Chapter Four

As soon as I stepped through the door, I was surrounded by Aron, the elderly Priest, and the Oracle. They dragged me off to the Priest's office before I could understand anything they were saying. Inside, sitting behind the desk, a blond woman in a gauzy high-class dress waited. The trio arranged me in front of her, then scurried off to the side.

"Uh, hi?" I said.

The woman giggled at me. "My, my. You truly don't know who I am. Would it help if I said I'm Persephone?"

My eyebrows flew up. "The goddess married to Hades?"

She pouted. "I have my own achievements, you know. Referring to me only as someone's wife is rather rude."

"Apologies," I said instantly. I didn't feel like I was talking to a divine being, but maybe that's how she wanted it. I wouldn't have been able to speak if I felt like an ant—not that I could speak anyway. What did one say to a goddess?

"I'd prefer if you treated me normally," she said. "This won't be a very productive meeting if you stand there like a lump. If it makes you feel better, I can promise I won't suddenly shout 'off with his head'."

I managed a smile at the reference. "I think it'd be easier to converse if I knew what this meeting was about?"

She sighed. "Straight to business, then. As you might or might not know, my mother retired and I'm now the Goddess in charge of the harvest. Since marrying my husband, my domain took on a new aspect. I'm now in charge of harvesting souls and sending them to other worlds. You can consider this something of a wellness check. I wouldn't be very happy if I'd replanted you in an environment where you couldn't grow."

I glanced over at the Sanctuary trio. I'd been under the impression they knew nothing about other worlds.

"They only know I sent you here," Persephone said, reading my mind.

"I thought I was brought here by accident."

"Ah, because of the letter your received at the beginning of the transmigration process? That's a standard form. Don't mind it. You and those I sent with you were hand-picked by me. All of you had massive potential, but were stagnating on Earth. When I was given permission to harvest from your hometown, you were at the top of my list. You're exactly what this part of Asphodel needs to prosper."

"So it seems," I agreed. "It's made living here very easy. Jason seems to be settling in well, too."

"You aren't angry with me for doing this without your permission?" she prodded.

I thought about it, then shook my head. "I miss my family, but I have so many relatives I know they'll get along fine without me. And it seems like this place needs a guy like me around."

"Have you decided what you'll do next?" she asked. "The representative from the Earth Advent has arrived. If you wanted, you could go with him to a town where others from Earth have congregated."

"Can I ask what an Advent is?"

"Of course. You can think of them as a Clan tied together by a common cause instead of blood. In gaming terms, they'd be called Guilds, but that term has been earmarked in Asphodel to refer to corporate entities, such as the Adventurer's Guild and the Merchant's Guild. When the first people were brought from Earth, they were mistaken as members of the same Advent and decided to official form one under that name to make it easier to meet with others in their situation."

That explained a lot. "In that case, some of the people who came with me might benefit from joining the Earth Advent. They don't seem to be doing too well here, but they should come out of their shell in more familiar surroundings."

"And you?" she prompted.

"I'll stay here," I replied, making the decision as the words left my lips. "Jason is already settled in school and I've already secured work and lodging. Besides, you put me here for a reason. Right? I wouldn't want to let you down."

"Wonderful!" she said with a bright smile. "I knew you were the dependable type. You won't regret it, either. And to make sure you don't, I'm going to give you my personal Blessing. If you ever run into trouble you can't solve on your own, please pray to me and I'll do my best to aid you. I'll put my Blessing on your little brother, as well. It'll protect him from many things, including Taming and Enslavement magic. I know you were worried about that."

"That would be a huge relief. Yes, please. When you brought him here, you made him too cute for me to feel at ease."

The Goddess chuckled. "I did do some good work there, didn't I? I witnessed some of the trials he experienced on Earth and most of them were caused by him having too large a body for such a gentle soul. He should encounter far fewer troubles now."

"May I ask if you intend to talk to everyone from my group like this?"

"Do you think I should?"

"I don't know. Some of them might be okay, but others might get upset if you tell them there's more than one singular God out there."

"Even though they've been worshiping Zeus all this time?"

"Have they?"

"They worship the highest upon high and seek to wield lightening as he has. The names might be different, but the destination of their prays is the same."

"I think most of them see their prayers reaching the Titan of Creation. Under a different name, of course."

She snorted in an unladylike manner. "As if a Titan would care about the prayers of Men. We're getting off track, though. To answer your question, no—I don't believe I'll be speaking with any of the others. As you guessed, most of them would not react so kindly to meeting me and it would cause unnecessary trauma. I deemed you to be open-minded enough to hear me out, so I'll meet with you alone for now. The others may earn the privilege of meeting me once they find their place in this world."

