While we were walking, my mind spun with ideas for getting started on complex potions for the first time. The problem, of course, was making money with them. What? Do you really think I’m making all of this to go murderhoboing? The luck potion felt like something mankind shouldn’t have in their hands. However, what if the Red Alchemists who wrote the diagram books were already way ahead of me? Of course they were way ahead of me. So that brought on the next question. What did luck mean in the context of the potion? Despite being called minor luck, it had to be extreme to be a complex potion. Right?
I currently struggled with getting the simple blighted potions to not explode in my face. What kind of calculus-rocket science nonsense would the complex version put me through? Maybe it was a bit on the dangerous side, and could wait until I found a real purpose for them.
Connected to building my shop and inventory was the town of Kyushu. I found an option in the menu to examine it. It showed information I mostly knew. There were options that were not supposed to be there, that perhaps I shouldn’t be seeing. My literally unqualified ass was not supposed to be involved in anything official. It felt like the system wanted to destroy anything pertaining to a realistic political structure. The might is right bullshit served no purpose whatsoever. But how could I stop it from taking over? How could I reverse centuries of poison? Should I even bother with such a thing, as a non-native?
These were questions that I was working on a solution to because I simply had no intention of taking the system’s shit. Even if it attempted to bribe me.
Kyushu
Type: Small town. Kingdom of Merridon owned.
Political Leader: Mayor Henrick Rue.
Benefactor: Gwendolyn Wingston, Red Star.
Hidden Benefactor: Lord Ruler Select Raider. You should be deeply honored for having this high-level benefactor, Kyushu. It is extremely recommended making him lord of the town.
Rank: E. [Warning! It is highly recommended to rank up or risk angering your benefactors.]
Funding: 80%.
Potion Maker: Yes. [System notice. A town without a potion maker is better off not existing.]
Guards: E-ranked town guards. [Good for basic bandits. Good luck when it comes to raiders, high-level bandit groups, mercenaries, enemy armies, demonic beasts, hallows, rogue sects, demonic sects, dark academies, cults, and the like. You’d better pray.]
Guard Commendations: E.
Guard Evolution: Political leader does not have a Special Guard Cube, which is a gift of Wanda. As a result, your guards will remain mortal. Progress the town to a C-ranked small city to enable options for the captain of the guards.
Projects: in progress. Will slowly drain public funding. Benefactors, nobles, royalty, trading partners, and other factors can help increase funding. If funding drops to 0%, operations will halt, but don’t panic. Your ranking will start to decrease, putting a nice smile on the face of rivals that want to see your town fail. See, somebody’s happy. If funding drops into the negatives, then you will have to file bankruptcy. In that case, you’ll be forced to work off the debt in the mines, a slav—worker ship, or as a kingdom-contracted soldier. Most certainly not a meat shield.
Shrine: No. [What is wrong with you?]
Deity: Dictated by the Kingdom of Merridon’s Church. Wanda.
Chapel: Yes, though in secret and against the urging of the hero’s party. [The chapel makes up for not having a shrine.] Led by: Nuwa Yhandrus, the Goddess Healer.
Chapel Funding: 6%. [Starving out your devotee isn’t a good idea.]
[You cannot examine further information without being a high-tiered lord, high-tiered noble, royalty, or very famous.]
[System notice. The Lord’s information may be a glitch. May not. It is available until the Lord Ruler Selectee title is gone.]
Imagine getting slapped in the face with all of this information. Everyone stared at me when I stopped.
“Nate. Are you well?” Milia asked.
“He looks like he stepped on a needle-sucker,” Harmony said.
“Or got kicked in the—” Chenzu paused at Mandi’s look of distaste, but Lucas still laughed.
“He’s not wrong,” the half-dwarf teen said.
I sighed, shaking my head. “Just a realization of something, but there’s nothing that can be done about it now.”
Everyone waited for me to elaborate, but I just continued walking, enjoying the weather, the clean air, and Cheetara riding my shoulder. The reason was simple. How the hell could I explain something I didn’t understand myself? Even if I snatched the mayor’s interface to put on a show, it wouldn’t explain why I froze at this moment with a concerning look on my face.
Since they were born and reared with a political system like this, might is right, anything I said would likely bring skeptical looks. They believed I’d be a great lord of this town, overlooking the lack of qualifications. No schooling—no fucking idea what I was doing, if we’re being honest—no idea what the world was like beyond Wingston yet, and the list went on. What they didn’t know was the true level of my lack of qualifications.
But as long as I couldn’t be forced into any positions, these thoughts wouldn’t matter. How long could I avoid it? Only the usefulness of my potion shop answered such a question.
I wasn’t sure when Milia and I started holding hands when we entered the town. It… was probably at the very beginning of the walk. I’d gotten quite used to the comfort.
I had so many questions in regard to the town’s development, mostly for my own selfish reasons, but also for security, Nuwa’s secret chapel, and its projects. Even if this was what the system wanted, to lure me over there like a fish going for the bait, I simply couldn’t ignore this. Most citizens on Earth complained to the government when things needed fixing. I figured this would be the same thing, even with a system like this.
Everything seemed normal at first as we headed toward Mandi’s house, until I saw Titus and his students enter.
“I knew that would happen,” Lucas said, beating me to the words.
“Always,” I told him.
“Well, it’s quite obvious that going there is way too risky, so how about we go to Harmony’s house instead?” Milia said. “Wait them out.”
