After bathing, Sage did not waste time taking the child to a clothe shop for extra wear. She made sure the child got form-fitting shirts, pants and dresses. Of course she did not forget to get her to try out a few sandals and boots.

The total price for everything amounted to a slightly more than two gold coins. She had no trouble paying this amount, as Nyx’s Space contained an entire pile.

After that, she decided to do something she had been set on for a while, which was to buy a carriage. It took asking for directions a few times before she got to a wagon stable.

The place was situated on the fringe of the middle-class district, just shy of the richer neighbourhoods. It was a building of relatively large size that stood alone, divided into two sections. The first, larger, section housed the wagons and the smaller one kept horses.

After greeting the proprietor and telling him her reason for coming, the portly man practically jumped out of his armchair and nearly spat out his smoking pipe in excitement.

“Welcome, welcome!” he greeted merrily. His hesitant demeanour at what she could only assume had been her masked appearance was gone. Instead, he began rubbing his palms together as he continued to speak. “You came to purchase one of my wagons, you say? Please, look around to your heart’s content. And if you’re in need horses to pull it, don’t hesitate to check out the horses in my stable. I assure you that every one of them is a thorough bred!”

She nodded and began to inspect the carriages. The first ones she focused on were those outside. At first glance she counted half a dozen of them, ranging from one slightly larger than a vegetable cart to something the size of a camper. After circling them for a while though, she shook her head. Although they seemed to be of decent make, they were not the quality she wanted. Not that she knew much about wagons and carriages, but the price tags on these ones was a little too low with the best one fetching only five gold; lower than the cheapest 7th Order spell. Also, they just did not look comfortable enough. An uncomfortable vehicle for a constant traveller was a no go; she had spent enough time on the hell-horse to know.

“Are there no other carriages?” she asked. “Ones of a better make?”

Although she asked the question, her neck was craned in the direction of the open wagon house. The carriages in there definitely looked better than the ones outside, which was probably why they were the ones being shielded from the elements.

“Oh!” the man exclaimed, his expression turning even more elevated. “This way then!”

Sure enough, the man led her inside the building; which, surprisingly, was large enough to house another four carriages. Up close, it was easier to confirm that the sheltered wagons were definitely of a higher quality than the previous ones. The maker of this particular set seemed to have been passionate in his making of them. Not only were the wooden surfaces better polished and the wheels crafted of better steel, but the sides also featured intricate patterns. Although some of the wagons’ patterns were clearly made with common metals, the carriage on the furthest side’s appeared to have been fashioned out of silver. It was the one that immediately caught her eye. Apart from the driver, this carriage only had capacity for two passengers, which was just about her ideal size.

“Can I look inside?” she asked.

“Go ahead, please,” the man replied eagerly.

With that response, she did not stand on ceremony. She walked up to the carriage, pulled the door open and took a peek inside. The wagon was surprisingly well furnished, with cushioned seats and headrests. The pair of small curtains that lay on the seats were probably covers for the windows.

After looking around some more to make sure nothing was out of place, she turned back to the fat proprietor, whose eager impatience was clear as day. The man probably had not received a customer in the past week.

“There is no price listed on this one,” she began. “How much does it cost?”

“That,” the man heaved his heavy body to rush up to her. “That will be twenty-five gold!”

It was not as expensive as she thought it would be. She had originally though a wagon would cost at least forty gold. Relieved at the lower price, she went into her coat and came out with a huge pouch which caused the proprietor’s eyes to almost bulge out. Ignoring his reaction, she walked over to the man, asked him to hold out his palms and placed the coins in his hands one by one.

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“That’s the full amount,” she said after she finished. “Is there anything else?”

With the edge she put in her question, it was more of a dare. Merchants had the tendency of inflating their prices when one was not in the know. Considering this guy’s unctuous behaviour, if he had not been starved of customers for a while, he probably would have tried to get her to fork over more coin. She watched him as his eyes changed from elation to contemplation; ready. Sage was not even sure the price that was touted had been the correct one; not that she actually cared. However, if he so much as tried to drum up extra charges, she would knock out his fat arse, take back her money and take the carriage anyway.

