Just a few blocks down from an old bookstore ran by an elderly widow, was Akaeles Avenue, a land opened to commoners and nobles alike. Fundamentally, it was own by the Lord Governor.

Akales Avenue spanned a proper and deftly paved ground for over a mile in diameter. In the center of it all, was a plaza. The plaza itself had a water fountain as its heart, sculptures of the finest craftsmen could be found on this sumptuous fountain. Scattered around were stalls of various trades, ranging from jewelries and potteries to foods and beverages. Occasionally, birds would find solace at the fountain. There wasn’t a day without birds making their rounds above the fountain. The birds became a part of the avenue’s attraction before anyone’s realization.

In the corner of this public land, was an open field encompassing a quarter of the avenue. The field hid in the embrace of Red Oak Trees with only a small pavement leading in through a slit in the encirclement. The pavement traveled further into the fields which eventually looped back to the beginning. The field was well-known as a place for family gatherings and romantic meetings.

Due to its vast space, it was also famous as a place for one to stretch their bodies. Especially in the morning, fighters of all sorts came here to train or polish themselves while taking in the wonderful breeze and magnificent view of nature. Apart from these individuals, there were also a few stalls lined up at the gap of the trees. They sold mostly meals that were easy to have during travels.

The sun had risen above the horizon and Robert was already running his last lap around the field. He didn’t particularly like running but he needed the exercise. It helped cleared his mind of all the clutter.

Last night had been chaotic to say the very least but everything ended well. Robert and Seven fought off waves of monsters, monsters Robert had neither seen nor heard of before. Everything was doable until the appearance of a disfigured lizard of a size of two houses. It spelled despair for the two but dawn broke at that very moment.

As Robert had theorized, they were thrown back into the mortal plane, as Seven would call it. The aforementioned lady in a quick manner, bid Robert a one-sided farewell before disappearing into her shadows. Robert didn’t show it but he was a little hurt at being abandoned at the soonest moment.

It wasn’t wrong to say that Robert let her go. He had every opportunity to stop her from leaving.

Nevertheless, Robert went against an order and disregarded an obligation. He let a witness go. For a man such as Mr. Smith, Robert wondered how fast the news would travel.

He completed the final lap while weighing those issues in his mind. Robert headed for the stalls as he felt a little famished. In truth, he hadn’t went back to the bookstore. He had no reason to. He changed to a more suitable clothes with Quick-dress and came straight to this place from the Pine Grove. Thanks to his unique constitution, he needn’t a wink of sleep. In other words, he had run from the earliest of dawn till this moment. Feeling a little famished would be an understatement.

Fresh fruits were display at the front of these stalls and bottles of the respective juices were place just above the fruits. Next to these fruit stalls was a lonely booth that sold honey in jars and combs. For Robert had a sweet tooth, he bought a bottle of apple juice and a jar of honey. At the sweet words of the honey seller and the fruit vendor, he was persuade to into also buying a small comb of honey and a few fruits. The fruits were fine, at the total price of nine Ris, but the honey jar and comb was price at an absurd total of eighteen Ris. He could get a square meal in his hometown at four Ris. Here in Midas Valley, the average meal was seven Ris. The small honey comb which was barely the size of his palm was six Ris and the jar of honey was twelve Ris.

Robert knew honey was expensive in Midas Valley but he didn’t expect it to be this much. It would be a bit of a blow to his expenses but the temptation of honey won out in the end. His sweet tooth was a cross he was willing to bear.

Although, he now knew which noble was responsible for the only honey farm in the city thanks to the honey seller’s chattering. Judging from how the seller panicked over his slip of tongue, it was not a very well-known fact.

“Let this be the price of such valuable information,” Robert said to the honey seller and proceeded onto the next stalls.

A fragrant scent of grilled meat drifted with the breath of nature and it slowly trailed its way towards Robert. He caught a whiff of the aroma and it successfully enticed him to follow the scent back to its respective stall.

The scent led him to a stall with little pieces of meat on sticks, meat skewers, as the sign in front of the store read. There were pork and chicken but no beef or other kinds. The reason was simple. Chickens were small and easy to rear in numbers but cows were the complete opposite. As for pork, they weren’t from ordinary pigs but boars hunted by normal hunters on the outskirts. There were hoards of them, so the city wasn’t worry about over-hunting.

Looking over the crudely written menu on a wooden plank, he weighted the prices in his head. Deeming it reasonable, he ordered, “I’ll have two chicken and two pork, please.”

A displeasing groan came, followed by a nettled tone, “you?!”

