"Please, kind sirs, please help me stand up..."

Mog curiously looked at the source of the voice. Near the steps of the temple of the gods, an old and withered woman lay on the ground. Her hair was long, messy, and white. Her skin color was gray. She had long elf ears, and her body was frail and bony. At a glance, you could see that she was an old half-drow. And from the blindfold on her eyes and the cane on the ground a few meters away, you could tell that she was blind.

Mog frowned. Not just because he found the situation pitiable, but because nobody was helping her, not even casting her a glance. In an analogy, she was like a rock in a river, and the people were the water, avoiding even looking at her. Even the temples clergy ignored her.

Mog frowned and decided to help the old lady.

Rizor, Mog's adoptive father, could be said to have saved Mog from certain death. Without him, he would have died before reaching the age of 3 and would have starved to death on the streets. He had seen many other half-blood kids die in this way. There was no such thing as an orphanage in the Lamarian empire, only adopting. Mog would never forget the kindness shown to him by the old thief, so he held compassion for the needy. It would only cost him a bit of time and effort, so he did not mind helping her.

He went and picked up the cane before heading towards the old lady and crouching down and helping her out, "Madam, I will help you. Hold tight."

The old woman felt his touch and heard his words and replied in appreciation, "Thank you, deary."

"Don't mention it. Just be careful next time."

After helping the elderly woman stand up and returning her cane, Mog was about to leave when he heard her exclaim in pain.

"Ow ow ow, my small back!"

Mog immediately turned around to help her, "Madam, are you alright?"

The old woman held her back with one hand as she said, "I-I'm fine, I'm fine... I just hurt my back a bit. Could you be a dear and help me walk to the fountain for me to rest?"

Mog didn't answer her immediately and took a glance at the sky. It was currently afternoon. Currently, it was still summer, so he didn't need to gather wood for a bonfire and only needed a few essentials. He could spare a bit of his time.

"Sure, I will help."

Mog helped the woman to the fountain. On the way, she asked, "What is your name, young lad?"

"Mog." He answered simply.

"Ah, Mog... Orcish for Valor. Your parents must have hoped for you to become a brave man who stood for himself."

Mog didn't comment on it and just continued silently escorting her, but the old woman was rather talkative.

"Say, Mog, would you like me to do you a reading?"

Mog paused for a bit before continuing to walk and asked, "A reading? Are you a witch?"

It was a known fact that some witches could do readings for people for a fee. A successful reading could change people's fortune for the better, allowing greater accomplishments in life. Some rumors say that a normal man once became an actual god thanks to a single successful reading, although it is an unfounded rumor. Naturally, unsuccessful or fake readings may lead to ruin, so caution was advised.

The old woman cackled for a bit and said, "I prefer being called a soothsayer, Mog. I usually charge 2 large silver coins for it, but for you, I will do it for free."

Mog once again looked into the sky and did some inner calculations before he replied, "Alright, but please make it quick."

The old soothsayer cackled, "No worries, dear boy. It will only take a few minutes of your time."

After arriving at the fountain and sitting down, the old soothsayer said, "I will need to touch you to do my reading, is that ok?"

Mog shrugged, "Sure, go ahead."

The old soothsayer took both of Mogs hands started to feel them, "You were born on the 27th of the month of wind on the year 4983 of the new holy calendar, yes?"

Mog shook his head, "I do not know. I am an orphan."

"Ah... I see. Let's read about your parents, then..."

She then reached out and felt his face. She felt his cheeks, chin, nose, eyelids, forehead, hair, and ears.

"Hm... Your father is quite the handsome half-drow half-human Legendary Rogue, and your mother is... By the gods! An Orc Legendary Berserker?! He sure is ballsy..."

When Mog heard this, his eyes widened in shock and disbelief! Legendary Rogue? Legendary Berserker? Those were both demigod existences! What bullshit was this madwoman spouting?!

Besides, if they were so powerful, why was he an orphan?

Although he didn't believe they were so powerful, he couldn't help but ask, "Are they alive?"

"Hm... Let me check..."

After a minute, she shook her head, "I don't know. Their readings are obscured. You will have to find out for yourself, kid."

Ignoring the bummed out Mog, the old soothsayer hummed a tone as she quickly finished her probing.

She held a strange look as she said, "Well, kid, I have read your fortune. I can tell you that you will lead a very bumpy but exciting life."

Mog waited for her to continue, but she remained silent, "Wait, that's it?"

"Yep, that's it. If I say anymore, then it would affect your future adversely."

Feeling like he has been had, Mog wanted to leave. However, before he could stand up, the old soothsayer said, "Wait, kiddo. Don't you want to see your status?"

When Mog heard Status, he immediately sat back down. Every creature in the world of Aessonia had a status inside them. Normally, you couldn't access it by yourself, but a status reading could be done through various means, allowing a creature to view its own statistics. A soothsayer's reading was one such method and was said to be higher level than readings based on items, such as the adventurers guild evaluation stone.

Naturally, Mog wouldn't pass on such an offer. Readings were divided into 4 ranks; Beginner, intermediate, advanced, and perfect.

Beginner readings revealed only the personal details of a person, such as his name, race, level, classes, age, and state. City gatekeepers and certain establishments usually use beginner evaluation stones to determine an entrant's identity and general strength. Such evaluation stones were inexpensive

Intermediate ones also revealed the stats of a being, comprising of strength, vitality, agility, intelligence, wisdom, awareness, aura, and mana. All adventurer guilds had an intermediate stone that could do intermediate readings, but it was usually an under-the-counter thing that cost 1 silver for each use. Rizor, who was also a part-time adventurer, had Mog use an intermediate stone to determine his mana talent. 

Advanced readings determined the individual's skills and gave more detailed stats. Be it swordsmanship, archery, magic discipline, blacksmithing, tailoring, medicine, prayer, and even soothsaying, they were all skills of an individual. Some skills even included racial abilities such as the orcs blood-rage skill or a snake's poison bite. There was no such thing as class-specific skills, but an individual's race and classes gave a boost in a person's ability to develop related skills and stats faster. Those who had advanced reading stones were usually powerful aristocrats or the main branches of the adventurer guild or other powerful organizations. A single reading costs 20 silvers.

As for Perfect readings... They could read of a person's talents and even blessings! Only a powerful soothsayer or other such occupation had such an ability. What's more, the reading was completely private. Only the recipient could read it in his mind. Because such a reading was taxing on the soothsayer and the rarity of such powerful soothsayers, such reading had a fixed price of a thousand silvers for each time. Even then, whether the soothsayer would be willing or not was a whole different matter.

Mog naturally understood that the Soothsayer would do, at the minimum, an intermediate reading on him. Although it wasn't much, it was always nice to know your status again. Who knows? Maybe it could even be an advanced reading.

He said with respect, "Please do the reading, madam soothsayer."

The soothsayer smiled and said, "Alright. Close your eyes and relax your mind. You might feel a little tingle."

The soothsayer placed her hand on Mog's head and recited, "By the power bestowed upon me by the venerable goddess of fate, Emphine, I call upon thee to grant this lost lamb a glimpse into his own soul. Perfect Read Status."

After she recited that, Mog suddenly felt a small tingling sensation in his body, as if his insides were being tickled. Immediately after that, a screen formed in his mind: