Mrs. Lessandra really liked the massage, her dazed expression indicated as much. King drank the cup of tea and finished it out of respect for her, besides, it would have been impolite to refuse a free serving. However, things were getting a bit out of hand.
First, too much time had passed for him to be still dreaming, and the set of sensations was too detailed for it to be just an illusion, not to mention that the objects around him had a lot of detail. One of the main signs of gaining consciousness inside a dream was noticing a "bug" in reality, like an oddly disproportionate piece of furniture or a lampshade with no shade, but so far, everything around him had a consistent form.
The system was still dancing around just like before, which was already getting on his nerves because it was like a fly trying to land on his face.
"Ma'am, can you see this...?"
He pointed to the small screen.
"Thi-this...?"
Lessandra was still breathing heavily, running her hands overt the shoulders and trying to recover from that shock. The man's touch had something so magnificent in it that it made her bitterly regret marrying young when she could have enjoyed the pleasures of the flesh much earlier.
"I don't know exactly what you're referring to."
"This floating window. It even has an annoying little voice in it. Can you see it?"
"No... that's another thing the goddess's envoys used to talk about, it was about a 'system' that accompanied them. I never understood it or ever saw it. If you have it, it means it's proof that you're one of those sent by the goddess."
King crossed his arms. Maybe it was true that he had been transported to another world. What he found most annoying was the work part. At least he could see some points where technology actually existed. For example, even in this remote community, there was a type of radio in the corner of the shelves, along with pots of various shapes.
In other words, there was modern human influence...
[FAITO, FAITO!]
The system cheered beside him, being even more annoying.
"Lessandra, can I ask you more about these goddess's envoys?"
The woman took a deep breath, brushing her hand across the table, not liking that kind of question so much.
"You can... yes..." she replied in a serene voice, but with that lingering trace of fear that didn't go unnoticed. "There are many rumors about them. A long time ago, the first envoy from the goddess appeared and defeated the demon king. So, over time, more of them came as a way to improve the world, in her words. However, not all of them were friendly, and because of that, the kingdoms kept a watchful eye and also put some of them in jail to prevent ordinary commoners from suffering..."
King leaned forward, resting his arm on the table and fixing his gaze on her, suddenly interested in the story. Unfortunately, he came much later than the party, which was good in one way and bad in another. The good thing was that there wouldn't be as much danger to face as before, the bad thing was that he wouldn't have the same number of opportunities as back then to make his business explode in popularity.
"Where are they now?"
She blinked a few times, thinking of denying it, but her eyes briefly darted to the window, where the village rested calmly. The silence stretched on until she finally murmured:
"Some envoys are usually welcomed by the capital... but not always, as you must have heard. According to the goddess, she sends her best warriors everywhere as a way to bring about change, but many are wary of this interference from people from another world. Well... the last one I heard about appeared to the east, in the mining region, but that was years ago."
The "FAITO, FAITO!" echoed again in King's ear, as if the system was vibrating with excitement just because someone confirmed its existence.
"Mining region, huh?" King repeated, mentally filing away the information. "One question, do they usually use extravagant titles or, I don't know, some special ability?"
"Yes." Lessandra confirmed with a slight nod. "Not all envoys can be friends with each other, but they all share this notion that they possess talents. You said you were a 'personal trainer' in the past, right? The person I just told you about said he was a 'jeweler,' which is why he went to the mines... but I've never heard anything about him since."
She went on to say that there were also some who were born with talents because they were the children of these envoys, like the kingdom's current army commander, who was the daughter of a powerful ancient warrior. The image of a beauty commanding several men was etched in King's mind. That kind of person was perfect to be a potential client with lots of cash in her pocket.
He put his finger on the chin, once again thoughtful.
[The system recommends you find others like you!]
King waved his hand, shooing away the small screen offering the suggestion. He really didn't want that right now, what he urgently needed was money. When you arrived in a new place, the thing you should care about most was a sustainable way to stay there, whether through a job or other means. Considering there was no way to get home that fast, it would be best to adapt to this place first and then think about what to do next.
King leaned back in his chair, thinking about Lessandra's words. The system seemed like a cheap motivational coach, repeating useless instructions while he tried to organize his own thoughts.
"Well... looks like I have a lot of work ahead of me."
Lessandra opened her mouth to reply, but a door creak interrupted the moment. Both of them looked over at the same time. The entrance to the house opened, and there stood a tall man, with clothes stained with mud and sweat, and an axe hanging from his shoulder. Beside him, a boy about twelve years old, skinny, with eyes too bright for his age, was carrying a bundle of firewood.
"Lessandra?" the man said, full of tiredness. "Who is this?"
The atmosphere, until then serene, froze. The husband's gaze ran over King from head to toe, from the arms sticking out of clothes that were meant to be his to the chest escaping from the collar. His eyes narrowed, suspicious.
The boy, on the other hand, widened his eyes as if he had seen a storybook hero.
"Mom, who is this guy? He looks like a knight!"
King, without losing his charm, rested an elbow on the table, showing off a double-bicep trained with years of sweat and tears.
"The name's King Maverick! Influencer, personal trainer, and... your new neighbor, maybe!"
Lessandra almost choked on her tea. The husband gripped the handle of the axe more firmly.