Robert looked up from the menu to see a familiar but antagonistic face. “Samara,” he blurted out with surprise. “Good morning to you too.”

Samara in an apron and a kerchief made a pronounced click with her tongue.

Robert sighed with a wry smile. “Can I have two chicken and two pork?”

“Are you following me?”

“That’s a little too conceited, don’t you think?”

“Then why are you here?”

Robert gave her a roguish smile. “I know you have been eyeing at me since a long time ago, what do you think?”

Samara made another harsh click.

“Can I order now?”

“Can you leave?” she retorted. Her discourtesy earned an immediate smack to the back of her head.

It came from the elderly man beside her, who was grilling the skewers. “Have ya lost yer mind, lassy? You are talking to a customer.” after scolding her, the elderly man turned to Robert. “Forgive this young lass. She always speaks er’ mind without heed. For the troubles, I’ll give ya two on the house, what do ya say?”

“It’s alright, Mister. I’ll pay the usual.”

The elderly man smiled brightly. “What a good lad. This lass can learn a thing from you.” After reminding Samara to be prudent again, he returned to the grill.

“Good lad,” Samara muttered faintly. She took four skewers from the racks which were aligned with precooked skewers and wrapped them up with a leaf. She handed Robert the skewers, throwing him an averse gaze. “That will be eight Ris, please.”

Robert paid the total but felt that her last word was said begrudgingly but he adhered to his principle, ‘ignorance is bliss.’

However, curiosity still gotten the better of Robert. “You’re quite diligent. I’m astounded.”

Robert did not have the expensive honey he purchased in his hands but Samara took notice of the silver ring embedded with an emerald on his finger. “Unlike someone, we don’t have a silver spoon, or in your case, a silver ring.”

Ignoring her jab, he shot her an unexpected question, “what time do you get off work?”

She frowned back, “I know a doctor who deals with hopeless patients. Perhaps I can take you there after work? You’re paying.”

Robert glanced over to the elderly man but he was too busy tending the grills to rebuke Samara. The elderly man merely rolled his eyes and shook his head in exasperation. Robert turned back to Samara. “Tempting but I was thinking of something more attuned for the night.”

Samara growled with a low voice but even though she was silent about it, Robert heard her response quiet clearly.

“What do you say?”

Samara calmed herself with a heave through her nose. “I’m sorry but I’ll be occupied for tonight too. Like I’d said, some people aren’t born with a silver spoon. Thanks for your purchase, please don’t come again.” she greeted with a glare.

The elderly man threw his face into his palm.

“What if I told you, I can help you?” asked Robert.

Samara froze, casting a doubtful gaze. “Help me with what?” she asked back.

Robert leaned forward. “Your body. I know it’s tough. It’s hurting you. All those Magic but no where to go. Your habits isn’t to be blame for your large frame.”

Seething with a trembling voice, “what do you know about me? Why do you care? Do you enjoy this?” she clenched her fist.

With an earnest tone, Robert spoke, “you are sick and I can help you.”

Stupefied by his air of sincerity but Samara shook herself off of that delusion. “Why would you want to help me?”

Robert pulled back. Offering not an answer by an ultimatum, “Tomorrow, during lunch, at the garden.”

Despite her eagerness to retort, Samara failed to find any words.

“Well then, until we meet again, Sammy,” he bid and left the stall without looking back.

There was a sound of sticks snapping but Robert remain steadfast in directing his gaze to the front. All the while until he broke sight of the stall, he felt a gaze that could freeze up hell itself.

“Ah, what a lovely lady.”

After leaving the field, Robert headed for the plaza. He passed by stores with myriad of jewelries of qualities that a commoner’s purse could never hope to match. As beautiful as those gems were, Robert didn’t have much of a materialistic interest. As far as materialistic went, his concerns consisted of food and liquor. Though, he hadn’t had a drop of liquor since his arrival at Midas Valley.

After entering into the plaza, he saw a few tents which had animals on display, they were to be sold as pets. The animals all shared the common trait of being bijou and adorable. They had a hook to Robert’s hearts with their longing gaze but the hook vanished into nonexistence when he saw the price.

“Five fucking hundred Ris for a hamster, fuck off!”

After passing by more booths, tents, and stalls of manifold, Robert arrived at the fountain. The walk costed him a good ten minutes. It would had taken him less if he hadn’t stop for some buns and a small pouch of seeds. He perched himself on the edge of the fountain and untied the sash around the pouch. Scooping a handful into his hand, he let the seeds spattered all over the ground.

