Nebula Nook Traders

Aric returned to the same place as last time and thankfully noticed Valhere, the previous saleswoman. Valhere, upon noticing Aric, stepped out and made her way to the same spot where he had gone before, while Aric followed her.

"Here for the same deal?" Valhere teased him. She could also sense a subtle change in the customer. Not only did he smell good, probably from a recent bath, but also his clothing was not natural and was made of nano-based fibers. The last time she met him, she genuinely thought he was some hick who had woken up from a farm on a remote planet. But now, Aric looked more modern, and a sense of mystery veiled him.

More so than the last time.

"Yes. I want to exchange credits for these 10 gold coins," Aric said.

"It will be my pleasure. Please wait while we check the coins," Valhere replied with a smile and started to scan the coins. Of course, these coins turned out to be authentic.

"As a dedicated customer, the shop is going to offer you 46,000 Sora credits. We hope that you can continue with the same kind of transactions in the future," Valhere said, her eyes shining brightly. She was now glad that she had taken charge of hosting him when he first entered.

Her bonus would be quite high in this time unit. Aric didn't reply; he simply checked his communicator and just thanked for the appraisal. Seeing everything was in place, he left, not bothering to deal with the silver and copper coins. He might need them on his next journey.

Aric wasn't in the mood to talk further as he was sleepy after the magnificent shower and wanted to go to bed now. After coming out, he went straight to the cave and proceeded to return to his world.

He slept soundly. Suffice to say that the murders he had committed didn't leave any kind of PTSD. Not now. Not ever.

The next day, Aric woke up a bit later than usual as nobody came to wake him up, and he was allowed to sleep as long as he wanted. It had been a long time since he had slept like this, and as he woke up, he promised himself that in this life, he wouldn't compromise on his sleep. Ever.

After having breakfast and speaking with his grandparents, who told him to be careful but didn't try to stop him, he headed back to the forest and then proceeded to enter the magical world once again. He found himself back at the same place where he had dealt with the bandits using his drones. The drones had been hidden the entire night, and he wanted to see what would happen to the area once he left.

He discovered that the dead bodies of the wolves could be sold at a good price, but then again he couldn't drag the corpses around like some beast. The only way to bring them to a place where he could sell them was by using teleport points, which was also risky as he wasn't sure what kind of diseases these creatures carried.

Despite this loss, there was nothing he could do about it. The captured men and women had left in the direction they came from, and Aric decided to walk towards the city that one of the villagers had pointed out to him. It was a day's journey on foot, so he needed to reach his destination quickly.

"Never did so much walking in my life," Aric thought as he traversed the uneven road filled with multiple potholes. It felt like walking on the roads of ancient India.

Unable to reach his destination in one walk, he returned home for lunch but resumed his journey afterward. Finally, as the sun set low in the evening, he reached a vantage point overlooking a medieval city. He observed carts and travelers coming in and out of the city, most of them paying a toll before entering. Aric decided to wait until the next day to enter the city.

Early the next morning, Aric was back on the road, encountering minimal traffic as carts and pedestrians made their way toward the city. Approaching closer, he could see the imposing walls encircling the city, standing tall and proud like ancient guardians.

Made of sturdy stone and fortified with towers and battlements, the walls spoke of a city accustomed to defending itself against both natural elements and human adversaries. Peering through the crenellations atop the walls, Aric caught glimpses of life within the city—smoke billowing from chimneys and the faint sounds of bustling activity.

There wasn't a queue like the previous evening, so he walked straight toward the huge gate with a wooden gate hanging overhead.

"Pay up," one of the guards demanded, wearing shabby but clean leather armor. Each guard carried a sword on their waist and a shield on their back. Aric fumbled for a moment and produced a copper coin from his small pocket.

The guard inspected the coin and allowed him to enter, to which Aric thanked him.

"The kid looks new," one of the guards nearby remarked.

"There is something wrong with the kid." the guard who had asked Aric to pay said. 

"Why?" The other guard was confused and asked. 

"He is wearing clothes of a villager but he doesn't look like a villager at all. He looks strong for his age and his cheeks were quite rosy which means he is eating his fill. His eyes didn't look hollow and he was more like someone who was eager to see the city rather than someone who is afraid of this place, which is the case for most of the children from villages." 

"Robert, I told you to stop looking at people with your brain. We are just here to get the city tax and then go home." the other guard said. 

"So you too think that there is something wrong with the kid?" Robert replied. 

"No, I don't."