Chapter 27: To Adventure! Again! (1/2)

Mike felt a chill run down his spine, and he quickly glanced around. Not seeing anything particularly concerning from his vantage atop Barley, he returned to examining the two secondary skills he had picked up recently.

- Basic Haggling (Tier 1, Rank 1) -

There is an art to making the perfect deal, and you have taken your first steps down the path of that art. Minor increase to charisma for the purposes of buying and selling goods or services.

- Basic Musical Performance (Wind Instrument) (Tier 1, Rank 2) -

You have learned the proper method of controlling your breathing and coordinating your fingers to create music with wind instruments. Minor increase to system correction when playing a wind instrument.

After much deliberation, he concluded that neither skill had any real combat application, with the possible exception of some kind of music-based magic, nor was it related to production in any way.

He was forced to accept that the system had in-built skills that covered more than just fighting.

He was not sure why this surprised him, since there were more than just warriors and mages living in this world, but he felt that it cheapened the whole process somehow if he could just acquire musical talent. He concluded that it was just another strange aspect of the new world he was living in.

The first of the two new skills had popped up after his meeting with Anton, but the second had shown up recently. Mike had been learning how to play the flute after one of the young women in the caravan had offered to teach him.

In an effort to stave off some of the advances he had been receiving from the females they had been traveling with, he had brought up the topic of music.

Surprisingly several of the caravan members seemed well versed in musical instruments, so he randomly selected one to become his teacher.

With a single night of practice he had already acquired the skill and increased its rank. He was once again reminded how much of a cheat his class was.

They were scheduled to arrive in Wyrport today, and Mike was already able to notice some major changes in the surrounding landscape. Most prominently was the road, which had become paved with blocks of grey stone, and nearly twice as wide before he noticed. The plains they had been traveling through had given way to gently rolling hills. Small farms and ranches seemed to cover most of the countryside, and traffic had increased, with numerous carriages and wagons.

Mike was surprised to see more than just horses being used as mounts and beasts of burden. Large, shaggy bovine animals that stood nearly 3m tall at the shoulder, giant lizards, a few varieties of herbivorous dinosaurs, and even horse-sized wolves could be seen moving down the road. One group of short yet solidly built humanoids, which Mike assumed were dwarves, was riding a metallic contraption that vaguely resembled a stripped down automotive. Judging from the way they were arguing with one another while the machine started belching black smoke and ground to a halt, they had not yet perfected the technology.

Speaking of the people, Mike had mostly seen humans, typically dressed as peasants and commoners, going about their business. However, every now and then he'd see a dwarf, beastman, elf, and even a group of scaly, humanoid lizards. Seeing all of these different races moving along, side by side, got him thinking.

”Hey, Morris. What sort of racial discrimination goes on around here?”

The older man poked his head out of the back of a nearby wagon, a confused expression on his face. ”Racial discrimination? Uh…. None, I guess. At least not officially.”

”Really?”

”Well the Kingdom of Almir is somewhat unusual in that regard I suppose. We are a predominantly human nation, with only small populations of other races. Government policies are in place to protect most minorities, but they usually aren't needed. The people of Almir tend to think highly of non-humans ever since the kingdom was saved by a multiracial coalition during the War of Ashes about two hundred years ago.”

Once again, Mike found himself with a slew of new questions, but refrained from asking them, vainly hoping that Morris would avoid entering another of his lengthy lectures.

”That said, there is always some degree of tension, and isolated incidents of racial conflict are a fairly common occurrence in the larger cities. There are several scholars who point to ancestral conflicts during the Second Pyrathien Empire period…..”

Mike sighed, already regretting asking his question. Ever since Dewey Glen, Morris seemed to have taken it as his sworn duty to educate Mike on the complexities of life in this world. He couldn't count the number of times he'd have to feign interest as the bard lectured him for hours.

Thankfully, they had just crested a hill giving them a view of the city.

It was much larger than Mayde. In fact, Mike was hard pressed to really guess at the size of it. Thick walls, tens of meters high stretched for kilometers in each direction. They blocked off most of his view, but he could see the tops of several towers and spires in the late afternoon haze. A vast stretch of blue was visible behind the city. Mike guessed this was the famous Wyrmrest Lake.

”Hey look. You can see the city.”

Morris paused in mid-lecture to glance around the side of the wagon. ”Ah, yes. The second biggest city in Almir. Pretty impressive, right?” Mike nodded in response.

Morris continued. ”Not only is it located on several important trade routes, but it is one of the few cities with a full fledged dungeon located inside the city walls. This enables a steady supply of resources from the local adventurers. Which in turn, has led to the development of extensive crafting services in terms of magic items, weapons, and armor. In many ways it can be considered a paradise for adventurers.”

”Wait, run that by me again. A dungeon? As in a the type with dungeon cores, respawning monsters, and treasure chests?” Mike new that he had basically reincarnated into a novel plot line, but was astounded that such a convenient thing could exist in reality.

”Well, yes something along those lines. If I recall, there is a beginner's course in the Wyrport Adventurer's Guild that takes you down to the dungeon. If you want to know more about it, that would be the best way.”

Mike made a mental note to do so as soon as he got to the guild.

The caravan continued until it was close the walls, before splitting into one of five lines forming on the right side of the gargantuan gates. In a short period of time the Hugh, the caravan master, had negotiated with the gate guards for passage and the group passed through. With little thanks, and much under the breath muttering, Hugh paid Mike and Morris for their escort duties.

After bidding farewell to the caravan members, the duo walked into the bustling city of Wyrport.