After having spent the night at the shabby , Pi’ve came down the stairs to pay the clerk for his bed and have some breakfast. Although no crime had been committed, Pi’ve felt like he was looking upon a crime-scene as he descended the stairs and entered the main area where he and Ask had sat the day prior. It had been a curious encounter, and by the end they had both become quite antagonistic towards each other.

  The most curious part was that Ask had used magic, though Pi’ve knew that the magic had not been used against him. He had merely disturbed the air in the room, making the door open and slam shut several times. Pi’ve had thought about what it could mean. If Murgun had been outside, it could have been some sort of signal, indicating that it was ready to listen in, or to stop listening as Ask was about to leave. Murgun could even have sneaked inside, as Ask opened the door for him to enter and leave… ’’ Ask had said. It could indicate that Murgun was there at the time. It was curious, indeed.

  ’Oh, shoot. I don’t have Alons…’ Pi’ve said, and the clerk looked at him confused. Pi’ve guessed that the clerk only took Alons, as he also guessed that he was a wizard. Pi’ve thought Ask had taken him to a wizard establishment. ’Do you take common coin?’

  ’That’s the only coin’ll take, lad.’ The clerk Kam said.

  Pi’ve nodded at that, although, it made Pi’ve think. Kam was no wizard, and this was no wizard establishment at all. He could now tell, because all the other wizard establishments had had some sort of indication that it was run by wizards; like having a wizard running the place. Kam had no staff, and he had no cloak— though Pi’ve thought it unlikely that every wizard wore a cloak at all times— but more evidently, he had no staff, which every wizard carried no matter what. Also, wizard establishments had a certain kind of feel to it, like the rooms were more spacious than regular rooms.

  Pi’ve also thought about the fact that he had no Alons. Alons was the currency wizards used amongst themselves, and without that, he could not buy much once he entered a wizard shop. He could sell some of his though, which he had from the tutorial rewards now that he was here. That made a great alibi for him to be here, and he could use the excuse of trying to “find the market”, and “wanting to explore Vesen City while I’m here” to possibly shake Ask and Murgun off of his tail.

  ’Here you go.’ Pi’ve said, and gave the clerk 24 common coins— in two tenners and four ones— to the clerk. ’Could I use the room for just a few minutes more? I just need to prepare something before I go.’

  ’Do you have compensation for that?’ Kam said, smiling slightly.

  Pi’ve let out a laugh, but the clerk was not jesting. ’Oh. Yes sure. Do you want a satchel? It’s a good satchel.’ Pi’ve said, and he turned around, took his old satchel out of his inventory without the clerk seeing that it magically appeared in his hands, and placed it on the counter. He could pay in common coin, of course, but at some point he had to clear out his inventory, and the best way to do that was one item at a time.

  Kam the clerk shrugged. ’Sure. I will prepare breakfast for you. Fifteen minutes.’

  ’Thank you.’ Pi’ve said, and he went up to his room again.

  The room had a single-sized bed, a nightstand, and a table and chair. Pi’ve took out the three vials which he had drunk in the tutorial— each having contained a health potion, stamina potion and mana potion respectively— and the large bottle of blood of the Upir.

  The bottle was very large and heavy. It was like holding a large watermelon. The three vials were placed on the table, and somehow, Pi’ve had to carefully pour the blood out from the large bottle, which was heavy and difficult to control. Luckily, without much spillage— the blood being so viscous that it poured slowly and controlled— he managed to fill the three small vials. He stoppered the three vials and the large bottle of blood, and placed them all in his inventory, and made his way down the stairs again.

  After a big breakfast— which was surprisingly good, Pi’ve said farewell to Kam and left through the door. Had the satchel been pricier than he had expected? Seemed like Kam had put in extra effort on his breakfast… He should get a better understanding on prices, perhaps, although he was not unhappy of getting rid of his old satchel and eating a good breakfast.

