90: Juicy Gossip

He thought perhaps he was about to listen in to some extremely intriguing information regarding the state of the city as well as any juicy gossip going on.

But unfortunately it felt more like listening to the news where they recorded a meeting between two powerful figures making small talk and discussing the ordinary happenings in the city. Something that Aidan could already do on his off time with Soul Meditation.

So instead of just listening to their words, Aidan focused on their souls throughout their conversation. It was clear from the get-go that Bruno here, despite appearing so amicable, was actually dreading the entire time as they spoke. His soul quivered whenever Nina asked a question, and when it was a simple one, his soul relaxed slightly.

They mostly talked about the happenings of Forontia, and whether they could trade with each other as well as before, and that also included the fact that the gangs were not present anymore due to the attack on Forontia. When Nina began asking for support, Bruno’s soul quivered again, becoming cautious in his speech.

This is where Aidan stepped in. Paying attention, he cleverly disguised moving his leg to make a crossed position, which Nina took notice of. She immediately jumped topics, allowing the mayor’s soul to relax again.

Then when they discussed matters of tax, Bruno’s soul became eager. That was when Aidan made a slight cough, excusing himself that he had a parched throat, to which Bruno gladly offered a drink to help soothe it. That gave Nina a warning, to which she played handsomely in the discussion.

On and on it went, with Aidan helping out little by little. Sure, he could use magic to make these signs easier, but Nina made it perfectly clear that the office could easily pick up signs of magic from the guests, and that would cause an alarm that would make things worse than just naturally making subtle physical signs.

After all, anyone can get uncomfortable and shift their positions, but it would be extremely suspicious if you notice that they were using magic in a meeting. Apparently there are some out there that could use controlling magic that would subtly change a person’s mindset throughout the meeting, hence why the office is heavily enchanted to deal with such matters. This, of course, was the same for the guests as well.

Though Aidan could tell that there wasn’t such a function going on right now, only aiding the mayor when it came to dealing with guests. As the talk progressed, Nina easily took control of the conversation with ease and eventually called the meeting off.

With pleasant goodbyes, Nina and Aidan left, with Aidan recognizing that Bruno’s soul started to look like he took a beating just by discussing it. It was supposed to be a simple meeting, a greeting of sorts, but Nina turned it into a rather lengthy discussion that caused the mayor to reveal certain information he wasn’t ready to discuss yet.

When they left the office, they met up with the siblings who were enjoying themselves with some snacks and drinks before heading out of the building and back to their carriage.

“So how did the meeting go?” Haley asked once they were out of earshot from the other guards and drove away into the street.

“It was educational,” Nina simply answered. “I managed to get a few things to get some support for Forontia. I also heard some things that I might investigate a thing or two while we’re here. For now, let’s settle ourselves at an inn to stay for a while. Van, head over to the Riz au Gar.”

“That’s the fancy district a few miles from here, right?” Van asked.

“I see that you’ve been studying up while we were busy,” Nina said with a pleased smile. “Exactly that.”

“A-Are we really going to stay at a fancy place?” Haley asked, clearly hesitant.

“Naturally. I told you before, right? We’re not commoners. We need to establish ourselves while we’re here.”

“If that’s the case, then why didn’t we come in with a fancier carriage?” Haley asked a rather obvious question.

“Tell that to Aidan.”

When Haley turned to Aidan who decided to be at the back of the carriage rather than at the roof (he didn’t want to be stared at again so soon), he looked away with a slightly embarrassed look on his face.

“I’m, uhh, not good at designing that well.”

It was obvious considering that most of his crafts were just simple in design, mostly useful for their functionality rather than for looks. The carriage was simple but was built in a way to make a comfortable ride for the passengers. That was mostly why their carriage didn’t really grab much attention while they were in the city.

“That’s why we’re gonna stay at an inn that Mayor Bruno suggested,” Nina said. “Once we settle in, we’ll discuss what to do later.”

Haley and the others easily agreed, the past few days and the recent meeting already taxing enough as they headed over to the district where their inn would be at. Just as one would expect, the inn was larger in size and easily the most eye-catching building around. It even had its own yard with a fountain installed to make it look more luxurious than one would naturally consider, something that brought peace of mind to their weary souls.

They made their preparations and eventually stayed in for the night, enjoying the meals afforded by the inn as well as the intoxicating baths they had available. Needless to say, everyone enjoyed themselves for the night, leaving Aidan to do his nightly work using Soul Meditation to scout out his surroundings.

