《UNISEKAI - Book 2》 Chapter 11 : Acting City Lord Chapter 11 : Acting City Lord The frosty shadows of the night fell back as the warm embrace of the morning sun brought the city of Breccon out of its slumber. Maynor Rhemott and his staff however hadn''t slept one bit and were still busy securing the manor. Following yesterday''s incident the previous tenants ¨C Mavruc Moor himself now excluded of course ¨C had read the atmosphere and left the manor in a hurry along with anything they could grab. On top of the mess they had made there were also the ongoing renovations to manoeuvre around. Maynor had done his best to fortify the claim and mark it with his own possessions, but there had been frequent interruptions. Aside from Maynor''s rivals who were already probing for opportunities, a dozen or so spooked but gossip-starved acquaintances had decided that it somehow fell upon Maynor to temper the the strange mood. As expected, the mysterious woman who savagely ended two powerful city lords in seconds had caused no small amount of bewilderment. Aside from Maynor a few curious adventurers and nobles had also used gauge on the woman. However, unlike Maynor they all chose to remain hidden spectators in the alleyways and buildings surrounding the grisly town square. What had the two talked about? Was she a saint in disguise, here to sort out the Moor family situation? Or was she some sort of high level hermit? Could she be the legendary witch Death-eye who was last seen a thousand years ago? Perhaps it was all a fluke, some sort of trick or illusion? Maynor kept it cool and said very little about his conversation with the woman. They had come to a provisional agreement regarding the manor ownership, that was all. The general populous likely didn''t have a problem with the manor falling back under the Rhemott family''s control. In hindsight, Maynor''s brother had at least been somewhat well liked, unlike Mavruc Moor. Now Maynor stood frowning at a couple of vulgar paintings hanging askew in the manor''s reception hall. They would have to be replaced, and quickly. He shifted his gaze to a freshly compiled inventory list brought over by a maid, pleased to notice that the Moors did leave some stuff of interest behind. The question was, what would placate the woman if she showed up? ¨C¨Co¨C¨C Meanwhile, a certain mother and daughter walked towards the southern city gate. They had spent a few copper visiting the nearly empty public bath first thing early in the morning, then a whole two silver on nice new clothes and shoes. The nervous looking shop owner had given them a substantial discount for some reason. It was weird for them to be out walking in public like this, but they felt somewhat defiant and confident given recent events. Plus, Zhoey had a few important errands to take care of. She fortunately hadn''t seen the embarrassing "Wretch of Breccon" wanted posters still up anywhere. The pair came to a stop outside of a quaint looking pottery shop. Zhoey had been confused about the quest given by the mysterious white snake, but upon seeing the shop window she gained some insight. There were a lot of sculptures on display. The pieces weren''t bad, except for one. It was a figure of a hideous demon woman, really quite unflattering. Seemingly intentionally so. Thama didn''t seem to notice it, but Zhoey stared at the thing. Could it possibly be a blashemous portrait of her benefactor? Well, Zhoey didn''t like the statue either. Inside the store a man wearing a large conical green hat snuck forward, rolled a three-sided sign in the window from "Open" to "Closed for lunch". Strange ¨C it was still morning. Zhoey would return later. Perhaps after dark. Their last errand drew them towards the manor. When they approached at the gate a large man on guard rushed in and a much smaller man rushed out, but then immediately shifted to cautions steps. Zhoey recognised him from yesterday, but he seemed to struggle doing the same. Then he suddenly became unsteady and had to support himself against a pile of wooden planks. Looking somewhat stricken, he faced Zhoey, cleared his voice and put on a smile which seemed somewhat genuine. "We meet again, city lord." ¨C¨Co¨C¨C The woman looks completely different! What''s going on? Maynor had no clue, and he wouldn''t pry. He''d take no chances or he''d turn into minced meat. He''d have to give her the manor if she was interested, but yesterday it didn''t seem like she was. Did she perhaps change her mind? And who was the other woman? It didn''t matter. She was probably incredibly dangerous too. None of them wore any cosmetics or perfume, but rather oozed of high level vitality. "This is where you issue papers?", the unknown woman asked with a neutral but pleasant voice. "Certainly. What do you need them to say?", Maynor quickly responded, deciding to be very, very flexible. "Identity papers. We... unfortunately lost ours years ago." "Ah, right. Yes, we can issue those from here, no problem!" It wasn''t quite true. The city lord would often sign documents, but the work was actually done in an building elsewhere in the city. The two seemed unaware. Maynor made an inviting gesture towards the still open gate. "Would you like to step into... the manor.", he caught himself, keeping ownership neural. The fall blade tossing menace looked hesitant but once the older woman walked right in she quickly followed. Now when he thought about it, it seemed like they could be closely related. He caught up and lead them past the outer garden, underneath which the dungeons lay, and towards the inner manor and one of the offices. "I am Maynor Rhemott. My family was deeply wronged by the previous city lord, too...", he tried, before shifting focus, "Now, regarding the identity papers, I would need... the names you want to appear on those. And some other minor details." Would they give their real names? He didn''t care. Didn''t care at all. "Right, I am Thama Garnet and this is my daughter Zhoey. We''re soon moving to the capital where we have roots. We just need to tie up a few loose ends here." Maynor didn''t recognise the names but nodded politely at them while quickly reshaping plans in his head, hiding both his excitement and dread. He wasn''t one of the loose ends, was he? "Ah, I see, I see. So...the city lord does not plan to stay in the city?" If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "No.", the daughter answered simply. "...but you will perhaps need an intermediary to handle the position?", Maynor said with his most relaxed, by-the-way tone. "Sure, whatever." Maynor beamed a smile and held open the door to the main office, waited for the two to enter then made wild silent head gestures towards one of his maids who had kept out of the way so far. He hoped she got the signal. "Then let us discuss that and sort out your papers." In the room stood a fancy table and a few comfy chairs. On the floor laid a thick red rug with elaborate golden patterns. The paintings on the wall had fortunately just been replaced with some from his collection, showing saints and various historical figures. He caught up again, jogging in a half circle around them in order to present their seats, except he gestured at all of the seats as he''d simply pick the one left over. Moment after they were all seated, the maid appeared carrying a tray with the finest refreshments, straight from the bakeries. One by one she placed small plates and glasses down on the table. The daughter seemed to pay great interest to the procedure. Maynor was relieved to see a second servant appearing with writing instruments and paper, having picked up his cues. "I''ll just quickly take your details then." The two women women answered his series of questions while engaging the refreshments with more interest. Maynor had crossed his legs and wore his scholar face, only briefly looking up. "..and how do you spell that?", "...Uhum.", "Interesting", "Right.", "You have some relatives in the capital you say.", "Ah, you don''t know? That''s fine, we don''t need to bother with this minor detail, I''ll have it sorted out later.", "Should I put... City Lord of Breccon on social status?", "Great ¨C that was the last item." He