(34) Rest

Riang and Oslan took in as much of the city's sights as they could. They had the look of fascination that one would have after being brought to an unfamiliar yet beautiful environment. It was quite child-like, blended together with innocent curiosity.

Amidst the sea of people, they weren't the only ones who had been in Mysteriea for the first time. Others were equally as amazed at the city itself.

Oslan was the one who was more overwhelmed with what he was seeing. He watched a male food vendor on the side using a fire magic circle on his mouth like a fire breathing dragon to cook cubes of meat on sticks sprinkled with different condiments. The customers were quite impressed seeing the spectacle, clapping their hands as they paid.

The food vendor took the sticks and gave them to the customers before waving them goodbye.

He then turned to the left and watched a short man with long hair accompanied by a taller woman who seemed to be his lover. When he spotted a stall that sold jewelry, he tapped his girlfriend's shoulder before pointing at the stall.

Even though Oslan couldn't hear what they were saying, the woman smiled and bought a beautiful necklace for him that made his face beam with a bright smile.

Getting back on the wagon, Oslan faced Riang and said, "Riang, I didn't know Mysteriea was this great of a city. There's so many things that I haven't seen before like those things on the side of the street."

"Those? I believe that's the design Ichor Selenkyr made to light up the streets at night without using soul energy. He gave them a basic name which is 'street lights'." Riang looked at the unlit lamps attached to tall metal poles sticking out from the ground that spanned throughout the city.

"Amazing… If they don't use soul energy, how do they work then?" Oslan asked with curiosity.

"That I do not know." Riang shook her head.

Although Riang kept her cool, she loved the modern feel of the city. Even though she already heard of such things from reading books or through what her mother told her, seeing them in person was a whole lot different.

Riang glanced towards Owen in a very obvious way. "I did say I didn't know, but maybe someone else does…"

Even if Owen was blind, he wouldn't miss such an obvious cue. "Hm? Yeah, yeah I get it…"

Owen stopped leaning so lazily on the wagon and pointed at one of the street lights. "So, in basic terms, the way it works is because it is powered by electricity that goes through metal wires and it lights up the glass that you see up there."

Oslan was intrigued by the novelty of the street lights. "Why though?"

"Electricity and metal… Did you not learn any of this?" Owen asked passively.

Oslan shut his mouth as his eyes looked away. "I was only taught how to read and write.. I never had any kind of education, so I don't know many things.."

"Oh, that explains it then. Do you still want me to ramble on about it?" Owen said with a shrug.

Oslan scratched the side of his face. "I mean, sure? I can at least learn from it."

"Alright, listen closely." Owen paused for a moment to gather his thoughts.

"Metals are conductive, they allow electricity to move through them. You can think of electricity as lightning bolts since they're almost the same anyway… So, metals allow this electricity to travel throughout the city and power the street lights. This happens because they have lightbulbs that light up when electricity powers them."

"Did you catch all that?" Owen looked upon Oslan who was currently dazed after trying to grasp what he just heard.

"Huh?" Oslan blinked twice. "Uhh, I think I caught a little bit… I guess..?"

Riang patted him in the shoulder. "Don't push yourself too much. Knowledge can be slowly gained through time."

Owen agreed. "That's right."

Riang threw Owen a frowning look. "Also, maybe try explaining things in a less complicated way. Not everyone knows as much as you do."

A sigh escaped Owen's mouth. "It's a well designed lesson. By showing him the entire concept, he'll be able to piece things little by little until he gets it.. Plus, he told me to explain it to him, so I did."

"Well aren't you a genius…" Riang's tone was obviously sarcastic.

Owen sensed that Riang's displeasure stems from the way he spoke to Oslan.

He replied with, "If he needs me to explain further, I am willing to. That is if he doesn't neglect his training." Owen then patted Oslan's shoulder in a way that a mentor would.

Oslan's eyes moved towards Owen's as he asked with doubt, "Really?"

Owen nodded. "Yeah, don't just rely on Riang's blood origin. You also need to train your body and soul in order to be of great help once we get to the dangerous parts of our journey."

Reinvigorated by his words, Oslan felt a surge of urgency for self improvement. "If that's what you want me to do then, I will do my best to learn."

"See Riang? You don't have to worry about Oslan all the time. He can be stronger if you give him the right resources." Owen leaned back on the wagon, having mediated the situation.

Riang crossed her arms. "Fine…. I just don't like the way you spoke to him."

"I am not harsh for malicious reasons, I am doing so for discipline and to teach him to react when it comes to truly stressful situations. If he can't handle simple rude gestures, what's to say that he can fulfill his role when it comes to battle?" Owen doubled down on his point.

