Number 1, Koda and Dr Rath.
Leaving the other clones and Mr Original, Dr Rath and I move toward the western side of the city, several smaller houses and buildings populate this area and it appears to be more residential.
Entering into a massive square filled with trees and many large stalls selling an assortment of fresh foods, kitchen items and many more. It's basically a bazaar filled with anything the average people could want. Including their equivalent of fast street food.
There are several people teeming the bazaar, as it is just after midday they are many just chilling and having street food, some near us give us a quick glance before going back to chowing down or talking between each other.
We go through the markets looking through the stalls, Koda is keeping to my shadow and is communicating via text in voice chat which is kinda an oxymoron now that I think of it. We find several foods and stock up on plenty of foods for us.
We do end up running into Dr Rath’s cousins but after a short time we leave them and invite them back to the house some other time. There’s not much we find and while we did have some blimps on the Map of institute members but no one comes towards us.
We’re heading back now at about mid to late afternoon but there is nothing else to report on. Well, aside from the street food. Some of those skewers with that Upni Steak are to die for!
Number 2 - Library.
I head toward the library and after a few helpful directions and one strange guy who thought I was hired by his parents later, I end up at the city library.
It’s a large two story warehouse-like building made from wood and has several large windows where I can see several rows of bookshelves and tables. Entering the building I go up to a front desk and ask the receptionist there, a female Trax who has a reddish skin, two white horns, and brown hair.
“Hi, I’d like to start researching several topics here but I’ve only just arrived in the city so I’m not sure what to do here?”
“Sure, do you want to start researching immediately at one of the tables or do you want a private room?” she asks boringly
“Oh a room please, my research may take several days on a wide range of topics. This is my first time in such a large library!”
“Do you have a “Proof of ID” card? You’ll need one to borrow a room.”
“Ah, would this work?” I ask, handing over the papers that Dr Rath had shown the guards.
“Unfortunately no, you will need to either visit a government building, institute or adventurer building to process you a proof of ID card. But until then you are free to read anything in this library. Just no borrowing from it.”
“Ah rats, well that’ll be fine then. Anything I need to know before I head in? Any restricted sections or topics?”
“Nothing like that is stored here, just go on in whenever you're ready.”
“Cool, thanks for your time.”
Moving inside there are several tables and people sitting reading books, next to one of the walls looks to be an upright computer terminal. Moving over I can see it is a flat piece of vertical metal with opal carvings through it and a place where several cards are present that also have those opal carvings.
One notable feature of those carvings is the empty space in the shape of the square in the middle of the upright metal piece.
A large red crystal is present that looks like the memory crystal. Placing my hand on it I can feel a connection. After thinking of “Medical Textbooks” it slows a diagram of the library on that blank metal area and one of the cards glows.
Taking the card and turning it around it glows brighter in one direction, using it as a compass I walk along the rows and soon enough I come across a row filled with medical textbooks.
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Alright we know what to do, i’ll meet up with OG and get an ID card. In the meanwhile, let’s study.
Number 3 - Docks.
The docks are nothing to sneeze at, it’s near the CBD and has quite a few large ships. Several are cargo carrier types and several leisure and fishing crafts. Typical magi-tech types with one in particular having several levels that are free floating and rotating at different speeds above the first deck.
Quite a large amount of people are around and the map mode has had a few red Institute blimps, there must be several in the area so I’ve been keeping a wide berth. I keep walking for a few hours looking at the differences in docking, wharfs and more.
I did find something interesting, a covered path that leads down under the sea, not many people are going near it. I decide to ask around, asking one particular Elf who is the typical definition of a sailor, tall, rough, tattoos of some sea monster? and clean shaven.
“Excuse me mate, can I ask you a quick question?”
“Sure kid, what do you want?”
“I’m kinda new here, what’s that door and underwater path for?”
“You must be new, that’s the entrance to the Harden city, they live about 30 kilometres away, when they come on up to Land they’ll come up here. It’s quite a sight sometimes.”
“Huh, cheers mate.” Grunting he replies and then moves on.
I sit around for a moment and chill. I've seen all that I can see at the Docks and aside from some awesome looking ships there's not much, I’ve mapped out the area pretty well so I waited for a few hours to see if there was anything going to come through.
I did have a few tense moments where some Institute guys came past as close as 10 metres away but did not get any response aside from the odd passing glance.
Not long later I see it, the doors open and a Harden leaves it. It looks like a giant coral reef on about ten chitin covered legs that would not look out of place on a lobster. A giant walking lobster with a whole coral reef on its back.
There are some tubules whipping out of it that might be arms or, long, mouths?
Yeah aside from that freakazoid there's nothing else going on. Absolutely freaky.
Number 4 - Museum.
Museum! I love visiting museums, cool looking artefacts, local and world history dating back some 1000s of years. Got a bit lost on the way as I no doubt the others did but found it eventually, its a large looking sandstone building that has quite a few windows. Also quite a lot of those opal cravings along the walls and windows. Might be a security system?
Entering, there are several banners and a few people hanging around the lobby. Moving to what looks like a receptionist area, I walk up and ask the Human woman at the desk wearing a slim grey uniform with dark hair.
“Hi, I’m kinda new around here. Am I free to walk in and have a look?”
“Oh yes! Please go ahead, would you like a map?” “Yes, thank you! Um, do you also have a section about OutWorlders?”
“Yes, uh, second level, east wing.” “Awesome, thank you.” I say taking the map.
Heading upstairs and looking at the directions in several languages I find the OutWorlder wing, there is a treasure trove of information here! Different OutWorlder artefacts, maps of strange new worlds, even some taxidermied subjects... That’s kinda unnerving. Guess I know what I’m doing for the next few hours.
Number 5 - Crystal Guild.
After getting lost a bit I find the Crystal Guild building, it's massive. Several stories tall and as wide as a city block! And many, many crystal carvings embossed throughout it, more than any building I’ve seen so far.
Heading through the double doors I can see a large gem emblem over the door and inside there is a wide entryway that has a reception and a large amount of bookshelves lining the walls with several doors leading to other rooms and a stairwell leading upstairs.
The bookshelves are filled with either books or a mix or large and small crystals in different shapes and sizes. Moving up to the receptionist, an Elf man whos wearing long red robes and a symbol of the gem from out front on the robes.
“Hi, I’d like to start researching different crystals here but I’ve only just arrived in the city and kinda new at this so I’m not sure what to do here?”
“Sure, do you want to start researching immediately or join the Crystal Guild?” he asks.
“For now just research but maybe later for joining the guild.”
“Well to join the Guild you’ll need a “Proof of ID” card, I can give you a pamphlet that goes into how joining the guild works?”
“Ah, would this work?” I ask, handing over a second copy of the papers that Dr Rath had shown the guards.
“No, you will need to either visit one of the main buildings, government, institute or adventurer to give you a proof of ID card. But we don’t mind you reading the books we have here, there are many hobbyist Crystalists or researchers who come by.”
“No worries then, for now if I can grab a copy of that pamphlet I’ll start researching now if that’s OK with you?”
“Yes, sure go for it! I’ll be here if you have any questions.” “Thanks!”
Moving over to one of the shelves I see a book on Memory Crystals, guess I’ll start there.