Chapter 5: New Look
"Are you alright? What are you screaming for?" Nile asked as he unconsciously moved back from Alan.
"I..." Alan could barely mutter a word as his mind started to race. His body began to wobble and even sweat a bit as his mind tried to process the new information he acquired.
"I'm not sure about what is going on, but you just need to breathe. You can keep that book if you want. I can just buy another one." Nile laughed.
Alan slowly shook his head before he lets out a sigh, "I'm sorry about the outburst. I really haven't been in touch with the outside world for a long time. " He said as he awkwardly laughed.
"This doesn't make any sense at all...How am I ten years in the future? " Alan thought as he silently flipped through the encyclopedia.
Nile thoughtfully stroked his chin as he intensively observed Alan read. No one could know what he was thinking.
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It was now late afternoon, and Alan was busy absorbing every bit of information the encyclopedia had to offer. Alan even found himself smiling as he read little notes Tesa put in the book, and it reminded him of the articles she wrote for the school newspaper.
*Knock Knock*
"Yes?" Nile answered as the door to the carriage was opened by one of the servants.
"Master Nile we have reached the entrance to Merton. Is there anywhere you wish to stop at while we make preparations at an inn?" The servant asked.
"That's great news," Nile stretched his limbs as he has been sitting in the same position for so long. "How about you drop us around Cornelius's store."
"As you wish Master Nile." The servant bowed before he closed the door.
"What is Merton like?" Alan asked as he put the book to the side.
"I really wonder about you sometimes, but since you are my savior, then I guess I have no choice but to share my information. You should be lucky." Nile smiled as he shrugged his shoulders.
"You should be lucky that I don't strangle your little neck." Alan thought as he smiled back at the young boy.
Nile then told Alan about Merton and how it recently came to be after the "Calamity."
Merton was built on the northern side of a massive lake filled to the brim with new types of fish. The lake is so massive that it earned the name Olvadi Sea.
Certified fishers can only catch the new type of fish that live in Olvadi Sea, and if anyone caught fishing without a license could be punished. However, the reason for that is because of the danger of encountering a specific kind of monster called the Rainbow Berserker.
The people of Merton have learned to survive against the monster. It is one of their primary sources of income as the flesh of the monster has incredible healing effects.
Alan peaked out the window on the side of the carriage, and the bustling town that Nile just described.
Hundreds of people with bright smiles upon their faces were busy with their daily lives. Children were running around playing, and merchants were hard at work to sell their wares. Although this place was considered a town, it was almost like a city from how busy it was during the daytime.
The carriage soon came to a stop after several minutes, and the door opened again after a knock.
It was Johnson this time.
" Master we have reached your destination. The others went off to make preparations for the inn." Johnson said as Nile immediately climbed out of the carriage.
Nile coughed a bit and then took a deep breath, "Finally fresh air. I didn't think that I could stand the smell of you any longer Alan."
"Haha..." Alan awkwardly laughed as he clenched his fists, but then his attention was grabbed by the store in front of him. "What's this?"
"It's a store run by one of my father's friends." Nile puffed out his chest and slyly smiled as they entered the store.
The group was greeted with an array of different styles of clothing placed throughout the building. A plump man with short auburn hair immediately walked up to the group with the biggest smile possible.
"Welcome to my humble st--" The man immediately stopped smiling and glared at the young boy standing in front of him. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of having the heir to the Ainsworth family in my store?"
One could tell straight away the man had animosity with Ainsworth family from the way he said it. However, Nile completely ignored as the chubby man was no threat to him.
"I'm here to get some new clothes for my friend here, Cornelius." Nile pointed to Alan who was standing right next to him.
Cornelius glanced at Alan, and there was a hint of disgust in his eyes, "Ah...you definitely do need new clothing...and a shower. Do you expect me to provide all of that for you Young...master."
Nile clapped his hands excitedly, "Yes, exactly! You know me so well Cornelius! I want the best for him, and if you do good. I'll put in a good word for you to my father."
"Yes...right this way...sir." Cornelius groaned as he started to walk towards the back of his store where a single door was placed.
Alan quickly followed behind the man as he opened the door, and behind it looked like someone's house. The house was quite cozy despite the few valuable looking pieces of furniture here and there. However, what caught Alan's eye first was a picture frame that sat in the middle of a dresser.
Alan pointed at the picture, "Who is tha--"
"Quickly get out of those filthy clothes and take a shower. I will throw those clothes into the garbage." Cornelius didn't let Alan finish his question and held his hand out to take Alan's dirty clothes.
Alan didn't quite understand why this man was unfriendly, but if he was going to let him take a shower, then he couldn't complain. "That picture..."
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Alan quickly entered the shower after Cornelius pointed it out to him. The restroom was actually well made and pleasingly to the eye with its elegant choice of colors.
Alan immediately felt relaxed underneath the rush of heated water and closed his eyes to recollect all his thoughts, "Ten years...it really has been that long. I wonder if mom is doing ok or Estelle. Wouldn't she be 16 now? How would I go about finding them...What if they--"
*Knock Knock*
A knock outside on the door had interrupted Alan before he thought too deeply about his current dilemma.
