Darius felt his heart tighten hearing these footsteps, and his body tensed. Without looking back, he continued to walk.
"Friend, care to give me a second of your time?"
'Over my dead body,' Hearing the hoarse voice calling out to him from behind, Darius didn't even think twice before he sprinted in one direction, with his eyes darting left and right to spot an inn.
Silence...
Standing at the front of the tattered shop, a young man wearing a black robe with curly hair scratched his head in confusion," What's wrong with my approach? Sigh, I thought he was a potential buyer of this cursed place."
***
It was a night without sleep as Darius' brain was still in shock from all of these events.
As countless thoughts appeared and disappeared, Darius had a sudden thought," System, if I just occupy a random shop, will that do? Or do I have to buy it officially?"
The reason he came to the outer city was precisely because of the abandoned buildings. However, he also knew the system had potential rules, and to not get into trouble for no reason, he first had to make sure.
As for the moral of it? That thought never crossed Darius's mind.
Gangs and other unlawful entities occupied such places for dealings; he wouldn't stand on ceremony, especially when his future depended on it.
[Positive. Host can indeed occupy a random shop or anything of that sort. However, host can never do so if the building isn't abondoned.]
Darius guessed that much, without thinking much of it. Immediately, he shoved away the thin silk blanket and got up neatly. He opened the window and found that the spring rain had stopped.
Bang, Bang, Bang.
The maiden working inside the inn, as instructed, banged his wooden clappers in a rhythm.
The sounds spread into the room; Darius could barely keep his eyelids open while his heart silently thought, "It's already the hour before dawn."
His body was very weak, his energy was not so vigorous, and thus his body and mind were still shrouded in exhaustion.
However, with past years of experience, Darius had long built up deep, steel-like determination. This sort of sleep-deprived exhaustion is nothing to him.
The mix of fragrances of the earth, trees, and wild flowers greeted him. Darius felt his head clear, the sleepiness washing away cleanly. Right now, the sun had yet to rise, the sky still a deep dark blue, not dark yet not bright.
Looking around, the tall houses made of steel, stone, and glass brought mixed feelings.
'I have really transmigrated to a world where Earth exists, and people have powers beyond human comprehension.' Taking a deep breath, Darius calmed his stirring heart and thought about his next plans.
"Young master Darius, you're awake. I will go upstairs and call someone to help you wash up." At this moment, a maiden's voice floated up from downstairs.
A smile adorned Darius's face before he quickly shook his head," There is no need. Just prepare my breakfast."
The maiden was momentarily stunned downstairs, as it was the first time someone had declined such an offer. Shaking off that weird feeling, she quickly made preparations for Darius and the other guests alongside him.
'Let's hope this system is truly reliable,' Thinking this much, Darius left the inn room, went and took a quick refreshing bath himself for a couple of minutes before he headed downstairs.
After arriving at the main hall, he quickly found an empty table thanks to the early hour. It didn't take long before a waiter approached and gave him his breakfast.
"Enjoy, young master Darius," the maiden's voice drifted into Darius's ears at that moment.
Darius just nodded and didn't bother to glance at the maiden. Without any more distractions, he placed his attention on the meal, the enticing aroma filling his nostrils as he dug in as though he were a starving dog.
The breakfast wasn't anything amazing, just a cup of tea, fried eggs, and rice. Yet to Darius, such a meal was everything he could ever ask for.
"No wonder people say that you only appreciate something after you lose it," Darius nodded in between, truly experiencing a satisfactory meal.
His thoughts darted to different places before a tear drifted from his eyes towards his chin onto the table.
Sigh...
'Indeed, I did feel such a meal with my family back then.'
"Young master, would you pay with cash or a bank?" The maiden once again came over after seeing that Darius ended his meal. She didn't need to ask to add more to his meal since that rarely occurred in the morning.
Darius was taken aback by the question as he quickly composed himself, wiped the water under his eyes, and looked at the waiter for the first time.
The girl had two ponytails hanging behind her. She was wearing a long green robe with a veil covering her face. The sight was so bewildering that Darius didn't know how to react.
"Young master?" The maiden tilted her head in confusion, not sure how to act around this weird client.
Shaking his head, Darius spoke," I'm sorry, I just recalled a few matters." Scratching his hair, he continued," As for the payment, do you accept stones?"
He had no idea how banks worked inside the sanctuary, nor did he have any time or need to research that for now. However, he had an idea how the cash part worked, and that was either with bronze, silver, or gold.
Well, that would be for the common people, but another form of currency existed.
"Spirit stones?!" The maiden felt her head buzz as she saw Darius take out what looked like two spirit stones from his pocket.
"Is anything wrong? I want to pay with one of these and exchange the rest with gold," Darius was puzzled by her reaction, but didn't dwell much on it as he spoke of his needs.
"Young...young master, such a sum of money can never be converted into gold inside of an inn, please stop making fun of me," The maiden was trembling all over as she spoke these words. She hurriedly told him to wait for a moment, and quickly hurried back to the kitchen and stayed there for a couple of minutes.