Yond and Kalle got assigned to the kitchen entrance, as it was on the right side, while Rolf and Wilfried the warehouse one. As for me, I followed Gris through the window.

The insides of the building were in the dark, and the [Light Orb] had the effect of floating several meters above the ground. Thus, I activated the [Light] spell while Gris looked around the reception room.

The stairs we were looking for were in plain view, so I initially wondered about what she could be looking for, but after a couple of minutes, Gris produced an oil lamp from one of the chests on the sides of the room.

"I can keep the spell for a few hours, so there is no need." It was indeed so, as the small light orb only spent a single mana point every 5 minutes.

"I know, but the basement has a magic sealing barrier set up. Well, almost all of the Guild's basements have." She explained while lighting it up.

It was logical, considering that the sealed chamber and the gold room were in the basement.

Notes:

Sealed Chamber - It's the local equivalent for a bank safe, used for the most valuable and expensive cargo.

Gold Room - I would translate it as treasury, as it was the room where the money and liquid assets of the Guild's office are stored.

Now I understand why I felt odd when Reuben took me on a walk in the Bigradh's basement (Mana sense). I did not understand it then as my two main spells aren't spells per se, so I can use [Inventory] and [Status Screen] even under mana or magic sealing.

But this made another question arise, one that I asked as I followed Gris down the stairs.

"Wait, if the basement has something to prevent magic from being used inside, why did my Life Radar locate the people inside?"

"You probably should ask Azar about that as I am no mage. But in layman terms, it's because sealing barriers are the most basic of all such barriers. The main office in the Capital has an interdiction effect as well, and it's called a magic blocking barrier." Gris explained while opening the first door of many on our path.

A minute of silence later, she added, "Probably the price and the mage's level required to set one of the advanced ones is just several times higher than for the simplest."

"Sounds logical, even merchant-like. But speaking about logic, any idea why we just passed three doors placed one after another?"

"Security. Even if you can not prevent a thief from entering, you can still slow him down. Every door has a different lock, and they close by themselves if the alarm sounds. No matter if the thief is outside or inside, the guards get a few minutes to come after him." This topic was something that Gris knew about, as her explanation was complete, and she even motioned with her free hand to one of the locks.

I followed her hand and saw that the door had a strange-looking lock with four keyholes and several bolts extended from the door's side.

***

As we walked the maze of corridors, doors, and even more corridors, I saw a lot of signs of recent activity. And judging from the lack of disorder, the people had stopped what they were doing in an orderly way.

Gris followed a path that she knew, avoiding some doors while opening others and looking inside before continuing. And so, at some point, I could not resist but ask,

"Gris, from what you said outside, the direction I indicated points to a place you know. So why do I feel we are going in circles? And why do you look behind some doors once every few?"

"The yard looked as if something happened, something that made everyone throw everything and rush into the basement. There were no guards either, so I began suspecting an attack. When you pointed the direction where you felt the people, I assumed they had gathered to seek refuge. But here, do you see how orderly the crates, torches, tools, and everything is?" She motioned to a stack of crates placed in a wide cavity of the corridor.

"Yes"

"That means the people in the basement spent some time to clean up before gathering, so it could not be something so alarming. Or at least not so threatening. You can look in the rooms that I am checking, they are mostly storage rooms for documents and other things related to the Guild's business in the city, and all look in perfect order as well."

"But what does that means in the end?"

"That the alarm did not come from outside, but from inside. Or there would be a mess even worse than in the yard the more we move towards the gathering place. All the security doors are open, so it wasn't a full alarm either."

"Understood, but what could have happened to make everyone gather while leaving what they were doing?"

"We will find out soon. Our destination lies behind that door." She pointed towards a double door at the right end of the short but vast corridor we had just entered.

"Wait, isn't that?" I could not help but point towards the opposite side, where a three-meter tall and even wider steel door was visible.

"The Sealed Chamber, yes. And if you backtrack three turns and enter the open space we passed, you will see the Gold Room. It was because of it that we circled so much. I needed to see if it was open, closed, or something else."

"Something else? Like unhinged or broken, or even empty?"

"Right" She nodded and then raised her hand, motioning for me to stop.

