We all managed to walk out of the brothel without any resistance, with only some people staring at the two unconscious thugs in Borso's hands. I guess that the owners or guards of the brothel were informed of our identities by the prostitutes at the entrance, so they didn't try foolishly blocking our path. It would have been perfect if it hadn't been for a certain flat-breasted tomboy with a large butt glaring at me. I could only quietly blame a certain roguish half-elf for this mess in my heart.

After we got out, Faevyre said, "Alright guys, we are splitting up from here. Darling, you go with Livia and Jackson back to the mansion. I will go with little Mog to take his father's ashes. I will see you at lunch."

Borso nodded, fully trusting his wife, "Borso got it. Meet at lunch, Honey. Livia, Jackson, follow."

Livia and Jackson followed Borso, but Livia didn't forget to send one last glare at me before departing. Although it wasn't to the extent that she hated me to death, she was most definitely mad at me. She'll get back at me if I don't apologize in some way.

As I was agonizing over how to make it up to her, Faevyre said, "Ok, kid. Let's go."

I nodded to her and followed while carrying the wooden shovel we brought. As we walked through the alleyways, I couldn't help but ask, "Faevyre, do you know what Livia likes?"

Faevyre raised an eyebrow and asked, "Kid... Don't tell me... Do you have a crush on her?"

"What is a crush?" I asked Faevyre, my eyes wide with curiosity. I never heard of this term before.

Faevyre almost tripped before staring at me in disbelief, "You are telling me you know about sex and brothels, but you have no idea what a crush is? For real?"

"Err... Is that bad?" I meekly asked.

Faevyre sighed while she continued walking and asked, "Have you ever had a female childhood friend you liked?"

I shook my head sadly, "I only had one male friend that died when I was six. He died from an infected wound that was left untreated. I never had a friend since then."

"I... Sorry for asking..." Faevyre said with a complicated expression.

We walked in awkward silence for a small while before Faevyre explained, "A crush is the feeling when you see a girl, your heart palpitates, and your stomach feels like it has butterflies in it. You can't help but feel an attraction to that girl, and you want to be with her. That is a crush."

I considered what she had just said, but aside from yesterday when my mistress touched my penise, I had never felt anything like it. Although it fits a part of the description, I knew it wasn't a crush. I didn't feel the want to be with the mistress. It was more like a physical reaction to her touch.

"Then I don't have a crush on her," I replied.

Faevyre shrugged, "Figures. So why do you want to know what she likes?" She then smirked, "Are you afraid she will get back at you?"

I shot a glare at her, "You were the one that caused this mess! I don't want to have my colleague hate me on my first day!"

Faevyre looked me in the eyes and said, "That was a lesson for you, little Mog. Even if you trust someone completely, always be vigilant, or they might fuck you over, whether they mean to or not."

She went on to say, "Besides, what I taught you two was a legitimate assassination technique. Being a rogue is difficult, and being an assassin is even more difficult. Let alone getting smacked on the bum, an assassin needs to be ready to give up their chastity. Both you and Livia might need to do so in the future if the need arises."

I asked curiously, "Did you ever do it?"

Faevyre smiled mysteriously, "That, my dear boy, is something that you shouldn't ask a lady about." She then drawled, "Buuut, let's just say that my Darling doesn't care about it, so I don't either."

I wasn't callous enough to keep asking her about it, so I changed the subject back to my original question, "So, can you tell me what Livia likes? I really don't want her to hate me."

Faevyre chuckled and said, "You don't need to worry about this too much, little Mog. Little miss Livia isn't a petty person, and she won't hold this against you for long. On the contrary, I think that she even likes you."

I was bewildered - What the hell? I only met her today, slapped her butt, and even commented on how it feels, and you say she likes me? Do you expect me to believe that?

I asked her, full of doubt, "What makes you say that? From my perspective, she doesn't have a good impression of me."

Faevyre had a proud smirk on her face, "I taught Livia for a year now. I can tell you right now that if she truly hated you, she wouldn't just pinch your side and glare like a little girl. She would deliver the message with a straight punch to your stomach, possibly to your face too. It mostly depends on her mood."

I sighed, "Ok! Let's assume she likes me. But I still did something bad to her. I need to make up for it, somehow. So, can you please tell me if there is some gift I can give to her?"

Faevyre looked up and down at me before sneering, "Good luck with that, kid. I can tell you right now that, although the little miss is mistress Consentia's slave, she is, in fact, quite a pampered girl. As the slave and handmaiden of the mistress, she has access to all the cosmetics, jewelry, and perfumes a girl could dream off. Every day, she gets to eat some of the finest meals in the empire, even if they are leftovers. The clothes and sandals she wears are all vintage goods. The weapons and armor she uses are custom-made by Darling. And, naturally, you can't even bring her flowers unless you want to romantically chase her, which you cant, since she is a handmaiden, and you're a slave."

