The cat girl sniffed at our scents and her whiskers twitched as she cringed at our collective smell. "You used too much soap!" she complained. "You all smell like roses and lilacs," she added while backing away from us. Bila hissed when we laughed at her.

I activated my Spirit Sense to confirm that no one with a malevolent aura was standing nearby. It took a moment for me to look at the individual auras but I saw nothing out of the ordinary. "Spirit sense SUCCESSFUL. +100 XP." Then I used Navigation Sense to call forth the map of London in my mind. I had a general idea of where to go but nonetheless, I preferred to consult the map.

"I'll take the lead," Rijana offered and stepped ahead of me.

"That's fine," I agreed readily. Since she was a mage and more familiar with London than I was, Rijana would know where the Magic Guild was located. Thus, I was confident that we will not get lost under her guidance.

Van walked to my left while Bila walked to my right. The two elven siblings and the nun walked behind me.

It took a good 20 minutes for us to navigate through the busy streets of the city but we finally reached the mage tower, which loomed over the surrounding buildings.

"Navigation sense SUCCESSFUL. +100 XP." I deactivated the mental map and cleared up the in-game message.

We followed Rijana into the tower and then reached out to hold each other's hand.

Rijana invoked a power word and teleported us directly to the entrance of the Magic Shop.

When the world stopped spinning around me, I released my hold on Van and Bila.

Rijana walked toward an employee inside the store and said, "We would like to purchase a scroll of Gate and Recall."

"Please follow me," the young man dressed in a light tan robe replied. He walked across the room, expertly navigating past patrons and shelves alike, toward a set of cabinets leaning against the left wall of the shop. He approached the cabinet on the right end. The worker whispered a special word to release the magical ward guarding the cabinet. Then he opened the top drawer and started searching. A moment later, he pulled out two scrolls.

"How much are they?" I asked.

"The Gate scrolls costs 500 gold while the Recall scroll costs 150 gold," the employee replied.

I winced at the high sticker price for Gate. However, given that it was a Ninth-Tier spell, I should have expected it.

Rijana saw the look on my face and giggled. "I'm buying the Gate scroll," she said. "I made sure to bring my money when I went home last night," she explained. "Surely, you're carrying 150 gold, right?"

I remembered the sack of 200 gold coins that I had received from Saint John a few days ago as a reward for resolving the tragedy of the disappearing orphans. I spent 50 coins to purchase a Ring of +1 Wisdom from Rijana. I still had 150 gold coins remaining in the sack. Apparently, Rijana was thinking of the same thing because she was grinning at me.

"Yes, I have it," I nodded. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to buy any other scrolls right now. But if I can add Recall to my spellbook, I could return to London or even Southampton to bargain hunt at the Magic Bazaar for cheaper scrolls in the future. I untied the money sack and handed it to the employee. "Here's 150 gold," I announced.

The worker placed the bag on a counter and started counting the coins. A few minutes later, he nodded. "I counted 150 gold," he confirmed and then handed me the scroll holder containing the Recall scroll.

I immediately placed my purchase in my sack.

Rijana took out a red gemstone.

The employee removed a wand from his waist and pointed the wand at the stone. "Identify!" he commanded. A blue aura enveloped the gemstone. The worker looked at something in front of his face and nodded. "The stone is worth 500 gold coins," he confirmed and then handed the scroll holder containing the Gate scroll to her.

"May I help you find something else?" the young man inquired politely.

I waved my hand. "Nope, I'm good!"

Rijana shook her head and hid her smile.

"Thank you for your patronage!" The employee bowed deeply to us as we left the shop.

Once we returned to the hallway, my magic instructor held up her hand. "I understand your desire to visit Oxford and locate the next Ph'laen Ruins immediately. To get there, we have two options right now: First, we could travel on foot; it will take almost a week, depending on the weather. Second, we could arrange for passage through the Gate spell with the Magic Guild. But it will cost 50 gold pieces."

The eyes of my party turned toward me. It will be my decision and my responsibility to pay if I chose passage through a Gate spell.

I shook my head and winced. "It's very silly to pay so much for someone to cast the spell when you're carrying a Gate scroll already."

"I agreed," Rijana nodded. "Would you consider a detour?" she asked.

My eyebrows rose. "Go on." I was definitely intrigued by the notion.

