After breakfast the next morning, it was time to get out of the Merchant’s Quarter. I had an ID I could use locally. I had plenty of currency, though I still regretted the loss to the greedy money changers. I was in a form that shouldn’t be known to the bastards from the church.

Until it was time for me to get out of this country, which was something I was definitely going to do, I’d spend time learning about this world, and the best place to do that seemed to be the local Adventurer’s Guild.

So I headed towards the gates into the upper city. Unfortunately, plenty of other people wanted to do so as well. The streets were busy, and there was a line for those seeking entry. There was only one line, and I had the displeasure of being right between a couple of fishermen taking their morning catches into the city.

Whether they were heading to a different market or to supply inns and restaurants, I don’t know. What I do know is I didn’t care for fish much, and so being surrounded by their smell while waiting was somewhat suffocating.

At least the line was moving at a better pace than I’d feared. One had to show their ID, place their hand on another of the discerning orbs, ya’know the ones that turn red when a criminal touches them, and then as long as you didn’t seem suspicious you were let through.

Suspicious people at least got pulled off to the side to be checked without holding up the line.

I was passed through without a problem. I had the appearance of an adventurer, decent armor and weapons and a pack to carry stuff in. Nothing dangerous here.

The upper city was better kept than the docks. Not that most of them weren’t well maintained, it was just that the place was neater, less refuse along the streets, the buildings were mostly made of stone, rather than mostly made of wood. That likely went a long way towards preventing fires from getting out of hand.

I wandered up the main street towards the center of the city, regrettably following the scent of fish along the way. The city’s largest market was in the city’s central square from what I’d been told. There were other smaller ones throughout the city, but the Central Market was huge.

And around the square were the most important buildings in the city. First was the Lord’s manor, where the territory was governed from. Then came the international guildhalls, Adventurers, Mage’s, Merchant’s, Craftsmen/Artisan, Tamers, and Mercenary. Finally there were the local headquarters of the largest merchant companies. These companies were the source of most of this city’s wealth. Though they were members of the Merchant’s Guild, they were the ones in charge of it locally, since they essentially controlled the local economy.

Outside of the square, the city was split into four sections, with the four main roads linking the gates to the central square being the dividing lines.

To the northeast, behind the Lord’s Manor was the noble district. This is where the nobles with homes in the city lived, as well as those with great wealth. The stores in this area tended to have the best goods, but were extremely expensive. There were no marketplaces, only actual stores. Though it wasn’t walled off from the other districts, it was a bad idea for those who were poorly dressed to venture into it. The slightest misstep could land a person in trouble.

To the northwest was the trade district, not to be confused with the merchant district, better known as the docks. It was to the north of the main road just inside the western gate coming up from the docks. As many considered the dock area to be rather dangerous, which wasn’t entirely false, those looking to browse wares outside of one of the street markets came to this district to shop. Most of the foreign merchants set up shop here or in the central square’s street market.

To the southwest was the craftsman’s district. Here is where most of the production of goods took place, keeping most of the scents and sounds contained in an area away from most of the better trafficked parts of the city.

Finally there was the residential district in the southeast. It didn’t really stand out in anything else like the other districts. It wasn’t that people didn’t live in any of the other districts, many did, so since it was so quiet it got the name it had. Many inns were available in this area for travelers.

Just because the different districts were named as they were didn’t mean that there wasn’t crafters or nobles in other parts of the city, but being divided did make it easier to tell people where to go for something.

I browsed the market for a bit before heading to the Adventurer’s Guild. I wanted to avoid the morning rush I’d gotten stuck in yesterday. It was still busy when I got there, but not too bad. And I didn’t even need to go to the reception desk, since there were signs indicating different destinations in the enormous building.

Following the one that pointed to the destination I sought, I headed down a hallway and through a pair of doors into the library. It was larger than I thought it’d be, which was good since I’d be able to find plenty of information here. I just had to hope I could get the information I needed.

There was a desk right in front of the doors, staffed by a someone who looked like a tank, despite the robes he wore and the staff leaning on the desk next to him. I walked over there.

The library was open to guild members, but it wasn’t free. Purchasing books, maintaining them and the facilities, assisting members in finding what they needed, all of these cost money, so there were fees to use the library. After proving I was a member and paying the daily entry fee, since I didn’t want to pay the weekly one in case I left sooner, I was directed to the shelves with the information I wanted.

Since most of the stuff I’d learned about this kingdom made me want to get out as soon as possible, especially since I couldn’t openly use healing magic, I studied up on the nearby countries.

There was a rough map of the world on the wall in this section so one could tell what was where. Maps were uncommon in this kind of era, since they could be used as a resource for planning wars. I was glad to see at least a broad strokes map like this one was available, since I could easily discern what nations to look into first.