Riang waved it off as a mistake on her part. She then looked away and distracted herself by sight seeing. "I get it, I guess I was reacting too far from the hay."

"What?" Unfamiliar with what she said, Owen asked.

Riang knitted her eyebrows together. "I was reacting too far from the hay.. What about it?"

"That… doesn't make any sense." Owen said after trying to figure out what it meant.

"Eh? Sure it does. It's a figure of speech Owen. Knowing you, I thought you would have at least heard about that." Riang was a bit surprised that Owen didn't know common utterances.

"Sure but, what does it even mean?" Owen decided to inquire.

Riang fixed her posture and explained, "In the Epitomus Bible, Falkuse is a man consumed by anger and so, Heva'Oern Mlyeht gave him a pile of hay to feed his animals in order to calm him down. It's something like an activity to distract him from his anger, and so whenever he's far from the hay, he acts much differently and more rash. That's where the saying 'reacting too far from the hay' originated. It could also be said as 'speaking too far away from the hay', but the subject being consistently mentioned is the hay."

Owen held his hand out to stop her from speaking anything more. He already felt a migraine coming up just by listening to her. "Okay, I get it now."

As the three talked amongst themselves, Caophre interrupted them.

"Hey, do you guys want me to drop you off somewhere?" Said Caophre.

Owen didn't think about it at all and just got through the point.

"The Sylloctation Governance Guild."

"I'll bring you there in a few minutes." Caophre came across a forked road and pulled on the reins to tell the horses to go right.

Riang pulled the neck of her shirt to smell herself. She immediately recoiled when her nostrils were assaulted with a sour and bitter scent.

She held back the urge to vomit and slowly spoke as if she were poisoned. "O- Owen, I think we should go somewhere else first…"

Owen was both confused and irked by the interruption. "Hahh? Why? We're supposed to finish the plan's arrangements as fast as possible."

Riang tugged on her shirt's sleeves in order to prevent it from sticking too close to her skin. "That can wait. I smell like a rotten hog mixed with lemons.. Let's go to a bathhouse and wash off first."

Oslan, out of curiosity, decided to sniff himself as well. It was easy to see that he regretted that decision greatly since his face looked like a scrunched up piece of wet cloth. "Riang's description couldn't be more true… We never got across any bodies of water to wash ourselves with."

Owen was not someone who neglected his own hygiene. However, having experienced being mauled by a wolf and stabbed in the liver was a rude wake up call for him not to worry about anything trivial. If he was still the Owen from a day upon arrival to this world, he'd probably be still complaining about the lack of cooling, comfortable beds, tasty food and entertainment.

Since he was able to set apart his wants from his needs, he already adapted to his circumstances

And unlike the regular folk, Owen was more open minded than the rest. Accepting this much wasn't hard for him.

"Fine, we'll go to a bathhouse first." Owen made sure that he was heard by Caophre by raising his voice a little bit louder.

"What's this? A change of plans? Tsk tsk tsk, you guys are so indecisive… Good thing that the bathhouse is on the route or else we'd take longer." Caophre maintained her hold on the reins as she grabbed a cup of water to quench her thirst.

"Blame Owen for not wanting to take a bath despite the stench." At this point, Riang only wanted to clean herself up.

"You guys are the one with a horrible stench. I'm the exception of that." Owen was confident as he said that.

"Oh please, you wrestled a bandit to the ground and you're telling us that you smell better?" Riang couldn't understand why Owen was so sure of himself.

In response to that, Owen merely glanced at his status window and looked at one particular debuff.

[Stench-3]

Nodding to himself, he turned his head back to her and said, "Yes, I believe I smell better than you two combined."

It was hypocritical to say that, but he didn't care.

Oslan's nose twitched. "Well, Owen's not lying about it. He does smell like a flowery field for some reason."

"Since when has your nose been this sensitive?" Riang pointed out.

"I don't know, you tell me…" Oslan rubbed the area of his nose using his thumb.

"I mean, what did I expect? That's just how effective my bloodline is." Riang said smugly.

"Narcissist." Owen commented.

…

After taking a few turns, the carriage soon reached their destination.

In front of them was a sturdy wooden establishment with a cobblestone base to keep it stable. The roof's shingles were painted black, lanterns with orange glass were hanging outside the doorways and were currently turned off because it was daytime.

Leafy shrubs with unique stems were planted outside the bathhouse. Since they were arranged to accompany the sides of the path leading to the entrance, it felt quite inviting.

