Time flew by, and before long, Yavi was almost six years old.
"Mom, I picked this little flower for you!"
Yavi stood on tiptoe and happily held up a little pink flower.
"Oh! Darling, I'm so happy!" Maya bent down to take Yavi's little flower and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Mom, I picked a little flower for you too."
"Mom, Mom, I picked one too!"
A boy and a girl came running over as well. The boy was Jace, Yavi's older brother by six years and the eldest son of the Morgan Family. The girl was Mel, his older sister by three years.
Surrounded by her three children, Maya wore a smile brimming with happiness. Herbert, who was swinging his longsword over and over in the square, smiled with contentment at the sight of the happy Maya, then returned his full attention to honing his swordsmanship.
That afternoon, after lunch, Yavi kept leafing through books in his parents' room while Maya napped behind him with Mel in her arms.
Although he did not recognize all the words, he could more or less grasp the general meaning. From the books, he learned that Kovir lay in the northwestern corner of the Northern Kingdoms, surrounding the Gulf of Praxeda, with the Dragon Mountains to the north and the sea to the west.
It was renowned for its abundant mineral resources and flourishing trade. Located in a mountainous region, Kovir possessed rich deposits of iron, copper, silver, zinc, and other rare metals, as well as eighty percent of the world's gold. Three quarters of the total production of dimeritium, a metal that counteracted magic, also came from there. Ports had also been built along the Gulf of Praxeda, making it a trade hub for the entire continent and facilitating the export of minerals and all kinds of products.
After gaining a general understanding of the country from the books, Yavi turned to a book about Saint Thomas City. Saint Thomas City lay in the northwestern corner of Kovir, right at the foot of the Dragon Mountains and only a few dozen li from the sea. Yet minerals were not abundant there. Instead, its proximity to both the mountains and the sea made food particularly plentiful. For those same reasons, however, the wilderness outside Saint Thomas City was extremely dangerous.
"No wonder Father patrols the surrounding area every few days..." Yavi closed the book. What he had learned about the world from reading, combined with his father Herbert's actions, made him all the more certain that this world was many times more dangerous than Earth had been.
"Only by becoming strong myself can I survive in this world." Yavi walked over to the window and gazed up at the clear blue sky, filled with emotion.
Looking down at the birthstone hanging around his neck, Yavi reached out with his small hand and stroked it repeatedly. He had been born with this stone in his mouth, and everyone in the family agreed that it was his birthstone and could bring him good luck.
Suddenly, his finger stung. One of the stone's edges had cut it. A tiny drop of crimson blood dripped into the stone, which abruptly began shaking violently. Amid a series of cracking sounds, fissures spread across its surface, and brilliant light burst through them. A loud bang followed, then a woman's startled cry and a child's wailing...
Herbert, who was working downstairs, heard a tremendous crash from upstairs. Without time to think, he grabbed his sword and rushed up.
He kicked the door open, and a cloud of smoke and dust struck him in the face. Only after pushing through it could he see the scene inside: a startled Maya, a wailing child, a shattered window, and a bewildered him...
Amanda wiped the dust and grime off Yavi with a damp towel, while Yavi himself was still somewhat bewildered. When the birthstone exploded, it had blown apart both the wall and the window. Although it had caused quite a commotion, fortunately, neither he nor his family had been injured. Maya did not understand what had happened, but she had not been particularly affected. Mel, however, had received a terrible fright and was still sobbing in Maya's arms.
"Y-Yavi, huff... huff, huff... what on earth happened? Huff! Are you hurt?"
Jace, who had hurried back, breathlessly asked how Yavi was doing. He had been practicing swordsmanship at the militia barracks ever since lunch.
"I'm fine, big brother. Mother and Mel aren't hurt either. Don't worry, big brother. Catch your breath and rest a little!"
"As... as long as you're all okay. Huff..."
Only after hearing that his family was unharmed did Jace breathe a sigh of relief and wipe the fine beads of sweat from his forehead.
After making all the arrangements, Herbert came over and asked, "What caused that explosion just now? Where's the birthstone you wore around your neck?"
Yavi told Herbert everything that had happened, leaving nothing out. After listening, Herbert kept stroking the thick beard on his chin, seemingly deep in thought.
"So your birthstone came into contact with your blood, and that caused the explosion. Is that right?"
"Yes, Father."
Herbert searched his memories, trying to find a reasonable explanation in his past experiences, but he could come up with nothing. In the end, he could only let the matter drop.
The moon shone bright among the sparse stars, and insects and birds called cheerfully. Yavi lay in his little bed, looking somewhat excited, because the instant the explosion occurred, a voice had suddenly sounded in his mind. "Congratulations, host, on successfully activating the Twelve Talismans System. Due to your transmigration to another world, the Twelve Talismans have undergone slight changes from their original-world versions. Please explore them yourself. As this is your first time activating the system, one randomly selected talisman can be activated free of charge. Activate now?"
Everything had happened so suddenly that Yavi had not had time to pay attention to it, but now, in the quiet of the night, it was the perfect time to investigate.
Activate!
He gave the command silently in his mind, and the next moment, twelve talismans appeared there, looking almost identical to the twelve talismans he remembered. Then the talismans began cycling at random. The rotation gradually slowed until it finally stopped on one talisman-the Tiger Talisman!
Basic Tiger Talisman: The Tiger Talisman harmonizes yin and yang, balancing your attributes and magic to maintain them in a stable state. It also provides a storage space measuring 3 × 3 cubic meters. Items entering the storage space enter stasis upon entry and remain so until removed again. (Talismans can be upgraded by fulfilling certain conditions or spending sufficient points. Current points: 0)
The Tiger Talisman? That's not right, is it?
Yavi was a little puzzled. Normally, doesn't the Tiger Talisman split someone into a good self and an evil self? I can understand keeping my attributes and magic stable, but why does it have storage space too? Could it be because some talismans changed after crossing into another world, like the system said?
Although he did not quite understand, having something was better than having nothing. Besides, in a certain sense, maintaining stability and having storage space were far more useful than splitting into good and evil selves. Having worked that out, Yavi rolled over contentedly and went to sleep...
Yavi did not know what kind of life awaited him, but he knew that as long as he kept working hard and made good use of the Twelve Talismans' potential, one day he would stand at the pinnacle of this world.