Daneel felt his stomach burning, almost as if what he had drunk was not water but acid.
A second later, his whole body relaxed as something spread from his stomach towards each damaged tissue.
Starting from the head injury that he had sustained just now, each wound started becoming numb as if he had just been injected with anesthesia. In a few seconds, he felt much better although some parts of his body still hurt.
The recovery seemed to be targeting the most damaged organs first, bringing him back from death’s door. As his organs slowly started to get back to normal, Daneel breathed in comfortably for the first time since coming to this world.
After a while, the numbness faded away, making him realize that except for the surface scratches and cuts that still bled a little. his internal organs were fine and his condition was much better than before.
He stood up and pinched himself, wanting to make sure that it had not all been just a dream. After all, only a few minutes ago, he had been gravely injured with his organs about to collapse.
[Recovery finished. Ether exhausted. Host Status had been updated.
Host Level: Human-0
Host Potential: F
Host Condition: Nominal
Level Progression: 10%
Mission Completion Bonus: 10 Exp Points.
Points have been used to pay back the loan.]
Indeed, this damn system must have been a black-hearted banker in its previous life, thought Daneel as he marveled at his now healed body.
What was done was done. Daneel stretched where he stood, wanting to check if there were any more internal injuries that he might have to worry about.
There were none. As for the rest of the scrapes and aches, they were quite manageable.
Seeing another fountain at the end of the alleyway which technically wasn’t in the marketplace, Daneel walked to it and proceeded to clean the dirt and blood from all the external wounds.
Looking at his reflection in the water, he got the first clear look at his face. He had brown hair which was cut short and a sharp nose with a prominent bridge. A pointed chin and an angular jaw resulted in a face which would have been considered quite handsome back on earth. His green eyes though served to make him lean more towards the cute side, especially considering that this body was only twleve years old.
Memories of his actual face back on earth kept appearing in his mind. As he stood in a trance in front of the water, the two faces seemed to be slowly superimposing on each other in his vision. After quite some time had passed, they perfectly aligned on top of each other and something seemed to have clicked in Daneel’s mind.
This was him now. It was almost as if he had bundled and set aside all the memories from earth and the memories of life in Lanthanor were now in the forefront. He could now precisely recall more details about his childhood and parents.
[Mind Sync Complete. System congratulates Host for settling into his new body. 10 Exp Points awarded.
*Ding*Your loan has been repaid! Thank you for banking with the system!]
The voice brought him back into reality. Well, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about the loan any more, he mused before thinking about what to do next.
Deciding to first return home before finding out everything about the system, Daneel drank some more water before starting on his way. He had been gone a long time and his parents might be worried.
Giving up on salvaging his clothes and trying to hide his injuries, Daneel walked back home taking in all the sights around him. He would just have to give an excuse when the time came.
Lanthanor was a thriving city. It was divided into the inner and outer cities with the outer city occupied by merchants and common people.
The inner city was the residence of the nobles and ministers of the kingdom. It was off-limits to people without high enough authority.
The streets were finely paved with what looked like an orange soft rock which felt good to walk on even though he had no shoes. At regular intervals, there were fountains where common people could be seen drinking water.
Laughing families and screeching kids roamed the streets, happy and carefree. At first glance, it would seem that the people were happy with whoever was in command of this Kingdom.
This was just on the surface though. From Daneel’s memories, he knew that the past 2 kings had repeatedly increased the taxes. Although it was not yet at a stage where people would have to sell their possessions and live frugally in order to just pay the tax, another tax hike was dreaded as it would result in a situation exactly like that.
Hence, people just found enjoyment where they could. They stayed far from the guards and minded their own business.
The two establishments with the most business were bars and magic trinket shops. Both of these had flocks of customers all year long.
Soon, Daneel entered the slum area. Here, the roads weren’t as soft, almost like the soft layer that had been present everywhere else had faded away.
Small shacks were everywhere, spread haphazardly. Unlike the city he had just walked through, there was no order and very few guards.
Daneel had always been astute, so he could see that although there wasn’t much order, there was more genuine happiness. An old couple played with 2 children while the latter’s parents watched on smiling. A middle-aged man offered his drink to everyone passing by, not caring if it got depleted by people he didn’t even know. When he was passing through, 4 or 5 people even stopped him and asked if he was OK seeing his condition. They offered to feed him and tend to his injuries as best they could if he did not have any parents.
Daneel was shocked by the hospitality. He did not expect such behavior at all from people who seemed to have nothing but the clothes on their back to their name.
After politely declining and assuring them that he had parents up ahead, their warm smiles still stuck in his head as he continued on.
Eventually, he reached a familiar shack. The roof was a rusted steel-like sheet with miscellaneous stuff laid on top to aid with leaks. The walls were also made of the same material which was quite sturdy even though it was quite thin. The door had a nameplate which read "Anivron House" in jagged writing.
A warm feeling filled his heart seeing this run-down shack. He was finally home.