Cyril woke up naturally on the second day. As he opened his eyes, he found himself under the crude wooden beams above his head. Suddenly, he realized he was in a new world. Although it deviated slightly from his expectations, it was still the wizarding world he had longed for.
"A new day!" Cyril encouraged himself.
He walked into the kitchen and glanced around casually, only finding two rock-hard pieces of black bread. To be honest, they could serve as defensive weapons.
Cyril couldn't believe his eyes as he searched the nooks and crannies of the kitchen. He only found a few bottles of condiments, a small bag of crushed tea leaves, three wrinkled fruits that had been left for a long time, and a small box with only half of the matches left. Empty liquor bottles piled up in a corner of the kitchen.
Now he understood why Cyril needed to go hunting in the Mistywood Forest. Life wasn't easy, Cyril sighed.
He stared at the two seemingly inedible pieces of black bread and asked his inner thoughts, "Could these things really break my teeth?"
[A friendly suggestion: soak them in hot water before eating; you can't expect them to taste good. Of course, you can also imagine you're having a feast. A little visualization can stimulate your appetite!]
"Well, thank you," Cyril said sarcastically, his face twitching. He looked around but couldn't find a faucet.
"It seems there's no place to get water?"
[There's a small stream not far behind this house!]
At least getting water would be convenient, Cyril comforted himself. He found a clean wooden bucket in the kitchen and walked about five minutes down a path in the backyard. Indeed, he saw a small stream.
The flowing water passed over small and large pebbles, and the green water plants grew even more vibrant. Cyril squatted by the stream, and his face was reflected in the clear water.
Cyril was momentarily stunned as he used the creek as a mirror. Finally, he saw his current appearance. The reflected face was thin, and his chin was sharp. His skin was pale, and upon closer inspection, his features were quite delicate. Semi-curled black hair hung behind his head, looking dry and malnourished. It seemed remarkably similar to his original appearance.
Cyril fell silent for a moment, then continued to fetch water. He carried the bucket filled with water back to the kitchen, lit a match to ignite the firewood on the stove. The flames licked the small twigs, and after a while, crackled to life, slowly radiating heat.
He patiently boiled a pot of water, found a relatively clean bowl, poured the hot water into it, and then soaked one end of the rock-hard black bread in the hot water.
Cyril waited for a while and still had to exert some effort to break off a somewhat softened piece of black bread. He mustered the courage to take a bite, but the terrible texture, akin to water-soaked gravel, made it hard to swallow. It was on par with tasteless, low-grade interstellar nutrient liquid. No, the nutrient liquid was probably better; at least it was edible. Cyril silently complained.
He checked his body data and looked at his stamina, which showed a normal black number "6". Cyril decisively put down the piece of black bread in his hand, picked up the dead rabbit he brought back from the Mistywood Forest last night, and headed towards the market in Kozwood Town as he remembered.
Cyril turned onto the main road of the town from a quiet alley, and more people appeared in his field of vision. The town during the day was not as quiet as it was under the night sky but exuded the rural charm and leisurely atmosphere peculiar to the countryside.
Someone met his gaze, and Cyril was about to greet them but remembered the indifferent and cool demeanor from his memories, so he refrained.
However, as he continued walking, he suddenly heard a enthusiastic voice from behind him, "Excuse me, buddy! Can you lend a hand?"
Cyril turned around and saw a young man with brown short hair struggling to carry two large wooden barrels. There was also a rickety wooden frame on top of the barrels, which blocked the man's view.
Cyril used his free hand to pick up the wooden frame, and it was heavy. "Thanks," the young man said, breathing a sigh of relief. Then he looked at Cyril's face, his mouth slightly agape in surprise.
"Hey, Lawrence! It's you! Do you remember me? I'm Sam, Sam Norton!" The young man was a bit taken aback, considering Cyril had never been one to interact with others, let alone help.
