The Phantom Man 2 - The Book of the Dead

IX - The Mission

The young defender left Philip in a hotel, so that he could rest. She paid for the night, and then they took the elevator together; they still needed to decide together the strategy for his defense.

"If you want, I can exchange your gold coins for current money. I know some antique dealers that could pay a good money for them."

"I'd appreciate that. It's very nice of you to think about it."

"Since I was paid my salary today, I can give you some cash in advance. You also need to buy new clothes and get a job. That's the way normal people live through these days. Think about something that you do well and I'll see what I can do for you. Being a lawyer makes you know a lot of different people."

"I can speak many languages. And I'm trained at sword and shield fighting."

"I thing you'll be better out as an idiom teacher. Sword and shield are out of fashion. It's going to be hard to find students interested in this modality. Here's my address. I live close to the hotel. On this street there's a hotel for families and students from all over the world. It costs a fair price for someone who needs a start and I know the owners; they're good people. As soon as I get you some currency, I'll buy you a smartphone; you definitely need it. Tomorrow, I will show you how the device works. It's pure magic, believe me!"

They smiled and then said good-bye. Then Alexia went home to get some rest. It had been an intense day.

Next morning, Philip had some coffee and then went for a walk to get acquainted with the city. He was struck by the language spoken, the vehicles, and the modern fashion. Women wore tight pants, miniskirts, and round dresses, while men wore pants, Bermuda shorts, shirts and sometimes suits with ties. He compared his clothes with each person that he looked at.

He entered a shop to buy some new clothes to check if they would fit him better.

When he stepped out, he heard a deafening sound that got him scared. It was an airplane crossing the sky. Philip was amazed to see it, and even more with the modern technology.

"A mechanical bird! Quite amazing!"

"What type of person has never seen a plane?" A young woman that was passing by asked her friend after she heard Philip's words.

Later, he learned that that flying object transported people from one place to another. Who knows if he wouldn't fly in an airplane like that someday? He would not need to cross any magical portal at all, which meant that he would be able to hide his true wizard identity properly. It was a whole new world, and he would have to learn a great deal to live in it.

As he thought about it, he walked and looked at everything that crossed his sight. He was also curious about the cars and motorbikes. He had seen some of those in the books, but nothing compared to seeing them in real life. They were quite different from horses. Suddenly, he was starving. He chose a place to grab something to eat and sit down for some time.

Philip sat on a table placed at the sidewalk. An elder couple was close to him. He opened the menu that the waiter had placed in front of him. He was trying to figure out what to do with that. In addition to his German accent, his shyness made it difficult to communicate with the waiter.

The old woman that was talking to her husband tried to help him.

"They serve a wonderful dish with sausage and potatoes here. You'll love it."

"Thank you, madam!" Philip smiled to the couple.

Philip was starving so much, that he would even eat stone gladly.

"Are you here on business or vacations?" Asked the lady's husband.

"I'm touristing around."

"So are we," said the old man. "I see that you want to eat everything that is served to you. Go ahead, the treat is ours."