“These are the books that have most of the recorded history of the Lehcarouc Kingdom including the names of the most prominent people within! Here also lists their customs, their policies and also what each of their villages, towns and cities are known for!”
Waving her hand, two more stacks of books were dumped on the table, “These are the same except this one is for the Shendhala Oligarchy while this is for the Democratic Republic of Modgnik! These are the three biggest civilizations that consist of Mahuns!”
I looked at the two stacks that were at least thirty books high each, each book being as thick as a dictionary.
Before I could even say anything, another stack of books that were bigger than all three combined appeared on top of the already creaking table.
“And I’m sure my dearest little one would also wish to excel in magic as well, yes? These here cover the standard curriculum of the Aerialla Academy from the basic to master’s level! Now shall we start, my little one?!”
…
Just to put it out there… But her eyes are bloodshot…
Also… Where did all these books come from? The number of books here definitely couldn’t have fit in the small bookshelf beside the study table… In fact, they definitely do not look like they came from that particular bookshelf either seeing the bookshelf was stil full.
“Umm… Mother… Maybe we should do this one by one?”
“Ara, ara? It seems like mama has gotten ahead of herself. Ufufufu~”
I gestured to the books in front of me, “How did you even get all of these? I don’t think just anyone can get a hold of these books, can they?”
“Ufufufu~ That is correct my sweet, little one. But mama has her ways~ Don’t worry, they aren’t stolen or anything like that.”
That actually makes it more suspicious… The fact that she could get all of these books legitimately is already putting a big question mark on her real identity…
Should I be worried?
Oh well, I should just thank my luck that because of her, I get access to all of these research materials even before I start hunting for them.
Looking at the map, Lehcarouc Kingdom was the closest to us so I thought I could learn more about it first.
“What’s the kingdom like, mother?”
She smiles and picks up the first book on top of the pile, flipping through it to stop on a page before handing it to me.
Written there was a short summary of the kingdom’s form of governance. It was basically the textbook mediaeval fantasy kingdom where the country is ruled by a king or queen where lands are given to a few nobles who govern the lands granted to them in the name of their liege.
“Their primary export lies in food, livestock and precious metals while their primary imports are processed ores and slaves,” She added.
“Slaves?” I repeated, looking up at her.
“Yes. Criminals, prisoners and other such slaves are brought in from Shendhala Oligarchy to be used in their mines and farms, depending on the slave. The ones who are sold because of debt would usually be put in less demanding work to earn back their freedom while the criminals are put to work in jobs that have higher mortality rates, depending on their crime.”
Ok, so slavery exists in this world, not that surprising.
You definitely won’t see me picking up the pitchforks to demand an abolishment of it anytime soon since I’m not going to try and impose my own world’s ideals here, but I have a feeling that there might be a few transmigrators who would try to do just that.
In the end, it’s still none of my business anyway, we’re the outsiders here and if the people of this world never tried to change it, who are we to decide our ideals are better than theirs?
I was broken out of my internal musings when she moved to sit on the couch beside me, “When my little one grows older, mama will bring you to walk around the kingdom together~”
“Are they racist?” I asked.
A smile materialised on her face, “Unfortunately, that does exist though it’s not as rampant as my child might think it is. There will always be a few that carry the idea that their own race is superior compared to the others, just so that they can make themselves feel exclusive. Even amongst the Meslatars, there are plenty of them who feel superior simply because of the dragon blood in them. But to answer your question, my little sweet, you need not worry about being ostracised for your race in this world… Mostly.”
I did not miss the last word that she added in at the back but I knew what she meant.
Looking at the map of the world that was spread out at the side, I noticed the floating continent that was to the right of the Shendhala Oligarchy.
“What about Aerialla Academy? Are they like some kind of magic school?”
“Ufufufu~ I knew my little one would be interested in them! They are, for the lack of a better term, an academy that teaches everything.”
“Everything?”
“Everything,” She confirmed with a smile. “The place was founded with the idea that anyone could learn anything there, its founders gathering the brightest and greatest minds of that time to create such a school. All forms of magic, every professional skill and every subject could be taught there.”
