"What do you make of it Stevens?" asked Tara.
"I've seen these floor plans in the system store, these are some of the cheaper buildings that you can buy. It looks like something crushed them into the ground, destroying them entirely."
"They all look like they were destroyed the same way, so one person did it, or maybe the system did if someone asked for a refund." Tara said with narrowed eyes, she would bet on a person.
"Refunds don't seem like an option in the store, and this seems too sloppy to not be a person. My guess is that those big three buildings belong to someone who wasn't happy about these being built here without permission. And from the quantity of buildings, they didn't speak up until the people had spent their money." Stevens said with a frown and a concerned expression.
The four of them kept walking and as they got closer they started to pick up on some conversations. People complaining about rent inside the buildings and having four people in a room only big enough for one. The people didn't seem afraid or angry though, which was something she didn't expect, there was something about this she wasn't getting. A missing piece that she was going to have to talk to someone to find out. Finally inside the courtyard, they found a spot near one of the building's walls and just pretended to talk to each other while listening to whatever conversations passed by.
After studying people for about an hour they had learned a few things. The first thing they learned was that people felt safe here, their body language was too open and carefree for the threat of violence to be hanging over their heads. Secondly, the people here were mostly unaffiliated, so there wasn't some kind of loyalty expected, with the exception of some who had red armbands. Those people seemed to always be moving with a purpose and most of the others avoided them. Lastly, they learned that there were children here. A lot of them, some clung to what appeared to be parents while others just went about their business alone.
The Children seemed carefree and would just kind of play or wander from one area to another without anyone giving it any thought. Tara wondered what kind of Tutorial the kids had, they didn't seem traumatized so it must not have been too harsh. She focused on one until she got information from the system.
"Child - level 0"
That was less information than she was expecting given the level difference, but it seemed the system actively worked to protect children. This was a good sign for the system, but until she knew the endgame, she would reserve judgement.
"We need to talk to some people. Stevens, talk to some of the people who look like they have jobs or duties, you two look around in the buildings, I'll talk to some kids. Meet back here in about two hours or so." Tara said and then walked away not leaving room for an argument.
After they all met back up, they compared notes and came up with some theories as to what this place was. The lord of this area was a man, no one they talked to knew his name, but apparently he spent his time in the wild hunting and leveling, but the northern building was his and housed anyone who could pay as long as they did not have kids. This man had two sisters that they assumed were servants after Tara explained how it worked with her and her lord, still not giving the other two any information on Eli. Each sister had one of the other buildings and they focused the children, giving those without parents priority places to sleep.
Regardless of which building, the rent was a little high and they were crammed in like sardines. When the topic of the destroyed buildings came up, most didn't want to talk, but the few who did have something to share, just said that it happened on the second day, and it was the lord, and that no one has bothered to build anywhere near here since. The people who have been here the longest say that was the last time they saw the lord, and his sisters have been running things ever since.
"I have a theory," Tara said, "it's possible that the lord isn't an actual lord or if he is he isn't very strong, or there is a stronger one nearby. When people were first claiming territory, the strongest would have tried to claim the center, making it the place to be least ravaged by a monster horde. This settlement is the closest to the outside that we have seen, so the lord probably tried to expand in an effort to have enough people to fight and hold his claim. One of those stronger lords from the middle areas saw this as a threat and probably threatened him or offered him a deal or something." Tara finished.
"Do you think this is enough information? We have been here for a while now and there are more places to visit." Stevens said, obviously bored here.
"I think it will take longer than we have to get anything else," Tara said.
So all four of them left, while walking south, Tara was thinking about what an outside perspective of their group would look like so she would have something to say if confronted by a more hostile group. All of them had their settings private so all anyone would see is their level, she was 43, Stevens was 36, the woman was 28, and the young guy was 24. People would assume she was the leader, might even try to kidnap someone to force her to leave or pay them or something. She took a more protective position and tried to look like she was protecting the others as friends.
When they got to the next buildings all four of them were shocked, this was more like a city. There were probably a hundred of the big buildings like the ones from the first town and four times that for the smaller buildings that were less uniform. It wasn't very organized but some thought had been put into where things went, with some attempts at roads and a clear path to the center of the buildings. The people they started passing didn't look happy, but they didn't look weak either. No one stopped them or talked to them as they entered the area with the buildings.
