Chance Encounter

A man in his early thirties walks out with an apologetic smile on his face. He is big. I can see muscles bulging from under his fine silk clothes. A short black beard covers his chin and cheeks.

"Don't worry about it," I say.

He takes a quick glance at my hair but doesn't pay any further attention, what does catch his attention are the girls walking out from behind me.

"Whoa, what a handsome group you are." He chuckles.

He's not that bad-looking himself.

"Thanks," I say.

"Connor, is there anything wrong?" A female voice calls out from within the room.

The man turns around and says back, "Nothing, honey, just talking to the people from across the hall."

"Okay," the woman says, "can you come here and help me with my necklace?"

"Sure, one second."

He turns back to us and asks, "Are you guys also going down for dinner?"

"Yeah."

"Save a couple of seats for me and my wife, will ya?"

"Sure."

He nods and goes back into his room.

"Is the nice man joining us for dinner?" Faye asks.

"I guess."

As we walk down the stairs to the first floor, the clicking of silverware and reserved chatting become audible.

The smell of cooking fills the air of the now-crowded tavern. A few waitresses weave around to tend to the customers. Only one round table is empty. Once again, my and Astra's hair are getting a lot of looks.

"Go grab a seat, guys. I need to talk to the bartender for a second," I say and break off from the group.

As they are walking away, I hear Faye ask Astra, "What's a bartender?" To which Astra shrugs.

I guess that's not the term they use.

I go over to the bar, where the man is handing out mugs of beverages to the waiters. He notices me approaching him and says, "Hey, decided to join us for dinner?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want a drink?" He asks.

"No, I'm fine. Do you happen to have a map?"

"A map?"

"Yes."

"If you are looking one of the Cimavetta Highlands, the stable has it. I only have a map of the country in the back."

"That will do just fine."

"Alright, let me go get it," he says and turns into the door behind him.

A second later, he walks out with a scroll made of vellum.

"Please return it when you are done," he says as he hands it to me.

"Sure, thanks."

I take the map and leave the bar. The girls have already settled around the table. I walk through the busy tavern to them and pull out a chair to take a seat.

"Whatcha got there?" Astra asks.

"A map."

"What for?"

"Just looking."

"Oh."

I spread out the scroll on the table. It's definitely not a map resembling anything on Earth.

One entire landmass takes up the whole frame, surrounding it on all sides is a huge body of water labeled as the Great Sea. Terradivina is the entire continent. In the center is the Holy Capital, and dotted around are towns and villages.

It's very chaotic. With the exception of the capital city, there doesn't seem to be any pattern of the placement of the settlements. Most of them are not even connected.

After a quick glance, I find the village of Alventyr. We have crossed a quarter of the continent to reach the massive mountain range, and the capital is right on the other side. Beside the capital is a forest called the Pitted Woods. It's not much of a woods as it's almost as big as the capital itself.

"What's this Great Sea?" I ask.

"It's the edge of the country," Faye says.

"I can see that, but what's beyond it?"

"There are a few islands, Master," Lohikaarmi says.

"Just islands?"

"There is another country all the way out East," Astra says.

"Another country?" Faye asks.

"Um, I heard, from a rumor."

"That's a strange rumor."

"Y-Yeah."

So, Terradivina isn't the only body of government in Eden. I see. With their early shipbuilding technology, the people here probably haven't had a chance to explore far out into the ocean.

"This rumored country, is it similar to Terradivina?" I ask.

"I don't know. As I said, it's from a rumor," Astra says.

The look in Astra's eyes tells me that she is serious, about what I have no clue. How can the Goddess of this world not know about the other countries?

"Alright, I will take a closer look later. Comms, is there a camera function?"

A text pops up. "WOULD YOU LIKE TO PHOTOGRAPH YOUR VIEW?"

"Yes."

"PHOTO TAKEN AND STORED IN LIBRARY."

Convenient, now I just have to figure out how to access this library.

An elf in a waitress uniform walks over to us and says, "Hi, we are serving meat stew tonight, would everyone here want some?"

I look around the table, and the girls all nod.

"Yeah. Bring six, there are more people coming."

"Sure thing."

"Oh, can you also take this to the man at the counter?" I roll up the map and put it in her hands.

"Of course. Is there anything else?"

"No, we're good."

"Alright. Have a good evening," she says and walks away.

"Meat stew, eh?" Astra says.

"Tiasha's meat stew is the best," Faye says with a smile. A trace of sadness appears in her eyes.

"Getting homesick?" I ask.

"Yeah, a little. Do you not get homesick?" Faye asks.

"No. There's nothing to miss."

"What about your family and friends."

"The only one I have I can talk to any time."

"What about the life you built?"

"It's all going to collapse if I don't build a new life for all of us here."

"How can you not miss your home? I can't stop thinking about Alventyr."

"A matter of strength, I suppose."

Faye dips her head down.

"I see…."

"Don't be sad, Faye," Astra says, "Think about all that's good coming your way. I am sure the Goddess is looking at you favorably for the courage you displayed for the better of your people."

"You really think so?" Faye asks.

"Take my words," Astra answers with a thumbs up.

A weak smile appears on Faye's face.

"Thank you, Astra. You are really wise for a little girl," she says.

"Of course!"

As unbelievable as it is, this girl can be pretty good at her job sometimes.

A second later, I see our neighbor coming down the stairs while holding hands with a woman beside him. They are both dressed with good class, like most others in this tavern, but on a higher level.

The woman is in a white gown reaching down to her ankles, and it's embroidered with golden laces on the edges. A shiny, gold amulet necklace hangs around her slender neck. The waiters greet them with a slight bow as they walk down.

The contrast in their physiques is prominent. They look like the beauty and the beast, except that the beast is not a beast, but a well-built gentleman.

The man scans the room and lands his eyes on us. He gives a wave and walks toward us, leading his wife with him.