A Shady New Town

"There are various ways to catch a thief,

Hunt him through the traces he leaves."

I.

There are a few things I observed as I went through town. One, the people going out into the streets are scarce. This feels so strange as I'm used to the streets of Ent which is always alive; people coming and going everywhere you look. Here you'd only see one or two people going outside. That in itself is a rare treat for the eyes if you ever spot it.

The second thing I noticed is how many guards there are. It's like in every alley I pass through, there are at least two guards stationed there. They are heavily armed with shields and spears, but it seems that it is only the Count who has a sword. Well, that may only be because, I have never seen that much of the town.

Third, the town is quite huge! Unlike how slim the passageway is, the town is a long stretch of tall buildings and walls. There are blocks of houses for different people and there is even a park that looks more like a mini forest with how big it is.

"Guess I can't use my previous strategy here." I told myself. If the ground is made of concrete, then I can't plant. Even if I do, people may find it a nuisance instead of a pleasure to see one.

Lastly, there are some parts of town that are "restricted" for visitors such as myself. The reasons for which are unknown to me. Even if I ask Gyn, all he ever tells me is "trash." So I just followed him silently, but never deactivating my analysis skill just for good measure.

"Here we are." He said as we reached a nice looking inn. It has dark gray walls covering it outside, the gate itself is a huge black metal - grilled one. Like all places, this inn is also filled with guards.

"Take this." He said, throwing me something that looks like a gold coin. Looking at it, the coin looks nothing like Gol. The coin has carvings of a single wing on both side.

"That coin is a special ticket if you want to enter places that are off-limits." This is shady. No matter how you look at it, there is something else at work in this town. I can't put my hand around it yet but, hopefully I'll get answers as the days pass.

"In case you get the wrong idea, this place isn't one of the off - limits areas I mentioned. However, another kind of currency is needed."

"Isn't Gol the only currency we use?" I said, acting like I'm a normal citizen of this world.

"Did I say that you can speak to me trash?" He said irritated.

"Goodness, at least let me finish. I'm giving you all the details already so shut up." My hands are really starting to itch. Looks like I need to kill someone new; and by someone, I mean this obnoxious prick of an excuse for a town guard."

Like I was saying trash." He continued.

"Control yourself Jean. Sleep is waiting for you just beyond that gate. You just need to endure with this guy for a bit longer." I told myself as I held back.

"Money works differently in Crystal, we use more than just Gol in this place. The receptionist inside will trade some of your coins for you if you want to. She may also explain what I mean because, I don't want to be the one telling you all that detailed stuff."

"Oh and only trade if you are going to stay in this place for a long time. If you don't plan to, then I suggest that you don't over - extend your stay. The economy in this place is not as easy as it looks."

"Wait here, I'll go talk to the people inside about you." With that, Gyn went inside, leaving me in front of the gate. The guards stationed here keep giving me cold glares as if I'm some enemy to mankind. I think all guards in Crystal have a secret resentment toward me.

"Subconscious."

"What do you think about the place Sei?"

"I think it holds a lot of dangerous secrets master."

"I know right? Just mentioning that some places are off limits leaves a skeptical vibe."

"Then again master, the whole continent is affected by the haze after all. Maybe these people are just afraid of anything new that a foreign being may bring. It is, after all, difficult for them to adjust to something new due to the haze."

"Hey who's side are you on Sei?"

"I'm just stating facts master. We can view this town from multiple angles. As long as we do not have any strong evidence to back-up our claim, we can only speculate. In turn, the speculation must give way to both positive and negative ideas otherwise, we will be biasing this place just because we feel it is right. That in itself does not give justice to the people of this town."

"Arrggh. Fine I get it. Let's try and look at this town from both perspectives then."

"Yes master."

"Anyway, have you thought of anything we could use as Entertainment in this place?"

"So far, nothing comes to mind master."

"Yeah I'm also empty on my end."

"We'll figure things out eventually master." Sei reassured me.

I then deactivated the skill and waited patiently for Gyn. He didn't even take that long. Guess he talked straightforwardly to whoever is inside. He seems to be the type of person who'd do that. The type who doesn't want to drag things too long. He yawned as he walked over to my direction. The guards saluted him and he nodded at them.

Wait is he some kind of high-ranking guard? Well that's another thing I'll think about after my long-awaited sleep.

"Trash. Come inside."

"Cooooming." I said, gladly accepting the remark for the last time.