“It’s an old piece of junk.”

That was the conclusion they both came up with after visiting two different appraisers. Regular magic items weren’t made to withstand hundreds of years.

“You see, here’s where the durability runes were engraved. That’s the only reason it survived this long. It has its own magic supply, but the runes to the bound fire ray spell have been disrupted. Were they intact, I could give you a thousand crowns on the spot. As it is, it can only slightly boost fire magic. Somewhat useful, but not particularly.”

Those were the words of the second appraiser, who looked at the ring with pity. The first had simply taken a look at it and called it useless before trying to get them to sell it to him.

“Well, it’s got some value to it. Probably worth more to historians and ancient magic researchers than the regular person,” Finnean wryly smiled, fiddling with the ring.

They were both immensely disappointed. Old magic was considered to be much more inefficient compared to nowadays, but anything that survived the passage of time was likely to be powerful.

“With time, I could probably sell it for 200 crowns to the right person. Not sure if it’s worth the effort,” he clicked his tongue. “Tell you what, I’ll give you 130 crowns. That’s more than what you’d get on the street. I’ll keep 70 for both the information of Velkir and the effort of actually selling it.”

He supposed it was fair. It’s not like he knew any fire magic, so it was completely useless to him. Besides, he was prepared to just give it to Finnean, so getting any money out of it was more than he had hoped for.

Along the way, Daniel asked for information about his other objectives, but both LUK and the Steelford family were dead ends. Finnean followed a strict formula for assigning points that his family had planned out for him before he was even born, which made Daniel a tiny bit jealous.

However, he did acquire an unexpected lead.

“Corbin? I think that’s the name of the city lord’s son. Met him a few times at galas and social gatherings back in Dreamont. Very introverted. Can’t imagine he’s had a good life, considering his father.”

Well, that made finding the demon summoner incredibly easy. Unfortunately, he was the second most important person in the city, which made the job incredibly hard. As for the vampire and the ruins, Finnean had never heard of them.

He was confident he could trust Finnean, but the claim that Corbin had his soul stolen by a demon was too outlandish. Besides, Daniel had the feeling he would die a very mysterious death if he said it out loud in the middle of the city.

Back in the guild, Finnean pulled 130 crowns from a coin purse that very clearly couldn’t hold that many coins, which made him wonder how rich he truly was. Before they parted ways, Daniel asked a last question.

“I don’t understand. If you’re such a good mage, and if your parents are all that, then why are you here, mingling with other apprentices? You even called this city a backend in the middle of nowhere.”

“I might’ve gone a little too far with that one. Verdant City’s a nice and important place. It just lacks the grandeur of the capital, that’s all,” Finnean chuckled, scratching his cheek.

“The answer is that they said I had to officially join Crowned Dragon when I turned 18. What they didn’t expect is that I’d choose something other than the main guild. Even they can’t easily impact an already signed contract. I asked the guild master here to send it via magic circle.” He looked particularly proud of that one, his nose high in the air.

“I get to enjoy some semblance of freedom before the contract expires. There’s plenty of fun stuff to do here if you’re willing to dig deep enough.”

And with that, they parted ways, designating a meeting spot at the teahouse in case Daniel got kicked out of the guild.

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Repaying the debt was easier than expected. Lucius did offer him to join the guild, citing various benefits he would receive, but it would be tough juggling his two identities. After rejecting him, Lucius politely informed him that he was no longer welcome to stay in the guest’s chambers.

He loved the idea of tossing lightning bolts at will, but being a priest would benefit him more long term. As long as he didn’t quit tonight after finding out what spirits truly were. Still, he signed up for the two magic classes, bringing his crowns down to a measly 45. The wizard that supervised the classes gave him an odd look, but politely informed him their schedules of twice a week.

And then, he was free to do whatever he wished, several tasks cleared, more steadily progressing. Finding a place to stay tonight was the most pressing issue, but Daniel had a plan for that already. It involved shameless persuasion. He wasn’t looking forward to the conversation with Tavian.