Caophre gestured towards the bathhouse.

"Here you guys are, Floral Relaxation Bathhouse. I'm sure you'd like it here." Caophre then got off his carriage and untied it from their wagon.

"Huh." Riang climbed off the wagon and looked at the bathhouse's exterior design. "It looks pretty.. How much does it cost to clean yourself here?"

Caophre helped Oslan settle the wagon somewhere unobstructive to the path. "It would cost 30 copper for thirty minutes if you're paying for your own room, but if you want to go to the mixed bath, it's just 15 copper with the same time duration."

"A bit more tolerable price…" Riang held the bundle of coins on her side tightly.

"I've stuck with you guys long enough. I should go now." Caophre leapt on her carriage and grabbed the reins.

"Hopefully we meet again soon, bye~!"

Caophre's carriage began to move away and eventually leave from their sights.

He left, just like that.

They all stared off into the distance before Riang decided to break off her gaze and said, "So, shall we?" Riang pointed at the entrance and initiated to go inside.

"Go, it's not like I'm stopping you." Owen was acting like the older brother of the group.

"Yeah, you aren't." Riang stretched her arms as she went inside.

The trio flipped open the free-hinged doors and was greeted to a humble and clean interior.

An old man with long white hair and beard sat behind the counter right in front of the doorway. His hair is surprisingly straight and well groomed.

The old man wore a green bathrobe and sat against his chair with his feet up as they rested on the countertop, showing his legs uncaringly which had thick white hair as well.

He then grunted as he looked over to see who entered through the doors.

Oslan and Riang both looked uncomfortable once they laid their eyes on him while Owen looked through his information out of habit.

===

[Lorca Konnror - Level 90]

[Affiliation - Floral Relaxation Bathhouse]

[Skills - Unavailable] (You do not have the necessary detection skill/s to view the following information.)

===

Owen reflexively tensed up the moment he saw Lorca's level.

'Another hidden powerhouse… If I remember correctly, this guy was never in the game.' Owen figured that Lorca's existence was a result of the realism effect.

Seeing the three of them rooted on the spot, Lorca's expression changed slightly before shouting in a rough tone,

"Are you going to stand there like fools or are ya' moving?"

Owen nudged the two of his disturbed entourage before he approached the counter and placed a silver coin on top of it.

"A room for each of us."

Lorca snorted and sat down properly. He pinched the silver coin and dropped it inside a drawer before telling Owen, "You know, a single room can be shared by three people. You sure you want to be this extravagant?"

Owen turned to look back at Riang.

Riang noticed his gaze and said, "Don't worry, I won't look at you guys while you do your thing. I'm respectful like that."

Her response made Owen's mind churn. 'My concern was you… So why do I feel like I'm the one in the position of being taken advantage of?'

"Are you sure you're fine with sharing a room with us?" Owen still asked regardless.

"I should be the one asking you guys that.." Riang replied, clearly not noticing what Owen was getting at.

Riang's point of view truly deviated from Owen's and it became even more apparent right now.

"One room then." Owen faced Lorca and answered.

Lorca grabbed 70 copper coins from a nearby drawer and gradually dropped them into a neat pile. "Here you are… Go to room 5 and here's the key."

Owen took all of the coins and 'put' them in his pockets. But in reality, they were safely stored within his inventory. He grabbed the key and nodded at Lorca before beckoning for the two to follow him.

Lorca went back to lazing around when they left. He looked at Owen and thought, 'A tourist with manners. That's rare nowadays.'

…

Owen, Riang and Oslan walked across the long hallway and closely observed the numbered doors.

When they spotted room 5, Owen inserted the key into the keyhole and opened the door.

Inside was a room with marble tiles and smoothened stone walls, an electric lightbulb in the middle of the ceiling, and a small dressing room with shelves to store one's clothes in.

In the corner was a door leading to a large bathtub in a cylindrical shape with a wide base and a short height.

Riang checked it out and saw that the tub was made of something resembling ceramic or porcelain, but it wasn't at the same time.

Next to the tub were several stone structures that looked like tubes of sea sponge. It was a strange aesthetic.

Oslan checked out what the light switch was out of curiosity and flicked it.

The lights turned off.

"Oslan? What the hell?" Riang was startled and immediately yelled at him.

Oslan was equally as startled as he turned on the lights again. "Sorry! I didn't know."

Riang groaned lightly in response.

Owen looked over to see what the setup for the bathhouse was like and saw the bathtub. He found it suitable and potentially relaxing.

"I'll change first." Owen went to the dressing room after saying this.

