Jin had been on the road for over a week now but he had met no monsters in the wildness.

Why?

He was actually sticking relatively close to the road. Roads between cities are well established and traveled frequently by bands of humans. Any wild beasts spotted will usually perish instantly and be eaten. That’s why no beasts came to bother Jin.

Each night Jin would close his eyes and enter his Soul Realm. There was a chaotic dark space where Prometheus resided in and there was a much smaller but nicer white domain where the majestic unicorn Froyo resided. Sadly Jin would have to forgo the one filled with warm sensation and go to the dark domain to “learn” from a devil-looking colossal giant.

In the Titan Domain time literally stops on the outside for Jin as he goes under the tutelage of Prometheus. Only an apparition of his consciousness is there but Prometheus can create a virtual reality that simulates real environments for him to train in. Right now he is still mastering the basics of the metal element.

As this was going on for days, Jin did not realize that it was also a form of training to increase his internal strength. Each time he enters Titan Domain, all his internal strength would be burned out since he stays there for the full time limit. He would spend the whole day recovering as he traveled along the road. If an emergency did come up then he still had the option of using his first Avatar’s power briefly.

After almost two weeks on the road, Jin finally spotted the neighbor city – The Hollowing Fire City. It was then Prometheus finally changed up the routine.

“Took you long enough stupid. It’s been over ten days and you can’t even remember the first section of the metal element from the Classic Five Element Scripture… how long are you going to make me wait until you master the whole thing?”

“Why do you want me to master the whole thing anyways?” Jin asked curiously. He understood the need to learn a bit of the metal element to survive from the fall. He also knew that based on the titan’s condition he can only get uber high ranking Avatars like the unicorn so he’ll have to train himself to be stronger until he can use the Avatars properly. But he doesn’t get why the titan insists on forcing him to learn this particular set of arts. It wasn’t even a real set of martial arts, it seems more like a set of theory that he has to put into practical use himself.

The titan ignored him and ordered him make two baskets out of wood branches and fill it with berries. Jin just sighed and followed the order. Although the titan is condescending, Jin didn’t sense any mistrust from him. Maybe it’s because he was too young but the unicorn Avatar seemed to have nothing but respect for Prometheus.

The titan had promised that he could reunite with his parents within two years if he followed his instructions so Jin is doing it without complaining… out loud anyways.

Jin was not an academic, this was evident in his slow progress of learning the Classic Five Elements Scripture. He likes to be free and the two weeks of traveling, while harsh, was the most fun he had.

Under Prometheus instructions, Jin entered the city with a group of people. The gate was over fifty meters wide and the guards were busy chatting, it was easy for him to enter without getting noticed.

This city was roughly the same size as Jin’s home city. The brilliant red walls were different from the thick grey walls from his city. The streets where Jin grew up in where more orderly organized while the Hollowing Fire City seemed build buildings randomly. As a curious kid, Jin noted all the differences with wide eyes.

“There, go ask that man if he would like to buy the fruits from you.” Prometheus’s voice rang out. This was after Jin wandered around for a while.

“But I don’t want to…” Jin protested. It was so awkward to approach a stranger in a foreign city to buy from him.

“Do you want to see your family again or not?”

“Fine…” Jin muttered. If he knew how to curse, he would have.

“Sir, would you like to buy some freshly picked fruits?” Jin approached him and asked innocently. Jin was only a twelve year old kid, the bald middle aged man looked down.

“Huh, where are your parents little kid?”

“My parents… they are no longer around.” Jin said with genuine sadness.

The domineering bald man’s face softened as he saw Jin’s expression.

This kid… is he a homeless kid going around selling fruits? What has the world come to… sigh. The man thought Jin was a homeless kid based on his tired expression and tattered clothes. The new ruler of the kingdom has raised taxes while ignoring his duties as king. This displaced many families and created plenty of orphans.

“Did you pick them today?” The man asked. Jin nodded. “Fine, these fruits look pretty nice… I could use them for my restaurant. I’ll take them all.”

The man who turned out to be the head chef gave Jin two silver coins. Jin who never had money before, showed a wide smile and bowed. His family wasn’t rich so Jin never got pocket change before.

The usually stern man looked at Jin pitifully as he walked away, all that joy for 2 silver coins?

“Kid, come back again if you have more fruits to sell.” The chef yelled after rummaging through the fruits. They were actually quite decent, some were rare too. These were carefully handpicked.

[100 copper = 1 silver, 100 silver = 1 gold, 1 loaf of bread costs 1 silver.]

“Where did you get these fruits?” He asked Jin with a hint of suspicion.

“I picked them from outside the city.” Jin replied honestly.

Doing hard labor at such a young age… The chef pitied Jin even more. While it is true Jin suffered a bit these two weeks, before Jin was quite a lazy kid that didn’t do much chores. This was all part of Prometheus’s scheme. He could see all that Jin could see and with his infinite wisdom, he could easily tell that this particular person was soft inside. Just the type they needed.

“I am in need of a delivery boy. Show up for work tomorrow morning. Try not to make a living this way, it’s dangerous outside the city. Come inside for some food.” The chef said sternly. He had a restaurant to run and he couldn’t offer Jin a full time position but he worries for his safety.

“Yes sir.” Jin said gratefully. He had a feeling that this was what Prometheus wanted based on his silence, beside he was starving for real food.