I got depressed. All of my ideas were brutally squashed before I could even say anything.

Seeing my depressed face, Faevyre giggled and said, "Cheer up, kid. Although she has all the luxuries in the world, they don't belong to her. They belong to the mistress. How about you buy her some cheap eccentric trinket at the plaza? I'm sure she would like it."

"Really?" I asked skeptically.

"Yeah, sure. We ladies, except for a few snobs, are more concerned with the sentiments and effort that go into a present. We would rather get a low-cost but thoughtful gift than a vain generic high-cost gift that had no effort put into it."

I thought for a bit, and it sounded reasonable enough. Most trinkets in the plaza cost no more than a few silver coins. In the worst case, I would simply be wasting some time and a few silver coins.

I looked at Faevyre and said, "Ok, I think it could work."

Faevyre turned to me and said, "Then we will need to take a detour, then. Don't want to go shopping with your father's ashes and all."

I naturally agreed with what she said. Who knows what could happen while shopping. Besides, the plaza was only a few minutes from us.

After a few minutes of walking, we arrived at the bustling plaza.

Faevyre took the shovel and said, "Okay, kid, you go buy something, and I'll hang out near the fountain. Just remember to hurry, alright?"

"Got it!" I nodded and walked to the plaza.

Ignoring the street food stands, I walked to the area with the foreign merchants. It wasn't hard for me to find a few stalls with trinkets in them. After doing a quick scan, I decided on a stall.

The stall was manned by a middle-aged beastkin from the cat tribe, dressed with a white skirt and shawl. His face and body were human, but he had two greenish feline eyes and his arms and legs looked like a hybrid between human and beast. He had a scraggly brown beard on his chin and long sideburns. On his head, he had a red turban with his yellow cat ears poking out. His goods were spread across the floor on a carpet, and he sat cross-legged on the carpet, yelling in a funny accent.

He must have come from the Sa'anite desert - I assumed.

As I approached the stall, I heard him yelling in his funny accent, "Trinyakets! Trinyakets! Get nyour Trinyakets! All the way from the Sa'anyate desert! They are good and inexpenyasive!"¹LOL. Sorry, I had to.

As I arrived at his stall, the beastkin vendor's feline eyes landed on me. His first reaction was to gauge my worth by scanning me. He first frowned before his eyes brightened up and said, "Welcome, nyoung master! Please, browse my wears! I am sure something will strike your fanyacy!"

I was honestly surprised he called me a young master. It was the first time someone addressed me like that, after all. I couldn't help but ask, "Why did you call me young master? I am but a slave."

The vendor cocked his head to the side, "But nyou wear silken clothes undernyeath nyour cloak... Even If you are nyot a nyoung master, thenya must work for nyan, at least, and nyou must have a high positionya too, yes? That is enyough for me to call nyou a nyoung master, is it nyot?"

I glanced at my silken tunic. Indeed, it was a dead giveaway to my high status in a powerful family.

I sighed, "Fair enough, but it doesn't mean I can pay much. Also, I know the market prices and a bit tight on time, so if you don't haggle with me, I guarantee I will give you 50% above the market price. Otherwise, I will go to the other stalls. Your choice" I knew that if I didn't draw the line here, the man might try and jack the price and waste my time, so I gave him an ultimatum. It was a bargaining technique I learned from my father. I had better techniques, but I was tight on time and didn't want any bullshit.

The vendor rubbed his scraggly beard with his clawed hand and said, "Ok, I agree. What are nyou lookin' for? Trinyakets for nyour master? For a lady, perhaps?"

I showed a helpless smile, "For a lady. I want things in the 10 silvers range."

The vendor gave a knowing smile as he bared his teeth, showing his two sharp canines, "Ok, I have just the thyings." 

He picked up a cute bronze cat statue the size of a finger bone, a beautiful small hemp string bracelet with colorful stones, and a blue ring made from some polished rock.

The vendor said, "This small statue was created by a local artisnyan in myay village anyad would cost 5 silvers. The bracelet is made from special rocks from the Sa'anyate desert and was painyastakinyagly crafted by my little sister for three days and would cost 7 silvers. This ring was crafted from a unyique rock found onyaly in the Sa'anyate desert. It stays cool in the summer and warm in the winyater and is difficult to break. For this, I'll ask for onyaly 4 silvers, just for nyou." ²You might think that this price is jacked up, but it is a normal price. Production was much harder back then, and transportation was even harder. Something that cost 1 silver coin in one place could cost 3 silver coins in another place. Just note that making a tiny hole in a stone was extremely hard and took a lot of time.