He seemed to realize that his words might have sounded awkward, so he added, "I mean, it's a bit unexpected, right? You know, just..."
Sam wanted to scratch his head but realized he couldn't free up his hands, so he gave up.
Cyril smiled naturally at him, and that smile relaxed Sam. Cyril responded in his clear, youthful voice, which was well-suited for the tranquil morning in the countryside, "Next time."
Sam was a bit surprised by Cyril's response, but he quickly understood and continued chattering, "I heard from the folks at the tavern that you went to the Mistywood Forest recently?"
Sam glanced at the rabbit in Cyril's other hand and said somewhat regretfully, "If it were alive, it could fetch a better price. I've been doing this for three years! Only a hundred silver coins a month!"
Cyril didn't know what to say. He had never been particularly fond of socializing or skilled at it.
"Next time," he said after a moment of thought.
Sam's voice was crisp and clear, matching the warm morning sunlight in the countryside. Sam was a bit surprised by Cyril's response, but he quickly understood and continued chattering, "Originally, the folks at the tavern said that Uncle Fez had arranged for you to work as a host at the tavern. But if you can hunt, you can make more money, of course. I have to say, Old John is a bit too stingy. I've been working for three years! Only a hundred silver coins a month for me!"
Cyril noted down the information about the market prices in his mind.
Sam babbled on about all sorts of gossip in the town, sourced from the heartfelt revelations of the men at the tavern after a few drinks and the rumors brought by traveling merchants. Cyril began to gain a better understanding of the entire town through this conversation.
"I've arrived!" Sam walked up to the entrance of the tavern, put down the two large barrels he was carrying, and panted heavily.
Cyril handed the wooden frame to him, and Sam accepted it with a grateful smile. Then, he leaned in close to Cyril and whispered, "If Fernando, the guy who collects game in the market, hasn't shown up, you can try taking the rabbit to Uncle Allen's restaurant. He's been collecting game lately."
Cyril raised an eyebrow at the mention of Uncle Allen. "Thank you," he whispered in reply.
Sam waved his hand and said goodbye.
Cyril continued walking and arrived at the town square, which was the most bustling place in the entire town. In the center of the square stood a tall white stone statue of the Goddess of Light.
Not far behind it was the town's only church, not large but solemn and elegant, with its pointed dome reaching towards the vast blue sky. The town hall of Kozwood Town was also nearby.
The market was set up around the square, with temporary stalls circling it, and various shops selling goods lined the streets around it.
Cyril began to wander through the market slowly. He saw stalls selling various clothing and couldn't help but stop. He was still wearing the dirty clothes from yesterday, which made him uncomfortable. However, he didn't have any extra money to buy new clothes now.
He also saw stalls selling various tools, among which a dagger with a sharp blade inlaid with green gemstones stood out.
Of course, there were also food stalls, and the freshly baked cookies and bread awakened Cyril's empty stomach.
"Smells delicious!" Cyril thought to himself. "I need to deal with this rabbit quickly."
Cyril didn't see any stalls for selling game at the market, perhaps as Sam had mentioned, the hunters hadn't arrived yet.
He noticed the sign for Allen's Restaurant on the adjacent street. Cyril hesitated for a moment, straightened his clothes, and walked in.
"Welcome, what can I get you?" Uncle Allen, who was sitting in the restaurant tallying up accounts, heard someone entering and raised his head.
He was a middle-aged man with a shining forehead, and his eyes were adorned with fine wrinkles.
Uncle Allen looked at Cyril and paused for a moment, seemingly unable to recall the name of the young man with a smiling face before him.
Was this little guy from the town?
"Good morning, Mr. Allen," Cyril greeted politely, lifting the rabbit he was carrying and continued, "I wanted to ask if you buy game?"
Mr. Allen assessed the weight of the rabbit Cyril was holding and said, "Of course, I can offer you five silver coins, no bargaining."
Cyril nodded, feeling relieved inside. At least he could sell it, and the price matched Aunt Maria's estimate.