handed the papers to a servant on standby, uncrossed his legs then slapped and clasped his thighs, discretely wiping off some sweat. "We''ll have the papers done by first noon at the latest I should say. Now, regarding the city management, I happen to have some experience myself. Usually, this position is called Acting City Lord'' when the actual city lord is away on business.", he explained, then quickly added, "But all power still rests with the actual city lord if when or if she returns, of course." "That''s fine.", the new city lord answered, then shifted to a complicated expression for a while, "Do... you have a library in the manor? We''re looking for some books. Alchemy, Smithing... and, uh..." "Etiquette.", the mother added. Maynor tried to repress his joy, and was momentarily stumped by the new problem. The manor did have a library. Not all of the books had been taken. However, he could simply grab some books from his own collection or- suddenly he got an idea. "Well, unfortunately the previous last city lord made a bit of a mess here, why don''t we head over to a book store and pick them up? Don''t worry about the cost ¨C it''s on the city." "Right now? Why not?", the mother responded. Fabulous! This way he would be seen escorting them in public. The word would spread. It would essentially be a ratification of his position, and protection ¨C who would dare to challenge this menace of a city lord, even indirectly? It would be pure insanity. Also, some of Maynor''s enemies would no doubt get curious and use gauge on her. But the best part about all of this was that with the actual city lord being located over in the capital, well, he was just the acting city lord, wasn''t he? At level 18 he was five, ten, fifteen levels short of most city lords and challengers. However, he would just redirect them. Ah, you seek to challenge the city lord? She''s in the capital on business but I''ll send a letter. By the way, she''s well over level 40, ask anyone here. Oh, you lost interest right now? That''s good, We really don''t want to trouble her unnecessarily, do we? Such little fantasies played in his head as he escorted them out of the manor. He then took the most advantageous route he knew to reach the book store. He walked them past the Adventurer''s Guild, stopping to casually in clear line of sight to comment on something. Then the entourage proceeded to the street with Ms. Echelzin''s tea house and Madame Emmeroo''s Emporium. He knew the rich wives would notice and talk most of all. By making careful conversation he found out that the mother had some talent as a smith and wanted to open a shop, whilst the daughter likely lacked, well, formal education, and was apparently seeking a place of learning. He would arrange transport, a small budget for the smithy, and an- uh, impartial letter of recommendation to the capital''s academy. It would temporarily eat into his private savings, but it was well worth it. The clerk in the book store was a tall lanky man who had no problem reaching the top shelves. He approached Maynor with long eager confident steps, stroking the long whiskers of his waxed mustache. Maynor introduced the women before the man could speak. "Good morning bookman Tahler. This is Zhoey Garnet, our new City Lord.", he almost spelled the last part out as he knew the clerk didn''t have gauge, "...and her esteemed mother, Thama. We came here to browse your store and make a small purchase." "Ah? Oooh. Oh! I see. It''s... it''s a pleasure to meet you." Maynor chuckled inside as the man pieced things together and went through a variety of expressions, finally settling on an unsteady smile and a hasty little double bow. They ended up getting a few extra books about this and that which seemed to interest the pair. They had gotten "The Art of Alchemy ¨C Volume I", "Smithing. By D.Dorf", "Etiquette and Vocabulary by H.Clinkette", "Ammott''s Everycraft Handbook ¨C third edition", and finally "The Household Encyclopedia and Dictionary". Fortunately, upon settling the bill Maynor found it perhaps expectedly easy to negotiate a small discount for the city lord, or rather, his own purse as it were. When they parted for the day, and Maynor was a little sad he hadn''t managed to escort them by a few more places. ¨C¨Co¨C¨C "That went... pretty well.", Thama voiced after a moment of contemplation as they prepared to stroll back towards their hideout shed in the outskirts. Thama quite needlessly carried a bag with five heavy books, but at her level it didn''t bother her in the least. Up ahead, a young man ¨C likely with cold resistance as he wore almost nothing ¨C had jumped out of a deep snowbank to play a stupid prank on some ladies. In this part of the city most adults near level ten were only wearing light winter clothes, often quite colourful and with fur elements more for show than practicality. Thama continued, "...I thought maybe they''d make a big fuss and a bunch of guards would come running waving spears. Instead everyone just looked a little cautious. You must have put on quite the show yesterday, you silly girl." She ruffled Zhoey''s hair, then frowned. "But we need to do something about this mess." They managed to get directions to a barber shop. Upon entering it they were greeted by a puzzled man with a finely braided beard. "Oh, I want those!", Zhoey quickly exclaimed, pointing at the beard. When hearing womens'' voices all of the customers spun their heads, shooting gazes. A man in the process of getting shaved nearly got his neck nicked. Thama looked back and forth between the barber''s beard and her daughter. "Hmmm. Well I don''t think a beard would work, but those sort of braids might really suit you." The barber wore a troubled expression. "Apologies, but this is a barber shop... for men. M-mostly for men?", the barber trailed off. Thama squeezed her daughter, as if presenting her. "Aww... can''t you make an exception? She really likes the braids. Did you do them yourself or was it someone here?" Soon, Zhoey sat in a chair getting her hair finely braided. It all happened in complete silence. Were barbershops usually this quiet? Perhaps men just don''t talk much. It was meticulous work taking almost an hour, and they ended up paying 45 copper, which was a lot of money to spend on hair but they were both in such a good mood. Then they stopped by a bakery, but the bread really wasn''t all that given their previous experience with the system bread. By the time they got home it seemed to be almost first noon already, so they had to make an awkward u-turn back to the manor to sign and pick up copies of their identity papers. They also received a 140 silver sponsorhip, a letter of recommendation for Zhoey and another one for the estate agency of the capital. A travel-carriage had been also arranged to stand ready before noon tomorrow. Maynor Rhemott sure was a quick worker. Perhaps he''d make an decent acting city lord. Otherwise Zhoey would have to return and tap him on the head. Chapter 12 : Loose Ends Chapter 12 : Loose Ends "She did what now? Do you mean to tell me they have a high grade dimensional storage item?" Maynor Rhemott had been sitting in his comfy chair in the manor''s library, just looking over some shady business documents left behind by the previous occupant. Now he was up and pacing as his butler delivered a report. Maynor had sent the man to covertly follow the two women for a while ¨C at a considerable distance, of course. They had briefly visited the town square in the afternoon. It had been cleaned up since the incident, but on Maynor''s own suggestion the large fall blade firmly lodged in Ms. Dart''s Tavern wall had been left to deal with later. In fact, he actually wanted it to remain there permanently, as a little attraction, and... helpful reminder to keep him safe. But the mother had apparently taken a liking to it, so she "just pulled it out", and after some discussion it "just disappeared". Maynor suspected it all related to their interest in smithing. It was a lot of iron, after all ¨C and more than would fit in a regular storage item, for sure. The butler''s strange report concluded. The women had visited a few stores, taken the fall blade, then