Hatrugar

"Hatrugar!" shouted the bus driver. They were the only passengers getting off. The others sank deep into their seats as if trying to escape a cursed place. The city's name had awakened expressions of deep unease and fear on their faces. As they disembarked, the other passengers' looks carried not just pity and concern, but almost the sadness of a final farewell. The city's frightening reputation clearly ran much deeper than mere rumors.

The stop resembled an abandoned ruin rather than a bus station. No buses waited for passengers—just a neglected area filled with rusted metal pieces and rotted wooden remains lost in thick fog. Compared to the magnificent, vibrant station in Lotiana, this place seemed torn from a parallel universe. The lively restaurants, eye-catching souvenir shops, and cutting-edge electronics stores there had been replaced by a gloomy void. Though technically part of Gradia, it gave an impression of being disconnected and forgotten. This pale stop standing alone in nothingness was like a silent witness to the city's fate.

"I love making to-do lists, sir!" Ran burst out cheerfully, as if trying to dispel the gloomy atmosphere. Her tone was so sincere and hopeful that even the surrounding mist seemed to part for a moment. "I made one on my own for now. I asked you but you said you were tired. First Task: Go to Hatrugar." She carefully crossed out the first task. "Second task is to find the crown... How should we fill in between them, sir?"

"Hmm..." the man thought for a while, his eyes searching through the mist. "Let's go to the city center, or at least somewhere with lots of people. We'll start by asking around. Maybe they'll have some idea who might attempt to steal a crown. In places like this, everyone knows each other."

"Brilliant idea, sir!" Ran began taking notes quickly, her fingers trembling with excitement as she wrote each note as carefully as if it were part of a treasure map.

Looking around for a path, he noticed a neon sign piercing the darkness with flickering lights. Being the only light source in the misty air, it blinked with a pale glow. A rusty arrow pointed to a dirt path winding through the trees. No name, directional sign, or other marker stood nearby.

With no other options, they reluctantly followed the sign's direction. As they walked along the dirt path, the emptiness around them transformed into a dense forest. They now traveled along a narrow, mysterious path cutting through its depths.

"Sir Geminga!" Ran whispered, as if afraid to break the forest's eerie silence. "What will you ask when we find people to talk to? I'd like to take notes in advance."

"Of course we'll ask if they know anything about Cintara's Crown, but first we need to soften them up." he said with an experienced air. "Write this down: First, exchange pleasantries so they understand you're not a threat. You need to talk and act like one of them. After some small talk, they'll warm up to you. If they're selling anything, we must make a purchase. Only then can we get to the real subject." he explained, speaking as if from years of experience.

"You're amazing, sir! I wish I could be like you someday." said Ran admiringly, carefully noting down every word.

"Of course you will be, Ran. Trust me, you'll be better than me—even better than Geminga." he said with a sincere smile.

"Hehe... You're exaggerating, sir... You're too kind!" said Ran bashfully, her bluish skin slightly blushing while her eyes sparkled.

"How much money do you have left?" the man asked, changing the subject.

"I have one hundred and twenty astralis left, sir..." said Ran, with a slight tone of sadness.

"Astralis, you say..." the man repeated thoughtfully. "I haven't done any shopping around here yet—the currency was different where I came from. How valuable is one astralis?"

"I thought there was only one currency used throughout all of Equina, sir?" said Ran with surprise.

"Just answer the question." said the man, making it clear he didn't want to prolong the topic.

"Sixty astralis is a middle-class worker's monthly salary, sir. One can live comfortably for a month with that amount."

"You mentioned you were a student. How did you save up this much?"

"I was working part-time, sir. I didn't want to be a burden on my family."

"Good for you." said the man approvingly, without pressing further.

After walking along the path for about twenty minutes, the silhouette of a city slowly emerged through the mist. A few buildings and vague shadows of people walking in the streets could be made out through the gray clouds. At the city's entrance rose an intimidating wall, haphazardly built from various pieces of debris. Various graffiti caught the eye, the most striking reading "FUCK OFF, PEDALS!"

They hesitantly stepped through the half-open city gate. The man had confidently explained to Ran what they would do just moments ago, but faced with this intimidating scene, his courage nearly vanished. Just as he was about to give up, faint faces of his family flashed in his mind. Maybe if he do what Zeta asked, he could learn who they were. Or if he accepts Geminga's offer and help him—after all, he was the greatest detective of all time—perhaps finding his family would be easier.

Drawing courage from these thoughts, he approached a man he assumed to be a shopkeeper sitting in front of a store. The man appeared to be in his mid-forties, with graying hair and one white eye.

"Good day, sir. We're new here, what do you sell?" he asked, trying to appear genuine.

"The only thing I have is what you need. What do you want?" the man said in a monotone voice.

He had planned everything but hadn't thought about what to buy out of courtesy. He sincerely asked for what he needed most at that moment.

"Could I have some water?"

"Water?" said the man, raising his scarred eyebrow above what was presumably his blind eye.

"Yes, we're thirsty."

