NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 692 The New Land
692 The New Land
"Oh! Almost forgot," The Keeper's voice rang out behind him. Daniel quickly turned around to find The Keeper standing there, smiling.
"Right now, it's 490 AD. People here are speaking Old English. I don't think you're proficient enough to understand what they're saying," The Keeper said. "So… this is a little service from me." He snapped his fingers.
Daniel felt a subtle shift within him, though he couldn't quite pinpoint what had changed. Then, The Keeper spoke in a language Daniel was certain he was hearing for the first time.
"Gecnawest þū mē, Hlæford Emberwīf?" (Do you understand me, Mr. Emberweave?)
Hearing this, Daniel was stunned. This was clearly the first time he had heard such a language. "Is this Old English? It's so different from modern English! Too different! It's like an entirely new language!" he thought.
Yet, despite its unfamiliarity, Daniel realized he could understand it perfectly.
"How does this work? What did you do?" Daniel asked The Keeper, a mix of curiosity and confusion in his voice.
"Just a simple perceptual alteration. Now, any Old English you hear will be automatically translated into modern English in your mind, and you'll subconsciously reply to Old English speakers in their language. Think of it as an auto-translation spell, like the ones you've read about in those cheap Isekai novels in the shelter," The Keeper replied with a smile.
"Hey! They're not cheap! They're the romance of youth and the dream to break free from endless 9/9/6 salaryman life!" Daniel retorted, feeling strangely offended by The Keeper's comment on his favorite novel genre.
The Keeper shrugged and chuckled softly before bidding him farewell. "Good luck, Mr. Emberweave. I hope you'll accumulate enough points to unlock the Cosmic War set."
After The Keeper returned to the shop, Daniel was left alone in the vast green plain. He sighed and began making his way toward the nearest village.
—
When Daniel arrived, he was greeted by the sight of a village from the Dark Ages. The homes were constructed of wattle and daub, their wooden frameworks packed with a mixture of clay, straw, and dung. These simple structures, though modest and a little smelly, provided surprising warmth during harsh winters.
Each home had a small fenced area where chickens clucked, and pigs snorted, while larger barns, made of rough-hewn timbers, housed the village's precious cattle and grain stores.
The village paths of well-trodden dirt wound between the homes, slick with mud and puddles from recent rain. The air within the village carried the earthy scent of damp, wet soil, mingled with the sharp tang of urine and human waste, making Daniel want to puke, but he held it in.
The villagers, wrapped in coarse woolen cloaks, bustled about their daily routines, trading goods, tending to their fields, or caring for livestock. Since a full barter system hadn't yet developed during this period, Daniel found the way of life both novel and immediately inconvenient, a clear reminder of the technological limitations during this time.
At the heart of the village stood a wooden hall, taller and broader than the other buildings. Its high, peaked roof and intricately carved posts marked it as the lord's hall, the center of governance for the village.
However, given that feudalism hadn't fully developed yet, Daniel wasn't sure what the occupant of this hall would be called a lord, a chieftain, or something else entirely.
"Ugh… I should have paid more attention during history class," Daniel muttered to himself. Feeling regretful, he wished he could rewind time and apologize to his history teacher for not paying better attention.
As Daniel walked into the village, his unusual attire was vastly different from that of the villagers, and it immediately caught their attention. Some whispered among themselves while glancing at him. A few looked at him with a mix of curiosity and fear, while others eyed him with undisguised greed.
Daniel quickly realized that his clothes were far too distinct compared to the villagers'. However, he couldn't just walk up to someone and demand their clothes like some robot from a futuristic movie.
With too many eyes fixed on him, moving freely became increasingly inconvenient. Deciding to avoid unnecessary trouble, Daniel slipped into a narrow space behind a row of houses on the outskirts of the village, near a patch of woods—a makeshift "alley," if such a term could apply here.
Here, Daniel sensed that several people had followed him from the village. Moments later, a group of men appeared. Each held a weapon; several wore leather armor, while a few wore metal helmets.
They resembled a band of warriors or mercenaries, and their eyes betrayed their intentions. Greed gleamed in their expressions as they scrutinized Daniel's clothing, which appeared far too luxurious for someone traveling alone. The unique design of his attire is unlike anything worn by the local lord or his retinue, which leads them to conclude that Daniel must be a wealthy foreign merchant. However, seeing that he lacked the usual caravan or pack of goods typical of a merchant, they sized him up as easy prey, unprotected and vulnerable.
"Hey! Hand over all your valuables and your clothes if you want to keep your life, outsider," one of the warriors barked in a threatening tone.
Hearing this, Daniel's lips curled into a wide grin.
…
After a brief scuffle and beatdown, a group of naked, muscular men lay sprawled on the ground. Most were either unconscious, missing their front teeth from excessive blunt force, or writhing in pain from severe trauma that left them incapable of doing anything more than groaning in agony.
Standing amidst the chaos, Daniel sifted through the pile of clothes he had stripped from the men, trying to find the cleanest option. The task, however, was proving far more challenging than expected. Each garment carried its own uniquely revolting smell—one reeked heavily of urine, another of cow dung, and the last had an indescribable stench that seemed like a nauseating mix of human waste. It was as if he were being forced to choose between evils: which odor was the lesser torment to endure?
"God… I hate this era already. If anyone ever tries to tell me the Middle Ages were like a fairy tale come true, I swear I'll slap their bloody mouth," Daniel grumbled, his frustration growing.
[Correction: Considering we are in 490 AD, approximately 80 years after the sack of Rome by King Alaric of the Visigoths, this is the Dark Ages, sir,] Nexus Prime, the AI housed in the personal console on Daniel's wrist, chimed in.
"Fine! Dark Ages!" Daniel snapped, rolling his eyes.
"Prime, can you scan these and tell me which one is least likely to give me a rash or some kind of skin disease?" Daniel asked, trying to suppress the irritation in his voice.
Glancing at the group of naked, muscular men sprawled on the ground, Daniel let out a mischievous smile before setting all the clothes ablaze. Once the fire had consumed the garments, he reached into his universal pocket and pulled out a plain, deep-blue robe with a hood. He put it on, concealing his modern attire entirely beneath the robe.
This robe was just an ordinary piece of clothing, not some magical artifact. Having just arrived in this era and place, Daniel lacked a controlled location to channel mana, rendering his vast stock of mana vials and even the Chromatic Philosopher's Stone in his universal pocket useless.
Daniel stepped out from the hidden spot on the outskirts of the village and walked into its boundaries. The villagers' eyes were still on him, but their gazes lacked the intense curiosity they had shown earlier when he had been dressed in modern attire.
First things first, if Daniel wanted to use his spell cards, he needed land he could claim as his own.
In this dark age, claiming land was far more complicated than in modern times, when one could simply purchase property with money. Land ownership required enough force to protect it and formal recognition of authority. Unfortunately, the land belonged to the Anglo-Saxon king, and Daniel was just a nobody. There was no way he could claim a plot already owned by a king or one of the lords under him.
Should he off the lord ruling this village and claim it for himself? Nah... that would be too much trouble. Besides, Daniel lacked sufficient information about this place and its political landscape.