“And it’s an independent organisation?”
She patted my head, “Ara, ara? What did I do to deserve such a genius? You are correct, they are not tied to any country but remain independent. Unfortunately, that also means that they have strayed quite a bit from their initial policies.”
Such a change was normal of course, no one could survive on just purely hopes and dreams. The Academy needed a way to secure funds and also avoid conflicts with other governing bodies while pushing their own agendas at the same time.
That means politics. Ugh.
She lifted one of the books in the Academy pile and placed it in front of me.
Looking at the title, I managed to figure out that it’s a book about the history of the aforementioned Academy.
“Before, they used to accept any kind of student as long as they wished to learn. Now, it’s seen as the most prestigious school that only the best or most influential students could attend,” She explained, opening the book up to show a picture of the school. “They have set up branch schools in all the capital cities of the major civilizations and students who excel there would be granted permission to further their studies on their little floating rock.”
“Was mama a student there too?” I asked, a little curious.
“Oh by the Creator, no. I never really saw a point since they could not help me attain my dream.”
Ah, that’s right, her dream was to have a child.
“Was it not something that could be cured? Even with magic?”
She reached forward and hugged me to her chest, “No… Mama’s condition was… Special. But it doesn’t matter now, you are here and that’s the important part.”
I didn’t know how to respond to her so I turned back to look at the map, “I… I think I would like to go there. To learn everything I could.”
“Ufufufu~ I do not doubt it, my little dearest~ When you are of age, Mama shall bring you to attend one of the schools. You will definitely get there, my little sweet~”
I’m not sure where her confidence in me comes from but I definitely wouldn’t give that up either, her confidence does give me quite a boost to my own too.
That was when I noticed something else on the map, “There’s dungeons?”
Her gaze shifted to where I was looking at, particularly a city located on an island in the middle of the lake, the one labelled ‘Dungeon City’.
“Ara, ara? There are dungeons in this World, yes. Adventurers had explored that island and discovered one of the biggest ones in existence, prompting even more people to go there to seek riches and fame. Over time, they started building a settlement there until it blossomed into the Dungeon City you see there now.”
“So there’s also an Adventurer’s Guild?”
“Ufufufu~ Not quite. Here, it is just known simply as The Guild. It’s a neutral organisation with its headquarters set up in Dungeon City with four subsidiaries operating under them. One of these four is the Mercenary Group that are exactly as they sound like. Anything anyone wants done and has the coin for it be it escort, monster slaying or even just simple odd jobs, the people in the Mercenary Group will handle it. And yes, they do have a ranking system there.”
Ah, so that’s their version of the Adventurers in most stories. Good to know.
“There is also an Adventurer Group but they operate very differently. People who join it are explorers who seek out relics and ruins, most of them aiming to document and record the world as their purpose in life.”
So basically archaeologists and historians of sorts? I can see why they are called adventurers since they venture into the unknown.
“The third group is the Merchants Group, which as you might have guessed, is a group that focuses on trade and money. They are hired by people to manage businesses or organise trade between companies as a neutral party. But most of all, they are the middlemen for auctions.”
So accountants, brokers and business managers. Interesting.
“Last but not least, the Dungeoneer Group. These are the people who would dive into the dungeons to obtain treasures and Mana Crystals from slaying monsters within. They too, have a separate ranking system similar to the Mercenary Group. Also, there is no restriction on a person joining multiple groups too~ You could join all four if you like!”
Quite an interesting system they have set up here.
Argh! This world is already so interesting!! Simply hearing about it isn’t enough! I want to explore it so badly!
She stood up suddenly, “Now, my little dearest, I think that’s enough morning lessons. Shall we head on to our afternoon training?”
I looked up at her, “What afternoon training… Mother?”
She smiled and her clothes suddenly shifted to something resembling leather armour.
“Physical training of course~ Now why don’t my little one start with a ten kilometre run? Then we’ll come back and do some light warmups of a hundred push ups, a hundred situps and a hundred squats before we move to sword training?”
…
I feel like I need to say this… But I’m only two days old in this world, you know?