The breakfast was far richer than Baston had expected.
The warm fresh bread from the oven rested beside the thick slices of roasted meat. There were honeyed fruits arranged neatly on a plate, the soft eggs that were cooked in butter, and a small pot of dark tea that smelled faintly of herbs.
For a moment, he wondered whether the innkeeper had mistaken them for the visiting royals. However, Luke seemed completely accustomed to it.
"Eat well…" Luke said casually, "We have a long day ahead."
Baston nodded while chewing slowly.
He had lived most of his life in the poor class. A meal like this would have been considered luxurious even during the festivals. Yet, instead of enjoying the food, his thoughts lingered on somewhere else.
He was still wondering about Luke's uncle who was a noble with far greater influence than Luke himself. Someone who was not afraid to arrange the schemes against his own nephew.
He lowered his gaze toward the table. Such a person would never act carelessly.
If Luke had already escaped his uncle's traps before, then the man must now be even more cautious. Anyone who was connected to Luke might already be under observation which meant traveling openly together could be dangerous.
He swallowed the last bite of bread and wiped his mouth calmly before he made his decision. One hour was wasted in this breakfast before they began to move out.
"Let's go…" Luke said once the breakfast ended.
"Alright," Baston replied.
His tone sounded normal, too normal that made Luke quite strange for today's atmosphere. He glanced at him for a moment since something about Baston felt different.
The fat boy who was standing beside him seemed quieter than yesterday. His expression was stiff and his movements were slightly mechanical. However, the fat boy had always been an odd person. At the academy, he often behaved this way as well.
Luke shook his head. Perhaps, he was simply overthinking things. The two then left the inn together or at least, that was what he believed.
*****
Across the street and inside a narrow alley, another pair of eyes quietly watched them depart.
It was Baston's puppet, the other one that he recently summoned. Hidden between the two wooden crates, he leaned against the cold brick wall while observing Luke who was walking away beside the other puppet.
The fat boy's fake double moved perfectly. Not a single passerby noticed anything strange. At the moments earlier, Baston had excused himself after the breakfast.
"My stomach feels strange," he told Luke, "I'll go to the bathroom first."
Luke had simply waved his hand in response. The rich food often upset people who was unaccustomed to it, resulting no suspicion from him.
While inside the restroom, Baston quietly summoned two puppets. One transformed into himself and the other one became an entirely different man. By then, he retreated into the hidden space inside the old book, controlling both puppets from the safety.
The fake Baston soon walked out to rejoin Luke. Meanwhile, the second puppet slipped outside the inn and waited silently in the alley. That puppet was the one that he currently controlled.
It was watching from the shadows and observing everything.
Even now, he could clearly feel the sensations through the puppet's body. The connection had grown smoother compared to before.
The puppet's movements were no longer stiff and its reactions felt more natural. In fact, he noticed something unexpected that the puppets were becoming smarter.
They could respond to simple conversations without his direct control. The small gestures, nodding, or short replies now occurred naturally. It was as if the puppets were slowly developing their own instincts.
"Interesting…"
He murmured quietly. However, the improvement had the limits. If someone asked the complicated questions, the puppet would still freeze. The silence was often the easiest way to expose such flaws.
For now though, the simple interaction was enough.
The puppet who was walking beside Luke only needed to behave like the quiet Baston that everyone knew. He then shifted his focus. The puppet in the alley turned and walked toward the main road.
His destination was already decided toward somewhere else.
*****
The building was impossible to miss.
It stood three floors high with a dark stone façade that looked far more hidden than the surrounding shops. Unlike the taverns or the merchant shops, the entrance remained strangely quiet.
People came and went without speaking much. Some wore noble clothing while the others concealed their identities beneath the cloaks. Baston paused before entering since he had only learned about this place recently.
When he stayed at Alicia's estate, he spent long hours reading inside the Xavierius family's library.
Among the countless books, a few mentioned the existence of certain powerful guilds within the kingdom.
The place he was visiting was one of them. A place where the secrets could be bought like merchandise. However, it was not enough to just have the money.