The man filled a glass with water from a handmade container in front of him and held it out. A slight smile had appeared on his face, as if he had encountered something unexpected.

While drinking the water, he couldn't figure out the reason for the man's smile. He smiled back politely. "Ran, would you like some too?" he asked.

"No sir, I always carry water with me." said Ran, with an uneasy smile.

"Beautiful weather, isn't it?" said the man, pointing to the surrounding mist.

"Same as always. Shit. Tell me what you really want." said the man, shifting in his chair.

There was no point in beating around the bush anymore. "I want information." he said directly.

"Now we're talking. Who are you working for?"

The man didn't exactly know who he was working for. But knowing that Zeta wanted something on behalf of the kingdom, he said "For the Kingdom."

"It's obvious you're new at this." said the man, pointing to the writing on the wall behind him. Written in bright paint were the words: "The only place fit for you is hell, not the kingdom!" "Choke on your own trash, Pedals!"

"Who are these Pedals?" the man asked curiously.

"Sir... I believe that would be us…" said Ran in a timid voice.

"The girl's right, Pedal." said the man in a harsh tone. "If your lives are dear to you, fuck off." After angrily throwing the water glass in the trash, he went into his shop and slammed the door shut.

Though he wasn't exactly sure who the term Pedal referred to, it wasn't hard to understand it meant people connected to the kingdom. But why did they hate them so much? 

After some thought, he realized that if he too had been condemned to live in an outcast and forgotten city, he would hate those who put him in this situation and those who did nothing about it.

"That was a rough start, we made a bad first impression." he said thoughtfully. "But don't worry, we'll find a solution. At least we learned something important: we shouldn't mention we're from the Kingdom. We need to be more careful from now on."

"You're right, sir! Every new piece of information brings us closer to our goal!" said Ran, trying to keep spirits high. She had a nature that would never lose hope no matter what. The man sincerely admired this quality of hers.

"My offer still stands, friend." said Geminga from the depths of his mind.

"I'll handle it. You keep sleeping."

"As you wish."

"Sir..." said Ran worriedly. "Was it wise to drink that man's water in a place like this? What if there was something in it?"

"Don't worry. He had no reason to poison us."

"But after our conversation..." Ran muttered to herself.

"Look Ran, from the man's attitude, I can tell that people here value information exchange. Instead of buying unnecessary things and prolonging the conversation, we should get straight to the point and buy information. That's what detective work is about—you need to adapt to your environment." said the man, with the air of an experienced teacher.

"What an amazing observation, sir!" said Ran while taking notes enthusiastically.

Thinking someone might have heard them, they walked further into the city. After getting quite far from the one-eyed man's shop, they came to a crowded marketplace—the largest gathering of people they had seen so far.

He looked around. Most of the technological devices looked like contraband but appeared to be in good condition. According to Ran, hundreds of magical items filled the stalls as well. 

He had never seen weapons being sold openly before. The concept of weapons wasn't very clear in his mind, but he instinctively knew these items were weapons. Only knives and swords seemed familiar. Who knew how weapons had evolved over seven thousand years? He should ask Zeta when he got back. For now, he made a mental note of this question.

While walking through the middle of the market, he stopped a hooded figure. Eight spider eyes gleamed unmistakably from under their hood.

"Excuse me, I'd like to buy information. Could you recommend a place?" he asked.

The spider-eyed person studied them carefully in silence. The man belatedly understood the reason for this silence.

"Ran, could you give the gentleman twenty astralis?" he said, pointing to the girl's backpack.

"My savings..." Ran sighed sadly while taking out the money.

"Don't worry, I'll pay you back double."

The person who took the money slightly pulled back their hood and began to speak.

"Not gentleman, lady! I am a woman!" she said in a high-pitched voice.

"I'm very sorry, madam, I couldn't tell because of the hood." He couldn't hide his surprise at speaking with a spider-person for the first time.

"So you're looking for information. Since you've paid the fee, I'll tell you the best place in the city. But I warn you: if they don't like you, they won't do business with you even if you could buy the whole city."

"You just tell us the place, we'll handle the rest."

"Her name is Ainsley. She runs the Mist**&**Wind bar. You won't find a better source of information around here. Walk three streets ahead, you'll see a pile of rubble. Turn right there and go straight, you can't miss it."

"Thank you!" said Ran, bowing politely.

They reached the described location in less than half an hour. This part of the city was also busy, though not as much as the market. They immediately noticed the two-story building with electric, half-broken signs and constant foot traffic. The signs and posters read "Mist**&**Wind" in huge letters. Right across from it was a brothel where half-naked women waited, and it wasn't hard to see that most people leaving the building were heading there.

They attempted to enter but were stopped by two burly men in nice suits at the door.

"Who are you?" said one, scratching his short beard. "Your clothes are strange. Where are you from?"

"Let them in, they look like fun types!" laughed the other tall man, nudging his friend with his elbow.

"I hope we don't get in trouble because of you." he said with a somewhat worried manner.

The two big men stepped aside and let them pass.