Lying about his true gender was something Darien never believed he would do in his life, not on Earth or in this new world. But here he was, living as a girl for two weeks. He really disliked it, but he also thought it was cool at the same time. And truthfully, the people of Lanthold made the task even easier, as everyone perceived him as a girl and never a boy.
Darien had stayed two weeks with Madame Faewyn and her granddaughter, Mirielle Glintwood. He easily knotted himself into the small family's meshwork, became one with them within days, and was a good child to Madame Faewyn and a good friend to Mirielle.
Mirielle was always in charge of the cooking and nurturing of the house and Madame Faewyn. Darien was left with the chores of fetching water, firewood, oil, and, most importantly, running market errands.
One fateful day, Madame Faewyn took him on a tour through the low district of Lanthold so he could acquaint himself with the streets, places, and landmarks. Their most important visit was the main inside market and also the Capital Market, which Darien remembered all too well.
"And who might this little dove be?"
Whenever passersby caught sight of Madame Faewyn, the well-known retired herbalist, with a striking child at her side, words of praise fluttered and fell on Darien like manna. Compliments on his porcelain skin, silver hair, and eyes even brighter than Eldermead's sun were so common.
Madame Faewyn usually answered that Darien was the child of her late cousin, and she had taken him in after his mother's demise. When some learned of this story, they often felt pity and offered Madame Faewyn free bread and fish oil.
Darien liked the kindness, but he believed it wasn't enough to feed the family. Madame Faewyn was a 1-star Wood Affinity Awakened, and her occupation as a herbalist was long retired. There was no true source of income in her home, and Darien eventually exhausted his entire capital from his first sale.
So, in a bid to get more money, help himself first, and maybe help Madame Faewyn and Mirielle feed, he became a pickpocket. And with the
He ravaged the middle district with his golden finger, gliding through the fine streets like smoke, his hands slipping into purses and pockets without the faintest whisper of a touch.
By day six of pickpocketing, Darien had accumulated 15 gold and 5 silver pieces. The middle district was subtly alerted by his felonious acts, and within that same time phase, he became a pandemic that no one had ever seen.
Darien used this money to buy new fitting clothes for himself, and food was now in relative abundance. Life felt lavish with warm bread on the table and meat more than once a week. He even bought himself a wooden sword to train with.
But Madame Faewyn noticed this stratospheric growth, his high contribution, and immediately discerned he was stealing. With a stern tone, she advised him to cease before ruin found him, because the middle and high districts were nothing like the low district.
There, theft was not tolerated. It was met with iron and rope—literally—and not even age or gender would be considered.
'If I don't steal from the rich folks, how will we feed?
But Darien remembered that his
So, one move in the wrong place, and he would have his head on a spike. Even though he might not be stealing from them, those individuals might see him carrying the act out on someone else.
'Sigh… I guess I'll have to quit it then.'
So, from then on, Darien avoided the middle district and abandoned his earlier thoughts of even advancing to the high district, where civilization bloomed the most in Lanthold.
The only few times after, he snuck up the terrain to the middle district just to admire the place and get to learn more about the world.
He was smart to steal a panoramic map from one trader during his heist. It wasn't only gold Darien hunted down. And with the map he stole, navigation became much easier, and he never lost his way no matter how far he tramped through Lanthold.
In Valurion, six Provinces made up the world: Waterlands, Homelands, Finelands, Stormlands, Skarvhold, and the Free Cities.
By far, the Finelands was the most civilized of all six provinces, with its three mighty dukedoms—Eldermead, Highcrest, and Rosevale—that factually controlled the world.
It was the pinnacle of cultural refinement, magic education, and commerce in Valurion compared to other provinces. Scholars, artisans, and mages often migrated to the Finelands because everyone literally considered it the head capital of the realm, filled with progress and ambition.
The Stormlands, on the other hand, was a place that never had clear skies like the Finelands. It was always brooding with thunderheads and terrible tempests that eternally procrastinated their fall.
It had the most uneven terrain and the strangest topography, and it was vast for that matter. Many believed that the Stormlands was expanding year by year! It was the largest province, and yet only its outer borders or its eastern side were home to settlements.
Beyond that lay an untamed and mysterious expanse, a realm shrouded in constant storms.
Many claimed that the deeper regions might be home to other undiscovered races, or a domain of its own, an Expanded Realm, since the Stormlands was reputed for possessing a high concentration of Primordial Energy.
And because of the high influence of Primordial Energy there, cultivators from across the world were always attracted to cultivate there.
The Stormlands was governed with an iron fist by a single Duke and his family, whose line was said to draw its strength directly from the storms themselves.
Skarvhold, the smallest province, was almost uninhabited because it was home to frost, ice, and cold biting winds. It was just silence and a frozen wasteland, and it wasn't even discovered until after the Primordial Descent.
So, there were also rumors that an ice mage had reached the peak of cultivation, ascended to Paragon, and abandoned mortal ties. He carved his own dominion and settled to become a god.
In contrast, some say a being more powerful killed this great mage, and the frozen expanse was the result of his death when he gave his final breath.
And the Free Cities. The Free Cities were a cluster of islands with unique topography and climate. There were no dukedoms or ruling nobles, for the Free Cities thrived on independence, trade, and maritime power. This was where merchants and caravans hubbed from to the rest of Valurion.
All six provinces of Valurion, no matter their differences in power or culture, had to fight together against the threat of the Primordial World.
The beasts that came from beyond spared no one, whether commoner or noble, Awakened or not. Even Eldermead, with all its strength, cultivation, and advanced weapons, could not stand alone.
When a Bridge opened or a horde spilled out, every province was forced to set aside its disputes and defend the world they shared.