The room was ...comfy. He relished how the ergonomic curves soothed his aching spines. Also, the soft bristle of the fur-covered top was a nice compliment.

 

Gingerly, he took the offered cup; porcelain white with painted red flower patterns, bringing it to his mouth.

 

"Thank you, Lyn. You are excused," The young woman, Restia, thank the maid. The latter bowed as she pulled the silver —or is it tin?— tray to the down of her white apron before leaving the room.

 

Nodding, he couldn’t help but let out a stiff smile, holding a sigh. He thanked the maid silently for the distraction. After all, he did only letting the liquid linger on his closed lips without insomuch drinking a drop.

 

While he's not that paranoid to the point where he imagined that there’s someone out there who would arrange such an elaborate ruse. Trapping a no-name, nobody like him. And with such short notice since his arrival nonetheless. It paid to be more conservative in trusting people. His experience in this world wasn't that stellar to afford otherwise.

 

"So, as you already heard from those boys, I’m Restia."

 

"Hello, miss Restia," he spoke. "I’m Euca, and I must thank you again for your help," he said, his eyes were drawn to the top of her ponytail, sitting down at the half-staff of the chair. Is she really thirteen years old?

 

"Oh, haven't seen a gnome before?" she smiled, catching his obvious staring. A gnome? Right, fantasy world. I’ve seen an elf. What more is a gnome.

 

"Oh! I-I'm sorry miss. We only have humans from where I came from..," he replied. "...sometimes we have elves visiting, but not a gnome," he added. Spouting the first nonsense he thought.

 

For a second, he swore he saw her eyebrows rose. Yet by the next blink, it had disappeared.

 

Did he say something wrong?

 

If he was, the gnome didn’t call him on it. She merely nodded, smiling.

 

"I see."

 

"This is Ar'endal after all. Lots of races around." she followed after a beat. "When I first come here, my mentor doesn't even tell me this place filled with a lot of tall folks like you! Even had to commission a folding step just to get around!"

 

"Ah, almost forget, here take this."

 

She slid sheaves of paper on the round table. He could see its yellow, almost-brown tint coloring. Taking the paper he read the titles out loud. "The responsibility of being prepared?"

 

"Yes, we're a dungeon town after all. And we due for a break soon."

 

"...break?"

 

"Yes, terrible thing," she sighed, taking a sip from her cup.

 

"The dungeon rumbles. Spouting all kinds of monsters."

 

"We have to close the mine, the crystal farm, No more ores, no more crystal.” she sighed. Looking at the ceiling. “People stopped getting paid.”

 

“All day soldiers running around, Hightown full of them."

 

"And you feeling stupid right? Weak. Helpless. Wanna help but can’t. So all day you closed up in your home. Praying to her grace that they don't pass the first wall,"

 

"One of the scouts clawed my friend grandfather's arm." she shook her head. "He used to be a great [Centenar], now he just retired."

 

"His comrades tried to get him an instructor job, you know? Friends at the army. They're loyal like that," her breath bated. "But his arm can't even draw the lightest leatwood bow without pain."

 

"So now, he just sits on front of his porch, telling stories to neighborhood kids."

 

"I'm sorry to hear that,"

 

"It's fine." she smiled. "It's been a long time..."

 

"So this pamphlet..." Euca said, scanning the paragraph.

 

"Informed all of us what the town expects us." she nodded. "The one you just experience for example,"

 

"So it's a drill?"

 

"Drill? What an odd phrasing," she said. Her eyebrow raised. "Here we call it preparing. Every sixth or seventh at the random bell, a high town officer would loose a carriage down on one of the markets."

 

"What?!" he exclaimed. His voice rose. "Someone could get hurt!"

 

"They're not crazy, Euca." the gnome woman said. "Can I call you that?" she continued after a pause. "You can call me Restia."

 

"...All right," he said, agreeing. The young woman did already help him a whole lot. It'd be rude to refuse such a simple request. "Restia."

 

Nodding, the woman smiled. "Remember how you just stagger back with only few bruises?"

 

"...yes," thinking back he found it indeed quite odd. The carriage was fast. As fast as a 60-70 kph car, but he only got a bruise. Nothing too over.

 

"They enchant [Soften Blow] on the carriages. It only normal."

