The figure looked at them expressionless, which disappointed Velvet. She was starting to understand why some mages joined the Arena just to see a normal face.

“I… no?” The figure ended up saying.

“You’re no fun.” He then leaned over to Velvet. “Anyway, I’m done here, but I had fun, so I’ll give you something… well, not me. I have a friend that has an alchemy set she doesn’t use. I can present you to her.” Raising up, he started walking.

“Wait, wait!” Velvet went after him. “Where?”

“Guess.” They went to the market street, so Velvet had to pay special attention to not lose him.

“... Hey now, I’m not following a strange man anywhere. I’m not that dumb.” Thinking a bit, she added. “But Udulluay is supervising everything…”

The flutter of wings sounded upon pronouncing the name. Udulluay appeared, flying until posing himself on the stranger’s head.

“Ah.” Velvet tried to contain her laugh.

“Have you forgotten you have claws?” He complained, but made no motion to shoo him away.

“Udulluay is not pressing his claws.”

“Udulluay, can this man be trusted? He says he has a friend in a basement with a free alchemy set.”

“That’s not what Udulluay heard him say. But Udulluay understands irony.” He separated his wings to balance himself better upon the man’s head. The fact that Udulluay was so different from the cloaked figures made following them easier. “Udulluay knows everything that’s happening on the Mergifari. If someone were to break the rules, Udulluay would notice.”

“Even then, outside the Mergifari, you shouldn’t follow strangers into basements.” The owl finished.

“I wasn’t going to do that…” Velvet said, feeling scolded for something she wasn’t going to do.

The man grabbed Udulluay carefully, in a way it almost made her remember when the kids at the orphanage grabbed ducks to show them to her.

That allowed Velvet to see the big claws that the owl had. It almost made her own head hurt. He then wrapped Udulluay under his arm, like a half hug, half hold.

“Here, a packaged owl.” He kept walking, carrying the owl.

“Are we even allowed to touch him…?” Udulluay didn’t look too bothered, but Velvet wasn’t sure of an owl’s expressions. She did notice him opening and closing his empty claws slowly, which made her take a step back.

“Why? Do you want to carry him?”

“... No thanks.”

He shrugged. They kept on walking for a while, until arriving at a shop with a closed door. The outside had gears and pipes making three words.

Repairs and upgrades.

“Huh, I remember passing this shop days ago, but it was always closed. A friend said it was because of limited access.”

Some shops had a list of clients, and didn’t sell to anyone that wasn’t already in one.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“She’s almost always inside, but you need a password… Here, hold the Udulluay.” He passed the owl to Velvet.

“W-wait!” She ended up grabbing him like a hamburger, while he started touching the gears and pipes.

“Do not drop Udulluay.” The owl said.

“I know…” She moved her hands to hold him better. “Why are you so spongy…? I mean, is it fine if I hold you like this?”

She saw Udulluay turning his face upside down, not answering the question.

Hey now, it’s not my fault, he gave you to me…

The door made some mechanical noises, opening. Velvet was going to give Udulluay back to him, but he entered the shop.

“That was on purpose, wasn’t it?!” She followed suit, also entering.

The shop was like the one Velvet visited the first day, but without exploding. There was a workbench in the middle, with some metal pieces on top. There were also parts, gears and tools on it, with some on the floor. They were classified by size, from real big tools that Velvet would need two hands to lift, to tools so small she needed an augmentation glass to manage using them.

A voice rang deep in the shop. “Who is it now? I have no appointments until tomorrow.”

“Guess.”

“So it’s you. What have you done now?”

He really does the guess thing all the time…

A figure came toward them, putting a wrench on the table. “... Who is this? Say guess and you’re eating the wrench.”

“It’s free labor.”

“Not free, you said I would get an alchemy set.” Velvet intervened.

“... And you followed a stranger to a place just for that? Do you know how dangerous that is?”

“... You’re the third person to tell me that. And I was the first. I did it because I had Udulluay.” She raised the owl, showing it to the mechanic.

“... Why are you carrying him like that?”

“I don’t know. He is not really complaining…”

“Udulluay only complains when a rule is broken.” The owl said.

The mechanic looked at Velvet in silence, before shaking her head. “Anyway, I don’t need help.”

“She’s from the Knowledge Paradigm.” He started. “And you only need to give an alchemy set that you aren’t using.”

That made the figure stop, seemingly pondering for a bit.

“... Knowledge Paradigm, huh… That’s handy.”

“I am also a very diligent worker.” Velvet said. She didn’t mind working for something, also, she could learn some crafting skills. “As long as I get the alchemy set before the Mergifari’s opening, I’m fine.”

“I need to search for it first… Where are you going?”

“Hm? My job here is done, I’m going to eat.” The man said, already at the door.

“You have no job… Huh, food.” She seemed to remember something, and the man used that to get away from the shop.

“You haven’t eaten anything in twelve hours.” Udulluay said.

“I can cook something if there’s a kitchen here.” Velvet offered, finally deciding on setting Udulluay on the clear part of the table.

“On the second floo- Aren’t you being too casual about this? Being put to work suddenly?”

“Hm? Oh, I guess it may seem so. But I prefer to be doing something than to be waiting, I get bored easily.” Velvet climbed the stairs, going to the kitchen. “Also I was getting lonely, so having some place to visit everyday doesn’t bother me.”

Compared to the workshop, it was very small, but at least there were enough ingredients to cook.

“Carrots, beans, lamb… Oh, you even have spices!”

“I guess… Ugh, don’t make me say that word. I’m going to search for some blueprints for you to memorize, I have some repairs that are becoming a shameful presence…”

“And find the alchemy set!”

“Do not rush that much, first show me how you work.”

“Well, you only have to explain things to me once, for starters! Just tell me what tool is what and for what is used, the following steps I can learn by watching you!”

“Do not be so cocky, Knowledge Paradigm means you can get the theory part down with ease, but practice is another whole other thing.”

“I know I know. I won't disappoint you!”