The Gate Traveler

Before we left the meadow, I wanted to harvest all the snakes in my Storage. Since my loot spell wasn’t ready yet, I had no choice but to harvest the snakes one by one. I racked my brain, trying to find a solution, and then I had an inspiration.

I told the house, “Give me a Magitech computer.”

Nothing happened.

I tried again, with different wording this time. “Make me a computer that works on Magitech.”

Still nothing.

Getting annoyed, I said, “Hey! We fed you more than fifty stolen computers. I’m not asking for all fifty back, just one that works on Magitech.”

Again, nothing.

Sighing, I took out one computer I bought for the future, placed it on the floor, and said to the house, “Absorb this computer and return it to me as a Magitech computer.”

The floor sucked the computer in, and then nothing.

I got annoyed and snapped, “Give me back the damn computer.”

Within a minute, the computer materialized on the floor.

I went to the spell room and instructed the house, “Seal the room and absorb all the mana. Create a dead zone.”

Almost immediately, I could feel the room emptying. It was a deeply unpleasant sensation—like the air wasn’t enough. It felt like when I breathed; I wasn’t getting what I needed. But it wasn’t an oxygen problem; there was plenty of that in the air. It just felt empty, anemic.

When we crossed the Pacific, and I activated the dead zone for Rue, I experienced it before, but now it hit me much harder. The reason, I figured, was that I had become accustomed to the elevated mana levels in the atmosphere. And when the mana abruptly disappeared, it felt unnatural, off-putting. Lis mentioned that travelers from mana worlds didn’t like tech worlds, and now I understood why. I imagined that if I traveled to a world with zero mana, I’d be out of there within a week, max. This feeling was deeply unpleasant and just wrong—unnatural.

Shaking my head to clear the unrelated thoughts, I grabbed the computer the house had returned and plugged it into the socket on the pedestal. Nothing happened. Despite repeatedly pressing the power button, still nothing happened. I took out another computer, plugged it in, turned it on, and the startup screen appeared. I tried again with the computer the house returned, but nothing happened.

“You fried my computer,” I complained to the house.

It was annoying not getting a response, even though I didn’t really expect one.

When the “good” computer booted up, I thought about how I could use it to plan all the permutations and such for my loot spell, but I quickly realized that wouldn’t work. I didn’t have internet here, and the computer didn’t have any software that could help with that. It was just a basic setup with a clean install of Windows.

Turned out my brilliant idea wasn’t so brilliant after all.

But it got me thinking. After we fed the house all the electronics, it made a TV, stereo system, and game consoles without a hitch. How exactly did it manage to do that?

I said to the house, “Make me a game console.”

Within a minute, a game console materialized on the floor, covered in runes. I examined the runes carefully and noticed something peculiar. Amidst all the runes, the console had “PS7” inscribed on it. It wasn’t the regular logo, just the letters and the number. My spidey sense started tingling. I rushed to the living room and checked all the game consoles one by one, carefully. Sure enough, each of them had a “PS7” hidden among the runes.

“No, he didn’t!”

I still wasn’t entirely convinced, so I took a screwdriver and systematically opened up the consoles one by one. Inside, the circuits all looked the same, with identical runes and crystal placements. By this point, my spidey senses weren’t just tingling—they were practically blaring trumpets and stomping their feet to the rhythm.

I sprinted up the stairs to the third floor and headed straight for the shelf with all the blueprints.

When Mahya and I copied them to feed the house, I took the bigger stack of everything related to the house, and she took the smaller stack of electrical appliances. I flicked through the stack I copied, noting that the order was the same. No one had touched it since I copied it. I knew what was in this stack, so there was no point in checking further. I moved on to the stack Mahya copied.

“Let’s see... refrigerator blueprint, pedestal, ha-ha! Television blueprint. Oven, pizza oven, ha! Stereo system blueprint. Lightning protection system, ha! I knew it!”

In my hand was a Sony PlayStation 7 blueprint. I shook my head and sighed. Of course, he made a blueprint for a PlayStation,

Suddenly, a vivid image flashed in my mind, like I was standing in the past. Lis was there, next to a pile of parchment in the library, back when it had that old slanted roof. He pointed to the parchments and said, “These are the blueprints of the house, which include all the enchantments and electrical appliances, as well as various blueprints of Magitech devices that I’ve conceptualized. I haven’t built or tested them, but they should work.”

