It took three days to reach the border between Broweathen and Naedoven, then another day as hot as hell to arrive at the capital of Broweathen, the city of Brugge.

Brugge was a sprawling port city built around a hill with the Royal Castle of Lions sitting at the top with its characteristic square towers. There were hundreds of sun-bleached buildings with terra cotta roofs that housed thousands of people who were from all over the world. Dwarves, elves, gnomes, humans, and more with every eye color, skin color, and hair color combinations possible.

Heat radiated off every surface in distorted waves. The streets were wide and paved in the more affluent neighborhoods and smelled bad in the rough neighborhoods. No different than any city in my original world. Or any city I'd been to on this continent.

I rode to the tourist-y market district where the poorer nobles lived with the rich merchants. There were people from all walks of life selling everything from food to weapons to magical items. There were also stalls with people trying to sell potions or charms or whatever else. I had a few things I wanted to do here.

First, I sold my horse and pawned a few rings after that. Then I rented out a room in a nice hotel and went back out to buy some clothes that matched the weather here. Looser, airier clothes that still matched my station so I could get away with acting however I wanted. I'd still have to get some clothes made if I wanted to truly look the part here, but I could worry about that later.

This was as far as I'd planned while on the way here, and I needed to figure out a plan that'd extend my life past the ripe age of 21. Something drastic. Something that'd get me to learn more about Souls and Energy.

I'd ignored the System the entire trip despite all the notices, so I checked my stats real quick now.

Name

Gerard Viscoti

Class

Noble

Soul

F-Class (Stage 1)

Strength

17

Cunning

12

Perception

14

Energy

11

Skills

Lucky Number 7 [0.05%]

Nice to see gains in Strength, Cunning, and Perception from all the killing I did in the forest. Animals, beasts, monsters, and more lowlife creatures than I'd wanted to deal with. Nice that I'd gained the most ridiculously small mastery over my Luck skill. Probably should stop ignoring the notifications so I could figure out what made mastery increase on that.

I wasn't surprised to see no change in Soul. I'd never had a change there.

These stats put me above any average commoner on the streets, though, which was cause for celebration to me. I went to the nearest bar and ordered a cold, refreshing beer. Nice that magic would make beer cold when there was no electricity. I sat at a table outside because there was a lot I could learn from watching the crowd in one of the busiest parts of the city.

Plus, I knew eventually someone would see me and decide to approach me. Thankfully, Duke Viscoti had good genes and I was a lot more handsome in this body than the one I'd had originally. People looking for a fun time seemed to gravitate toward me because of my looks. I also looked rich, so cons were always trying to target me. Lots to learn from these types.

It only took about half an hour, but eventually, a woman walked up to my table. She was older than me, maybe in her mid-twenties. Her hair was thick and black and cut short, and she wore a green dress that matched her eyes She smiled at me.

"Hello," she greeted me. "Are you waiting for someone?"

"No," I said. I wanted to get a read on whether she was just getting information or if she wanted just a nice younger man to pay her attention, so I kept my tone even and my face agreeable.

"Are you looking for someone then?" she asked, a playfulness to her voice. Flirting it was.

"No," I repeated and gave her a small smile this time.

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Wondering if I could buy someone a drink."

She laughed. "If you're buying me a drink, then yes, I'll talk to you."

"Great." I flagged the bar help to bring her a drink along with another for me. "What's your name?"

"Alis." She sat down, and I noticed a merchant guild emblem on her necklace. I had an idea.

"Nice to meet you Alis." I held out my hand for her to shake. "Gerard."

"Nice to meet you too." She shook my hand. "Are you here in Brugge for long?"

"I'm here for business."

"Business?" she asked. "What kind of business?"

"Well, my father is looking for a partner here to open up a magical shop with."

Her eyebrow rose, her interest piqued. "Magic shop? Selling what exactly?"

"Like magic swords and magic rings and stuff like that."

"Well, I might happen to know someone you might be interested in talking to." She smiled again.

A system message popped into sight, and I decided not to ignore it this time.

[Notice] New Skill acquired: Silver Tongue

This passive skill increases your chances of saying the right thing at the right time to the right person to get the outcome you desire.

[0.01% Mastery]

What was I supposed to do with that? Seemed about as useless as my current Luck skill. This was why I didn't bother with the System. I didn't need it to raise the stats that mattered the most to me.

Pushing frustration away, I asked, "You might?"

"Yes," she answered as new drinks were set on our table. She picked up hers and raised it. "My younger brother, but I'd rather not talk about anything that annoying right now. So no more business talk?"

"No more business or brother talk," I agreed and clicked my glass against hers.

"Deal."