"Since we've met and you've been nice enough to Bless me, does this mean I need to provide you offerings? They did that back in ancient times, I think."

"As much as I'd like to be greedy and say yes, it'd be best if you made offerings at the temple. The other Gods in charge of this world wouldn't be too happy if I kept you to myself. They're all the gluttonous type, as you might guess, which makes your position as Chef a covetous one. It doesn't matter if people in other parts of this world are making similar dishes. A Chef puts his heart and soul into his food, so each one is unique in a way we Gods can taste."

"Is there going to be an issue if I patent some sauces like I was planning?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said other people around the world are making similar dishes. Do you think they'll challenge my patent rights?"

"Oh, no, not at all. Most of those who choose to become Chefs when they travel to this world don't have your knowledge of cooking. They can make things like fried chicken and pizza, but anything beyond a simple tomato sauce is nearly impossible for them. Most of them don't even know how to make mayonnaise from scratch."

"Is that a request?"

"It is."

"I'll try to make it tomorrow," I promised. "I should probably introduce the concept of sandwiches sooner rather than later. I'll need to make them for Jason's lunch and he'd stand out too much if he was the only one with them."

"Work hard," she said.

"I will," I replied. She disappeared with no transition between her being there and not being there.

The Sanctuary trio suddenly began applauding.

"Well done," the Oracle praised. "I nearly pissed myself the first time I met the Goddess, but you handled yourself rather well."

"I told you he was the best one out of the lot," Aron commented.

"Now, now, calm down everyone," the Priest added. "You're going to confuse him at this rate. Al, won't you please sit down? I know you must have a lot of questions."

"Not really," I replied. "I assume you have your reasons for pretending like you had no idea what my Earth affiliation meant."

The Oracle smiled at me. "We've been in your shoes. Most of the people working in Sanctuaries are people from other worlds, typically priests and doctors who wouldn't have a place outside of a Sanctuary unless they wanted to join the local temple or become an Adventurer. We didn't want to influence you while you were taking your first steps in this world, so it's standard practice to remain silent."

"The Church knows nothing about transmigration," the Priest added. "So those of us who do prefer to serve in a Sanctuary to help guide and protect newcomers. It's especially important to have one of us on hand when we get a blabber-mouth without the sense to keep his or her origins secret. We've even had to intervene once or twice to keep the newly arrived from being dragged off to an asylum."

"Sir," Aron interjected. "You should ask him about 'that'."

"Oh, yes. Al, that soup you made. It's become very popular—so much so, it's beginning to cause problems."

The other two nodded vigorously in agreement with the statement.

"People are suicide in the dungeon just so they can resurrect here and get a bowl," Aron explained with a huff of disgust. My eyebrows flew up in surprise.

"Exactly so," the Priest continued. "Would you have any issue with us selling it in the market?"

I didn't need to think about it. "Not at all. I assume you guys work on charity, so consider the recipe my donation. I would like to ask you don't keep how it's made a secret. No offense, Aron, but what you guys consider 'soup' isn't fit to feed livestock. More people should know how to make it right."

"No offense taken," he replied with a laugh. "In my defense, I come from a world where people don't cook their food at all. Our diets consisted of raw fruits and vegetables. When I first arrived here, I thought I was in hell seeing people eat meat and fish. It's taken me almost a decade to get used to it, much less cook it myself."

"I hate to cut in," the Oracle interrupted, "But the representative from the Earth Advent is still waiting for us. Albert, would it be okay to call him in?"

"Go ahead," I said.

She hurried out of the room and returned a few moments later with an Asian man in a kimono with a katana strapped to his side. I had to admit, I wasn't expecting it. If the people around here thought I looked foreign, then this guy had to be completely alien.

"Greetings," he said, offering me a formal bow. He waited for the Oracle to close the door to continue. "I'm Takahashi Minoru from Japan, here on behalf of the Earth Advent to offer salutations and extend an invitation to join our humble city of New Tokyo."

"Hello," I replied. "I'm Albert Russo, originally from America. Thanks for the offer, but I'll be staying here."

"Are you certain? New Tokyo has much to offer. We have a real power grid, air conditioned homes, movie theaters and music venues, and many other conveniences you won't find anywhere else. As we speak, a magic-infused trolley system is being developed that will significantly lower the commute time throughout the city. A chef such as yourself would be very welcome among our Western-born citizens."

The ambient temperature in town hadn't been uncomfortable at any point, so air conditioning hadn't even crossed my mind. I was curious how they already had movie theaters, but I supposed it wouldn't be difficult if someone with the technical knowledge transmigrated.