Of course, he made a PlayStation blueprint. He loved the damn thing. Especially thrashing me in Tekken, leaving me in the dust in Gran Turismo, or beating me in FIFA.

That’s when it hit me—something important that Mahya and I missed. The house couldn’t just create things out of thin air; it needed a blueprint. I also suspected that we fed it all those engineering books for nothing. I was pretty sure of it. And if she argues with me, I’ll just show her the identical insides of all the game consoles. Everything was exactly according to Lis’s blueprint.

I felt my dreams of turning all the electrical appliances I had “liberated” from the warehouse in Vegas into Magitech—using some and selling others for vast sums of money—crumble to dust.

I sighed deeply. In my opinion, the most essential appliances were a food processor and a mixer, but of course, Lis thought a PlayStation was much more important.

Unfortunately, I had to harvest all the snakes manually. I didn’t bother collecting the things Al wanted, just the meat and skin. I was pretty sure we’d run into more snakes—these mana beasts seemed to be popular in the places we visited. After I finished harvesting, I cooked the meat. I fired up a large barbecue on the deck and smoked some of the meat as well.

Every so often, Rue would come over, steal a steak straight from the barbecue with telekinesis, wave it in the air to cool, and then swallow it in two bites. We stayed at the meadow for another week, maybe ten days, and I swear he grew another centimeter taller from all the meat he ate. His head was already level with my neck, showing just how tall he’d grown.

Finally, it was time to leave. I saw on the map that about two days’ drive to the northwest, there was a village along the riverbank, possibly stretching across both sides of the river, which continued all the way to Prismatic Falls. The other option was to head northeast, towards Thornheart Forest.

After thinking it over for a while, I crossed Thornheart Forest off my list. From the description, it was just a forest filled with monsters or mana beasts, with a dungeon somewhere in the middle. I’d spent enough time lately in dungeons and around beasts—it was time to enjoy the company of people for a change.

“Do you want to ride the ATV, or should we fly?” I asked Rue.

“Rue like ride,” he replied, his tail wagging.

“Ride it is,” I said with a laugh.

I closed up the house, and we flew towards the road. Once we arrived, I took out the ATV, and we set off. The first day of the trip was uneventful; we passed through three small towns, but nothing caught my eye, so I didn’t stop. In the afternoon, I had to recharge the ATV with my mana before we continued driving. As night fell, we flew off the road into the wilderness, where I opened the house in a smaller configuration. The next day, we kept driving, and by afternoon, we were closing in on the town I was aiming for.

Before we reached the town, I pulled over and stored the ATV. I didn’t have the energy to deal with questions. I also switched my class back to merchant—an excellent opportunity to unload some items from my Storage.

We arrived at the town after a bend in the road, and it unfolded before us like a scene from a children’s storybook. At the entrance, there was the customary area for carts and horses. Cobblestone paths branched out from there, leading into the town. The town itself lay in a valley, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with hills on the side we had come from.

Tall, jagged peaks shaded the town, creating the illusion of being painted against the sky. The afternoon sun lit everything with a golden glow. Flowers and lush green grass covered the area, bursting with color. The air was clean and crisp, with a hint of pine from the nearby woods and the sweet smell of flowers around the wooden cottages.

The cottages blended seamlessly into the environment. Each one had its own small yard full of bright flowers, some climbing up the walls. A narrow, clear river ran through the town. The water’s surface mirrored the sky, and the sound of the flowing water provided a relaxing background.

In the distance, snow-covered mountains stood tall and proud. The scene looked like it was from a fairytale—too beautiful to be real. But it was, with all its sharp details and real people.

I approached one man tending to the piggish horses and asked, “Hello. Could you point me to the inn?” I kept my tone friendly, trying not to interrupt his work too much.

He looked up from what he was doing and pointed. “Yes, just follow that path straight ahead. The biggest house with pink flowers on it—that’s the inn.”

“Thank you,” I replied with a smile.

It was easy to find the inn, and we stepped inside through a fancy wooden door. Entering the room felt like stepping into a warm hug. Soft light streamed through the large arched window, casting a golden glow across the space. The dark wooden beams in the high, vaulted ceiling added a warm, rustic charm.

