NOVGO.NET Chapter 55 – His Growth has been Stilted
With my 10-minute voice training session with Mushy completed and my legs firmly attached to my stilts, I hobbled through the cobble streets of the King’s city. It was exceedingly difficult to keep my balance when walking with the stilts, but they did give me the height that I sought. In a mirror, I looked no different from my Earth self.
Despite this, strangers kept a wide berth of me. I couldn’t tell why. I was no different in appearance to any other adult, so why did they avoid me? And why did this avoidance only begin once I raised my height?
There was no way for me to make sense of it, so I carried on with my tasks. Opening the map, I planned a route that would take me to all the important locations within the city. I didn’t need to visit the castle or the school since I had already been to both.
The first spot to drop by was the Grand Cathedral. I was interested to learn about the religions of this world. So far, I had not come into contact with any pious individuals that were willing to enlighten me.
My legs wobbled towards the direction of the cathedral. With these stilts, I was much slower than usual. Once I realised that it would take me all day to get there by walking, I paid for a bus carriage. The fare was fair: only 2 GP.
When it came to carriages, the manner by which the driver propelled the vehicle was of great interest to me. This time, the carriage had a huge sail attached to the front, and the driver would blast wind magic into it while he spun a ship’s wheel to change direction. I was disappointed that the driver did not have an eyepatch or parrot to match his theme.
The carriage sailed through the city, and I hopped off at the closest stop to the cathedral. Several others dressed in religious attire also got off with me. I was slightly surprised to see one of them wearing a necklace with a cross. I wondered if Jesus existed in this world. Probably not, I thought. I hadn’t heard of any other historical figures from our world here.
All of us headed towards the Grand Cathedral. It wasn’t too far away, but I was the last to arrive. My speed was greatly reduced by the difficulty of walking with stilts. Nearing the outer gates of the cathedral, I was amazed by the size and the masonry of the building. Ornate stone gargoyles were carved into the upper levels of the building. The stained-glass windows were many metres tall.
The entirety of the cathedral exuded opulence. At the base, I walked towards the entrance.
Ahead of me, I saw a skinny person in rags asking to be let in. The guards shoved him away and told him to get lost before they got rough. Just like on Earth, the faithful could spend money on massive cathedrals but they had none to spare for the needy. When the poor man was turned away, I offered him some coins for food. He graciously accepted and thanked me profusely.
I didn’t have much to give away. In my inventory, I only had about 80 GP. Most of my wealth was in assets. I could have easily sold my Wall Compass or other items for a decent chunk of change, but there was no need for now. I planned to use the items I had to gain more money.
I bade the man farewell and wobbled towards the cathedral. I knew why the beggar was turned away. This place wanted people who could offer money, not people who needed it. An affluent-looking man like me would be accepted inside without hesitation.
“Get away. You’re not welcome here.” The guard placed his hand on my chest and pushed me. I almost fell off of my stilts, but I managed to catch myself.
“Why not?” I asked. “Why can’t I come in?” I was genuinely surprised that I was denied access.
“We don’t allow entry to drunkards.”
“What on Earth makes you think I’m drunk?”
“Your legs are wobbling, your speech is slurring, and you’re making up words like ‘Earth’.” The guard had a tough expression. He was definitely the no-nonsense type. No amount of pleading would change his mind, I knew.
I wondered if I really looked drunk. Because of the stilts, my legs were unstable like a drunk’s, true. And my voice acting was poor, indeed. In an effort to deepen my voice, a lot of what I said ended up being muddled together. I couldn’t really blame the guard for thinking I was pissed.
Right then, a woman with long blonde hair and white robes walked past me towards the cathedral.
“Good day, high priestess,” said the guard to the woman. She simply nodded back without speaking.
This was my chance. If I could convince this high-ranking person to let me in, the guard wouldn’t be able to say anything to the contrary. I employed a tactic that had worked in the past: name dropping.
“Excuse me,” I caught the priestess’ attention. “Would you happen to know where I could find Purley the High Priestess? I am an envoy from a faraway land, here to learn about this kingdom and its religion. This guard refuses to allow me inside. Would you be so kind as to change his mind?”
The priestess smiled at me and then continued walking inside. I was ignored.
“Nice try,” said the guard.
I was really hoping that would work. It seemed like it should have. Pretending to be a guest to a new place was always a surefire way of receiving undeserved hospitality. That wasn’t the case here. The name-drop also did not seem to have the effect I hoped for. The reason quickly became clear to me. This priestess was obviously a very important person; therefore, most people probably already knew her name. It wasn’t particularly astonishing that I learnt it by looking over her head.
I let out an audible sigh. “And here I was planning to make a generous donation, but I suppose I’ll take my money elsewhere.”
The priestess stopped walking. She turned her whole body around and greeted me with a cloying smirk. “Welcome to the Grand Cathedral, visitor. It is an honour to have you. Would you like me to be your guide?”