Ash, Maya, and Jagu slowly drove their jeep through the streets of the old town.
People made way for them, looking at them with curiosity, but then went back to their own activities.
The Sassi area in the real world was made of stone caves, many of which were hand-made around 9,000 years ago.
And the replica they were seeing now felt very similar to the original. Small cave houses or houses made of natural white stones give an ancient feel to those who see them.
However, the people or inhabitants they saw here were indeed real humans.
Ash called up the Game Map and pressed Find Others, and sure enough, all the people were Players.
He informed Maya about his discovery, and Maya asked him, confused, "Are those kids also Players?"
They both turned to a group of children playing tag around a small fountain. The children laughed happily as if there were no problems in their world. They were between five and ten years old.
Ash checked his Game Map again but couldn't find any dots indicating those children.
Maya skeptically said, "Maybe those children are the kids of the players living here?"
"I'm not sure," Ash replied, still watching the children as their jeep passed by.
They saw things they did not expect to find in the harsh world of Finding Objects.
It seemed as though this small town was isolated from the bloody struggles of the players competing for items.
Even they were not affected by the wild creatures guarding the items.
"But that's impossible," Ash said to Maya. "Your quest and mine to find the item is in this city. And there are more than tens of thousands of players in this game. Even my player number is #23875."
"It's impossible that those items were not made into quests for other players besides us," he continued.
"Hmmm..." Maya just murmured.
"They don't even seem scared of Jagu..." muttered Ash, gently patting Jagu's head. Jagu closed his eyes as if enjoying Ash's touch.
Ash suddenly said to Maya, "Let's stop at an inn and see if we can stay there."
Maya nodded and drove the jeep further into the ancient town.
Before long, they found an inn not far from the market.
The young couple and the jaguar got out of the jeep and entered the inn.
The inn was made of natural stones, which were carved. The room dividers, the table for flower vases, and some parts of the reception area, including the key storage, were made of carved white stone.
Round tables and chairs made from the same wood as the doors and window frames filled the middle of the empty reception area.
Inside, they were greeted by a woman in her sixties who was thin but looked very friendly. Her reading glasses hung on her nose, and her back was slightly bent.
"What can I help you with, young ones?" she asked with a warm smile.
Ash returned the smile and politely said, "Good afternoon, madam. We would like to have two rooms for some nights. But how should we pay?"
The woman chuckled and answered Ash's question as she stepped behind the reception desk.
"What a polite young man. Of course, two rooms. You can pay with the items you have. If you can pay with gemstones, that would be even better," the old woman said.
"Ah, we have gemstones," Ash replied.
The old woman chuckled again and said, "One gemstone per night for two rooms. This price includes breakfast and unlimited tea or coffee."
"Wow. Thank you. That would be nice," Ash replied with a smile. This woman didn't seem dangerous.
He took out three gemstones for three nights and received the room keys from the old woman named Beth.
Ash then went out to the jeep, leaving Maya chatting with the woman, to get their supplies. Then they both said goodbye to Beth and went straight to their respective rooms.
***
Ash entered his room and immediately closed the door.
Jagu sniffed all the furniture in the room, which consisted of a single bed, a small table complete with a wooden chair, a sink, a small wardrobe, and a bathtub—all carved from cave stones.
"Incredible, this place truly gives a medieval feel with modern technology," Ash said as he tried the sink tap, then the bathtub tap. Both produced warm water.
Happily, Ash turned on the bathtub tap and soaked in the warm water, with Jagu joining him.
***
In the evening, they went out to buy dinner. They found a restaurant that served Italian cuisine, making the town look even more like the real one.
They ate heartily, after such a long time of only eating hunted meats or found fruits.
As they were almost finished with their meal, two men in police uniforms (police in this Finding Object game?) approached their table.
One of the police officers said to them, "Good evening, young fellows. I see you two are from outside this town," then he looked at Jagu and continued, "This beautiful animal must be from the tropical rainforest area to the east. Right?"
Ash replied, "Good evening, officers. Yes, that's correct. We just came out of the forest this morning, and we arrived here this afternoon."
The officer nodded and then said, "You can stay here as long as you want. But remember, if you cause any trouble, you will have to face the consequences."
Ash smiled at them and said, "Alright, officers."
The officer continued, "If you have quests and need to take items in this city, you must register yourselves at the town hall. Alright, we will leave now. Enjoy your time here."
The two police officers left, leaving Ash and Maya puzzled by what they saw. Were there police here?
Ash quietly said, "If there are police, then someone must be governing this town. Like a mayor, perhaps."
Maya nodded and continued enjoying her dinner.
Ash glanced at Jagu, who had been sitting quietly the whole time, not growling at the two police officers.