*

I walked back to our inn, deciding to rest for at least a few hours. I did not feel exhausted, but rather a sense of excitement for what the future held.

Quinn was an interesting specimen, and though I had not planned a fixed path for him, the plan would depend wholly upon him.

I took another bath to clean myself, wrote down the events of tonight in addition to my thoughts and went to sleep.

*

*Knock* *Knock*

"Jason! We're ready to move out!"

I woke up to hear Gary knocking on the door, "I'll be out in ten minutes."

I heard his footsteps, walking away from the door, "

"Yeah, we'll be in the lobby. Hurry up!"

I sighed and freshened myself a bit, wearing a white coat for today. I arrived at the lobby to find Gary speaking to a girl who looked to be about the same age as him.

I ignored them and walked toward Charlotte, wishing her a good morning. We waited as Gary continued his conversation, which surprisingly took a few minutes.

Charlotte commented, "I guess Gary is pretty smooth with the ladies, who would have thought."

I chuckled, "As long as he doesn't invite her to his harem of sworn brothers."

She smiled, "That would turn anyone away. By the way, what about you? Anyone in your life?"

I shook my head, "No, I've never had the time or interest. You?"

I could see the mild surprise on her face, "I would have thought otherwise, I mean, you're kind of handsome. Like, really handsome."

Smiling shyly, she continued, "And no, I'm the same. You see, I am from a merchant family, and my life was supposed to be spent making connections by having an arranged marriage. But my destiny changed."

I saw the wistful expression on her face, deciding not to pry, "We all have our problems, but we're here to help each other out, right?"

She nodded, "Yeah. Do you believe in destiny?"

I contemplated, "No, I think destiny is-"

"Hey, you two! Did you just see the great Gary at work? Jason, are you awed now? Want me to teach you? Hmm?"

My reply was interrupted by Gary, who barged in with the confidence of a self-proclaimed casanova, which he was.

He looked at us and turned suspicious, "Hey, did I interrupt something? Don't tell me that Jason was actually the master while I was blind all along!"

As he mocked getting hurt again, Charlotte smashed him on the head, "Hmph! Let's go."

*

The main market in the middle ring was a spectacular sight. Merchants abounded everywhere, making the already bustling crowd even more hectic.

We walked around with no specific goals in our minds, though Charlotte shopped for even more clothes, enough to fill two bags.

She was quite fashionable. The day went by quickly, which may have felt like a day of bonding to them. We ate at expensive restaurants, tried new cuisines, watched plays, and had a lot of laughs.

It contrasted greatly to our previous days of travelling full-time on horseback.

Did I enjoy myself? I guess I did. New experiences were always something I had an interest in but never endeavoured upon.

Did I have fun, particularly because of Gary and Charlotte? I would not be able to answer that.

As we walked along the streets, my thoughts were disrupted as I noticed a man approaching us amidst the sea of people. He was dressed formally as a butler and was an older individual with slicked-back hair and a moustache.

'No aura at all. He's normal.'

The man stopped before us, bowing, "Esteemed Awakeneds, my master wishes to meet you."

We looked at each other in confusion, then felt a tiny aura fluctuation to the north. It seemed like whoever wanted to meet us had just sent a signal.

The mysterious entity seemed to be, at the very least, more powerful than us since they noticed us first.

Charlotte took charge, "Who is your master? And what's the need of meeting us?"

The man replied politely, "Esteemed Awakeneds, no need to be cautious. My master is one of the Watchers in Latvi. It is up to them to record all those who take a visit. Shall I lead the way? He is currently in a restaurant nearby."

Charlotte looked at me, seemingly asking for my opinion. Before I could answer, Gary replied, "Very well! Take me to your boss. I hope he does not disappoint, as we are very important after all. Hahaha!"

I could see Charlotte slapping her forehead as the man smiled, "Very well, esteemed Awakened. Just follow me."

We watched as the man turned around, walking in a direction as Gary followed, acting as if he was a king.

I shook my head, following too. Charlotte walked beside me, "Seriously, does this guy ever use his brain? The minute someone treats him with respect, he folds like a mattress."

I replied while chuckling, "It's fine, let him have his fun. I don't think whoever we are going to meet would create any problem in public."

Plus, I knew who these Watchers were, as they were a branch of the organisation my father oversaw. My worries were not for my safety but whether my father had let me go free or if he had cast a net with the Watchers.

But, since Nova Academy was already my set goal, for now, I was fine even if he found out I was here.

We arrived at a posh restaurant called The Garrigue. It was filled with people of an older demographic, dressed in formal and expensive-looking attire. I could see Gary losing his confidence, fidgeting slightly.

Charlotte did not miss this subtle change, "Eh? Feeling self-conscious? Underdressed? That's why you have to think before acting, idiot!"

The 'idiot' was emphasised by a hit on the back of the head, Gary retorted, "As if I will ever lose confidence!"

He followed the man with an even more exaggerated swagger.

We finally arrived at a table with four chairs. A man was sitting on one of them, wearing a black uniform interspersed with white. On his chest was an insignia of a wolf, the symbol of the Watchers.

He was in his early thirties, with messy long hair and below-average looks. Maybe it was because of his bored and sleepy expression.

The man, or butler, who guided us bowed and left, while the Watcher beckoned us to sit, taking out a piece of paper, "What are your names?"

After Gary took the initiative to introduce us as the Watcher wrote down our names, the man also introduced himself, "My name is William, and I am one of the three Watchers in this city. We welcome all Awakeneds in our city, provided they don't create too much ruckus. If you need anything or any help, you can come to the Adventurer's Guild and show them this."

Willian took out a small black badge that had an insignia of the Watchers.

Gary bowed as he took the badge, "Thank you. And if you need anything, please don't hesitate to contact us."

As Gary turned around to leave, the man coughed, "Actually, I have something for you. There are reports of a Krahang in the north, in the Forest of Marsh."

"Krahang?"

He answered, "It's what we call a mutated species of bats due to a mana phenomenon. Mana is mysterious and unfathomable. Seeing how you kids seem to be inexperienced, this will give you some things to learn."

William brought out a piece of parchment, which looked like a typical mission posted in the Adventurer's Guild, except for the Watcher insignia in the top left corner.

We received the parchment to check it out. Gary commented, "Rumoured Krahang, Forest of Marsh, Difficulty is high D or low C? What is all this? The reward is t-th-three high-grade stones?."

Seeing his visible confusion, William lazily sighed, "What need do we even have for any other currency? You'll find out as you explore that we trade in high-grade stones and use them as currencies. This is a relatively easy task. So, you in?"

We all looked at each other, turned to William and nodded, "Of course."

****