Chapter 31: City of Beginnings

We found ourselves in a long queue; all sorts of people were present: traders, adventurers, or ordinary folks, all with the same goal—to enter the city. We were in the middle of the line, waiting for an hour, but there wasn't much we could do, so we just had to wait. The city, from the outside, was open; there were no trees blocking the city from view. I suppose it's for better security, given the diverse crowd; you could be kidnapped, stabbed, or intimidated behind a tree...

Elsa was behind me, but I decided to place her in front. I told her to put on a hood to conceal her face; I already had my mask. We arrived in the morning, but we're still here.

"Damn, it never ends," I felt my patience wearing thin.

"Considering the speed at which the queue is moving, we might get in by night," Elsa said, pursing her lips.

Agreeing with her, I'm in a bad mood right now. I don't like waiting for too long. Sighing, I close my eyes to make time pass faster.

Suddenly, I feel a hand on my shoulder with some force. I look towards the person responsible.

"Hey kid, how about you give me your spot in line?" he says with a disgusting and arrogant smile.

Just what I needed! The typical third-rate bully. As if I haven't had enough waiting in this damn line since morning, and now this bastard is testing what little patience I have left. Feeling more pressure on my shoulder, he says.

"Don't you hear..." "Arrgh"

I quickly give him a punch in the stomach. I couldn't take it anymore. This has a small advantage: it gives the impression that you're not easy to intimidate and keeps smart fools at a distance. The guy fainted; he was just trash.

***

In front of three guards, they asked for our identification. Since we didn't have any, we had to pay more to get in. Normally, you'd have to pay 10 silver coins, but we had to pay 20 silver coins per person, totaling 40 for both of us. With the remaining 60, we need to find a place to sleep.

It was already night. If I had spent more time in that line, I felt like I would go crazy. Luckily, Elsa was there to calm me down.

The streets of the city itself were lively. There were people everywhere: humans, elves, and dwarves. Some wore leather or iron armor, swords, axes, daggers, all sorts of weapons. The buildings had a modern yet ancient touch, constructed from a kind of white or black rock. It looked very nice; I was honestly surprised by the architecture. I thought it would be more outdated.

Around the streets, they sold all kinds of things. Small shops, some selling food or magical artifacts. Of course, there's always the doubt of being ripped off or the food being bad, but I didn't pay much attention. Right now, I was looking for a place to stay the night, but I had no idea where they were.

Approaching a young lady with blonde hair and blue eyes, and elongated ears, clearly an elf.

"Excuse me, do you know where we can find a place to stay the night?"

Looking at me with some suspicion, she responds.

"Just keep walking about four blocks and turn right; you'll find a good place there."

Thanking her, I follow the instructions she gave me. Upon reaching the location, I find a place that looks quite decent. It had five floors, entirely built with wood. Obviously, the wood isn't normal. The sign of the place was "Old Night."

Entering the place with Elsa by my side, inside there were a few wooden tables and chairs. Some were occupied by people eating, chatting, or drinking. The atmosphere was good.

Approaching the receptionist, she was a woman with short brown hair and black eyes. Her dress was very simple, but her appearance was fine. With a cordial smile, she welcomed us.

"Good evening and welcome to our humble stable," she said with a small bow.

"Thank you. I would like to rent a room with two beds, a bit large, and with its own bathroom."

"Of course, we have a room with those standards. The price per night will be a total of 2 silver coins. If you want it with breakfast, lunch, and snack, it would be a total of 5 silver coins per person."

Fair enough.

"I would like to rent the room for one month."

"It would be a pleasure, with a total of 1 gold coin and 50 silver, please."

After paying the room cost, she handed me a key. Going up to the fifth floor and seeing the room number (52), I find it at the end of the hallway. Upon entering, I see that it's quite decent. Although not very large, it has enough space for the two of us. The beds were positioned with a good distance. The room itself was very cozy. To my surprise, it was quite clean and well-organized. It had a small piece of furniture and a desk.

"Ah, finally I can rest my feet. I was quite tired," Elsa said, who was already lying on the right bed. The left side had a small window. I saw a door at the back of the room and went in to check. The bathroom was quite good; no wonder it costs 5 silver coins.

The receptionist told us that in a few minutes, they would bring us the food. I chose meat with some vegetables and a glass of water; on the other hand, Elsa was hesitant. Well, it was expected; she has a palate of a noble. Although I've also eaten quite fine food, I'm not picky. In the end, she ordered a meat sandwich with a glass of juice.

After waiting for 20 minutes, someone knocked on the door.

*Knock Knock Knock*

I got up from the chair and opened the door. Outside was an older man around 60, with somewhat white hair. Making an assumption, I think he's the father of the receptionist named Maria.

He brought the food on a tray elegantly. I thanked him and picked up the food, putting it on the desk. I called Elsa, but she was already behind me with her eyes shining; she was hungry. I decided not to bother her and just handed her portion.

After finishing our dinner, we called for someone to come and collect the plates. I called Elsa.

"Elsa, come here; we need to talk."

"What's going on?"

"Tomorrow we'll go buy you clothes, and then we'll register at the guild. Since we already have new names, there won't be a problem."

We discussed the names while waiting in line. My name will be Bryan and hers Angela. We don't have last names; we're commoners and orphans.

"So, Elsa, do you want to form a group with me?"

She looks at me as if I'm a strange creature and responds with another question.

"Aren't we already?"

Letting out a small laugh, I say.

"Just say yes or no."

Still looking at me with strange eyes, she says yes. I smile widely to myself and see a familiar blue screen

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for forming a group with Elsa Frostine]

[Calculating Elsa Frostine's statistics]

[Ding! Now the host can view Elsa's statistics]

[Name: Elsa Frostine]

[Gender: Female]

[Age: 14 years]

[Species: High Elf]

[Rank: Bronze-Base]

[Strength: -F]

[Dexterity: -F]

[Intelligence: E]

[Speed: -F]

[Resistance: -F]

[Potential: Null]

[Bloodline: Null]

[Aspect: Sealed]

[Physique: Sealed]

[Legacy: Unknown]

[Ability: Magic (apprentice)]

[True Name: Unknown]