The following day, they all gathered together on a table enjoying their breakfast, the topic being the most unhinged conversation that poor Van had no other choice but to listen to.

“So there’s this feud going on between the nearby leather shop owner and the woodworker store, but the leatherer’s wife was actually sleeping with the woodworker throughout all this. And you know what the woodworker’s wife was doing at the time?”

“No…” Haley muttered, her eyes transfixed at Aidan. “She didn’t!”

“Oh yeah,” Aidan said, nodding enthusiastically. “She didn’t just sleep with the leatherer, she also was the one providing damning details on how bad the woodworker’s shop was doing. All the while, the leatherer’s wife was still loyal to her husband, going around and stealing all kinds of important documents and potential trade partners.”

“Wait, so this leatherer’s some charming guy? I can’t expect both wives to be drawn to him.”

“Turns out that the leatherer’s family is pretty rich back in the capital, and somehow the woodworker’s wife caught wind of it. But apparently she’s going to pretend that she got pregnant and demand restitutions later. At least, that’s what she said to her close friends. We can only know what will happen in the future.”

“Ugh, why did they just leave it like that at such a good part?!”

“Guys, please…” Van said, his hand resting on his head as he let out a tired sigh. “I just woke up. At least let me have my coffee in peace.”

“I find it rather odd that you decided to spend your time following gossip rather than actual good information,” Nina said, sounding like she was listening to the conversation as if expecting something worthwhile, only to find absolutely nothing at the end.

“Listen, I spent hours throughout the night finding some good shit, and this was the closest thing that actually sounded like it could get somewhere. It’s not my fault they made it so damn juicy to listen to.”

“And exactly how useful was it?”

“Enough to know that the family in the capital are currently going through some financial difficulties, and it's all because of a dungeon that they invested most of their wealth into suddenly disappearing overnight.”

“Oh,” Nina said, sounding actually surprised. “Now that is rare. Where was this dungeon?”

“Some place called the Albino Hills. It was a dungeon that sat next to the border of Ghalea, I think south-west of a country called Krish Avedon? That federation place.”

“The Federation of Krish Avedon,” Nina nodded. “They’re known to have the most amount of dungeons compared to Ghalea, and from the looks of things, they decided to take this dungeon for themselves.”

“But isn’t that dungeon part of Ghalea’s lands?” Haley asked. “They can’t just take a dungeon no matter how close to the border it is.”

“They did, and that’s the interesting part,” Nina said, grinning slightly. “Looks like juicy gossip can be good sometimes. That fact alone means that the Federation basically invaded the Kingdom all to take a single small dungeon. In other words, we’re currently in conflict with the Federation, and we’re the first ones to know.”

“So far,” Aidan added, stabbing his runny eggs with a fork before biting into it. After he swallowed it, he continued. “Barely anyone knows of it yet from what I can hear, but it won’t be surprising that the higher ups would know about it.”

“Most likely they’re going to demand compensation from the Federation before this becomes an all-out war. Then again, from my resources, it doesn’t look like the Federation has the means to actually fight this war. That’s why them suddenly taking a dungeon into their midst using some contraption was odd to me.”

That immediately brought up an idea in Aidan’s mind, though he kept it to himself. Considering his own circumstances, was it perhaps possible that there was someone else that had a hand in it? Someone from his own world who also reincarnated here?

He hadn’t met anyone like that, but he was certain that he couldn’t be the only earthling that found himself reincarnated into this world. Though in the end, that was just speculation, and he was certain Nina didn’t need to know that little tidbit until he actually found solid evidence of it.

“Well, that was an enlightening breakfast, but I think it’s about time to get to work,” Nina said, already finishing her plate as she made her next plan. “For now, let’s separate into two groups. I’m going to meet some of my contacts here, and it won’t be anything dangerous, so I think Haley would be just fine to be my attendant. As for you–”

“I’ll head over to the adventurer’s guild in Palestorm,” Van stated, making Nina nod. “And Aidan will come with me to register?”

Their next plan was simple–to get Aidan his own adventurer’s rank. He could’ve done that back in Forontia, but unlike in Palestorm, they didn’t have the resources and the jurisdiction to properly grade Aidan. Considering that he faced a demon on his own, it was only natural that he would be given a higher rank than normal.

