That morning, Alice woke up in a gloomy mood. The enticing smell of grilled sausages and fried eggs lifted her mood a little. But it was only when she reached the top of a hill, and the village of Odette finally revealed itself, that a spark of joy lit up her face.

"Wow! It looks like a real medieval village!"

About thirty stone and thatched houses formed the hamlet, encircled by modest, rudimentary walls two meters high. Inside, cobbled paths wound between the buildings. At its center lay a square bordered by stalls arranged in a semicircle. A little apart, on a small hill, a large villa in a bourgeois style overlooked the surroundings.

"Medieval? What does that mean?"

"Uh… nothing. I sometimes invent words when I’m excited. Don’t pay attention to it."

"Hm."

Tom narrowed his eyes, not entirely convinced, but went on,

"Listen, this is important. The entrance to the village is always guarded. The soldier checks the identity of every traveler. I doubt you have an identity card… and even if you did, it’s better to avoid anyone discovering your origins. Let me do the talking. I’ll say you’re my niece."

"We don’t look much alike," Alice said with a teasing smile.

"A distant relative, then."

He studied her for a moment.

"You really do look like a vampire, with that pale skin. Or maybe an elf… without the ears. Here, rub some dirt on your face and put on your cloak. That’ll help. Oh, and tell Hati to hide."

Alice and Hati obeyed.

They continued their descent toward the village, exchanging a few words about the place. Arriving before the gates, a soldier stood guard. Tall and thin as a reed, he wore simple leather armor and held a spear in his right hand. His messy chestnut hair, mustache, and goatee gave him the air of a character straight out of a Don Quixote adventure.

Alice stifled a gasp when she saw his displayed level: 22. She had already been surprised that Tom, a mere merchant, was level 11, but he was a civilian. This guard, with his level, would have had trouble finishing off the goblins from the previous day!

Tom stepped forward with a smile.

"Hey Hank!"

The soldier answered with a nod, visibly relieved.

"Hey, Tom. We were starting to worry, you hadn’t arrived yet. Did you run into trouble on the road?"

"Oh, nothing this old veteran couldn’t handle. I took the old road through the Southern Forest to avoid bandits. The path was bad, so it delayed me a bit."

"Those bandits are a real problem for businesses here. I asked for reinforcements from the capital, but as usual, no answer. I also posted a quest at the adventurers’ guild in the regional bastion of Anthia. All they could send me was a group of rookies."

"You shouldn’t complain, Hank. You know very well that it’s already a miracle that someone came.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right…”

“Are the adventurers still around? I’d like to meet them."

"I’m sure you’ve met much more impressive ones. But if you want to see them, they usually hang out at the inn after their bandit hunting."

Tom turned toward Alice, making a grand gesture to present her.

"This is Alice, the granddaughter of one of my cousins. She asked me to show her the country, so I took her under my wing for this journey."

The soldier froze, his eyes widening as if he had seen a ghost.

"What?! Since when is she here? I was sure you were alone until now!"

Alice smiled inwardly. Could this be her Mist Cloak finally showing its true power?

"Nice to meet you, sir. Thank you for protecting the kingdom."

She made a curtsey.

Tom raised an eyebrow.

"You must be really tired, Hank, to not have noticed her when she’s been by my side since the beginning."

"Uh… yes… surely."

The soldier stepped closer and examined Alice under her hood, his expression serious.

"Tell me… aren’t you a little too pretty to be related to this old merchant?"

Tom bristled, half-worried, half-offended.

"Look at YOURSELF in a mirror before you speak!"

The soldier burst out laughing.

"HAHAHA! Well, I won’t bother you any longer. Many in the village are waiting for your goods. Soren, the innkeeper, has been out of salt for two weeks; he’d kill me if I didn’t let you in right away."

He gestured for them to enter. Tom set his cart back in motion.

"Tom… one last piece of advice. I’m serious about the girl. She’s really unusual, and that could cause you trouble if you run into bandits or worse, slavers. Be very careful, there’s a group of them in the village right now. Don’t draw their attention."

Tom nodded gravely and crossed the gates.