To take care the secrecy, the place often acted like any trading business. Only certain people could have the rights to buy the information. The most important one was to produce the exact emblem paired with the exact password.
The problem was it kept switching weekly, making it harder to guess.
Fortunately, the roaming puppets he launched yesterday soon produced the result. With the combination proofs he had, he finally had the courage to enter.
Baston inhaled slowly before he stepped inside.
*****
The interior felt cold and orderly with no decorations and no unnecessary noise. There was only a long counter where several receptionists worked quietly. One woman looked up as Baston approached.
"Good morning, Sir…" she said politely, "How may I assist you?"
Baston slid a folded paper across the counter, consisting the emblem, the password, and the personal request. The receptionist unfolded the paper.
Her eyes moved across the words before she asked calmly, "Do you want the general one or the recent one?"
"The recent one…"
"Understood…"
She placed the paper aside, "The request will require a preliminary fee of one thousand pounds. Once payment is received, the task will be forwarded to our investigators."
Baston immediately placed the money on the table. The money was neatly stacked, making the receptionist blinked.
Paying with cash was unusual because most clients used magical payment cards. Still, she counted quickly before accepting the money. By then, she leaned slightly forward.
"If you intend to return tomorrow for the results, I recommend obtaining a Luminos Card."
Baston tilted his head, "Luminos Card?"
"You could consider it similar to a bank card," she explained patiently, "However, it functions only within Luminos City."
"That sounds inconvenient..."
"On the contrary," she said with a faint smile, "It ensures your anonymity."
She tapped the counter lightly, "If you use a regular bank card, your identity can be traced but Luminos Cards are unregistered. There are no name, no identity, and no history. It's perfect for such sensitive transactions."
Baston nodded slowly, "I see..."
The receptionist added, "When the information is ready tomorrow, you should prepare around fifty thousand pounds for the full report."
Baston raised an eyebrow, "Fifty thousand?"
"More or less…"
The information was indeed expensive, especially when it involved the nobles. Before he turned away, the woman raised her hand subtly. It was a signal about handing a tip.
Baston quietly placed fifty pounds on the table and her smile widened immediately.
The moments later, another customer arrived and she returned to her professional composure as if nothing had happened. He soon left the building. However, he did not immediately leave the street after exiting the place.
Instead, the puppet slowed its steps.
The city around him remained lively yet his attention shifted toward the small details that most people ignored. It was regarding the sound of footsteps, the rhythm of breathing, and the subtle reflections in the shop windows.
Luminos City was crowded but such crowds could hide many things, including the observers.
The puppet walked past several storefronts while Baston carefully examined the reflections on the glass surfaces. Each window acted like a silent mirror, revealing the movements behind him without turning his head.
A man in a gray cloak passed by, another merchant argued silently with a vendor, and two guards walked across the street. There was nothing unusual yet he still felt uneasy.
This instinct had saved his life more than once.
He turned into a narrow street filled with smaller shops. The buildings here leaned closer together, casting long shadows across the stone road. It was a perfect place for testing something.
The puppet slowed further then he suddenly stopped at a shop that was selling the metal trinkets.
The shopkeeper greeted him eagerly, "Interested in lucky charms, Sir?"
Baston did not respond immediately. Instead, he pretended to examine the trinkets while observing the street through the corner of his eyes.
There were few pedestrians walked by, a woman who was carrying the groceries, and a young courier who was running with a parcel. There was nothing strange about it.
He frowned slightly. Perhaps, he was overthinking things or perhaps, whoever might be watching him was far more careful. He then picked up a small brass pendant that was shaped like a crescent moon.
"How much is this?" he asked.
"Only fifty pounds, Sir..."
The merchant smiled brightly and Baston paid without hesitation. The pendant meant nothing to him but the purchase served a purpose.
When he resumed the walking, he quietly dropped the pendant behind him. If someone were following closely, they would likely notice it. After all, it was a small trap.
Several seconds passed before a shadow moved. Someone behind him slowed down and Baston's attention sharpened immediately.