The area was massive, and there had to be over a million people staying here. Most of it looked haphazard with just a few things in place to try and organize the space. After walking toward the center until they reached the bigger barracks like buildings and stopped to observe the people bustling around. Huge crowds were moving around, some leaving for 'the wilds' as everyone seemed to call it and some returning with injuries and weary expressions. Others were going from building to building, talking to people and looking at a tablet-like device that slightly glowed. They needed to split up again, but this place was confusing, the buildings were numbered but they still all looked the same, so Tara came up with a quick plan.
"Split up like before, but only go two or three buildings away from here so we don't get lost, ask about who is in charge, how do people join, and if they know what happened up north. I'll talk to some kids, Stevens, you try to figure out who runs this place and how." Tara said, again, walking away before anyone could say anything again.
Tara spoke to a few kids and they all said that newcomers check in at the desk in the center of the city and the people there can help find someone if they also checked in. The kids seemed healthy but they weren't happy, and most had a bit of weariness to them that she felt was somewhat familiar. Paying closer attention she saw that most of these kids didn't have adults around them, so either their parents were out hunting, or they were orphans. So with there being more parents to kids up north, something here is not appealing to parents, despite there being more protection in this city.
When they all met up, they all had similar things to say. All were welcome, there was no organized security, just those people with the tablets collecting taxes. If you didn't pay, you had to leave. The lord who started this place had done very well in his tutorial and all of the large buildings, close to a hundred, had been built by him. There were a lot of rumors about people who didn't pay disappearing, or that the founder here disappeared after starting the place. Stevens had overheard a conversation about the people with tablets having system enforced loyalty contracts.
On the surface and with only being there for a couple hours, they couldn't really figure out much, but the day was almost over so Tara made a decision that would hopefully get the attention of whoever is in charge here.
"Ok, your three find a place to sleep tonight, pay whatever they ask, I can pay you back if it's too much, I'm going to stir up some trouble. If you don't see me by morning, head south near the beach and let him know where I am," Tara said and she walked off with a big grin on her face.
The other three looked at each other and Stevens shook his head. He explained to them that she could handle herself and the safe zone rules wouldn't let them kill her so they should just do what she asked.
"I think we should find a place where people are gathering, surely there is something like a tavern or an inn or a place where people are gambling or something," the young man said.
"I want to check out this beach," the woman said in a pleading tone.
"We will have time for that tomorrow, let's stick together and explore, with so many people and so many buildings, there has to be a bunch of fun things happening," Stevens told them.
They wandered through the walkways between buildings looking for a back alley or a building with a sketchy vibe, basically anything that looked fun. Surprised to not find anything right away, Stevens guessed that most people just haven't fully realized that there weren't any laws or morals or rules to this new world. Thinking about it more, you can't kill here, and you can't steal since everyone has an inventory, so those acts are out, but there should be gambling or a brothel somewhere. Maybe people just didn't really know what to do with money yet. The system shop didn't have much, just two basic buildings, the same basic gear and weapons from the tutorial, and some accessories like a cloak and necklace that were outrageously expensive.
As soon as it got dark, they started seeing groups of people being secretive and some buildings had what looked like bouncers guarding the door. This was more of what he was expecting, it looks like everyone acts normal during the day, but things get interesting at night. The three of them walked up to a place with lots of laughter coming from inside and had to pay 50 credits to get past the guy out front. Inside was a guy singing, telling stories, and making jokes. Everyone was sitting around on some roughly cut logs and just having fun with the entertainment. They had to stand in the back, but quickly were caught up in the story telling and jokes.
When the entertainment stopped they began asking around for a place to stay, or for some fun that was more interesting. They were told that anyone could stay in one of the big buildings for 75 credits a night, it just might take a few tries to find one with room. As far as the entertainment went, the young man was told about a brothel but not given directions since the person said it was a rumor. Stevens was told about a gambling place just 5 or 6 buildings to the east so they decided to go there and try their luck. He failed to mention to them that he had a gambling problem but with all the stress of the new world, he really needed a distraction.