-First time in the chain kiddo?- Novus turned around. The voice calling him out managed to cut through his anxiety and his coping mechanism of remembering things he learned back in the Academy to distract himself.

-This seat isn’t taken, right?- Sema Taxidi, the man he saw swindling the merchant, sat right beside Novus, all smiles and charm.

-Eh… no… it’s not.- Novus was still a bit shaky and wasn’t as talkative as usual. His fear was clear and evident, poking its ugly behind his eyes.

-I would like to say I was like you the first time I got on this thing, but Urbis has way better designs than this one, so I’m accustomed to this.- He looked around smiling. -Even as old and old-fashioned as this one is, the chains won’t snap, so stop worrying and enjoy the ride.-

Novus didn’t reply, giving a sneaky glance at the chains above him, tight thanks to the weight of the platform and the pull of the Cibus Engines.

He didn’t even notice that his interlocutor revealed he was a foreigner, the first Novus had ever met.

-The silent treatment, eh?- He glanced at Novus staff and nodded in understanding. -So you’re one of those noblemen, the ones that don’t lower themselves to speak with the lowborn?- He smirked with a hint of disgust.

-I’m not a Highborn!- Novus snapped out of his anxiety thanks to sheer unrelenting rage. He glared at Sema with burning eyes.

The merchant was taken aback by Novus’ passion and stood up, scanning him from top to bottom, trying to find where he went wrong.

Sema was, usually, a very good judge of character and a very inquisitive person. Years of working as a merchant had given him a good eye when it comes to eyeing a person down to find out more about them.

-You say you aren’t a Nobleman?- The confusion on his face faded as his usual confident smirk returned. -You’re dressed in the uniform of the Royal Academy, I know it because I’ve sold Cibus to them.- He pointed at Novus’ clothing as he talked.

Sema then gestured towards Novus’ staff. -You have a staff with a very nice piece of Cibus on top, meaning you have both knowledge of Arcane Sciences and enough money to buy an exquisite focusing crystal.- He leaned forward and analyzed the crystal with a discerning eye.

-If I had to bet that’s an Igneus cut, all the rage in Rigel right now.-

-Finally.- Sema used his free hand to gesture around. -You’re in the Chain ascending towards the Royal Castle, dressed in an Academy Uniform and wielding a staff that only Arcanists use.-  His smirk only widened.

-So, unless you’re running the best con-job from here to Ora, you are a Nobleman kiddo, nothing to be ashamed of.-

-Yes, the Cibus Crystal in my staff is an Igneus cut. I would know, my name is Novus Igneus.- Novus replied in flat deadpan. He started the ascent in the Chain being scared and anxious, Sema had managed to piss him off, but his smoldering rage was gradually replaced by utter contempt for the man.

If there was something Novus disliked, it was being talked down to. The sound of his blood rushing through his veins was more than enough to block the rushing waters deep beneath the platform.

Sema heard the name and his smirk didn’t fade, it took a second as his brain processed the information he was just given. He stood there, slack-jawed, his mind racing as he finally snapped all the pieces in place.

-Oh… oh… Ooooooh.- The Cane-bound Merchant realized his mistake and quickly attempted to mend bridged. -Apologies, I’m so accustomed to dealing with noblemen that I didn’t even consider that you weren’t one.-

He realized what he said might be considered an insult by Novus and quickly amended his statement. -Not that I’m saying you look like a nobleman, I’m just saying that everything pointed in that direction, you get me?-

Novus’ disgust with Sema was slightly dampened by his curiosity. He saw him swindle the other merchant with confidence and ease, but a single correction made him get flustered and trample over his words? That was weird.

But just as Sema was good at gathering context clues and reaching a conclusion, so was Novus, and he realized something.

-I see, so you work with my father, don’t you?- It made sense to the Young Arcanist. Sema took a step backward, shocked. -Now I understand why he wasn’t at home today when I left for the Castle, he was making a deal with you.- 

-Once again, my apologies for bothering you.- The Merchant quickly did a small bow and returned to his group, turning his back on Novus. 

The Young Arcanist felt relieved, this helped him dispel a bit of the funk around him since finding out about the lies his loved ones told to protect him. He couldn’t avoid chuckling softly each time he saw Sema looking over his shoulder.

Novus would obviously notify his father of the kind of merchant he was making deals with. In fact, he was already planning to send a letter before Sema approached him, after seeing how he swindled the other merchant at the gates of the Chain.

Novus was raised to understand that a merchant is only as good as his word, and anybody who betrayed that trust and attempted to get ahead by anything but hard work deserved to get a wake-up call.

As he was composing the letter in his head, a loud whistle coming from above signaled that the Chain was already arriving at its destination.

The Young Arcanist sighed with relief, as he was feeling the clutches of anxiety gripping his heart gradually ever since the adrenaline rush of putting Sema in his place wore off. 

With a loud “CLANG”, the stone slab entered into a socket carved on the cliffside, with a set of Castle Guards, dressed in chainmail and red cloaks secured with silver pauldrons, securing it with large spinning bolts they lowered to clamp on the slab.

The guards proceeded to lower the metal bars around the edge of the platform facing the Royal Road. 

The Highborn, who had their own separate seatings, got off first and then were followed by the palace servants, guards, and merchants, walking up the cobblestone road towards the Royal Road. Novus got off the stone slab and took a deep breath.

He took a last glance back, seeing Rigel from an angle not many had seen the city before, and finally walked towards the Castle, the butt of his staff clanking against the cobblestone road.