headed deep into hoveltown. He had no clue what the pair was doing in a shed in the slums but imagined it was perhaps an entryway to a secret underground base, like something out of the Jayne Brond novels. Maynor''s mind was adaptable, but right now he felt a little overwhelmed. Still, time of uncertainty is time of opportunity. Additionally, some officials from Hask had shown up later in the day investigating the loss of their own city lord, Tondor Seck. Maynor put forth the argument that collateral injuries commonly occur during duels, and doesn''t a victorious city lord inherently have the power to wave such things off? Well, the man had been buried with large hole in his chest which did look rather deliberate, but Maynor kept his thoughts on that to himself. He also sensed that these officials were less interested in penal action and more interested in the opportunities which had just opened up. In the spirit of cooperation, Maynor had encouraged the officials to appoint a new city lord sensitive to matters concerning both Hask and Breccon. He would gladly advise in the matter, of course. ¨C¨Co¨C¨C You have defeated Slekk Puppel, Pottery Worker, Retired Serial Killer, and Ring Leader of the Alpha Cult, Level 16. 39 experience points awarded. System quest 3/4. Zhoey had just given him a light chop on the neck as he prepared to close up the store for the night. Now his limp form hung over her shoulder. While still under the concealment effect of shroud she dove into the store and snatched a certain statue. Moments later her figure disappeared into the evening dusk ¨C an overlooked lone green hat resting in the snow the only witness. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. As the corpse sunk into a lake outside of the city, she stood with a man sized flat boulder hoisted high casting a long shadow over the burlesque statue on the ground. It fell with a loud crack and a deep thud. She moved and spun it in circular motions for a few minutes. You have destroyed a blasphemous statue. You have ground it to dust. System quest 4/4. Suddenly a familiar spoke spoke out of the surrounding forest. "Good.", it wheezed, "The ring... is yours." Zhoey spun around but cold not see the white snake, despite her now keen senses. "See you later, Zhoeygator....", it chuckled weirdly, its voice fading into nothingness. ¨C¨Co¨C¨C Not far outside of the city of Breccon an old temple monastery crowned a solitary forested hill. The lone monk struggling up the last worn steps, he reached the temple grounds just as the sun set. One rheumatic hand clutched a gnarly walking stick ¨C the other dug into a piece of soft bread he had secured for the toothless one. But she hadn''t showed up yesterday or today. Perhaps she had finally died from sickness. He wasn''t too far from death himself, despite being only 55. Upon entering his simple quarters he immediately noticed that something was off. On his table sat three new things: A stack of silver coins; a red potion; and the most delicious looking loaf of bread he had ever laid his still working eye upon. There was a note underneath. "Ailment for an old Monk who showed me kindness when no one else would. ¨C Zhoey" ¨C¨Co¨C¨C Satan-72 took a hell gate and strode into her fourth realm. She didn''t know if she had an actual errand though, like, a proper administration level errand. Inspection was tomorrow, so she just, well, took in the sights and sounds. It was nice. Soothing wails came from he chambers of the bankcrypt. The pools of gold were almost hypnotic. She remained a while watching the slow and methodical dipping movements of the six hundred and sixty six thousand chains, each with a flaming wriggling shape on its end. They were like golden candles being born. Beautiful. The sinusoidal periods sometimes synchronised into pattens, then fell back into discordant chaos. Both were equally entrancing. Eventually in her meandering between sections she came across Lord Plutarch ¨C a small, nine-eyed toad-like demon ¨C standing atop his overseer plateau. Seemingly engrossed, he nodded in appreciation at the ocean of human shapes toiling in the roiling hell swamp below. The main attraction was the gargantuan silver wheels, thirteen hundred of them, each with more than a thousand men trudging inside, driving the wheel round and round ever so slowly. "The friction is just perfect, isn''t it?", he croaked rhetorically without turning to face his mistress, instead pointing outwards, "Ah! There''s the new guy! Oh- What a doofus ¨C a slithersquito got him. That''s gonna itch for centuries." Suddenly realising that he was perhaps making unnecessary chit-chat with his boss, he spun and looked up at Satan-72 with an air of formality. "Anyways, I''m happy to report that we''ve charged three new system rings today in this section alone. Moving some swamp up here from Fifth was the right idea, mistress." Satan-72 remained silent for a while as if she hadn''t heard him, then she finally spoke. "Say Plutarch, do you have any ideas for quests?" Chapter 13 : Departure Chapter 13 : Departure When one of Maynor Rhemott''s lookouts spotted the city lord and her mother drawing close to the manor''s gate, he carefully timed his appearance, as if just happening to bump into the pair. Once they were out of his hair ¨C or rather lack thereof ¨C he could perhaps breathe out, process and consolidate. "Ah, if it isn''t the city lord and her esteemed mother. I was just heading out to personally check up on the status of your travel carriage, but it seems to be in top condition." The city lord however looked distracted, squinting at something off to the side for a moment. Then she walked up the the rotten wooden floorboards piled up beside the manor''s gate. Was she displeased that the junk was still left there? He had meant to get rid of it, but there just hadn''t been time. She hefted a stack of planks to the side with a clatter, then reached down to grab a rusty iron bar with a big lump of corrosion on one end. "Oh I''m taking this.", the city lord stated simply. "Ah, well please feel free to any of it.", Maynor responded in befuddlement. It wasn''t as if he could refuse, but why did she even want the thing? Her next words made him pale. "Hmm... says it''s the ''Mace of Breccon''. Ooh, like on the banner, with the snake? It has some inactive enchantments. Venom Bite, and Momentum." Maynor almost fell over. He had assumed it was just some junk cleared out with the floor renovations. The mace was the symbol of the city, lost nearly three centuries ago and dating even further back. Supposedly the founder of the city, Lord Aram-d''brec himself had wielded it. But he couldn''t ask to get it back now. And, she somehow has Identify? Unlike gauge, identify is an extremely rare ability which can give detailed information on items. Having it is the dream of merchants, along with owning a high grade dimensional storage item. Maynor had a few items in his collection he immediately wanted her to take a look at, but unfortunately this wasn''t the time nor place to hold them up as the carriage stood ready with two restless black horzes and a perturbed coachman. ¨C¨Co¨C¨C It had been three days since the two women left. Maynor''s scout had checked out the shed they had been seen entering, but the place was empty. No secret trap door leading to an underground hideout. Very very strange. As for the identity of the women, he had gotten curious and paid the 4 silver to query the central population registry office in the capital via tele-scroll. One of the clerks working there was an old classmate from his academy days and the guy had looked into the matter for him. The return scroll perhaps asked more questions than it answered. Entirely focused on the scroll, he slowly sank into his comfy chair. With each new revelation he leaned further forward, face turning pensive. 