Almost with no sound, she pulled out her blade while I placed my hands behind my back. If things were bad, I would use one of the cocktails I had prepared and even lighted inside my [Inventory]. As a side note, I should find an excuse for how it appeared from nowhere.

Before proceeding inside, Gris stood still for a few minutes. No sounds came from behind the closed door, but she wasn't waiting for that, but reinforcements. As soon as Kalle and Yond emerged from behind the same corner we had just turned around, Gris motioned for them to approach.

The corridor was wide enough for the four of us to stand side by side, but she still motioned for me to stay back after I open the door. It opened towards us, so I pulled the handles, and the three of them, swords in hands, launched inside.

I waited for a few moments, but hearing nothing, I peeked inside from behind the door frame.

A pretty big room with three doors and no signs of Gris or the two guards... Wait, what?!

After everything concluded, the fuckers told me that the surprise and nervousness that I showed had been just too extreme. But what did they expect from me?!

Especially later, while I was standing there stunned and a hand suddenly materialized from thin air, followed by Kalle's thin face covered with a wide grin. He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me inside (?!)

Now I know that the doorframe had a passive illusion spell, and actually, there were several others in the basement's corridors. And their existence was also a reason for the mana-sealing barrier, to avoid would-be robbers or attackers discovering what is real and what's not. But at that moment, my thoughts were not related to magic or illusions. More like, what if I am going crazy?

In any case, as I crossed, I found myself in the same room that I had observed from outside, except that it wasn't empty but full of people. A grey-haired man of about 70 years sat on a simple chair in the middle of the room, and there were ten men dressed in ordinary clothes but with swords at their belts nearby. Another six armed people, four being women, stood in pairs near each of the three doors that I saw from outside.

Yond and Kalle remained near the entrance, and Gris stood near the sitting man. There was no need for introductions or even my status screen, as it was clear who the man was. Still, making sure of it, I did scan him before selecting a spot near the wall and waiting for whatever would happen next.

NAME & TYPE LEVEL (Hiding anything below average) Cadowden Merchant (Title-Guild) - Speech (Social) 16 Manners (Social) 14 Education (Social) 21 Persuasion (Social) 16 Writing (Social) 13 Negotiation (Economics) 18 Economics (Economics) 19 Merchant Eyes (Economics) 16 Counting (Economics) 18 Addicted (Talents & Traits) -

But I did not have to wait for long, as after they spoke in hushed tones about something, the man and Gris turned towards me, and she motioned for me to come closer.

"Lindar, this is Zelindo, the master of this Guild Branch." She first introduced the man before doing the same for me, although she introduced me as Reuben's assistant for some reason.

Surprised or not, if Gris worded it like that, I had to follow. Thus, I slightly bowed and maintained my silence. They did so as well, and I began thinking, is this a silent examination? I mean, Zelindo's eyes from below his bushy eyebrows scanned me at least thrice.

"Young man, Gris told me that you have a few special abilities and a good deal of knowledge. I have no idea for solving the problem that this branch is facing. And so, I would appreciate a fresh intake." His voice and visage showed signs of tiredness, but he spoke in an even and courteous way. Gris recommended me? But for what?

"Understood, maester." Not finding anything to say, as well, what if I could help? I simply affirmed with another nod.

"Good, let me explain again. Gris, you also listen. I only gave you the short rundown before, after all." Zelindo motioned for both of us to pay attention as he spoke, but Gris slightly raised her hand before he began explaining.

"Not to interrupt you, but can I send my men back to the caravan? Reuben is probably going crazy by now, and there is still a pair of my men somewhere in the basement." After she received an affirmative nod, she quickly signaled Yond and Kalle.

"Wait!" Before the two left the room thought, Zelindo suddenly spoke up and then turned to a neatly dressed and trimmed young man near him, "Falko, open the gates and allow the caravan in. Tell Reuben he can use all the facilities, but don't allow anyone here. Understood?"

In return, Falko slightly bowed and left the room after motioning for the two to follow him.

After motioning for one of the other guards to close the door, Zelindo added while rubbing his temples, "Now, I hope that there will be no more interruptions until we do solve the issue or at least try to."

***

I will avoid recalling word by word what did Zelindo explain and simply 'Record' the significant bits of information.

The room where we were, or better said, the three rooms behind the guarded doors, were nothing but an underground warehouse, used for goods the Guild did not trade openly. They were not illegal or something like that, but goods restricted to the Royal and Noble guards and soldiers.