The man must have sensed her rising hostility because after a minute of contemplating while giving her side glances, he shook his head. “That is all for the wagon; though, if you don’t have horses to pull it, you are welcome to check out my stable next door.”

“That will not be necessary,” she responded.

“Oh,” the man seemed a little disappointed. “Then can you excuse me for a minute while I call my sons to get the other carriages out of the way so yours can pass?”

“I’ll wait here,” she told him.

However, the moment he was out of sight- although she could still hear him- she walked up to the wagon and touched it. At the same time, Nyx jumped out of her shadow and landed on her shoulder, joining her in giving the vehicle another once-over.

“This is our new mode of transportation?” he asked. “No more riding on that stupid horse? And Isen will be the driver, right? Hate that guy!”

“Yes,” she answered simply.

She reached under the side of the carriage and tried to lift it gently. The vehicle was not heavy, weighing approximately only slightly more than a tonne; so it was no task to lift one side. With her improved physique, she could probably pick the entire thing up. But of course she was not here to try it. The portly man could return any moment with his helpers, so she had no time to lose.

Using her newly-gained ability to manipulate shadows, she let the wagon’s shadow swallow it up, dumping it into Nyx’s Space. The reason she had brought him along as opposed to sending him to watch the bastard knight to prevent another fucking mess, was because she was unable move things in and out of the {Void Space} if her familiar was too far away.

When the wagon had completely sunk and its shadow disappeared. She [Teleport]ed away, appearing back in her in room. The half-orc girl, who she left here before venturing out to buy the carriage, immediately got up from her seat and hurriedly gave her a bow.

“W- welcome back Mistress,” she said just as quickly.

Mistress? Was that what the girl decided to call her? Sage had not asked to be called such; in fact, what people call her had never bothered her. But if “Mistress” was the title Mylah wanted to call, then fine; she would not dissuade her. Besides, the girl was too timid to have a proper conversation with.

She responded to the child with the merest nod before turning around and shedding her clothes. Afterwards, she reached into the shadows and came out with new ones. This pair, which had been bought earlier at an armour shop, was made from hide.

The reason she had dared to buy a wagon and actually [Teleport] away, was because she never showed her face. Once she changed her clothes, she would be practically impossible to find. Originally, she had planned to go searching for the carriage with Isaac and have the bastard drag it back to the inn. However, that was too eye-catching. It was why she had gone with this plan instead. If the fat man had not left the wagon stable, her intention had been to knock him out with [Sleep] before taking the wagon and leaving.

Even with that plan though; as long as the transaction was fair, she had always intended to leave him the money. In her experience, as long as everything was accounted for, people tended not to pursue weird experiences. However, they did have a habit of telling their family and close ones; which was why she left Mylah at the inn. Hybrids on Aran were so rare that the child’s presence could lead a trail back to her if they actually decided to search.

Before now, Sage had not been shy about displaying the fact that she was a sorcerer. With her physique having improved however, now was time as any to switch up her persona; which was why she had bought leather armour for herself. From here on, she would be posing as a combatant. The only downside of this idea was that she was not adapt at fighting with weapons. When she had time, she planned to get Issac to teach her.

The leather shirt and pants were a tight fit, but they worked well enough. After extricating the mirror from the Space and taking a look at herself, she was content. Although she looked nowhere near as good in leather as the half-elf did, her appearance was still passable. Lastly, she put on a leather mask that covered everything below the eyes. Her face was still something she needed to cover up after all.

After checking herself out again she nodded in satisfaction and put the mirror away. Then she turned to the girl, who had been in the same spot since her arrival.

“I’m leaving again,” she said. “Wait here for me and don’t leave the room.”

When she comes back later, she would do the investigation she had been putting off. Till now, she had still not gotten to examining the girl and learning the scope of her abilities.

That would come later though. For now, she wanted to take a look at the slums and other places of ill repute. Surely those places could lead her to the black market; if they were not already part of it. Also, they might be able to lead her to an info broker. Gods knew she needed more of those in her life. They could make her search- and, by extension, her life- much easier.

Speaking of brokers… she should pay Sylphia a visit one of these days to learn if she had gotten any news regarding the Elixir.

Without waiting for a response from the girl, she walked over to the window and activated {Ghostwalk}; passing through the room into an alley.