After getting out of that damned ravine, I hurriedly ate a lot of fruit. My stomach was extremely hungry, having had no food down there for 4 days.
Although back when I was a vagrant I indeed rarely ate for days, this condition was very different. It wasn't just about enduring hunger, but an unbearable pain throughout my entire body.
"Don't be greedy," Guiver scolded, his voice sounding irritated. "Your body was just repaired, not rebuilt. Just eat the fruit you need."
I was ordered by Guiver to eat an Avocado. Because most of the fruits here are the same as the ones on Earth where he once lived, he suggested that.
He said that avocados are very good and suitable for my current body condition. A weak body, having passed a critical line between life and death, and needing to restore its weight. I tore the rough skin of the avocado, and its soft texture felt like heaven on my tongue. "It doesn't taste sweet, but this is a good fruit." I muttered softly. I did not care that it wasn't sweet.
When I was homeless before, I couldn't be picky with food, and I didn't care about the taste. And now, the fruit I was eating had no bad taste at all.
"Healthy fats," Guiver muttered inside my head. "That will rebuild your body's foundation. Remember, strong Mana needs a strong vessel."
I ignored his words, focusing only on eating to fill my stomach.
He suddenly asked, "Hey, Kid. This world is divided into two, right?" I immediately stopped eating and began to answer. "Yeah. Why?" I asked, and continued eating.
"What are the names of the two parts?"
I flinched. "Huh? You don't know? Didn't I tell you before?!"
He started to recall. "I don't think so. You only told me about the two territories, Quiet Guardian, and the empire." He said.
I shifted the avocado in my right hand to my left, and placed my right hand on my chin. "Hm... Yeah, yeah. Alright, I'll explain."
I grabbed a tree branch, crouched down and began to draw on the ground. "The rich region is called 'Inner Dominion' and the poor region is called 'Outer Slums'" I said. He suddenly felt annoyed. "Outer Slums?! What the hell is that." He muttered.
I ignored him. "The wall that separates the two regions is called 'The Caste Wall'" I continued, and when he didn't react, I added, "The empire is called 'Sezavield Rateil'" I said softly, finishing the explanation.
Guiver still wanted to ask something. "What does Sezavield Rateil mean?"
Ah, I forgot. He is a person with an extremely high level of curiosity. When one thing is explained, a new question appears. "Hm... If measured by your world, it would probably be closer to... 'The Center of the World.'" I said doubtfully.
He suddenly shouted inside my head. "Center of the world?! What the hell! That's so arrogant!" He grumbled angrily.
I nodded in agreement. He asked again. "But there is one thing that makes me curious, Kid." He said.
I was getting irritated. "What now?!" I shouted.
He tried to calm me down. "Relax." Then he started asking. "Why are the names in English from my previous world?!"
I sighed, exhausted. The fullness I had just gained started to fade because of the barrage of questions. "How would I know!" I shouted. "It's been like that since forever! That is the Average Language."
"Average Language? What do you mean?" Guiver pressed.
"Yeah, that's what they call it. An ancient language that became the root of almost all languages in the world, but now it's only used for important names. Everyone knows this language, but nobody uses it for daily conversation, except crazy people." I said angrily.
He went silent for a moment to think. "Hm... Average... language, huh?" He muttered softly. Then he concluded something. "I already felt strange since I arrived in this world... The fruits here are the same as Earth's... And... It could be that the founder of the empire or the one behind those names also came from Earth."
I didn't care about his conclusion and continued eating the rest of the avocado in my left hand. He kept thinking weird things and I didn't want to get a headache from it. "Instead of thinking about that, why not think about what our next move is?!" I asked while chewing.
He stopped thinking. "Ah, alright. Since your body is already trained..." He said softly. "Why don't you train in a real situation?"
I was confused. "Real training? What do you mean? Do you think my previous training wasn't real?!" I grumbled angrily. I almost died from that training, damn it.
"Of course that was real." He said confidently. "But know this, Kid. The core of everything is fighting humans directly." He continued.
I swallowed my final bite. "Eeeh... I see." I wasn't surprised by him anymore. For someone who had already walked the edge of death, none of this was challenging. "So... Where are we going next?!"
Guiver fell silent, his voice in my head felt like a cold echo. "To a place where you must use all of your abilities, not just to survive, but to judge. We are heading to the nearest city, Geaz City."
I immediately remembered the description I gave him. A den of slave trading, anarchy, and the most depraved place in Outer Slums. "Geaz City," I muttered, trying to measure the level of danger. "That place is full of slave traders and human trash. That's not challenging, Guiver. I could wipe them out in my sleep."
"Arrogance is a poison more deadly than hunger and pain, Kid," Guiver snapped, his voice piercing. "You think they can't fight back? You think they don't have connections? Precisely because Geaz is a trash heap, the Sezavield Rateil Empire often uses that place as an unofficial training ground for cruel young elites."
He gave me a long pause, letting the threat sink in. "Besides, we need two things. Money and Information. Geaz City is the gateway to the dark networks throughout the Outer Slums."
"We will look for proper supplies such as decent weapons, clothes, and coins. Your first mission there is simple, but fatal."
I stood up straight, my gaze fixed forward. "Tell me."
"Find the richest slave trader in Geaz. He must have connections to the Inner Dominion and sells talented slaves there. Take all his coins, and... leave a message."
I scratched the back of my head. "What message?" This damn scientist was always thinking about strange things, who knows what he was planning. Because my brain has limited capacity, I could only follow his lead.
He chuckled, the small laugh was filled with excitement like a predator. "Hehehe... Just write the message like this. 'The judge will come' because important people there understand English, so it will be easier."
I wiped my mouth. "Alright. But what about the materials? I don't have any money." I asked.
He reassured me. "Just take these fruits and sell them."