The birds circling above the fountain immediately flocked to the scattered seeds, raising a faint tide of wind and dust.

There was an unusually plump bird among the flock. It flew into the palm of Robert, pecking away on the seeds that were stuck to his hand. Robert took the chance to caress the plump bird of fleecy feathers with only a finger. His face almost melted in bliss as he felt the soothing softness of the feathers.

He even made a groan similar to the ones from the yesterday tryst.

The plump bird gave a slight bow to Robert after having pecked all the seed and rejoined the fray on the ground.

Robert could only smiled warmly at the sight, “smart little bird.”

Accompanied with birds reigning for the seeds by the fountain, Robert unwrapped his own snack. The skewers retained its warmth and aroma, incurring a pleasant sigh from him. He took a bite. “Oh wow, this is good,” he praised as he felt the juiciness and taste seeping into every pores of his tongue. “I should have tipped him.”

Just as he finished the skewers and started on the buns, a boy of his age with flaky blond hair took a seat right beside him. The edge of the fountain was pretty much empty but the boy chose this spot out of all the possible choices.

“Good morning,” the blond boy greeted.

“Very inconspicuous,” Robert replied as he nibbled on the bun. He found red bean fillings within. “Oh nice.”

“Look at them. Laughing away without a care. Arguing at the most trivial matters. Running around like evil doesn’t lurk at every corner. Enviable isn’t it?” the blond boy had an affable expression despite of his dismal words. “Between you and me, I say they just don’t want to swallow the bitter truth. They prefer the sweet lie but sweetness eventually rots the tooth. Unless someone came and dilute the sweetness, mixing it with some bitterness.”

“Do I have to start asking everyone if they work for Mr. Smith?” Robert said without sparing a glance. He was just absorbed in his bun.

The blond boy laughed, contrasting his previous guise. “Soraes is right, you’re quick on the uptake and witty in spite of your dim facade but to answer your question, pretty much everyone works for Mr. Smith, directly or indirectly.”

“With you babbling away, even an idiot would caught on.”

“My name is Creed, pleasure in finally meeting you, Ross. And yes, I’m older than I look. Truth to be told, I’m older than Mr. Tann and Soraes combined.”

“Grandpa Creed…” Robert rolled the thought in his mind. Going back to his bread, he asked,“anyways, how’s Lily?”

Creed was stun by the question. He expect Robert to ask about Lilian Soraes or more specifically, her whereabouts. But instead, Robert asked him of her well-being. Creed was truly impressed and most of all, Robert called her, Lily.

“Creed?” Robert waved at his face while chewing on a bite.

“Nothing,” Creed shook. “You’re full of surprises like they said.”

“Those aren’t my answers.”

“You called her Lily.”

“And?”

Creed directed a sympathetic gaze, “she’s not looking for a partner at the moment, if that’s your intent.”

“Can I have Mr. Tann back?”

Creed chortled. “Mr. Tann works closely to Mr. Smith. He don’t usually receive guests but he received you.”

Robert took a bite of his bread. “I appreciate the pedestal you all put me on, but can we get back on track?”

Creed laughed again.

“He really likes laughing, doesn’t he?” Robert evaluated.

After Creed settled down, he finally answered, “Soraes is busy, extremely busy.”

“Hmm?” Robert had a mouthful bite, so he could only respond this way.

“Whatever you did last night, it caused a huge stir. Some finest men were lost in that excursion. It was a joint effort too.”

Robert swallowed his bite. He recalled the events, muddling his mood. “Yes, that’s quite curious. Two factions, Caeleon Faith and Dusk working together. Care to explain?”

Creed straightened his lips. “On behalf of Mr. Smith, I apologize for the inconvenience for we truly didn’t knew. We found out too late, you were already gone.”

“Looks like no one is perfect, after all.”

“If we are, we won’t be walking in shadows,” Creed said with a serious tone. “With that out of the way, Ross. Can I hear your tale regarding the night before?”

“I was eating too when I was asked for a report, what a life.”

Robert wolfed down whatever was left and washed it all down with a bottle of apple juice. Only then, he recounted the endeavors and hardships of last night. Seven was included in his recount but he left her fate untold.

By the time he finished telling his tale, it was two hours away from noon.

“Portals, you sure?” Creed asked. He had his right leg roosted on his other knee and his body leaned forward with a fist supporting his chin, a posture befitting of his juvenile appearance.

Robert took a swig from the bottle. “The most sure I have ever been but that’s only counting the two site I have been to. There’s a possibility that the other places doesn’t share the same circumstances. To be sure, I’ll have to at least look at— how many sites there are?”