19 years ago there had indeed been a young Thama Garnet living in the capital. She had married a notable city guard captain named Deth Dakulyan. However, he had taken Garnet as a family name ¨C the reason being that while Thama had a commoner status she was nevertheless listed in the Zachroum Garnet estate''s succession record, though only near the very bottom. Hold on- that Garnet? Of the legendary ZaGa merchant company? Maynor remembered the incident. The Gorrun & Garnet company had risen from the ashes of a rather suspect fire which had killed most of the Garnets, including the great Zachroum himself. The official story was that there had been an accident involving a dangerous inferno stone at one of the family''s auctions. Were an inferno stone to be grossly mishandled by an amateur alchemist ¨C or perhaps a clumsy auctioneer in this case ¨C it could erupt and cause a highly persistent and violent inferno. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Maynor''s contact had been pretty thorough in digging through the Garnet records, perhaps curious about the matter as well. There had only been one other Garnet left aside from Thama, and that was her cousin Stola Garnet. Despite being at the very bottom of the succession record, just below Thama, it had been him who partnered up with the notorious noble Gorrun Lethrask to create the ZaGa successor company Gorrun & Garnet, or G&G as it''s more commonly known. To Stola''s great fortune, Deth Garnet had been vaguely accused of selling state secrets to the neighbouring Drecht Empire ¨C this soon after the great fire. Practically this lead to Thama and Deth being ostracised and stricken from from the succession record. An angry mob had even set their house on fire, destroying it completely. Maynor''s eyes narrowed at that. Another inferno? The couple had apparently disappeared entirely after the fire. Turned to ash? Vagabondery? Captured and sold? Now, if Thama had survived and was as powerful as Maynor suspected ¨C somewhere currently around, well, normal city lord level ¨C why choose this moment to act? If she had been powerful enough back then to set up the ZaGa disaster to gain control of the company, then why get thwarted so pathetically by Stola? And if she had been weak back then, then it seemed unlikely she could have grown so much, even if it had been 19 years. In Maynor''s experience, talent and fortune usually manifested at an early age leading to steady progress. More importantly, why had Thama shown up here in Breccon, with an adult and very strange and powerful child? Would Deth also re-emerge, equally powerful, and cause further upset? Maynor sank back in his comfy chair with a thoughtful expression. He had heard rumours about fairies and magical springs which bestowed the lucky finder with sudden great powers. Supposedly one such spring could be found somewhere in Breccon''s forbidden mines ¨C a blatant fabrication used by black-miners to trick hopeful paperless people desperate for work. When it came to levelling there were no known shortcuts. People with resources have tried creating monster and people farms, but the all knowing system always seem to nip these attempts in the bud. Experience also gradually diminishes in certain situations, like on battlefields with lots of killing, or in repetitive jobs. On top of this, the amount of experience needed for each level grows steeply. Average people who are able to put in great effort might just reach level 20 to 25 in their lifetime, but most commoners are busy with basic sustenance sit somewhere just above level 10 for much of their adult life. No, it seemed more likely that the Garnet couple had died in the house fire and these two women had taken the Garnet name in some elaborate scheme or theatre beyond his understanding. But what would happen when officials in the capital found out that it was Maynor who had issued their new identity papers and recommendations? Regardless of whether they were real Garnets or not, he could get in trouble just on account of the recommendations. Or would he? Well, he wasn''t too worried; raw power can settle such matters and Zhoey was practically a monster. What was he, but a mere pawn? They''d have to take it up with her, see how that goes. Suddenly he smirked. G&G had been a thorn in his side in the past. If Thama Garnet were to... re-appropriate the trading company, wouldn''t he have a better standing with it? As for why Zhoey Garnet had so convincingly played the role of "The Wretch of Breccon", then spectacularly disposed of the two city lords, only to immediately abandon the city, he did not know. The posters had all been quickly and spontaneously disposed of after the incident to minimise any possible offence. Gossip surrounding Zhoey''s identity had only gotten wilder over the last few days. Many claimed she was a creature which had always lived at the fringes of the city. She was in fact a shapeshifter taking the form of beggars and cripples lurking in the shadows, eager to cause minor mischief when affronted. When caught by the guards, she had finally shown her full power and displeasure. As a result of this rumour, people have since begun to treat the vagrants of the outer city with cautious politeness. A few scholars were absolutely sure ¨C with only an ancient portrait of dubious likeness to back it up ¨C that Zhoey was the long forgotten vengeful deity Ushembrahel, a herald the end times. Well, she''s a herald of something, that''s for sure. Maynor could sense it in his guts. Then there was the man in the diner in front of the manor just across the street. With slurred drawn-out whispers he told a tale of a powerful female spirit he had seen crawling out of an empty wine urn just the other day. While its face had been hidden by a mass of tangled black hair, maybe it could have been the city lord, eh? She had forced him not to speak of it, though whispers didn''t count. Not to be left out, Maynor had spread his own little rumour, too. Zhoey was clearly an agent of a top secret royal organisation which dealt with problematic people in power. The fact that Zhoey had quickly left and Maynor seemed to many like a better option than the previous city lord helped the theory along... Chapter 14 : Echoes of the Past Chapter 14 : Echoes of the Past 1200 years ago, before the land of Arumeni got her name, the region had just recovered from several calamities which had turned it barren and desolate. As the land healed, plants, creatures, and people returned to claim it. Some 500km south of where Breccon would later be founded stood five men on an enormous flat topped earth mound. "This thing oughta be nearly... an hour''s walk across.", panted Iulon the Scholar, a heavy set man who was sweating and breathing heavily. "For you maybe!", laughed Droddak the Warrior, loudly, casually dropping her backpack to the ground with a thud. "It''s not actually that tall, but the position up here is... say, wouldn''t it make a nice place for a city, monument or temple?", mused Vellar the Wayfinder. "Hah, to which god? They all abandoned this land, that''s fer sure.", barked Skiarn the Craftsman. "How about to us then?", chuckled Bardh the Rogue, before pointing off to the side. "Hey all, there''s a strange little pond over there." ¨C¨Co¨C¨C Arumeni''s capital Fivesmound had stood unconquered for 1200 years. The city itself sprawled atop and around a 4 kilometre earthmound and was ringed by the 4 meter thick and 6 meter tall stone wall which had taken a century to build and was still continuously modified. A perfectly circular park nearly a kilometre across decorated the flat top, defying at least the inward spread of the city. Dead centre in the park, and as if crowning the entire city, rose a pentagonal grand castle, it''s corners towers each dedicated to one of the five founders. At the open centre of the castle laid a quint dried up well surrounded by five statues in mossy white stone. Frozen in time, they looked just as if they had stopped to take a break. Scholars believed that the entire mound was an enormous mud geyser remnant which eventually it ran out of juice. Likely the spring would never return. Fresh water was instead delivered up to the city via the grand aqueduct which shot out several kilometres west, past the city wall, above the city overspill and cultured fields, finally connecting to a rather clever pumping station at a nearby redirected river. Inside the city, near where the aqueduct terminated at the edge of the park, stood the city''s Grand Academy building. In an office on the third floor sat a middle-aged woman at a busy desk. Despite the cold outside and open windows, the woman had unbuttoned her the tight collar of her austere black uniform. Long naturally white hair, normally kept in a tidy bun, draped down over her padded shoulders and onto the papers on the desk. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¨C¨Co¨C¨C Zabelle took in a long breath, then yawned and massaged her eyebrows, trying to muster up another five minutes of focus. She had just about reached the bottom sediment of the midterm paperwork stack. There had only been seven new student applications. Four she had rejected, but this last one came with a curious letter of recommendation. To: Madame Zabelle Zhukolyan of the Academy. From: Maynor Rhemott, Acting City Lord or Breccon. It''s been a while, hasn''t it? I still remember Tollbard''s antics at our graduation party all those years ago! I hope everything is well with you, the academy, and our capital. I''m writing to you to recommend our young and talented city lord for a spot in this year''s classes at a suitable grade. I think you''ll find her quite adequate in all regards, and certainly able to pass the physical test with ease. The entrance fee of 30 silver naturally shouldn''t be a problem for someone of her stature. Best regards ~ Maynor. Hold on? The shortie became the acting city lord of Breccon? Maynor had seemed somewhat clever back then, but lacked overall potential, in her judgement at least. His older brother had apparently been the talented one. Zabelle hadn''t really kept up with the affairs and fates of her old classmates, always being busy with academy praepostor affairs. She found the attached student application but didn''t recognise the name. Zhoey... Garnet. Peculiar signature. Equally crude and elegant, just like the rest of the handwriting. She had barely filled in any of the fields, but truthfully the academy was always more interested in the practical tests, and collecting fees. Zabelle looked at the applicant''s address. Thamaworks, Ironroad 10-2. She raised an eyebrow, then looked at the charisma ring on her finger. Wasn''t that the place where she got this thing? The hastily renovated building where a new smith had suddenly opened up shop few weeks back? The smith was a mysterious powerful looking woman who could easily be a city lord. Zabelle had of course used gauge on her before making the 50 silver purchase. The woman seemed to be in her late twenties or early thirties, but could be older. They had a few old geezers lingering at the academy, though it seemed unlikely that a competent smith would go back to school. She regretted not asking her name. Could it be Thama-something, like on the business sign? Likely this Zhoey was then the daughter or relative of the skilled smith, or perhaps a resident in the same building. Zabelle looked over the application again and decided to approve the candidate for testing next week after the winter solstice break. Perhaps she could use her position as academy praepostor to get a rebate at Thamaworks and aqcuire that agility ring she wanted? The dual trait amulet would probably be forever out of her price range though. Enchanted items were rather rare and difficult to create, apparently requiring a smith with the Greater Smith ability. To Zabelle''s best knowledge there were only two such smiths alive in the entire country ¨C one in the capital now, and then there was the grumpy old hermit up in the western mountains. Some countries had to make do with items created in the past, or expensive imports. The effect from the enchantments ¨C generally of the minor type ¨C were far more useful at a lower level since they just added a little to certain traits rather than multiplying them like levels do. Still, every little bit counts Zabelle thought, even at level 22. Normal type enchantments were exceedingly rare and greater ones... well, that''s the stuff of Saints and legends. Zabelle have to keep an eye on this applicant, or rather, what she was wearing. Enchanted items were allowed in the tests so she''d no doubt show up wearing something interesting. Chapter 15 : Future Trajectories Chapter 15 : Future Trajectories Tarnassus Tassakyan really didn''t have time to administer a test right now. He begrudgingly had to take time off from getting briefed on the border disputes. Forces of the Drecht Empire had moved up across the Emzon river to threaten Olvania to the north. This blocked off Arumeni''s only access to the trade routes of the Crescent Sea. Olvania had in response had made an encroachment movement further inland into Arumeni territory, but just to flank the Drechts. It was temporary they said ¨C a notion belied by their newly erected fort. Then there were the investigations of the mysterious missing cases ¨C probably murders ¨C right here in the capital. Two pottery shop owners had disappeared, and one had been level 24... not an easy target, especially not if a member of the dangerous Alpha Cult like Tarnassus had long suspected. The man had been under surveillance but someone had apparently snatched him, unseen. Saint Alena would have to look into the matter instead, and Tarnassus didn''t like dealing with the imposing woman. He adjusted his uniform and brass tinted engraved cuirass before making proper strides into the snow covered central park area adjacent to the Grand Academy. He saw three applicants waiting at the testing grounds, a man and two women. It was difficult to accurately gauge the age of a high level individual due to the effects of leveling, but students generally had to be out of central school, which generally put their age at 16-20, and their level above 10 if they had talent and noble backing. The exact level and list of abilities of a law abiding citizen could not be documented according to Arumeni law. Whatever information Tarnassus could derive using gauge and guesswork, he would have to keep between himself and the praepostor. Tarnassus came to a halt a dozen paces from the four students who all drew straight and alert in his presence. Then he unfolded piece of parchment he had been pinching between calloused fingers, met each of the students'' gazes as if counting, then read out loud with a voice used to barking orders. "Buhlu Francoyan?" "Here.", a rather average looking young man answered in lazy and nasal monotone tone which was almost a parody of nobility. He was wearing a fine frilly red suit. The two medals pinned to the chest meant nothing to Tarnassus. Noble families sometimes had internal award systems. Hmmm. Level 11, probably, Tarnassus estimated. "Wawak Mekrek...rek? Uh, Mekrekrak?", Tarnassus blundered ¨C he really was terrible with names. "Here!", a short haired but girlish woman beamed back, revealing sharp teeth like those of a sand-shark. Level 7 or 8. A little low, but she looked fit under the light prismsnake scale mail and people of her kind were hardy. They had survived in this region before it was properly settled over a thousand years ago. Some still considered them savage natives and a target for justified bullying. If not identified by their teeth or flat nose, their grey-blue hair and eyes were often dead giveaways. The Grand Academy only discriminated against poor and untalented people though. Now, the final applicant had a rather strange aura about her. Probably level 10, but she had a penetrating and relaxed gaze, the type which usually belonged only to people who felt completely unthreatened on account of their level ¨C like high nobles, city lords, and Saint Alena. She wore a white sleeveless dress which seemed to double as a light flexible armour. It looked simple but Tarnassus could tell that it was not. A hundred black braids curtained down her back and shoulders, framing a necklace with a single blue glass bead so ordinary it must be of sentimental value only. She wore a few rings which might be enchanted though. "Lastly... Zhoey Garnet?" "My name''s not lastly.", was her deadpan riposte, drawing a muffled chuckle out of the shark-girl. Then she seemed to retract and droned "Here.", like the others. Tarnassus frowned but let it slide for some reason, eager to