“So, I suppose I shall believe you ” I began. “What would stop you from betraying me whenever you have the need? What if someone threatens you? Will you not turn on me in an instant?”

Oak opened his mouth, ready to answer me, and then closed it. A look of shame appeared on his face. That, coupled with him nervously shifting his feet again told me what I needed to know.

I was right.

A sigh propelled itself out of me as I lowered my expectations. A little selfishness wasn’t even that unexpected. There were plenty on Earth that would sell people out even without a need. Why would this world be any different?

“Tell me then, who do you think will approach me first?” I asked.

Oak looked at me, surprise clear on his face. I suppose he expected me to be angry at him or something. But I wasn’t so foolish. I had a need for him right now, and he had a need for me. An exchange was in order. This was not some declaration of loyalty. I just had to keep in mind that he would sell me out if it came down to it.

“I wouldn’t know,” he said after a while. “There hasn’t been a new Rank 3 in the city since I came here.”

“How did you know I was Rank 3?” I asked him sharply. I knew that there were people that could tell, but someone that hadn’t even awakened an element shouldn’t be able to tell. This kind of thing required someone with powerful mana senses.

“Miss Emily told me.” Oak answered.

I raised an eyebrow. That was not who I expected. The woman was turning into a mystery of her own. That worried me.

“How long have you been living here?” I asked.

“A little more than ten years.” Oak said.

There hadn’t been a new Rank 3 in ten years huh. How strange. The royal knights had to be keeping them out. Rank 3s really weren’t that rare.

I sighed. That was about everything I wanted to ask him for now. I should probably move to the actual negotiations.

“Tell me about this fish of yours. How are you so sure that my mana can block it?” I asked.

“The fish uses a poison that eats through physical barriers easily. Mana is needed to block it.”

I looked at him. “How do you know that? Did you check?”

“Oh, umm, no.” Oak answered nervously. “A person with mana hasn’t actually gone to fight it yet. The Adventure Guild has given a reward, but well, gold isn’t worth the risk to most.”

“So there is a risk.” I stated.

“Not to a Rank 3!” Oak answered, practically yelling.

I growled at him. “Keep it down. Don’t go around blasting it to everyone around us.”

Oak had the decency to at least look embarrassed. “Yes, sir.”

I had a problem with this, though. I wasn’t a real, proper Rank 3. I didn't have the ability to use my power. And there was far too little information about this fish. What if it did end up going through my shields? With a poison as untested as this, it was very possible. I just didn’t know if it was worth taking that risk.

“What would you give in return?” I asked.

Oak looked alarmed. “There really isn’t much, but the community has some money. The Adventurer’s Guild has a reward too. And they would see this as you doing a great service for them. That would earn you a lot of respect with the city.”

A lot of respect with the city, huh. That wasn’t worth all that much. And I didn’t think these people had much gold to give to begin with. But it gave me something to start negotiating from.

“I need a place to stay.” I began. “If you can arrange one for me for, say, a few months, I will consider it.”

Oak looked conflicted. “I do not—I shall have to see what I can do.”

I nodded. “Do that. I’ll go visit the Adventurers’ Guild.”

I started walking, leaving Oak behind as I headed for the Guild. Then I realized I didn’t know where I was going. Oak probably didn’t either. The guy hadn’t even been here before. And that made him about useless as a guide. A rock might know more.

At least I might have a place to stay now. That was something.

The road turned as I walked, leading away from the gardens and into something I was more used to. There were more people here now. And buildings painted in things other than white. Just a few of them, but that was more than zero.

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That wasn’t the only change. The clothes did not cling to people’s bodies anymore. The things had to be enchanted. Or magical in some manner. So these were the people rich enough to have enchanted clothing.

I was on the right track then. The Adventure Guild should be in this area. There was a reason I was going to this Guild. And it wasn’t just the reward for the poison fish. That was the place I knew most about in this city. Rowan had stayed there in the book. The place was where the more…combat favoring portion of the magic wielding population stayed.

In other places that might give them a lot of power, but here the royal knights ruled. There were few beasts for them to fight. The power they presented made them respected, but they also weren’t really wanted or needed in the city. Even the City Lord Tended to just ignore them.

That was just the place I wanted to be while I increased my magic. But first I had to figure out what it was like now. Rowan had come here five years later. A lot of things could have changed by then. But I did know where to find them.

The Adventurers Guild was right beside the big white building that was the City Lord’s house. I just had to find that one. There were just, ugh, a lot of big white buildings. In fact, almost every building was white. And big.

