Chapter 77   - Distressing Encounters

Kai jogged on the narrow dirt path along the coast, the sea on his right. His only baggage was a spatially expanded backpack, which made him feel only a fraction of the weight of his supplies. A trickle of mana channeled in Steady Runner eased his muscles and erased his exhaustion.

With a mild temperature and a nice breeze, the journey was much more pleasant than the other times he crossed the jungle. He was making a good time to his destination. It would probably not be as nice on the way back when his pack was filled.

The part he was most worried about was what happened in the middle. Visiting a new place alone made him slightly anxious. He hadn’t been too thrilled when Elijah unilaterally decided he was going on a trip.

The butler insisted it was his last opportunity to get the most out of his running skill before he ditched it. With the help of his teachers, he had made great strides in learning to use his unattuned mana to create a grip where there was none. Still, he would never have been able to do it without Steady Runner to imitate.

His handmade replica wasn’t comparable to the skill, but he now understood how it worked. All that was left was grinding till it got as good as the original.

Being left without a dedicated running skill was going to be annoying, but he wanted Water Magic more. Hopefully, the stats from the next enhancement would make up for the loss.

Race: Human

Grade: Orange ★

Next enhancement ➔ 99,271/100,000 XP

Steady Runner was the strongest skill he ever planned on discarding—and not by a little. There were three stages for race and three for skills. Steady Runner (lvl4) was equivalent to Orange ★. The rule was to never abandon skills higher than your race grade. At the same stage, it was a gamble better avoided whenever possible. Reaching Orange ★★should lessen the backlash.

The hunt had thrown a wrench in his timetable. Defeating two red-tier awakened beasts, and gaining a feat, fetched him a good deal of XP, without even counting the slew of skill levels.

After the brush with death, he had not hesitated to specialize Awareness in detecting dangers. Keeping it had been the right choice. He could do without the comforts of a running skill, but he couldn’t skimp on his safety.

The lush vegetation opened up, giving way to cultivated fields, not unlike those in Greenside. In the distance, Kai got his first look at the settlement at the other end of Veeryd: Sylspring.

A high wooden palisade covered the rest of the town, which didn’t leave much in sight for him to judge.

A town worth the effort of building a wall, that’s something.

Honestly, it was kind of weird that people bothered to erect a palisade. What was the point? The beasts never left the jungle, and even if they did, they shouldn’t pose a problem to the Republic’s enforcers.

There is one easy way to find out.

Stepping into the open, he was faced with a familiar problem. The jungle path led to nowhere, ending against a field of barley—probably an import from the mainland.

The farmland looked better organized than in Greenside, with clear straight lines dividing it in squares. Walking along the edges, Kai looked for the fastest way to the city walls. They were quite a distance away. He slowed down to a walk to not arrive covered in sweat.

"Whatcha doin’ in my field, lad? Are ‘ou lookin’ to cause mischief?” An old farmer wielding a hoe yelled at him. His tone already implied he couldn’t be doing anything good out here.

Kai had sensed him beforehand, but he had hoped he would get ignored. There was no way to avoid every person working in the fields.

“Just passing through, I come from Greenside.”

“Greenside?” The old man asked, eyeing him suspiciously. “We don’t get many people from there since, well, you know what… I traveled there once and let me tell you - it wasn’t worth the hassle of gettin' there. Did ‘ou came all the way here alone?”

Spirits, grant me patience.

He had not named the estate to avoid unnecessary questions, but the old geezer seemed to have a personal distaste for his hometown. Not that Kai disagreed with him.

“I traveled with my whole family,” Kai explained, continuing to walk. “My ma’ is a short way behind with my younger sisters. I ran ahead. People in Greenside say Sylspring is nothing special, so I wanted to see for myself.”

“Nothin’ special!” The old man looked like he had been slapped. “Those dumb louts wouldn’t know a pearl from their arses. I’ll l—.”

Wow, is there some kind of rivalry between the two towns?

Better the old man focused on that and forgot he was alone. Kai nodded to the old man’s ramblings. “I’ll go see for myself.”

The geezer's outraged yells followed him for a while. Sweeping the fields with his eyes, he noticed no less than a dozen people on his way.

I should have kept Sneak.