The village streets were already bustling despite the early hour. The inhabitants went about their tasks. Several stopped to greet Tom, seemingly used to seeing him. No one seemed to notice Alice under her Mist Cloak. Intrigued, she lowered her hood as a passerby approached, who did not fail, this time, to greet both of them.

Tom, noticing her little maneuver, asked softly,

"What are you doing?"

Alice answered in a low voice,

"I got this magic cloak just before leaving the forest. I didn’t know exactly what it did… but now I think it makes people less aware of me. As long as I wear it, no one notices me, unless attention is drawn to me."

The merchant’s eyes lit up.

"That’s really useful, especially for you! If you ever want to sell it, I’ll be more than happy to offer you a good price!"

Alice laughed.

"Promise!"

A sudden commotion echoed at the end of the cobbled street. A group of men in leather armor, armed and unpleasant-looking, advanced heavily toward the exit. They shouted at passersby, pushing them roughly. Behind them followed a horse pulling a caged cart.

Alice’s eyes widened. Inside the cage, she saw a family of beastmen, a man, a woman, and a child, of the Faëren tribe. Their cat ears and feline tails made them easy to recognize. Exhausted, injured, and dirty, they were a pitiful sight. The little girl cried silently, nestled against her mother.

"Alice, quickly, put your hood back on. They’re slavers."

She obeyed without a word. The cart passed near theirs, and that’s when she saw him.

Curled up in a corner of the cage, arms around his knees, a young vampire stared at her. No need to use [Inspection], she sensed it instinctively. His black hair was messy, his dark but sharp gaze locked onto hers. Had he sensed her, too?

One of the slavers walking beside the cage followed the vampire’s gaze and turned his head in her direction. He was tall, with messy hair and a large scar running across his face. His dull eyes lit with a wicked gleam, but he said nothing, merely continuing on his way.

"He didn’t see me, right?" she asked later, her heart still pounding.

"I don’t think so, otherwise he would have reacted. Those guys know how to spot different species."

Alice looked at the young vampire one last time, her heart heavy with helplessness. Then she turned away, pulling her hood tighter around her head. She was way too busy saving herself, let alone some strangers.

They quickly reached the village square.

It wasn’t very big, but it overflowed with activity. Wooden stalls formed a circle: spices, vegetables, meat, crafts… Around it, a few stone buildings stood out: a forge, a textile shop, and an inn.

Tom led Alice inside the inn. He showed her a free table where she could sit, then ordered her a glass of milk before disappearing toward the counter to negotiate his wares.

Alice sat down, removed her cloak, and observed the customers. The inn was fairly full. At this early hour, villagers came to have breakfast. Some ate alone, devouring dishes that looked delicious, while others, in groups, chatted cheerfully around a table.

Right next to her, a group stood out particularly by its agitation.

Alice smiled.

With their varied equipment, bow, sword, axe, shield, there was no doubt: these were the adventurers the guard Hank had mentioned.

There were five of them. A blond young man of about sixteen, a sword at his side, an air of arrogance, led the discussion with a red-haired dwarf, short, stocky, with a braided beard. He carried an axe and an iron shield on his back. Beside them, a very pretty young woman covered in tribal tattoos, with wavy chestnut hair tinged with red and, above all, a pair of feline ears on her head. Probably a Faëren, armed with a bow and daggers, nodding eagerly at every statement of the blond.

Opposite them, a young mage in a white and blue tunic, with a more composed expression, mid-length brown hair, held a long staff. The last, dressed in black, carried a bow and daggers, as well as a long cloak: a tracker, Alice noted with Inspection.

The group embodied everything she imagined when hearing the words adventurers and fantasy.

"Inspection."

Their levels ranged from 22 for the mage and the tracker, 24 for the dwarf whose class was Guardian, 25 for the Faëren archer, and 27 for the blond swordsman. And their stats were really average for their level. Alice had been much better back then.

At least the swordsman has slightly better stats, well-suited for close combat, she thought.

"Here’s your glass of milk, miss."

She almost jumped. The server had arrived silently. She thanked him, and he walked away.

