Chapter 204: Back To Earth 2.0

Travil Town. Klofar Residence.

Rewen's eyes drastically opened. Raising his upper body, he let out a mouthful of air with wide eyes. "Hah… hah... hah… what the hell was that?" Rubbing his temples, he thought back to the horrific pain from a few seconds ago.

Finally, he calmed down and took note of his surroundings.

He was lying in the cold garage he was working in prior to leaving Earth. The garage was as messy as ever with the technical components all over the place. Except for the light coming from his computer, the room didn't have any source of light. 

He got up and drank an entire bottle of water.

Only now did he feel a little refreshed.

"This is bad… there is something seriously wrong with me." Rewen relaxed his muscles and practiced his martial arts.

Two minutes later.

He exited the garage and walked to his room. After changing his clothes, he went to the living room and sat beside Denny who was, as usual, watching drama.

"What's wrong?" Denny asked. She found it rather odd that her cousin sat down to watch TV with her.

"What could be wrong?" Rewen rhetorically answered. 

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong?" Denny didn't appear convinced.

"Yeah." Rewen answered, then leaned on the sofa watching the drama unfolding on the television screen. The show was a romance/drama. A rich girl stumbled upon a rich and powerful man who fell in love with her at first sight. However, the girl already has a fiance studying abroad. Now, she is torn between choosing one over the other.

Rewen watched the show with a boring look.

"Do you seriously like this?" Turning his head to look at Denny, he asked with a strange expression.

"This is one of the better shows." Denny casually answered.

"Well, the entertainment industry is certainly not in a good condition," Rewen said. 

"Not really. Many people like shows like this."

"Fine." Rewen comfortably adjusted himself then looked at her. "Tell me the charm of the show."

"Story?" Denny answered after some thoughts.

"Story? What story is there? The entire show is about 'owning' poor people who have a screw loose in their minds. The formula for the show is - the main character, the rich girl, goes out of her house - she meets someone - that 'someone' is either passive-aggressive to her or her maid - the main character engages in a verbal argument with that 'someone' - that 'someone' uses her bullshit authority to publicly shame the main character  - a rich and handsome man walks up to her and asks what happened - the 'someone' loses all his/her self-respect and runs away.

"Oh, and also - the main character remains calm because she apparently has some wild tricks up her sleeve which we have never seen. Is this supposed to be some sort of plot device for us to not call her 'a weak woman who always relies on a man'? I think it is the dumbest thing I have seen. If you want to make a 'weak' lead, just do it." Rewen finally stopped his rant.

Denny took slight offense to that. "Do you think that it's 'weak' for her to rely on someone?"

"Not my words. I'm just saying what people generally think."

Denny felt that his words made some sense. "What do you think?"

"It's a positive trait to rely on someone. It shows the character's vulnerability and makes us relate to him/her. But relying on someone doesn't mean doing nothing for yourself. Reliance doesn't necessarily always have to be the act of saving someone. It comes in many shapes and forms. It is much more common than you think. For instance, you rely on your friends to get through your current crisis and also… rely on me to get through your current crisis." By the end, Rewen unknowingly directed the conversation to an awkward route.

Denny was silent for a while. He felt embarrassed for letting him know her thoughts that she kept hidden. At the same time, she also strangely felt happy, knowing that someone could understand her. The last few days were disastrous for her. Although she had a calm exterior, very few people could actually remain calm after knowing that there's an explosive inside them.

"Who do you rely on?" Denny suddenly asked.

"I…" Rewen had a hard time answering the question.

***

Rewen was rummaging through his bookshelf searching for something particular. A few seconds later, he got hold of a thick book.

"State Police Administration" - was the name of the book. It contains all the information about cops operating and how they are managed. He got the book at a book fair a couple of years ago.

Laying down on the bed comfortably, he started reading the book.

State Police Administration referred to the policing in the Nat Province. Every province has their own set of policies. As long as the police administration is following the basic rules and conduct written in the Constitution, the federal government won't interfere with the affairs of the state. That, however, doesn't mean that a state could be ruled by the police by giving them more power. 

The one managing the state is the Collective Official. Elected by the Board of Assembly, he is not considered the Head of the State but is responsible for looking after the state and reporting the matters directly to the King.

The Police Department in Nat Province follows the basic structure.

Provincial Mandate is the Head of the Police Department. Appointed by the Collective Official. Remains in office until his/her resignation

Deputy-Provincial Mandate. Appointed by the Provincial Mandate. Remains in office for a term of four years.

Twelve District Experts watch over the 80 districts. Appointed by the sole Marquis of Nat Province.

Commander Units. 

Sub-commander Units.

Branch Head.

Regular Cops.

The system was fairly easy to understand. While the upper regions of the police department are political, from "Commander Units" onwards, it's a matter of qualification. Anyone can become a regular cop and climb up the ranks. After becoming a part of a Commander Unit, one can only hope for further promotion through social means.

Rewen wasn't interested in becoming a cop but there are a few things he was interested in.

An hour later, he closed the book and kept it back on the shelf. Then, he turned on his PC.

'Let's see… there it is. Done.' Typing for about two minutes, he logged into CHAOS.

***

Rewen found himself in the bed he was in prior to logging off. Beside him, Vinia was still asleep. Rubbing his unkempt hair, he got out of the bed and looked out of the window.

Servants started their daily work.

Some guests were leaving.

It was a normal morning.

Rewen went out of the room and immediately saw Sam in the living room talking with his mother.

Sam, upon noticing him, approached him with a sly smile. "Look who it is! How was your night?"

Rewen gave him a single glance before sitting down on a chair, then looked at his mother. "When are we going back?" 

"By afternoon, we will be back." Mrs. Klofar answered. Her face was neutral but deep down, she was curious and wanted to ask about the 'certain' matters but couldn't bear to ask such things shamelessly as a mother.

A while later, Rewen got up and washed his face.

Meanwhile, Vinia walked into the living room. 

Mrs. Klofar got up from her chair and walked towards her. "How are you doing, Vinia?"

Vinia slightly smiled. "I'm fine." As her eyes went to Rewen, she felt a little awkward. 

Rewen understood what she was thinking of. He wanted to apologize and talk about it but figured that it's not the right time and place.

Mrs. Klofar took Vinia outside the room leaving behind Rewen and Sam alone.

Rewen slumped on the sofa and yawned.

Sam threw a curious glance at him. "Hey. I was just wondering…"

Rewen raised his head.

"I was just wondering… what's it like to live on Earth?"

"How should I answer this… let's see… Earth is definitely a more preferable place to live in than here. On Earth, there are superior modes of transportation. Society is much more organized, civil, and lawful. Then, there's unique food and entertainment. However… somewhere along the lines, I feel like I personally would prefer this world over Earth and that's got very little to do with the fact that I was born here. Why did you suddenly ask though?"

Sam had a rare serious look on his face. "I just thought that your friends aren't much different from us. I mean, they aren't, like, weird or anything."

Rewen almost laughed when he heard this. "People aren't generally weird. The answer to your question would be that - it's because the ones who created this world are not 'weird'. As simple as that."

"That makes sense…" Sam nodded with his head lowered, still thinking about some things.

Just at this moment, a lady servant entered the room.