Chapter 3:Edoldon The City of Adventures

Chapter 3:Edoldon The City of Adventures

As the carriage made its way on the road to Edoldon, I found myself quietly taking in the scenery. This was then interrupted by Theo who asked me a question.

“Sorry to ask you this but do you happen to have an Identifier card on you?”

Remembering the card Lina gave me, the object appeared in my hand as soon as I thought about it.

“Do you mean this?”

Showing them my card both of them nodded to each other then Maribella spoke up and said. “That should be good enough, though it might still be hard to get in without proper paper work.”

As if right on cue Lina appeared in front of them and turned to me and said. “Show them the back of your right hand master.”

Looking at the back of my right hand the symbol that was there before no longer was visible but I could still feel its presence.

“Just channel a little bit of mana to your right hand and it will appear again.” Lina explained.

I began to focus, and a strange feeling came over me. It gathered around my right hand. Then, a light appeared on my hand. It was not as bright as before, but the symbol showed up again.

When two adventurers saw the symbol they looked shocked and looked at me with excitement in their faces.

“Your… a [Blessed One] Miss Akira..” Theo said with a look of admiration in his eyes.

“[Blessed One]?”

Recovering from the shock Maribella answered my question. A [Blessed One] is equal to a [Hero]. She explained that unlike a Hero, who is born with a special blessing from the Goddess, [Blessed One]’s are chosen by the Goddess and then given their special blessings.

"You must be someone truly special, Miss Akira, to have been chosen by the Goddess," Maribella said.

With a proud look Lina exclaimed “ My master is indeed special though she still needs some experience before she can claim the same standings as legends of old.”

I felt a bit embarrassed by all the attention, but deep down I knew this was a serious responsibility. One I wasn’t sure I could handle. The Goddess Solria took a big risk sending me here to fulfill this role, yet I still doubted how successful I would be in helping those summoned return home. One thing was clear: I had to learn to use what I was given to protect and send Sayaka home. Even if I won’t be there to greet her back once this is all done.

Before I could get lost in my thoughts, the driver said we would be arriving soon. Looking out the back of the carriage, I watched the forest entrance fade away, replaced by flat open land. As we moved on, the flat land gave way to farms and buildings. I began to see people working the fields or walking by, heading toward their own destinations.

A few moments later we arrived at our destination, a carriage stop just outside the City. As I left the carriage my vision was filled with a busy street filled with types of people and ones that only saw in fiction. Seeing all this really cemented that I was really in a different world, one I could only visit by indulging fictional media.

Then my attention was caught by my two new traveling companions. They both grabbed my arms and pointed toward the huge walled city ahead. The city gate was just a short distance from where we stood.

“Welcome to Edoldon the City of Adventures!” they both said in unison.

We looked at each other, had a small laugh then headed towards the gate. As we approached the two of them who were ahead of me got stopped by a guard. They both materialize their own ID cards and also present the guard a metal object in the shape of a small bird. Then the guard motioned the both of them to move along. They walked a few moments and stopped and turned around looking at me signaling me to follow.

To follow suit I headed to the same guards they went to.

“ID card Miss” The gruff looking guard said.

Materializing my card I presented it to the guard who inspected it and then said.“Are you new or with a Guild?”

“I’m new and this is my first time in the city.”

The guard looked at me while rubbing his chin and said. “Sorry to say this young Miss but unless you have rite of passage or sponsor you have to stay out and fill out some paperwork which will take a few days to process.”

Hearing this, I began to feel anxious because I didn’t know how things worked here. The only people I know who could help are already on the other side of the gate. Before things progressed further I heard Lina whisper in my ear. “Show them your symbol.”

Without any other option in mind I did as Lina instructed. I presented the back of my right hand to the guard who looked puzzled from the gesture. Then it turned into shock as the symbol appeared.

Scrambling the guard then said. “Sorry Miss I didn’t mean to be rude to a [Blessed One].”

The guard stood up straighter and motioned for me to pass. He said, "As [Blessed One], your way is clear." As I walked by, he added, "May the Goddess bless your journey."

As I walked over to Maribella and Theo, people nearby stared and whispered. I wasn’t used to that kind of attention. I wondered if this is how Sayaka feels every day when people watch her at school.

