Chapter 3084 Shared Resources (Part 2)

"I can't blame them." Strider sighed. "It's what I would do. Also, you can stop backpedaling. We know of your relations.h.i.+p with the Overlord. You can call her grandma."

"Are you kidding me? It's d.a.m.n embarra.s.sing!" Lith scratched his head. "One thing is doing it at home. Outside, I feel like a little kid bragging about how cool his relatives are."

"I find it cute." Ryka giggled as Strider's communication amulet drew his attention.

"We got our information." He said. "The Forgemasters departed about two weeks ago but one of them used the Warp Gate in Zalth just a few days ago. Is it recent enough for you?"

"It should." Lith nodded. "My tracking ability won't work inside the a.s.sociation branch but if we find a place where they have spent enough time, I should be able to isolate their energy signature."

"What were they doing in Zalth?" Solus asked.

"Unknown." Ryka said while skimming through the report. "Adria Yulath, a human Forgemaster, used the local Gate three days ago to reach Xaanx where she stayed for a couple of days before returning to Zalth. That's all we know."

"Xaanx is one of the most important trading hubs of the Kingdom." Lith pondered. "It's famous for its black market. I bet our missing Forgemaster went there to procure something outside the official channels."

"Agreed. Let's go." A few Warp Steps later they reached the nearest city equipped with a Warp Gate and from there Zalth was only one step away.

Ryka, Strider, and Lith shapes.h.i.+fted to average human forms to not draw attention. Lith was already human but the presence of the Supreme Magus of the Kingdom was bound to cause a fuss.

They couldn't let their mark know they were tracking her down.

As for Solus, she just hid the colored streaks in her hair before reaching the city.

"Good morning. I'm a.s.sistant Constable Strider Vhan and I need information about this person." The Zouwu said to the a.s.sociation clerk while showing him a badge and the hologram of his mark.

"One moment." The clerk, a balding middle-aged man pa.s.sed the badge over a crystal on his desk. Only after the gemstone glowed blue and the database confirmed Strider's ident.i.ty did the clerk reply.

"Mage Phanil was here three days ago and again yesterday. Is there a problem?"

"Yes, Mage Gotah." Strider nodded after reading the clerk's name from the tag on his chest. "She's suspected of buying contraband from Xaanx's black market and we need to question her."

This way, even if rumors of the investigation reached Adria, she would just believe that her alias had been burned. An a.s.sistant Constable meant more a routine check than a manhunt.

"If you say so." The clerk shrugged. "With all due respect, Mage Phanil barely pa.s.sed her admission test to the a.s.sociation and is one of the many nameless mages in our fold.

"She lacks the means to buy anything dangerous, let alone the skills to put them to use. We protect her and those like her in the hope their offspring will carry greater magical talent."

"I know, but are you going to tell that to my Archon?" Strider's voice held a perfect blend of annoyance and frustration typical of a subordinate sent on a wild goose chase. "Because I'm not going to risk a note on my personnel file."

"Me neither." At the mention of an Archon, Gotha swallowed a lump of saliva. "We small fries must do what we are told, no matter how stupid the order is."

"Can you tell us anything about Phanil?" Ryka asked.

"I've met her only once. It was her first visit to Zalth and we didn't talk." The clerk shrugged. "I can see from her log she frequently goes to Xaanx. Maybe you'll have better luck there."

Without waiting for an answer, Gotah inputted the coordinates in the Warp Gate and activated it.

"Thanks." Strider and the others nodded at the clerk as thank you as they walked through the dimensional corridor.

They repeated the same questions on the other side but the answers they received were different.

"Mage Phanil?" Said Mage Urza, the clerk on duty. "She's as brilliant as she's pretty. It's a shame no one gives her a chance just because she graduated from one of the lesser academies.

"I've known her for years now, and I can vouch for her talent and honesty. Whoever reported her, must have just spouted the names of everyone they knew to pa.s.s them as criminals and shorten their sentence."

She was a plump woman in her forties with short hair and hazel eyes.

"That's what we also think, but we have to do our due diligence." Ryka replied. "Do you have any idea where we could find her or get information on her?"

"I don't know where she's gone or what she came to do here, but I'm pretty sure I know where she stayed." Urza lowered her gaze, feeling conflicted between loyalty toward her close acquaintance and her job but choosing the latter without hesitation.

"We both enjoy a good meal after a hard day at work so we always talk about food when she visits. The last time I saw her, I recommended her the Crystal Cauldron. It's a historic hotel restaurant that has recently become very popular after hiring new chefs and adding mage-affordable menus.

"Their desserts are to die for and Mage Phanil has a sweet tooth, just like me."

"Where is it?" Solus said with more than professional enthusiasm.

"Here." The clerk wrote down the coordinates and once the members of the group inputted them in their amulets, they obtained a map of Xaanx with an arrow pointing at their destination. "G.o.ds bless Magus Verhen.

"Here." The clerk wrote down the coordinates and once the members of the group inputted them in their amulets, they obtained a map of Xaanx with an arrow pointing at their destination. "G.o.ds bless Magus Verhen.

"Ever since we have the Web, finding our way around the city has never been easier."

Lith had also plagiarized GPS. All cities had holographic maps, the only thing the local clerks had to add was the position of landmarks and establishments. After that, the tracking function of the Tablets allowed their owner to orient themselves.

It also allowed the Kingdom to know who was where at any moment of the day, but that's a story for another day. What's important to know is that all kinds of amulets, even those used by mages and n.o.bles, could link to the Web as long as they allowed access to their position.

"Thanks for your help. Is there something we can bring you from the Crystal Cauldron?" Solus asked.

"I don't want to impose." Urza said with a watering mouth. "But if you have the time, I'd love a roasted duck for lunch and a slice of h.e.l.l cake for dessert. Thank you."

"h.e.l.l cake?" Solus asked with the complicit tone of a fellow foodie.

"Uhm, yes." The clerk said s.h.i.+ly. "It's comprised of twelve kinds of creams that melt in your mouth for a sublime experience. It owes its name to the fact that it's hard to digest and almost addictive.

"It has ruined many a diet and made countless people gain weight." She was one of them but even though the information was omitted, it was heavily implied.

"It sounds amazing! Thank you for everything." Solus strutted out of the a.s.sociation, noticing her companions staring at her when it was too late.