However, the guild master of Forontia didn’t have the authority to grant higher ranks than D, the second lowest rank of the guild. That’s why they would head to a larger branch where the guild master there can grant him a higher rank, Rank C. It was only just one rank, but it gave enough benefits that Nina would be more than pleased to have around.

“You sure the guild master would believe that I did in the demon and grant me a higher rank, though? I got a feeling that he won’t really do it just because he knows about it.”

“That’s why you’ll do your best to convince him,” Nina said, her fingers wrapped under her resting chin with a smile. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“Fine,” Aidan rolled his eyes. “Guess we’re off then.”

With that, the two groups separated, the girls leaving for their own thing while the boys would head out to the adventurer’s guild. It didn’t take long to separate, with Haley seemingly more than fine to have a girl’s hangout. Van didn’t look that pleased himself, considering her company, but disregarded it as he followed Aidan over to the guild.

It was on their way there, following along the street while crowded by dozens of people, some with even different races included, that they had a nice talk to pass the time.

“Is it really bad that I keep worrying about her?” Van asked.

“It is when you already know that Nina isn’t dumb enough to endanger Haley.”

“But it’s Nina we’re talking about.”

“Nina, the one who took care of you two and even gave you a nice place to stay, a job that pays well, good food to eat, and–”

“I get it, I get it, just… I get worried, you know?”

“I know, I know,” Aidan shook his head. “You remind me of my own big brother. Gets worried over little thing too. Just chill out. Remember that I can basically spy on them whenever I want, so I’ll know instantly if shit hits the fan.”

“Right, I keep forgetting about your voyeuristic tendencies,” Van said with a grin.

“Haha, looks like someone finally got some jokes,” Aidan teased back with his own grin. “Just remember that’s how I make my money.”

“Sure,” Van shook his head. “So you’re going to be an adventurer now. Honestly, it feels like that should’ve been plenty obvious by now, but I keep forgetting you just came up out of nowhere.”

It was pretty clear by now that the siblings didn’t know exactly when and where Aidan came from, and he made it so that it would be that way. It was extremely awkward to talk about where he came from, as that wasn’t even something Nina paid much attention to either.

Sometimes he wondered whether he should let out some information every so often, as if to try and revitalize his old home, but he just didn’t bother to do any of that. It wasn’t like talking about it would help it return somehow, and he certainly didn’t want to make a mood where he had no choice but to say that the place he came from just doesn’t exist anymore.

“I’m like a ghost,” Aidan said, jokingly hiding his inner struggle. “And I prefer it that way.”

“Right, and on that point. If Haley decides to pester you with questions, just shut her out, okay? She gets too curious for her own good, and I don’t want you to think she’ll dislike you if you don’t talk about yourself.”

Aidan was taken aback by that. “I wouldn’t really worry about that, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Great. She really does like you, so don’t be afraid to be stern with her if she pushes you.”

“Dude, like I said, she’s fine. Man, you really worry for her, huh?”

“She’s the reason why I feel like I’ll have gray hair sometime in the next year or so–mark my words.”

The two laughed as they made their way to the guild, often talking about Haley and her antics. They might as well be actual brothers, considering that Aidan often saw Haley as a little sister more than anything else.

After a short while, even ending up getting some snacks like skewers on the road, they finally ended up at the guild where it made its presence known. Unlike the inn, this one had an air of roughness that seemed like you would get punched out of nowhere just for looking at someone funny. The people around the vicinity also changed drastically, becoming armored in some places or displaying sheathed weapons on their person rather than hiding it away in a spatial bag. It was possible that they just didn’t have one, considering that they were expensive to purchase.

“Looks like we’re here,” Aidan said. “So we just head in and start signing up?”

“That’s the plan,” Van replied.

When the two walked up the small stairs leading to the entrance of the guild, Aidan sensed something going wrong inside, and held Van back.

“What?” Van asked, noticing his hand holding his arm.

“Back away a little bit.”

Aidan said, which Van quickly followed considering Aidan wasn’t joking around. The two separated from each other a fair distance before suddenly, the doors to the entrance were blasted open.

And out came a flying man that fell right to the front of the stairs, landing harshly on the cobblestone street.

Van looked taken aback, his eyes popping wide open, but Aidan was more interested in what sent that guy out in the first place. He turned back around to find a woman standing at the entrance, her sharp gaze landing right on the fallen man.

“...Is that all?”