Derrick was playing with a gla.s.s of wine in his hand, savoring its taste. Of course, he couldn"t realistically get drunk, but he enjoyed the custom. In front of him was Brigand, also enjoying the flavorful beverage. They were both in the lounge in which they had agreed on a deal previously."I understand that you don"t have a lot of time, so I made arrangements for tomorrow. I have to say that the request made me call in quite a few favors hahaha"
The burly man laughed and, hidden in the noise, grimaced. It didn"t go unnoticed and Derrick felt bad deep down. He realized the magnitude of even allowing access to such a spell.
"I hope the favor you ask of me will be able to repay you. I wouldn"t like to feel indebted at the end of our arrangement"
"I"ll keep it for a rainy day, don"t worry... As for how tomorrow will go, we"ll have to go to the City Hall and be inspected. Don"t bring your armor, or you"ll be under heavy suspicions and will be interrogated. I told them I was bringing a scholar to study the mechanism behind the spell. I don"t know how you"ll use the information, but be aware that you"ll be put on a list afterwards. It"s to keep track of any individual that could possibly replicate it and endanger the sovereignty of the Empire"
Derrick nodded through the whole explanation and tried to wrap his brain around how to avoid any fallout. Right now, he was weaker than an ant in comparison to the behemoth that Krakow represented, so he had to thread carefully.
In the end, he decided that he had to go in "dry". If he made an attempt to hide his ident.i.ty, he would be instantly flagged and under surveillance. A big part of life was, after all, luck.
***
The City Hall was located at the very center of Terra and it was a sight to behold. It was approximately 300 meters tall and was built with the finest materials. The giant slabs of white marble didn"t have any defects and when the sun shone on it, the reflection"s intensity didn"t diminish at all. It was the beacon of the city.
As soon as Derrick and Brigand entered, they were met by a platoon of elite soldiers wearing steel armors. The aura they gave off overwhelmed the currently "weak" Derrick, and he had to say that he was impressed. He couldn"t use his Appraisal skill since he was certain that there were countermeasures in place, and he didn"t know the strength of his system. Just as he thought, a simple City Capital was strong. He couldn"t wait to see the higher echelons.
In charge of the group was a young man as tall as Derrick. However, his appearance was simply horrendous. His entire face was riddled with scars and had resulted in major deformities. He was, in the shortest of terms, disfigured. While controlling his facial expressions, Derrick walked forward and bowed in respect. The ugly man seemed to appreciate the gesture.
"Welcome to Terra"s City Hall. I"m Wilko Oswell and I"m in charge of the division regarding the Discovery Spell"
After exchanging their greetings, they started walking.
"As you all know, these types of spells are jewels and are protected by Empires. They are what keeps the economy going. We rarely, if ever, allow visitors, but when we heard that the respected Lancaster merchant had a Scholar friend that wanted to study them, we were pleased. If you do not mind me asking, in what magical field do you study?"
Derrick could see the sharp gaze under all the scarred tissue. Wilko was obviously trying to find any irregularities. However, Derrick wasn"t stupid. He had come prepared.
"It might surprise you, but I study armor compositions. I figured that a spell that could identify various minerals might be able to advance my research and allow me to reach the next level"
Wilko was indeed surprised. The field already had many scholars, and they were important to any Empire, as soldiers with better weapons and armors would exponentially increase their military might.
"Interesting... Then I hope that your findings are bountiful and that you"ll serve Our Emperor with everything you learn"
Derrick sneered inwardly. He would be serving something to that Emperor alright.
They had been walking for a solid five minutes and had seen many departments already. It was a testament to how huge the place really was. The platoon continued and arrived in front of a large steel door, located at the extreme opposite of the entrance.
Wilko placed his hand on it and runes started appearing on the door. They were unintelligible and shone brightly, to the point that Derrick had to turn away. After a loud creaking sound, it made way.
"This is a magical vault. It only opens to someone who"s authorized"
Wilko looked proud of the mechanism and its imposing nature. Derrick, on the other hand, was filled with interest and couldn"t help but wonder about its cost. It reminded him about the magical doors at the Slave Market, and he felt frustrated. Questions that would be unanswered... again.
Before going forward, Derrick and Brigand were patted down. Derrick had followed Brigand"s advice and only wore his black cloak.
When the soldier"s searched him, he was surprised to find out that Derrick was ripped. He clearly wasn"t the ordinary run-of-the-mill scholar.
After being cleared, they entered a brightly lit room of small dimensions. It had no decor and the only furniture present was a small table. What caught Derrick"s eye was the scroll on it.
"You"ll have an hour to study it, so use your time wisely. We"ve already taken your ident.i.ties in our registry. If you have any question, I"ll gladly answer them"
Wilko finished his speech and retreated to a corner of the room. Derrick was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with excitement. This was the moment that would anchor is status as a ruler. While sitting at the table, he observed the scroll and... couldn"t understand jack s.h.i.+t.
"System, please tell me you can copy this skill?"
[Affirmative. However, the complexity is too high, so only partial copying is possible. Would you like to proceed?]
It was an unexpected setback, but it was still an enormous outcome. Since everything happened in his consciousness, no external magic should be able to detect what he was doing. It was time to gamble.
"Yes"
[The task will last for 45 minutes]
Derrick held his breath and continued to fake his interest in the scroll in front of him. Even if he couldn"t understand a thing, he had to act the part. After seeing that nothing was happening, he relaxed. Next to him was Brigand who seemed completely clueless as well.
"Sir Oswell, you were right. Such an absurd level of complexity is unprecedented. I feel unfortunate to only have an hour with such a masterpiece. It"s truly a blessing for the Empire to possess such a treasure"
Flattery was one way to avoid raising suspicions and Derrick would be the most shameless fellow in the room if he had to. Apparently, it had worked.
"I"m glad you recognized the genius behind it. Not everyone can appreciate it"
The farce went on for the full hour and the duo finally left the City Hall. During the whole way out, Derrick could be seen smiling like an idiot and the guards escorting him a.s.sociated that with the fact that he had been given such a rare opportunity. However, the only thing that Derrick had on his mind was the description the system had given him for his new spell.
[Discovery]
[Grade : Rare - Upgradable]
[Nature : Utility]
[Description : Allows its caster to find a resource he holds in a radius of 10 kilometers (The radius will increase if the spell is upgraded)]
The mini-heist had been successful and its ramifications would shake the entire continent...
***
In a small room, Wilko happily made his report. He rarely had visitors and the ones he had today had been delightful.
After hearing the account, the man"s striking blue eyes were filled with disdain. How could mere frogs at the bottom of a well understand magic of this level? They had given up a huge fortune to marginally increase their knowledge.
n.o.body on this land could rival the Krakow Empire, or so he thought...