 

Is that? Euca feels buzzing of mana behind her word. He thought he misheard it the first time, but it seems every time a skill or magic intoned, it behooved a kind of power.

 

"If you lost your wares, your item broke, or something along that line. The town will compensate you. Only half of it and only until certain price. Since they also demand that you know better than not securing your item." she said shrugging. "Especially on sixth or seventh."

 

"So, the last-er..." he trailed.

 

"Someone who gets up last. Someone who the least prepared."

 

"Ah."

 

"Normally, they must attend a class," she said looking at him, top to bottom. "...or pays a fine."

 

"But, you're a new-er. So they just give you a pamphlet."

 

"I see, thank you for explaining it to me, Restia."

 

"You're welcome."

 

Taking his cup, he faked drinking once more. It seemed all of this just a big misunderstanding, but what an odd custom this town had. Well, he still needed to do his business at the merchant guild, he better excuse himself.

 

"Restia, thank you for your hospitality. You're very kind. But, I really need to get going. I have an errand to do at—"

 

"—at the merchant guild right?" he felt his body stiffed. What the... How does she know where's he's going? Is she... Muttering the status again, he began scrolling when—

 

"—don't misunderstand, Euca," she said still smiling. "[Merchant Sense: Business Opportunity], I could tell if someone has a potential business with me."

 

"...business?" he said trailing, the back of his hand a touch far from pressing the invisibility skill. Intended to touch it. Yet at once the knowledge of the spell resurged on his mind.

 

He reeled. Eyes widen. He knew the name. Spellwork. A diagram of geometric patterns that represent magic. Circles interconnected with each other, by line, sometimes straight, often curved. Parallel and perpendicular. Writing that was not alphabet.

 

One though, a character in the innermost heart of the center circle and the outermost border of the most below circle, dimmed and glowed. Forming a pattern. A beat. He knew that by intent willed, mana paid, and the word spoken. The spellwork would burst. Activating the magic.

 

The fear gripped him. He’s not getting into that crazy place again. Just. Just no way.

 

"Aren't you interested in getting a house?" the gnome followed, oblivious to his inner turmoil.

 

“Euca?”

 

“Ah?”

 

“You want to buy a house right?”

 

"Yes, but—"

 

How did she know?

 

"I'm the property handler here. We do small-scale brokering. Connecting people who want to sell with those who want to buy."

 

What was that? He's in the merchant guild? Thinking back he remembered lines of people in the main hall outside. Crates and sacks packed beside some of them. Their vibrant clothing. Their impatient, hurried steps.

 

And he assumed this was her office. How could he be so foolish?

 

"...and you sense that I have a business with you?" he said, his eye slitting. "Yes! And big one apparently, I just want to greet you when I see you walking down the Elm. But then preparing happened." she laughed.

 

Pausing, he looked at her. Like really looked. So it seemed skill was not limited to evocation. This, this looks like divination with merchant flavor.

 

Should he trust her?

 

She did not lie about the drill. And if this is indeed the merchant guild…

 

Tapping his hand, he began "Yes, I'm indeed looking for a new house," Let's stall for now.

 

"Great, I knew I wasn't wrong!" she said clapping her hand and jump out of her chairs. "...with this, the annoying harpy wouldn't snag this month bonus,"

 

"...sorry?"

 

"Nothing!"

 

Taking a wooden something from under her chair, With a few moves, it changed into a ladder? No. A step. Her folding step! With it, she reached the third shelves from the floor. Taking a big scroll as tall as her.

 

"Scoot over a bit," Euca nodded, chose to stand instead. On the long chair, she spread the scroll wide, revealing what appeared to him as the map of the town.

 

"Now, here, here, and here, is the newest lot. I assume you don't want the house in the outer?"

 

Outer? Ah. That must be the lower town name. Outertown. Innertown. Hightown. Weird. Well, security was the most important, so... "...yes," he said, nodding.

 

"Now, inner have parts," she said, wagging her finger. "People like to pretend they don't. But they do. This house here for example is fifty steps wide, but is located near the smithing district. So while it's only two thousand, they're noisy."

 

"Okay..."

 

"This one here was near the main's stream, so it's good if you like to relax and fish."

 

"Around this green dot is the one-room options, if you have a job near..."

 

"For delver, I recommend..."