Chapter 101: 100 The Veins

"All set guys?"

"Yes sir" The three musketeers were outfitted in three completely distinct sets of clothing, and despite there being some cloth absent in some questionable places around Sanna's legs and Wall's abdomen they all classified as presentable. 

"Titanyana?"

"Mm." Titanyana was wearing what Donovan thought were her casual clothes, the closest equivalent he could think of being combat fatigues, though made of a somewhat more comfortable material and completely lacking the functions one would associate with them, but this was apparently what she considered semi-formal clothing. Perhaps, Donovan theorized, she preferred them to be thicker in order to keep warm. The Sanctum was, by and large, colder than what Donovan and Diana considered 'room temperature', so it would not be surprising if her home planet was colder than this by a considerable margin.

Her small body, and subsequently poor ability to retain body heat, was also a likely factor.

"Then lets get going. Rize, you have some free time now, so do as you please. Would you like me to arrange a carriage to take you back home?"

"I don't think it's a good time to head back considering . . . you know?" Despite Lord Kelly being banished from the Sanctum, there was still a very real possibility that he would have one of his goons enact some form of revenge on the boy and his family. Even if the Sanctum was providing a security detail, it was a good idea to not take a chance with it.

"I understand. You won't be bored here will you?"

"I think I'll work on studying that 'English' you and Diana want me to learn. The Scholar is coming right?"

"He should arrive soon, I think, but don't quote me on that. He might decide to go somewhere else today."

"Hmmmm. Well, if he doesn't show then I can just work on writing out a few of those, what were they? 'Ledders'?"

"Let-ters, sharp 'tuh' sound."

"Le-tters?"

"Close enough. You'll get the hang of it as you practice. Just focus on getting it right for now, speed will come with time." Diana had given Don a run-down on the key points that he should have his men focus on during their forays into the English language. This would obviously apply to Rize as well. "That goes for you lot too. We start in earnest next week, mathematics as well."

"Understood, sir."

"Good, now let's go."

- - - - -

Walking around the registration center, Donovan realized that he had underestimated the Sanctum greatly. It didn't have anything to do with their bureaucratic capacity or architecture or economic ability or anything grand like that, what he had failed to comprehend was just how many people they accounted for.

From the multiple layers of city street to the complete and total disregard for such conventions as road signs, Donovan had no idea how someone would find anything in this labyrinthine mess of urban sprawl. Hell, this was less of a concrete jungle and more of an actual jungle. Stone was a rare sight, the fact that all of these buildings were part and parcel of the Great Csillacra truly giving the image of being deep in some fantasy woodland painting. Nothing was recognizable, but yet everything still seemed distinct enough to make out if focused on.

Navigating this unmappable jumble were the countless hoards of people living their day to day lives. They moved from shop to shop, from work to home, spending money and making money, all the while existing as part of a crowd rivalling the Hypertropolises of the American, European, and Asian coastlines. Having only visited the truly dense population a handful of times himself, Donovan felt completely out of his element.

Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, he wasn't alone in this.

"Is this the right spot?" Wall was staring at a rather large wooden building with a confused look on his face. "It doesn't much look like an arena."

"Should we ask somebody?" Sanna was trying his hardest to keep Len from getting swept up by the crowd. The poor boy was half asleep at this point, and was in no condition to move around as quickly as the masses required of him.

"Hmmmmmm." Titanyana held her ears in annoyance. This place was loud, people were talking as they walked, merchants yelled to attract attention to their wares, and the drumming of what Donovan could only imagine were the footsteps of a similarly sized crowd on a similar floor some hundred feet above them created a jarring symphony of disjointed noise that was almost certainly wreaking havoc on her sensitive ears.

They had descended three such layers, the top most of these layers being the one they resided on. To think that there could be such a large city beneath their feet and not have been notified about it.

"I'll handle it. Excuse me sir!" Donovan waved down a man who didn't seem to be in a rush. "Do you know where we would go to register for the upcoming tournament?"

"Huh? Uuuh, I would ask one of the people in the red hats about that. They usually handle requests about that sort of thing."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Would this be your first time down here in the Veins?"

Donovan paused. "The Veins?"

"Talk about clueless." The man laughed a bit, clearly some form of joke to him. "Well, the cities in the Sanctum are all within massive hollow cavities within the Great Csillacra's branches, most people usually call them the Veins. Now to my knowledge they aren't actually veins, nor do they serve that purpose considering that we can live here without causing problems, but we call them that cuz it gets the point across."

"I see, then I must admit that this is my first time hearing about it, embarrassing though that may be."

"Eh, don't sweat it. I don't exactly know what you are like, but I imagine that you've spent a lot of time training up above. It wouldn't be too surprising if you're from somewhere far off. You are attending the military academy aren't you?"

Donovan nodded. "That is indeed the case."

"Ah good. That would have been awkward otherwise."

"So the red hats, is it? Is there anything else that's super basic that I should know about? Just to make sure I don't kick up some sort of trouble?"

"Anything basic? Hmmm. I suppose the color codes are all you should need. The red hats, as we said, are kind of like guides? Be sure to tip them a couple Sanc or other such currency when they guide you, it helps them pay the bills. The yellow hoods are, how should I say, bureaucrats? You can ask them about . . . well I don't know actually. I think they know about the laws? Merchant regulations maybe? I know that the green and white robed people are the ones you go to when you are injured or sick, and the big guys with the blue and black painted masks are what we call enforcers, they keep the peace. They won't get to involved with petty squabbles to the best of my knowledge, but from what I hear they are positively champing at the bit to get to prove their worth when things get violent."

"I see . . . Thank you sir. Have a nice day."