Daniel cheekily stayed for lunch, pretending to still be an honoured guest and ignoring Lucius’ intense gaze. It was an exotic dish of a sapphire tiger roast coupled with sea urchin pudding. He asked for extras, and when he was full, he hid the fact that he walked outside with an extra portion of pudding.

With a smile on his face, he offered it to the wizard in front of the gate, whose eyes lit up upon the sight of it. He was an older wizard by the name of Sylar, and the two of them chatted for some while before Daniel headed off into the city. As for the reason why he did it, it was only half altruistic. One day, the connection would come in handy. Besides, everyone forgot about the gate wizard.

An hour of asking for instructions led him into a more quiet section of the city. A thin haze obstructed his view. It gripped close to his skin, making him shiver on an otherwise sunny day. The street was quiet and lined with strange shops and houses, with only a rare person walking through.

Finally, he arrived at a storefront with green light seeping through the windows. Stepping in, a bell rang out to the chagrin of many animals. Immediately, chaos overtook the store, a myriad of sounds spilling out into the streets.

“What are you standing there for? Don’t let the cold in.” A young voice berated him.

Daniel closed the door behind him, heat instantly enveloping his shivering body. Everything here was covered by a soft, green luminescence. The first thing he noticed was the aroma of earth and moss, which reminded him of lush forests. That and the wide display of animals.

The shop itself was massive, housing various enclosures and habitats for a variety of creatures, each living in its own mini-ecosystem. Dazzling birds with flaming tails and freezing feathers let out loud screeches, winged serpents chased around mice that created illusions, and dragon-like lizards played hide and seek between themselves.

Looking around, it featured dozens of such enclosures. His head spun trying to take in how it was even possible. The only explanation was spatial magic, impressive one at that.

“I’m warning you now. If you’re here for any sacrifices or to hurt any animals, I will hunt you down.” The voice snapped him out of his reverie.

In front of him stood a plain woman around his age, her long brown hair tied up in a ponytail. She was surprisingly skinny and covered in scratches and bites where her blue dress didn’t cover her skin. He met her blue eyes that were filled with confidence and laughed.

“Why would I do that? I’m not a monster.”

“You never know. There have been strange things happening as of late, and I’ve had to chase away more than one person. Usually, the animals can tell,” she said, picking up a lazy white cat that had settled on her foot.

He looked the cat in the face. It narrowed its eyes and stuck out its tongue. The cat was mocking him!

“I see. If it helps, I am a priest of Morvina,” he said, hoping it wouldn’t backfire. She put down the cat.

“Hmm. I’ve never met one, so I can’t tell. Oh! There was a rumour that a necromancer of Morvina had settled down here, but I’m not sure if it's true. Dibby was telling me all about it,” she said, a radiant smile on her face.

“Dibby! Dibby!” she yelled, and moments later, a small, white mouse crawled up her leg, settling itself upon the woman’s head.

“This is Dibby. Isn’t she just wonderful!” she put a finger on the mouse, stroking her fur.

“She’s very cute, I have to admit. May I?” he said, and she nodded. Daniel carefully petted Debby, who let out a satisfied squeak. Seeing cute animals was one of the many joys in his life.

“I’m actually not here to buy any animals. I don’t think I can afford that. I was wondering, could I pay you a bit to observe some of the... fiercer animals? It would be of great help for my spell.”

“Hmm. Well, I don’t see the harm, as long as you’re nice to them. Haven’t been getting many customers lately anyways,” she hummed and whistled as she thought, which provoked more noise from the enclosures.

“Wonderful. Is it possible to start right now? Only for a bit,” he said, keeping the enthusiasm out of his tone. He had thought it would be way more difficult to convince her.

“Right. Come along then. Let me show you some of my beasties,” she said, an excited smirk on her face.