“Twelve, including the Dark Zone and Pine Grove.”

“Then, I’ll have to look at the other eight or nine places at the very least. But for those two, they’re clearly linked.”

“Very well,” Creed nodded.

“What about the other end?”

“As for the interested parties, you don’t need to worry about them for now, not most of them at least. They are pointing fingers at each other and in a way, they are right to do so. Everyone’s plotting against one another.”

“Somehow, no one seems to be pointing at Mr. Smith.”

“I have told you, everyone works for Mr. Smith, directly or indirectly. Pointing at him would be similar in pointing at oneself and everyone else.”

“Interesting,” mused Robert.

“But do keep an eye on the Caeleon Faith. They are very much on edge at everything and everyone. They seem to be looking for something they lost, presumably something that they brought with them to Pine Grove last night.” Creed looked to Robert, “any ideas?”

“Ah…” Robert uttered, “I do.”

Creed gave him an eye, “you do?”

Robert told Creed about the shield Baxton carried.

Creed widened his eyes in full surprise. “Unbelievable,” he breathed out. “A Dragon artifact… how did this escaped our eyes?”

“I do believe they’re quite expensive.”

“Expensive doesn’t even begin to describe it,” said Creed. “It cannot be bought with just Ris or the Zagan Empire’s Zigs. It is traded with other artifacts of similar value. There was a lord of many territories, he traded a few of his lands for a single Dragon artifact. Know what he did with it?”

Robert shook his head. He was playing with the same plump bird who came back to him and this time, it rested in his lap. The the fray of the seeds were over. Losing interest, many returned to the skies but some remained nibbling on the empty ground.

“The lord took back the lands he sold and more, all with the power of the Dragon artifact.”

Robert chuckled, “smart.”

“Isn’t it? Other than an attestation, it also serves as a valuable lesson for the merchants. You just can’t put a price on some things. Histories are full of valuable lessons.” Creed ended his words with a smile, seemingly to be relishing in something but Robert didn’t care to guess.

“Valuable lessons, indeed but they don’t seem to learn at all.”

Creed had a pitying smile. “Desires of the extremes are often blinding.”

Robert raised an eyebrow. “That’s a keen insight,” he said but not audibly. Creed was definitely older than Tann and Lily, Robert deliberated. He wondered if this was how the two felt when they questioned his own age. Robert began to empathize but it didn’t stop him from pampering the plump bird.

Robert almost squealed from the fact that he discovered the bird’s plumpness came from its overgrown feathers.

“And the ones in power. They’re used to things being within their comprehension. When something doesn’t and it only kept swerving from their grasp, you’ll get three kinds of response.”

“Three?” Robert unconsciously asked.

“The ones who cower away from the fear of the unknown. The one who strive to understand it. And lastly, the ones who remained arrogant until the very end.”

It perfectly described the situation of the interest parties. Robert was starting to see Creed in a new light. “Do you drink?” Robert blurted out.

Instead of showing any surprise, Creed only kept smiling. “I can but I’m more of a music person.”

“We might get along just fine then.” As Robert said so, he was fiddling with the plump bird, creating a double impression.

Creed chuckled, “we can spare the sophistries and philosophies for later but for now, do you have the shield?”

“Nope,” came the immediate answer from Robert. “I do not have the shield with me.”

Creed stared at Robert for a while before looking away. “If you say so, Ross. Mr. Tann told me you are quite forthright.”

“He did?”

“He did,” Creed nodded, “but now I understand what he meant.”

Robert offered no response as he continued frolicking with the plump bird.

“Moving on.” Creed stretched his neck. “There’s other news.”

“Pertaining?”

“It is. The Aeryeon Faith is moving but against the Caeleon Faith.”

“Strife between religions, this pertains how?”

Creed made a suggestive nudge with his a tip of his head.

“Ah. They know about the Dragon artifact.”

“That is the most likely cause, if we’re purely talking about we know as facts but—”

Robert waited for Creed to continue while the plump bird climbed onto his finger. The bird chirped at the interval. Robert stifled a laugh.

Creed remained indignant. “That ain’t the worse part.”

Robert stopped his amusement with the plump bird. “Terrible news?”

“Sort of.” Creed shifted his tone. “Azaela will be here in two days, sent here by the main Aeryeon temple.”

“Oh,” Robert muttered deeply. He went still at the mention that name.

Even the plump bird flew off into the skies.

He cocked his head slowly like a rusty cogwheel. Facing Creed with an expression that could be seen only as unrest, he asked, “who?”