms. I wonder if those are a family crest or something.

The coat of arms had what looked like a black and silver striped falcon on a red background. Lady Vannil sat down at her desk, and she had Eric sit down across from her on the cushioned seats.

“Now then, Eric, you mentioned earlier that you had an interest in crafting? What kind of crafting do you do?” Eric noticed her eyes had the golden hue again.

She must have activated the lie detector magic.

“I can do blacksmithing, carpentry, some chemistry, and advanced tinkering.” Eric felt that she might be able to see if someone was hiding something, so he decided to be clear and concise.

“I see. You are quite educated, I am guessing?” Eric nodded. “Alright then.”

The golden hue left her eyes. “Now, no magic, no horse shit. This is a question you do not need to answer if you do not want to. Are you a Hero?” Eric looked at her, confused. “I see, then let me ask this, are you not from this world?”

Her face was steeled and serious, but her eyes seemed desperate for some reason.

Eric was unsure if he should reveal the fact about himself, but his instincts on people were always pretty good, and he felt that she could be trusted.

“Yes.”

Lady Vannil tensed at his answer and quickly followed with another question, a frantic tone creeping into her voice.

“Were you summoned here by the Church of Light?”

After shaking his head no, she laid out her upper body across her desk and let out a massive sigh of relief. Sitting back up in her chair, “Finally. The Gods blessed me this day.”

Bringing her hand up to her chest, she offered a silent prayer of thanks.

“Lady Vannil, I am rather confused here.” Eric commented.

“Ah, yes. Let me start off by asking, how much do you know of this world?” She asked, which Eric told her he knew as much as he had been told since they helped him out of prison.

It was then that a knock came to the door. Micah entered the office with a top-handled carrier that had food inside.

“Perfect timing Micah. I could use your knowledge here.”

Micah unloaded the box as Lady Vannil got him caught up and assured Eric that he could trust Micah with their conversation. The plates had mashed potatoes, some grilled vegetables, and some kind of braised pork. Lady Vannil started by giving general knowledge.

Meerka was a central trade hub of the continent, being in the middle and having a large harbor thanks to the massive lake that various large rivers flowed from and connected to multiple oceans. The lake had an abundant amount of freshwater fish. Numerous towns under the control of Meerka lined the shores of the lake they called Olad. The rivers were wide enough to fit two small shipping vessels. Micah added that the ships typically road the currents one way and needed to be pulled by horses or use specialized sails to head back the way they came.

Next was the country itself, Meerka was a relatively small country, but it held a lot of power because of all the trade that passed through it. Eric asked if there was any worry of other countries invading to take control, but Lady Vannil laughed it off.

“Of the five countries directly around our borders, only one tried. The other four countries didn’t like the idea of anyone but themselves gaining control, so they sent a message to the idiot ruler, saying simply, ‘If any of us try to make a move on Meerka, they will have to deal with the other four’s combined strength.’ I have never seen a large army turn tail and run so fast in my life.”

Lady Vannil laughed.

Micah explained that the invasion was attempted twenty-five years ago. Since that time, the five countries created and signed a treaty with Meerka guaranteeing that none of them would make a move on them and would crush anyone else who tried in exchange for allowing them to trade using the river routes and Lake Olad.

“Meerka gave them permission to use the routes, but of course, they do get to tax anything that uses one of their towns or cities. After which, they made sure to build at the main choke points on the rivers.

Shippers can either stop at the towns and pay the minimum tax or continue on a long trip with no breaks.

Using the rivers, shipping or travel is shortened in comparison to taking land routes.” Lady Vannil said, unrolling a world map.

The main continent was vast, with Meerka and Lake Olad smack in the center. There was a river that cut right through the middle southward and went from Olad to the northeast. Though midway up, Eric noticed an area where the river widened oddly.

“Ah, you noticed Little Olad? That is a man-made lake used for ships to take the river route to the northwest from there. The people of Alta were the ones to create that. They really dislike the country of Goun, so they made the artificial lake so that they could completely bypass them.”

He asked why they were on such bad terms and did not expect the answer they gave.

“They are a slaver nation with an Autocracy type government. The Emperor, Nordal, is a ruthless man who believes that strength is everything. Some believe that he is a child of a Hero, and that is why he is such a powerful warrior.” Micah answered.

