Chapter 8 – City

I shook my head to try to switch my train of thought. There was no point in being chained to the past now. Plus, after chatting with Suuru all day long yesterday, I thought I might have a chance to find success on this new planet.

I was now approaching the city, its very square architecture getting into sight. From an onlooker's point of view, I came with nothing but the clothes I had on me, albeit foreign-looking garments. Yet, the reality was different.

The second spell I mastered was "personal dimensional space", aka dimensional storage. It consisted of a hole in the void interspace under my control, which I could use to store objects. Because it was linked to me, I had access to it even in this new world. The bad news was that I didn't have much stored there since my initial plan was only to go to the capital.

A little bit of emergency rations and water that I always kept there. A few useful items like my phone, wallet, and keys. Some basic medication for an emergency. And that was pretty much it. I had just cleaned up my storage because I planned to start working immediately, where I would need to store large quantities of goods to transport and sell elsewhere. Such was my luck.

I finally reached the city, the only one in dome 82, and entered it without any trouble. The first thing that jumped out at me was that everyone was female. Whether short, tall, slim, fat, muscular, or slender, there was no mistaking their gender, especially since they wore light clothing that exposed a lot of skin, similar to Suuru.

The buildings were relatively simple, just like my roommate's house. Even though they looked more durable and of better quality than her home, they were also made of the same mixture of stone, earth, and metals. There were few high-rise buildings, the tallest one being further toward the city center and looking to be three stories tall.

Most folks were going around with their business, some talking while laughing there, some hurrying toward their destinations, others discussing some seemingly serious topic. I came across several shops, which people entered and left as needed. Overall, this city gave a very normal feeling, except for the fact its inhabitants were all women.

I was getting quite a few looks as I walked the streets, probably due to my foreign-looking clothes. However, no one paid that much attention to me, and none stopped me on my way. This was a good sign. While looking like I came from a faraway dome, I still wasn't strange enough looking that people would feel wary about me.

After a bit more treading in the city center's direction, I finally reached the place that interested me the most, a market. Eager merchants were trying hard to attract passersby's attention, even mine, in an effort to sell their goods. I started learning the language the previous day but I still didn't know anything concrete. There was only one exception. I focused all my efforts on at least learning the numbers because, as a trader, this was what mattered the most to me.

Learning the language wouldn't take too long either. I only needed to put sel in one ear and leave the other like it was. This way, I would get both the "translation" and the original words. That would allow me to learn very quickly. Many people grumbled that this was impossible for them to do because the mix of information was too much but I never had any issue with that.

Since I didn't have any money, my goal today was to do market research.

"Young lady there, look at my vegetables! Best quality from the most fertile fields outside the city!"

"Selnic items for your household! Two years warranty on all of them!"

"Cheap water! Buy my cheap water! High purity from the most skilled water mages!"

"Beautiful clothes for all sizes and ages! We sell brand-new items and second-hand ones!"

My brain was getting a bit overheated due to getting two times more information than what was being released by the people surrounding me in this busy market, but it wasn't a big deal. Compared to what I went through during my training, this was nothing. More importantly, I checked the prices of all the goods I came across, trying to get a better understanding of the cost of things around here.

Contrary to what the water merchant claimed, water was anything but cheap. It was one of the most expensive items in this market together with food products. The numbers I could see didn't mean anything to me but I could still make a comparison. For example, a bottle of water, enough for a single person to last a day, was worth 20. Enough vegetables for a few days were worth 70. The only shop that sold meat had prices that felt incredibly high. A simple piece of unknown meat was sold for as high as 200.

In comparison, clothing items seemed cheaper. A shirt or pants would cost around 20 to 30. Simple tools and utensils were some of the most inexpensive items on the market. One could get a plate for a few units of money and a pan for less than 10.

Then came the selnic items. Fridges and ovens were priced at about 300+, selvisions started at 150, and simple items like lamps or heaters were in the 10s range. They didn't have selphones, even though I could see a few landline ones. The technological level here was around a few tens of years behind the one in my world.

These prices didn't surprise me much. They only confirmed what I heard from Suuru yesterday. The Protection was successful in the way that it allowed humans to survive whatever was exterminating them outside. However, that came with its price. They created the domes so that they were surrounded by them, and that also applied underground. The domes were perfect spheres in all directions and didn't allow even potential underground dwellers to dig their way through to the inside.

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