We reach the tent where Miss Fox is staying in, it appears that she wanted to lead from the front, quite surprising really. I thought she was rhe schemer type. As usual the guards tell us that only i may enter, Cherié will have to wait outside again. 

-You finally arrive. 

-I came looking for payment obviously. 

-Yes payment. Here it is. 

She extends her right hand towards me holding a blood red orb. I feel i slight chill through out my chest. 

-Do you feel it? The feeling of weightlessness. That's you loosing control over your body. 

She walks around me smiling sinisterly with her crimson hair tied in a long ponytail flowing behind her. 

-There reason we're called the crimson fox clan isn't because our hair, though it is the most obvious trait we have. No, the reason we're called that is because of our secret skill, blood control. We can control your blood flow, we control your body. That's why you haven't moved yet, why you can't talk. Because you can't. 

-No it's because i wanted to see if you would try something again like last time. 

-Wha! 

-And also because i wanted to see if it would actually work. 

-But how! I control the blood flowing through your veins!

-Miss, the only thing flowing through my veins is motor oil and coolant. Now pay up. 

I point my dragon dagger at her. 

-Fine... 

She walks over to a chest and pull out 5 small boxes each the size of a phone case. 

-Here, each case is filled with the equivalent of 1 million dollars in gold... 

-Thank you very much. Pleasure doing business with you. 

I leave the tent and listen in on the spyder drone I've hid in her tent. 

-I swear on the clanmother i will make him mine. 

I meet up with Cherié and we proceed to leave the venerable plains. I see in my radar that the we're being followed so we run of to the forest and activate our cloaks to lose them. We eventually reach a opening in the trees big enough for me to deploy the VTOL. We board the VTOL and take off, i activate the active camo and we fly off towards the Magos Republic. 

After a few hours of flying we land a mile from the capital of the Republic, Sciencia. The city was named after the university surprisingly, the university was built by the archmagos, one of the 3 heroes. After the university was built the rest of the city was constructed to cater to the needs of the both student and staff, in fact Sciencia has the highest ratio of cafe per capita in the entirety of the Crescent of 20. There a barely any bars in the city if any, at most there's underground speakeasy near the outskirts. 

We enter through the gates and pass the guards who check our adventurer cards. Walking around the city we see plenty of shops and cafes lining the streets, we enter a rather packed cafe and sit down to order. Cherié orders a croissant and tea while i order a slice of raspberry cheesecake and black coffee. Cherié looks at me weirdly after we order. 

-Sir? 

-What? I like cheesecake.

-Okay then... 

I crank my audio receptor and listen to the chatter. 

-Hey can you lend me your alchemy homework? 

-Sure, but next time you lend me your copy of Foxy maiden 2.

-Yeah yeah I'll give it to you in the campus library. 

-Alright then here. 

I continue listening in to other conversations looking for any info on the library. I want to get some more data for my projects. Eventually i gather enough info and we finish our meal so we get up and leave. We make our way to the university. 

Arriving at the university we see the students walking around talking. Eventually a teacher walks up to us, she has blond hair tied in a bun and is wearing glasses. She greets us. 

-Hello there, can i help you? 

-Yes, we're looking for the library. 

-May i ask why? 

-I want to search about info on external storage of mana. 

-Oh! Your just in luck, your talking to the teacher incharge of Mana-Tech, Lily Quartz. 

-Nice to meet you miss Lily, the names Snake and this is Cherié. 

-Nice to meet you too, now follow me please. I'll show you to the library. 

She shows us the way to the library and answers my questions about mana and so on. She seems impressed with my idea of the mana battery and gives some helpful criticism of the design. 

We reach the library and Miss Lily guides us to the shelves about mana-tech, i go through the books and asks Miss Lily whenever i need an explanation. Cherié wanders of looking for other books to read.