“So, was Goun the one who tried to take Meerka?” Eric asked, which Micah answered with a nod.

“Yes, we still do not think that he has given up either. He is most likely biding his time and building his strength.”

Eric understood and asked about the large forested areas.

“Ah, yes, the Great Na’Eer Forest. It is a very bountiful location, but do not try to delve too deep into them. That is where the strongest of monsters are, like basilisks, chimera, or even red tigers.” Micah explained.

“Basilisks are the worst. They have poisonous breath and even an ability that you will be temporarily paralyzed if you look them in the eyes. They also have tough hides making them even harder to kill. You either need to sacrifice a lot of soldiers to take one down or pay the Church of Light an exorbitant amount of money to hire a team of Heroes.”

There it is again.

“Lady Vannil, earlier you asked me about the Church of Light and Heroes. Could you explain what that is about?”

Lady Vannil paused for a moment in thought. “I think it would be easier to just show you. The church usually keeps a couple of teams here in Meerka for hire. But that can be done tomorrow, it is getting late, and I am sure you could use a proper rest in a proper bed. There are guest rooms here that you can use. Before I send you to rest,” Lady Vannil pulls out a piece of paper and ink well with a lightly glowing, dark blue ink. After writing down a short few sentences, she hands the sheet over to Eric.

Reading it over, it was a simple contract saying that he would be contracted to work for her by accompanying her at his leisure and was free to end the contract whenever he wanted. In exchange, he was not allowed to tell anyone else he was from another world without her permission, at the best of his ability, while the contract was active.

“What is this for?” Eric asked, which she answered curtly, “Your protection.”

She had a severe look on her face. Eric felt that this was very important for his safety, but at the same time, no harm could come to him if he did sign it.

“By the way, Eric, that is a magic contract. They are made with special ink made by alchemists. Materials for it are scarce, so not everyone has the ink to make them.” Micah chimed in.

Eric took the pen from Lady Vannil and signed the paper. The letters on the contract lit up as he finished. Lady Vannil took the agreement, signed it herself, and held it up between them.

“Invoke Contract.” Her words caused the paper to burn up in blue flames.

Eric felt the words of the contract enter his mind, staying in place until he ends the contract.

That is neat. We won’t forget the contract so long as it is active. It is like a lower-level version of the one Luna, and I have.

“Is there any downside to these contracts?” Eric asked.

“Depends on the contracts. This one is so open that there are likely no consequences. In other circumstances, it may cause head pains if a party does not fulfill their end. But the consequences can be customized.” Micah explained.

“Now that all that is over, Micah, do you have any kits ready?” Lady Vannil asked.

“I have four ready, but I am low on ingredients.” Micah said, removing his helmet for the first time since Eric met him.

Micah had somewhat feminine features. It was pretty tricky to tell if Micah was a man or not now.

“I will have Arthur pick up some tomorrow morning while we are off on our investigation.” Lady Vannil noticed Eric’s confused look at Micah’s face.

“Micah is a woman, to be clear.” She said with a mischievous grin on her face.

Eric tensed at her comment, looking at Micah, “I’m sorry.” Eric said without really thinking. Micah’s reply was a hearty male laugh, followed by a very feminine giggle while they headed to the door.

Eric was so confused at that point, he had no idea what to think, which caused Lady Vannil to burst out in a hearty laugh of her own. Eric felt at a complete loss, which only caused Lady Vannil to just smile at his expense.

“You can head back down to the main hall downstairs. Just ask one of my people there to help you to one of the guest rooms. Eric was still a bit distraught but went ahead and headed out of her office.

Making it back to the main hall, Eric asked for some help from a bored-looking soldier.

“Sure, I can show you to the guest rooms. You have the token?” He asked.

“Token? I wasn’t given-.”

The soldier had a quick laugh, “Sorry, I am messing with you. Micah swung by and mentioned Lady Vannil’s orders. Name’s Gil, I’ll treat you to an ale as an apology if you want?”

Eric only shook his head. Is every person who works for her a trouble maker?

“Just my room, please. I am quite tired from dealing with so many people messing with me.” Eric said with a wry smile.

Gil chuckled and offered another apology while leading him to the other side of the hall. Entering a long hallway, Eric could see seven doors. Gil explained that the ones at the sides were the rooms and the toilet at the end.

“If you need water, either check with the kitchen when they are operating, or the door at the back left corner of the main hall leads to the well.”

