My friend is a slime, so what?

Part 10-Shun: The city of light and monsters

"Woooooh! This city is more impressive up close! "

I exclaimed as we stepped down the magitrain. My eyes darted around, looking at the quite fancy-looking train station. I never thought I would see something like this again. I saw many people moving around the station, including humans, monsters, elves, and dwarfs. The whole thing feels quite surreal. I never thought such a place could exist. The design reminds me of the train stations in Japan, even the workers' uniforms.

"Brother, can you help me with our luggage?"

Julius asked as he placed our things in what looked like a mixture of a carriage and a car.

"Sure! What kind of carriage is this? "

I ask as I take a closer look at the strange vehicle, trying to figure out how it works.

"Oh, this is a magicar. It's like a self-propelled carriage. It works by using the magicules around it or magic stones. It's one of the many inventions to come from the tempest, but so far, they are more common in magicule rich areas. "

"I see. Wait! Aren't high magicule concentrations poisonous to normal humans? "

I asked anxiously at my brother as I checked myself to see if anything strange was happening.

"It's okay, Schlain; the magicules levels in Tempest are kept under strict control for that very reason."

I give a sigh of relief as I feel my heartbeat come back to normal before helping to load our stuff into the car. As we loaded our luggage onto the magicar, I noticed Julius starting to yawn and rub his eyes as he was tired from taking the night guard while we traveled in the magitrain. By the time we finished loading our stuff, there was only room for one of us.

"Julius, I think you should take the Magicar. You have been awake all night. You could use some rest."

I suggested it to Julius, and when he was about to protest, a yawn interrupted him before he could say anything, further proving my point.

"Okay, little brother, you got me there."

He said this with a tired chuckle before handing me over a map.

"Considering you will be living here for some time, it would make sense for you to get familiar with the city layout. If you get lost, just ask the guards for pointers, okay? "

I nodded and waved goodbye to my brother as the magicar took him toward the academy. I look at the map to locate where I am before venturing into the city. Everything seems so modern. There are shops with tall glass panels to show their products, there are street lights and signs, and is that an automatic door?

Tsssh

It is! How did they make all this work? Is it also magic? Or is perhaps actually technology? Who could have thought that a place that looked so similar to my old world would make me feel so out of place? Soon, a familiar scent catches my attention, one that I haven't smelled in so long, Takoyaki.

I looked around and quickly found the source of the smell. I spotted the humble Takoyaki stand with a hobgoblin preparing a new batch of Japanese food. The whole thing felt so surreal to me. Seeing how a monster is carefully preparing food that shouldn't exist here, I can't help but feel nostalgic as I approach the food stand. As I got closer, I got a better look at the Hobgoblin. He is tall, easily towering over me, with leathery green skin, long ears, sharp yellow eyes, neatly shaved white hair, and a muscular build, though he is kind of on the chubby side. His face was kind of round but with some strong, defined features. He was wearing a traditional cooking uniform that people use to work on food stands during festivals, with not a single stain on it, but above all, a content expression as he prepared the Takoyaki. I watched him work on the food, his big strong hands working with a surprising dexterity with the small tools as he hummed to himself, making sure his sharp nails didn't get into the food. The way he expertly prepared the fresh bash of takoyaki brought back memories of my past life. I spent time with my family, and when we usually went out to get some fresh Takoyaki from a local stand, I could hear the voices and see their faces so clearly. For a moment, I was back home with them. For a moment, I was once again just a high school student.