The Dawn of the New World Chapter 1447

Rufgar dragged his meaty finger across the stone slab while going down some list, "I must ask even if the answer is already clear, do you have any means of payment? Precious ores, herbs, beasts, weapons, or any information that could help the city is worthwhile. Do you have anything of value to give in exchange for your stay here?"

He didn't even bother looking up because the answer was obvious-

"No, I do not."

"Hmm, what a surprise," he sarcastically exclaimed in a low voice without missing a beat, "Then you will be taken into service for the city and its patrons until we reach our final destination. You will come when I call and do everything that is asked of you without question. If you fail to prove your usefulness the city will remove you. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"State your name."

"Jin."

"The name of your master."

"I don't know."

He looked down at him with a raised eyebrow, "You don't know the name of your master?"

"No."

Rufgar shook his head while muttering something in an unknown language. The ground shook while the surroundings creaked and moaned under stress as the city began to move, quickly picking up speed.

But after the initial disturbance nothing else could be felt inside.

A rolled-up ball of clothes flew over from the other side of the counter a moment later, hitting Hao Xuan square in the chest.

"Put those on. I will add their cost to your tab."

Hao Xuan unfurled the ball and quickly wore the blood-soaked garments. It was just a brown shirt and trousers. They were dirty and worn out but did not smell one bit.

The shirt's sleeves were gnawed off and covered in the dried blood of its previous owner while the trousers were thankfully in one piece without any obvious stains.

Once he was fully clothed Rufgar continued the questions.

"Do you have any skills that could be useful to the city or its patrons? Remember, the more sought after a skill the less arduous your stay will be...but if you are caught lying it is banishment on the spot."

Hao Xuan genuinely contemplated the question before answering, even taking into account the skills from the other lives he had memories of.

"A fair few. I can construct small and medium-sized structures, tame low-level beasts that I have an affinity with, and fight- I'm quite good at fighting. I know how to cast a few low-tier spells and augment many common formations, I can take care of spiritual herbs or mine for rare resources, and if you give me some time I can learn how to craft weapons and armor too."

Rufgar listened intently and only when Hao Xuan was done did he let out a heavy sigh, obviously not believing that he could have such a wide array of skills under his belt.

"Do you have any references or proof of qualification for these 'many' skills?"

All of a sudden it turned into a job interview, one that Hao Xuan was not prepared for.

"....No. But if you let me show-"

"Fight, I will put you down for battle...may the gods help us if we have to depend on the likes of you during combat," he grumbled before continuing, "If you want to do anything else you have to get approved by the city magistrate first. Any problems with that?"

"...No, that's fine."

"Mhm. Now about the rules. From now until we reach the final destination you are a slave and as such your life belongs to the city until the journey is over. You will work, make no trouble, prove your usefulness, and keep your nose down. Any altercations with the patrons must be handled by yourself or your master. If you are caught stealing or abusing any of the city's facilities you will be executed on the spot. Understand?"

"I do," Hao Xuan nodded, "What is our final destination?"

"The Frontier. We will be returning to the first layer of the abyss to join our sister cities before the veil closes in."

'!!!'

The frontier was the largest and most populated city within the abyss. It was located on the periphery of the first layer and was the safest location in the abyss according to some.

It was also the place from where Hao Xuan would be able to go deeper into the abyss since it had portals to most of the lower planes.

"That's...good. How long will the journey take?"

Rufgar turned the slab over to look at the back, "A little over eight years. We have to make a few stops along the way to pick and drop some of the patrons, not everyone will be going all the way to the frontier."

Hao Xuan went silent. Eight years was a long time to be stranded on a single ship, even if it was eventually going to reach the same destination as his.

'I'll figure it out later, need to get settled here first.'

"Okay, I understand."

Rufgar reached behind the counter to pull out a large metal roller with several indentations on one side.

"Do you agree to the terms of the agreement?"

"I do."

"Place your hand on the mark," he lowered the stone slab and Hao Xuan did as told.

His handprint was indented onto the slab and somehow showed up on the metal roller in Rufgar's other hand.

"Come closer."

Rufgar took the roller and stamped Hao Xuan's shirt with a white mark of the handprint.