After finishing my shopping and spending five gold coins on a new set of clothes, I made my way directly to the local library.
The building was located nearby, so it didn't take me very long to reach it. I don't plan on staying here for the whole day, so I walked straight up to the librarian at the front desk and asked for some books regarding general history and basic information about how this world works.
The librarian did not bother me with too many questions about why I needed them, and after searching the shelves for a few minutes, they handed the books over to me. I took all the silver coins I earned from selling my old gear and used them to pay the rental fee for three very thick books.
Once I felt like I got everything I needed for the time being, I left the library and started walking back toward the inn.
*****
The sun was already beginning to move into the afternoon sky by the time I returned. As I stepped inside the inn, I saw Miguel and the rest of the group gathered together. It looked like they were just about to sit down and start their lunch.
"Oh, you're back, Sir Verc. Want to join us?"
Miguel asked me. I shook my head right away to turn down the offer.
"I'm still full."
I said.
"Oh, by the way— how did things go on your ends?"
I followed up with a question of my own. Miguel and the two coachmen were supposed to meet with a bigger merchant today to sell off all the supplies and goods we had brought with us from the village.
The three of them knew they could not sell everything individually very quickly, and some of the items would probably spoil if they were not sold within a few days.
This was the strategy Miguel used to make sure they got a fair price quickly so they could bring resources back to the village as fast as possible.
Anyway—
"We're finished with the trade. We managed to get over 70 silver coins for everything we had— now, we just need to go buy the supplies the village needs and head back home."
Miguel answered me with a very wide smile on his face.
I reached into my shoulder bag and pulled out a small pouch, then without any hesitation— Fwish~
I tossed the pouch across the room toward Miguel.
"Huh?"
He caught the bag easily, though he looked confused. He opened it up to look inside, and his eyes practically popped out of his head when he saw the five gold coins sitting there.
"W-What's this, Sir Verc?"
Miguel asked, his voice stuttering in pure shock.
I simply waved my hand dismissively as I started to walk toward the stairs that led up to my room.
"A gift from me, thanks for taking care of me. Also, use half of it for the village."
I replied over my shoulder.
"A-Are you sure?!"
Miguel shouted in disbelief. Even the two men standing behind him were completely speechless at the amount of money I had just handed over.
"Sure as hell."
I said while shrugging my shoulders. I could hear the three of them shouting their thanks to me from downstairs, but I just smiled to myself and stepped into my room.
*****
I already spent every bit of money I had on me.
It didn't even last a single day, but that did not really bother me. After all, I could earn much more than that whenever I felt like it just by selling more [Black Scales].
Thinking about the shocked and grateful expressions on the faces of Geremie, Albert, Miguel, and the others made me smile again. I felt genuinely happy that I could help them out.
Anyway, I began to unequip my armor and set my weapon aside for the time being. The new clothes I bought were currently being resized to fit me perfectly, so I didn't have them with me yet— the shop owner told me they would deliver them directly to my room tomorrow morning.
So after I made myself comfortable and was out of my gear— Fooosh~
I flopped down onto the bed and held one of the thick books in my hands.
"Time to learn about this world."
I said to the empty room, and then I immediately opened the cover and started reading.
It was only the middle of the day when I started... but I ended up spending the entire rest of the evening focused on the three books I had rented.
*****
This world is called [Arcanis], a land in a medieval age where magic and countless wonders exist.
There are four known continents.
[Valethar] is considered the strongest among them— it's a massive land filled with powerful guilds, large kingdoms, and busy trade routes that connect the entire world together.
[Umbrael] is known as a shadowed continent, famous for being filled with dangerous monsters and evil beings. Very few people ever choose to travel there, and even fewer actually make it back alive.
[Astraea Prime] is often called the Gods' Chosen Lands. It's a place where many different races live side by side in a state of peace.
And finally, there's [Verdantia], which is a neutral territory covered by forests that never seem to end. Even though the land is not very developed, the people who live there are natural-born warriors who have terrifying physical strength.
According to the records, these continents were once constantly at war with one another— that is until a greater threat appeared.
A common enemy.
The Demonic Race.
Or more specifically, beings known as [Demon Kings].
They were rare individuals among demonic creatures, each possessing overwhelming power. Through fear and strength, they gathered other demons under their rule, built their own kingdoms, and began invading the world.
Just one demonic being is already a problem, so once they got a king and started working together— they became disasters that threatened the world.
It was said that even a single Demon King, along with its army, was enough to bring ruin to multiple kingdoms if it launched a desperate attack.
Worse still, there were thirteen Demon Kings recorded across the world right now.
Fortunately— or perhaps dangerously— they did not cooperate with one another.
But even with that, the united races of Arcanis were barely able to hold them back.
In desperation, the people prayed to their gods.
And the gods answered.
The Sun God, the God of Night, the Goddess of Earth, and the God of War blessed the world with mana. From that moment, magic and weapon aura came into existence.
The gods also granted fragments of their power to their followers, giving birth to what is now known as holy power.
With these forces, the races of Arcanis were finally able to resist the demons.
In the present era, more than a hundred individuals are known as Heroes.
Most of them are trained through academies established by the two great powers of Valethar— talented nobles raised to rival heroes in stories that can slay evil dragons.
However, the records were clear on one thing.
Only the Top Ten Heroes of the world were truly different.
They were the only ones blessed by all four gods.
And little was known about them.
... ... ...
'It seems like I'm in the [Valethar]. There are two major powers here— The Empire of Ironcrest and The Alliance of Aurum.'
The Ironcrest Empire had managed to unite most of the kingdoms on this continent, so they hold a massive amount of power. They control the land, the largest armies, and most of the knights.
However, the Alliance of Aurum is strong enough to challenge them. They are made up of several city-states and trade kingdoms that are held together by contracts and money. They control the gold, the guilds, and the trade routes.
The City of Nash is a member of the Alliance of Aurum. So, while this place is technically part of the Empire's territory, the city can do whatever it wants as long as it does not break too many rules.
'This is a good starting place for me, to be honest.'
I was currently in the strongest and wealthiest continent in the world, which was much better than I had expected.
There were Demon Kings and Heroes running around this world, but I don't have to concern myself about them.
"It's not like I'm going to face them all, aren't I?"
I asked sarcastically while shrugging my shoulders.
Then after that, I continued reading some more.