"After you copy Recall into your spellbook, you can cast the spell to take us to Tregome, which has a local church. Then we cross the bridge and visit the Village of Kalistra, where we will train at the dojo until I earn enough experience to reach Level 17. After I learn Gate, I will cast it to take us to Oxford," she suggested.

"Will it take you a week to earn the experience needed to reach Level 17?" Bjoukia asked. Evidently, the elven fighter realized that time will be the deciding factor for us.

"No, it won't."

"And you'll get to visit The Noble Lady, check in on Yanbrie, and keep your promise to Kuerten Paget, too," Bjoukin pointed out.

"You'll also have the opportunity to learn an advanced sword technique at the dojo. That's killing three birds with one stone," Van remarked with approval.

"I wouldn't mind training at your dojo myself," Bila admitted.

I turned my attention toward Sister Waverly. She was the only person who hadn't spoken. "Any thoughts?"

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"I'm fine with the detour," the nun said with a smile. "I'm on a one week sabbatical from the convent."

"Very well. That's what we'll do. I need to visit Saint John and let him know that I'm leaving the city," I noted. "You guys can return to The Big Oak Tree and clean out your guest rooms."

Waverly shook her head. "You were targeted by an assassin when you left the church," she reminded me. "It would be better if the rest of us waited outside the church and check the surroundings for assassins. If we stick around, they may be less likely to ambush you again knowing that we will intervene."

"Agreed," Bila nodded.

"Okay, then let's go to the church." I waited inside the mage tower until my bodyguards signaled that it was safe for me to leave. I activated my Spirit Sense to double check and saw no malevolent auras in my vicinity. Once I joined my companions outside the building, Van led the way across the city to return to Westminster Abbey.

As usual, I took a deep breath when I saw the amazing looking building. With a nod to my companions, I entered the church grounds with Van. But this time, I did not see Gael, the young, personal assistant of Saint John the Kind. I had to draw the attention of another cleric nearby and said, "Brother, I'm seeking an audience with Saint John. Do you know where he may be currently?"

The older man, who wore a white robe with a red cross on his chest, eyed my necklace. "Yes, Brother. Please follow me." To my surprise, the cleric led us down a flight of stairs to the basement. He then walked down the hallway until we reached a set of iron doors.

There were two knights guarding it. Gael was also waiting in front of the doors.

"Brother Mulligan is seeking an audience with Saint John," my guide announced.

The guard on the right looked up at my caption and saw that I was on the saint's approved list of visitors. He took out a key and unlocked the door. He then opened it for us to enter.

"Please go inside," the guide said and bowed slightly to us.

I reciprocated and then entered the room. To my surprise, the place was a crypt! I was in a room with a casket placed at the very center. Despite the stale air, the place was not dusty. There were torch holders on the walls providing illumination.

I took a moment to appreciate the significance of the casket in this room. I remembered that back in my own world, British kings and queens were often buried in chapels and abbeys. Thus, it was likely that an important person was inside this casket.

I bowed respectfully to the casket and then walked into the next room. This time, there were several caskets but Saint John wasn't here either. I continued walking until I finally found the saint. He was on his knees and praying in front of another casket.

Unlike the other caskets that I had seen, which were made of marble or iron, or painted in gold on the exterior and heavily adorned with beautiful carvings, this casket in the room was simple. It was plain looking and made of wood.

Van and I waited respectfully until the saint was finished with his prayer.

Finally, the old man opened his eyes. Due to bad hips, Saint John struggled to return to his feet. We quickly helped him by lifting him under his shoulders. "Thank you, Brothers," he said with a kind smile. "This casket belonged to my predecessor, Saint Paul the Faithful. I come down here to visit him periodically and ask for his spiritual guidance," he explained. "So, why have you decided to visit this old man?" he smiled faintly.

"We will be leaving London today," I announced and bowed deeply to him.

The cleric's brows rose. "I see." A part of him had secretly hoped that I will be staying beyond the week so that he could assign more church-related tasks to the two of us. After all, he viewed us as highly capable agents of the Church and often, there were more missions than competent agents available to accept them. But apparently, Lady Musa had a different plan for us and her divine plans superseded any design from her servant, the saint. "May I ask where you will go to next?" the cleric inquired in a respectful manner.

I nodded. I didn't think he would be angry at us for leaving London so soon. Sure enough, he reacted as I had expected. "Eventually, we will visit Oxford to locate the final set of ruins. But before that, we plan to visit Tregome and then cross the bridge to visit Kalistro and train at my master's dojo," I said.

