Chapter Fifteen: Zero Divided by Zero, Carry the Zero

  One teacher, a stern-looking centaur with a mane of silver hair, kept shooting Jace furtive glances, whispering to the Archmage before twisting his face like he’d just sucked on a lemon.

  Ell sidled up, her voice gentle but laced with concern. “Since you’re meeting Hades later today, maybe you want to change?”

  Jace blinked, caught off guard. “New clothes? Shopping in-game? Totally uncharted territory.”

  “I thought the rugged, first-day, adventurer look was working, but...” Ell’s voice trailed off, her eyes critically assessing his ensemble.

  “Where do I even…”

  “Check your Inventory tab,” she suggested, her tone almost casual.

  Jace toggled to digital, thought inventory, and a grid materialized before his eyes, displaying what he was wearing in each slot along with a picture of his digital self. “Is that really what I look like right now?” he muttered, dismayed. All slots were empty except for two.

  Inventory

  Starting Robe: Common. Status: worn and dirty.

  Old Shoes: Common. Status: Falling apart.

  Don’t know where you are going, but I think I know where you have been. Is that dirt or…?

  That’s rough, he thought, staring at his avatar.

  Jace glanced around, suddenly hyper-aware of his tattered attire. Everyone else wore robes, dresses, and clothes in a variety of vibrant colors, draped elegantly across their forms. Sandals were common, but some sported footwear that resembled tennis shoes.

  How had he not noticed this before? Was he usually this unobservant?

  Hesitant due to his empty pockets and lack of funds, Jace wondered if he was even supposed to pay for breakfast. He didn’t see any cashiers around and had no clue how the system worked here.

  Alice, noticing his unease, stepped in to save him. “You’re on a scholarship, right? Have you gotten your university bank notes yet?”

  Jace shook his head.

  “Oh…” Ell checked her clock. “We have time. Come on, guys, we need to get our personal newbie here squared away before classes start.”

  Using the map, they navigated through the labyrinthine halls to the Treasurer’s Hall and Disbursements Office.

  They rushed him through the dimly lit corridors to a faculty office. The room was filled with the musty scent of old parchment and ink. Behind a cluttered desk sat an ogre, Madam Crunch, as indicated by her nameplate and plaque. Her huge brown-green eyes narrowed as they approached.

  Jace didn’t remember ogres being part of Greek myth. Come to think of it, he had seen several races that were from other pantheons. He’d have to ask about that later.

  “Can I help you?” she asked, her voice like a rusty hinge.

  Dex stepped forward, attempting his most charming smile, but it only deepened her scowl. “Hello, Mrs. Crunch. Might I just say that you look lovely this fine morning.”

  “It’s Madam Crunch,” she snarled.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Dex did something between a grimace and a flinch. “I tried.” He backed away.

  “Charisma check failed,” Ell whispered, taking his place. “This is Jace. He’s on a scholarship and needs his account checked.”

  Madam Crunch’s expression softened slightly as she tapped her keyboard with gnarled fingers. Her eyes widened a bit, surprised. “According to your records, you have a full scholarship. Don’t see these too often. And you have been given the maximum allowance. Would you like to know your current balance?”

  “Yes!” Jace realized he was shouting. “I mean, yes,” he said more calmly. She wrote it down on a piece of paper and slid it over to him.

  It read, “five hundred gold”.

  Dex and Ell looked at it, nodding somberly. “We can work with that,” Ell said. “We’ll have to be frugal.”

  “What does that come out to in real money?” Jace asked.

  They both looked at each other, a little perplexed, before Ell spoke up. “I mean, it IS real money. What happens in Terra Mythica is just as important as outside. Often more important. But if you mean the exchange rate to out-of-game currency, ten copper is equivalent to about a credit out of game. But, in-game, ten copper buys you lunch at a food cart or local mart, while fifty copper gets you a night in a seedier hotel.”

  “When have you been eating at food carts and staying in seedy hotels?” Dex asked, surprised.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” She winked. “The conversion from one metal to the next is ten to one. So, ten copper is one bronze. A bronze converts to one credit out of game. Ten bronze is one silver. And ten silver is a gold. There are higher denominations, of course.”

  “The trick to University Bank notes,” Ell continued, “is that they can only be spent at the University. Which should cover just about everything you need while here.”

  Jace’s hopes of exchanging the gold for out-of-game credits were dashed. Still, he tucked the idea away for a rainy day. Maybe someone would trade. But how could he do it without attracting suspicion?

  “So, five-hundred gold,” Jace did some mental math, but it was slow coming. “That comes out to…”

  He thought for a while before looking around helplessly.

  “Don’t worry about mental math right now. Our stats are all pretty nerfed until we get a class. Plus, you have some heavy penalties until you get cleaned up.”

  “Why aren’t you and Dex feeling it as bad?” Jace asked, a mix of curiosity and frustration in his voice.

  Ell and Dex exchanged grins, the kind that suggested they had a secret. Ell leaned in, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “We knew the nerf was coming. You build your stats up at Mythos, but it all resets after graduation. Sure, you get a lot of practice and familiarity, but everyone starts with their base stats when they hit U. Unless,” she added, with a dramatic pause, “you have some magic items that help balance things out.” She pointed to her earrings. “Plus two to Intelligence.”

  Dex wiggled his foot, showing off a sleek shoe. “Plus one to Dexterity. I don’t dress like this just to look good, you know.”

  Jace’s face twisted in realization. “So, I have the equivalent of fifty-thousand credits?”

  Ell nodded, her expression serious. “Exactly. Which means we have to be on a tight budget for the semester. Nothing too needless. That resets, right?” She looked at Madam Crunch, who nodded curtly.

  Madam Crunch, clearly done with their banter, interjected, “How many notes would you like?”

  Dex, ever the quick one, answered, “Fifty.”

  Jace nodded, and Madam Crunch retrieved fifty blank notes from a locked drawer, handing them over with a stern warning. “Don’t lose these. There is a ten copper fee for each lost note that you want canceled.”

  The notes were thick, decorated with intricate designs of mythical creatures and enchanted symbols. They were blank, with a space for Jace to write an amount.

  “These are only usable at university shops,” Ell explained. “Which is fine, because that’s all we’ll have time for today. For outside shopping, you’ll need to earn some bronze, silver, or gold through quests or profession tasks.”

  Dex pulled out a dagger from seemingly nowhere, causing Jace to jump. “Did you have that the whole time?” Jace blurted.

  Dex grinned. “Always be prepared, my friend. Now, let me show you how these work. Just a little prick of blood.” He nicked Jace’s finger with the dagger. “Think of a number,” he instructed. Jace did, and watched as the note transformed, now showing five copper written across the center. “This will pull the funds directly from your account.”

  Jace now had to balance two budgets. At least his out-of-game budget was simple: zero divided by zero, carry the zero. Even with his nerfed Intelligence, he could manage that math.

  “Okay, good. That’s five-hundred gold per year. Plus your tuition, which isn’t cheap. Meals are automatically deducted from your account with the school. You’ll need to pass a new exam to keep the scholarship next year. But you shouldn’t have any trouble with that. Do well, and you should keep seeing that gold flowing. It’ll be tight, but we can work with five-hundred.”

  For the first time in his life, Jace had any money to speak of. He would need to be careful how he spent it.

  Dex’s grin broadened. “You know what this means?”

  “Shopping!” Dex and Ell chorused, their enthusiasm infectious.

  Jace felt a knot of anxiety tightening in his stomach, but a small part of him couldn’t help but feel a spark of excitement. Alice shook her head, an odd mix of amusement and resignation in her eyes.