He considered using Shadow magic, but with the sun beating down on him, it was less than ideal. It would take too long to make his way unseen. He was tired and eager to find a place to shower and take a nap.

Awareness notified him of all the gazes he received. Thank the spirits, few actually tried to stop him. Kai waved, smiled and never stopped walking. The closer to the town he got, the less people seemed to take notice of him.

After he stepped on a dirt path crossing the farmland, the passing farmers looked more friendly. They seemed much nicer when he was out of their fields. There were plenty of other kids around, helping in the fields with bored expressions.

The palisade stood in front of him. It was around eight meters high, made from a triple row of cut trees. Kai was impressed. If it circled the whole town, it must have been a monumental work.

A flow of people freely moved back and forth through an open gate. Blending in with Acting, Kai confidently made his way forward.

“You, child! Stop right there.”

I have 19 Favor for goodness’ sake!

It wasn’t hard to pinpoint who talked. There was a small booth on the side of the gate. Inside was the strongest mana presence in his range, Orange ★★★, with a profession of the same grade. Kai walked towards the looming enforcer resigned to his fate.

She was young, probably in her twenties. Hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, clad in a black uniform and with a stony expression on her face. It didn’t make a reassuring picture.

What did I do this time?

The walls probably regulated the flow of people rather than protecting the town from outside threats. However, he was the only one who got stopped. Everyone else went about their business without even glancing at the enforcer.

He checked his clothes. Other than the dust of the journey, he didn’t look much different from anybody else. There were tons of ways to explain dirty clothes.

Maybe she had some skill I don’t know of.

“How can I help you, ma’am?”

The woman’s gaze didn’t soften because of his manners, but since she had waited for him to get to her rather than grabbing him, it couldn’t be too serious. At least that was his hope.

“I don’t recognize you. Who’s the owner of the spatial backpack you’re carrying?”

The fact she didn’t immediately assume it was stolen relieved the anxiety in his gut. Interacting with reasonable people was easier.

Kai took the bag off. The woman’s mana tensed when he put his hand inside. Awareness warned him he was in grave danger.

“Just getting my identification,” He said. In his agitation, his hands fumbled with the contents. With a sigh of relief, he took out the letter Elijah gave him. The woman's presence became placid once again.

The enforcer accepted the envelope. She was about to break the wax seal when she stopped, noticing the delicate mana threads. The proof the letter had not been opened before.

Her suspicious demeanor melted away. “Excuse me for a moment. I’ll need to call my superior for this.” She disappeared inside the booth. Kai remained standing there, alone, not sure what was going on. The knot in his gut came back with vengeance.

What the hell did Elijah give me? If he pulled a prank, I’ll strangle him when I get back.

The butler told him to show the letter if there were any problems, refusing to reveal what was inside. Kai wanted to take a peek, but the mana seal eluded his skills.

The woman came back a minute later, still alone. “He’ll be here in a moment.”

Kai nodded, trying to hide his nervousness. They waited in awkward silence.

“What did you call me for, Nelly? Do you need help dealing with a troublemaker?” Said a jovial voice.

A hand grabbed Kai’s shoulder before he could react. A man was standing behind him. Awareness finally began to warn him something was wrong.

Thanks a lot.

His instinct screamed at him to get away. A large man was looming over him. His dark uniform sported a silver hawk. He looked around forty, probably older considering both his race and profession were at least yellow grade. Kai froze on the spot, forgetting even to breathe.

Damn butler.

“Capitan Zerith…” Enforcer Nelly said with an icy tone. “There was no need for you to come personally.”

“Don’t worry. I was nearby,” The man replied with the same affable tone. With his unkempt beard, he looked the polar opposite of the other enforcer.

Nelly gave him a cold smile. She wasn’t worried about bothering the captain. The man was the inconvenience.

“So, what did this young lad do?” He gave a squeeze to his shoulder, sending more shivers down his spine.

“Nothing.” The woman offered her superior the letter and disappeared into her booth without another word.

“Always so serious,” Zerith commented, shaking his head. He turned towards him. “Don’t mind her, she does that with everybody.”

She’s not being the problem!

Kai forced himself to assume an understanding expression.

“The truth is.” He whispered like he was about to reveal some big secret. “Nelly is hoping to get promoted to Higharbor and then back to the mainland.