"I've already contracted to work here, so I'll be remaining here for the foreseeable future with my little brother. He's an engineer, so he'll probably be interested when he hears you're working on a trolley. Maybe sometime in the future we'll come visit and check it out, but right now it seems like this town needs me a lot more than you do. Their concept of cooking is staggeringly simple and I just gave my word to the Goddess Persephone I'd do what I could to help out. Please understand."

His face dropped in disappointment. "Yes, if you've given your word to a Goddess, we cannot expect you to leave so readily. The Gods of this world are much closer to their people than those of Earth. It would not end well if we acted against their wishes. I will relay your decision to the Grand Duke of New Tokyo with utmost haste."

"Are you not staying for a while?" I asked in surprise. "I don't think everyone is awake yet."

"Fear not, my friend. Other representatives have been dispatched to meet with the sleeping souls. Unlike you, who are taking to this new world like a fish in water, the trauma of the others is severe. We will be transporting them to more familiar surroundings as fast as possible to begin their recovery. No offense intended to the people of Alisfar, but they have none equipped to handle injuries of the mind whereas we have several psychiatrists skilled at counseling the transmigrated through their initial culture shock. They will be better off in our hands."

"As long as they agree, it's not my place to argue, but don't you think we were all dropped in this city for a reason? If the Gods wanted us to live in New Tokyo, wouldn't they have sent us there instead?"

"That is a valid point worth considering, but your people do no good in their current state."

"Can you not ask one of your councilors to come here instead? Wouldn't it be easier than transporting dozens of people to another city? Maybe you guys could set up an diplomatic consulate here? I mean, when you really get down to it, it sounds like we'd just be one among many in New Tokyo. You guys don't need us, whereas we're kind of a big deal here."

"This isn't a matter the two of you should decide alone," the Oracle interjected. "Why don't we gather everyone in the dining hall and talk it over as a group?"

"The Wisewoman is wise," Takahashi said, bowing again in her direction

I wasn't keen to join the group discussion since my decision was already made, but I listened as Takahashi expounded on the Earth-style conveniences everyone could look forward to enjoying in New Tokyo. I waited until he was done, then looked around the group and presented my point of view.

"Coach, what's your new title?" I asked, looking at Coach Townsend first.

He seemed like he was in a daze as he answered, "Toymaker. My great-grandfather was a puppetmaker in Germany, so I thought it might be a good choice."

"Have you taken a good look around town?" I asked. "I haven't seen any kids playing ball out in the street and no little girls playing with dolls. I think some of the reason this town is so behind the times is because no one has provided children the tools to spark their imagination. And without imagination, invention can't take hold."

"Really?" the Coach replied, his eyes gaining some focus. "They don't even have ragdolls?"

"I haven't seen any," I confirmed.

"What about stories?" Lorainne, the former postwoman asked.

"Books here are only meant for recording information," Aron jumped in, seeing where I was going with my line of questioning. "There are many encyclopedias in the library, but no tales of exploration or fairytales. The closest we have are historical records of the Gods and Heroes."

"I'm a florist," another woman said. "Does that mean they don't give bouquets to loved ones or make wreathes for the seasons?"

"What about music? I play the guitar."

"Gymnastics! You can't tell me they don't have gymnastics!"

"Does this mean I really can be a candy-maker?"

"Wait, wait, wait!" a man suddenly shouted, standing up. "Just to make sure I have this straight—this town is huge. Right? Yet you're saying they don't have any of the stuff we bring to the table?"

I grinned at him. "Even if they have it, it's underdeveloped. No matter what you picked as your new job title, it's nearly impossible for you to fail. The same can't be said if you go to New Tokyo. They already have a good foundation and it sounds like they're prospering. Together, we can make this town, Alisfar, prosper in the same way.

Most of you haven't realized it because you haven't really tried, but once you actually go into town with the determination to build a life here, money and housing is easy to get. I'm working on the food situation. I introduced vegetable soup last night and today I made chicken and dumplings at the Adventurer's Guild. Give me a week or two and you'll start to see a lot more familiar meals being offered. I can't do everything alone, though. I'm just one man and, no matter how many things from Earth I could introduce, it's better if someone with enthusiasm for the subject takes charge.

Going to New Tokyo would certainly make your lives easier. I'm not saying it won't. It sounds like a real city, as close to any Earth city as you'll find in this world. And I'm not saying that staying here is the right decision for everyone. We haven't experienced a cold season yet and there might be hidden speed bumps I can't predict. But won't you give it a chance anyway? I sincerely believe we were brought here for a reason. It wasn't meant as a punishment and it wasn't intended to harm us. We were brought here because someone up above believes in us and put their faith in us. As a reward for working hard, we'll be praised and allowed to experience lives of ease we never would have experienced on Earth. Can you really ask for more?"

