CHAPTER 73: CHAPTER 73 - A NORMAL CITY (2)

In my last life I would never be able to do what I’m doing right now.

I’m eating heartily while I listen to each conversation in the room, following all of them.

That’s because not only did I have some problems with auditory processing of spoken words, but I also had a serious problem focusing on two things at the same time.

This new body never had those two issues from the start. But what really made things easier for me is the System.

Those Soul attributes really make a difference in the overall processing of information. I feel my mind getting clearer and faster as my levels rise.

And, at the same time, the stats specific to perception increase the range I can get information from.

And, right now, this little brain of mine is doing wonders, listening every word spoken inside the tavern and putting them in their respective ’conversation boxes.’ And then processing all that into actionable information.

I feel superhuman right now. It’s a delicious sensation.

Though not as delicious as this stew I’m gobbling down.

In any case, nobody is talking anything about me or my mother, nor about the happenings in Amapytu.

But this is the kind of case in which no news is good news. If people aren’t talking about us, it’s probably because they aren’t looking for us.

Or at least that there isn’t a public hunt with a big bounty over us.

:::

It’s only a couple of hours deep into the night that we hear some useful information.

Lovelace has been drinking some mugs of the cheapest mead, slowly, as a way to extend our time in the tavern. And it paid off.

There are two ruffian-looking guys in a secluded corner of the tavern. They are whispering, relying on the noises of the room to not be heard by anyone else.

That wouldn’t work on us, though.

"Isn’t that description too much like the late princess Lillian, though?"

"Yes, it is. That’s why I’m telling you I don’t like this. The Duke is putting this only in the Network, even though it’s a runaway slave."

"And what of it?"

"Think, Scrawny. A normal runaway slave would have a bounty put up by the Guard. If he’s being secretive about it, then it’s someone he doesn’t want the Guard to know about."

"Wouldn’t that make things easier for us, then? The less people searching for them, the bigger the chance for us to be the ones who find her."

"But if she is the princess, getting involved could end up with the gallows for us. You know what the punishment for treason against the crown is."

The following discussion was unrelated for us. But this bit of information is already enough.

It means that the guards and the adventurers aren’t looking for us, which explains the lack of talk about it earlier.

But there is a certain ’Network,’ which is probably some sort of organization that deals with shady business. So they are treating this hunt more like a kidnapping than like a normal search for runaway slaves.

It also means that the Duke doesn’t have as much power within the guards as we feared he would have. If he’s resorting to a shady organization, then he probably can’t just send the guards by himself.

Those two aren’t a threat, as they, in the end, decided to steer away from any dealings that could put their necks at risk. But we know that there are people in the underworld who aren’t that scared by risks.

"So, we found what we came here to find."

"Yeah, let’s head back to the camp."

The meal and mead took away the last of our coins, and we head out of the tavern.

The night here is a bit chilly, and there’s a smell of moist earth in the air. It probably rained a little bit while we were in the tavern.

The streets are mostly deserted. It’s my first time walking through city streets at night without the thrill of fleeing and hiding. Or planning to flee and hide.

Which means that I can take in the sights and smells of the city. It’s as empty as those villages in remote countrysides back on Earth. But with a huge difference.

There are some torches in the central plaza and some important buildings, but that’s all. The rest of the city is in the dark. The perennial light we usually associate with big cities is nowhere to be seen.

We walk towards the gate through which we came into the city. When we get near it, we cast our strengthening spells. I cast invisibility on myself, while Lovelace cloaks herself in shadows.

Then we walk to the gate and simply jump over it. Just like that.

"It’s so good to be OP."

"I bet it is, for you. I’ve always been powerful, so I can’t say I understand the feeling."

"Oh, did I say that out loud? Again?"

"You did."

"Wait, how do you know what ’OP’ is?"

"Did you forget I watched every memory about videogames from that woman? And also watched some of yours?"

"Oh, right. That. Yeah, I forgot. In any case, it really does feel good. Simply jumping over the city walls like that, with the same ease as if I was jumping a knee-high fence."

Now I only need teleport, and then all my dreams about magic that I had in my other life will have come true.

:::

"So, that’s what we learned in this foray into Evergrove."

"The Network still exists, huh. They are a powerful guild of criminals. Its name is actually very appropriate, as it’s a loosely tied network of local groups that span the entire continent."

"So they would be on the lookout for us in any nation we go to?"

"Yeah... But that won’t be a concern for us very soon."

"Yes. In any case, they seem to be focused on you. They don’t know anything about Lovelace, and nobody seemed to have noticed me there."

"Which means it’s safe for you two to get into cities."

"We lack the money for it, though. We spent everything today."

"You could register as an adventurer and get some quests. We will need money when we arrive in the capital anyway."

"An... adventurer? Wouldn’t that make me stand out too much? Being an adventurer at my age and with my level would be very unusual."

"Oh, right. I’m so used to your adultlike demeanor that I forget that you’re only a ten-year-old."

Ugh. And I keep forgetting to act like a ten-year-old myself. I don’t know how she hasn’t suspected anything yet.

I guess the motherly thing of ’that’s just like they always were’ is a thing, after all.

"I’m not so young myself, but my level would cause a huge commotion if it went public anyway."

"Yes, there’s that as well, Lovelace. I think that the only one who could earn money as an adventurer here is you, Mom."

"I could just reissue the guild card, but then the guild receptionist would see my name."

What a bummer. I guess earning money as an adventurer is out of the question.

"We can still raid a dungeon and sell the loot, anyway. You don’t need to be registered as an adventurer to do that."

Ohhhh, that sounds like a plan.