The papers that Nauda had acquired got them over the bridge without any trouble, though Theo spent some time looking over them afterward. They gave some basic information about his identity, and had an elaborate seal, but otherwise they seemed like a formality. Based on the false identities, they had been acquired illegally... at least, it would be illegal on any other world. Here on Tatian, he wasn't sure if that word really applied.

But for the most part, he set that thought out of mind and focused on the other two. On their way into the city they shared notes about Landguards, confirming that they'd apparently spread out from Myufuru indiscriminately, instead of tracking them specifically. The time apart seemed to have been hard on Nauda and good for Fiyu, as he'd predicted.

Nlukoko was the first Tatian city he'd ever seen where the people pressed together roughly, and he saw a harsher edge in some eyes. He spotted more than a few Deuxans, and they didn't look so out of place here, many selling materials from their home world in street-side markets. It was all clearly overwhelming for Fiyu, who insisted on remaining in between them. Since Nauda was the one who knew where they were going, he had no choice but to follow, watch the crowds closely, and try not to flatten Fiyu between them when they needed to stop quickly.

"You're obviously tired," Nauda said once they had finished catching up, "and we can't accomplish many of our objectives this late. I have a place for us to rest, but before then, I'd like to show you our destinations tomorrow."

"A personal connection?" Theo asked. "Or do they have inns here?"

"I hired out a room, but implied there would be five of us. Don't worry, the locals here won't be as cooperative with Landguards, so we just need to keep a low profile." Nauda jerked her head to the side, indicating that their awkward little line needed to shift. "This way and we can accomplish both goals in one stroke."

She was leading them toward one of the floating rivers, or more specifically a small station where people stepped into boats that carried them into the current. Theo was momentarily troubled by the fact that the boats appeared to be made of leaves, but the waxy substance seemed to be durable enough to survive their journeys sliding overhead.

Again, money exchanged hands before they were allowed to step into the next leaf boat. Theo honestly wasn't sure if that was a necessary requirement to maintain the channels of floating water or simple profit, but he was sure that the boats would have been free in another city. Nauda didn't comment and Fiyu didn't seem to think anything of it, so they soon coursed down the watery channel and deeper into Nlukoko.

Quite soon, the water curved upward and he understood why Nauda had taken them on this path as the city spread out beneath them. Now that they weren't pressed on all sides, Fiyu sat eagerly by the edge, peering out over the city, though she soon frowned.

"Even the water is too bright."

Now that she mentioned it, he realized that the lake itself did seem to glow, possibly with more than just the reflection of the sunset and the lights of the city. In any case, Nauda didn't comment on it, just gestured for them to look forward as they rounded a bend.

"Do you see the sphere to the east there? That's the library where I saw the reference to these 'artifacts of Elghiera'."

Theo frowned at the glistening sphere, thinking back to the ring he'd possessed in his past life. "What about any information on the Landguards? I heard that they didn't have a base here, but that was a village rumor."

"They don't operate here... Nlukoko has a special agreement. There's a chance that you might be able to learn something in the archives, but it's a long shot." Nauda shrugged. 'That's the best I can do for you."

"It's more than I expected. Thank you."

Meanwhile, as they flowed over the sphere, Fiyu peered down at it. "Is that a bubble? Aren't they concerned that the books will get wet?"

"This does seem like a bad place for a library, huh?" Nauda leaned over the side to admire it as well. "I understand that the bubble is Fithan technology, but I don't know why it's here. Apparently it keeps everything extremely dry, so this is an archive for the entire region."

Fiyu nodded somberly, while Theo was forced to look at the library with a different set of eyes. Yes, it was one of his current objectives, but it was also a beautiful structure. It floated like an azure marble amid the city, linked to the rest by sapphire chains. Though the outside was translucent, he could see through enough to glimpse shelves of books within. If he had more experience in Fithe, he might have known some way to sneak inside, but for now, he'd have to play by the rules.

"What is that?" Fiyu breathed suddenly. Theo turned at the same time Nauda did, but his attention was only momentarily captured by the flowery palace.

Because that was what it was, in the end: just another pleasure palace in a slightly different form. A giant purple lotus flower floated separate from the city, not linked by any bridges. The flower itself flowed with cantae, which was all that allowed it to exist at such an enormous size, but it was essentially just decoration. Within its petals, several purple buildings unfolded in direct parallel to the flower. Pretty in a sense, he supposed, but it was just another display of wealth.

"The mansion of the Lord of Nlukoko." Nauda's eyes narrowed as she stared out toward it, and Theo sat up straighter.

"Lord? A 'lord' on Tatian?"

