Hambright City was one of the few cities in the surroundings that had a temple that performs the Awakening ceremony. After getting out of the carriage, Lance was astonished at the dimension of the wall the surrounded the city. Even in his former world, this kind of size was doable but it would take many years just to lay the foundations that would support the top of the wall.

"Dad, how did they make a wall this size?" Lance relied on the knowledge of Caius, after all, he was a native while he was someone that happened to be here by chance. 

Caius looked at the wall that extended itself for about 20 meters. He put his hand on Lance's shoulder and said.

"They probably hired many earth mages to construct something of this magnitude. For this kind of work, earth mages were always the ones that City Lords rely on to build one."

Lance gasped. That was one of his hypothesis but still, he couldn't help but marvel at the functionality of magic. He and Caius along with the other people in the carriage began to walk towards the gate that from there they could enter the city.

At the gate, many soldiers were inspecting the merchandise and the people for any contraband or hidden fugitive. When it was their turn, Caius smiled at the soldier and handed a small pouch filled with copper coins. The soldier opened the pouch and smiled seeing the coins. He waved at the other soldier and said.

"Hey, Broc tonight I'm gonna pay everyone a round! Ahahaaa..."

The other soldiers all laughed, while the one that Caius gave the pouch made way for them to enter the city. Lance couldn't help but think after seeing that scene.

'Like they say, "Money makes the world go round".'

Inside the city, Caius guided Lance deep into the city. Walking through the streets, he could see that most people were happy in the safe environment of the city but deep down they were filled with worries about their future. In cities, this size was common to have many gangs and in a world where the mages ruled society, the average citizen was afraid that one day a son of a mage would kidnap their daughter or on a whim killed their whole family on the accusation of offending a mage.

He sighed thinking that this was the world where he was reborn but thinking about it wasn't so different from his old one where the powerful treat the weak as ants beneath their feet. He clenched his feet getting a little nervous about the impending ceremony.

They arrived at the inn called The Sleeping Beast. Inside, Caius booked a two-bedroom and also ordered dinner for two. They went towards the room where they put their luggage and went down to eat dinner. When Lance saw the food he was charmed by the aroma the was being released by the steaming plate of meat. Ever since he was reborn in this world, he never exited Flick Village and most dishes he had tasted were oatmeals and bread with a slice of meat and some scrambled eggs. So when he took that first bite it seemed like food made by an angel and he only came to himself when his fork and knife touch the plate and not the food. As if something had awoken within him, he got up from his seat and head towards the stand.

"Hey, excuse me!"

The old man at the stand filling some mugs with beer when he heard a boy calling for him. He was slightly surprised when he heard someone calling without any obscene word being said in each sentence.

"What is it, lad?"

"Who was the one that made that food?! It was so good like an angel had descended from the sky just to make this peace of divine grace." As the words were exiting his mouth he began to lick his lips as if his tongue was trying to find the last piece of that divine meal.

The moment he heard the first word, the old man couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had a vast experience when dealing with all kinds of people throughout the years and he had witnessed many scenes were the youngest try by using their glib tongue to charm girls but never in his life had he heard something so well-spoken.

Lance looked at the man expecting an answer but the man stood there frozen looking towards his face as if he was looking at a rare beast. He began waving his hand in front of the old man's face in the hope of bringing this man back to reality.

"Hey, hey are you there? Did you hear me?"

The man only came back to himself when Lance's hand crossed his face three times. 

"Uhn... Ye-s, y-es I heard you! I will call Miranda..." Stuttering, the man turned back heading to the kitchen, when a voice sounded from within.

"You don't need to call me as I heard everything."

A woman came past the doors leading to the kitchen and although she was slightly past thirty years old and had an apron dressed people could see that she was once a beauty. Miranda approached Lance and leaned across the stand showing her very advantageous cleavage. 

"So you are the boy who complimented my food as food made by an angel? So you were complimenting the food or were you complimenting me?" Miranda smirked while she looked right in the eyes of the boy only to find out that he was really handsome.

Lance didn't blush like a rookie, more like a veteran, and instead, he approached her and maintained that intense stare with her.

"After looking at you, I think I misplaced my words. The food that you made wasn't made by an angel..."

"Oh... You sneaky moth..." Miranda turned red with rage hearing those words and when she was about to curse as she had never cursed before, she was stunned by the following words that came from Lance's mouth.

"... but by a goddess. A goddess so beautiful that her beauty was attached to the meal making worthy of rivers of gold and dangerous as the most addictive drug."

She couldn't believe it. A virgin boy that was here for the first time could say that kind of words without flinching and blushing, she had never felt something like what she was feeling right now.

While Lance was happy seeing all those emotions flash across her face, he couldn't help but be completely stunned when she suddenly kissed him. Although he was not a rookie at this of flirting he was still a teenage boy in the epitome of his youth. Being kissed like that even he began to show opposition but eventually, he gave up to his 'teenage' urges and began to kiss her back.

After some time, she finally pushed him back while blushing and laughing and then run off back to the kitchen. Lance only came to himself when he heard a dry cough right beside his ears. He looked beside him only to see a Caius with three very distinct black lines across his forehead.

He tried to give so explanation, but Caius without any warning slapped the back of his head.

"The first time I take you out of the village and the first thing you do is to elope some girl right when I take my eyes away from you. Get your ass back to your bed and I dare you to take a step outside of your room before the next morning!"

Lance ran upstairs like there was no tomorrow. He wouldn't dare to defy Caius as when threatened he meant it. That night he dreamed of the sweet lips of Miranda and her sexy curves, so you could say he didn't sleep that much.

...................................

The next morning, he and Caius were in front of the building that performed the Awakening Ceremony, the City Temple.