I was shocked. "Sell them? Aren't these valuable?!"
He was still confident. "We no longer need them, because we will be leaving soon. And besides, this will reduce the people's hunger."
I slowly nodded. "Alright." I started gathering some fruits, about 20 apples and two bunches of bananas. I placed them on banana leaves.
I hurried back to the previous town and began offering the fruits to the merchants. At first, the merchants were not interested in what I brought. "Sorry, Kid. That's suspicious." The merchant said.
I started trying to convince him. "Look at this. It's delicious!" I began to peel the banana in my hand.
The merchant who saw that immediately panicked. "Y-You're going to die!" He shouted. I ignored him and started eating. "Nyam. Nyam. It's good!"
He stared at me with a strange expression. His face was genuinely funny, hahaha. I should be the one finding him strange, not him finding me strange.
"I-It can be... eaten?!" He asked doubtfully.
I handed him one fruit. "Here, try eating it."
He swallowed hard. "Glek..." Slowly peeling it. "If it's poisonous... I hope I die without suffering."
"Idiot!" Guiver shouted in my head. "Just because they've never seen it doesn't mean it's poison. Bananas are the best source of Potassium and Carbohydrates. This must be Sezavield Rateil propaganda saying that all fruit from outside the Inner Dominion is contaminated."
After thinking about it, maybe Guiver was right. If the 'Inner Dominion' people didn't want the 'Outer Slums' people to develop, they could easily spread baseless rumors to prevent the 'Slums Outer' people from getting healthy and nutritious food or becoming intelligent.
These fruits grow randomly, and those who know that cannot completely suppress the growth of the trees. So the easy way is... to spread rumors that those fruits are poisonous.
I watched the merchant. He took a small bite, his eyes tightly shut, waiting for the pain to strike. Then his eyes widened.
"Sweet..." he whispered in disbelief. "And... and I'm not dead?"
"Of course not," I said, now giving a small grin. "So, want to buy them?"
In a short time, all my fruits were sold. That merchant became my most enthusiastic buyer and quickly spread the news that the 'poisonous' fruits could actually be eaten.
I exchanged them for several silver coins because they were considered the most delicious fruits. I bought several papers, a map, and a pen. Although the quality wasn't comparable to Earth's, it was still considered good in this world. And more importantly, a pair of dull old daggers and a dark, worn-out cloak that matched my future identity.
"Pathetic weapons," Guiver commented.
"Hahaha... Weapons are just tools, besides I don't rely too much on them." I placed the two daggers at my waist.
I began to leave this small town. I don't know why, but when I was about to leave, there was a sadness in my chest. This was the town where I met Guiver... Where I survived for 7 years enduring hunger, cold, and heat... Where I was given a piece of bread and a cup of water...
I smiled slowly at the small town, watching people passing by. I closed my eyes for a moment. "Thank you... And... See you again..."
I could feel that Guiver was also smiling a little. I turned around and began walking away from the town. "If we go on foot it'll take long, Kid. Better to fly." Guiver said.
"Fly, huh? But I'm still a beginner." I replied.
"This is the right time for you to fly for 5 days, isn't it?" Guiver shouted.
That was true. "I'll try." I began to coat my entire body with Mana. Then I started trying to fly using wind magic. *Sszzhhh. Slowly, the wind enveloped my entire body, and my body lifted slowly.
"Good, Kid. Give it a push." Guiver directed me. I already knew, because I had studied this before. But my body was still stiff because I wasn't used to it yet.
I gave a push of wind beneath my feet, leaning my body forward. *Wssshhh. My body moved forward in the air. "This is right, isn't it?" I asked uncertainly.
"Still stiff." Guiver said. "Try increasing the speed."
I started trying to follow his words. *Whuusshh. My body flew faster than before.
"Maintain this speed, Kid. I think you can make it in 3 days." Guiver said softly.
I nodded slightly. Looking at the map, I began flying toward Geaz city. I passed through a dense forest. The wind felt calming, the chirping of birds could be heard as I passed the trees. The sound of leaves and branches brushed against my wind magic.
The journey to Geaz City felt endless. More than 4 days in the rickety horse carriage should have been torture.
But for me, Sylzee Aileen, this was a welcomed pause. A pause from fake smiles, tight clothes, and disgusting whispers from rich men.
My older brother, Zert Aileen, sat across from me, holding a bag of gold coins. He never slept soundly. His sunken eyes were always open, either counting money or planning a new way to sell me. He treated me like his most valuable merchandise.
"Five days," Zert muttered, his voice hoarse and dry, as our horse carriage rattled across the rocky road. "We will arrive tomorrow morning. Prepare yourself, Sylzee. Geaz City is a place that knows no mercy."
I simply stared out, looking at the trees we had just passed, my robe and veil covering my entire body, hiding my silver hair and this hated face. "I already know, Zert. I already know how cruel the Outer Slums are."
"You don't know Geaz," Zert snorted. "There, even the rich are not safe. They trade in things they would never dare trade in other cities. That's why the price is high. And that means... your risk is also high."
I closed my eyes. The uneasy feeling that always wrapped around me grew thicker. My life at risk for gold coins, for the revenge I must carry out. "I don't care," I said softly, only for myself to hear. "As long as my goal is achieved."
I thought of the homeless man I used to give bread to. Is he alright? I hope someone like him never ends up in a place like Geaz City.
Suddenly, Zert nudged me. "Listen."
I listened. From afar, beyond the forest we were passing through, there was an abnormal noise of crowds. Screams, loud laughter, and... the sound of a whip. "What is that?" I asked.
Zert gave a small grin, a smile that never reached his eyes. "Welcome to the outskirts of Geaz. They're testing their merchandise. Forget about beauty, Sylzee. Tomorrow, we will enter the real hell."