«Tsuri, how often have you seen people?» asked Amadeus, looking at the city walls.

«The more information I have, the better,» she thought.

«Two or three times. And why?» Tsuri said.

Tsuri didn't understand why Amadeus asked about people.

«Because we're going to town,» she explained.

«Why do you care about people? They smell bad, and they look nasty!» said Sincis.

In reality, Tsuri just wanted to seem cool in front of Amadeus.

«When we met, you mistook me for a human. I don't think my smell is any different from a human,» Amadeus parried.

It turned out to be so easy to catch this little guy in a lie.

«I knew right away that you weren't human, and you smelled good. Not that I liked it, just...» Tsuri had already started to make excuses, but Amadeus interrupted her.

«After evolution, you said humans couldn't talk with animals, and those were your words,» Amadeus said as she continued walking forward.

«So what! I was kidding!» said Tsuri quietly.

«What a sweet and so naive child,» passed in Amadeus' mind as she looked at little Tsuri.

Tsuri turned her head away and muttered something to herself. Amadeus put the mask on, hid her hair under the hood, and walked toward the town.

«Why are you wearing a mask?» asked Tsuri.

«How many people have you seen with colorful eyes?» asked Amadeus.

She hoped she wouldn't have to explain.

Tsuri replied in bewilderment, «Uh... Never a single one.»

«And how many people have you seen with white hair?» asked Amadeus again.

«Zero,» replied Tsuri.

The squirrel still didn't understand what they wanted from her.

«And how many people have you seen who have both?» asked Amadeus one last question.

She still had hoped for squirrel intelligence.

«I've never seen anybody like that,» replied the squirrel.

Tsuri still didn't understand what they wanted from her.

«Y-yeah... Just forget it,» said Amadeus.

She didn't feel like explaining something so simple.

«Uh-uh? All right,» Tsuri said, shrugging her shoulders and quickly forgetting about it.

After a while, Amadeus and Tsuri approached the gates through which people were passing.

When it was Amadeus's turn, the guard asked, «Young lady, show me your papers to enter.»

The forty-five-year-old man looked at them with a kindly smile.

«I beg your pardon, but I have no papers,» said Amadeus.

Actually, Amadeus wasn't even lying.

«No ID? Where did you come from?» the guard asked in bewilderment.

Amadeus pointed in the direction of the forest, from which she had come, and said that she had been attacked by monsters there, but she had not been able to take her belongings with her.

«You came from the Forest of Illusions? Then it makes sense not many people survive there. It's a miracle that you're here. Then you can write in the form, and we'll restore your ID,» the guard said with a sympathetic look.

The guard led them into the guardroom and asked some guy to escort them.

 

***

 

«Okay, thank you. Do I have to write out a pet form?» said Amadeus, pointing her finger at Tsuri.

«Oh, no, you don't! It's okay!» the secretary replied with a kind smile.

After completing all the paperwork, Amadeus and Tsuri entered the city.

«Apparently [Lunar Language] allows you not only to understand and speak different languages but also to read and write,» thought Amadeus, «Some Magic, indeed.»

The first thing Amadeus did was to go to the Merchants Guild. As she was told, she could know the price of the materials of monsters, there.

After asking passersby about the guild, the girl came to a large building. It looked expensive, and the sign said, Dawn.

When she went inside, she went to the front desk. Behind it sat a cute girl with short brown hair, green eyes, and a pretty face.

«Hello, how can I help you?» the girl asked with a professional smile.

«I need to evaluate material from monsters,» Amadeus replied and thought, «If only a few people came back from that forest alive, so it's possible that material from these monsters would be expensive.»

«Is this your first time here?» asked the registrar.

«Yes,» replied Amadeus shortly.

«Since this is your first time here, the first evaluation is for free,» the girl replied and pulled out an oblong green board.

«Please put here the item you wish to evaluate,» she said.

Amadeus took one stone from the spider and placed it on the board. The girl looked left at the numbers the device showed. The girl's face contorted in surprise.

«P-please wait a while...» having said this, the girl ran off somewhere.

She came back five minutes later with a fifty-year-old man.

«Excuse me, but how many of these stones do you have?» the man asked.

There was a look of amazement in his eyes.

«About thirty,» said Amadeus.

There were actually more, but if it was something expensive, she could jack up the price later.

«The Dawn Merchants Guild wants to buy back all the stones you have,» he said.

He was shocked at first, but then there was joy on his face.

«Fine. But first, tell me, how will you use it?» asked Amadeus.

«Please, let's pass to a private room,» he said with a businesslike smile.

After all the explanations, it appeared that these were unusual stones. From the forest of illusions, few people come out alive. It takes a lot of potions to stay sane there, but they are difficult to create. These stones, in fact, condense the miasmas from the forest of illusions. As darker the stone, the more the beast lived in the miasmas and the more valuable it is. The stones that she brought are the highest grade. And it appeared they will be used in alchemy.