Needless to say my great plan to awake my demon eye or the Medusa stare were in the end deemed a failure. There was simply not enough time on the way home from Mr. Griffith’s place. I’ll be sure to work on them. Looks like they might be needed in the future.

‘Note to self. Learn to shoot laser beams from your eyes. Or get an eye transplant from a basilisk.’

Jokes aside that was kinda embarrassing.

‘Now that I think about it I’ll get hit on over here, huh. I’ll also get to personally experience sexual discrimination, scheduled discomfort, and hopefully shoulder pain. Judging by my mother’s figure there’s a good chance for the last one.’ I thought and looked down at my perfectly straight front. ‘Oh, well it’s still early.’ a dangerous phrase just passed my mind. ‘I hope I didn’t just rise a flag…’

When they got home just after the evening bell sounded around town, most of the dinner preparations were already done away by her mom, but Memory helped with whatever there was left. She needed to make a good impression before breaking it to her mother after all. In the end it proved somewhat useless. Her most awesome grandfather had already managed to convince his daughter to let her go with him if Memory still wanted to.

‘Of course I want to go. I knew this town like the back of my hand. And a new city is a new adventure!’

“Honey, before you and your grandad leave I need you to think about something and give me an answer before you depart, you can’t go otherwise.” my mom said.

“What is it, mom?” I asked back a bit afraid of what could it be.

“I want you to think hard about what you want to do when you turn twelve. I don’t need it to be conclusive. Just have a definite idea.” said mom.

With this I got reminded time flew a bit different over here. A year would still have twelve months, but every month contained four weeks of ten days each. Amounting to the very even four hundred and eighty days a year. Days were also a tad longer at twenty five hours a day. The ‘legal age’ in the Empire, and probably on the other continents too, was twelve years old. But if you do some math it’s actually just a bit under sixteen and a half Earth years. With fifteen being between Japanese and Americans legal drinking ages.

‘I guess my parents already perceive me as a fully mature, even though I haven’t even entered my teens yet.’ I scowled ever so slightly while trying to brush my excitement for the future trip to the capital and trying to understand why my mom said.

“Roger!” I said still too excited.

“What?” my mom asked patiently.

“I understand.” I calmed down and answered her.

‘What I’ll do in this world eventually, huh?’

‘Maybe I’ll found a pop-singles guild or a skydiving school.’

‘I really want to dabble more in depth in the endless sea of the magic science. The manual said everything made here should be reproducible on the other side given concrete circumstances. Real life magic, huh, I’d definitely like to see that.’ I mused.

Honestly noticing that line in the manual was pure chance. Since I got an older model of the pod it was one of the last ones coming with a paper manuals. And if I didn’t have the right sized crystal ball randomly roll over the part of the page that had the super tiny text I would’ve never discovered it.

“I want to study magic.” I said.

Even though a lot of people were capable of using magic those who actually understood how it worked the way it did were, like in almost every world, very few so called ‘chosen ones’ also known as scientists, researchers and the likes.

‘In other words I wanted to wear a lab coat! You’re no scientists if you don’t wear a lab coat.’

In this world the white dresses resembling the legendary garb were usually worn by other types of people, such as monks, ambassadors, emissaries, some government officials and other more rare occupations. There is of course an ultimate profession in this world. It comes fully equipped with everything a mad scientist's/evil genius could wish for, a lab, a white coat, an assistant (sometimes even the sexy kind!).

‘Yes. you guessed it correctly. There’s Gandalf in this world! White wizards are apparently a thing, a package, a done deal.’

It’s only natural I wanted to become deeply involved with magic when I learned that fact. No, it's not just for the lab coat, I swear.

“Hmm. We’ll need to start saving, dear.” my mom aimed at my dad.

‘Is magical education that expensive in this world?’

“Is there anything I could help with?” I asked a bit worried. I knew how money works, and so far my parents on either side of the pod, weren’t from the most wealthy kind. So I might have to pitch in just like with the pod purchase. I’ll probably get a parttime job and help out cover daily expenses or something like that .

Although games are nothing compared to university fees it should work out in the end.

“No, sweetie, don’t worry.” my mom said.

“You don’t need to answer immediately either, think about it a bit more. There’s still quite some time before your grandfather will have to leave.” said my dad, lightening the mood.

I smiled and said nothing more. Until my mom noticed the armband and after my dad gave her the short version of the story she put on an annoying smile as if she has understood something.

I just narrowed my eyes at her and just dared her to say something.

The day ended with the some more stories from the times between my grandfather’s visit and now and some other old ones I haven’t heard yet.

‘Today felt like half of the last ten years plunged in just sixteen hours.’ I thought. When I checked the time of the pod it was no surprise to see it was in fact almost dinner time. So I went ahead and had dinner with my other family, after leaving the female part of me in her bed on the second floor.

After dinner I came back to a brand new day in Worlds. The stars were still barely visible on the quickly brightening up sky. And in the next moment a beam of light ripped across the heavens from a gap between some faraway clouds.