"Are you finished? I need to take your measurements." Cornelius asked.
"I'll be right there!" Alan shouted as he hurried to clean himself.
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An hour later Alan was found standing with a just a towel wrapped around his body.
Cornelius seemed not to care that Alan was practically naked and didn't hesitate to take Alan's measurements for new clothing.
*Squeak*
The door that separated the house and the store opened.
Cornelius held a set of folded clothes in hands and handed it over to Alan. "Here take these and hurry up. I don't want that cursed boy in my store any longer." He contemptuously spat as he turned his back to Alan.
"Is Nile that bad?" Alan asked as he quickly started to put his new clothes on.
"He takes after his father who I really despise. He was the one that sponsored my store after the Calamity. However, once the Ainsworth family sponsors you, you need to be prepared for a world of hurt." Cornelius sighed as he was filled with regret of his past choices.
"Are the Ainsworth family that scary?" Alan managed to ask as most of his attention was on the clothes. All of it felt high quality, and Cornelius even provided him with underwear that he missed.
"Hmm...You seem like a decent guy. So, I give you this advice right now. When you have the chance...escape from the Ainsworth family." Cornelius solemnly said as he clenched his fists tightly together.
Alan stopped for a moment and glanced at the man. Although he didn't know Cornelius personally, he did know that this man was suffering, and it seemed to be related to the Ainsworth family.
"Who exactly are they?" Alan thought as he finished putting on all of the clothes down to the knee-high brown lace-up boots.
"If your done then hurry up and get out." Cornelius figured Alan was done after he hadn't heard any movement for some time.
"Thank--"
"Don't thank me. Just hurry up and get out of here. Make sure that little brat keeps his word..."
Alan nodded slightly and walked towards the door leading to the store.
Cornelius walked over to the picture frame on the dresser and picked it up after Alan left, "My two precious girls...I almost have enough to pay back the Ainsworth family, and then I'll have you home.." He said as tears started to form in the corner of his eyes.
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Alan walked around the store to find a mirror, and he was quite surprised at what he saw. He looked like some sort of character from a JRPG (Haha~), and he even started to think he was one. He was wearing a white dress shirt worn underneath a blue vest with a large collar and black pants.
"I don't think this is the style for me...But it was for free." Alan sighed as he slowly walked out of the store where one of the servants was waiting for him.
The servant bowed slightly before speaking, "Master Nile got a bit tired of waiting and went to walk around the town a bit. He instructed me to give you this bracelet. You are going to use it a lot."
The servant handed Alan an oversized bracelet that was made out of some gray reflective material, and in the middle of it was an embedded green jewel.
"Ah, I saw this in the encyclopedia...is this an Esther bracelet...right?" Alan asked as he took hold of the bracelet and slid his fingers along the cold-feeling material. And then suddenly his eyes began to turn dull as if the bracelet was dragging his consciousness away.
Away into deep dark space...
*Snap*
The servant snapped his fingers, and the noise caused Alan to jump from being startled.
"...What just happened..." Alan muttered as he held his head after he felt a bit nauseous.
"You need to be careful when you are dealing with these bracelets, especially when you haven't inserted your mana into it. The Esther bracelet allows people to store items, and the space depends on the user. However, there is the potential danger of becoming a mindless corpse due to the strange properties of the embedded jewel." The servant carefully explained.
Alan shivered at the thought, and despite the danger, he decided to put the bracelet onto his left wrist. He then inserted his mana into it as if it was natural to him, and the bracelet shrunk to fit his wrist.
The servant's eyes widen a bit for only a moment, "That's good. You did it without any problems at all. It usually takes people a few tries, but you managed to bind the bracelet on your first try. Now no one should be able to open your Esther bracelet without your permission."
Alan glanced at the jewel on the bracelet, and it immediately started glow as if it was a shining star. He then found himself floating inside of an empty green space. The feeling felt familiar, but he couldn't remember anything about it.
And then with a single thought, Alan returned back to reality. (A/N : Oh there goes gravity!~)
"What feels like an eternity in there is really only a couple of seconds in real life. That is what I have been told. Only nobles and strong adventurers have the means to possess this kind of item." The servant said with a hint of jealousy behind his voice.
"Tell Nile that I'll be going on my own journey, and I thank him for everything he has given me." Alan hurriedly said as he started running away from the servant.
"W-wait!" The servant started to run after Alan, but Alan was too quick on his feet.
*Crash*
Alan slammed into something metal, "Ow...I'm sorry about that-"
Alan looks up to see Johnson hovering over him, glaring fiercely at Alan with his yellow eyes.
"Ah, there you are Alan. Where were you going in such a hurry?"
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LordEmil
LordEmil Hey guys! I was really late on this chapter! Forgive me! I made it longer to make up for the lost time! Drop a comment down below about what you think!
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