Could the Trashy Novel not have given better descriptions? How was I supposed to navigate in this bloody town? There weren't even any signs!

Sighing to myself in frustration, I stomped down the road. A few bystanders turned to look at me. I stopped stomping, but I was still angry. The town wasn’t really built with immigrants and tourists in mind, but it was still annoying.

I missed Google Maps. That would teach me to take things for granted.

I kept walking, wondering if I should head back. Thankfully I had been walking in a straight line, so I should be able to head back. The wall had long since disappeared from my view.

Another annoying thing. The landmarks were not clearly visible from afar. I suppose that was true for Earth too, but it was still frustrating. Losing direction was too easy when all the buildings looked the bloody same.

The buildings did grow larger as I walked, giving me some hope. Perhaps I was slowly moving into the richer areas of the town. That could put me close to the City Lord’s mansion. That had to be the biggest building around, right?

I didn’t actually know much about him since Rowan hadn’t met him, but what were the chances the guy wasn’t living in the biggest house around?

The houses weren’t the only things that got bigger. The little streets between the houses got wider, and so did the people in them. On Earth, there might have been a stall or two in them. Just a shoe cleaner or someone selling cheap treats. But here it was different.

Perhaps it was that there were too few people. The crowd had reduced once I hit the richer district, though there were still a few people around. Not what I would expect of nobles either. There were none of the umbrellas and lines of servants I had expected of them. The people wore enchanted clothes and carried themselves like they were someone important, but they seemed to be working people.

I didn’t know what the heck they were working on though. There were only houses here. Where was the commercial district? I really was lost, wasn’t I? I should have gotten a guide before coming here.

Sighing at my own idiocy, I began to head back. Just walking without having any sense of direction was probably a waste of time. Perhaps Miss Emily knew where the Adventurer’s Guild was. If she could sense my Rank then she should have awakened her mana.

Why hadn’t I thought of that before? Would have saved me so much effort.

I walked through the streets observing my surroundings. I had to give the town one thing though. The thing was planned. There was a lot of…forced separation, but the city looked like someone had put some thought into it. There were underwater trees, cobbled streets and strong looking houses. Not a bit of trash on the street, either.

Magic might make things easier, but it still needed someone to put in effort. I just hadn’t expected to find someone doing that for a random town in the bottom of a lake. Perhaps one of the first settlers had been a city planner?

That would explain it.

A noise took my attention away from my thoughts. The sound of someone landing on the ground, or rather falling onto the ground. I looked around, finding myself staring at a young girl dressed in white from head to toe. Even her face was covered in a white mask, only her eyes peeking through.

With the amount of white around here, that might actually be a good disguise. The girl took off. The city guard landed where she had been a few moments later. The guard looked at me. I recognized him from the gate.

“Where is the girl?” he asked.

Why would he ask me? Did I look like I was with her or something? That was some presumption.

“I don’t know.” I answered. The guard didn’t look like he believed me. I continued staring at him. Should I tell him the direction she ran in? But he had to have seen that, right? The guy was standing just a few metres from me, he could see the same street I could.

How could he not have?

“The City Lord will not stand for interference in his matters.” the guard threatened, his mana cloak doing…something. I wasn’t sure what. The thing was growing larger, spreading thin as it covered a larger area.

What was he even trying to do?

I copied him out of curiosity. Mana spread out around me, covering the area around me like a blanket. Then it spread farther and farther, until even the guard was covered in it. And it wasn’t even close to being spent yet.

That was a lot of mana. At least ten times as much as the guard had called. I had not expected myself to have that much. The Monarch of Justice had been on to something when he had said that I did not know my own limits. Perhaps I should focus on that. Adding more mana to the spells.

The guard looked at me like I was a monster, the fear on his face so clear that I wondered if he had pissed himself. Well he couldn't have since we were underwater. That was an interesting topic actually, could people still piss here.

Wait, I had to deal with the guard first. I didn't want to start a fight with the City Lord

“I do not know where the girl is.” I said, taking advantage of his fear to get him to give up. Was it because of the mana? That should be true. I couldn’t think of anything else that could cause this.

The guard ran away. Not a word of reply, he just looked at me and ran away. I withdrew the mana back into my cloak. That was a good shaping. I didn’t know mana could do that.

A figure stepped around the corner. I looked at her. I was pretty sure she looked back too. This was the thief, who apparently hadn’t even gone that far away. Well, I actually didn’t know if she was a thief, she was just dressed like one.

“So, do you knoww here the Adventurer’s Guild is?” I asked.

The girl stared at me. “Take a right from the gate. There’s a big board with its name on it.”