I looked at the items and knew that it was most likely the market price. Although the worth of these items would have been much lower back in the Sa'anite desert, I knew that part of the price comes from the risk of crossing the desert. Since the man didn't try and jack up the prices to exorbitant heights, I would also be fair with him.

I opened one of the purses I got from the thugs, rummaged in it, and fished out a small gold coin, and gave it to the vendor. "Thank you. I will take all three of them. Keep the change."

The vendor stared at me in surprise and said, "I'm shocked. I nyever thought you would hold your side of the bargain like this. And nyou even gave mye myore than we agreed. I cyant let you suffer a loss like this! Let me add something for you."

He rummaged in his pouch, seemingly looking for something, before pulling out a black rock. Yes, a black rock the size of a thumb. It looked unpolished and rough, like a piece of coal.

The vendor smiled and gave the rock to me, "Here you go! This is my token of appreciation, so please, take it!"

I took the rock and frowned. I couldn't help but ask, "What is this rock? What is special about it that you give it to me?"

The vendor rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, I will be honyest with nyou. While I was traveling across the desert with my conyovoy, a sanyadstorm came and myade mye tumble. When I fell, I felt a hard rock under mye, so I picked it and found this strange rock, so I kept it with mye. When we got out of the desert, I tried testing it and found that it was extremely hard. I tried hammering it, and the hammer slightly bent. I thought that it might be some rare ore or magic crystal, so I had it appraised, but they didn't know what it was. I had a mage in my convoy attempt to channel mana inside, but it isn't mana receptive. A warrior also tried to channel aura, and it also failed. I had a blacksmith in this city try and melt it but to no avail. It is just a uselessly tough rock and takes up space. So, I thought, why not give it to you? You seem honyorable enough. Myaybe you can find a use for it?"

I couldn't help but smile and do a friendly salute, "I'm Mog. Thanks for the gift."

The vendor was surprised before he let out a toothy smile and returned a salute, "And I am Pracbas. If nyou ever find nyourself in the Sa'anyate desert, do visit Gigena village. Just say myay nyame there, and myay famyily will host you."

I nodded and thanked the vendor before returning to Faevyre with the four items in my pouch. However, as I walked back to Faevyre, I felt uneasy, as if I was being watched by someone with unkind intentions. Thanks to my training as a pickpocket, I was more observative than the average man. Doing a quick scan in the packed surroundings, I managed to find an adult who was glancing at me, most likely with ill intentions.

He must have noticed me fishing out a gold coin and giving it to the vendor, so he made me a target. - Is what I reckoned.

I am not a match for him. I should go to Faevyre as soon as possible! She is a C-ranker, and I will be safe with her around.

With that in mind, I quickened my steps to the fountain. The thug also hastened his steps and followed me. I quickly reached the fountain and found the cloaked Faevyre sitting near the fountain while dipping her hand in the water.

I immediately rushed to her side and sat next to her, "Miss Faevyre, I am being followed by a thug. I think he wants to rob me." I said to her.

Faevyre perked up, "Oh?" She then did a quick scan and found the thug that was following me, who was now keeping a careful distance, "Yes... I see the rat. Were you not careful when paying a vendor?"

I lowered my head in shame. My father taught me this too, but I never got to do it in practice, so I forgot about handing money discreetly.

Faevyre looked at me and shook her head, "I understand. You were probably not used to this sum of money and forgot to be discreet, right?"

She was right on the money. Her experienced eyes saw through everything that happened.

While being dejected, I said, "Sorry..."

Faevyre shrugged, "I'm not blaming you, kid. It happens to the best of us sometimes. In any case, I could use some stretching, so this works out for me, too."

She stood up and stretched, "Let's go pick your father's ashes now. Hopefully, the rat would bring a few more rats, or this will be a boring trip."

That was the first time I'd ever heard anyone say something like that. The way she confidently said it brought me a strange sense of safety, knowing that Faevyre could handle even a group of thugs, let alone just a single one.

We headed back to my old house, soon exiting the plaza and entering the slums. The thug that was following us turned into two, and then three, and then five. When it reached five, the thugs seemed to have gotten some backbone, so they started approaching us rapidly, with obvious malicious intentions in their eyes.

Hidden beneath her hood, I could see Faevyre's beautiful face revealing a blood-chilling smile full of bloodlust. Her eyes shone with a predatory glint, like a cat that found mice.