To the far right, a stone fireplace crackled softly, filling the room with warmth and the comforting scent of burning wood. Scattered couches and armchairs in rich reds and blues filled the room, with potted plants adding splashes of color and life, creating a cozy and inviting space. The dining area was on the left, with wooden tables and chairs. The far left wall had another fireplace, unlit.

On the same wall as the door, on the left, was a long bar lined with bottles and barrels behind it.

As soon as we entered, the innkeeper bowed slightly and said with a respectful tone, “Welcome, esteemed merchant. Welcome to the Rose Flower Inn.”

“Hello, sir. Do you have rooms available?”

“Yes, of course,” he replied, nodding. “We also have a large stable out back for your guard dog to sleep in.”

“It’s not a guard dog; it’s a friend,” I corrected him, annoyed.

Rue raised his head so his tag was visible and half-shouted in an indignant tone, “Rue adventurer! Rue not guard dog!”

The innkeeper winced, clearly taken aback.

What is going on in this world? Does everyone have telepathy?

“My apology, esteemed familiar,” the innkeeper quickly apologized, his voice flustered. “I didn’t mean to offend. Of course, you can stay in the room with your master.”

“John not master. John is friend!” Rue insisted, his voice firm.

“I apologize, esteemed familiar,” the innkeeper repeated, bowing his head. “You can stay in the room with your friend.”

Rue sent me a very definite sense of smugness, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor innkeeper.

“Are you here because of the adventurers on the way? If so, I feel embarrassed to inform you that they haven’t arrived yet,” the innkeeper said.

“What adventurers?” I asked, puzzled.

“Because of the potential dungeon,” he explained in a matter-of-fact tone, as if expecting me to know.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Could you please update me?” I asked.

“Yes, of course,” he said, gesturing towards the window. “Our town is built around a copper mine in the western mountains. If you look out the window, you can see them—they have a very pointed shape. A week ago, the miners broke through a wall that led to a network of caves. Since then, monsters have been coming out of there, and work in the mine has stopped. Based on the number of monsters and the fact that they keep appearing, we suspect there is a dungeon somewhere in the cave system. We’ve sent a message to the Adventurers Guild to send people to take care of the monsters and collapse the dungeon.”

“You don’t want the dungeon?” I asked, surprised.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “The monsters that come out of there spit fire. Three people have already been killed, and a lot more are suffering from severe burns. We want our mine back, not creatures that could burn down our town.”

“Where are the people who are suffering from burns?”

“At the convalescent house.”

“Do you have a healer?” I inquired, already suspecting the answer.

“No, just a herbalist. We also asked for a healer from the Adventurers Guild, but no one has arrived yet,” he said, his frustration clear.

“Could you please direct me to the convalescent house? I’m also a healer,” I offered.

“Thank you, thank you very much. I’ll take you there right away,” he said, his voice suddenly overly enthusiastic.

The convalescent house was a medium-sized house just a few doors down from the inn. As we stepped inside, I noticed people lying on mattresses on the floor or sitting in armchairs. Everyone had bandages on various parts of their bodies, and an older woman was carefully applying something to a young man’s hand.

As soon as the young man saw us, he called out, “Dad, what are you doing here?”

Ah, so that’s why he was so enthusiastic, I thought.

“I brought an esteemed healer,” his father replied, his tone a mix of pride and relief.

All the people in the room turned to look at me, their eyes zeroing in on me like I was some sort of miracle worker. I even felt a little embarrassed by all the attention.

“But he’s a merchant!” the woman caring for the young man exclaimed, her brow furrowing in confusion.

“I’m also a healer.”

“Are you sure?” she asked skeptically, her eyes narrowing slightly.

I changed my display class to Healer.

Immediately, she bowed and said, “I apologize, esteemed healer.”

“It’s okay, no harm done,” I replied, waving off her concern.

I approached the young man and diagnosed him. He had a very severe burn on his hand and moderate burns on his legs. As I began treating him, I asked, “How did you get these burns?”

“I was on duty at the entrance to the mine when five monsters attacked us,” he explained, wincing slightly as I worked. “We managed to kill them, but me and Rochas—uh, you don’t know who that is—me and someone else got burned.”

