章 3: Maybe it won't be that bad...
After the man walked away, Rafael took a deep breath. He was calmer now and began to ponder his situation. Why did the machine break? Could it have been the nuclear blast? Did it interfere somehow or damage some component? Well, I was closer than I should have been, but it wasn't by much.
He returned to the FC1000 and sat down in the chair.
The monitor to his right was still glitching, flashing red warnings. He glanced at the book with the hard grey cover still in his hand.
What's the use of this damn book if it doesn't say how to repair this thing? Frustrated, he opened the book again, hoping to find something useful. It wasn't a thin book, so there had to be something of interest inside.
[INTRODUCTION...]
He began reading from the beginning. The introduction congratulated the reader on renting the machine, mentioned a lock preventing travel more than 1.5 seconds into the future, and explained the presence of biofilters inside the machine that neutralized viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms that could potentially lead to mass extinction if introduced to the past.
Okay, that makes sense. A disease from the 25th century would definitely wipe out anyone without the right technology. Have I already thanked ELSpan today? Turning the page, he saw an image of the FC1000 with all visible components labeled.
The machine had a large metal base with four short support legs, a large, elongated glass dome above the base with a chair in the middle, and a small panel to the side. On both sides, there were large, egg-shaped metal cases housing components. At the top of the dome, a small flag with 'FC1000' written on it fluttered.
Looking at the diagram, Rafael identified the component that had apparently failed. It was located inside the egg-shaped case to his right. He glanced over at it, realizing it would be difficult, if not impossible, to open it with the current technology, let alone fix it. He sighed deeply.
Continuing to read, he skimmed through some frequently asked questions, like what happens when you time travel, whether you can interact with your past self, and other related topics.
Hm. So when you time travel, it creates a new timeline, and there's no problem interacting with your past self. It doesn't matter what I do in the new timeline because it won't affect the original. Wow, they've even been using it to mine and extract resources from other timelines!
Well, the problem is that now THIS is my timeline.
Turning the page, there it was: [REPAIR GUIDE. The FC1000 cannot be repaired.] After cursing the book for a few seconds, he kept reading.
[OH.
If you are reading this, then we apologize.]
Go to hell! Rafael felt a surge of anger as he read on. This section of the book urged the reader to come to terms with the idea of never returning to their family, friends, clean water, technology, and other comforts. Shit…
After a minute, he resumed reading, though this time he felt something different.
[The rest of this book contains almost everything you need to build a civilization from scratch.]
So... I'll have to revolutionize this world. Rafael's situation didn't seem as bleak now. He realized that with this knowledge, he could survive, and his status as a merchant might be useful. After skimming through the summary, Rafael decided it was best to head to the village and find a place to stay.
The FC1000 was a large machine. The metal base was about 3x3 meters, and the dome was nearly 3 meters high, so he quickly abandoned the idea of hiding it with leaves. Still holding the book, Rafael picked up the two arrows left on the ground and began walking in the direction the man had gone.
After 3 or 4 minutes of walking, he arrived at an open area with several simple houses clustered together in a haphazard arrangement. On either side of the small village, there were fields where people were working. As he approached the houses, he saw three men standing together.
The man in the middle was the one who had attacked him earlier. The other two held spears and wore some sort of padded coats and brown pants. One of them stepped forward and said:
"Welcome, sir…"
Should I give my name or… Ah, forget it. "Rafael."
The guard blinked a few times. "W-Welcome, sir… Rafael. That's an unusual name for a merchant. Pardon me, I don't mean any offense. It's a good name, fitting for someone like you." He spoke hurriedly, trying to avoid any misunderstandings.
Eadgar is no more. These clothes, these colors, and the book… This merchant can't be treated poorly. Thought the guard.
"Sir, our chief villager has requested your presence at his house to discuss some important matters. If you would, I'll escort you there."
The chief villager wants to speak with me? How does he know about me? Rafael wondered after hearing the guard's request. "Understood. I'll meet with your chief villager." The guard nodded, turned around, and began walking into the village. The other guard and the farmer stepped aside.
The man, now with a clean face, pleaded again. "Sir, please. I have a wife and kids." He begged, holding his hands together.
What? Why is he afraid and begging again? Rafael couldn't understand, but he didn't have time to ask as the guard continued walking ahead, so he just gave the man a quick look before following the spearman.
As he walked through the village, Rafael saw many people working and doing chores. Even the children were helping with something. Everyone looked, pointed, and whispered as he passed. The houses were simple, with walls made of wood covered in mud and roofs made of long grass.
The village roads were just dirt, compacted by years of foot traffic.
Since he had started walking towards the outermost houses, Rafael had noticed a foul smell, which grew stronger as he passed through the village, almost making him gag.
What the hell is that awful smell?!
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