Wandering the World

Arriving in Salarenias

The day has come. The day on which I set out to see the world.

I and my coworkers entered the train that would travel to the nearest country. My coworker, who had been to that country, told me about his experiences.

The nearest country was Salarenias, a Khajrist country. The official religion is Khajrism, and, due to this, certain customs are universally accepted in the country, such as:

-The sale of dairy products and cocoa products is strictly prohibited due to the rules of Khajrism;
-The sale of any products that are somehow connected to sexual intercourse (such as condoms) is strictly prohibited, also due to the rules of Khajrism;
-Christianity is frowned upon, because this religion and Khajrism have a rocky relationship;
-"God" in Khajrist sayings is completely replaced with "Khajra" (i.e. "Thank Khajra", "Khajra bless") to specify which deity is being talked about.
-Certain names, such as all versions of the name Mary (including bastardized versions, such as Namari or Mariam) are not allowed;
-People of religions that Khajrists see as allies are welcome in Salarenias.

I was told that I would be welcome in Salarenias. I felt very happy upon hearing this news, because I was somewhat worried that I wouldn't be welcome there, due to the fact that I'm not part of Khajrism or any of its allied religions.

After a long journey, during which my coworkers told me interesting facts about Khajrism, we finally arrived in Salarenias.

At first, I didn't see anything, besides the train station and miles upon miles of desert. The train station that we arrived at seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Due to the fact that I couldn't find a way to get to the nearest settlement, I decided to ask a local for directions.

The first local who I met had skin, hair, eyes, and facial features that were surprisingly similar to mine.

I introduced myself to her, and, in return, she introduced herself as Aberra. I told her that I was not a local and that I needed help with finding my way to the nearest settlement. Upon hearing this, Aberra was astonished. She said: "Wait, Konrad...You said that you're not a local!? But you look exactly like one of us!" I facepalmed upon hearing this. That's a really strange comment to make...

A man approached us and said: "Greetings. Apologies...My wife says this every time she sees someone who she thinks is a local, who ends up not being a local. This is a normal thing to say in Salarenias, but, I understand why you think this is impolite. Anyway, the nearest settlement is actually behind the train station, not in front of it." I thanked him and went behind the train station.

And, indeed, there was a settlement not far from the station! This settlement seemed small and quiet, and looked somewhat desolate. I ventured into the settlement, inspecting the houses closely as I did so.

Despite being built on sand, the houses seemed fairly sturdy. They were in a very recognizable architectural style, which was visible, even despite the lack of outdoor decorations of any kind. There were a few succulent plants growing near each house, and some of the houses had whole gardens of succulents.

Interestingly, none of the houses had chimneys, which meant that they were only heated naturally. This made sense, as I was told that it was hot all year round in Salarenias, and the temperatures never dropped below freezing point. And, thus, there was no need for fireplaces or other heat sources: it was already warm enough.

I was approached by my colleagues, who told me: "This is one out of the countless small villages in Salarenias. Many of the villagers, who have plenty of money, but nothing to spend it on, as they grow everything by themselves, would love to buy some foreign curios, so, you should help us set up our stall here and promote our products!" I nodded, and we quickly set up a stall.