"Two weeks," Coach Townsend said decisively, a light of hope building in his eyes. "I'll try for two weeks to be a toymaker like my great-grandfather. If I don't see what you're talking about in that time, I'll go to New Tokyo with Mister Takahashi."

As other people called out with their personal timelines, I turned to Takahashi and gave him an apologetic grin.

He bowed at me and said, "I have been defeated. I will contact my people about setting up an Earth Advent Consulate in Alisfar. We will gladly support our fellow Earthlings in their personal journeys."

I had a feeling they planned to use this as an opportunity to advertise New Tokyo to the people of Alisfar, but I saw no reason to complain. As long as they didn't start making demands of us because of our affiliation, they could do whatever they wanted.

"I feel like celebrating," I said over the outbreak of conversations as people began making plans. "Who wants pizza?"

It was a stupid question.

Making fresh mozzarella wasn't difficult once I got the hang of using Ice Magic. They already had the necessary rennet in the pantry, since cheese was one of the few complex dishes—like bread—made regularly throughout the city.

Of course, they made hard yellow cheese normally. Aron was nearly giddy as he watched me make white mozzarella. I sent up a few mental words of thanks to all my Aunties for teaching me everything they knew about cooking. Without their nagging and nonstop lessons, I wouldn't be a quarter of the chef I'd become.

The sauce and dough for pizza was simple, since I had all the ingredients on hand. Dicing up the tomatoes small enough to mash them into a sauce paste was difficult, but not impossible. The only real problem came when I looked for a pan to cook it on. Pizza pans weren't a thing and the bread pans were too small. When I explained my problem to Aron, he dug out a set of oversized cookie sheets he said was used for special woven bread made during the winter holiday. Using it, I was able to cook two pizzas on each sheet, for a total of six at a time.

Aron's face was filled with wonder as I dressed each pizza with a mix of sliced vegetables. And when I topped one with leftover ham from breakfast and pineapple chunks, I thought he might faint. I didn't think his reactions would ever grow old.

"I got two plain cheese, a makeshift Hawaiian, mushroom and spinach, and two vegetarian supremes," I announced as I delivered the pizzas to the dining hall. I didn't need to cut them and divvy them up—the crowd descended like a horde and took over. Knowing the pizzas wouldn't last long, I watched just long enough to see which ones disappeared first, then went back to the kitchen to make extras until I ran out of dough, sauce, and mozzarella.

I made sure to leave one supreme pizza in the kitchen for myself, Aron, and the rest of the Sanctuary staff. I didn't think the horde would leave us any of theirs.

"I'll be introducing this to the Guild soon," I told Aron. "So don't share it with any Adventurers. You don't want a repeat of the vegetable soup suicides."

Just saying 'vegetable soup suicides' made me want to laugh until I cried. It was so sad people were that desperate for real food.

Before I went to bed that night, I prepped the dough to make baguettes in the morning and informed the Head Priest it would be our last night staying at the Sanctuary. I thought he'd be disappointed I was leaving so soon, but his reaction was borderline giddy.

"Isn't it natural for me to be happy?" he asked when I commented on it. "If you're moving out, it means you're settling in and won't be leaving for a different town."

I couldn't argue, so I went to bed satisfied. The next morning, I dressed in the new clothes I'd bought at the market, belted on my skinning knife, and donned my leather work apron. Jason was eager to trade his Sanctuary outfit for a new tunic and trousers and I made a mental note to figure out how bathing was handled in this world. They did have toilets, albeit ones that worked more like waterless outhouses, so I had high hopes bathtubs existed. I should have checked with the landlady before agreeing to live in her boarding house. For now, we made do with wiping down using a washcloth and the kitchen sink.

While Aron handled breakfast for the hungry masses, I baked the baguettes for Jason's lunch and put together a simple ham and cheese sandwich with lettuce and tomato. For a side dish, I tossed in a few boiled eggs from breakfast and a couple of raw carrots. Admittedly, the carrots were mostly to tease Jason about being a bunny boy, but I knew he actually liked snacking on them so there was no harm done.

Aron provided me a small lunchbox I could use to pack Jason's meal and a sealed jar of tea. While Aron's back was turned, I tasted the tea and quickly added a slices of lemon and a handful of sugar. The base version was far too bitter to expect a teenager to drink.

Before we left, the Head Priest came out and gave us white sashes to tie around our waist. He claimed they'd have the same effect as wearing Sanctuary clothes, letting strangers know we were amnesiacs and couldn't be expected to know some things. I took the opportunity to return the clothes we'd been given and promise to return our boots as soon as we could find replacements.

Getting out the door wasn't as easy as I was expecting, though. Three people were waiting outside for me—a young woman and two men who I recognized from the meeting the previous evening.

"Take us with you," they demanded.