1.40 I gotta send a letter._I Am Not The Main Character

The last stop of the day was the Post Office. It wasn't far. It was actually a few buildings down from the Adventurer's Guild. They had smaller booths at each cardinal entrance to the city, but the main operation was in the East.

It was probably one of the best displays of city planning in Milton. Though, that was probably due to Adventurers hating to walk too far to send a letter.

And what was between the Guild and the Post Office?

"Paddy's Pub."

"Sandy's Bar."

"Licorice Club."

"Look, there are two Bars in a row."

"And a Brewery with a samples section next to it."

"Are there even enough people Milton to occupy so many?"

"It is more about catering to certain crowds. Each bar has a different atmosphere, and adventuring teams like to claim a spot as regulars. Same with species. I went to the Lamia hangout once with some friends, and we were the only people in there. It was weird. Anyway. They're all lined up in a row because of pub crawls. Anyone who comes home after a particularly harrowing or rewarding adventure goes on a pub crawl.

"Does beer taste good? I never wanted to try drinking because people in my books always seem to hate themselves afterward. Isn't it a type of poison?"

"No... Yes? Well. You're not wrong, Violet. I tried drinking, but I wouldn't say I liked it. All Lamia drinks are really strong because we weigh a lot, and they taste like liquid fireballs. My friend Daniel says that they make fruity drinks where he works. He's a human, by the way. "

"Would I even be able to drink? You mentioned weight, but I don't weigh anything."

"Lucky..."

"What was that?"

"I said luckily they have drinks for just about everyone. A traditional Lamia beverage would likely floor you. And a sip of a Minotaur ale might kill you."

Violet and Emmy both shivered.

"Is it that bad?"

"Don't know. I don't want to try it. Daniel says to stay away from the stuff."

"Did you guys know beer became popular because it was cleaner and less disease-ridden than water?"

"Really? I didn't know that."

"Yeah. Back before water could be cleaned and filtered... or cleansed by magic, alcohol was the easiest way to hydrate while staving off disease."

"I thought people drank it to party and be happy."

"It's actually a depressant. It dulls senses, limits inhibition, and generally makes people sadder. Most people mistake their lacking inhibitions for having fun since they don't feel apprehension or guilt from their actions or words. That's why drunk people are more confident even when they slur their word and are falling over their own feet.."

"That makes so much sense!"

"So is drinking worth it, Daire?"

"That is a tough question. Drinking can be fun under the right circumstances and can be a good way to unwind after a long day, but you shouldn't make it a habit. All I can say is that you should drink responsibly. Know your limits, stick to them, and have a friend take you home after. "

"Huh. The more you know."

Inside the Post Office.

Daire sent three letters. One was an open letter to be transmitted whenever the recipient checked for mail. It was a long shot if it would ever be opened, which was the only reason it was so inexpensive. Usually, to have messages transmittable throughout the Kingdom would cost a small fortune. Since he wasn't in a hurry, it only cost a gold coin to be put on a back-burner.

The second was arguably more important and would come into play much sooner. It didn't hold any critical information to be deciphered by Openers or anyone else who would try intercepting his letter. Openers, ironically, were an open secret. If you paid the right price, then couriers would allow the information they carried to be leaked or even lost.

In some cases, it could be altered.

For example, an intelligence report saying an approaching horde of monsters would arrive in two weeks could be altered to say three weeks. The report would still have the official seal and stamp, but no one would know the information was wrong until it was too late. If tampering were suspected, it would take time and money to track it down.

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This was rare. Mainly because the Post Office needed to uphold its reputation and tried not to take sides. It took a lot of money, significant influence, or a rogue Opener to even consider such an option.

The sad part was that many Openers were officially sanctioned because of the ongoing war. The war had simmered to the occasional skirmish or act of piracy, but that didn't stop the ruling class from using it as an excuse to root out spies, traitors, or schemers.

The importance of this grew because information is what Daire specializes in. The Post Office was a hub for others like him. Competition.

If people are dealing in information, people are willing to buy it, steal it, sabotage it, erase it, and kill for it. Daire wouldn't be attacked for his knowledge, as people in the profession were respected with a type of gentlemens' code.

Or thief's honor.

On the contrary, as long as Daire toed the line, the Post Office acts as a helpful mediator. People would seek him out if they knew he had information important to them, and that was okay. He could control who came to him. He was betting on it.

The likely hood of someone opening his letters at random were nil. In case someone did open his second letter, all they would find was mention of an old friend wanting to catch up and a warning not to drink too hard. Anyone reading it would find it benign and boring dribble. It wasn't coded with a cipher, and it wasn't a puzzle to be figured out. It was a simple greeting in the hope of correspondence... To anyone except the recipient, that is.

Daire made sure the destination was fixed. Too soon would be bad. Too late would be worse.

1.40 I gotta send a letter.

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