James looked again at his stats. Sure enough, he saw that summoning magic had been added to his list of skills but the MP cost was outrageous, draining over half his mana in one go. If this was just to summon a dog, how much more would it be to summon a mermaid or something larger?

Resolving to increase his mana in the near future, James took Napoleon back to the apartment where he sprawled out on the couch and soon fell asleep with the fluffy pooch resting on his chest like a warm heavy blanket. He awoke to find that his new companion had peed in the corner of the room but to him it didn't matter because he wasn't planning to come back. After trying to use the shower and discovering that the water wasn't working, he left the building and began looking for a body of water to bathe in. As he walked Napoleon quickly fell behind him, having none of his sense of purpose and urgency. Considering it was still young and had probably never been trained, it was understandable.

"Come on, Napoleon!"

The dog only continued to sniff the street and take its time. Wondering if he would have to leave the dog behind, James decided to put the dog in one of the many abandoned buildings. Leaving him enough food and water, he continued on past the residential areas and further into the city. After about half an hour of walking he came across a grocery store, which prompted him to apply his usual hoarding habits and take as much as he could, leaving only the things that were spoiled. This gave him several cases of water bottles, but he didn't use them yet since he knew cleaning himself would most likely be a waste of clean drinking water. He then came across a library, and after a brief pause was running his hand along the spine covers of the books, sending them straight to his inventory to join his pile of loot. He did sit down at a table and read some basic science books, since much of the magic theories he had read so far had involved a basic understanding of physical laws. The Biot-Savart law, the casualty principle, even Maxwell relations were quickly crammed into his skull. He also noticed a change when he opened his status screen out of habit and discovered that he had increased his intelligence stat. He also gained a Scholar skill, which apparently made him able to study better by five percent. While not much, he still seized every advantage he could.

When he was ready, he left the library but found some large rats skulking around the city. They reminded him of the rodents from The Princess Bride. Approaching them, they quickly scurried off so he just shrugged and resolved to report it to the guild. With that, he headed back and soon stepped into the guild. He was met by the bunny beastwoman Leniala, who smiled when she saw it was him but quickly wrinkled her nose. Resolving to very quickly throw himself into a river, James stepped up to the counter.

"Do you have any information for me?"

"Yes" the woman answered, privately resolving to leave New West at the first opportunity. "For your first request, I wasn't able to find much, since most people want to summon and don't care about reversing their summons. For your second request, we have an information packet here for you. And as for books, we have several here for you."

James nodded and paid what he owed, receiving a thick and several books, although none of them were about magic. In this new world he lived in without printing presses, the price of the books were high but there were also very few of them. Who would want to give up not only a source of information but an indicator of wealth in a world where paper could be traded for silvers? Thanking the receptionist, he left the guild and began walking towards the edge of the city after he collected Napoleon.

"Come on, boy! Let's go jump in a river! I need a bath!"

James stopped. For a moment he had smiled at the dog. But how could he when he still didn't have Jessica back? He recognized at that moment that part of him wanted to remain miserable; to stay obsessed with finding her and bringing her back. Taking a deep breath, he scratched Napoleon's neck and behind his ears, telling himself that while he still wanted to be driven towards reuniting with Jessica it was still okay to find joy in small moments like these.

He stepped past a tall office block that appeared to have been sliced down the middle as the offices abruptly ended and were replaced with rugged terrain. Finding a brook, he quickly took a bath while Napoleon swam in the water. Having finished his bath, he quickly dried himself and then found a place to sit down where he could keep watch on his surroundings before he pulled out the information packet and began to read.

He learned that the Gravitus family was led by a grandfather who had two sons and five grandsons. Four now since he had killed Uselius. He learned that they had ties to other noble houses through marriage, and their position was high enough for Uselius to have been given command of Sagaste, which was two week's ride on horseback away from the capital. They were also a family of warriors who had proven themselves in a previous war enough to earn their noble status. From there they had expanded into trade and married into other houses until they became a house of rich barons. They also had an estate in the royal capital of Aldren, along with several ships. The more he read, the more he realized how rich the family was. As he finished reading, he read in the notes that the family had begun in a foreign land before they had either fled or betrayed their former kingdom. The truth was lost, for the kingdom they had formerly served had since been destroyed and its lands turned into a desolate waste. Still, it did give him a small window into the family's history.

