Henry stared at the elf girl, his brain taking an embarrassingly long moment to process what had just happened. She had spoken. He had heard her speak. And he had absolutely no idea what she had just said.
"Aloha?" he repeated cautiously, though the word felt strange coming out of his mouth. It sounded vaguely like a greeting, maybe? Or possibly a very polite way of telling him to go away. He had no context for this.
The elf girl stepped out from behind the house, her smile growing wider. She said something else, a longer sentence this time, her voice bright and melodic.
It was a beautiful language, flowing and musical in a way that made English sound clunky by comparison. Unfortunately, it was also completely incomprehensible.
Henry felt panic rising in his chest like cold water filling a sinking ship. Of course there was a language barrier. Of course there was.
Why would anything about this situation be simple? He had been so focused on the medieval architecture and the magic system in his head that he had somehow forgotten that different worlds probably had different languages.
"I don't understand," Henry said slowly, even though he knew it was pointless. "I'm sorry, I don't speak whatever language that is."
The elf girl's smile faltered slightly. She tilted her head the other way, like a confused puppy, and tried again. This time she spoke more slowly, enunciating each word carefully, as if that would somehow make Henry magically understand. And of course it didn't work.
"System," Henry said quietly, trying not to move his lips too much so the elf girl wouldn't think he was even stranger than she probably already did.
"System, I need help here. Big help. Huge help. I can't understand a word she's saying."
[Language barrier detected. Initiating translation protocol.]
[Warning: Full language acquisition requires system level 5. Current level: 1. Temporary translation available for basic communication.]
"I'll take anything at this point," Henry muttered.
[Translation matrix activated. You will now understand spoken language. Speaking will be assisted but may feel unnatural at first. Adjusting neural pathways.]
There was a strange tingling sensation in Henry's head, like his brain was being gently massaged from the inside. It wasn't painful, just deeply weird.
The elf girl was still talking, probably asking if he was alright since he was standing there looking like he was having some kind of medical episode. Then suddenly, like someone had flipped a switch, her words made sense.
"Are you feeling well? You look quite pale. Should I fetch the healer?"
Henry nearly jumped. The words came through clearly in his mind, even though he could still hear the original language being spoken. It was like having subtitles directly installed in his brain. "I can understand you now. Sorry, I was just having a moment there."
Except when he spoke, something strange happened. The words that came out of his mouth weren't English.
They were in the same flowing language the elf girl was speaking, but he hadn't consciously tried to speak it. The system was translating for him automatically, taking his thoughts and converting them into the local language. It felt incredibly bizarre.
The elf girl's eyes lit up with relief. "Oh good! I thought perhaps you were one of those travelers from the far east who don't speak our tongue."
"Though you do look rather unusual." She walked closer, examining him with unabashed curiosity.
"Your clothes are strange, and you were talking to yourself and pointing at things. Are you perhaps a wandering mystic?"
"Not exactly," Henry said, still getting used to the sensation of speaking words he technically didn't know. "I'm more of a builder."
"An architect, actually." He paused, wondering if this world even had a word for architect. Apparently the system handled that too, because the elf girl nodded in understanding.
"A builder!" She clasped her hands together, looking genuinely delighted.
"How wonderful! We desperately need skilled builders in Ashvale. Most of our structures are held together by hope and prayer." She gestured vaguely at the surrounding village.
"Though mostly hope, since I'm not sure the gods are paying much attention to our prayers about construction."
Henry couldn't help but crack a small smile. At least someone here recognized how terrible everything was. "I noticed. I've seen stronger buildings made out of playing cards."
The elf girl laughed, a sound like wind chimes on a pleasant afternoon. "I am Floryn, by the way. Just Floryn."
"My family doesn't use surnames." She performed a small curtsy that seemed both practiced and somehow casual at the same time.
"Henry Grant. Or just Henry, I guess, since the Grant part might not mean much here." He attempted an awkward bow in return, which probably looked ridiculous, but Floryn seemed charmed by the effort.
"Henry," she repeated, testing the name on her tongue. "It's a strong name."
"Solid. Like a good foundation stone." She moved closer to the empty plot of land he had been examining, her curious eyes taking in every detail. "Is this where you plan to build?"
"I've been watching you for a while now. You were walking around it like you were measuring with your eyes, and then you started talking to yourself about materials and costs."
Right. She had been watching him have a full conversation with a magical voice in his head that she couldn't hear.
Henry must have looked completely insane. "Something like that. I want to build a proper house here, one that won't collapse the first time someone sneezes near it."
"Problem is, I don't exactly have the funds to buy materials right now."
"Oh, that is a problem." Floryn tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Materials are expensive, especially good lumber."
"The logging camps charge terrible prices, and the merchants know we have no choice but to pay." She looked at him with those bright, intelligent eyes.
"How much do you need?"
"Fifteen silver coins, according to my estimates." Henry figured he might as well be honest. "I'm new to Ashvale, so I don't really have any connections or employment yet."
"I was going to try to find whoever's in charge and see if they needed building work done, but I have a feeling that's going to be complicated."
"Fifteen silver," Floryn repeated softly. She seemed to be thinking very hard about something, her expression cycling through several emotions too quickly for Henry to read.
Then she looked up at him with sudden determination. "I could help you with that."
Henry blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"
"I could provide the materials you need," Floryn said, speaking more quickly now, as if she was worried she might lose her nerve.
"My family has resources. We own several properties in and around Ashvale, and we have accounts with most of the merchants."
"I could arrange for the materials to be delivered here."
That sounded way too good to be true, which meant it probably was. "Why would you do that?"
"You just met me. I could be anyone. I could build a terrible house and waste all your money."
Floryn shook her head, her twintails bouncing with the movement. "You're an architect. A real one, I can tell."
"The way you look at buildings, the way you talk about foundations and structure, it's different from the local carpenters. They just build things the way their fathers taught them, never questioning why or how to improve." She gestured excitedly.
"Besides, I saw you examining that collapsed beam near the well earlier. You spent five whole minutes looking at it and muttering about load distribution. Nobody who doesn't genuinely care about building does that."
Henry had to admit she had a point. He had spent an embarrassingly long time examining that beam. "Still, that's a lot of money to gamble on a stranger."
"Then don't think of it as a gamble," Floryn said with a smile that was definitely too clever for Henry's comfort.
"Think of it as an investment. You build one good house, people will see it. They'll want you to build more houses. More buildings."
"Maybe eventually you could help rebuild the whole village properly." She clasped her hands behind her back, rocking slightly on her heels.
"And perhaps, in exchange for the materials, you could teach me about architecture while you work?"
"I've always been fascinated by construction, but nobody takes me seriously when I ask questions about it."
[Quest opportunity detected: Accept Floryn's offer.]
The system's message appeared in Henry's vision, confirming what he already suspected. This was too convenient to be coincidence.
This was the universe, or the system, or whatever power had brought him here, giving him exactly what he needed at exactly the right time. He should probably be suspicious.
He should definitely be more cautious. But he was also broke, homeless, and standing in a village that looked like a strong breeze could level half of it.
"Alright," Henry said, extending his hand.
"You've got yourself a deal."