She brought the glass to her lips, curious about the taste. To her surprise, the drink was rich and slightly sweet. Delighted, she drank half of it in one go: finally, new flavors, after six years of austerity.

"Those damned slavers, I’d have kicked their asses!"

The voice rang out, loud and indignant, from the neighboring table. Alice pricked up her ears.

"Forget it, Rilian," the dwarf growled. "You’d have ended up in prison. Draknar legalized slavery four years ago, so those guys are within their rights."

"It’s horrible," the Faëren whispered. "Knowing what Diosens has made my people endure for decades… And now Draknar legalizes such a barbaric practice when they’ve always preached acceptance of other species? It’s unthinkable."

"I heard it was on the Prime Minister’s orders," the mage interjected calmly. "To eliminate the last vampires."

"The fuck is wrong with him?!" the blond snapped. "Allowing slavery of all species just to hunt down one…"

The tracker took offense.

"Lorcan Tyrell is the empire’s hero; he’s the strategist who foiled the vampire plot six years ago. So you’d better watch what you say."

"Oh come on, fangirl," Rilian retorted with a shrug. "He’s not exactly popular among the people. Who would want to repeat it to him?"

He swept the room with his gaze and met Alice’s eyes. Surprised to have been noticed, she blushed and hid behind her glass. Amused, the boy gave her a charming smile.

"You must know that since the fall of the vampires, Lorcan has gained enormous power," the mage added in a low voice. "He’s rallied many nobles to his cause. He probably has eyes and ears everywhere."

"Pfff. You want real info?" Rilian said, lowering his voice. "I heard that the mysterious disappearances in the Seven Kingdoms are due to the slavers, and that they’re working with an organization called the S…"

At that moment, Tom’s booming voice cut the conversation short,

"Damned innkeeper!"

He had collapsed into the chair next to Alice.

"To dare haggle over the price of salt at a time like this! I should have let him deal with bland dishes on his own!"

Alice asked, disappointed not to have heard the rest.

"Your sales didn’t go well?"

"What do you think?" Tom said with a broad smile. "I’m the great merchant Tom Estronza! I pretended to leave, and he immediately changed his offer."

Proud of himself, he patted the purse he was putting back in his bag before pausing, thoughtful.

"Tell me… If you were… well, wherever you were these last six years, you surely didn’t earn any money, did you? Do you at least know what coins are worth?"

Alice gave him a mischievous little smile, as if to say, "I don’t know a thing, teach me."

"I should have guessed…" Tom sighed.

He took three coins from his purse: one copper, one silver, and one gold.

"Fortunately, since the creation of the trade guild three hundred years ago, the monetary system of the Seven Kingdoms has been simplified. Listen carefully, this is important."

He laid the coins out before her.

"This is a copper coin. With a hundred of these, you get a silver coin. A hundred silver coins are worth a gold coin. And finally, there’s the platinum coin, which I can’t show you: I’ve never had one. It takes a thousand gold coins to get one."

"That’s fine, but… what are they worth?" Alice asked, tilting her head.

"I’m getting to that. With ten copper coins, you can buy a loaf of bread. A night in an inn like this costs six silver coins. A small house in the lower districts of a capital costs between fifty and a hundred gold coins. Platinum coins are used by kingdoms, big guilds, nobles, or the very rich."

Alice nodded, doing a quick calculation in her head.

One copper is worth €0.10, a silver is worth €10, a gold is worth €1,000, and a platinum is worth… a million.

Tom guessed her thoughts and smirked.

"Don’t dream too much, little one! If you manage to collect a hundred gold coins in your life, that will mean you’ve succeeded!"

"I killed a lot of monsters in the Cursed Forest over those six years," she said in a lower voice. "I left the dismantled items behind, but I kept the best magic gems in a bag. Do you think they’re worth something?"

The merchant’s eyes sparkled.

"Not now. Show me tonight, in your room."

She understood it was better not to take out the stones here. She nodded softly.

"Good. Time for me to continue my sales. What do you want to do?"

"Would you mind if I came with you?"

"You can. But you keep your hood on, and don’t get in my way, alright?" he said in a mock-gruff tone.

Alice smiled. She really was starting to like this old man.