Today my brain managed to boot a lot quicker compared to yesterday. The reason of course being my grandfather who was about to start taming the two-headed lizard dog. After everyone woke up we went ahead and had breakfast. Without discussion it was established I’ll be accompanying my grandfather on his work. So we hopped back on the waggon and headed outside town where the taming would take place.

A week flew by and I learned quite a few tips and tricks to taming, training and taking care of magical creatures.

“Happy birthday!” three figures burst through the door of my room on the 4th day of the eight month and the room felt really cramped. Even in my half-awake state I was able to tell how full it is with my grandpa in it.

There was a platter full of delicious foods with them. I quickly loaded any information needed for the most basic interactions.

“Want.” I uttered with eyes on the various bite-sized sweets. “And thanks.”

After getting up and giving and receiving a hug from all of them I made sure my mom’s effort doesn’t fall in the wrong hands. Afterwards I was left alone for a moment to put on my best attire and went with everyone to register me in the town administrative office, as a minor. All that needed to be done was just for them to write down my and my parents names and if I would like to visit any particular specialty schools supported by the government.

The education level in the Empire was around the late or post renaissance stage. Medicine, pharmacy, Astronomy and other fields had made significant progress the past one hundred years, but for me that also meant no life-changing cheats unless I finish university, or do some serious research on the Internet on the other side. On the flip side it also means whatever I learn here will be applicable over there too.

‘I wish I could just peer into people's minds on the other side the same way I’m able to do it here.’ I heaved a sigh in my mind.

Not just science has made progress, apparently people mentality is able to keep up with the times, which is very unlike with people from Earth.

‘Well nowadays things are not as bad as a hundred years ago, at the beginning of the millennium.’ When morals were falling apart and a lot of religious extremists popped up left and write.

My history teacher claimed the reason behind those mainly being the big economic inequality with the rich-poor gap across the globe and the rapidly disassembly of things people thought are unshakable or immovable. Such were various forms of discrimination, sexual, racial, religious, and a lot of people becoming too practical to continue believing in a higher beings dictating their daily lives.

The rebound to that being, those stubborn and reluctant to learn, isolated from the dynamic world and got left behind very quickly. But that led to a big gaps in the ideals of two very big groups of humanity. Well rest is (also) history, but various things have happened and right now, humanity as a whole, is living somewhat happily on Earth.

Back to the present time on this side, I was just asked The Question.

“Would you like to attend any of the governmentally supported schools?” asked the aunt across the desk.

“Can I sign up for more than one?” I asked

She looked at me strangely and said. “It is possible, but there’s a fee for any other than the first one.”

“In that case is it possible to not attend classes and show up for the final exam?” I asked.

“I’m afraid it’s not as easy as that.” the office lady started. “Some of the subjects entail a lot of knowledge that needs to be passed down to and remembered by the students and checking for it all in one exam proves difficult. Therefore the final exam on subjects like medicine is a practical one, and no one would realy volunteer to check to successful you’ve managed to mix a certain complex remedy on themselves unless it was the person itself who has taught you how to make it.” the office lady stopped speaking and took a deep breath.

And continued. “But there are also second degree institutions where, if you have passed the first degree on something, sign up for a mixed course that includes a degree you already have mastery on and one you don’t, and expands on both.” she finally finished.

“I see. Then are there any school on magic?” I asked

“Incidentally magic is considered a third degree subject, so unless you have enough knowledge and certification we cannot allow you to waste the time of the teachers.” she quickly replied. I was starting to think I’m talking to an answering machine. Press a button, get an answer.

“Are they any exceptions?” I asked.

“No exceptions. Unless you had noble rank, which if you had you probably wouldn’t be asking me that, but instead packing for your first magic lessons.” the lady said.

She went citing Rule #1 at me immediately.

“How about if I find someone going to a magic school and convince him to switch with me?”

“No substitutions.”

“What if…” I started, but got cut across before even managing to get to the middle.

“No reductions either.”

“Then..” I got interrupted again.

“No eliminations either.”

At this point I gave up on trying to get in a magic school earlier and just put down nature science down on the form. My parents had already taught me to read and write a long time ago.

After we were done with the mind-reading office lady and went outside I was asked what I want to do during the day before sunset, or rather I was told not to come back before the evening bell. By the way the morning and evening bells sounded exactly one hour before dawn and sunset. Which was usually about the time one of the stars has just set behind the horizon.

Some time has passed since the last time I made my rounds, so I decided to do that today. I officially registered at the Adventurer’s, Merchant’s and the smith’s, tailor’s and cook's Crafter guilds. Our town also had a bard guild so I made them sign me up as well.

‘Whoa, look at all those guild cards. Right now I feel like a well payed advocate with a deck of business cards.’ I laughed without a sound escaping my mouth.

I went outside to check if my grandfather was still training Buck, it’s is he who came up with the name, don’t look at me. But he wasn’t there, so instead I went around gathering herbs I’d recognize and might prove useful on the trip to the capital, and managed to lure and feed some domesticated animals.