He considerately placed the rabbit in the kitchen and received five slightly worn silver coins from Mr. Allen, thanking him before leaving.
Cyril originally intended to deal with the strange little snake as well, but he contemplated that alchemical items might have something to do with the wizarding world, and it might have greater value later on.
After leaving Allen's Restaurant, Cyril fiddled with the silver coins in his hand.
The silver coins were about the size of a thumbnail and approximately two millimeters thick. The front side had the image of a woman wearing a crown (Cyril knew from his memories that this was the image of Queen Victoria of the United Nations of Atlantis), while the back had raised lettering that formed the number "1."
He looked curiously at the currency in his hand, considering that people in the post-stellar era used virtual currency stored in their neural computers.
However, the scent of food wafting from the market quickly interrupted his thoughts.
Cyril went straight to the bakery stall he had noticed earlier. The shopkeeper recognized him and smiled kindly, taking one silver coin from Cyril's hand.
One silver coin was equal to ten copper coins.
Two soft white loaves cost five copper coins, while the same-sized black bread only cost one copper coin. But considering the coarse and rough texture of the black bread, it was clearly not in Cyril's consideration.
With money in hand, he didn't want to skimp on himself and "splurged" by spending three copper coins on a small bowl of warm sheep's milk and two copper coins on a small plate of raspberry jam.
Cyril sat on the bench at the bakery stall and leisurely enjoyed his breakfast. He relished the autumn sun's warmth while inwardly complaining about his lavish spending—eating up one silver coin for a single breakfast.
The raspberry jam was sweet and sour, and when sandwiched between the soft white bread, it had a unique flavor.
Biting into a piece of bread and sipping the warm sheep's milk, the combination was divine!
The feeling of a filled stomach was truly wonderful! Cyril sighed in satisfaction.
Afterward, he spent two silver coins on buying some easily storable bread and biscuits. After all, he needed to go back into the Mistywood Forest again, not only because of his dwindling savings but also because of the meditation and elemental exploration mentioned by the system, which he needed to figure out.
[Are you sure you have to go to that Glowgrass Meadow for meditation?]
Cyril roamed the Mistywood Forest with a water flask and provisions, remaining vigilant for any potential appearance of large creatures nearby.
[Indeed. There's a place in the Mistywood Forest called the Glowgrass Meadow, a gathering place for glowgrass. The magnetic field there is quite unique! Meditating there will help enhance your spiritual power! It'll be twice as effective!]
The system spoke earnestly.
[You don't have to worry about the glowgrass. After all, I'm here, and I'll wake you up every time your consciousness approaches the alert line! I guarantee it!]
Before evening arrived, Cyril finally reached the Glowgrass Meadow as described by the system. He was somewhat surprised.
According to the system's description, glowgrass was a dangerous creature. However, what Cyril saw before him was a vast field of grass resembling dandelions, swaying gently, and appearing harmless.
He squatted down to examine a piece of glowgrass closely.
At the top of the glowgrass, there was a small fluffy tuft, looking docile and harmless.
Cyril saw a brief description of glowgrass on the modern electronic screen that appeared in his mind:
[Name: Glowgrass
Danger Level: 10
Notes: Cute and charming executioners. In their territory, only those with unwavering willpower can return from the realm of the living.]
This description was quite poetic.
After dinner, Cyril followed the system's instructions and began to meditate.
He sat cross-legged on the grass, closed his eyes, and cleared his mind.
Perhaps due to the environment, he quickly entered a subtle celestial space. The magnificent galaxies were vast and boundless, making him feel profoundly moved.
He imagined himself as a nebula...
He felt like he had truly become a part of the galaxy.
After an unknown amount of time, a massive, thunderous music suddenly sounded in Cyril's mind.
[Luck is coming! Wishing you good luck! Good luck brings happiness and love!]
Cyril abruptly opened his eyes.