I walked through the thicket, a compass in one hand, my weapon in the other. Honestly, this was quite strenuous for an old man like me; my entire body ached. Fortunately, I didn't encounter many attacking beasts along the way—just a few simple animals, which my weapon dispatched with a single shot each. Perhaps my theory was wrong? Maybe luck isn't generated from Parallel Universe Tear Energy, but maybe it's a buff each of us receives for going to another world?
Just as I was pondering this, I suddenly heard the snap of a branch. I immediately turned my head toward the sound and saw a blue wolf over two meters tall standing there. The wolf was skin and bones; it was clear it hadn't eaten in a long time. It stared at me with deep hunger in its eyes.
Seeing it, I almost froze, but I reacted quickly and began slowly backing away. The wolf also started approaching me. I gripped my weapon tightly, ready to attack. But then, looking at the wolf's condition again, I felt a pang of pity, and an idea came to me.
"Shhh, easy now. I'm not an enemy, okay?" I said slowly. The wolf kept walking toward me, growling. Then, I suddenly stretched out my hands, and a large piece of meat slowly began to materialize in my grasp. Seeing this, the wolf first looked startled and took a step back but continued growling.
I slowly placed the meat on the ground. "Look, friend, there's no need for us to fight. You're hungry, right? Here, you can eat this. I'm sure it'll be much tastier than an old man like me." Saying this, I slowly moved away from the meat and waited for the wolf's reaction.
The wolf seemed to understand. It slowly stopped growling and began to approach the meat. After sniffing it a few times, it started eating ravenously. Seeing how focused it was on the meat, I slowly began to leave. Luckily, the wolf did nothing. It seemed to have accepted my offering and let me go.
I let out a relieved sigh and continued on my way. *Ahh, I really am quite lucky. It's good my brain works well under stress, or there could have been big trouble.* Even though I was sure my weapon could kill it, this old body of mine would definitely have taken damage before I could.
I looked at my compass. It still pointed steadily in the same direction. *Ahh, when will this ridiculous trek end? I want to get where I'm going quickly.* Muttering to myself, I continued.
Luckily, a few hours later, I heard human voices. I hurried forward, pushing through bushes and past trees until a city appeared before me. At the gate, people and medieval-style wagons were entering, along with a few merchants. The city, though incomparable to those back on Earth, looked quite beautiful. I quickly brushed myself off and walked toward the line.
Entering the line, I looked around and saw people staring at me strangely. No, not at me—at my clothes. *Of course, the clothing customs here are quite different from mine. Well, I'm already here. It's too late to change now. If they ask, I'll just say my village has a different clothing style. I just hope they believe me.*
The line moved slowly, and after a long wait, only one person remained in front of me. I quickly started watching them, trying my best to understand what they were saying or if they were paying an entry fee. Even though I couldn't hear what they said, the man in front of me gave the guard a bronze coin. Seeing this, I quickly reached into my pocket and copied a handful of identical coins.
"Next!"
Hearing this voice, I stepped forward with slight tension. The guard looked at me, frowning. "Old man, where are you from? And what's with these clothes?"
I quickly slipped into a role and made up a random story. "Ahh, young man, I've come from my village. This is our village's traditional attire; I apologize if it looks strange. Actually, I'm here to see my grandson. He's been living here for a few years, and I wanted to visit him."
Hearing my words, the guard's expression softened, and he let out a slight sigh. "Old man, you shouldn't travel to such places alone. It's dangerous out there. You should take better care of yourself. The entry fee is 3 coppers." He held out his hand.
I quickly pulled 3 coppers from my pocket and handed them to him. "Thank you, son. I wish you success in your work." With that, I entered.
The inside was quite lovely. You could feel a deep medieval atmosphere. Horse-drawn carts passed down the middle of the road, and there were many stalls around, most with a picture hanging above them indicating what they sold. I guess the reason was that the locals couldn't read. I went to a nearby food stall, bought a skewer, and also asked for directions to the nearest inn. After having Artemis confirm the skewer was safe and harmless, I started walking toward the inn while eating it.
My current plan was to spend a few days in the city gathering information. And that's what I did.
I was sitting in a tavern, alcohol and a meat stew in hand. Three full days had passed since I arrived in the city. During this time, I had inquired around and tried to gather as much information as possible.
First, regarding money, it follows a typical system: 100 coppers to a silver, 100 silvers to a gold, and one copper is enough for a meal. Since it follows the typical novel system, it's likely this currency is for mortals, and immortals use spirit stones for trade, probably. As a result of my three days of effort, I had also seen silver and gold coins, which allowed me to copy them. The gold coin was actually pure luck—a noble gave one as a reward to his servant while leaving a shop, allowing me to see it.
Anyway, the important part is about cultivators. Ordinary people here call them "Immortals" and worship them like gods. I learned that four immortal families are present in this city: Ye, Long, Gu, and Zhao. These families rule this city, and the city's name is... Jade Serpent City. This seemed like a real opportunity at first, but I later learned that cultivators and we mortals are completely separate, almost forcibly isolated. Everything related to cultivators is in the upper part of the city, and ordinary people are forbidden from entering those areas. That's why I gained nothing substantial during this time. Maybe I could have tried my luck and entered, but I didn't want to take the risk, so for now, I kept my distance and waited for an opportunity.
Suddenly, a voice from inside the tavern caught my attention, and I quickly turned toward that group.
"Hah, have you heard? The head of the Ye family, Ye Xuan, is celebrating his 50th birthday tomorrow. I heard he's throwing a huge banquet. Everyone is invited to the banquet, and from what I've heard, there will be quite a spectacle. Even the other three great families are coming to congratulate them. I think it will be a magnificent show."
"Hah, you mean that Ye family? I heard the family head has a trash son—Ye Chen. He was hailed as a genius at first, but later lost his cultivation talent and became trash. I can't believe the Ye family still acts so arrogantly. I guess not every lion's cub becomes a lion, hah!"
*Interesting.* These words genuinely piqued my interest, especially the name Ye Chen. A smile played on my lips. If everything is as I suspect, I've just encountered a protagonist. Judging by the book's title, it's clear this world will have numerous heroes and villains. And there's that guy—the one originally summoned to this world. So, while encountering a hero is surprising, I didn't react too strongly.
Now, the important thing is to wait and verify whether he truly is a hero. With that thought, I happily ordered another drink and began to eagerly await tomorrow.