“Normally I’d agree, but the furniture installers are in today to replace a few things,” Harmony said. “We could sit in there, but it’s always awkward. Especially the short lady that keeps staring at me.” She seemed to shudder internally. “It’s like she wants to eat my soul.”
“Now I want to meet her,” Lucas said, grinning at Harmony’s pout.
Normally, I’d dismiss everyone, but they looked like they actually wanted to be here. Something I couldn’t fathom for normal teenagers. My decision was made when Iris waved at us from afar.
The elf woman ended up inviting us into her house, where we explained why we were in town.
“Thanks for the warning last night,” Iris said after sipping some of her greenish tea. Her home was moderately-sized, and themed with what I assumed either her personal preferences or potentially a tribute to her homeland. Life elf culture. It presented itself as a mix of nature, due to the potted plants and multicolored roses arranged on shelves around us, and nobility, due to the expensive-looking furniture, among other things. The place smelled like roses with a hint of fresh herbs and cinnamon. “We were scrambling to get the news to everyone and then tell our bosses about the time off needed. Kelvin cancelled his classes, but the children didn’t mind. Mostly. There are some boys that want to be like him.”
“Let me guess, they saw him with a sword,” Mandi said.
Iris laughed. “It’s always a war tool.”
“Not always,” Lucas defended. “Some of us are builders and crafters.”
“Perhaps,” Iris said, though her nonchalance only seemed to irritate the teenager. Not that I knew for sure. He’d done his fair share of blushing around the elf woman. Her personality wasn’t all complaints and gripes. I still considered her one of the most level-headed people in the hero’s party, along with Kelvin.
Abruptly, Cheetara, who was walking on a shelf, accidentally knocked something over. An empty pot landed on top of my head like a hat.
“Are you okay?” Milia asked as she burst out into laughter, removing the pot from my head. The apologetic kitten leapt into my stomach, whining, and nestling her head against my chest.
“It’s okay,” I said, scratching beneath the chin of the adorable bundle of joy. “I know you didn’t mean it.”
After chatting with Iris for a while longer, we sent Mandi to check her house. She returned to us with a report nearly twenty minutes later.
“They haven’t left yet,” Mandi said, “and the conversation is about Raider. Mother refuses to tell Titus anything. The students, Simon and Luna, they’re asking around. With no luck, of course. Eventually they will find out about Serina.”
“Shit, they’re persistent, but we will continue to wait them out,” I said. “It doesn’t matter what they say to Serina, she’ll do what she wants.”
“What if they report her to the Lord Ruler?” Mandi challenged.
“I doubt Titus would do it, especially when he has no reason to care,” I said.
“But it’d still bring a loud notice to the capital,” Mandi argued. “The Lord Ruler may send soldiers to investigate. Perhaps even the Inquisition.”
The fact that this world had a goddamn Inquisition annoyed me, but I kept that comment to myself.
“Rose and Hector should be in a condition to walk,” I said. “Tell them to stop by the shop later, preferably without company. Don’t tell them why. They’re sharp. They may want to hear what I have to say.”
I kind of wished I went to medical school, so I’d feel like a doctor, but I didn’t mind being a pseudo support class, instead of a full healer.
I stood, turning to Iris, offering a hand. “Well, it was great talking to you. Good luck with your day off. I sure hope you’ve got plenty of books to read.”
Iris chuckled, accepting my handshake. “Not enough.”
First we made sure the coast was clear, sensing presences first, before exiting the elf’s house.
“Thanks for having us,” Milia told her.
“The pleasure was all mine,” Iris replied, eyes seemingly lit with stars, as if Milia’s words were gospel.
As much as it annoyed me to return to the shop without getting the chance to witness the potion perform a miracle, I figured this would be a great lesson on patience.
When we reached the edge of town, I noticed one of the brats heading in our direction. We pretended not to notice and continued walking. Milia tripped him with a secret vine. Luna, his human counterpart, laughed at him.
We made it back to the farm without any further incidents. Deciding to pull a somewhat dick move, I called Wolverine and Mazu, though not without getting Alexander’s permission first. He laughed his ass off at the idea, encouraging it.
“Alright, you two, unfriendly guard wolf and fox duty for you,” I said.
I didn’t need the tower to detect their approach. “Remember, it’s just a small prank. Don’t actually attack.”
“I get it already,” Mazu snapped. “Do I look stupid to you, human?”
“Sheesh, the attitude,” I quipped. “If you don’t want to growl, sit this out, bud. I won’t make you do something you’re not interested in.”
Mazu sighed. “Sorry. I’m a little on edge today. I’ve heard rumors of a possible double crimson moon at the beginning of next month. Rumors like this are hard to believe due to the rarity of the event, but you never know.”
“Do you believe in the legends?” I asked, disregarding the many questions I had. They already knew I wasn’t from the kingdom, but almost everyone my age on the planet would likely know about the lunar event.
“The last time we had a crimson moon, the Midnight Dragon attacked,” Milia said, which naturally gave me chills.
“So about Ripley then,” I said. “Do you think he’s going to try something? Why Wingston? No… that wouldn’t make sense. He’d probably travel to the capital, only to get torn to shreds by the Lord Ruler. Fuck. He didn’t come across as that kind of person.”
“The double crimson moons have effec—” Mazu paused, his eyes on two academy brats walking in this direction.
The Axem’s aura oozing from the forest combined with the growling may produce an interesting effect.
I urged everyone but the pets inside, insisting they act natural.