“Personally, I’m happy to be here. Quiet town, pleasant climate and low crime rate. What more could you wish for? Sure, the low mana density is a bit annoying, but you get used to it.” Zerith sighed heavily. “I suppose that’s how young people are. Always aiming for more without stopping to consider if that’s what they truly want.”

Kai did his best to make it seem he wholeheartedly agreed with anything the captain said.

“You can relax, kid. I was just joking, you’re not in trouble.” He finally let go of his shoulder. Maybe the captain wasn’t as oblivious as he made it out to be.

Ah. Ah. Ah. You’re so much fun.

“Come along, let’s get you sorted out.” Zerith smiled and pinched his cheek.

The annoyance at the gesture worked better than any reassurance to get Kai out of his stupor. It wasn’t like he had a choice but to follow the man inside Sylspring. He forced himself to walk beside him to not seem rude.

What the hell did Elijah write in that letter!?

“Do you have a name, kid?”

“Kai.”

“Well, Kai, you must be a remarkable young man to reach Orange so young. I know, I know. It’s rude to peek without permission. In my defense, you did it first.” Zerith winked at him again.

Caught red-handed, Kai knew there was no point playing dumb. “Where are we going?”

“To the barracks.”

“What for?”

“To get you registered.”

Kai paled. Zerith laughed.

“You look like you saw a deepsea reaper coming for you. Don’t worry, it's standard procedure. The governor is issuing identification cards for all the citizens of the archipelago. It has been a complete mess without any registration. Most people on Yanlun already have one. But I’m guessing you haven’t been in any town recently.

“But this letter is the real deal.” He waved a couple papers in front of him.

Kai had learned to throw away common sense when dealing with powerful people. Of course, he had already opened and read it without him noticing.

“Your master must be someone important to have received a letter signed by the governor herself.”

“My teacher is certainly someone special…” Kai said. “Wait, isn’t the governor a man?”

“Naturally, what would make you think otherwise?” Zerith looked at him weirdly.

Is he messing with me? I know what I heard.

Kai gave him a long look but didn’t try to argue.

Still better than the enforcers with a tree up their asses.

Captain Zerith continued to chatter as he led him through the town. Hurring to keep pace with the man, Kai didn’t get much of a chance to look around. But he had to admit what he saw looked better than Greenside. Cleaner streets, better-dressed people, sturdier buildings that reached more than one story high.

As they walked further inside Sylspring, the town only appeared to get more prosperous. A couple of children ran in front of them laughing. Kai blinked. Expensive clothes, straight black hair and pale skin. Those weren’t islanders.

Then he started noticing them - tourists. They leisurely walked down the streets, chatting amongst themselves with not a care in the world.

“The Baquire Archipelago is becoming a very popular destination for families with children. Low chances of some beasts snatching your kid. As the governor—who is a man—said, the archipelago is the safest place on Elydes.”

Zerith waved at a few passing people. “Is this the first time you see so many people from the mainland? Did you live in a hole?”

Kai nodded distractedly. Many different feelings mixing. “Not in a hole. In Greenside.”

I guess the difference isn’t too big.

“Oh, well… I can’t say I’ve heard many good things about that place. Anyway, we’re here.”

Kai turned to look at a huge stone structure with an intimidating appearance. A stark contrast from the buildings around it. He could imagine how most islanders would feel looking up at it.

“Come.” An enforcer opened the door for the captain. They didn’t share the captain's jovial nature, staring at him with cold expressions.

Amazing. I’ll be surprised if every enforcer in town doesn’t know my name by noon.

Kai followed Zerith through a series of corridors as stark as the exterior. The man greeted each person they passed by name. More than half responded in the same manner, the rest gave a formal salute.

“I’m still working on it,” Zerith whispered. “You should have seen the mood when I first got here.”

They arrived in a room with shelves from the floor to the ceiling. A woman in her fifties raised her gaze from a pile of documents. “How many times have I told you to not bring civilians into the Archive?”

“Sixteen times if I counted correctly,” Zerith said with a proud expression. “What’s the problem, anyway? Afraid a kid will snatch some boring report from under your nose? I can assure you Kai here is an upstanding citizen.” He patted him on the back with enough strength to make him take a step forward.

The woman sighed. “Fine, just get out of here.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The woman moved her cold eyes on him.

“I swear I just met him.” Kai hurried to say.