In theory, this was a very easy run. I looked back at the map Hiragana had given me. I squinted and inspected the dot that was the town where I entered this Fantasy World and then I traced my finger along what would equate to a three numbered highway back to the main highway for the entire Empire. I squinted.

  “Well, fuck,” I said to myself. Betsy gave a low bellow in response.

  “We’re lost I guess,” I told her, to which she replied with a simple “mrrr.”

  “Always helpful,” I mumbled and looked up at the sky. We should have at least been to the Emperor’s Highway, yet… I gave a look around. Well, I didn’t know where we were.

  Another glance at the map before I rolled it and put it away in my robes. “Well, let’s go a little further Betsy, see if we can find anything.”

  It had been hours since we left the village, so we had to have gotten a little way away. Couldn’t we? I held the reins of the yolk as Betsy trotted along, her hooves clopping dully in the dirt road. Scenery wise, there wasn’t much of anything you wouldn’t see driving in the midwest. Just fields upon fields with some houses here and there.

  I shuddered a little, thinking about my brief foray into over the road driving when I was first getting my license. I started with a company to get my start, but I ended up signing up with one of those scam lease companies who get a cult-like following and buy into their nonsense. I sighed and shook my head. I guess it didn’t matter anymore.

  Seeing my first building in I didn’t know how long, broke my concentration. There wasn’t anything around besides the countryside, even the farmland was behind us at this point. We had entered some woods, and I was surprised how manicured and well taken care of the road was even through the woods. It must have taken them a long time to carve out the path.

  The building was a sort of large and three stories with a sign out front, ‘The Lying Lily’. Following the name, it said ‘Inn and Rest area’ just in case anyone had any doubts about what the building was. The name didn’t quite fit with the Japanese aesthetic of Fantasyland, but who was I to argue? The building was more like something you’d see in a Tolkienesque fantasy story, rough wood and straw covered roofs. There was also smoke billowing from the chimney and as we got closer, I could hear a crowd of merry goers inside laughing and singing.

  “Come on Betsy, there’s a barn out back with some other carriages,” I directed her and saw her nodding her head. Once more I felt like she was giving me some sass and I narrowed my eyes at her, but she was already heading toward the barn outback and I shrugged.

  As we went around back, I saw a large fire with some people gathered around it sitting on either tree stumps or there was a large tree laid down to use as a bench. They all wore various robe styles, mostly wearing the simple gray robe of a farmer to one man who was wearing cultivator robes. Then there was the woman with her hair pinned up and wearing an elaborate kimono that I couldn’t make out the details on in the dark.

  “Oy there.”

  I heard a voice yell to me, followed by a teenage looking boy walking over to me from the barn. He wore simple clothes, brown pants and a loose-fitting shirt, and his black hair was tied back behind his head in a long ponytail. Without me doing anything, Betsy stopped and allowed me to look him over.

  “Coming to get some dinner? I don’t know if we have room in the inn for you to stay the night, but the food inside is hot, and the drink is strong,” the boy called to me while he opened the large swinging doors of the barn.

  I frowned a little when he told me they probably didn’t have any room inside the inn and I looked behind the driver’s bench. Well, I needed to clean all that up, and I wanted to go through these books and manuals, anyway. I would have done it today, but I wanted to get as much distance crossed as I could, and then we somehow got lost.

  “Some dinner would be great, and I suppose I can just sleep in the wagon,” I say as I climb down from the bench with a groan. Once I’m on my feet, I look up at the bench and realize how bad my ass is hurting as I stretch out a little.

  Some springs on the bench to make it bounce with the road, and some padding might be in order, I thought to myself before looking at the barn worker with a smile and a soft bow of my head. “Thank you. You’ll take care of Betsy for me while I eat?”

  “Of course, sir,” he said without giving any reaction to the ox’s name. I figured he must have come across a lot of unusual names people gave their animals.

  Though Betsy was just another name. I guess it's a little old sounding of a name, though. Hrm, but then I guess considering I drove in a carriage all day, maybe Betsy hadn’t even been invented as a name yet. Then, of course, there was the whole Japanese thing.

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  I’m an idiot. I scolded myself and shook my head and pulled myself from my thoughts and looked at him. “Thanks, I’ll go speak inside and be out when I’ve finished. If you could make sure she eats something as well? She’s done good work today,” I said while I rubbed her side softly and even gave her a soft pat on the head.

  The man just nodded his head and worked on releasing her from the wagon yoke before he waved me away. I finally took the hint to leave the man to his work and headed off towards the inn. Between the buildings, a small stone pathway showed evidence of meticulous landscaping. There wasn’t much for actual decorations, but it was all well manicured and clean, so that was something. Dense woods encircled the small clearing where the inn was located, impenetrable even by moonlight.