  Out in the alleyway, he noticed that Vesen City was rather different than Thergiam, in the sense that the alleyways were a lot more cramped. The buildings stood closer together. It made sense since the population density was so high. This gave the feeling that this city was much bigger than Thergiam.

  He was going to find The Grano, and he would do that by finding the nearest wizard, or anyone for that matter, who could point him in the direction of the nearest wizard shop. He was going to sell some Upir blood, although he had no idea what it was worth. The description of the Upir blood had said it was expensive, but what did that mean in terms of Alons? When he reached the docks, he called out to the nearest man— a man in a well-worn, brown leather west and holey pants. He looked local.

  ’Hey— I am not from here…’ Pi’ve said, and as the man looked up, he flinched and backed away. ’I wonder if you know where the wizards usually congregate around here.’

  ’No. I don’t know.’ The man said, and he turned around and went the other way.

  ’Thank you, anyway.’ Pi’ve said, and he kept walking along the dock Northwards. Along the way, he stopped a couple of other Veseners, but they did not know either. Pi’ve had his hopes up when a lady pointed him in a direction, but when he had walked that way and asked another for the direction further, he had pointed the opposite way.

  He was always on the lookout to spot The Grano, but so far, he had not happened upon any wizarding establishment, and he had to concede to the fact that the wizarding square he was looking for was not as close to the dock as he had thought. So, he went back to the main road, and walked back up the way he had come the day prior.

  He was looking for clues along the way, because he had a sense that the wizard square, or at least where the wizards gathered were somewhat more hidden in Vesen, owing to the fact that there were less wizards here, and it was not considered a wizard city— although there lived a few wizards here.

  While he walked, he also had his eyes open in case he saw Ask or Murgun, because he had a slight feeling that they were on his heels too. It was made clear yesterday that Ask and Murgun were on the alert about Pi’ve being in Vesen City, but so far, they had no idea— he hoped— of what he was actually doing.

  It did not take too long for Pi’ve to find a wizard on the main road, as he saw a staff poking above the crowd in the distance. The street was packed with people, making it difficult to keep track of the staff with all the heads moving, but he kept his eyes on the wooden stick in the distance. He picked up the pace to intercept him, and after weaving through a great number of people, he found that it was not a him at all, but a her.

  ’Hey. Excuse me—’ Pi’ve called out to the wizard. She stopped and turned.

  ’Hello. I haven’t seen you before.’ She said while looking him over.

  ’Perhaps not too strange. I come from Thergiam.’

  ’I have met every wizard in Thergiam.’ She said, lifting an eyebrow.

  ’Right… My name is Pi’ve, nice to meet you.’

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  ’Tiselle Horner, nice to meet you.’ She said. She was the first one to include a last name of all wizards to him. Was it that rare to have a last name? Wait… ? Could she be— ’I am not Horner. Judging by your face, you were about to ask about that.’

  ’Well, yeah. Are you his wife, then?’ Pi’ve asked, and she nodded. He did not know how to proceed with that confirmed. ’… Uh, but I am not here to bother you about him, or… well I just want to know where the wizard square is. I have something I want to sell, and need to go to a store.’

  ’What are you selling?’

  ’Oh, well… Blood of the Black Upir. Do you know anyone who would be interested?’

  ’Blood of the— Really? Oh, you are something… I might want to buy some of that. Depends on how much you have, really. There is just one who has the money to buy such things, but he is not in town at the moment. You would have better chance in the main wizard square. Or Thergiam… Why did you come here to sell that?’

  ’Barna just taught me how to use the portals, so I have taken the opportunity to travel. I have never been to Vesen City before, so I might as well have a look around, and get a feel for the market while I’m at it.’

  Tiselle scrunched her nose, and did not seem to buy the explanation. ’I see. So, Barna taught you? He is an old friend of mine, he is.’ Tiselle said, and her eyes seemed dormant for a moment. ’Why did he not come?’