But before he entered, he dropped off several Nulmiap jugs next to the room.

Inside, he unequipped his armor and took off his clothes. He placed them on the shelves and took one of the towels prepared for them.

When Owen walked out of the dressing room, Riang was about to turn her head when Oslan immediately reacted.

"Finally you're done- what the?!" Riang felt Oslan's hands cover her eyes.

"I promise you, you shouldn't look." Oslan was embarrassed. He then looked over at Owen and asked, "And why are you brazenly showing your chest?"

"My chest?" Owen scratched his head. "Oh right, I have to cover it… It must've slipped my mind."

"Just pull it up already!" Oslan hurriedly said.

"Alright, alright…" Owen went back inside the dressing room and fixed his towel to cover his chest.

When he went out, he spread his arms out and asked, "Better?"

Oslan finally let go of his hands covering Riang's eyes. Riang rubbed her eyelids to regain her vision.

"Yeah, you can go ahead.." Oslan let Owen pass through and take a dip in the tub.

…

Riang went inside the dressing room and started changing.

"Owen is quite a strange guy don't you think?" She asked.

Leaning against a wall, Oslan replied, "Yeah, and if I were to ask, have you ever thought about how strange it is for Owen to know a lot of things but lacks ample knowledge of the more basic ones?"

Riang hummed in contemplation.

"He did say he grew up poor. That could be the reason why he's unaware of such things." Riang clasped together reasonable explanations for it.

"He's unaware of things that are taught to us since young? Just what kind of household did he grow up in?"

"Probably from a place with no women."

Oslan nodded. "Hmmm… Yeah, probably.. But then again, does it strike you as strange that he knows how to use spatial magic? And that he has a special bloodline of some sorts? What if he's trying to gather us in one spot and that he's actually bundled together with your pursuers?"

Riang immediately shut off Oslan's speculations about the last part of his sentence. "Oslan, you're being dramatic.." Riang opened the dressing room's door and came out with a simple cotton bathrobe.

Using her hands, she combed her dark red hair that has long turned crusty.

While trying to separate stuck strands of hair, she continued, "If Owen wanted to capture me, why would he do it alone? Why would he reveal his abilities in front of us? He definitely has his own special methods.. Not only that, he didn't do anything when we were sleeping.."

"Would someone do that if they're after me? Would they teach me about blood origin even though they know that it would make you stronger, thus increasing the difficulty of my capture?" Riang added.

"Fair reason, but… I don't know, he still seems suspicious." Oslan was the one who got changed inside the dressing room this time.

"I also think the same, but his suspicious aspects aren't inherently bad… A person can have secrets and still be a good guy." Riang then waited for Oslan.

Oslan sighed. "Yeah, he's shady… But somewhat reliable when you think about it."

"You don't seem to trust him very well." Riang pointed out.

Hit with a reply that left him tight-lipped for a bit, Oslan explained, "I… I appreciate what he does for us, but sometimes you just think that he's not being true to himself or others and it's what makes it hard to get comfortable with someone like that."

"All I know is that he's not a regular individual that we're used to seeing." Riang tied her hair back with a hair tie that she found from the shelves.

Riang sighed in a resigned manner, adding, "And he's the best bet I got when it comes to returning home. Without Owen, I'd still be in Wiunlen in a stagnant state… When I first met him and he offered to help me get back to Silmoun, I believed that it was a trap.. I mean, It had to be."

"Then why did you agree?"

Riang smiled. "At first, I wanted to probe his trustworthiness.. There were many times where I left openings where he could take advantage of the situation, when in reality, they were traps. I even gave him the key to my place and snuck out to see if he would do anything to me during the night where we're supposed to head out and nothing happened."

She recalled during those times where she pretended to sleep while keeping a close eye on Owen, only to see him doing planks, half-assed push ups, and squats for no reason.

"And even though I still harbored doubt when it came to his honesty, I realized that he's the best bet I have… I guess I'm just desperate at this point." Riang said all she wanted to say.

The dressing room's door creaked and Oslan walked out with his towel.

When he heard what Riang said, Oslan patted her shoulder and said in an attempt to console her, "Since you seem to think that Owen is there to help you, there's a good chance that he might be telling the truth."

"Maybe you can truly get back home someday… I promised, didn't I?"

Riang pulled him closer for a hug.

Oslan was not expecting Riang to do this out of the blue, so his chest tightened up as a response.

"Thank you…"

Unknowingly for Oslan, Riang was touched by his words that she couldn't help but smile.

It felt great having someone you can trust.