In the late afternoon I was pretty much left without anything else to do, so instead I headed for the commercial part of the city and browsed various shops talked to some of the shop clerks I was acquainted with and browsed some of the books in the only bookstore in town. When the big sister I had long since befriended learned it’s my birthday today, by asking me about my fancy armband, I received a book on beginner magic from her, on the house. I was quite excited to go home and read it, but the ban on returning before the evening bell was still in effect, so I still had a couple of hours to kill. I spend them with kids my age playing around the neighbourhood, after dropping the book through the open window of the living room managing to do so without getting caught.

There was the pharmacist's son who was Blyn’s age, both of them turned twelve last year. And the granddaughter of the gramps holding an inn in the neighbourhood in our group, she was eleven. Even though I was the smallest I had somehow become the group’s leader, so we usually went around sniffing out interesting things, that’s until the boys got quite busy as apprentices. So instead I stayed with Maese, that was the girl’s name, learning to sew and cook. In the past I would also stick with my dad a lot, watching him fix a lot of things, for various clients, he even did some pretty delicate work at the clocktower once. I would also help my mom at school with teaching kids simple stuff.

During the years I found out both my parents have ‘mysterious’ powers, my dad was able to fix anything broken, as long as he understood how it worked, and my mother was capable of thinking very quickly, I still haven’t figured out how that works. It seems my power to see the memories related to the thoughts someone is currently having somewhere close to me is the product of those two. Understanding and processing, seem pretty important for the human capabilities.

Like on cue, the moment I set foot on our street the evening bell resounded through town. I sprinted home, and greeted whoever’s there while bursting through the door.

“I’m home!” I voice echoed around the house.

“Welcome home, sweetie.” my mom was the first to respond.

“Ah, you’re already back?” asked my grandfather.

“So, did you do anything interesting today?” asked my dad.

We had dinner during which I told them about the things I’ve done today. And the more they listened the wider their smiles got. After we were done eating I felt unusually tired so I excused myself and went to bed. The moment I lied down and closed my eyes something happened.

Out of nowhere an explosion of messages bombarded me, but I was too tired to read them all, so I just allowed my body to rest.

In the morning I woke up before the first light beams reached my window and was greeted by a small popup window. I only thought of opening it and it expanded on itself.

Spoiler :

Unique(fig.) skill has reached Lv. 1: Mental Tap.Insufficient understanding to unlock skill: Mana Manipulation Lv. 1Skill added to known skills.Insufficient understanding to unlock skill: Manipulation Lv. 1Skill added to known skills.Acquired skill: Movement Control Lv. 1Sufficient understanding to unlock skill: Movement Lv. 1Insufficient understanding to unlock skill: Control Lv. 1Skill added to known skills.Acquired skill: Social Lv.1Acquired skill: Florae Interactions Lv. 1Acquired skill: Faunae Interactions Lv. 1Acquired skill: Human Interactions Lv. 1Insufficient understanding to unlock skill: Interactions Lv. 1Skill added to known skills.Acquired skill: Flora Interactions Lv. 1Acquired skill: Fauna Interactions Lv. 1Sufficient understanding, skill unlocked: Quick Lv. 1Sufficient understanding to unlock skill: Teaching Lv. 1Insufficient understanding to unlock skill: Knowledge Lv. 1Skill added to known skills.Insufficient understanding to unlock skill: Known Skills Lv. 1Skill added to known skills.Sufficient understanding, skill unlocked: Metalwork Lv. 1Sufficient understanding, skill unlocked: Mend Lv. 1Insufficient understanding to unlock skill: Understanding Lv. 1Skill added to known skills.Insufficient understanding to unlock skill: Mixing Lv. 1Skill added to known skills.Sufficient understanding to unlock skill: Repairing Lv. 1Insufficient understanding to unlock skill: Fixing Lv. 1Skill added to known skills.Sufficient understanding to unlock skill: Learning Lv. 1

I immediately closed it.

‘What.’

I opened it again.

Spoiler :

Hmph!

“What the hell?!” I nearly yelled still too sleepy to understand what’s happening.

I closed it again and went to find something sweet, a strawberry jam for example. I had the feeling I’ll need it.

The nightmare haunted me even to the kitchen and the popup was still there.

‘So persistent.’

I opened it with a thought again.

Spoiler :

What a fickle girl...

As I read the words it was like they echoed in my mind. with a familiar timbre.

‘...’

‘Where the hell were you for the last ten years?! You disappear and reappear whenever you feel like it and then call me fickle?!” I was so frustrated the last part leaked out loud.

‘Not just do you not do your job for so long, but then you update everything at once!’ I kept shouting in my mind.

‘Hey, it’s not my fault. The game’s made that way.’ I could swear I just felt like someone had just hidden a piece of paper on top of which the words “Plausible excuses” could be read from my sight.

That was the last straw. I changed gears extremely quickly and just pretended nothing has happened.

Spoiler :

Acquired skill: Subterfuge Lv. .Skill added to known skills.

‘WHERE IS THE LEVEL!’ I immediately failed my act. Then sighted and this ignored the voice in my head ‘For realz!’.

It turned out it had enough fun teasing me for now anyway, because no more cursed popup windows haunted me for the rest of the day.

===

AN: Might be unable to make it tomorrow. Next chapter - a trip to the capital.