Considering his next move carefully, James knew he could not just march into the royal capital. He was just one man, and with the family's extensive history there was no doubt that they had many cards to play that he didn't know about. Garbi's summoning magic and his boasting was proof of that. Should he try and stir up the flames of war with a neighboring kingdom? No, that wouldn't do. He wanted answers from Gravitus, and that would only cause a meaningless war with pointless bloodshed. Assassinating the family wouldn't do either, for many of them could be innocent and killing them wouldn't give him information to freeing Jessica. Money? No, they wouldn't give away their family secrets for the promise of wealth, not when they were already as wealthy as he knew them to be. But was there a way to make them need him; a way to ensure that they gave him the information he needed not out of willingness but out of fear or need?

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He rechecked the information and saw that they were constantly at odds with two other familys. The Parnasius family, and the Oceanala. So how could he make use of that? Was that even the right way?

Then he abruptly concluded that he might be almost sitting on the answer. Looking back at New West, he headed back with Napoleon. The dog clearly didn't know the meaning of haste, so after some thought he made a tough decision and found another owner for the dog who could take better care of him. He already knew that he would be travelling a lot, and his road was no place to raise a pet in. After giving the dog to a young man who promised to take care of him, James quickly began ransacking every residential place he could find. He kept what he could use, but mostly he was looking for jewelry. Rings, necklaces, earrings, and hairpins. He even found an abandoned jewelry store that somehow had either not been found or had not been raided yet and quickly fixed that problem. He also looked for makeup, fine clothes like dresses and shoes, and other things that would appeal to women. When Jessica came back to him, she would have enough jewels and fine clothes to wear new outfits and gems every day for a year. Already he could hear in his ears her earlier comments about finding the right outfit and color to match. As he went he organized his inventory to be able to retrieve the items better. He estimated that by now he had enough to fill at least three warehouses. Luckily most people he had met so far seemed busy on levelling up or caring for their families, because James understood that very soon people would start to miss the things from their old world.

Days later he figured he finally had enough jewels to cover the Statue of Liberty. Having sorted and organized them, he next concerned himself with his own appearance. Examining the clothes he had taken from the Gravitus', he eventually visited a tailor and had several outfits designed for him. While he simply could have stolen a suit none of them had the rich embroidery work that was popular in this world. Next, he sat down in one of the many deserted places he found and taking out some paper and pen, he began to write in a flowing, elegant script.

To the Lady Cresida of House Gravitas;

James then sat back and thought. How should he word this?

My travels have taken me through your fair kingdom. As a purveyor of fine things and an appreciator of finer things, I hope to impose on your hospitality when I visit the capital in a week's time. Having been graciously refused by the Oceanala's Lady Turine, it is my hope that you will accept the enclosed gift and will consider my request, as well as the other treasures that I hope the fair lady will consider in the near future.

Signed;

Leopold of Hungary

James wondered if this would work. The letter was short, but it implied that he had been turned away by her rivals, and if he could offer Cresida fine things she could not get elsewhere like jewelry and makeup, it could possibly lead to a way into her household and perhaps even the house of her father. With the opportunity to gain an advantage over her enemies and potentially gain envy from her husband or even the royal court, it was a soft method that potentially avoided bloodshed while gaining a foothold into the Gravitus'.

Letting the ink dry, James made sure the envelope was perfumed, as he had once heard that past civilizations had done this and wanted to at least appear as a person considerate of elegance and social norms. He then packaged his gift and after finding a courier he had the gift sent off. Left with time to kill, he made his way through the city, searching for more supplies. When he came across a hospital, he struggled for the first time. What if someone came along and needed the equipment and supplies that were here?

Then he saw that his worries were meaningless. For how could a hospital even be operated without electricity? How could he use the supplies? In the end, he just took some disinfectant supplies, some basic surgical tools, and a few other things like insulin and some syringes. Nothing major to disrupt hospital operations, but enough to apply emergency first aid if he ever needed it. For him, what was most important was bring prepared for anything. With that mindset, he also raided a pharmacy and then a university to plunder some school supplies and university textbooks. He might not be a doctor or surgeon, but he would carry the knowledge with him of how to carry out those procedures and diagnoses.

The next week was spent without a moment wasted. When he wasn't sleeping he was reading books of magic and rereading magical theory. He practiced his skills, developed new ones, collected his new clothes from the tailor, and made sure to purchase a horse. When enough time had passed, he left New West and headed out through the lands, riding straight for the capital city of Aldren.

In Aldren, Lady Cresida received James' letter. Intrigued by the brief note, she opened the box the letter came with and was astounded by what she saw. A gold armband done in a delicate leaf design. A simple but elegant tiara. Earrings set with pearls. A ring set with a gem larger than her wedding ring. And a pendant of a black dragon curled around a silver sword.

How was this done? What craftsman was responsible for this? Captivated by the beauty of the gift, she called her maids over and made plans to meet this Leopold when he arrived.