Land of Promise

Chapter V: Trost

It was almost another day of endless running before I even got a glimpse of civilization. My tired body was continuously running at a slow pace, counting my breathing as I slogged along. I was quickly growing old of running the endless winding road, the sound of stepping on gravel ingrained into my ears. I don't know how many hours had past, and I didn't want to check.

All I wanted to do was arrive at my destination already.

It's not even the difficulty that annoyed me, I had done much more tedious and strenuous work in the past. It was the repetition that I couldn't stand. On the bright side, however, at least my clothes weren't soaked with sweat, and I was staying relatively hydrated.

Somewhere along the way, I came across a few streams and ponds. The water was very clear, so after consulting the AI Chip on the status, I readily drank it.

After running for a while longer, I could finally catch my eye on what was a field of wheat, cotton, and small wooden houses stationed outside what seemed to be the city; the outskirts of town.

The outskirts of town were separated by a huge lake, cutting through the outside of the walls, which had small bridges leading into a gate.

The city seemed to be built around a lake, the small streams creating a divide between the outskirts of town and the inner city, with the bridges connecting them together.

As I ran past the wheat fields, I could see that some farmers were planting seeds while others were cutting off the rest of the wheat inside the field. Even though it was spring, it seemed like the wheat was already harvestable.

Some of them gave me quick glances but didn't pay any more attention than that as they got back to their work. The houses were plain wooden houses, some had brick roofs while other had ones with hay stacked upon sticks. Some had chimneys with smoke billowing out of the rooftop, while others were still being constructed.

The road was no longer a straight path, it started interconnecting and weaving its way through the land, in place of where the houses were. Each house was divided with wooden fences, and some farms were built right next to the houses. Several rocks were scattered everywhere as well.

As I got to the bridge, there was a guard stationed there. He noticed my approach and quickly rose his hand up, signaling me to halt.

"Stop! May I ask who you are?" He says, his right hand raised while his left hand was clutching his short spear. He's slightly short, and you would think he was weak but his body build said otherwise. He was fully decked in chainmail, but other than what seemed to be standard chainmail armor, nothing special stood out about him.

"Greetings," I reply. "I'm a traveler looking for a place to stay for a while."

"Ah, where do you come from?" He says, his posture relaxing faintly.

"Oh, I don't come from anywhere near here," I reply honestly, there's no point in lying to him.

"Alright then, walk with me." He says, turning around and waving his hand, asking me to come with him.

We walked across the bridge slowly, I maintain a steady pace behind him as he directs me towards the gate, our footsteps make faint creaking noises traversing across.

"Do you have any identification with you?" He inquires.

"No, I don't think so?"

"Usually people in the Roland Empire have an identification card. You can get it once you turn thirteen because that's when you can usually leave the city and travel. It's useful for aspiring adventurers and merchants who want to explore the lands. It lets you travel through the entire Roland Empire without any fee, and it's very useful for starting businesses, preventing fraud, and safe passage inside capitals."