Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Pov Mia Vinea

 

I start my day like every other, with breakfast. I noticed that the food used to be more diverse. It doesn't matter. I don't have a choice but to eat what I get. For almost all my life, somebody else made decisions for me. I finish my meal and leave for the place I go to every day.

The only place I'm allowed to is my little garden. It's not much, but at least I know it's still here every day when I wake up. Two Guards always follow me, never letting me out of sight. They're always with me or at least behind me. But, after all this time, I learned to ignore them.

A few years back, I tried to run away. It didn't end well. I got whipped because of it. Everybody came to watch. Of course, they said the reason for my punishment wasn't running away from home. They couldn't because to the public; they're the friendly nobles who gave me a home after my family died in the war. Thus they said I slept with ordinary men. Humans. I don't know if anybody believed it or if they just wanted to see me suffer and pretended not to. I don't care anymore.

I sit down on the bench. Even if I hate this place, the view is still beautiful. My garden is high up. Build in between Titan trees just like the rest of the building. In front of me, I can see the bridge which connects the districts. I love how the water runs down the river.

I thought about jumping way too many times. I don't have a reason to live anymore. I have nobody, and since my punishment, everybody has ignored me. Nobody visits me or even talks to me. I'm lonely. I move closer to the edge. I hear the guards move closer to me. They can't let me jump. I won't even come close to jumping before they on me. They would die just to keep me alive. Even if I thought about jumping many times, in the end, I wouldn't. I'm not scared to die. I just can't give up on life like this. It feels like I'm losing.

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Thus when today I got a visitor, I was surprised. She's one of the messengers who's working for my uncle. She doesn't even give me the proper greetings. Without a care, she starts reading. "Mia Vinea. Under the order of the crown, you're going to entertain a group of humans in three days. Guards will escort you there." After she delivered her message, she left. I sit down on my bed. Why would he send me?
After all these years, I can get out. I can't wait.

*************

Pov Finn

In the morning, I meet up with the merchant's group.
"Morning. Are you here for the escort to Jade?" A plump man greets me.

"Yes. And who are you?"

"I'm Bonny. You're the last to arrive. Here come, I will introduce you." He drags me to a big group.

"Guys. The last one is here. We can leave whenever you're ready." He shouts to them.

"Am I late?" I ask.

"No, no. We're so excited that we came early. This woman, Anna, and I are in the Unlimited Trades group. You probably heard of us. Then these three men are from a smaller merchant group. They're Peter, Felix, and Alan. Over there're 19 mercenaries, with you now 20."

"Good morning. I'm Finn. Nice to meet you." I introduce myself.

"Don't we already have enough? What use has this skinny man." Alan speaks up. He, unlike Bonny, is a relatively muscular man. He looks mad.

Before Bonny can say anything, I answer him, "don't worry, I'm stronger than I look. How long is the trip?"

Again Bonny gets interrupted. "I don't think you are. You're here to protect us. My life depends on your skills. And I don't think you have any."

I just wait for Bonny to answer my question. Alan doesn't like to be ignored, it seems. So he continues, "we should leave him here. He won't even be able to protect himself. We will save money too."

"What's your problem, man? Your boss doesn't have an issue with me. So stop bugging me." No clue what he's trying to achieve.

Finally, Bonny steps in, "that's enough, Alan. He's coming with us. We need every man we can get. Be thankful you're with us here. Now get ready. We don't have all day."

"Yeah, sir." He mutters.

We leave shortly after. I ride with Bonny on a carriage pulled by gigantic goats. I want to pet them. Maybe later.

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We exit the forest after five days. Now we drive along the river on the right and grassland on the left. I feel at ease. The birds whistle, the river dances, and the wind sings. It's like a fairy tale.

We had to cross the river a week back. The grassland now is at least a few meters high. Even on top of the carriage, you can't look over. I'm sure the goats can. I learned that they're Grandgoats, bred by the Dwarfs. We have a few days left. That's when five Elves appeared on the road.
"Halt." One of them shouts.

Bonny and I are in the front carriage. We get down and walk towards them. A short distance away, Bonny speaks, "Good afternoon. Can you tell me why you're stopped us?" It's obvious. But better to make sure. The mercenaries are already getting in position around the carriages.

"We're looking for somebody." The same Elfs says.

"And who're you looking for?"

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"We don't mean any harm. We're looking for an Elf, a friend." The Elf answers his question.

"No Elf is traveling with us. You're welcome to check." Bonny suggests. Maybe it wasn't so obvious after all. They checked quickly and left after they didn't find their Elf.

As we continue down the road, I ask Bonny, "you don't think that was strange? Whom do you think they were searching?"

"Sure it was. But nothing happened, so for now, it's fine. They could be looking for anybody. Let's just hope that's the end of it."
I agree. I need to stay low.

Finally, we arrived in Jade. The capital is a lot bigger than Esaville. Bonny told me it's divided into three districts, separated by two rivers, Dasdan, which runs through the land from a lake east until it flows into the sea in the west. The other river, Sudan, emerges out of Dasdan and flows down the south.

The district in the north is the biggest and exclusive for nobles. We arrive at midday in one of the two districts for commoners. In contrast to Esaville, most houses are on the ground. It's crowded and dirty. The buildings look run down.

We go to the inn where we'll stay the night.
I leave them there and go into the city. They've other things to do, and so do i.

