The cart ride was smooth and surprisingly comfortable. The driver turned out to be decent company too though I'm pretty sure that had more to do with my gold pouch than my charm.
Five days passed like a breeze. Peaceful, quiet, and honestly… refreshing. Don't get me wrong, I liked having Julian around, but traveling without an overly eager eleven-year-old constantly asking questions was a luxury I hadn't realized I needed.
"So, how much are you paying? Usually ten gold, but you could give a little tip for the safe ride," the driver said, winking like he'd pulled off a master negotiation.
I chuckled. "Not in this economy… Just kidding. Here's an extra copper," I said, handing him ten gold and a single copper coin.
"Just one copper, huh? Still appreciate it," he said, laughing as he pocketed the money. "Enjoy your time in the Holy City!"
"Oh, trust me, I will," I said, waving him off.
Now then.
First objective: the food stalls.
In my old life, I loved them. Cheap, flavorful, and bursting with personality, the kind of food that made life worth living. This city was massive, vibrant, and full of energy. No way it didn't have a few good ones tucked away in the streets.
"But damn, this place is huge," I muttered. Everywhere I looked, there were people. kids running around, merchants shouting prices, travelers snapping photos in their heads. The buildings were sturdy and well-crafted, showing more design and care than anything I'd seen so far in the Central Lands.
"I'm guessing they get a lot of tourists here," I said to myself, weaving through the crowd. "Must be annoying for the locals though."
The streets were wide, but not wide enough for how packed the city was. A construction site stood nearby, not quite like the ones back on Earth. These people didn't have heavy machinery or neon vests. Just normal folks with shovels, ropes, and determination.
"Or maybe it's just because they don't wear those weird fluorescent uniforms," I muttered.
The city was alive: noisy, colorful, full of laughter and motion. But… it also stank. Badly.
"Yeah, no one here believes in soap," I sighed, pinching my nose. "Holy city, unholy smell."
I guess the nice thing about this city is that no one really pays attention to me. Everyone's too busy running around, talking, selling, living. In a crowd this dense, even someone like me just blends in.
Well, that's if you aren't a tall, nonchalant, handsome guy like myself.
Thinking about it, though, crime rates here must be through the roof. So many people, so much chaos, I'm surprised no one's tried to pick my pocket yet.
I glanced down the street. The food stalls were about three hundred meters away. Perfect. Time to see if the Holy City's food was as "holy" as its reputation.
Walking up to the vendor, I scanned the menu and scratched my head. "Hmm…" I glanced left, then right, trying to decide.
"Be careful not to get your stinky breath on my food," a woman snapped suddenly.
"Stinky? I cast Cleanse on myself every day. If anything, I'd be sanitizing your food," I replied with a grin.
She glared at me, unimpressed. "Let me put this simply. Don't breathe near the food."
I blinked. "Alright, alright, alright," I said, raising my hands in surrender.
Everything looked ridiculously tasty. No way I was leaving without trying it all. "Hmm… you know what? I'll take one of everything."
The woman stared at me like I was insane.
"Okay, fine," I said, pretending to reconsider. "Let's start with a hamburg pie and the pepperoni beef slices."
"Coming right up," she said, her tone softening as she scooped everything into a bag. "Have a good day."
I took the bag and walked off, already salivating.
This world never fails to surprise me. Somehow, they've recreated actual Western dishes — and even invented a few new ones. A hamburg pie, for example: it's like a hamburger, but instead of a bun, it's wrapped in the crust of a pie.
"And it tastes good too!" I said with genuine excitement, taking a bite.
The savory flavor hit perfectly, crispy crust, juicy meat, and just the right amount of spice. Maybe this holy city wasn't so bad after all.
Now that I'd filled my stomach with some delicious food, it was time to reassess my situation.
There's a good chance the demons are working together. The faint seal I saw on Bernard wasn't just decoration — it was a connection. A line of communication.
Normally, that would've been enough to put anyone on edge. And to be fair, I am on guard. But if I'm being honest, I'm more confident than anything. So far, from all my experiments, nothing has managed to bypass my Infinity. Not magic, not mana interference, not even divine energy.
And through more testing, I've figured out something else, this world's "binding vows" don't work the same way. You can't just give up magic to gain something else, or make the same kind of cursed pacts I'm used to.
"This makes it even more plausible that no one should be able to break through my Infinity," I said to myself.
Still, who's to say there isn't some absurdly overpowered freak of nature out there. A mage, a demon, or maybe even something worse capable of killing me? I wouldn't like to die a second time, but if it came to that… I'd rather go out with a bang than live knowing I was scared and ran away.
"Well, that probably sounds stupid," I chuckled.
I stepped into a nearby inn, the warm lights spilling through the windows. After all that walking and eating, a good rest didn't sound too bad.
"One room for five nights," I said, tossing a few coins onto the counter.
"That'll be seven gold," the innkeeper replied with a smile.
"Seven?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. In that random village there were only 5 gold coins.
"Prices went up," she said, shrugging, "you do know where you are right?"
"Talk about inflation," I muttered, paying the extra anyway.
The bed looked soft, the room quiet perfect for a little thinking time.
---
Early chapters on my discord: discord.gg/QRSjC6pNF4
Power stone goals:
350: 1 bonus chapter
450: 2 bonus chapters
Sorry for the late update, I was tired.