move onto the first physical test ¨C which happened to be a favourite sport of his. The tests were selected at random for each test group, so it wasn''t a good idea to over-focus on a particular one. The strength test could be spear throw, cube roll, boulder carry, rope-in, murder squats, or... He indicated the first test area with where a snow capped 12kg copper ball rested in the palm of statue of an idealised man who appeared just on the verge of throwing it. "Alright then applicants, I''m going to assume that you''ve all warmed up already, so line up for the slug toss! Let''s see what you can do. Enchantment items are allowed ¨C what we''re measuring here is overall practical ability. May Droddak the Warrior give you his blessings." Tarnassus watched the applicants line up. The noble-boy rushed up in front, pushing the shark-girl aside, apparently eager to shine first. He snatched up the copper ball with a single hand, hefted it then moved to a slanted stone on the ground, put a foot on it not bothering to wipe off the snow. Stretching some hundred metres ahead was an open field, the snow dimpled by potholes. Noble-boy assumed a pretty decent shooting position, froze for a moment, then exploded into movement. The ball flew in an arc, well over the 35 meter qualification mark, even reaching the 40 metre one. With a thud it added another pothole to the field. Tarnassus noticed the noble-boy giving the shark-girl an obnoxious if not outright vicious smile, and braid-girl catching the gesture, frowning. When the noble-boy strutted off to retrieve the ball, braid-girl handed two rings over to a baffled shark-girl and Tarnassus had to step up and interpose. "You''re not allowed to hand over enchanted items unless it''s a permanent trade for the entire duration of the physical test. Then of course you can''t use them and will handicap yourself." "Oh, I''ll be fine.", braid-girl replied with an inscrutable face. "A-Are you sure?", shark-girl stuttered wide-eyed. "These seem really... valuable. I don''t think I should-" But braid-girl just pushed shark-girl up towards the shooting position, where she then stood awkwardly for a while before trying on the rings. "Let it be so then.", Tarnassus said, raising an eyebrow at the unusual turn of events. Braid-girl sure seemed confident. Soon the noble-boy returned with the ball, having stepped carefully around all of the potholes. When handing over the ball to shark-girl, he instead dropped it in the snow with an "Oops. Anyways, I got 42.". Then he stood off to the side crossing his arms, as if waiting for something good. Shark-girl seemed to have shifted focus though, and just picked up the ball, carefully wiped the snow off the positioning stone, then assumed the shooting position, her form perhaps a bit crude. The ball was sent flying, much, much too low, but with surprising force. It sped past the qualification mark and landed halfway between the 45 and 50 metre marks, carving a long trail in the snow all the way up to 60. Shark-girl seemed a little surprised with the shot herself but quickly followed up with a second shot ¨C a shit-eating grin full of teeth aimed right at noble-boy. The poor lad had briefly stood with his mouth agape before busying himself with nothing, pretending just a little too late to not have been seen any of it. As shark-girl swaggered off outfield, Tarnassus was left pondering. Enchanted rings usually had a noticeable effect at her level, but how far had her shot gone if it had been proper form? The effect went beyond what two minor strength rings could do. If she had the Strength ability on top of that, that might just explain it. What are the chances of getting that right away at level 5 though? He supposed it would become clear during the other tests later. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Braid-girl stepped up catching an arm flex and a smile from the figure returning with the ball in the distance. Her wordless reply was a strange double thumbs up gesture. She had already assumed position and soon started making little practice shots using pretend-balls, her form improving with each repetition. She finally settled on a form similar to that of noble-boy. Upon returning, shark-girl courteously handed over the copper ball and stepped aside. Everyone, even noble-boy seemed interested in her performance. Braid-girl took her time, undulating and eyeing the field up ahead more as if aiming somewhere, a bit like when throwing a rotten tattertot into a waste basket from a distance. Then she made the shot. Tarnassus could tell right away that it was looking pretty good. The arc terminated somewhere just ahead of the noble-boy''s mark, much to his chagrin. She truly didn''t need her two strength rings then. Most peculiar. Was she perhaps level 11 or 12? He jotted down his evaluations on a fresh note while the ball was being returned. ¨C¨Co¨C¨C The stamina test had a similar result. Three laps around the central park equated to about 9 kilometres. The noble-boy had good form, but somehow braid-girl overtook him after half a lap and stayed twenty paces ahead from thereon despite his numerous sprint efforts. They both passed with a good margin. The clear winner was shark-girl who finished in 13 minutes and 48 seconds despite her terrible running style. It''s not often applicants break 40 kilometres per hour. Anyone going above 30 kilometres per hour will usually qualify. Tarnassus began to suspect that something might be seriously off about his gauge reads today. Presently they had gathered up near the training weapon racks which had been brought out by the praepostor herself. Didn''t she have more important things to do? Perhaps she had been observing from her academy office and the unusual results drew her down here? Now she sat on one of the observation benches some distance off, doing paper work while glancing up every now and then. So she really did have more important things to do after all. The obstacle course which normally tested agility and sufferance was out of commission during the winter ¨C or rather, it was a real pain to set up for just three people so Tarnassus had to move straight to the combat test and increase the difficulty a bit. Since the applicants had to do all tests using the same outfit, few chose to wear a heavy armour because of the stamina and agility tests. The sparring weapon was however left up to choice. There were variants of flails, spears, maces and swords ¨C all technically clubs as they were training weapons. In case of injuries Tarnassus had received a some low grade healing potions capable of dealing with bruises and fractures. "Alright applicants, gather up.", Tarnassus barked, " You''ve all done well so far, but let''s see how you handle combat after exhaustion. Grab a weapon and shield." The noble-boy once again took the initiative, seeming to quickly recover from his exhaustion, perhaps having conserved energy a bit during the last stretch of the run. Going first would be the most difficult, so he got points for that. He grabbed a rapier-like rod and a nimble buckler rather than a heavy shield. Tarnassus picked up the standard shield and blunted sword and assumed a flawed defensive posture, drawing the noble-boy in to attack. He did not have to wait. The lad was good, but his pent up anger betrayed him at times. Tarnassus was 15 levels above and had a lot of practical experience as a commander in the army, so he easily blocked, tested and probed his opponent. The lad really wasn''t bad at all and had picked the right weapons for his situation. He also kept up after receiving a few whacks. Braid-girl seemed engrossed in the fight but the praepostor looked disinterested, eyes fully on her paperwork. Shark-girl had just about finished panting from exhaustion and hadn''t strategised well it seemed. Tarnassus ended the fight after three minutes, giving the noble-boy a passing grade, handing him a potion. He had done well in all three tests, even if outshone. The noble-boy collapsed at the side, looking pleased despite today''s setbacks. Braid-girl took a quick glance at shark-girl and stepped up next, grabbing a mace and kite shield but the handle and fitting seemed to