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I get up early the next morning, freshen up, and make my way to the inn’s dining area for some breakfast. And with the smell of bacon in the air, I already know it's going to be good.
When I reach the dining area I see the usual commoner kids who usually get up early and even a few noble and merchant kids who now get up early to beat the morning rush.
The only major difference is that they are all giving me a wide berth and some of them give me nervous side eyes, it was mostly the nobles though. The commoner kids seem less on edge but still standoffish.
I can only guess this means my carriage mates have spread the word of me killing the 2 bandits that tried to hijack my carriage.
I doubt it is good for my reputation, but what can I do? The best cause of action still stands, keep quiet about it and let the rumor blow over. I am sure that eventually some exciting event will come along and make these kids forget I exist, it is not like these kids would be my classmates anyway.
I quickly finish up my meal and let 1 of the escort knights know that I am going out to do some sightseeing in the town. Because the knights were also on chaperone duty, the knight I approached made a call for anyone else who wanted to join.
Naturally, from the silent treatment I was currently receiving, nobody wanted to come along with me. Seeing that nobody wanted to come along, the knight gave me sad eyes like I was some kind of poor abandoned child.
I just rolled my eyes at him and waved off his concerns before heading off into town, I have a full day to stretch my legs before we travel again and I intend to use every minute of it.
After asking around, I got directions to the local food stand scene and made my way there.
After getting something to munch on, I started browsing the local shops. There were the standard groceries, blacksmith, tailor, and other such shops one would expect to see in a town.
Seeing nothing I really needed, I decided to visit the local bookstore to see what they had in stock, maybe I could pick up a book if it was cheap enough, without Dad around, I cannot afford to splurge, and books are 1 of the expensive things in this new world. mostly because everything is still written by hand.
As I entered the bookstore, the bell attached to the door chimed, and an old man reading at the counter looked up from his book.
After seeing me, a well-dressed young man with an armored knight by my side, he quickly connected the dots and rushes from behind the counter to greet me, “Welcome young master, how may I help you on this fine day? Is there any particular book you are looking for?”
I just gave the man a nod and replied, “There is no need for assistance, I am just browsing for anything that catches my interest.”
“Understood, if you need any assistance, you need only ask.” The old man gave a small bow and went back to his reading.
As I browsed, I skipped the “Fiction” section because at this point, I had come to terms that I was living out a life that would be seen in said fiction, so why would I read about other fictions when there is more to learn about this world.
As I skimmed through the titles in the “Non-Fiction” section, I saw many of the books I have read over the years and some. There were biographies and memoirs of famous long-dead people, history books of places and their politics, and books of science and nature, but I use the word science rather loosely because the book says the world is flat.
Once I reached the “Reference” section, the only thing I found different from other bookstores around was a book on the local flora in the area, which was not much help, so I skipped it.
That was when I noticed a box in the corner with a “Clearance” sign and a bunch of books haphazardly jumbled inside. Deciding that I had some time to see what made these books so bad they would be put on clearance, I went to take a look, could have some funny titles on them.
And I was right, there were some dumb titles in here, like “A Thousand Ways to Cook a Squirrel” and “Jokes to tell your wife: Just Try to Survive After Doing So”.
I did get a chuckle out of a few other titles, that was until I found a rather raggedy and scuffed up looking book at the bottom of the box.
At first, I thought it was just seeing things, but as I got a better look at the book, I recognized the characters on the book cover, it was in fucking Chinese!
After dredging up from my mind the language I have not used in so many years since my father from my previous life left China with us, I read the title “Travels of Zhang Jun”
I opened the book and on the first page, there seemed to be a message to the reader.
“To whomever may find this journal,
My name is Zhang Jun, son of Zhang Wei & Li Ying, and I find myself far removed from my homeland.
In an effort to document my experiences and preserve a connection to my past, I have decided to start this journal. Through these pages, I hope to capture the experiences and challenges of my journey, as well as share reflections on the parallels between my old life and this new one.
If you are reading this, I would most likely have gone to meet my ancestors, so I ask a small favor of you. Please, if you have the means, endeavor to pass this journal along to my parents in the city of Chang'an, in the province of Shaanxi. Please give them my apologies for not being a filial son, and that though I am far from home, my heart remains steadfast in its love for them.
In the pages that follow, I will recount my adventures, share my observations, and perhaps even offer insights gleaned from my experiences.”
I flipped through the pages and saw that the journal was full, does that mean there is a 2nd volume of the journal out there?
I dig around the “Clearance” box once more to confirm if there is a 2nd volume, but there is not.
Sad, but at least I have something interesting to read.
To think, there may be more people like me out there who came from Earth, and seeing the writing style and the use of classical Chinese characters, this Zhang Jun guy but be from ancient China. So how old is this book? Is it going to disintegrate if I handle it too roughly?
I carefully took the journal to the store owner and bought it for slightly under its weight in paper, which was dirt cheap, but I bet he was glad to get rid of the book with an unknown language from his store.
With book in hand, I go back to the inn. There is much reading to be done.
PartB· Mar 30, 2024