I treated each person with burns one by one, and as I did, I pieced together a more comprehensive picture of what had happened in the mine. The first day they broke through the wall into the cave network, there were large waves of monsters, and most of the men in the town had to fight. After a few days, the rush of monsters slowed down, and now, every few hours, a few would emerge from the mine. The townspeople had organized shifts to guard the mine entrance, protecting the town from being burned. The monsters were red lizards, about thirty to fifty centimeters tall, levels seven to twelve, and they spat fire.

After I finished treating all the people in the convalescent house, the woman who had been tending to the injured approached me and asked, “Esteemed healer John, could you please also treat others with burns? There are so many that I didn’t have room for them here. I only kept the most severe cases or those who just arrived before I had to send them home.”

I was momentarily surprised that she knew my name, then I remembered. Of course.

John, you really need to practice using Identify more often, I reminded myself.

I quickly identified her.

Britrice Moin Herbalist, Level 13

“I’d be happy to,” I replied with a nod. “Do you want to tell me where they are?”

“There’s no need,” she said with a reassuring smile. “You can go back to the inn, and I’ll send the kids to tell everyone to come to you. As I said, I kept the severe cases here. Anyone at home can come to you.”

“Very well, Lady Britrice,” I said with a respectful nod.

“I am not a lady. Miss will suffice, or just Britrice,” she corrected me with a smile. “Tomorrow, go to the mayor to get paid for your services. I’ll report to him everyone you’ve cured here, but you’ll need to keep a record of everyone you treat at the inn.”

“Thank you very much, Miss,” I replied, appreciating her straightforwardness.

After we exchanged a few more pleasantries, I headed outside to look for Rue. I found him lying on the grass with a pile of five kids climbing all over him. He looked like he was in heaven.

“Rue, I’m going back to the inn. Want to come with me or stay with the kids?” I asked, amused by the sight.

“Friends children!” he answered enthusiastically, wagging his tail with joy.

“No problem, buddy. You can stay. When you’re hungry, come to the inn,” I said, patting his head before turning to leave. I knew that “hungry” was the magic word that would bring him running.

I returned to the inn, and this time, I finally made it to my room. The room was simple, but cozy. They built everything out of wood, which made me understand their fear of the monsters getting out. The bed was relatively wide—not king-sized, but definitely more than a single. A large chest with a key sat at the foot of the bed, and a door led to the bathroom. Inside was a large copper bath, a table with a basin and a bowl, and, of course, the chair with the hole above a bucket serving as the toilet. The room wasn’t big, but it was big enough for Rue and me. At least everything looked clean, and the bathroom didn’t smell too bad. It didn’t smell like roses, but it wasn’t terrible either.

Throughout the evening, more and more people arrived with burns. Most of them had burns on their legs, which made sense given the height of the lizards, and a few had burns on their hands or other parts of their bodies. I took out a pen and paper, marking and wrote the name of each person I healed. The flow of people finally stopped sometime in the middle of the night. When I counted how many I had treated, it was over thirty. I wasn’t sure exactly how many I’d healed at the convalescent home, but I was confident it was over twenty.

I checked my mana: 8,900 out of 11,100. There were no words for how much I appreciated the mana levels in Lumis. Sure, the width of my channels and spirals played a role in my regeneration, despite that, the regeneration here was amazing.

While I was busy taking care of everyone, Rue had his dinner and went up to the room to sleep. At some point during the evening, I checked on him and saw him sitting next to the innkeeper. From the way the innkeeper was nodding and saying something to him, I guessed they were having a conversation. I just hoped Rue didn’t tell him something he wasn’t supposed to. Rue wasn’t stupid, but he was innocent and childish. I decided I’d have a conversation with him the next day about what he could and couldn’t share.

I could finally go to sleep. Before heading up to the room, I remembered my earlier resolution and used Identify on the innkeeper.

Horim Mossim Innkeeper Level 17

“Good night, Mr. Mossim,” I said, offering a tired smile.

“Good night, esteemed healer,” he replied with a respectful shallow bow.

As I lay in bed, I reflected on the day. My first day back in civilization had been nice—it felt good to help people. But now, I was trying to decide what to do about the dungeon. On one hand, I’d had more than enough dungeons in my life lately. On the other hand, we had three Jeeps and only two cores, and it was always fun to give Mahya gifts she wasn’t expecting.

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