confuse her, so she grabbed a second mace instead. Then she put it back and picked a small round shield which could be held like a buckler. Then she shrugged and moved into position, somewhat mimicking the noble-boy''s posture. Tarnassus took her first hit with his shield. The shield tilted under the blow and slammed into his thigh. It rather hurt. However, her next attacks were much softer and easier to deal with. Sneaking a peak at the praepostor, he noticed that she had put her papers aside to observe. It appeared braid-girl had been the subject of her curiosity. The spar merited her focus. Whenever Tarnassus landed a blow on braid-girl she seemed to twist and take it on her dress armour rather than on the exposed arms or legs. It was like hitting steel and he couldn''t help but to wonder what kind of miracle armour that was. And no matter how he tried, he just couldn''t land a hit on exposed skin. After three minutes he ended the fight, issuing his second passing grade. Braid-girl turned down the potion and made way for shark girl, who had just about recovered. Shark-girl immediately went for the rather unusual long flail with a spear butt. No shield. She spun it around in the air, taking out a few invisible sparring ghosts, seeming to master this particular weapon. Appearing satisfied she gave herself a wide an rather unhinged grin, making Tarnassus a bit worried. Now that he thought about it, didn''t sharkies practice wielding spiky chain weapons as soon as they could walk? He didn''t have time to ponder further as the shark-girl lounged at him, making a sweeping motion with the flail end, nearly trapping his leg. He skipped over, regaining his balance just as the butt end of the flail shot out right at his core. He turned it aside with the sword then followed up with quick double step forward and a shield bash. Shark-girl blocked the blow with her forehead. What kind of counter was that? Was it a cultural thing? Do they have thick skulls? No, she just got dazed and stood frozen. Tarnassus moved to punish it with a casual sword whack, only to discover that the shark-girl had played a devious trick, ducking under the strike while letting the drooping spear butt of her weapon suddenly shoot up under his chin. It might have gotten him if not for his experience sparring with cunning cadets. He jerked his head back in time and crouched back into wary defensive posture, shield up ¨C completely missing the spear which had suddenly extended a foot, changed direction a snap, and came crashing down on his head. She got him good. What an unorthodox fighter. Seeing him stunned, she spun her weapon to bring the flail forward in a devastating arc, but this was a mistake. Stunned huh? Two could play this game. She should have followed up with a quick jab - now she was left open. He stepped in close, blocking the arc of the pole weapon by putting a foot on the center, pushing it down in the dirt, then he stabbed out toward her chest. She turned a little too late, catching it in the ribs. If not for the prismsnake scale mail letting it slide off, the strike might''ve cracked a rib. Seemingly unbothered she stepped in as well, grabbing his still outstretched sword hand with surprising strength, pulling herself in for a head butt. He swung his shield back just in time, catching the blow with a thunk. She fell back, rolling in the dirt, snaching the pole flail back up. The fight continued until the three minutes were up. Hardy and tenacious. She took the potion though. Tarnassus would have to give shark-girl a pass. Earlier today he gave her half a chance of passing any of the tests. Tests concluded Tarnassus dismissed the applicants and began organising his messy notes, which were somehow supposed to be turned into a report by the end of the day. ¨C¨Co¨C¨C Wawak Mekrekrak stayed and talked with Zhoey Garnet about this and that for a little while afterwards, also trying to return the two rings. She had experienced firsthand just how powerful they were. While she didn''t know much about enchanted items, she had been given the opportunity to try a chieftain''s strength ring once, and the effect wasn''t at all the same. "Ah, keep the rings, mom can make more. Just don''t sell them.", had been the baffling reply. Weren''t enchanted items very rare, expensive ¨C a thing for heroes, noblefolk and leaders? Her family was better off than some, but it had still taken a lot of effort to save up the initial 30 silver needed to get her into the Grand Academy. Now it looked like she had succeeded, much thanks to this Zhoey... so she''d have to stick to her like glue. She had a feeling about it. ¨C¨Co¨C¨C Zabelle returned to her office deep in thought. This Zhoey Garnet was perhaps a bit abnormal, but she certainly wasn''t an undead witch monster. The rumours coming from Breccon had been... erratic. Zabelle had often wished there was some sort of system for spreading news reliably to people across the land, but the best she could come up with was to have a dedicated class of vetted investigators, and a veritable army of copy-scribes.... not exactly realistic, nor profitable. So, Zabelle was left to speculate. How had Zhoey really managed to become a city lord at level 10-ish? The influence of the Thamaworks woman ¨C apparently Zhoey''s mother ¨C could be in play. Maybe a body double, like in the Jayne Brond novels? Or was it one of Maynor''s machinations? Was she related to the Gorrun & Garnet trading company? Zabelle could see them trying to snatch up a city and putting someone in power which made competition... difficult. As for the enchanted items... while some applicants were able to borrow one for the test it was quite rare to see someone with two. Seeing this young woman just hand over two rings to whatshername was stranger still ¨C and what prompted Zabelle to exit the office for a closer look. The rings were likely minor strength and stamina enchantments... quite the boon and fortune. Surely they could not have been a permanent gift? Zabelle had not seen those rings in the Thamaworks store... perhaps not everything was on public display? If true, Zabelle would love to gain access to this secret store. What had Zhoey''s motivation been anyways? Casual confidence? Apparently she had not needed the rings herself. It was nevertheless a bit of a blunder since it just allowed the lucky recipient to pull further ahead in the tests. Zabelle would have to wait for Tarnassus'' full report and get his thoughts on the whole matter. She had peeked at his scribbles but quickly gave up on deciphering. Chapter 16 : Thamaworks, Ironroad 10-2 Chapter 16 : Thamaworks, Ironroad 10-2 Walking at a normal pace was tedious but somewhat bearable when she took a new route and had something fresh to look at. The capital had all sorts of fun buildings ¨C both new and old. An eclectic conglomeration? Was that a thing a person would say, or was it just fancy dictionary words? She had yet to learn. For some reason she got an itch to do some renovation work here and there, but the smith shop at home was quite enough work as is. Ironroad was quite homely, full of busy workshops, craftsmen, and even a pottery worker who seemed to not have made it onto snakey-snake''s new naughty list. The building they had purchased was a two-story construction, with the workshop at the bottom and living quarters at the top. It had been in a sorry state when they got it. Zhoey kicked off her shoes, walked inside the smithy where her mom sat working, hunched over some simple trinket a noble might pay a fortune for. They didn''t sell weapons and armour ¨C well, nothing which would be dangerous if turned against them, at least. "Hey honey, how did it go?", Thama said, still bent over her work, tapping with a tiny little hammer on an elaborate inlay of some sort. "I passed. It was quite difficult, but fortunately I didn''t have to go first in any of the tests so I just followed along.", Zhoey replied, sinking onto a wooden sofa she had been gifted after fixing the neighbour''s old loom. "I see. Congrats. So when are you gaining access to the library and all that?" "When the school term starts I guess. If I pass the theoretical tests." Thama breathed out, looking pleased with her work. She held up a finished armlet then kicked the feet of her rotary stool, sending her body into a spin a few times around. When she halted the motion with a stomp she was looking straight at her daughter though the raised armlet, face shifting to a serious expression. Was that a master smith ritual, or just a weird mom thing? Zhoey didn''t know. "Hey, where are the rings I gave you? The ones with triple normal enchantments. It''s not like you need them, but I still worry." "I gave them away to a friend at school." Her mom perked up. "You''ve already made a friend? That''s nice!" There was a brief pause. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Well look at you ¨C who would have thought that just the other month you were a... a.. what was it... ah, the Wretch of Breccon!" Zhoey sighed and got up to head upstairs. "Speaking of filth, I''m going to take a bath." Thama slowly spun on the stool, keeping Zhoey in view with the armlet scope, then shot off a question. "Anyways, did you pick up the materials I asked for?" Zhoey paused halway up the stairs. "Right. They were almost out of conduit stones but I got the other stuff." Zhoey strutted back down, letting the system ring release a few piles of ore stones on a sorting cabinet with a multitude of small drawers, each neatly titled by a paper note. Thama dropped her scope, walked up to the cabinet and promptly began to sort. "Nice. Decent. Nice. Okay. Flawed. Nice..." As Zhoey moved to quietly return up the stairs, the all-seeing mom-eyes at the back of Thama''s head activated. "So, are you going out tonight? If you could hunt for some nightwyrm scales instead of clobbering pottery workers that would be nice. What''s the deal with those guys anyways?" "Snakey snake said its mistress is looking into it. They keep making these awful statues and she doesn''t know why. There might be a ''rogue god'' involved, whatever that means. Supposedly this world ''changed jurisdiction'' so now her hands aren''t as tied." "Then why do you have to do it? I thought you were done with her quest." "Not sure. Snake said that if I do this new stuff I get three gacha draws. It''s apparently quite exciting. We... could get that extremely tasty bread again." "Oh, my! Go get those pottery workers ¨C the nightwyrm scales can wait!" "Actually, there''s another... thing I need to do too, and I have to find a ''heroic weapon'' somehow." "Aw... oh- hey, how about I fix up this rusty old thing?", Thama exclaimed, snatching up the Mace of Breccon from the junk pile, " ¨C I could reinforce the enchantments, maybe squeeze in a new one. The corrosion could be neutralised by alchemy. This part is unsalvageable ¨C probably. Unless I convert the material with-" With tip-taps, Zhoey finally managed to escape upstairs. The bath was carved from heavy stone and needed support from several thick pillars downstairs. It weighed a lot, but for Zhoey the only trouble had been to move it indoors without destroying the house and without anyone seeing her lugging the thing around. They were supposed to keep a low profile, unlike in Breccon. Who needs all of that attention? The bath kept nicely warm as it leeched heat directly from the smithing furnace. It seemed like her mother had anticipated her need as the bath was already prepared. Zhoey undressed, sank into the bath and closed her eyes. Then her mother stormed into the bathroom looking like she had something more to speak about. However, upon seeing her daughter relaxing with one annoyed eye open she quietly withdrew, gently shutting the door. ¨C¨Co¨C¨C There had been a visitor to the shop earlier today ¨C a merchant from the Gorrun & Garnet trading company. It took Thama some effort to not eviscerate the man on the spot, not only because of their history, but also because of his awful business proposal. They''d act as a middleman selling her goods, but do no actual work while lining their pockets. That was the long and short of it. Thama had looked into all of the city''s public archives on the ZaGa ruination all those years ago, but found nothing. It was unlikely any sort of incriminating evidence could be raised. So, they would just have to use brute force to settle the matter... when the time was right. Chapter 17 : Change of Jurisdiction Chapter 17 : Change of Jurisdiction On a throne of moaning skulls sat a large red demon woman, eyes heavy with judgement piercing through yet another anguished soul. Ever since the monk incident she had been a little extra careful with screening. The man who had just been reformed into flesh and bone pleaded innocence and ignorance. "Denied.", she rumbled, making a gesture which sealed the man''s lips with skin. A few chain-imps manifested out of the shadows to drag the man away. His eyes shot wide open in absolute panic, nasal wails and snot bursting out his nose. Satan-72 tilted her head and scowled slightly. She felt no sympathy. This guy had insisted that there must have been some sort of mistake ¨C surely practicing the tooteltrum was not a crime? However, Satan-72 knew the man''s nightly sessions had tormented an entire city sector for years. He was a perfect fit for realm seven where she kept the obnoxious ones. Her mind soon shifted to other affairs. Could she speed up the completion of the pain cradles? When would the maggot fields in third be operational again? Were illusion traps a bad fit for ninth? Would she need to separate the incubus and succubus again? When would the greater portal to that new world finish linking up? And how was her system ring user doing? Satan-72 had added a few subquests in just to make it seem less like her only actual concern was getting rid of the unflattering statues. She didn''t really have any experience managing worlds ¨C usually that was the domain of the God types. But, God-72 had essentially dumped the world on her since "she had handled the affair with the orphaned system ring so nicely". Wasn''t he the one who owed her one though? Well, now it was two favours owed. She''d definitely call them in, later. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. She imagined the guy was probably just lazing about right now. Gods really don''t know how much work goes into managing a nine realm hell ¨C it''s not like some fully automatic farm! She had vented to Satan-60 about it. He had suggested that when it came to managing worlds she could just keep a light touch; there was no need to micromanage. God-3 for example left a world freewheeling for 6000 years, and it did fine, mostly. Well, actually it went pretty badly, but it did run for 6000 years. However, Satan-72''s situation was different. If a rogue god was in play here like she suspected then she''d have to keep an eye open for more shenanigans. She had already found four additional cultist pottery workers making those slanderous statues. The statues even had her old name engraved on the base, in godly eldritch runes. The system ring user had dispatched three pottery workers in total now. Satan-72 had naturally tried to interrogate them after snatching up the souls, only to discover that the souls had been quite thoroughly scrubbed. Still, after overlaying the souls she had managed to gleam some fragments akin to smudged traces of a finger print. She might be able to determine to who touched the souls once the two remaining souls are delivered, as per the active quest. It was Plutarch who had come up with the extra subquests for the system ring user. She had nixed most of his ideas: Collect 10 mystical mountain herbs. Slay 25 deep bore worms. Deliver a letter to the mountain lich. Instead they had settled on "Procure a heroic weapon". Plausible, useful, and fairly standard fare for heroes and such, though technically this system ring user was more of a haphazard independent force. The other quest... well, Plutarch had plucked out one of his nine eyes. The eye turned into glass, and inside the orb visions of the nine realms of hell played. If the system ring user put the orb into some deserving person''s eye socket they''d turn into a tormented drone, perhaps useful for some low cost scouting. Satan 72 thought it was a pretty fun idea so they went with it.