They were supplies, weapons, armors, and trinkets created by order. And under the restriction that no outsiders would be allowed to examine, or most importantly, tamper with them.

The Guild took pride in these contracts, and their security measures included underground warehouses, transporting them in closed wagons, among others. In any case, the point was that there had been no problems. And Zelindo had been working with the Viscount's guards for several years by now.

The goods this time arrived safely as well and were bound to be delivered tomorrow. But today, a few hours ago, one of the employees noticed a strange acrid stench coming from behind the doors and immediately went with Zelindo.

It was logical, as most guild workers did not know what was inside each crate. Suspecting some alchemical substance in the cargo, the employee did not even check inside, preferring to notify immediately.

Zelindo, along with a few guards, immediately went to check. And to their dismay, they found that several crates showed signs of tampering. But while some were only slightly open, three were directly trashed, one with tents, one with banners, and one with bundles of enchanted cloth.

But even worse, someone had poured acid inside. Or maybe not an acid but some other dissolvent, but Zelindo had no means to check. And it did not matter anyway, as the damage to the things inside was absolute.

The overall damage wasn't so expensive, as even the enchanted cloth was hardly worth more than a few gold coins. Still, it was part of the Viscount's order, and there was no way to ignore such an incident.

With the only possible perpetrator being one of the guild workers or guards, Zelindo decided to gather everyone and find the culprit. And while the ones in the basement were retrieved one by one, outside trusted guards ordered everyone to rush inside and then closed the gates.

By now, Zelindo had spoken with each person individually and as a group. He threatened, promised rewards, and assured that he would not do anything to the culprit if the latter gave up. But to no avail. Except for clearing up half of the people as they were away from the basement between the last check and the incident, Zelindo had no idea who could have done it.

***

"Even worse, I can not fathom who could have done it. None of my workers is recent, with the latest addition being a couple of guards last year. Thus, why would someone do it now?" Zelindo finished his explanation with a heavy sigh.

"I can not understand why someone would do it either. After all, if someone wanted to make you lose the contracts, then the damage had to be more serious." Gris pondered for a few moments before stating her doubts.

"It could have been, as we found several flasks with the same kind of liquid used near the closed crates. It seems that the culprit did not have the time to finish." One of the guards quickly explained.

"I see. Lindar, do you have any ideas?" Gris nodded to the guard and then asked me.

"Hmm, give me a moment, please." I recalled dozens of series and novels while searching for something usable. So ideas I did have, but what should I do?

_______

Let's see. Someone snuck into the underground warehouse and damaged the goods with acid. Then escaped or hid without being noticed. Motives aside, the culprit knew that coming clean would end badly anyway. But it had no reason to do it either.

After all, There were no witnesses. And considering that Zelindo did not mention anything, magic artifacts that could help the situation were either already tried or did not exist per se.

But wait, they mentioned flasks and even some that were simply leftover. Flasks are either glass or bone. So I have something that actually can work, at least if no one heard about fingerprints!

_______

"I may have an idea, but I will need to look at the warehouse and the flasks first." Latching on the idea about fingerprints, I decided to look before talking. Nothing worse than to give an idea that would not work, right?

"Take him there." Zelindo did not ask anything, simply nodding and commanding one of the guards.

***

The underground warehouse consisted of three separate rooms. That was something I understood from the three doors, and I was right. While I was taken towards the right-hand door, the guard explained that the left-hand one led to where the people cleared from suspicions were. As for the central one, it led to those who could not prove themselves.

The room was around five meters wide and fifteen long, filled with crates, boxes, and barrels on both sides. Leaving only a small corridor in between that went to the back, where a pulley system was. "It's connected to the warehouse aboveground, so we do not have to haul the cargo through the basement. We checked it as well, but it was closed, and the keys were in place." The guard explained as he noticed me looking towards the back.

"I see, so where are the damaged goods?"

"There, the sixth row on both sides." The guard pointed to a couple of metal crates on one side and then to a wooden one on the other side.

I had noticed the stench even before entering, but standing in front of the open crates made it truly unbearable. It was in between vinegar, onion, and barf, making my eyes feel watery.