"Like I said, it's no big deal. I wish you luck in the tournament or whatever it is you're going to sign up for. I'd say I'd come and watch but, well I've got a bit of a busy schedule in the coming days. Have a nice day regardless." The man lackadaisically waved at the group as he meandered away. Donovan had wondered if he might have been a little drunk halfway through their conversation, but he was far too coherent and responsive for that. Perhaps it was due to some other intoxicant, or maybe it was just the way he was.

There were many such races of 'human' as Donovan had seen during this foray into the Veins, and it was entirely possible that was just a natural state of being for some races.

"Did any of you know that?"

"No sir."

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"No sir."

"I knew about the enforcers, but not about the rest." Sanna shrugged as he revealed the extent of what he knew. "Was I the only one who brought currency with us?"

"I brought some, only about 500 Sanc though." Wall sounded a little bit defeated as he tapped the small purse attached to his belt.

"Fifty Sanc." Len managed to mumble what he brought with him.

"I left my money at home." Titanyana looked at the floor, clearly embarrassed at her lack of foresight.

"I also did not consider that we might need money today." 

"Hm, I'll cover it this time. Truth be told I'm quite strapped for ways to spend what I have, a small tip of a hundred or so Sanc won't pose much of an issue."

"Then I'll leave it to you." Donovan nodded in thanks to Sanna, taking a mental note to buy a wallet or something like that as soon as possible. "Let's go find a red hat."

- - - - -

"One hundred Sanc!?! Thank you so much!!!" The little boy, Een, who had guided them to their destination jumped up and down in glee after being handed the coin, his oversized red beret nearly slipping off of his head.

Donovan had no idea how much that would exchange for in credits, but he assumed it to be quite the sum for a child given his reaction.

"I-i-i-i-i-is there anything else you want to know?!?! Want to go!?!? This is just too much!?!?"

"Too much, is it? How much do people usually tip you, Een?" Donovan had no intent of taking the coin back, he was just probing for information. Market values were powerful tools for determining strategic objectives in a war, food and fuel being the most important, though the little stuff could be targeted as well.

"Most people usually give me, like, maybe one or two? Five or ten if we have to go particularly far." He was staring at his little coin with starry eyes.

"Well, there are five of us here, and we were well and truly lost, so I think it was fair for us to give you twenty Sanc per person, no?" Donovan smiled, rationalizing their decision lacking information to the boy to calm him down. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you plan to buy with that money?"

"What do I want to buy? Um, hmmm, some delicious food maybe? Oh! No! There's this tool my father has been wanting to buy for his work, but he couldn't afford it. . ." The little boy's spirits fell, clearly coming to the decision that helping his father buy that tool was more important than a few good meals, as painful as that might have been for him.

"Wall?" 

"It is a man's duty to look out for his family!" Wall took two fifty Sanc coins from his purse, laughing pridefully the whole time. It would seem that this did not amount to much for Wall in spite of the limited funding he brought with him today. "Just promise me you won't let it get stolen, understood?"

"Yes sir!" He gave a little salute.

"GOOD!!"

"Keep it down, Wall." Sanna just about smacked him, stopped only by his inability to reach the back of Wall's head from his current position.

"Hahaha. Well, Een, I won't tell you how to spend that money, but I will give you some advice. Spend that money in a way that will help you make more down the line. I know you might not like it in the short term, but just like your father is buying a tool to increase his productivity, you should buy something that will give you a chance to earn more money too. I don't know if that means you'll have to pay somebody to teach you how to do something that is valuable, or if you'll want to purchase something that will increase in value over time, just don't waste it on something frivolous. You might really want to eat some candy today, but if you can make more money, you can buy all the candy you want in the future. Does that make sense?" Donovan, still somewhat bent at the knees, looked into the boy's eyes to make sure his point got across. In his eyes, this advice might be more valuable than the 200 Sanc that they had given him.

The little boy scratched his head under the hat, thinking hard. "I think I get it? If I learn how to make more money with this money, then I'll be able to eat tastier food too?"

"Almost certainly. Even if you fail, you will have a least tried." He didn't want to get his hopes too high.

"Would," the little boy lowered his voice for some reason, "would I even be able to something nice for Kersti?"

"Kersti?" Donovan raised a brow, knowing what was coming next but still feeling the need to ask.

"She's the girl I like . . . but I always feel like she's too pretty for me."

Donovan held back a laugh. This kid looked to be around ten, maybe a little older than that, and he was already thinking about love. "That really depends on how much you make." Donovan lowered his voice in preparation to give some advice he had not yet followed. "I would recommend asking her out on a nice date to see if she like's you first. Maybe a pricier lunch or dinner. Does she know you like her?"

"N-no. Is that bad?"

"Not necessarily. Do you know if she has anyone she likes?"

"I don't."

"Then try to find out. If she makes it clear that she doesn't like you, don't push it but don't give up. If you find out that there is someone else she likes, don't try to sabotage it. You wouldn't want someone to do that to you, would you?"

"No..." He shrunk away.

"Good. Just take it slow, see what she wants, and respond accordingly. You have your entire life ahead of you."

"Yes- Yes sir!"

"Alright. Now go along and make some money."

Donovan stood up and watched the little boy move along to one of the nearby street corners, swaying back and forth, waiting for another person to request his assistance as he sneakily put the coins in his little pouch.

"I didn't take you to be the merchant type, sir."

"I'm not, Sanna, I just learned a bit from a-" Donovan realized they wouldn't understand what a movie was. "Forget about it. It's just something I picked up."

"Understood. Still, I've gotta say we might have given him a bit too much for only bringing us a street over."

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