Chapter 7

“Thank you for the food.” Elerina put both her hands facing down on the floor, one on each side of the instant noodle cup, and bowed her head.

“Is that part of elven mannerisms?”

“Yes, it's to show that we're thankful for the food, although we usually do it on a table and not on the floor.”

She picked up the cup and began eating, using the plastic fork provided.

“Hmm… this one tastes better. What did you do?”

“I didn't use the provided seasonings. I use regular salt instead.”

“You did that for me?”

“You're fighting a war, I figure you would want something healthier.”

Also, I could keep that extra seasoning pack for myself. A win-win.

“That's so considerate of you.”

I scratched my cheeks. “I'm- I'm your husband, after all.”

She let out a little giggle. I checked the time. It was ten in the morning.

“Since you're resting right now, can I move?”

I need to go sell the golden cup and pick up some equipment.

“Oh? Sure. Where are you going?”

“The mall, it's like a huge store consisting of various smaller shops. You can buy a huge variety of things in it.”

I had checked online before. Some jewelry stores accept buying jewelry. The thing is, they usually buy back their own jewelry, so I wasn't sure if it would work. No pain in trying, though.

“Will you take long?”

“Two hours, maybe?”

“Alright, I'll stay put for now.”

Unfortunately, I needed her to stop and hide. Even walking would risk her being spotted by a monster, and if a fight broke out, who knew what my fate would be.

“Anyway, I'll be heading out.”

I gave her the tablet and started a video call. I had downloaded an app that would lock my touchscreen, so my touches wouldn't change it. I chose a shirt with a pocket on its chest and put my phone there.

I thought about giving her earphones, but she must remain alert at all times, so I couldn't give her distractions. I honestly can't imagine myself being on standby like that all the time. It must be exhausting. Maybe I should look for some kind of motion-detection device.

She sat down and I began my walk. The trip to the shopping mall only took about ten minutes, as my apartment wasn't located far from it.

After I left the apartment, I turned around to show her the building I just left.

“Woah, that's your home?”

“Kind of. I live in a tiny room up there.”

“Amazing.”

The prospect of bringing her over kind of excites me. Imagine her reaction when she realized that tall buildings aren't just a rarity, it's a norm. That said, I think a life somewhere in the village would suit her more, somewhere close to nature.

At the same time, I wanted to visit her world as well, particularly see the various kinds of magic available. I mean, since they had magic, there would be a lot of things that us humans living in a magic-less world couldn't do.

Before reaching the mall, we needed to cross a bridge. I turned my body around, allowing her to see all the vehicles passing by.

“What are those?” She asked, peering into the tablet’s screen. “Carriages? But they look much bigger… are they powered by magic?”

“They're powered by what we call engines.”

Since I'm now outside, I checked my surroundings, making sure there was no one else on the bridge with me.

“Basically… umm… fuel in, piston spin, move forward.”

“... What?”

“Yeah, I don't know either.”

I animated a car before, but I only showed its exterior, none of its inner workings.

“Do they serve the same function as carriages? To transport people around, I mean.”

“Yes, but they do more than that…”

When she mentioned the word carriage, the first thing that appeared in my mind were the ones with large windows and pretty decorations, the ones used to carry royalty, but then the image of a regular wooden carriage that's used to carry goods with a tarp top flashed in my mind.

“Well, actually, it's practically the same. The main difference is the propulsion, but as a result, the carriages of my world can go faster and carry more things.”

“How fast are we talking?”

“A hundred kilometers an hour on the highway?”

“A what on what?”

Oh yeah, they might have different measuring systems.

“Stretch out your arms.”

She stopped slurping on the noodles, which looked surprisingly cute, and put the tablet and cup down, then stretched her arm.

“Let's just say your outstretched arm is a meter. It probably isn't, but we're just using it for comparison.”

“Alright.”

I took my phone and did quick calculations. A hundred kilometers per hour is around twenty seven and a half meters each second.

“Now imagine twenty five Elerinas standing side-by-side, with their arms stretched wide.”

She turned to her left and right, likely picturing that scene.

“That's the amount of distance a carriage from my world usually travels a second when on a highway. A highway itself is basically a large road.”

“Wait, really? That quick?”

I nodded.

“That's wonderful! My foot won't hurt if I have that kind of technology!” Her eyes sparkled.

“And that's not the fastest it could go. Most could hit twice that speed.”

“Wait, you're joking.”

“No, I'm serious.”

I opened the internet through my smartphone. I showed her a famous racing series. Her mouth went wide open.

I quickly checked my surroundings, making sure no one is seeing me showing my phone screen to empty air. My clearly real audience, on the other hand, stared at it in awe.

“That's… that's just crazy.”

“Oh, these ones are faster than most carriages, though. They're purposely built for speed. Most people wouldn't go that fast.”

I certainly wouldn't. I got spooked just from riding at one hundred and fifty. I couldn't imagine going twice that speed.

“You don't have to promote your world anymore, I'm already sold!”

I let out a chuckle. “You're only attracted because it's new to you. Once it becomes everyday, you'll eventually get bored.”

“You have a point there.”

Well, at least in our world, living the slow life is also an option. If you want, you could become a farmer somewhere in the mountains.

But man, I really want to see real life magic as well.

“I hope I also have a chance to visit your world.”

“Haha… there's no need to. It sucks.”

“It sucks now, but if we can find a way to end the war…”

She lifted her head, staring at me.

“... You don't want that to happen?”

“Ah, no, no.” She waved her hand. “It's just… complicated.”

“I guess so.”

If it wasn't, they wouldn't be losing. It wasn't an issue a couple of guns could fix, not like I could get those guns, either.

If we have the money… no, we still need to get the permit.

Having firearms in general is illegal in Indonesia. We could go somewhere that does allow them like the U.S, but I'm sure they also need some kind of permit over there. Well, if I have money, I guess the black market exists… I don't really have a lot of knowledge surrounding those kinds of weapons, and definitely not much time. Considering how expensive they are, it’s an unrealistic option, unless we could somehow get a ton of money.

After she was done with looking around, I continued on toward the mall.

“I have sooo many questions…” she murmured a few seconds after we entered. I had only shown her the lobby, but I guess from an elf’s perspective, it looked like another world.

Rather, it is another world. Made me wonder how I myself would react if I saw what her world is like. Would I react like a child? Maybe. I took a breather, letting the cold, air-conditioned air wash over me. Elerina would definitely react if she could feel the cold on her skin.

“Could I speak to you?” She asked all of a sudden. I took a look around. Since it's a weekday morning, there was hardly anyone here. That said, me speaking alone in the mall would definitely look strange, but I have a solution for that.

I took my wireless earphones and pushed the lid open. I took the piece for my right ear and connected it to my phone. A small, blue light shone.

“What's that?” she asked curiously. Since gesturing to her to wait might be misunderstood, I quickly put it on my ear and lowered the phone’s volume to zero.

“Alright.”

“Huh?”

“We can speak now.”

“What did you do?”

“In my area, there's something we call wireless earphones. You can use it for calls, so people wouldn't be suspicious.”

I tried wording it in a way to make it sound as if I was actually in a call. I couldn't make it entirely natural, but at least I can hide some parts.

“Ah, I see, so it's similar to this?” She pointed toward the tablet.

“Yes, but just without the pictures.”

“We also have what we call connection magic. It transports your voice straight out of your mouth into someone's ear.”

“That's pretty similar, then.”

“It is. The casting is not that tough as well.”

We continued talking as I walked.