So far, I had been making simple shapes: ones that had been studied thoroughly and was good for training, but had little practical use for real mana tools. It was like learning calculus as a mathematics major hoping to pursue a Doctorate in Mathematics in the future— I had a long way to go before I could create the kinds of tools my Dwarven companion did.
I was diligent, but I was not a genius.
I picked the piece of paper up, and inspected it carefully; there were no mistakes that I could see, which instilled in me a sense of accomplishment. I proudly laid the sheet back down onto the table, admiring my work for just a moment longer.
Then the door to the room swung open, and I craned my neck away from the paper lain on the desk to see Gennady enter the room. The rotund man strutted in, his heavy footfalls thumping on the hard wooden floor as he lifted his hood.
"Welcome back," I greeted him, standing up and stretching my back after being seated for over an hour.
"Ya are one studious kid, you know that right?" he commented as he peered over my shoulder. "Good job. You got everything right this time."
I was just about to grin in response when the Dwarf smacked me across the back. Ouch, still not used to that. I rubbed the spot and the light sting quickly went away. Then I finally asked the question that had been in my mind.
"So," I started, "how did it go?"
"Other than the fact that I had to keep even lower than I usually am? Pretty damned good if I had to say so myself."
He placed both hands on his bed, and hefted himself up onto it; he pulled out a small metallic flask and drank from it.
"I managed to speak to a few guys, and they said they could arrange a meeting between us and these two smugglers. They’re one of the best in the city."
I lifted an eyebrow, and tilted my head to the side. "Are they trustworthy though?" I asked. "That’s more important than how good they are at their job. They could be amazing, but if they betray us, it doesn’t matter."
The Dwarf furrowed his brows, and sighed. "Lass, has anyone ever told you that you are sometimes very paranoid?"
"What’s wrong with erring on the side of caution?"
"Nothing." He shook his head and stood up. "I hear that they’ve never failed a job. But the thing is, they’re used to smuggling goods out and into the city, not people. There isn’t much illegal slave trafficking coming out of Luke by sea, and people who try to flee the country generally do so through land by the southern border." He took another swig of his alcohol.
"Good," I said, nodding curtly. "I prefer it that way. I’d rather not deal with slavers or people who aid slavers. It just doesn’t sit well with me."
"Because it’s illegal?"
"Because it’s evil," I corrected the Dwarf, before changing topics. "So, where will we be meeting these smugglers?"
"They have a hideout in a tavern near the docks. That’s on the northern side of the harbor, so we won’t have to worry about running into too much trouble, I hope."
Right, trouble, I thought, remembering the reason why Gennady had to wear that cloak over his head, and I was staying in the inn by myself: there were very angry sailors on the lookout for us— as confirmed by Gennady— after the incident at the main pier area a few days ago. And it did not help that we tricked the guards to buy us some time so we could escape.
Were we wanted by the guards for tricking them? Probably not. However, picking a fight with dozens of sailors was probably against some law in Laxis, which meant that the city guards were keeping at least one eye out for us; we were not criminals, but there was most definitely a hefty fine we had to pay for partaking in a brawl.
Gennady wanted to avoid paying it if we could, and I did not disagree with that sentiment. So due to both those reasons, we were keeping on the down low while searching for a way out of this city.
I walked over to the closet, and pulled out my ‘Aria’ disguise. "Well then, let’s get going," I said to the Dwarf.
He frowned, scratching his scruffy beard. "Right now?" he asked. "I arranged a meeting for tonight."
"We want to scout out the place first, of course," I replied casually, taking off my pointed hat. "Plus, I’m sick and tired of being locked up in this room. Maybe I can look around for anything I might want to buy in the market. You’ve bought your Superior mana crystals, well I want something of my own too."
"Aight, if that’s what you want." Gennady gave a noncommittal shrug.
"Now, if you’ll excuse me," I said, gesturing at the door. "Could you please get out?" I held my change of clothes up, indicating I needed some privacy.
"Right." He hurriedly left the room.
I carefully inspected the array of mana crystals before me, reaching for one that was about the size of my hand and held it up against the lamplight. The blue-green gemstone glimmered, reflecting the shine into my eyes; it was bright.
I had read in A Tinkerer's Guide— one of the books Gennady had loaned me— that mana crystals of higher quality had highly reflective surfaces whereas lower quality mana crystals did not. This was due to the difference in the mana density inside each crystal, with an
