Chapter 24: The Otherworld's Unique Tier Magic—Zero-Tier Magic
Four years before the New Calendar.
Mid-Wind Month, May 30th.
Following the flow of people, Tang Zheng walked along the main road. The stone path, perhaps due to heavy foot traffic, had become somewhat concave in places.
However, the ground was still very clean; only in the crevices at the very edge of the street were there faint traces of moss.
The surrounding buildings, scattered yet orderly, were primarily light-toned with dark, European-style roofs.
Tang Zheng walked along the street, observing his surroundings while heading toward the Adventurer's Guild in E-Rantel.
First, he needed to find a place to rest properly.
He had left the Royal Capital on May 17th; thirteen days had already been spent on the road.
The matter of leveling up had to be put on the agenda as soon as possible.
The Touv Great Forest and the Katze Plains near E-Rantel were, in his opinion, important locations for leveling up.
Tang Zheng intended to head to the Touv Great Forest first.
This was not only because the forest contained a large number of beasts and monsters, but also because his current abilities were ineffective against the undead creatures of the Katze Plains.
Therefore!
Tang Zheng needed to prepare some supplies for himself, a necessity for which he could thank the Rock Squad for their lessons in wilderness survival.
He wasn't going to the Adventurer's Guild now, but to an inn located near it. It was said that these inns were businesses that had developed alongside the Adventurer's Guild.
Some high-level Adventurer Teams didn't even have to pay when stay in these inns.
He had walked for more than ten days straight.
In his previous life, Tang Zheng felt his legs would have been practically useless, if not completely crippled.
But now…
After walking all this way, he felt no discomfort other than some fatigue; he didn't even have a single blister on his feet.
This situation made Tang Zheng suspect that an increase in Level wasn't just an increase in Strength; his own Constitution was also significantly improving.
Tang Zheng unfastened the water pouch from his waist and took a gulp. After passing through a few city blocks, he found a small inn just a street away from the Adventurer's Guild.
This type of inn offered two kinds of rooms.
One was a multi-person room that could accommodate four to six people, costing one copper coin per person per day.
The other was a two-person room, costing five copper coins per person per day.
This type of inn was clearly provided for Adventurer Teams. Indeed, aside from adventurers and visiting caravans, local commoners wouldn't stay in inns.
Naturally, Tang Zheng wouldn't stay in a multi-person room. He simply rented a two-person room for himself. After considering the time he would need to prepare supplies, he booked it for two days, costing him 20 copper coins.
That was the equivalent of two silver coins.
Creak!
Pushing open the brown wooden door, its old hinges let out a grating squeak.
Tang Zheng stepped inside, casually closed the door, and scanned the room.
The room wasn't large, only about eleven or twelve square meters. In the center stood two wooden beds with a simple nightstand between them.
As for the rest of the space, there was no other furniture, making it look quite spartan. The only thing that relieved Tang Zheng was that this room came with a private toilet.
Overall, this world appeared to be at a medieval level, but due to the existence of magic, it couldn't be judged by those standards alone.
For instance, whether in the Royal Capital or on the central street of E-Rantel, there were fixtures resembling streetlights.
Of course, they weren't actual streetlights, but magical lanterns that housed an item called "Everlight."
Although the journey had been arduous, it wasn't a problem for Tang Zheng. The only thing he found somewhat unbearable was the toilet situation.
Paper did exist in this world.
However, the craft of papermaking was primitive and production was very low. Moreover, no one was willing to waste time improving it.
This was because this world had zero-tier magic, which didn't exist at all in the game YGGDRASIL.
This type of magic was also called life magic.
By simply expending a little magical power, one could easily create large quantities of paper. Under such circumstances, there was naturally no motivation to improve papermaking technology.
Fortunately.
The Rock Squad, after all, consisted of high-income individuals. When people had money, their living standards tended to improve.
Otherwise—
"Cough."
Tang Zheng coughed lightly, cutting off the thought that had surfaced in his mind.
He had learned about the existence of zero-tier magic from the Rock Squad. According to their leader, Dosali, this type of magic was used merely for convenience. Most magic casters wouldn't bother to learn it specifically; unless they had a personal need, they would just buy the corresponding magic scrolls.
And because of this information, it served as a reminder to Tang Zheng.
This reminded Tang Zheng of how he acquired skills: by expending skill points to learn them immediately after witnessing someone else use them.
He wondered if magic cast from scrolls could also be learned by expending skill points.
Additionally.
There was also the matter of earning money.
Whether he wanted to admit it or not, the upcoming purchases would require money.
Before heading to the Touv Great Forest, he needed supplies. He had to buy at least one piece of armor, and especially a new weapon. The short sword in his hand would likely go dull after killing just a few beasts.
He couldn't afford magical weapons, but he would need to stock up on a few ordinary blades.
The basic price of goods in this world wasn't high, but any item connected to "magic" became terrifyingly expensive.
A cup with only a cooling effect cost as much as 150 gold coins.
And weapons with magical effects, regardless of their power, were valued at over 1,000 gold coins!
These were things ordinary people could never even touch in their lifetime.
With the money he currently had, he could only afford to buy a few decent, ordinary weapons.
On his way to E-Rantel, Tang Zheng had already begun considering how to earn money. Asking Nfirea Bale about making "Healing Potions" was part of this line of thinking.
However.
After understanding the process, Tang Zheng knew he couldn't spend a large amount of time collecting herbs and learning about them.
Therefore, Tang Zheng once again considered zero-tier magic, also known as life magic.
"Fortunately, the money Captain Dosali gave me has solved my immediate problem."
Tang Zheng took out the bag of gold coins from his pocket.
He had just checked it; there were a full 20 gold coins inside. Adding the money he had left over, he now had 22 gold coins, 4 silver coins, and 4 copper coins on hand.
Tang Zheng put the coin pouch into his item box and rubbed his temples. There was much to consider, but for now…
Thud!
Tang Zheng walked to one of the beds and flopped down on his back.
He had been sleeping in the wild until now, his nerves constantly on edge. Finally, he could sleep in a proper bed.
What he needed most now was to rest and recuperate.
Lying on the bed, Tang Zheng turned his head to glance out the window. The sun was high, so it must have been just after noon.
This inn wasn't far from the Adventurer's Guild, and it was daytime, so he could probably rest well.
This thought flashed through Tang Zheng's mind, and he closed his eyes.
(end of chapter)