Chapter 5: Inquiry

Several hours later and with a good long rest(surprised he could still sleep like normal.... maybe), Makino goes to the clerk station at the ground floor, inquiring him for something he need.

"Good day there, Mister." Makino greeted him.

"Oh!! Noble Sir!! What I can help you with?" The clerk still quite nervously asked him for what he need.

Makino, still puzzled to this reaction, but he can't asked yet on why as it would it probably that he would stand out in that behaviour. He can't attract unwanted attention.

((Yeah....(; ))

"Can I ask you on where would be the library- No!- information centre here? Place where I can find information on what I needed here in the area." He almost managed to pull that off calmly thankfully, in flat monotone.

"Oh! Uh... The Information Query Centre. Sure. I can help you with that, sir. It was on the Saelit Sector, on the corner of Seru Crossroads." The clerk delivered him on the information.

"Sector? Crossroads?" Makino whispered.

The clerk almost see him getting puzzled on the terms that he used on the address, but Makino had an idea.

"Can you give a map of the place that I a looking at. Also for the whole place." He asked

"Yes. Gladly, sir." The clerk happily obliged.

Makino felt quite relieved, until the clerk put up a crystal ball.

"Please put you hand on the Script Projecter."

Makino was almost got puzzled on this, but obliged and put his hand on the crystal ball. The clerk also put his hand on the opposite of the crystal ball where Makino's hand was placed. The clerk's hand started to glow up and to this view, Makino was startled.

The crystal ball started to project light and by the second, it concentrated and transformed into a floating screen. The clerk started to scroll for information in the screen to look for the maps. While he was doing this, Makino was reminded of the time when their Magistoid allies also used this kind of tool. It did helped in mapping the areas that we needed to go for the offensive. By that thought, he goes in a bit deep state of regret. If he just tried to connect to them, he might've not has problems regarding in the changing the past. Regret is forming.

Ding!

A bell chime is heard from the Script Projector, signalling the that the information they're looking for is found.

"Here's the maps for greater Saelit and Bardil Sector where this apartment is."

"And here... is the Information Query Centre." The clerk pointed to a spot of the map and a red dot is marked to it.

"It's not really that far from here, but I advise that you take a Merandi to get there." The clerk said.

Merandi. Right, that's one of the Magistoid terms that he managed to glean over the years that they rallied with Ardugo's team, some of it. Their term for vehicles here with other terms being attached to the word to signify other functions and use. We also had those that was used for military use when we go on a counter offensive missions.

'Sigh.' He let out a mental sigh, lamenting the opportunities that could arise, if he just listened.

"And some other maps of the other sectors near here that we have that you could use if you wanted to venture through them." The clerk said as he presented other maps through a projection.

"I'm gonna send them in now, sir."

"Wha-" Before he could say something, the projections flowed down the crystal ball and it started to eminate light on it. Before Makino could think of anything of it, the light flowed through his hand on the crystal ball and with that, his head started to be filled with information, the maps that he requested was being imported to his head. After a second, the transfer was complete and the crystal ball goes dormant. He let go of his hand out of the apparatus, quite shocked.

Stolen novel; please report.

"You have now what you needed for your trip. Hope it was satisfactory for you, sir." The clerk hoping that he made a good impression on him.

Makino was immediately cut off from his daze after the transfer and thanked the clerk.

"Thank you. It's a great help." Makino was still feeling strange from that, but he felt it was like that tingle of information that was being implanted in his head on certain situations.

'Is that what it is? Or it was like what happened earlier?' He thought.

"Thank you for your patronage, noble sir." The clerk happily concluded the business.

Makino turned around as he walked to the exit.

"Altor. Just call me Altor." Makino said for clarification. Still wasn't feeling good for using that name even at the positive response within him.

"Have a safe trip, Sir Altor." The clerk said while Makino is leaving the building.

Makino started his journey to the Centre as he walked away from the apartment that he is in. As he walked, he tried to figure out how to access the map he was given. As he concentrate, a flash of light shone from above his visor that looks like an indicator light. Just like the crystal ball earlier, it flash a projection of the map that he was given, now with an indicator mark on where he is.

"Looks convenient. So this is where I was. Looks like the Centre wasn't really that far." He said.

He looked at the road with many vehicles running around. The clerk did said to him that even though it's not far, he might need to ride one of them to get to his destination. The problem is, he didn't know if he can ride one of them like what you do in a public transportation. He had to observe a little if he can really do that.

Then he saw on what looks like a waiting shed (bit weird looking, but still recognizable) with a lot of Magistoids there waiting. He also saw a Merandi coming to it's way, he now know where to go.

He walked there to wait for the Merandi. When he arrived, he was seen by the many ordinary looking Magistoids waiting for the ride in puzzling confusion and awe, asking why he was here taking a public transport. This didn't escape from Makino's attention, seeing their reactions resembling those of the clerk, still wondering on what on earth going on here. Why are they looking at him like that in confusion. Then he looked at himself, comparing to the other Magistoids and recognized a thing from it: he was very tall. He was quite tall compared to the rest of them. That must be the reason of their reactions, he thought. As he pondered on that reason, the Merandi came and everyone came in, including him. Some of them saw me and did he didn't expected.

"N-noble Sir! Here's a seat for you. Here." One Magistoid offered a seat to him.

Confusion still bothers him, but he has no choice but to comply to the offer, as he seated, he was getting deep in his thoughts on what is happening and on the term that they always giving them to him.

'Noble Sir? I heard that for several times this day. What on earth did that mean? And seriously, what's with this treatment when they see me. Is it because I'm quite tall? Could that be? But was Noble Sir means?' Makino is now deep in his thoughts as the Merandi take off.