185. Lore Abiding: Wiremu

It took me a week and a half to find one of the Duke’s bastards who was a hanger-on to the Duke's son George, who had made such a mess in Duhovno. It took several contracts during that time. One sounded interesting. It was for an Avion Nest, and they wanted an Archer with Farsight and Longshot to guard the top of one of their towers against a rival nest. It sounded interesting, but it was three days of boring. I didn’t renew the contract when they asked. Besides, I had completed Dianne's contract by then, acquiring documents from this nest for the rival one. We both got paid, and my Sleight of Hand Skill levelled into Apprentice. My Roleplay and Veneer Skills were on the cusp of Journeyman Level and just needed a push to get over the line.

My bastard’s name was Adam. I gathered his mother used to be a highly-paid escort back in the day. He didn’t put it like that, but I distilled it into that. He was in his twenties and was a similar age to George, and I figured he was like his mother and trying to work his way up the social ladder. Unfortunately, poor George had stuffed up big.

Adam was trying to assemble a group to ride out in three days' time, meet a caravan, and force them to sign over some property. Elemental Traders is due in about three days. I thought it would be hilarious to go and meet Tabitha like that, but there was no way I could see it ending in any way but violence, and the Caravan would have the law on their side. He was an idiot who didn’t think through his actions or even research his targets. I didn’t want to lose my connection with George this quickly, so I steered him toward the Mercenary Guild Contracts to steal what he wanted. Unfortunately, it would cost a lot of coins, and he would have to consult with George. It will be an effort just to keep this guy alive long enough for me to meet George.

Tāttā had secured the warehouse in the Dostava Docks and was finalising a residential compound in Upper Forstad. It was the thirteenth compound he looked at. It had the largest yard yet, and the main dwelling had three stories above ground and two below. It included stables with upper barracks and a separate caretaker's cottage. I had my eye on the caretaker's cottage as it would make coming and going easy. It was a bit pricy, but I think Tāttā was keen.

The Premier Kirghiz Animal Traders had a shop in the Bazaar, but their main compound was in the Naturskön Hills, which was the next suburb over from Upper Forstad. I would have to reveal that I had a bond to get a job advising on bonds. Wild Bill did not have a snake bond to separate him from Otto’s killer Sten. There were several in the city with snake bonds, including a Lizardkin. None of them were monster bonds. It wasn’t so unusual here, but it is still an identifying feature. If I meet someone with similar skills to mine, they will sense I also have Puia. This will definitely stand out. Maybe I should stay far away from such people. This will need to be thought about before I approach them.

Wait up. I am going about this all wrong. William Cody, aka Wild Bill, is a persona to enter the empire. My purpose in Kirghiz is to learn what I need to break or reverse the Slave Class, not get caught up in Tabitha’s fight against the Duke. My Bond Skills are helpful, maybe, but what I need is knowledge. I need to join the Lore Society. Ört told me the minimum requirement was four Lore Skills over Apprentice and at least one at Journeyman Level. I have Mineral, Monster and Plant Lore at Apprentice level and Animal Lore at Journeyman. Joining the Lore Society is more important than helping people with bonds. It is the whole reason we were coming to Kirghiz.

I need a new identity to join the Lore Society. The only one I have that I have not used is the one the Army gave me when they took over my Warren Carter Identity in Hrothgar. Three years of Lieutenants' wages should also be available on that Identity. If I use it, they will know where I am, but they follow Tabitha on her Skygge Identity anyway. Giving them the slip after we leave Kirghiz shouldn't be hard.

Finding my Identity token from the Kirghiz Treasury took me a while, and I don’t have that much luggage. I went to the Treasury and withdrew my identity and some coins. I couldn’t even remember the name. Thankfully, the token was enough. Quinn Fletcher of Hrothgar. This could get confusing, but I don’t have to act in order to be Quinn. I can just be a Hunter and Prospector wanting to explore bonds and classes.

The main Lore Society building was huge. It was located just off Central Queens Drive on the King's side. It was five stories high and at least three stories down. I have the absolute minimum to enrol, and my subject matter identifies me as a country bumkin. It turns out I am not limited in the subjects I can study but limited to the ground floor. The ground floor is still huge. I can apply to the desk if I want Journeyman-level help on a topic. The Masters are not to be disturbed.

Technically I could be paid for Journeyman level tutoring in Animal Lore, but “There is not much demand for such a basic and generalised topic. Sometimes a Noble might want their child tutored in it.”

I asked where information on animal bonds was, and I was given directions to the aisle number. “Remember, lad, if you wish to bring an animal bond into the Lore Society, you must get a special dispensation.” The idiot couldn’t even see Tāoke curled up on my shoulder in camouflage.

“Is there anything on Elemental Bonds?” I asked.

“Yes, but they are on the floor above. When you have Elemental Lore at Apprentice, you can gain access.”

“If I knew someone with an Elemental Bond, would they be allowed access?”

“There is only one person in the city with an Elemental Bond, and they are the ambassador from the Elven Forests. If you knew of another, I know several Masters that would be interested in talking to them.”

I took from that they would be examined and bisected. I changed the topic.

“What about classes and their requirements?”

“Aisle 24, for basic classes and their requirements. Specialisations are on the third floor for those with the basic class.”

“So I can get access to Specialisations of my Basic Classes?” He nodded. That will be useful. I have four basic Classes and can appear to have others with my Status Manipulation. I will have to get access through different people, or it will be obvious that I am cheating the system.

“I heard about Advance Classes. Where would I find information on those?”

I got a careful look at that question. “That is restricted information. You can apply for access to one of the Masters, depending on the Class.”

That is enough questions for a start. I will find someone else to quiz later.

For my first visit, I decided to look around and see what was available. The Bond books were nothing much new, although there was a refined Mental Technique to prepare for bonding which would be better than the one I am teaching now.

Monster Lore was a varied subject. I did reserve a book on Basic Elementals. I figured it would help both Tabitha and me. We have fought two elementals and left another digging a hole in a cave, so I hope it will help with that as well. If I had known more, I keep thinking I could have learned more from the Sand Elemental, perhaps even bonded with it or part of it.

My Sapient Lore needs to be raised as that will help with my Roleplay and Decieve Skills. I added a book on Animalkin to the list as we are headed to the Barbarian City States, which are mostly Animalkin-run.

Classes. There are so many classes, and these are just the basic ones. If I want to dabble in Blacksmithing, I will need Metal Lore. Quarry Worker can advance to Stone Shaper with my current Mineral Lore and some training. Stone Shaper can then advance to Stone Mason. All these are Basic Classes. Some basic classes can advance, and the higher ones give more attributes per level, easier, and more specialisations.

I went back and looked at Blacksmith again. The simplest class is Metal Worker, which shouldn’t take much effort and will enhance my Weapon Repair Skills. I am essentially a walking forge now, so I should put in some effort. I reserved two books, Basic Metallurgy and Introductory Smelting.

I understand from the book Human and Sapient Resources, Classes like Overseer and Administrator can specialise in Slave Taskmaster. This is my first lead, and I need to find some of these people to talk to. They are definitely not the regular crowd of people I socialise with.

I could spend months in here, just on this floor alone. I am going to need to organise my time. If I plan to be in here three days a week, then I have four days to build the reputation of Wild Bill and Dianne, help Tabitha, and find someone who might need a Metal Worker to get practical experience. I am not sure when I am going to sleep.

My biggest challenge will be figuring out how to get access to information on the Slave Class. I will start by being a regular here and getting to know people. I settled down with a book.