"He isn't native to Tatian, but he's ruled the city for... a few decades, at least. As far as I understand it, he has some sort of agreement with the Landguard to assist in the defense of Tatian, but in return he gets independence. Technically he's not supposed to exploit his position, but... you've seen what he's done to the city, slowly corrupting it."

"Where exactly is he from?" Theo asked. "If he's a local strongman, he must make appearances."

Nauda shrugged, gaze still distant. "I've seen him, but I'm not sure."

"That rules out Arbai or Aathal, then. There may be a lot of humanoids in the Nine, and some worlds have more diversity than you'd expect, but you can usually tell them apart. Any notable traits?"

"Theo..." Fiyu turned from the side to tug on his sleeve, barely perceptibly. "I do not think that Nauda wants to talk about where he is from."

Hesitating, Theo realized that it wasn't really relevant and he should have let it go. Before he could apologize or change the subject, Nauda cast him a smotheringly warm look. "I'm infinitely grateful to receive your wisdom, oh great experienced one, but we may need to dirty our minds with some more mundane concerns."

Seeing that she was fine, Theo just rolled his eyes. "Okay, fair enough. Is this Lord of Nlukoko relevant to our work?"

"He's the reason that we have a bit of freedom from the Landguards here, but otherwise, no. If he does make an appearance, or his guards get in our path, we need to avoid antagonizing him. I'm not sure how powerful he is, but he's stronger than a Ruler. There's... simply nothing we can do right now."

Fiyu tilted her head to the side. "But you wish that you could do something, am I right?"

Nauda didn't say anything, but her fingers tightening on the edge of their boat were answer enough. Theo kept silent, since he had been throwing out unnecessary information, even though he had a likely theory. He decided to keep it to himself for the time being, and Nauda soon returned to pointing out sights around the city.

As their vessel arced high over the buildings, Nauda pointed out several major markets that included sublime materials, as well as notable guard posts or more dangerous neighborhoods. It was not exactly a friendly tour, but an extremely useful one, so he wouldn't complain. Apparently the one thing she had failed to find was a place that would sell vehicles they could use to travel further north.

Just as they reached the edge of the lights glowing above the lake, their stream of water bent downward again. Theo gazed out beyond the lake, frowning at the darkness of the landscape beyond. Though he couldn't see to the other side of the city to compare, to the east and west the small hearthfires and other evidence of villages seemed to fade out toward the north.

"Once we're done in Nlukoko, we travel out there." Nauda stared out into the dark landscape, fixed on something he couldn't see. "It's too far away to link to Nlukoko, but there's a stable gate to a true hub city in Fithe, one that connects to several different worlds. I think that it includes a gate to Ichil, Fiyu."

"Oh!" Fiyu sat up straighter and peered out. "How long must we wait before making the trip?"

"We need a vehicle to help us make the trip, and I'm afraid those are usually expensive. There's work and competitions in the city, so perhaps we can earn enough to purchase one and arrive there."

"Why do we need the vehicle? The villages have always been so generous..."

Nauda gave her a strange look and Theo realized the misunderstanding: Fiyu looked out into the dark hills and didn't notice the lack of village fires, at least not consciously. "The farms stop in that direction," he explained, "though I can't tell why from here. That's actually pretty rare on Tatian... Nauda, is it a region too dangerous for non-soulcrafters?"

"No, the land just... grows emptier and less hospitable the further out you go." Though Nauda answered the question readily, he again got the sense that she wasn't telling the whole truth. "But it is potentially more dangerous than the farmsteads, and we'd need to take all our food with us, so we can't simply hike out there."

If true, that was the first part of Tatian that Theo had ever seen that wasn't overflowing with natural bounty. He knew of a few dangerous areas, such as vast forests that contained powerful sublime resources, but those were usually more bountiful than the average village. Though he wanted to stare out further, their path had finally arced back down into the city.

From the place where they left the leaf boat and the stream of water, it was somewhat of a walk to the inn, but Theo figured that Nauda had chosen that route to show them the city, instead of for pure efficiency. If they spent any time here, he'd need to figure out the network of dizzying water arcs, but hopefully it wouldn't be long. Cities ruled by lords from other worlds generally weren't safe places, even on Tatian.

Eventually they reached the inn, a small clay building at the edge of a broader pier. The people he saw there looked warmer than the rest of the city, more like Tatian villages, and he hoped that Nauda had chosen them for other reasons. They seemed circumspect as well as warm, letting them reach their room with no more than polite embraces.

The room had enough beds, so while the women departed to a communal bathroom, Theo sat down on one of them and finally eased off his pack. Soft bed, warm room, reasonably stable platform... this would do, at least for now. Theo lay back and put his arms behind his head.

After months, his time of traveling alone was finally over. Hopefully, that would mean it was time for more progress, but before he could consider his plans, he drifted to sleep.