Arcane Innovator

As I hurriedly approached the counter, I could finally take a proper look at the lady standing behind it.

The clerk had a kind face accompanied by soft brown hair pulled back in a small ponytail. She wore a neat apron over a simple white dress, and behind her, I could see shelves upon shelves of scrolls and books neatly lining the walls of the Guild's lobby.

"What can I do for you? Ah, it seems you came here all the way from Wittenwald. Are you perhaps looking to become an adventurer?" the lady asked cheerfully as she leaned forward, her hands clasped together, and looked inquisitively at the beast hunter mark hanging around my neck.

I blinked, slightly taken aback by her forwardness, before resolutely shaking my head. "Ehm, I'm afraid not," I said with a smile playing on my lips. 'Still, if she had asked me this a year ago, I would have jumped at the opportunity, but now...' I sighed.

Although I was intrigued by the possibility, it was not like I would be willing to undergo all that rigorous training regimen all over again just to become an adventurer—especially not now when my main goal was almost within reach.

"Oh, please forgive my presumption! It's just that we've had a lot of new applicants from Wittenwald lately, so I thought..." she said, trailing off with an awkward smile.

'Hmm, has something happened? And is that something connected to Neufeld's messy situation, or is it an entirely different matter?' I mused briefly, but in the end, I decided not to pursue this subject any further as I was pretty much done with that sorry excuse for a Kingdom and didn't plan to go back any time soon.

Instead, I flashed the lady a bright smile, deciding to get to the main reason for my visit. "Do you sell information?"

She tilted her head to the side curiously. "What kind of information do you seek? Our Guild provides basic assistance to travelers such as yourself free of charge! If you are looking for an inn, I can give you a recommendation based on your budget."

"Well, that would be nice, but I'm more interested in knowledge about the local monster population and geography... Do you perhaps have a map I could look at?"

To which she regarded me with an apologetic smile while shaking her head. "Sadly, our resources are for our members only, but I can refer you to someone who specializes in these types of deals."

"Oh, then please do," I said with a slight disappointment in my voice. 'Maybe I should have signed up after all,' I thought dejectedly. Still, it was too late to change my mind, or it would look like I just wanted to take advantage of them.

The lady then gave me a brisk nod as she took out a piece of paper from under the counter and hurriedly scribbled down a few lines of text in neat handwriting. "Here you go. Have a nice evening!"

I briefly tilted my head to the side, slightly confused, before quickly accepting the paper. "Thank you. Have a nice evening, too..."

'How odd! She didn't even ask me if I could read. I guess the literacy rate here must be much higher than in the Kingdom,' I wondered as I walked away from the busy-looking Guild.

***

Following the directions I had been given, I eventually found myself standing in front of a brightly colored building a few streets away from the main square.

The sign above the door simply read "Fabulous Emporium" in ornate lettering, and I could see a steady stream of people going in and out through the radiantly illuminated entrance.

The scent of exotic spices and unfamiliar herbs filled the air, adding to the mysterious atmosphere of the place.

At first, I thought I must have read the instructions wrong since I was expecting some shady-looking shop tucked away in a dimly lit alley, given the assumed nature of their dealings, but I guess it was not to be.

Thus, after taking a deep breath, I joined the other customers wanting to enter this peculiar-looking establishment while trying my best to look inconspicuous.

As I stepped inside the shop's colorful interior, I tentatively looked around and noticed several people busily shopping.

So I patiently waited until all the customers left before carefully approaching the counter and the widely smiling Shopkeeper standing behind it.

By now, the Shopkeeper, an elderly man with a sizeable greyish mustache, had long noticed my prolonged presence in his shop. As soon as I got closer, he leaned forward, regarding me with a curious gaze.

"Ah, good evening, esteemed sir! Welcome to the Fabulous Emporium! You look like an adventurer. What do you seek? A handy backpack or perhaps a sturdy coat? We have everything your heart might desire and then some!"

"Ehm, I heard that you sell information," I said with a strained smile, taken aback by the man's quirky manner of speaking. 'Is everyone in this town so weird?'

