We rode the elevator to the third floor. Nero ushered us into a workshop lab. Arbitrium devices in several states of assembly were strewn on the workbenches.
"You came in at the right time," the young man said. "I was working on a batch of new Arbitrium. We need about two hundred of these ready to ship next week."
He explained that young adults usually bought one such device as a rite of passage. The device allowed them to use the cards and earn perks like Classes, Skills, and summon equipment. It was also needed to enter Dungeons and fight monsters inside.
"I would love to show you their inner workings but I'm rather busy as you can see."
"We can help," Garfield said. "Both Haru and I have some technical expertise. We can make it worth your time."
"I need to check with my superiors, sorry." The guy fidgeted.
"Nero," I approached. He took half a step back. Though I didn't want to name-drop, I pressed on. "Guild master Amaryllis sent us here. She assured us someone here would help us."
"Godmother?" He blinked at me. "Oh. I don't think the professor will be mad at me if you were sent by her."
"No, he won't, I guarantee it," Garfield said.
I noticed several components disappearing and then reappearing all over the workshop. The damn Dungeon was already at work stealing the natives' trade secrets.
"Well, let me show you the process of assembling them," Nero acquiesced.
"Before that," I interrupted. "May I ask what is your species?"
Nero blanked and fidgeted... "I'm a hairless ape-kin, ma'am."
I exchanged a glance with Garfield. Nero looked human enough for me.
"You mean fur-less, right?" I glanced at his head. "You seem to have quite a lot of hair up here."
"Yeah. Though... never mind."
"Please accept my apology. We were just curious. I guess your people suffer from some prejudice, right?"
"Sure. And yes, the other kin doesn't like us very much," Nero replied with a sigh.
Oddly enough, I didn't think my Matriarch Perks were working on him or any of the kin in this world.
*
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*
An hour later, the three of us were hard at work assembling the gadgets. The parts came in crates and it was not hard to put the thing together, though the fittings had to be exact.
He sent me the mental image of a giant mecha fighting a tentacle monster.
Garfield chuckled.
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"Is something the matter?" Nero asked.
"No, nothing," I replied.
He sighed and lowered his tools. "Look, I played along. Did I pass?"
"What?"
"This is clearly a prank set by Bezzias and Amaryllis, right?" He waved at the two dozen finished Arbitrium bracers we crafted in the last hour. "There's no way you know nothing about this. I tested the units you built, and they are flawless. You are using an illusion card to hide your bracers, right?"
He sounded offended. If I had to guess, this guy always felt he had something to prove to the world.
"Nero, we're sorry. This is not a test and not a prank. We met Amaryllis for the first time today. And we don't have an Arbitrium either."
"I don't get it! How..." He stared at the workbench we were sitting at. "How can you be so good at putting them together?"
"Okay. Though we are not gadgeteers like you or professor Bezzias, we still have a lot of expertise with enchantments and machinery," Garfield said.
Nero went to the pile of finished Arbitrium and took out a device. "One way to find out. Would you let me put this on you, lady Haru?"
I extended my left arm. "Sure."
He also brought a worn pillow. "Excuse me."
Nero set my arm on the pillow, checked the skin, then wrapped the leather-covered inside of the bracer around it. "This might sting a little."
"No problem."
He clamped the device and then I felt some of my magic being drained by the contraption. I let it. Numbers appeared on a tiny screen and kept going up. And up.
"No way!" The young man gasped. It was in the hundreds and kept going up. "Who are you?"
The display only had three digits. It stopped at 999. But I could feel it still draining magic. I could go at least twice as high as that.
Nero wheezed. "Impossible. The highest level ever recorded was five hundred and thirty-three."
"This unit might be defective," Garfield suggested. "Might we try with another one?"
"Yes, that might be it."
The bracer sputtered and died out in what seemed a short circuit. I glared at the tin can man. I could feel the shrug coming. He poked me in the mind.
I decided to follow his suggestion. Nero tried with another bracer and this time it stopped at 144. The relief on his face was endearing.
"Yeah, I guess that one was really defective. That's a good level. Above average, even."
"Are people's levels common knowledge?" I asked.
"Not so much. I mean, everyone in my village knew my own level, but we don't advertise them. Anyone above level 200 needs to be reported to the King."
"I guess level 144 is not quite high, then."
"It's good. And this is your level cap. You still need Essence to level up," Nero explained. "And you need to find the right Class cards, Skills, and equipment."
"Sounds complex." Garfield mused.
"Okay, enough!" Nero bursted. "Who are you? Everyone in this world, even the children, knows about Arbitria and cards."
"Calm down, Nero!" I held his shoulder. "We are not here to play tricks on you. Amaryllis trusts us. You are right, we aren't from—"
"This continent!" Garfield cut me off.
"Is there a way we can contact Amaryllis? She will clear things up, I'm sure."
"Yes, I can."
Nero opened a portal to a tiny pocket dimension, then another portal to a room inside the Adventurer's Guild. Amaryllis came through a minute later.
"Impressive," Garfield quoted. "Most impressive."
*
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*
"No, silly!" Amaryllis chimed. "This is not a prank or a test! They are friends of mine!" Her giggles were rather nervous, though.
"It's just a huge misunderstanding!" I added. "We are from a place far, far away. A place that has no Arbitria or cards."
The only reason I wasn't hearing the Dungeon in power armor sputtering and chortling was because it hadn't a body to sputter and chortle with. But the blasted thing was sending chortles through the Mana waves. Which Amaryllis could sense as well.
"I got my level measured!" I showed my bracer as a misdirection. "It's 144!"
"That's a good level!"
"The first unit I tried on her measured it as 999, though it was a defective one."
The pixie's eyes went wide. She let out a nervous titter. "Yeah, surely a defective one!"
"I'm glad we found it out before they were shipped," Garfield added.
"Yes, right!" The fairy agreed instantly. "Better here than with some kid out in the boonies, right?"
Nero sulked. "Yeah." Then he stared at the ren-faire tin can. "What about you, Mr. Babbage?"
The Dungeon opened a latch on his armor bracer, revealing a gadget I was sure wasn't there a second ago, "Actually, I have an Arbitrium already."
"Great! Nothing unusual there!" Amaryllis chirped, stiff as a log. "Hey, Nero. I have a Quest for you. Emergency Guildmaster quest!"
"What is it this time?!?"
"Help these two with their errands, okay? They are on some grand Quest to find... someone here. You have your portal network, you can take them around the continent quickly, right?"
"I guess? What about this shipment?"
"You cannot decline this Quest. Just go. Bezzias agreed to work overtime to finish it!"
"He's two days away! He won't finish—"
"Actually," Garfield cut in. "I have two hundred finished Arbitria with me here."
A crate appeared out of nowhere. True to his word, it was full of brand new Arbitrium bracers he materialized out of nowhere. I sighed. Dungeons.
"Okay, mission complete! Look, your task here is over! Now go!" The Fairy pushed the young man away.
Nero opened a portal and ushered us in.