  ’Well, he wasn’t meant to come with me, but I think we have— I have some personal business here, so he left after showing me how the portal works.’

  ’Ah, I see… Well then, you are quite far from any market’ She said.

  She was Barna’s friend, she said, yet that was not enough for Pi’ve to put any trust in her. He still did not know where the market was, so he had to get that out of her somehow.

  ’Do you think you could show me the way to someone who wants to buy some Blood of the Upir.’ Pi’ve said.

  ’Of course.’ Tiselle said. She said that it was a little distance to walk, but first they had to go to her home, to pick up some money. ’I have put off going to the market for some time, so it’s nice you came actually.’

  Pi’ve talked to Tiselle on their way to the wizarding square in the heart of Vesen City, and while he shared his story on how he had met Barna, Tiselle did the same. She had not met Barna for many years after Barna and her husband, Killian Horner, had become friends and colleagues. After she had found out that Barna was a proficient alchemist, she inquired in his work, as she also was an alchemist. When her husband started his project with Portal, after they had been on a several yearlong excursion, she had worked with Barna for a long time, and they had bonded a strong friendship.

  ’You must be really old then.’ Pi’ve said.

  ’Careful now.’ Tiselle said, chuckling.

  ’No, but you must be. You are the wife of Killian Horner. He disappeared three thousand years ago, but you managed to get married before then.’

  ’Why are you so interested in my age, Pi’ve?’

  ’It’s fascinating. You are a vessel of history… no, not like that—’

  ’When you put it like that, you make me feel old.’

  ’But—’

  ’But, I am, yes. Here is my house. I need to get some Alons.’ Tiselle said climbing the three steps before her door. She turned around holding the door open, ’are you coming in?’

  ’Right.’ Pi’ve said, and he joined Tiselle inside her house.

  ’Just stay here, I will grab the Alons.’ Tiselle said, and she turned around the corner to what looked like her living room. He heard her grab a vase, or something ceramic, with money inside. She came back quickly. She peered out the round window by the door, looking left and right out onto the street. ’So, why are you being followed?’

  ’What?’ Pi’ve said. He was not surprised that he was being followed, although he had not noticed himself, but more surprised that Tiselle had noticed it before him. He did not know if he should indulge about Ask having pressured him the previous day.

  ’You are being followed by a wizard named Ask. He is not from here, but has stayed here for the last couple of weeks. So why is he following you?’ Tiselle said, turning from the window to Pi’ve.

  Pi’ve started with explaining how he had brought the king to Thergiam, and was about to go into the hearing, but Tiselle cut him off saying,

  ’I am already informed of that. In fact, I am trying to gain your trust, because I know that you have a job here. I am in touch with Barna, and he told me that you were on your way, and that the job could cause you harm. So why are you being followed.’

  Pi’ve started blinking rapidly, and did not know what he should do. He felt again that he should really trust her, but that had almost backfired with Ask. Pi’ve did something rash, and brought up his inventory. He focused on Oarios III crown, and conjured it into his hand. He gave it to Tiselle, who was watching him intently.

  ’What is that?’ Pi’ve asked. She frowned, and reached for the crown, and Pi’ve let it go.

  ’It is a crown… with the insignia of the Oarios king lineage.’

  ’How do you feel about that? I brought him back, and it caused a little stirrup in Thergiam, and might even do so here in Vesen.’

  She laughed. ’It caused a little stirrup her already. Remember, the Oarios line was not only king in Thergiam… Well, I have no affiliation with the king, nor have I ever. Uhm, I don’t exactly know what you want me to say. Other than that I am very curious about how you just made it appear out of thin air.’

  He decided that he would take a chance on Tiselle, owing to the fact that she knew Barna directly, and she brought him inside her home to shake Ask of them. He could not sense any lies from her. She also felt no anger for disrupting the political scheme of the common people, and seemed to be honest in wanting to help him.

