Zain was finally able to breathe again after clearing his airways; once he stabilized himself, he looked up at the woman, who was looking down at him. She silently motioned for him to follow her to the next room and, without waiting for his answer, began to walk to the doorway. Without much of a fuss, he quickly followed.

  There was an administration desk in this room, with two doors on either side of it. She sat at the desk, reclining slightly as she settled into her seat. He tried to make his way to the seat across from her, but she stopped him.

  “You’re wet, fool. Go change first.” She motioned to the changing room.

  Zain raised his brow and scratched his now wet braids. “I don’t have any extra clothes though…Or any money to buy extra clothes either...”

  The woman shook her head dismissively, “They got a donation bin in the changing rooms, you can pick out an outfit for yourself. Once we are done with your paperwork, you can go back in there to pick out some extra sets.”

  Her clarification brought him some relief, and he let out an audible sigh. He started to walk towards the changing room, but the woman grabbed him, pulling him in close as she spoke again.

  “You better hurry though, boy. Those clothes you got on are just constructs, they gonna disappear after a few minutes.”

  Horror painted his face; This was his favorite outfit, having it disappear on him was beyond unfair. His dismay was short lived, however, as the woman began to cackle.

  She clapped her hands together as she laughed jovially, “I’m just messin' with ya! Gets them every time!”

  Zain could hear her laugh echo down the hall as he left the room, unamused.

  Upon entering the changing room, he could see several baskets lining the walls, all marked with number ranges. It would seem that they used the same numbering system they did on Earth.

  He stripped down to his underwear, taking off his shoes and socks as well. Rummaging through the bins, he could see that these ranges were indicating their respective sizes. After finding the appropriate size for him, he lined out the options for him to wear. He decided on wearing something similar to what he was wearing at that moment: a pair of shorts, a plain tee, and a hoodie. He set aside a few articles of clothing that he had some interest in, so he could collect them later if he was permitted to.

  The wall opposite to the bins was lined with boxes which presumably held shoes. After checking a few boxes, he could see that all of the shoes were the same. He picked plain, black sneakers in his size along with a pair of socks.

  I guess fashionable shoe donations are harder to come by…

  Gathering his wet clothing, he approached the washing machine and lifted the lid to place his clothes inside. For some reason, on the inside of the lid were french looking words; he could not read any french, but mysteriously, a rough english translation for the text seemed to form in his mind. They were basic instructions for operating a washing machine, which he already knew how to do, but the experience of having words automatically translated in his mind was surreal.

  How is that happening?

  After seeing the underwater bubble city, Zain had already accepted that he was transported to another world. Even though it was another world, and he was not sure what kind of rules governed it. This mystery, however, only spawned an excitement that quickened his heart.

  A dumb grin played on his lips as he began to think of the possibilities.

  Am I in a magic world! Like one of those isekai?!

  He hadn’t really seen any ‘magic’ yet, except maybe the tree, but it was still exciting!

  He focused his mind, trying to draw any latent power he had within him. Holding out his hand, he tried to focus this imaginary power to his palm.

  Closing his eyes, he screeched “Fire!”

  Nothing happened.

  He tried a few more times, calling out similar commands to awaken some dormant, OP magic from within, only to be met with nothing.

  Damn, I was hoping…I guess I’ll just have to settle for futuristic.

  He was still kinda sad about dying, but he could not dwell on it at the moment. For now he needed to navigate his new surroundings and survive.

  He could unpack that later.

  Something did nag at him; the procedure for which this woman obtained his bubble seemed rather mundane for her. She had also commented that she had messed with other people before.

  Are there other people like me? How often does this happen…

  Maybe this kind of thing was normal for this world, considering how unfazed this woman was. Zain could at least count on not being treated like some kind of freak if that was the case. He accepted that he would just have to see what was in store for him as he walked back to the woman.

  She was scrolling on her desktop, and merely glanced at him as he approached.

  “You finished? You were able to use the washing machine without issue?”

  “Uh-huh. “ He nodded in response as he sat down across from her.

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  She swiveled around to face him, passing him a stack of papers for him to fill out. Zain began to grimace as she added more and more paperwork for him to fill out. This was going to take him hours to complete…

  After she finished handing him work, she reached under her desk and passed him a backpack; A quick peek inside revealed that there were basic things inside such as a toothbrush, a wallet (empty at the moment), and a cheap looking phone.

  Setting the bag aside for now, he stared at the insurmountable pile of paperwork. The woman watched him for a second before she began to speak again, this time sounding more scripted.

  “Welcome to the underwater city of Merverre. My name is Kendra; I will be assisting you with your registration documentation. I’ve handed you different documents that you will be required to fill out in order for you to become registered under the city of Merverre... I don’t give a damn if you choose a different name for yourself, but just know that it will be very difficult for you to change it - Ahem- Answering these questions honestly is for your benefit. Once you have finished your paper work, you will be given an identification card, keys for your dorm room, a meal card, and a bank card with an initial balance of 200 credits.”

  She slid some paperwork which she wished for him to fill out first, strangely enough in English.

  Zain decided to ask the obvious as he filled out the sheets, “So you guys mainly speak English or French here? Also, how could I read the French words on the washing machine?”