“Sorry it took me a bit to catch up”

“It's no problem Miss Akira.” Maribella said as I started to apologize to them. Having more time to have a good look at them. Maribella and Theo look like they would be around my age.

“You can drop the Miss and just call me Akira. We looked to be around the same age.”

“But if you don’t mind me asking how old you guys are?”

Maribella replied, "Akira it is, and you can just call me Mari too." She then added, "Theo and I grew up together. It's been about 16 years now."

“Then we are the same age then.”

As we talked, more people began to gather around, whispering and catching bits of our conversation. I could tell they were talking about me because they kept mentioning the words [Blessed One].

“Hey if you don’t mind, could you show me around the city since I’m new and we are starting to gather a crowd here.”

Seeing the crowd growing, the two guided me deeper into the city. We reached the central square. It was busy and packed with people going about their daily lives. I noticed many who looked like adventurers, alongside regular city residents.

As we walked the sound of my stomach growling interrupted our trip.

“Sorry I have yet to eat anything.”

Shaking her head, Mari said, "No need to apologize, Akira. If we had known, we could have gone somewhere to eat first instead of just walking around."

“No need to worry about that actually I might have bigger problem than just an empty stoamach…”

Thinking about it now with my growling stomach reminding me that other than my weapons and the clothes on my back I don’t think I actually had any money from this world to spend.

“I actually don’t think I have any money to spend…” I said while giving them an awkward smile.

They both looked shocked at this revelation. Then Theo said “Don’t worry as thanks we can treat you to some food Akira.”

“Thanks I’d appreciate that Theo.”

Mari then added “Even if we solve the food problem now it still doesn't solve Akira not having funds to stay at an inn or for more food later.”

Without warning, Lina suddenly appeared from my chest. She looked at me and said, "I know it's been a long day, master, but you can be forgetful sometimes."

Lina then produced a small, ornate pouch and gave it to me. Inside, I found a few gold coins and a letter that read, "Here are some starting funds to help you on your journey." It was signed by G.S.

Both Theo and Mari looked shocked as they saw the gold coins.

"This is the most gold coins I have ever seen," Theo said, stunned by the sight.

“With this you should be fine for at least a few month’s worth of expense even if you decided to splurge a little on food and accommodations." Mari added while also looking stunned.

Closing the bag and noting the reaction by these two I should be more wary of showing off this amount of money in front of people.

After gathering herself, Mari said, "Well, I guess that fixes the problem. But please be careful. Only high-class adventurers or nobles carry that much money." She added, "Since Theo and I are fledgling adventurers, we're lucky we can earn more than just a silver piece for finishing a quest."

“Okay I’ll be more mindful about that thank you Mari.”

With a smile Mari then led us to a place to eat. There I explained that all I had was what was with me in person. Theo was indifferent since having the same clothes didn’t bother him. But then Mari interjected saying that for girls it was different and that she helped buy some more clothes and selfcare products in the city. A little overwhelmed by all this I could only agree since with my situation as of right now I had to learn to properly live as the gender of this new form I have.

After eating, Theo excused himself because the shopping trip didn’t interest him. He decided to head back to the Adventurers Guild for both of them. That left Mari and me to shop at the town market. She introduced me to many self-care products for women. We started with basic skin care products, and she explained a good routine since I had no idea. She also showed me more personal care items. I had learned about these things in health class, so I knew they were important, but it was still a bit embarrassing to be learning and dealing with them now.

The last part of the trip was shopping for clothes. She helped me get fitted for some casual clothes and sleepwear to buy. The most embarrassing part was when I had to get measured for women's underwear. The whole process was awkward, and having to choose some was even more uncomfortable.

After everything was finished, Mari took me to a well-trusted inn and helped me get settled in my room. By the time we were done, the sun was setting. I thanked her for all her help and said goodbye. She promised that she and Theo would come by the next morning to help introduce me to the Adventurers Guild.

After she left, I changed into the new sleepwear I had bought, still feeling a little embarrassed by how my body had changed. Lina flew around the room and finally settled on the nightstand next to the bed, looking tired. I grabbed a small pillow from the couch and placed it on the nightstand for her to rest on. Lina smiled, stretched, and then fell asleep on the pillow. I turned off the lights, leaving only the soft glow from outside filtering through the curtains. I lay down on the bed, thinking about everything that had happened today, and soon drifted off to sleep.