86 Acceptance (Conti.)

I walked through the rain, unbothered by the downpour. In Xihai's invisible embrace, the water ran off me quickly, and all it took was a thought for Suryasta kept my clothes warm as well. My grandmother's subordinate walked a step behind me, not commenting on that if he even noticed. He'd offered to hold an umbrella above me when we left, but had nodded easily in acceptance when I'd chosen to stand in the storm instead, appearing used to it.

The man, Grigio, was dressed in a neat, charcoal suit. He looked more like an accountant then a bodyguard, what with his pocket protector, wire-rim glasses, and slowly graying hair, but the symbols above his head made it obvious he was more than he seemed. At level forty-one and with a title like The Garrote, he probably did more than handle finances in his free time.

Well, unless accounting was a significantly more cutthroat business than I'd been lead to believe, which was always possible. How would I know?

"Where do you recommend we go first, Grigio?" I asked absently, keeping my senses focused on my surrounding. With my Clairvoyance, I saw the city for how it really was, beneath the veil of visible light—splatters and colors and remnants of things long gone, spilt blood and worse on the streets and the walls, the swiftly fading traces Aura caused by the daily motions of countless lives and the more vibrant colors on living people. Even without the holographic streetlights, the darkness did nothing to inhibit my sight, and I watched the roads, the rooftops, and any place people might be able to hide.

It wasn't just my Clairvoyance. I kept watch might my other senses, too, waiting for the slightest hint of danger. Occasionally, I felt the stirrings of hostility and hatred from the people we passed on the street and thought I remained relaxed, I'd been prepared in case anything had happened. Crocea Mors had already slide into the blade at my hip and my Elementals hovered invisibly around me, ready to act at a moment's notice. I drew most of my persistent abilities around me, strengthening myself for what was to come.

What could I say? My grandmother had given me a warning; it would have been stupid not to take heed.

"Most people who are new to Mistral try to see the Wonders at least once," The manservant said after a moment's pause. "It's famous for the survival of so many ancient wonders, after all."

"I should probably keep my distance, then," I said, half-jokingly.

"Your grandmother often says the same," Grigio stated, nodding minutely. "Should I suggest something more modern, then? The Cyber Coliseum has finished construction and there's always someone fighting there, if you'd like to see. It has a connection to Hellenistic Gaming, as well, if you wish to entertain yourself. Large shipments always come in during the Olympia festival, due to the relative safety and large consumer base, so there should be a variety of new games to play; as I understand it, the newest installment of the Lost Kingdom saga has been selling very well."

"Oh?" I asked, looking over a shoulder at him to give a curious glance.

He shrugged a shoulder.

"It's a joint venture," He said by way of explanation. "Between us and Alexandria."

"Ah," I nodded, considering it. So Nine had already come out, then? I'd forgotten about it, during my training—it and who knows how many other games. The Lost Kingdom series had always been good, except for maybe three and five, but…I hadn't really played a lot of games since I'd gotten this power. I mean, my life was a game now. Like I'd told Adam, I had different things to focus on now and playing games had fallen to the wayside.

And maybe it was the fact that I was in a city known for ancient history or maybe it was the rain, but thinking about it…that was a little sad. Those games—Lost Kingdom, Grimm Nights, Blackblood, and the Wild Hunt, especially—had gotten me through a lot. I'd perfected all of them, knew them from start to finish, and had had a lot of fun. A lot of my childhood was in those games that I never played anymore. There was a part of me that wanted to go back and play them again, for old times' sake. Even if it was pointless, maybe even a waste of time, I…

But at the same time…was it stupid that I was honestly worried that I wouldn't enjoy them anymore? That the possibility that I wouldn't like them anymore seemed like an honest concern?

"I…" I sighed and shake my head. "It's rather sad, but I seem to have fallen out of games, recently. I think I'd rather curl up with a good book."

"As you say, sir," Grigio nodded calmly. "And if so, you've come to the right place. Alexandria's library is the largest on Remnant. When asked how many books she wanted to see within it, Alexandria once said 'if possible, all the books in the world,' and ever since, the first of any book that's come into Mistral's possession, whether by conquest or trade or theft, has been stored in the library, with a copy being given back if necessary. The only library that was ever considered able to compete with it was Vacuo's House of Wisdom, but when Vacuo was under siege during the War, they transported countless books to Mistral to have copies made, should the worst come to pass. Now, hundreds of millions of books have been stored within the library over the millennia, accounting for duplicate copies, and its keepers now seek to store all of those books in a web format, though progress is relatively slow."

"Amazing," I said, smiling slightly at how passionate he sounded. A part of me wondered how he and my Grandmother would react if they knew about my ability to consume skillbooks for knowledge. When it came to the ancient wisdom within the library, would they be horrified at the potential destruction or intrigued by what I could learn?

Well, I hadn't intended to destroy the priceless artifacts within the library in the first place, but it was good to know that copies were being transcribed.

"How many of the books can be read?" I asked, curiously. "That is, how many are open to the public and how many have been translated?"

"It's hard to say," Grigio shook his head. "Though the connections between the Kingdoms has done much to increase the library's size, much of it came from the conquest of nearby nations over the millennia or from the transcription of ancient texts. In its totality, it's believed the library contains books in over two thousand languages, very few spoken today. With the issues of syntax, culture, translation and transcription…it's hard to say, but decrypting many of the works held within the Library is a major goal of its keepers. The vast majority can be read, however, and the access of that majority will not be an issue."