  She pointed to his necklace, and replied as if she had heard this question a million times. “The crystal within that necklace is the reason. I don’t really know the exact science behind it, but it does allow for your words to be translated to others, even if you cannot speak their language. It also lets you read rough translations of any known language. It's not really refined, though, so if someone else is not wearing a similar stone, you won’t be able to understand them if they speak a different language from you. That should be good enough for now. “

  It sounded so mundane coming from her mouth, but Zain found the idea so interesting. He already had quite the advantage given to him for free.

  The woman began to go on with her scripted explanation for the city, “Due to your transmigration, you will not be well accustomed to this world’s customs, so you will need to take mandatory classes for six months in order to obtain your temporary citizenship. The process for obtaining permanent citizenship and residence will be explained during these classes. Additional classes that will allow you to better acclimate to this world must be signed up for after the completion of your mandatory classes. If you possess any skills from previous employment which you feel may help you with job prospects, please be sure to list them on your documentation. Law allows you to have free housing and meals for the first year, with reduced housing rates for the following 5 years. Minors are exempt from this until they reach the age that they can work. How old are you?” She looked at him, waiting for his answer.

  “I’m 16…” He answered, slightly hoping that he was considered a minor still.

  She smiled, “Congratulations, you are not considered a minor under these conditions.”

  Damn, maybe I should have lied…

  Zain decided not to dwell on this for too long, he didn’t know if kids had it rough here…Though, he chose to overlook the implication of having a kid transported here...

  Continuing with his work, he answered the most important questions which she pressed him for: Name, age, schooling history, work experience, medical history, etc. There were other less pressing things for him to fill out as well, which were rather thorough in their questioning; among them were worksheets which quizzed him on his preferences, personality quirks, and personal history. The use of this information eluded him at the moment, but it likely determined something unknown to him.

  It was quite tedious. All that could be heard within the office was the scribbling of his pencil and the typing of her keyboard. Hours seem to pass as he completed an endless amount of paperwork.

  Kendra entered his information as soon as he finished it and worked on a program on her computer. After a few more items of identifying information were entered, she looked to him and began to advise him again.

  “During your temporary citizenship, you will be considered under probationary period. Crimes committed during this time will result in delay in permanent citizenship, revoking employment opportunities, sentencing on criminal charges, etc. Additional information regarding temporary citizenship may be found in the respectively labeled pamphlet which I handed you.”

  Pamphlet? As he hurriedly began to search for this booklet, she continued.

  “Along with this, additional information handouts have been provided to you. Among them are booklets which detail the mandatory classes assigned to you, public transportation, specialized resources for transmigrants, meal ticket usage, mental health advisers….”

  She started to list off all of the pamphlets he had been provided, Zain had a hard time keeping up. After sometime of fruitlessly searching for the packets she mentioned, he just decided to look through all of them later.

  When she finally finished her mandatory spiel, she locked eyes with him again.

  “Now I will be taking photos for your identification. Please stand against this wall and face the camera.”

  Zain reluctantly did as he was told. He did not know that he would be taking a photo today, and if he did, he would have chosen to not look like a mess right now; his braids were messed up, his bandana was still wet, and he was wearing second hand threads. He cringed at how bad his first photo in this world was going to look, but he would have to settle with changing it later.

  He went to the wall, looked at the camera, and placed his most presentable smile on his lips. She looked at him with slight indifference.

  “No smiling.”

  But why?

  It took some strain on his part, but he managed a neutral face. She motioned with her hand for him to turn to the side.

  “I have to get all sides of you, turn left now.”

  Why am I being photographed like a criminal?

  He could understand that he was a completely new person with no prior documentation, but this seemed a little excessive. After taking his criminal profile, she motioned for him to sit back down in his seat.

  He watched from his seat as she approached a printer of some kind which began to create a laminated identification card. Zain could tell the equipment was rather old as it whirred and creaked, struggling to complete its one task; after some strain (and some encouraging smacks from Kendra), the machine was finally able to produce his ID card.

  She passed the card to him and he was able to inspect it closer. Deep down, he was hoping that it would have some sort of gimmick which indicated the level of advancement this world was in, but his ID looked no different from the one he had back on Earth.

  All in all, he was somewhat disappointed in his isekai adventure, as it was proving rather lackluster so far…

  No! There is still more to see! I’m sure that outside these doors, there is just loads of adventure waiting for me!

  He internally clenched his fist, vowing to himself to make the most of this new life he was granted. Surely, he was taken here for a reason.

  Kendra stretched out, looking at all of the paperwork he completed, then sighed as if bothered by the work she would have to complete. She rose from her seat and began to instruct him.

  “Pack up your stuff. You can go back to the changing room and get 3 more outfits for yourself and another pair of shoes. Don’t forget to get your stuff out of the washing machine and into the dryer, it shouldn’t take too long. Once you’ve gotten all of your stuff, I’m gonna to take you to your dorm where you’ll be staying for the next year. “

  Motioning towards the changing room again, she urged him forward, likely trying to hurry him so she could get her work done for the day. Zain obeyed and walked towards the changing room once again.

  I hope the dorms are not too bad…