Shilin almost gave up selling his pelts. Not only did he not understand what the merchant was saying, but he also didn't have a clue how the currency in this world worked.
He didn't even try to bargain and just accepted what was given to him. Then he rushed back to the kind stall owner who had guided him earlier.
"Want… food." Shilin pointed toward the sizzling meat. He didn't know what kind of animal it was, but the steaks were perfectly seasoned and ready to be eaten.
The kind old lady smiled as she handed him what he asked for. It wasn't hard to figure out what he wanted. She even added a bit more—he noticed this since what she gave others was a third smaller than his portion.
"How much… will it be?" Shilin opened the pouch he had been given for the pelts. But as soon as he opened it, he noticed they weren't coins—they were beans. He opened the bag wider and searched through it, trying to find any gold or silver.
"Oh f… they tricked me!" He tried to contain his anger, but the old lady gave him a strange look and simply held up four fingers.
"Wait, what?" He pushed the bag slightly toward her to see what she would do. She picked up four of the cocoa beans from the bag.
"Beans for money… where the hell am I?" Shilin then counted how many beans were in his pouch. There were at least a hundred or so, and if three or four were enough to buy lunch, then he wasn't too bad off.
He rushed through the market, clutching the pouch tightly. He needed clothes—his body wasn't used to being exposed this long. He understood he was in a primitive sort of land, but that didn't mean he had to stay like this forever.
Soon, he reached a shop that sold various types of clothing and picked out something decent for the amount of currency he was carrying. A light vest with feathers—and more importantly—pants and sandals.
It wasn't anywhere near as luxurious as the armor he wore in his twelfth life, but given how weak he was now, it didn't matter much.
He needed to get used to his new body and start finding a way to regain his power.
Throughout the market, he saw some individuals who could fly, while others used wind to power primitive tools.
One thing that stood out was a small motor powered by wind. It spun a wheel that crushed spices and leaves with a medicinal scent that made him nose twitch.
Besides clothing, Shilin knew there was one more thing he needed—an amulet, like everyone else seemed to have. To get one, he had to enter a temple. That was his next destination.
The temple towered over all the other buildings, clearly marking its importance in town.
As he approached, he saw green torch-like sticks outside the temple, radiating a strange green energy. Anyone who tried to touch them was repelled by a small gust of wind, just like the torches found out in the wild.
Shilin needed to climb twenty stairs to reach the temple. He noticed several priests around—some gathering groups to speak to, others performing rituals to empower the torches.
As he was going up, he felt the wind react towards him. With each step he took, the wind got stronger, making it hard to reach the top. As soon as he took the eighth step, he was blown to the bottom, just enough to regain his footing near the first step.
A priest nearby saw his struggle and called out.
"Axcan, tla itzmiqui?" the old man said—not angrily, but not warmly either.
Shilin guessed he was doing something wrong and pointed to himself and then toward the top of the stairs.
"Cah cuauhchimalli tlen, zan amo itzintli cualli?" the old man replied, pointing to his golden amulet—just like the ones the thieving guards had worn in the gates.
As with the soldiers, Shilin mimed fighting a beast and losing his amulet in the struggle.
"Ahmo cualli, in tlil tlacatl itech cuauhchimalli tlen... zan tlen, cuatlapohua." The old man shook his head and motioned for Shilin to follow him—his expression full of reproach, likely angered by Shilin's careless attitude toward what was clearly a sacred object, or so Shilin assumed based on the priest's attitude.
He was led to a small shop that seemed to be affiliated with the temple. Inside were not only amulets, but many items themed around snakes—golden figures, scales, and feathered serpent motifs.
"A little too creepy if you ask me… I don't think the scaled ones loved me though… especially after I killed so many…" Shilin muttered to himself as he moved towards the section where a few amulets like those he needed were hanging.
There were three types: simple ones carved from stone, more elaborate ones made of gold, and a final, extravagant piece crafted from jade, inlaid with gold and jewels.
Shilin tried asking using fingers how much each one was. The old priest seemed to know by now that Shilin was either crazy or that he was a mute of sorts.
The jade amulet was the most expensive—nearly five hundred beans. The gold one was eighty. The stone one? Only five.
Shilin had about ninety-something beans, and while the cheap one would suffice, it likely wouldn't earn him as much respect.
He reached toward the gold one—but the moment his hand came near the jeweled jade amulet, he felt something. A remnant of power—faint but familiar. It reminded him of the wind rune, Urrus.
He needed to know more.
But just as he tried to lift the jade amulet, a sharp slap hit his hand.
"Axcanin tlein tizcin cualli tlen oquich!" the priest snapped with a stern tone.
"Fine… just give me the cheap one for now," Shilin muttered, irritated. He picked up the one that cost five beans. He needed to move quickly and earn more money—because whatever that jade amulet was, it felt too close to his own power to ignore.