  ’I do have a job regarding Murgun—’ Pi’ve said, and he took the crown back, sending it into his inventory in an instant. Her eyebrows rose.

  ’Ahh. I see, I see. I have wondered who Ask has been connected to. Murgun, is it?’ Tiselle said. ’I did some research, and I found that Ask actually comes from a small town near the mountains between Bradag and Glda. It is incredibly irresponsible being away from a town so close to the , but go on…’

  ’Yeah… So, I got a job while working for the , in which I have to follow Murgun, because someone believes that he is listening in on secret meetings.’ Pi’ve said. ’Terler, if you know him.’

  ’Mhm. Yes, I know Terler. And… so how do you suppose that you are going to collect evidence of that, if you do find him spying on meetings?’ Tiselle said as if the though just happened to fall into her mind. Pi’ve frowned, and thinking hard, he found that he had not thought of that. He had believed up to now— having not given evidence much thought— that if he found Murgun listening in, he would just convey that to Terler, who had requested this job. But that would obviously not be enough. ’I haven’t personally heard of, or had suspicions of Murgun doing such things, but if it is true, I would need some real proof. Otherwise you would just enter another dispute in court, your word against Murgun’s. Dismissed right away, obviously, but people would probably think that you were on a revenge-quest towards Murgun—’

  ’Ask thought tha—’

  ’— and believe it or not, it would not be a good look for you.’

  ’Indeed. Of course, you would like proof, but I haven’t thought about that…’

  ’But, you see, Barna has thought about it, and I too have given it some thought. He says that you have some abilities— abilities to cause trouble, he says— and he does not doubt that you can do it, but that in doing it, you may put yourself in substantial risk of harm. Supposing this is all true, of course.’ Tiselle said.

  Pi’ve thought that this set him back substantially. Not having an actual plan on how to expose Murgun, when and if he found out he was listening in on meetings, could also cause some questions being asked about himself.

  ’Well, it doesn’t make any difference right now. The meeting is tomorrow at The Grano— which incidentally I do not know where is— and if I do not find any way of collecting any evidence, I will just have to do that another time, at another meeting he is listening in on.’ Pi’ve said.

  ’But, Pi’ve.’ Tiselle said, exasperated, ’How many meetings do you think there are? The next meeting of this importance, or of any importance which he would want to listen in on, could be next year, or in five years. You do not know when he is listening in, or where, or who he is targeting, or what information he wants. It needs to be done quickly. This coming meeting is your chance.’

  ’Alright, then. So what should I do?’ Pi’ve said, a little frustrated that all this pressure was being put on him. He had chosen this job himself, and it felt like he was being exposed as being not up to it.

  ’Just know, Pi’ve, that this is your chance. It is now or never. If you do not find anything, and Murgun finds out that you are trying to expose him, then it might be too late. He will never let his guard down.’ Tiselle said.

  ’It sounds to me that you are already convinced that he is listening in illicitly.’

  ’Well, nobody likes him—’

  ’Which is not a reason to think that he is—’

  ’No, I know, but I also know that he does absolutely nothing in his professional life, but for some reason, he is rather well informed, and whenever there are big things happening, even if it is in a small village across Soilar, he knows.’

  ’— I don’t know…’ It seemed to Pi’ve that it had all gone wrong. What evidence could he gather even? It was all wrong.

  ’Alright, Pi’ve. I will stop pestering you now, but Barna told me to make sure you did not…’

  ’Did not what?’

  ’Well, he said you had a falling out, and that maybe you would not go through with it because of that.’

  Pi’ve shrugged. The knot in his stomach reappeared, and he did not want to speak to Tiselle anymore. He wanted to leave.

  ’Can I buy some of that blood of that Upir, now? And then I can show you where the other buyer is, and where The Grano is. I will be in that meeting, Pi’ve, so if anything happens— some complication where you feel you are in danger— just call out, and I will come.’