Ronheim

The city walls were at least twenty metres tall, with heavy weapons of war placed on the top. Soldiers were patrolling it, their battle-hardened frames radiating auras of intimidation. No one without the required strength would even dare to invade this city. A long, snaking queue appeared, and Andrew and Fredrick had to line up, waiting for them to be admitted. They could see a smaller gate by the side, with gold lining its doors, regal-looking. Some people walked in unobstructed from time to time.

"Normal people like us can't use the gate. You have to be someone rich or powerful - the minimum requirement for combatants is Swordsman."

Andrew couldn't help but feel a little intimidated. Gone was the homely feeling of the village, and it seemed like he knew no one here except Fredrick. Heck, it seemed that even Fredrick wasn't a bigshot here.

After about an hour of gruelling wait, they reached the entrance. Fredrick paid the entrance fee, and both of them walked inside the city. It was the first time for Andrew, and his mind was blown away.

There's so many of everything! Just surveying the surroundings, he could already see tens of shops and establishments. There was an alchemist's shop, a sword shop…all displaying a ridiculously large amount of items. His urge for shopping was ignited.

"Don't get distracted, Andrew. Follow me."

Fredrick led the boy to a corner of the city, where he could see a decently big house.

"You'll be staying here for now."

Andrew got introduced to his new accommodation. It seemed that Fredrick had a decent amount of wealth, as his house was indeed quite comfortable. There was a middle-aged helper for housekeeping, and that was it. Andrew had lots of space to himself. Looking around the house, he saw a living and dining room, as well as a training area with sandbags, training dummies, and a lot more equipment he had not seen yet. It was already evening, and Fredrick told Andrew, "We can go shopping for things tomorrow. For now, just make yourself comfortable in the guest room."

The boy unpacked his personal belongings, and lay down on the plush bed that was in the room. This feels much better than the beds in the village…

Andrew soon came down for dinner, which was a hearty serving of beef stew. After dinner, he explored the house further. He noticed a painting on the wall, of a middle-aged Fredrick and a woman beside him.

The boy noticed footsteps, and found Fredrick coming into the same room. "That's my beautiful wife in the picture. She died 70 years ago."

"What happened to her?" Andrew blurted out, momentarily forgetting about propriety.

"Old age, of course. She wasn't a swordsman. Lived to the ripe old age of 100, which was quite impressive for a commoner."

"Then you…"

"Andrew, even if I'm not a swordsman yet, and will never be, my body as a Sword Apprentice is much stronger than any ordinary human. I turn 172 this year."

What…

Though Andrew had heard that strong combatants would have long lifespans, seeing someone close to him living for such a ridiculously long amount of time still gave him quite a surprise.

Regaining composure, he muttered, "I'm sorry for your loss…"

"It's fine. I've had 70 years to calm myself down. It doesn't matter much to me anymore, although I still love her very much."

"Andrew, the path to becoming stronger requires sacrifice. You need to be prepared to lose the people close to you, as their mortal bodies cannot withstand the test of time as much as yours. Do you understand?"

He nodded firmly.

"Alright then. It's quite late. You should go back to the guest room. Young people like you need lots of sleep."

Andrew left the room to retire to bed, but Fredrick stayed there.

Fredrick's eyes were moist, and he smiled slightly.

"I only have a few years left, darling. I'll join you soon…"

------

The next day, both of them got dressed in proper attire, and went out to shop. The city was extremely big, home to tens of millions of denizens. It measured tens of kilometres across, so the duo rented two horses to expedite their journey. As the horses were trotting along, Fredrick decided to explain the basics of the monetary system.

"Andrew, do you know how to use this?" He showed the boy a small bronze coin, perhaps the size of a human's nail.

"Oh, I know! It's a coin. We use it to buy stuff."

"Then do you know what's this?" Fredrick showed Andrew another coin, this time silver in colour and much larger.

"I haven't used that before…"

"This is just like the bronze one. You can use it to buy things, but it costs a hundred times as much as the bronze one. And this…" Fredrick took out an exquisite golden coin, "Is a gold coin. It costs a hundred times as much as the silver one, and ten thousand times as much as the bronze one. Be careful when you have a gold coin on you, don't lose it or let yourself get robbed."

The golden sheen already attracted many stares from passers-by, but they took one look at the sword on Fredrick's back and knew to restrain their greed.

The horses clipped-clopped along, and after a while, they arrived at a large establishment, with "Melee Weapons Storehouse" in big font pasted at its storefront. It took up a whole street, and they could see not only swords on display, but shields, bows, and all sorts of weapons.

"This is one of the biggest sword shops in town, and they sell their swords at a great price. I'm friends with one of the assistant managers here, so maybe I can help you snag a discount," Fredrick laughed as he said.

Bodyguards lined the luxurious entrance, with valuable-looking kris and katanas flamboyantly displayed on the walls. All the bodyguards had smiles on their faces, but one look and people knew not to mess with them.

As soon as Fredrick and Andrew entered the shop, they were greeted by another elderly man. "Fredrick! It's nice to meet you. Here to get a sword for the young one?"

Andrew looked at the old man. He was quite skinny, which of course belied his true power, and glanced at Andrew with a smile.

"Let's go to one of the training rooms, shall we? We can pick a sword that's just right for you."

The three of them walked through the winding passageways of the huge store, taking a staircase down to the basement level. The assistant manager opened a door to reveal a huge open room. It had strength measurements, and various types of swords on the walls for people to pick and try.

All of this just for us?? The display of extravagance amazed Andrew.

"We've been in Ronheim city for a very long time, and I must say have been quite successful in our business. That's why we can provide all of these facilities for you," the manager said with a smile. He closed the metal door, leaving the three of them in the vast room.

"Alright! We can start now. So, kiddo, what do you know about the different types of swords?"