I wander along the street. I am still thinking of a destination. I look into some of the shops I encounter but only find bakeries, tailors, and a smith. The smith sells everyday things for farmers. The weapons get delivered straight to the palace. That's where I learned that all the good items get sold to the nobles quickly. And that's why I'm on my way to the bridge to find a way to sneak in.

You can't possibly call this monstrous building a bridge. This fortress was built from the noble district over the Dasdan to the beginning of Sudan, where it splits left and right to connect to the other areas. I cross the bridge to the other side. I notice that nobody is walking to the noble's district, so I better don't go either. So I walk past over to the other side. I have to ask Bonny later.

I continue my stroll through the second district until I detect a small bookstore to the side. Inside, a young man welcomes me. I look a little bit around. There're many books. 'The history of Jade'. 'The Adventures of the black King'. '15 ways to grow a Goldtree'. They're mostly just stories for kids or history books. There shouldn't be anything useful in them. So I ask the owner, "do you have a book about Mana?"

"About Mana? Yes, sure, but don't you have the same in Insani? You won't find anything new in here." He walks to one of the shelves to pick a book as he speaks.

"I know. I know. It's just that I promised my little sister to bring her one. She insisted it has to be from the Elves." I reply and take the book.

"Oh. Okay. It's the last copy we have. For 2 silver, it's yours."

"Yeah, okay." I give him the money and leave with the book. I wonder if I paid him too much. It sucks, but what can I do. I could accompany Bonny to the auction. I could learn more about the prices and items.

I'm back at the inn, sitting in my room. I paid three silver for the night. It's nothing much, a bed and a table with a candle. By the bed, I have a pot for my personal business. I read the book I bought, but thus far, there is nothing new. So many things should be mentioned, like the Aura or the many ways Mana can be used. But, instead, it's just stories about Elves. I definitely paid too much.

After breakfast, I meet up with the rest. Bonny says we are waiting for somebody to pick us up. Until our escort arrives, we talk a little. He tells me about his business and some strange rumors about the Princess. A few minutes later, a woman accompanied by four guards arrives.

"Welcome, honored guests. My name is Mia, and I'll be your guide for today..." she continues, but I don't listen anymore. Mia! Mia? A coincidence? Nobody sends a Princess to pick some random merchants up. But, on the other hand, why are Humans even invited? "... please follow me as I escort you to the Auction house." She starts walking towards the rivers, followed by the guards and merchants.

The mercenaries left yesterday. Bonny allowed me to accompany him to the auction as his guest. I hope it will be held in the noble district as all the Luxus establishments are there.

I was right because halfway across the bridge, we turned left—10 guards supervising the end of it. Mia walks to them to show them something. Only then do they allow us through. I try to see some resemblances to Askei, but I don't want to stare too much. Thus I'm still not sure.

Right in front of us is a big square garden with statues and benches, surrounded by the forest. On the other side is the royal palace. I know because it's an enormous building. It's built between 12 Trees, more than twice as big and thick as the others. Branches growing to both sides function as steps are the only way to the palace. The building is built out of deep blue stone. Parts of it melted with the trees. It's unbelievable. Did I mention it doesn't touch the ground at all? Because it doesn't.

I only get a little time to appreciate it as the group moves on. The whole noble part is a lot different from the other districts. Here they have big estates with big parts of the land as gardens. The streets are wider and less crowded, with the people looking cleaner and healthier. And richer. A lot richer.

In the Auction house, we get welcomed by an employee, and he showed us to a small room. After that, Ronny and Anna leave to prepare their products, as do the other three. I have time. Thus I work on my core for a few hours. Finally, I advanced to Tier 2 blue, which wasn't a big surprise as I could already feel on the ship to Esaville that I was close.

For eight months, I advance my core and can feel the difference now. If I tried to fight the Goblins now, they would've 0 chance. I hope to try out my power soon. I mean, not on civilians or anything. Just, I don't know, a criminal or something. Forget it. I wonder how strong Askei is. It doesn't matter. The next time I see him, I will be stronger. Maybe.

I leave the room to look around. I walk along the corridor, to the left are small rooms for the guests, and to the right is one big hall with seats in a half circle directed to the stage. Elves are running back and forth carrying crates, drinks, food, and other stuff.

The auction will begin in a few hours. Thus I want to go back to cultivate. On my way back, I make a quick stop by the toilette. As I step back out, I hear a familiar voice talking. "No, it has to be done today. We can't just stop now because of a stranger. He's just a boy who probably ran away from home. We can also use him as a scapegoat. Why would they be suspicious of some merchants if there's a stranger here whom nobody has heard of? We will strike before the last item." They turned inside the big room, where I couldn't hear them.

Well. That was Peter and his friends. They're planning something awful. The stranger would be me. I don't like where this is going.

Back in my room, I'm trying to put the things I know together.
One. The Elves are preparing for war.
Two. The Elven king doesn't like humans.
Three. The merchants will do something at the end of the auction.
Four. Askei's daughter is most likely the woman who brought us here.

Five. Askei told me that she was locked in the palace.
So what is she doing here?

I can't talk to her because of the guards. But wait. Are they guards, or are they wardens? If she's here against her will, then what's her purpose? Only the King himself can order something like this.

Today is a big event that many nobles attend. If the fake merchant did something to the Princess of the Elves, the King would have a reason to start a war. And with all the nobles as witnesses, he would have more than enough supporter. And now they want to use me as a scapegoat. No fucking way. This may be an ideal opportunity for me.

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