The Shopkeeper's eyes twinkled with amusement as he studied me intently, his mustache twitching slightly before finally speaking.

"Of course, venerable sir! What do you might want to know? But be aware, knowledge comes at a price around here..."

I nodded thoughtfully, very much expecting such an answer, before placing a large silver coin on the counter. "I want to know more about the local area. Would this be enough?"

"So you are from Wittenwald, I see... Well, silver is silver no matter where it came from," he said as he quickly tucked away the coin.

Hearing this, I couldn't help but grimace. After my previous experience at the Guild, I had hidden my beast hunter mark to help conceal my origin. Since I heard there were many new arrivals, I feared some bounty hunters might be among them.

Still, there was nothing I could do about my coins for now, not unless I found a place where I could trade my silver for one minted out here. However, this was not a priority since I wouldn't be staying here any longer than absolutely necessary.

Meanwhile, the Shopkeeper called for one of his assistants to take his place behind the counter, and he took me to another room in the back.

"Well, honored sir! Allow me the opportunity to tell you about my wonderful homeland! You see, the Borderlands are a little bit different than everywhere else..." he began his passionate lecture about the local area.

"It had always served as a natural buffer between Wittenwald and Montbelle Kingdoms. In the past, it was periodically ravaged by the flames of war each time the two Kingdoms went to war with each other. Still, ever since the succession crisis in Montbelle and the subsequent bloody civil war that followed fifty years ago, we were able to enjoy a period of peace and prosperity..."

I nodded absentmindedly from time to time as he spoke lengthily about various historical events and prominent characters. I learned a lot from this, and I wished someone had given me such context when I was still living in Ereneth.

Still, it was not what I wanted to know, so after realizing this would take quite a while, I raised a hand and interjected.

"Actually... I want to travel south to a place called the Plains of Ruin. Could you tell me how to get there?"

The Shopkeeper's eyes narrowed slightly at my request, and he leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"The Plains of Ruin, you say, acclaimed, sir? A dangerous place, that one. Full of ancient magic and long-forgotten secrets. Venturing into those accursed lands is a very dangerous proposition. Few who go there ever return. Why would you even want to go to such a place?" His eyes bore into mine with an unexpected intensity.

I chuckled to myself. 'Is he worried about me, a complete stranger?'

I leaned in closer, saying in a low voice, "You see, I'm not exactly interested in the plains themselves, but what lies beyond them..."

Then, as if to emphasize my point, my eyes flickered, and the temperature in the room dropped significantly.

It didn't take long for the Shopkeeper's broad smile to freeze on his lips. "Oh, so you are one of those..."

To which I said nothing, only regarding him with a subtle smile. I knew revealing my magic like that was risky, but I figured it would also be the quickest way to learn what I needed to know.

Besides, it was obvious from his actions that the Shopkeeper had had his fair share of shady dealings, so he must have known how to keep his mouth shut—for the right price, that is.

The quirky man studied me for a moment longer before hurriedly nodding. "I fully understand what you need, exalted sir!"

With a slow and deliberate movement, he reached under the counter and pulled out a weathered map, spreading it before us. The parchment was yellowed with age, and intricate markings covered its surface.

"The shortest way to the edge of the Plains is..."

***

The shopkeeper took another half an hour to give me the instructions. However, it turned out to be quite complicated, so in the end, I gave him another ten silver and bought the map instead in case I took a wrong turn somewhere, and then another ten coins for his silence.

He seemed reluctant at first to part with the map, saying something about a family heirloom, but knowing who I was, he quickly acquiesced to my demand after a bit of persuading.

It was already late at night before I settled in the soft bed of the inn the lady at the Guild had recommended to me previously. With my new map securely tucked away in my inner pocket, I quickly dozed off, happy with how everything turned out.

'Tomorrow, I will head out south first thing in the morning. It won't take long, and I'll finally be at the edge of the famous Plains of Ruin, with my true goal—the Grand Tower—right beyond them.