  As I got closer to the backdoor to the inside, I gave a hello to the group of people who sat around the campfire. They all gave a simple greeting back before they returned to their own conversations.

  Ruckus' laughter and drunken merrymaking greeted me when I opened the door. I smiled and instantly wanted to go back outside. While I didn’t mind drinking and having fun, I liked to do it at softer levels and with much fewer people. The tavern had a few small tables all situated around a longer table in the middle, and every seat in the place was taken. Men and women of all ages and dressed at what looked like every economical level were seated around the place. The fireplace to the right of me was lit, but was kept smaller and had a few bigger softer looking chairs that seemed like prime real estate for people to be cozy in while they relaxed with a drink after their dinner.

  I approached the bar counter that was opposite the hearth and was met by a younger man, who was softer in the middle than most in the place. He was probably the only guy I’d seen since I’ve been here with shortcut hair. Though I realized this guy was a white guy.

  Now it all makes sense, I thought to myself as I thought about the name of the place and the overall look. I looked back at the bartender with the shortcut spiked hair. He looked like he had just come out of an early 2000s nu metal music video. Even the shirt and pants he wore while plain were still the black and greys that I liked as well, but had that grunge counterculture feel to them. This guy definitely would have shopped at Hot Topic in high school back home.

  “Welcome to the Lying Lily. Best rest area this side of the Emperor’s Highway,” he said with what sounded like a Scottish accent.

  I gave a little snort at the term he used and thought of all the service areas I was used to visiting around the New York thruway and the Mass Pike. If this place’s bathroom had toilet paper stocked and didn’t have piss all over the toilet seats, it’d be nicer than most of those.

  “Hi there, the guy said the rooms were all full, but that you had good food?” I asked. I had to yell a little over the noise of the place, but I tried to make it so I wasn’t really at him.

  He nodded his head. “Yeah, sorry about that. You’re that wagon driver who just came in?”

  I nodded.

  “Bit long of a wagon, isn’t it? Gonna have some trouble making some turns once you get to the towns,” he questioned me.

  I shrugged at him. “I’m used to it,” I said.

  He nodded his head and then frowned a little. “Well, yeah, sorry to say. We’re busier than usual tonight, so all the rooms are all taken. Food wise we’re running low as well. All we have is some rice and I think I can get the ol’ lady to cook you up a bit of pork or chicken. I won't charge ya anything, since we don’t have a room for ya.”

  I smiled, relieved by this news, since it hadn’t really dawned on me I didn’t have any money. I was going to have to sleep in the wagon, anyway. “That would be very much appreciated. I was in a bit of an accident earlier back in Sunjin. Had to give the guys who helped me the last of my coin.”

  He nodded his head and poured me a mug of brown liquid. “Well, have some ale and relax where you can. I know there was a little quieter crowd outside around the campfire, if that’s more your speed.”

  I took a small sip and almost groaned in pleasure. This ale was better than Guinness. It wasn’t as dark and just a hint lighter in terms of body, but man, something about it. I looked in the mug and saw the owner grin.

  “I make it myself. Beer making is a hobby of mine, glad to see a cultivator enjoying it. Lemme ask you a question?”

  I nod my head. “Anything.”

  “Was the accident because of the length?”

  I frowned at him and then gave a sly grin and a shrug. He laughed and winked at me as he knocked on the bar counter. “Enjoy the ale, I’ll go get you a plate. I’ll be back in a tick,” he said before he walked off through a door behind the bar.

  I took another long pull from the mug and looked around the rest area. No one was really paying attention to me. There were a couple of other cultivators in the tavern, and I don’t think I gave off any vibes of significant power. I was just another dude in an inn drinking a delightfully delicious ale. I blinked and looked in the mug. Strong ale, I think, but then, I guess I hadn’t really eaten anything today since breakfast. Did that even count? Breakfast, ?was who knew when and who knew where?

  It only took a minute before the bartender and apparent owner came back through the door holding a small bowl. He set the bowl down in front of me and he smiled. The smells of garlic, green onion, and some sort of vinegar hit my nose. Along with the succulent smells of slow roasted pork. I grinned and looked at him after I looked inside the bowl.

  He nodded and grabbed my mug and refilled it. “Go ahead then, go outside and enjoy the dinner. Sorry I couldn’t give ya more, but it’s about all we have now,” he explained.

  I held up a hand and shook my head, and thought I could hear my stomach roar in excitement. “No need for any of that. Thank you so much for the dinner and ale. I’ll be back when I have money and can pay you back.”

  He just looked at me and nodded his head. “Sure mate, just go ahead and enjoy.”

  As of this posting there's 21 chapters and bonus stuff on the

  Hiroshi, Tale of a Sumotori

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