Walker Of The Worlds

2782  Interacting With The Locals

Lin Mu looked around the road, finding several people present. He was just a few meters away from the Traveler Lodges, so there werenʼt many passersby.

HUUU

Taking a deep breath, Lin Mu walked towards the people.

ʼMoment of truth.ʼ He steadied himself and made clear eye contact with one of the native people.

The man was wearing simple white robes along with an amulet bearing the symbol of the Supreme God. His face was uncovered, but a small, loose-fitting cap sat on his brown hair.

Lin Mu tensed slightly, his body instinctively preparing for any sign of suspicion.

STEP. STEP. STEP.

But the man merely glanced at Lin Mu before drawing his gaze away and continuing on his path.

ʼSuccess!ʼ Lin Mu mentally celebrated. He had not been suspected.

But one person wasnʼt enough to confirm the effectiveness of his disguise. To be sure, he tested it with at least ten more individuals, walking past them and even nodding at a few. When none of them reacted strangely, he was confident his disguise was working.

”Now for the next step—actually interacting with the people.” Lin Mu muttered to himself.

The best way to do that was rather simple.

Instead of approaching a random stranger and striking up an awkward conversation, Lin Mu made his way to a small shop selling miscellaneous items.

The shopkeeper, an older man with graying hair, was absorbed in a small book and didnʼt notice Lin Muʼs approach.

ʼOkay, going well so far.ʼ Lin Mu thought.

But now came the more difficult part—actual conversation.

”Quanti hunc librum pretium?” Lin Mu asked, pointing at a small book on the counter. How much for this book?

The shopkeeper didnʼt reply immediately. Instead, his brows furrowed, and he gave Lin Mu a strange look.

ʼDamn, was my pronunciation off?ʼ Lin Mu felt a flicker of anxiety.

But then, the shopkeeperʼs expression shifted to one of mild embarrassment. ”Pardon me, honored keeper, but my Divine Script is not very good. Could you speak simply?” he requested, this time in the simpler Dao Script.

Lin Mu inwardly sighed in relief.

ʼSo it wasnʼt suspicion, just that he couldnʼt understand me.ʼ He realized. ʼNot all commoners must be fluent in the Divine Script. That actually makes this easier—they might not even notice minor mistakes in my pronunciation.ʼ

”How much is this book?” Lin Mu repeated, switching to the common tongue.

”Ah, that would be ten Stenos.” The shopkeeper replied.

Lin Mu blinked. Stenos. The currency of the Osteri Divine World.

ʼWait… I donʼt have any Stenos.ʼ He realized a critical oversight.

Stenos was the divine currency, supposedly blessed by their gods. While they did use Immortal Stones, it was for trade or cultivation purposes like immortal tools and such rather than daily transactions.

ʼLetʼs hope this works.ʼ Lin Mu decided to improvise. ”I just ran out of Stenos, but would you be willing to accept Immortal Stones in exchange?” he asked carefully.

”Immortal Stones?” The shopkeeperʼs eyes widened in surprise. ”Youʼd be willing?”

”Yes.” Lin Mu nodded.

”Of course! Iʼll accept them.” The shopkeeper tried to keep his composure, but Lin Mu noticed the excitement flickering in his expression. He was probably getting a good deal.

Lin Mu placed a single low-grade Immortal Stone on the counter.

”And hereʼs your change.” The shopkeeper quickly handed back three hundred small, round coins.

”Gratias tibi ago,” Lin Mu thanked him in the Osteri Divine Script before leaving with the book.

Once he was gone, the shopkeeper hurried to the back of his shop.

”YES! I got the Immortal Stone for less than the usual exchange rate!” he cheered. ”I didnʼt think Keepers could make so much that theyʼd casually spend Immortal Stones!”

In his excitement, he muttered something that Lin Mu had completely overlooked—the term Keeper.

Unaware of this, Lin Mu walked away pleased, flipping through his newly acquired book.

The book was entirely in Osteri Divine Script and had about fifty pages. Its title read Septimana Orationes.

”Weekly Sermons, huh?” Lin Mu translated.

As he skimmed through, he realized it was something between a sermon book and a weekly publication. It recorded all the sermons given that week, categorized by different preachers. Most of them contained the usual religious teachings about righteous living and avoiding sin, but one particular sermon caught Lin Muʼs attention.

”This…” Lin Mu narrowed his eyes as a clue presented itself.

The sermon spoke of the dangers of heretics and how their activities had increased in recent times. The preacher warned the people to be vigilant, listing ways to identify potential heretics and urging them to report suspicious individuals to the authorities.

ʼSo there really was some recent unrest that made them this strict.ʼ Lin Mu mused.

With this information, Lin Mu knew how to proceed further. He needed to gather more details on these so-called heretics and what exactly they had done to invoke such scrutiny.

To do that, he needed to listen to the people.

Lin Mu walked through the city, paying close attention to any conversations he could overhear. The citizens mostly spoke in hushed tones, but his enhanced senses allowed him to catch their words clearly.

However, open conversations on the streets were rare, so he had to seek out more suitable places.

Restaurants and tea houses—though here, they served a peculiar milky drink with a slightly bitter and salty taste.

These establishments were better for casual discussions, as people felt relaxed enough to talk freely. Yet, as Lin Mu sat at one of these places, he noticed something odd. The atmosphere here was different from that of a typical tea house—it felt more like a quiet library.

People whispered rather than conversed.

They spoke, but only cautiously.

It was as if they feared being overheard.

Lin Mu listened to them and found them to be talking mostly about daily lives. He spent several hours like this going from one place to the other until he finally got something interesting.