I started with Merrow to the south, since so far it was the one I knew the most about, even if it was still barely anything. It was a monarchy, with hereditary rulers, but not going specifically to the eldest child, instead going to the one most capable. The place had nobility with the usual divisions, but they didn’t own the land, the crown did and they were appointed governors, if they were worthy.

The place was a meritocracy. One had to prove themselves before they could have anything to do with governing. There were times when someone with a low rank, or even a commoner, would be put in charge of far larger territories than a duke or marquis, and often be elevated in rank should they prove worthy.

The reverse was also true. If a noble family was found incompetent, they could be demoted or stripped of their nobility entirely. This was rare, but it happened, though not in the recent past as noted in the book I was reading.

Everyone was held to the same laws, except royalty, unless there was a special dispensation granted. Though the rich had the resources to cover things up and get away with breaking the laws, if they were discovered doing so the punishment was far harsher than it would be normally, typically resulting in execution. Not just for the perpetrator, but for all involved in the cover up.

One of the laws was the right to worship however one willed… so long as it did not infringe on another or cause harm. Religions that practiced human sacrifice were destroyed utterly, those that stuck to livestock were not.

It was because of this law that religion was banned from having any place in politics. One misstep could cause a cascade of troubles if someone in a high position started favoring one religion over others. People could worship how they willed, as long as the left it at the door when it came to governance.

Another very important law was that discrimination based on race was a punishable offense, which wasn’t strange for a meritocracy. Different races had different strengths, so it was best to be accepting and put those strengths to use. However, this didn’t prevent people from being people. Actively discriminating was one thing, but doing so passively wasn’t punished.

Demons for instance were often looked down on and avoided. It was difficult for them to get jobs due to their natures, which tended to be violent.

Oh yeah, demons were just another race in this world. Similarly to beastmen which had a number of sub-races, demons came in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. Each subspecies was different, but they followed their desires more than most, and many loved to fight, so people tended to avoid them, not wanted to be involved with people that might injure them.

Well, I was human, kind of, so I wouldn’t have to worry about discrimination all that much. Humans were the average race, with none of the strengths or weaknesses of the other races. They could excel in areas, but they wouldn’t have as detrimental a drawback to pay for it.

I’d changed a lot from when I’d first been summoned. My status originally put my race as ‘Human.’ Now, for some reason a question mark had been added onto it, so I wasn’t sure what that meant for me in the future.

Finished reading the book on Merrow, I set it aside. So far what I read made me interested in the country, but I wouldn’t choose before I did more research. It was always best to check the available options before making a decision.

The sun was approaching the horizon when I returned the last book for the day to the shelf. I’d studied up on twelve countries. Many of them were better than this one, but from what I read, I was still most interested in Merrow.

I wanted to continue, but without the sunlight, I didn’t want to strain my eyes reading with candlelight. I also didn’t dare use light magic with how the local church were. The Adventurer’s Guild was an international organization, but they wouldn’t be able to protect me should I get into trouble. Heck, they wouldn’t risk themselves for a measly rank zero.

I headed out, taking a note that the place had hours of operation starting from first bell, so I determined to arrive earlier tomorrow to get the most bang for my buck.

After consulting with some of the guys hanging out in the guild pub, I was referred to an inn nearby that was good without being too pricey. It’s cost was higher than the one I’d been staying at, but the place had a bath I could use. It was public, so I had to go full male while bathing, but it was worth it. Cleaning magic was great at keeping me and my stuff clean, but sometimes I just wanted to relax in a tub and soak.

The food was also better, and there was an option for actual meat, rather than just seafood. I ate, then hung out in the common room nursing some chilled ale listening to my surroundings. Eavesdropping was a great way to take the pulse of a city, as well as learning juicy rumors that might help me.

Like the one about how a flight of wyvern was spotted near a town close by, heading this direction before suddenly disappearing.

I wasn’t surprised that got noticed, but I’d been invisible so no one could connect it with me. Also, different body, so there was that too.

I got caught when ordering my third mug of ale. Not in a bad way though. I’d tried the stuff as it was served, but found that chilling it made it taste better, so I’d added some ice cubes. There were still some left in the mug when I finished the second and ordered another.

Ice was a rare commodity outside of winter, and I wasn’t the only one who found beverages tasted better after reducing the temperature. I got dragged into the back to make a mountain of ice cubes to add to their drinks. The barkeep would charge extra for the ice, and I’d get some of the proceeds. I was cool with that.

No one raised a ruckus with me using magic, since I hadn’t used the light attribute. The local church didn’t like us unless we belonged to them, but mages were highly sought after for their power, though uncommon due to how difficult it is to learn magic.

I went to my room after my third mug. The surroundings were just getting rowdier, and I didn’t feel like dealing with drunks, so I retreated. There was also the fact that I could read in my room, since I could lock and ward it so I could use light magic without getting into trouble.

Ancient books were treasure troves of information, and I intended to read them all.