The journey to the village made Noen forget his earlier hunger. Life in the village was no different from the villages of his original world, everyone worked hard and helped each other.

“Not every world discovers the power of story, including your world, which hasn’t found it yet. This world discovered it after moving planets. Most worlds find it naturally on their original planet. That’s what makes this world unique,” said the raven, perched on Noen’s shoulder.

“Will my world ever find it?”

“I don’t know. I’m not the one who created this power.”

“Was it the god Thoth who created it?”

“No. Thoth is a result of the power. In fact, there’s a tier higher than Chronik, that's Mythology. It’s not just your story being told across generations, but across worlds. I didn’t tell you earlier because it’s impossible for you to reach that level. Only one in an octillion could ever reach it. Among countless worlds, no one knows who created this power.”

Noen nodded while observing the villagers more closely. He noticed that some wore rings, and some didn’t.

“Do they wear rings because they have story power, or is there another meaning?”

“There’s no other meaning. Only worlds that haven’t discovered story power use rings for strange things. Every world that has discovered it uses rings to seal their power.”

“So where do their rings come from? Do they make them themselves?”

“Yes. Sealing rings are quite expensive, so you’ll have to work hard to earn money in this world.”

“What happens if they don’t use sealing rings?”

“The consequence is that activating the power costs your lifespan. The greater the power and the longer it’s used, the faster death comes. That’s why you don’t see anyone using it now. Villagers in remote areas prefer a peaceful life, unlike those near the kingdom.”

“Wait, so the cost of this power is really that high?”

“Not that high. It doesn’t reduce years, only minutes but depending on the power. A power like yours doesn’t cost much. A small wound might cost a few minutes of life, but a major one could cost two hours.”

“So every time I’m wounded, I have to remove my ring?”

“Correct. You can also remove it during battle to gain vitality. Of course, there’s a price.”

“I just found a reason to live, and now that reason shortens my life?”

“It’s a small price, isn’t it? Better than rotting away in your cheap rented room.”

“You’re right. What happened to the people around me in my original world?”

“No one remembers you except the manager of your cheap rented room, and he’ll forget you soon too. He’s probably throwing out your stuff now so the room can be rented to someone else.”

“You’re right. I have no one,” Noen replied quietly.

Then they arrived at the largest house in the village. In front of it stood a rather large man, greeting every villager who passed by.

That must be the village chief, Noen thought.

“Halo, stranger. Your clothes don’t look like you’re from around here. I wouldn’t know where you’re from cause I’ve never left this village, haha,” the man greeted.

“Hello, we’re from the remote eastern region of the Kharanax kingdom,” said the raven, knowing Noen didn’t understand the geography here.

“Welcome to Thanaven Village. Let me invite you into the village gathering house. I’m the village chief here, my name is Reeb,” said Reeb, leading them into the large house, which was the village hall in Noen’s terms.

“How did you get a talking raven, man? As far as I know, you need not only money but also royal permission to own a talking animal,” Reeb asked Noen.

“Ah… this was a gift from my uncle. I don’t really understand how it happened, but it was his gift to me right before he died,” Noen lied.

Luckily, he knew to protect his true identity. And luckily, he was good at lying, thought the raven.

“Wow, that’s amazing,” laughed Reeb. “How many days will you be staying here? You’re welcome to stay. The village gathering house is the best place for guests.”

“Maybe about a week,” replied the raven.

“Alright then, just take one of the empty rooms over there,” said Reeb, pointing to a cluster of rooms on the other side of the hall. “If you want food, just grab some from the cooking room, it’s in the back. Call out if you need anything.”

…

After the conversation with Reeb, Noen asked the raven:

“Is there no inn here? I mean, I don’t have any money from this world, but I also feel bad getting all these benefits so easily.”

“Not every world is as strange as yours.” 

“What do you mean?”

“It seems your world believes food and shelter are human rights, yet still charges money for those rights. Only your world does that. It’s rare to find a world as hypocritical as yours. Many worlds do charge for food and shelter, but they don’t pretend it’s a right. At least they’re honest about wanting profit. They’re not hypocrites.”

“So I don’t need money to eat and sleep here?”

“Correct. You only need money to buy other things, like farming tools or building materials. But those are always provided by the kingdom, so the village doesn’t need to think about money at all.”

“So I can’t earn money here?”

“That’s also true. That’s why I said we’d stay only a week, so you don’t get too culture-shocked by this world. You need to learn the writing system here so you can read.”

“Wait, in most transmigration stories, people automatically understand the writing. So why do I understand their spoken language? Do I need to learn another language when I go somewhere else?”

“It’s not that easy as your world's stories. You’ll have to relearn how to read in this world. As for language, that’s why I brought you to this world. Other worlds have languages completely different from yours. Only this world has a language that’s similar. You don’t need to learn other languages. Most worlds only have one language across the entire planet. Very few worlds burden themselves with thousands of languages like yours.”

“My world really is a mess. It feels like there’s nothing positive about it.”

“The only positive thing about your world is the fact that there are worlds worse than yours.”

“Well… that slightly improves my mood.”

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