“Yeah, I could probably use a bit to wipe myself off.” Eric said.

“Hmm? You can’t use the cleanse spell? Not everyone can, but most people can learn it for cheap.”

Oh right, I picked that spell up from Micah. “Oh, right, I must be exhausted to forget that I know that spell.”

Gil laughed and handed him a key that had number one on it.

“So real quick, required advisory. All items in the rooms are inventoried before and after use. If any items are missing, you will be asked to return or provide compensation for missing items. If you run, you will be labeled as a criminal, arrested, and have to serve a criminal slave term equivalent to a thievery sentence. End advisory.” Gil dully explained.

Eric figured they had that issue before and chuckled lightly, saying he would keep that in mind.

“Right, before I forget, dinner service is available between six and eight. As a guest, your meal is on us, but if you want to try a stall or restaurant nearby, you are free to, but you will have to pay for that.”

Eric nodded and thanked Gil for his help, and started to head into his room.

“Oh right, which did Lady Vannil tell you? Man or woman?” Gil asked.

Eric figured he was asking about Micah. “Woman.”

Gil just laughed. “She changes it every damn time.”

“You don’t know which Micah is?” Eric asked.

“Nope, no one but Lady Vannil. Well, Micah included. We actually have a money pool going. Whoever finds out, without using illegal means wins the pool after confirmation from Micah.”

Eric laughed, and they parted.

As soon as he closed the door and turned around, a familiar person was rushing toward him.

“Eric, are you okay!?” Luna tackled Eric, knocking him back onto the door.

“Guwah! Lu-Luna?” Eric coughed out.

A knock came on the door, “Hey, you alright, Eric?” It was Gil.

“Y-Yeah, I guess I was much more tired than I thought. I will head to sleep early.”

Gil sounded that he was a bit suspicious but headed off.

“Wait, he didn’t hear you?” Eric asked, looking down at a teary-eyed Luna.

“Ah, I am only allowing you to hear me.” She answered.

“But they can still hear me.” Eric stated, which lead to Luna getting flustered and fixing the issue.

“S-sorry.” Luna sadly spoke, which Eric just lightly played it off. “No, really, I am sorry. I was so excited over getting a ward and being allowed to do something big for once as a god that I... I accidentally dropped you into the water surrounding the city. You got tossed into prison. I panicked and asked ****** for assistance. She told me to contact a human of authority in their dream to get you help.”

Eric then realized that Lady Vannil’s intervention was due to Luna’s influence. “Thanks, Luna.” He said, patting her head. They sat on the floor across from each other.

“I do have to ask Eric… Why didn’t you use your Haven to escape the prison?”

Eric tensed up. I... completely forg-. “You forgot, didn’t you?” Luna finished his thought.

“Uh, well, I was a bit concerned about my arms being chained, like would my arms tear-off or, uh, something….” He trailed off, not sounding very convincing.

“Pretty sure only things you want to take in will go with you. Even if you had the shackles in mind, they would have just popped off the wall and went in with you.”

Holy shit, could I become the world’s greatest thief? Nah, I think Luna and the other goddess would get mad at me for that…

“Okay, I am sorry, I forgot. With everything that happened, it just slipped my mind.”

“You are forgiven.” Luna said in a godly way.

“Trying too hard?” He chided.

“Shut up.” Luna glowered at him.

“Luna, what do you know about the Church of Light in this world?” Eric asked.

“Not much. I am not the god in charge of this world. I could ask them if you want?”

Eric asked if she could check into it for him.

“Alrighty, I am going to head off then. You get a good rest tonight. I should make it back either tomorrow night or the day after. I have some things I need to do.”

Eric thanked her, and in a small flash of light, she disappeared.

After casting [Cleanse] on himself and clothing, he tried out the bed. A bit lumpy, but not too bad. Maybe this is to a noble’s standard?

Eric wasn’t quite sure what the difference there was in the standards of living. He will have to ask Micah about it tomorrow.

Eric kept tossing and turning for a bit before slipping into his own bed in his Haven.

Muuuuuch better. Nothing can beat a memory foam bed with high-count sheets.

One thing Eric never skimped out on in his previous world was bedding. He was a firm believer that a better sleep led to a better day. He quickly set his alarm for a whole night of sleep and wake up around seven in the morning.