Travels with the Rat and Dragon (3)
“But.... even if leaving the village like this is fine, what about the priest? Is he okay?”
“Now you bring it up?”
Isn't that the kind of thing you're supposed to worry about before we even left?
“Ah, um.... well.... when we were leaving, my head was all jumbled up with all sorts of thoughts. About Mom, and the outside world too.”
“Hmm..... yeah, I suppose that makes sense.”
A young girl raised in a tiny rural village suddenly setting off into the world? Yeah, her head would be spinning.
But still, what a pointless worry.
“That priest has some decent skills for a human, so don't worry about him.”
“Really?”
I gave a small nod. For a human, he was pretty capable—no need for concern at all.
And.... when we left the village, I'd quietly set up a barrier to keep anyone with hostile intent from entering.
Should be no problems.
“That's a relief, then. I was a little worried.”
You should be worried about your sense of direction, not him.
Though that can be fixed later with something simple—like a compass that points to whatever you want.
Hmm.... but if I make one and some other human picks it up later, treating it like treasure.... nah, probably not.
Pfft, no way. Not everything I make turns into treasure.
Even if most of what I've made so far kinda has....
“So, we're heading to Armen, right?”
“Yes. If we go to the Life Temple there, we should find some clues about Mom.”
The Life Temple, huh....
My duties as the Goddess of Life were handling themselves automatically, but the temples themselves had been half-neglected....
Guess I should pay a visit.
“The Life Temple folks will be easy to talk to, at least.”
“Yeah. The priest wrote us a letter of introduction since he's affiliated with them, but it'll be totally different if the Dragon Priestess speaks directly.”
Not as the Dragon Priestess, but as the Goddess of Life, though.
Anyway.
“Let's rest up properly tonight, then head out tomorrow.”
“Okay!”
And so Maybel and I spent the night at the inn.
The world 300 years later had changed in many ways.
Buildings used to be mostly wood or mud-and-thatch, but now they were using bricks. For construction, paving main roads like sidewalks—everything felt much neater overall.
Compared to the stone age we'd come from, this was massive progress!
Clothing hadn't changed drastically, but the fabrics were far cleaner. Leather had been the norm before; now cloth was common.
The economy felt more prosperous too.
And something unique.... all these small altars dotted everywhere.
Not just one or two—over a dozen in plain sight, each a different design.
Worshipping different gods, apparently.
Hmm.... I put a lot of restrictions on the gods, so they're hustling to build up their faiths.
As long as they don't harm humans, they're free to do whatever.
The gods varied, but the big ones were Baal of the Skies and the Mother of Life.... well, me.
My kids were strong contenders too, and surprisingly, Sirius had a presence. Others dotted around as well.
Lots of gods to choose from? Good for the humans.
Maybel and I kept traveling.
We ran into monsters, humans, bandits, pilgrims, adventurers, soldiers.
Surprisingly many humans, and monsters were rare.
From what I gathered, humans had learned that mana stones, hides, meat, and bones from monsters were valuable materials. That spawned the popular profession of adventurer—monster hunter.
Risky, sure.... but snag a big mana stone, and you're set for life.
Soldiers had multiplied too, though....
They seemed underpaid. More like a standing garrison for public order.
Dangerous work, drafted for wars, low pay—plenty of gripes.
If they mutiny or something, not my problem.
Anyway, that's how Maybel and I arrived at Armen.
“This place.... it's huge.”
“Yeah. Pretty big.”
About the size of Sirius back before he fell asleep. A proper city-state.
Seeing how much it'd developed in 300 years stirred a bit of emotion.
“First time in our city, I take it.”
As we marveled, a well-uniformed guard approached.
“Yeah, first time here.”
“It's my first time in a city this big!”
“Haha, everyone says that. Armen's larger than the other city-states.”
The friendly guard chuckled heartily and started sharing tips about the city.
“That tavern sells great beer, but you two look young, so skip the drinks. Food's delicious, though—good as a restaurant.”
“Huh. Helpful info. I'll remember that.”
“For lodging, see that place over there with the horse-shaped sign? Solid inn. Word is, they get furniture from a dwarf they know.”
“Dwarves? I've only read about them in books, but they're here?”
“Never seen one myself. But the inn's nice—recommended.”
Hmm. Sincere, or shilling? Doesn't matter.
“We need the Life Temple first—know where it is?”
“Ah! Here for the Life Temple? Pilgrims?”
“Not quite pilgrims.”
Maybel stifled a giggle at that. From her view, the Dragon Priestess mistaken for a pilgrim must've been hilarious.
“Head to the central plaza—you'll see it right away. Biggest temple there.”
Central plaza, huh. Trendy.
“Thanks. We'll be off, then.”
“Sure thing! Cleanest city around—enjoy your time in Armen!”
“Clean?”
“Yep. Armen's special facilities. Aqueducts and sewers keep it spotless. Way cleaner than other cities.”
Aqueducts and sewers? Interesting.
“Other cities use slimes to eat the filth, but that doesn't stop the stench until they're done. Armen pipes in clean water and flushes waste away. Keeps everything pristine.”
Ho. Aqueducts and sewers in this era? Impressive.
Earth had them in Roman times, sure. Still, ahead of schedule.
“Thanks to the clean water supply, bath culture's big here too. If you're okay bathing with others, try a bathhouse—great experience.”
Bathhouse, huh.
Come to think of it, I barely remember proper baths. Magic cleans me instantly anyway.
“Bath...!”
Unlike my indifference, Maybel's eyes sparkled.
“Um, if it's okay, wanna try one?”
“Hmm. Bathing....”
Honestly, my body doesn't even feel heat from boiling lava.
What's the point? But whatever.
“Life Temple first. We'll think about baths after we wrap things up.”
“Okay!”
We parted from the guard and headed to the central plaza.
Maybel tried veering off-route a few times, though.
Just head toward the crowds—why keep taking detours?
Made no sense to me.
“W-We made it.”
“Yeah. Would've been faster without someone zigzagging every other street.”
And so we arrived at Armen's Life Temple.