"Kalistro? Is that a village or a town? I'm not familiar with it," the saint remarked. The man took pride in his personal knowledge of the cities, towns, and villages in the Kingdom of Merlin but Saint John was irked that he had no recollection of a place named "Kalistro."

I smiled. "Kalistro is a new village established by Kalistra, Headmaster of the Butterfly School of Swordsmanship," I explained with growing pride at my master.

"I see." Saint John remembered reading a troubling letter from Bishop Canterbury regarding the expulsion of the dojo from Tregome. The villagers blamed the school for luring the red dragon, Hleandros, to the town. Kalistra took her students across the bridge to the east of Tregome and founded a new village across the river from Tregome.

While the saint was troubled by this development, he was happy that the school was still nearby and could render aid if Tregome was ever attacked by monsters. In addition, the new village was another source of revenue for the church via taxes and tithes. Thus, it was still an acceptable outcome and he ultimately permitted the church to grant the charter to establish the new Village of Kalistro.

Suddenly, the church leader turned his attention toward Van. "Can you leave the two of us alone? I need to talk privately with Brother Mulligan," he requested.

The paladin bowed deeply and began to walk back to the exit.

I looked at the old man with concern. However, he only smiled at me politely.

Saint John waited until he heard the door shut. "Now then, I have something important to ask you directly. Please remember that you are a holder of a truth stone and as such, you carry enormous obligations."

I nodded.

"Did you know about Sister Waverly?"

"What do you mean?"

"That she is the human avatar of our divine, benevolent goddess, Lady Musa?"

I nodded.

"And you chose her to accompany you on your journey despite this knowledge?"

I nodded again.

"Why?"

I took a deep breath. I had to provide a reasonable explanation to Saint John without offending him. "Two reasons. First, my mission to unlock the Ph'laen Ruins is not related to the Church and I didn't feel comfortable asking you for a healer who could resurrect the dead," I said.

His brows rose. "Who do you expect to die during the mission?" he asked with concern.

I pointed a finger at myself.

Saint John stared at me for a long moment. "I lack the information necessary to question your judgment, Brother Mulligan. You do what you must to ensure the success of your mission as well as your personal safety. Now what's the second reason?" he pressed me.

"I originally unlocked the quest by accompanying the human avatar of Jasla, the daughter of Bane. I thought it would be most prudent if I had the human avatar of another goddess to accompany me to close out my quest," I explained. I didn't add that Jasla was the daughter of Musa and therefore, it was fitting for the mother to close out the quest began by the daughter.

The old cleric stared at me again. Then he made an unexpected request. "Brother Mulligan, please show me your divine marks."

I immediately rolled up my sleeves and showed him my forearms. I was carrying the brands of six gods and goddesses in total: Bane, Musa, Luck, Gaea, Jasla, and Leonus.

Saint John examined my brands closely and then he sighed. "If Lady Musa has agreed to company you on your quest, then I must do my utmost to support her decision. In that vein, is there anything you need from the Church?" he asked.

I smiled broadly. "I could use a few potions of mana," I answered. I was going to buy a few before leaving London. Thus, I really appreciated the saint's offer.

He nodded. "Please ask Gael to get a handful of mana potions for you. You may leave." He waved his hand.

So dismissed by Saint John, I bowed deeply to him. I quietly returned to the exit and left the crypt. I saw Gael and turned toward him. "Saint John has asked you to get a handful of mana potions for me. I will wait for you at the exit out of the abbey," I said.

The boy bowed and immediately ran up the stairs.

I then turned toward Van and said, "Let's wait for the boy at the exit."

The paladin did not ask what I had discussed with the saint. He realized that the subject matter was probably beyond his responsibilities. Van led me up the stairs. We slowly walked through the hallway and nodded politely at the clergymen and visitors who walked past us. We stopped and waited patiently near the exit.

It took about 10 minutes for Gael to return; he held 4 mana potions in his hands.

"Thank you, Gael," I said as I took the precious potions from him. I placed them in my potions bag.

The boy bowed deeply and left.

"Let me check outside," Van said quietly.

I nodded. As Van looked around for possible assassins, I activated my Magic Sense and Spirit Sense. I did not find any would-be assassins nearby. "Magic sense SUCCESSFUL. +25 XP. Spirit sense SUCCESSFUL. +25 XP."

Van motioned for me to come out. Together we crossed the street and rejoined our companions.