"Haa." I moved back slightly and asked about the flasks. After being pointed towards three of them standing between a couple of wooden barrels in the 4th row. And confirming they were of glass (expensive!), I asked, "Did someone touch them?"

It turned out that the flasks had been touched and moved by the guards. But after going back to Zelindo and asking a few other guards, I was indicated to a small bag near the entrance, where six other flasks were. And no one had touched the glass, only the cloth of the sack.

"Good. I will need a few things, and I think that I will be able to point you towards the culprit."

***

Although Gris, the guards, and even Zelindo looked at my following actions with curiosity, no one tried to distract me. Something that did help as fingerprints with basic methods was not part of my studies.

With the help of a brush, grounded ink, and a small piece of paper with wooden glue applied to it, I began my experiment. Initially, it did not give me a good result. I had trouble controlling the pressure I applied, so I destroyed details. But at the third flask, I managed to get a detailed, almost perfect print of two fingers. Then, armed with experience, I repeated it twice more and got two more sets.

"Every being has an individual pattern on some part of their bodies. For humans, it's the fingertips and a couple more." Understanding that my manipulations were strange, I began to explain. And my listeners, at least two of them, were not dumb. Thus, even that short phrase was enough for them to connect the dots.

"And if we compare the ones from the flasks and the ones from people, the culprit would be the only one that matches?" Gris immediately asked and got a nod coupled with a smile from me in affirmation.

"And how do we do it?" Zelindo asked while standing up from his chair.

"I would say that using a sponge with ink and getting the prints of everyone, and then compare visually. But it can be skipped, at least today." I was disappointed that I would not show off more, but the prints had a detail to solve this without much hassle.

"You know who is it?" One of the guards and Zelindo asked almost in unison.

"No" As I shook my head, I pointed to several lines and a big empty dot on the prints. "These are scars or other wounds, and I doubt that everyone here will have scars on both fingers identical to these."

"Oh!" I felt great having a mini-ovation, but it was time to finish this. We had walked and then spent several hours trying to enter the city. I wanted to rest!

***

Zelindo was a man of no half-measures and preferred to check everything several times. So he sent the guards to examine the hands of everyone in both warehouses, even the ones he had cleared from suspicion. An intelligent thing to do because as it turned out, the culprit was among the ones that seemingly were away from the basement during all the day.

Still, I would feel wrong for accusing someone without being sure and running a check in front of everyone, especially as it seemed that the assumed culprit was someone everyone liked. But as the woman's right hand, slightly covered in ink, left a full print on a sheet of paper, there were no other questions.

"Why did you do it, Moss? You have been working for me since the first day I arrived here!" Zelindo was shocked, and in truth, it looked that everyone, including the now released workers, was.

Moss turned out to be one of the cooks, and she had spent years preparing the food that everyone ate. A plump woman in her fifties, her round face and neatly combed hair, coupled with a neat dress and apron, made her look like anything but an evildoer. Still, she had done it, and after my test, she did not refute anything, simply hanging her head and silently staring at the floor even when Zelindo questioned her.

Her stats weren't unusual, with only [Housekeeping] showing a slightly over average - 12. She had no criminal or other titles either. So even I asked myself why she would do a thing like this?

***

After commanding a couple of guards to take Moss away, Zelindo asked for everyone's attention with a cough. "Thank you for your help, Lindar. And everyone, I am sorry for the treatment today. As you know, the contracts are an important part of our work, so I probably overreacted."

Some of the men and women present shrugged, others motioned that there was no problem, and a couple even laughed. It seems that he is well-liked, as usually there would be at least a couple of complaints.

***

In any case, with the case solved, Zelindo sent everyone to rest, promising to give them a few days off as soon as the trade fair ended. But probably what made everyone leave with smiles and jokes was that he mentioned free drinks the next day's dinner.

Accompanied by Gris, I was shown to the guest building by a guard. And waiting for us in the spacious receiver room, we found Reuben and Gris's subordinates. After relating everything, we all separated to finish our respective tasks, deciding to meet in an hour for a late dinner.

Freed from unloading the cargo as Reuben had already commanded the hands to do it without me. My task meant going upstairs and speaking with Kierra and Angelique. After all, we were now in Megvuroz, and with the Count's money, we were free to do anything we wanted to.

Just the question of what remained...