The puppet continued walking without turning back. Through the reflection on a polished metal shield that was displayed outside a shop, he saw the figure.
It was a thin man who was wearing a traveler's coat. The man bent down briefly before he stood up again. The pendant was gone by now.
Baston's eyes narrowed since the action was kind of interesting.
The puppet turned to another corner calmly, blending back into the main street that was filled with much noise and movement. The suspected follower did not appear again.
Perhaps, the man had only picked up a free money. Perhaps, he had another arrangement. Baston could not confirm it. Still, the possibility was enough since his plan had been correct.
Walking beside Luke openly would have been extremely dangerous. Even moving alone in this city required the caution.
Luminos City was not simply a place of the luxury. It was a place where the money attracted much attention and such attention could easily become the danger.
He exhaled slowly then he guided the puppet toward the nearest alley. It was time to change his identity.
*****
The moment he reached the alley beside the building, the puppet's appearance shifted. His body stretched taller and his clothes transformed. Within few seconds, the modest servant disappeared.
In his place stood a wealthy and slightly fat merchant who was wearing the expensive silk robes. It was a completely different person.
He examined his reflection in a nearby window. It was perfect and no one would connect this man with the previous visitor.
"Next stop…" Baston muttered, "The Business District…"
*****
Unlike the quiet guild, the business district was overflowing with noise.
The merchants displayed their prices, the carts rolled across the stone roads neatly, and the customers rushed between several shops.
This place was the heart of Luminos City's economy.
Inside certain building, dozens of clerks worked behind the enchanted counters. The money, the documents, and the magical cards moved constantly between their hands. Baston soon approached one of the clerks.
"Welcome, Sir…" the man greeted warmly, "How may I assist you?"
"I want to transfer money into a Luminos Card..."
"How much?"
"Three hundred thousand pounds..."
The clerk's smile froze for half a second before his professionalism quickly returned, "Certainly, Sir..."
Baston placed a heavy briefcase on the counter. Inside, there were stacks of cash. The clerk inhaled slowly but he quickly began the process.
Several magical instruments were activated and the blue light scanned the money. Another employee also counted using a detection spell. The moments later, a silver card appeared from a small device.
The clerk handed it over respectfully, "Your Luminos Card is ready."
"Thank you…"
Baston left the building while examining the card.
It had a silver surface and delicate magical circuits etched across it. It was said that the system automatically tracked the balance and the payments. Three hundred thousand pounds had been stored in a single piece of metal.
He still had another one hundred thousand more inside the old book. His wealth had grown rapidly through the accidental invention and the ice bead auction.
Together, they had brought him more money than he had ever imagined. Yet, he still refused to store it in a bank.
The banks required identity and the identity meant traceability. He had far too many secrets so keeping it inside the old book was safer.
*****
With the card secured, Baston moved deeper into the city. The crowds thickened and the shop vendors waved enthusiastically.
"Sir! Are you looking for the finest wine!"
"We provide many magic charms! Surely, it will be helpful toward your next trip."
"These are the imported spices. It's very good to taste it with your other food."
Many people approached him constantly since his wealthy disguise worked perfectly. No one cared about his appearance. They only cared about his money.
He ignored them all because his destination lay ahead.
It was a quiet street and a certain building that Luke had mentioned last night. Compared to the surrounding shops, the place looked strangely unpopular.
While nearby businesses were crowded, this one lacked customers.
Its wooden sign creaked softly in the wind. The windows were tinted dark, making it almost looked secretive. He slowed his steps since his instincts warned him. The place like this rarely did ordinary business.
He glanced left then right. There was no obvious observers yet something about the building felt wrong. It was just like a spider's web hidden within the city.
He stood before the entrance and Luke's words echoed in his mind.
"If you want to survive against the assassin and the knight, there's one place you might need to visit..."
Baston exhaled quietly, "I don't know how expensive this will be but since I'm already here, I might as well take a look..."
The wooden door creaked open and he stepped inside into a place where certain problems could be solved for the right price.