“I would’ve never taught you had it in you,” Veles remarked with genuine surprise. He quickly scanned the contents of his ring, surprised by how much stuff they had gotten.

“Yeah…” Davis was lost for words himself, “I learned it on the way… Living most of the time as a vagabond has taught me to value money, and well… I’ve spent a lot of time with Melinda, her obsession with gaining wealth kinda rubbed on me…”

“Fair enough,” Veles said, nodding towards Davis. “But man, you did a good job!”

They just ended their little shopping spree and were on their way back. The result was phenomenal, not only did Veles buy almost everything he needed, but he also spent considerable amounts of coins less…

Davis was unexpectedly skilled in the art of haggling. He managed to lower the price of almost everything, and to Veles’s amusement, he successfully made every single person they’ve traded with extremely angry, making this boring search for various items much less tedious.

“I expected you to be the one who’d negotiate the prices,” Davis suddenly said.

“I can’t be bothered with that,” Veles replied without explaining. He wasn’t materialistic, nor did he care about a couple of coins. If he couldn’t buy what he wanted today, the last thing he would do would be to haggle—it wasn’t something he liked to do. So, when Davis suggested taking the lead and negotiating the prices, Veles let him do it. In the end, the result was satisfactory—nothing to complain about.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Davis said after dodging a guy who clearly didn’t look where he was going, “Where are you going to put all those contraptions? I don’t think Dalia will let you use them inside the mansion…”

That was a very valid question. What Veles had spent almost all his money on were heavy tools used mostly for blacksmithing, jewel making, and similar works. They take up a lot of space and would produce a lot of mess, making it a horrible idea to use inside a fancy mansion.

“Your question just proves you haven’t checked the mansion at all,” Veles added, “There is a huge basement that is supposed to serve as a workspace. It should be big enough to fit all the tools we got.”

Davis slumped his shoulder, “Yeah, I didn’t really bother to scan the place, everything is happening so fast…” he then solemnly looked at the crowd in front of them, “I’ve been meaning to ask. What are all those people doing here? They all look like the war is about to break out…”

Veles understood what Davis was getting at. The current line they were waiting in and all the people they encountered during their shopping spree… all of them were geared to the teeth.

“Should be dungeon divers,” said Veles. “I haven’t asked around, but I don’t think anything else could justify people carrying weapons inside the city.”

Davis looked at him in wonder, “Are there really dungeons inside the city? Like the one we encountered?”

“Probably, to my knowledge, dungeons are a very valuable commodity that provides a stable source of materials. Those who explore them are just like normal workers… with rather dangerous jobs.” Veles replied.

“Interesting... For some reason, I wish to return to that dungeon we’ve visited and teach those little creatures a lesson,” Said Davis, cracking his knuckles.

“Same. And trust me, one day we will.” Veles said and then pointed forward. “For now, the bigger challenge is waiting for our turn…”

Davis raised slightly on his toes and looked over the line in front of him, “So, this is practically a teleportation method for the poor? If you ask me, it looks very similar to what you do.”

They were currently waiting for the most common way of transportation in the mega City of Acelia, and that was by what people here call Warp Stations. These ‘stations’ were just big open buildings with a couple of platforms with a vast number of grayish runes swirling on them. They weren’t anything grand like the place Tora had them previously use for the same purpose.

Even standing far away, Veles could clearly see the lifted platform they were waiting for, and it didn’t take him more than a glance to understand how everything here worked. So, without anything else to do, he explained, “This method is entirely different. It’s called Spatial Displacement; simply put, everything standing inside that platform gets switched with the platform in some other station. It’s much safer and less costly.”

“And most likely pain in the ass to make,” Davis added.

“Not really. The bigger problem is constantly changing coordinates,” Veles pointed at the platform next to theirs, where an elderly-looking mage was tempering with the runes, “He needs to do this every ten minutes—at the expense of his own mana.”

Davis’s eyes narrowed knowingly, “That’s…”

“What you are thinking is probably right,” Veles continued, “That guy cannot advance stages because he constantly spends his own mana, though I’m sure he is compensated plenty for this job; not everyone can do this anyway.”

Davis then whispered, “Something like this is unheard of back in Osvalen… There, every bit of mana is extremely valued, and nobody wanted to waste possible years of their life on something like this…”

“And that’s the reason why people on this side of the forest are much more advanced,” Veles then added, “You also must take into account that back in Osvalen you have people who you call ‘normals’. They were the ones responsible for working on these mundane tasks.”

Davis said nothing to this. From what Veles understood so far, Davis’s parents were those so-called ‘normals’, a people without any ability to gather mana, and considering the shaky relationship he had with them, this topic should be avoided.

“It’s our turn.” Veles pointed out at the certain platform that had a floating number on it, the one that matched the ticket’s number they had previously bought.