"Oh?" I asked. "Do we…?"

"It is maintained and funded by the Alexandria and Roma families, with some aid from the Khagan, but the library is not owned, as such," Grigio shook his head. "It strives to be an open source of knowledge for all of Mankind, supported by deals and agreements old and new. Even during the Civil War, the library was agreed to be off limits for its 'enterprises of service to all Mankind.'"

He gestured to indicate the quotation and I nodded, remembering the words.

"It's this way, sir, if you're interested," He said, pointing down the street as we reached the intersection. "If we cut across Ashina, we can head towards Primus fairly easily."

"Sure," I smiled. "One second, though; would you mind checking my notes? On the people following us, I mean."

"Not at all, sir." Grigio assured.

"I count a girl down the street, trying to stay out of sight, that guy we've seen leaning against, like, seven different walls, and that guy who's not even trying to hide. There were a few people who watched us closely when we were nearby, but didn't follow us—I figure they just reported back to someone else—though I'm more worried about the guy way over there, watching us on top of the tower." I said calmly, like I was mentioning the weather. Like so many times before, I knew appearances would matter greatly here, so staying composed was important. Grigio, for his part, didn't even twitch until I mentioned the last one, at which point his eyes flicked to follow my gaze and he couldn't stop himself from frowning.

"You're Grandmother mentioned that you had good eyes," He said. "My apologies, sir; I had missed that last one. His name is Swart; he works for the Barca family. He's…"

Grigio frowned, seeming displeased.

"How bad is it?" I asked him.

"…I hesitate to say," He murmured. "He's not armed, but it's what his presence implies that's worrisome. If you'll allow it, I'll address the matter later, sir. For the moment, it may be best to pretend he isn't there while keeping him in mind."

I nodded at him and watched him closely.

"Since you're more experienced at this than I am, how do you think I should handle this?" I asked. "Directly or indirectly?"

"The ones following us are of the younger generation," Grigio said after a moment of thought. "The heirs and one of their close companions—they want to get a feel for you and where you stand, most likely with their parents' permission. For them…I feel a direct reproach would be best. Just remember that first impression are important."

I nodded, already thinking the same thing.

"Ulaan Khagan," I said, raising my voice even as I kept my back turned. "Kyanos Alexandria. Melania Delphos. Do you need something?"

I saw Grigio glance at me sharply at that but didn't flinch, didn't even turn around until I heard footsteps come near—and when I did, I made sure it was slow and casual. I looked over them almost absently. Ulaan, the large guy who'd leaned on a few walls and watched me openly, was a large, tanned man in red and white. Kyanos hadn't even bothered with that much and had openly tailed us, wearing a green T-shirt and jeans. Melania had stayed in the shadows, which I'm pretty sure had darkened around her, but when she stepped out she was wearing pastels and a floppy hat.

"It's Melanie," She said. "Only my mom calls me Melania."

"Didn't see you there, Melania," Kyanos said despite her words, smiling at her. "You worried about me?"

"Well, you're an idiot, Kyanos." She answered. "Of course I'm worried."

While they were speaking, I looked at Ulaan, the one with the highest level. He was big, so much so that he towered nearly half a foot over me, but more than that he was calm. He looked me over and did the same to him. After a moment, he nodded at me in acknowledgement.

"Jaune Roma," He said at last. "Welcome to Mistral."

"It's good to be here, thank you," I replied, not correcting him. I wasn't a Roma, but then, he probably wasn't a Khagan; whichever family was in power held those names in Mistral. That he extended that name to me was an act of respect—if probably more to my grandmother than to me. "I'm surprised to see you so soon, though."

"No, you're not," He answered.

"No," I said, smiling a bit at that. "I'm not. Still, it's good to see you, I hope. I take it you're here to get to know me better?"

"Something like that," Kyanos smiled widely, showing his teeth. "Itri was too busy being an asshole to come, but you'll see him around eventually. He's like a cold—everyone has to put up with him eventually. Look forward to it."

"I will," I replied, thinking he may have already sent a representative. "So then, what should we do?"

"Well…" He seemed to ponder that for a moment. "Originally, I was gonna pick up some porn, explosives, and beer so we could all go up to the catapults and have a nice male-bonding experience—"

"Don't ask," Ulaan murmured as I raised an eyebrow.

"—But Melanie's blown that plan all to hell with her damn cooties and boobs," He shook his head and sighed. "God, what a bitch."

Melanie leaned back without the slightest change in expression and kicked him in the ass. He stumbled forward a few steps but recovered quickly and continued without comment, ignoring her interruption but for a widening of his smile.

"Well, she's my friend so I have to put up with her, however much she sucks, so try to do the same, okay? I'll make it up to you later," He said, sidestepping another kick in the pants without even looking at her and placing a finger to his lips thoughtfully. "Let's see, though, what could we do to get to know each other…"

He smiled suddenly and pointed in the opposite direction of the library.

"I guess we could play some games?" He said. "We can hang out with some of my friends. What do you say?"

I looked at them all carefully.

Heir of the Scourge

LV37

Ulaan Khagan

Heir of the Conqueror

LV34

Kyanos Alexandria

Nymph's Shadow

LV31

Melania Delphos

"You sure you want to?" I said, pretty sure I knew what he had in mind. "Because I'm…pretty good at games."

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