They, alongside numerous others, slowly reached the so-called teleportation circle and stood in the designated hexagonal grid.

After he looked beneath his feet and saw all the gray glowing patterns, Veles suddenly thought about something and decided to share it with Davis, “When I think about it, I can kill everyone standing here without anybody noticing. Just poof, and everyone that appears on the other side is dead.”

To Davis’s bewildered gaze, Veles just grinned. The next moment, the hexagonal places they stood on glowed brightly before everyone vanished, and just as they appeared once again, Veles watched as Davis looked around in panic.

“Relax. Do you think I would do it?” Said Veles as he started descending the platform, his steps calm and collected as he avoided the hurrying crowd.

“Yes.” Davis flatly replied.

Veles simply shook his head and went forward. This ‘station’ wasn’t near their mansion, so they would need to spend at least an hour to reach it. With excess time on their hand, Veles decided to give Davis a very important lesson on a crucial detail.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Once they were separated from the crowd, Veles started, “Have you read the book about the races I told you about?”

Surprised by the sudden question, Davis replied. “I haven’t. Should I?”

“Of course, for the current you, the contents in that book are essential. It would be best if you learned the correct etiquette on how to treat the other races and their general culture. A simple misbehaving on your part can lead to unnecessary complications,” said Veles.

“Let me guess. I did something wrong?” Davis asked.

Veles nodded heavily. “You should never look down on a dwarf if he doesn’t initiate a conversation first. And I don’t mean ‘look down’ mockingly; what I mean is ‘judge’ their height or indicate their shortness in any sense. They are quite sensitive to that.”

By stiffness on his face, Veles knew that Davis remembered the dwarf who owned one of the shops they brought something from. It was understandable that Davis was curious and had no evil thoughts behind his actions, but the way he looked like that dwarf still wasn’t appropriate.

But that wasn’t all, “I know that the elves are beautiful and aren’t trying to hide it…” Veles then looked at Davis deeply, “But control stare of yours. What you did was a flat-out harassment.”

Davis’s reaction to his accusation was to be expected. He just looked to the side in embarrassment…

In one of the shops they visited, a gorgeous elf lady worked behind the counter. And let’s say she had rather huge assets that Davis couldn’t peel his eyes off. Not that Veles could blame him; the thin piece of cloth she wore barely hid anything. And on top of that, she didn’t shy away from exposing even more. Whoever put her to work there had a good knack for business, further proven by the fact that the most money Veles spent today was exactly in there.

“Usually, elves aren’t brazen like that woman. They treat their beauty as sacred and don’t like to ‘weaponize’ it as she did. So, when someone like her appears, trust me, you should stay away. You must know certain facts about different cultures because if you don’t, someone will take advantage of that.” Said Veles.

“Okay, okay,” Davis dejectedly raised his hands in surrender. “I will start reading your manuals from now on!”

“Good.”

That was all Veles said before moving on to some casual talk on their way. He mostly talked to Davis about general knowledge and some of his experience with various races. Tough, this place was in itself a novelty even to Veles; this enormous clash of cultures inside one city was an infrequent occurrence even for him, who’d seen the vast worlds.

After a lengthy walk that actually felt short due to their talks, they finally reached their overpriced mansion. Once inside, they immediately went to the basement. And there, well, they met a sight Veles had expected…

“What did I say about testing the contents of the vial without my presence?” Veles asked. In front of him stood Tora. Surprisingly, Dalia was there, too, and she was visibly in a terrible mood.

Once his voice reached them, both removed their attention from the twitching rat.

“Mind telling me what the hell is this?” Dalia asked, pointing at the rat.

“A dying rodent,” Veles replied without missing a beat.

“Don’t play smart with me!” Dalia kept nearing with her finger pointed at Veles’s face, “At first, I thought you had a strange shadow affinity. But then, when Tora explained what you can do, I suspected it was some cursed element you were able to wield.”

She then moved her pointed finger at the now-dead rat. “However, I never saw anything like this. It consumes vitality on a whole other level. It obviously isn’t a necrotic affinity like most necromances wield.” She stopped for a second and quickly glanced at the rat, confirming his demise. “It’s unbelievable…”

Dalia then showed Veles her pinky finger, which was extremely pale at its very end, a result of her doing something foolish.

“Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘curiosity killed a cat’?” Veles asked before continuing, “I made it clear when I said not to mess with it without me around.”

“I’m at the peak of the Sixth Stage,” Dalia said sternly, “Yet it managed to damage me in a fraction of a second. I almost lost my whole finger.”

Veles rolled his eyes and let her continue. Of course, it did hurt her. He put more than half of his mana inside that vial. He could practically imagine the whole scenario of Dalia dipping her finger in the black substance, then throwing a fit… What mistake was thinking she would be less crazy than Tora…

“At first, I was sure you didn’t pose any threat. I trust Tora’s instincts, and I also went through the same traveling experience as she did. I traveled the world and made a bunch of friends who now hold important positions-”

“That’s a good way to spread a family influence,” Veles nodded praisingly, ignoring the fact that he’d interrupted her.

Dalia took a deep breath to calm down and continued, “Despite you not having any background and despite your strange abilities,” She also gestured toward Davis, “And him being an Elementalist, which is strange considering it’s one of the rarest classes, and they usually live alone in the wild. I thought you were just one of those passing abnormalities that appeared recently…”

Veles noticed that her getting hurt wasn’t the main reason for her sudden ‘outburst’. There was more to it…

“Just get to the point,” Veles said.

Dalia yet again pointed her finger, but this time it was at an upright owl standing proudly at the edge of a table, “What in Heaven’s name is that thing?”

With a quick glance at his arrogant bird, Veles understood that Vera had probably done something outrageous—her side glance with that beady cyan eye told him practically everything.

“She is a smart girl, isn’t she?” Veles asked, taking all of this as a joke despite Dalia’s serious face.

“Smart girl, huh?” Dalia turned around and picked a specific piece of paper from the table where Tora’s numerous contraptions were. With a quick motion, she held it directly before Veles’s face.

What was written on it made Veles’s smile brighter. He snatched it from Dalia’s hand and started reading, “Foolish wingless creatures, you have been warned not to indulge your curiosity in what’s beyond your comprehension. I suggest you cease your endeavor before getting yourself hurt,” just a first phase made Veles nod in satisfaction, and there is a lot more. “She improved noticeably.”

“She improved?” Dalia blinked, “Can you see that writing? That cursive is flawless. A bird can write better than me! She held a pen with her talons and wrote! A bird!”

That was certainly the case here. Every line, every word, was truly brought to the utmost perfection. It was indeed a strange occurrence, and Veles had a perfect explanation for it…

“Well, she is my familiar. Of course, it’s given she can do something like this,” Veles said like it was the simplest answer in the world.

“I hope you are aware that beasts gain human-like intelligence only after reaching the Eighth Stage?” Asked Dalia, “This thing is at the Fourth. And let me tell you, if those freaks from Beast Tamer guild heard about this, they would do anything in their power to snatch it from you.”

“First of all,” Said Veles in a slightly serious tone, “Stop calling her a ‘thing’. Her name is Vera, and trust me when I say that I know more about beasts than you can imagine. As for this guild… the moment I decided to settle inside a big city such as this one, I was prepared for any dangers coming my way.”

Veles moved his head and looked at Vera, “She is much sharper than you can imagine. She showcased her intelligence probably because she considers you trustworthy enough. The only problem that can happen here is you spreading the word about her, nothing else…”

Veles stood behind every single word he said. His little arrogant owl was with him for at least four thousand years. He could still remember when he found her egg inside the storage ring of the unfortunate souls that found his place of imprisonment. The moment she hatched, he found her presence amusing and made a very particular bond with her—akin to his contract with Davis and Olivia. He extended her life considerably and taught her many valuable skills. It’s no wonder she developed a strong mind after all this time. Tough even at the beginning, Veles knew she wasn’t a simple owl.

“Is this all?” Veles asked after noticing that Dalia was suddenly quiet.

Tora, who was in the back still carefully observing the dead rat, said, “Calm down, sis. I know you are under a lot of pressure lately, but you don’t need more on your plate right now. And this isn’t that big of a deal.”

Dalia ran her hand through her white hair and sighed, “You know what? I don’t care anymore. If you get into trouble, you know where to find me.”

She then turned around and stormed out; every step she took clearly displayed her fatigue…

“Looks like she is in a very bad mood,” Davis commented. He was always smart enough not to stick his nose into conversations like this one.

“Yeah,” Tora replied, “She spent all day here overthinking stuff. So, after she saw all this,” Tora quickly pointed at the vial and then at Vera, “She became suspicious of you. Can’t really blame her though. It isn’t strange for our family to suffer from underhanded means other people attack us with.”

“Well, I hope she understands that I mean no harm. I honestly have no reason to wish you any ill,” Said Veles, and after Tora gave him a brief nod, he tapped onto the table she worked on, “Do you mind if we make some modifications to this room? I was thinking of setting a couple of working stations here.”

Tora looked around. Her movements suggested that this was actually the first time she took actual notice of where she was. “Why not? Just leave me a corner where I can do my stuff.”

“Let’s get the job done,” said Veles. He immediately started touching all the useless furniture around, placing it inside his storage ring. There would be a lot of work to be done, the work he was thrilled to do…