When Damian saw the blonde elf again, she had completely changed her outfit.
She had swapped her elegant, floor-length emerald dress for a much more practical knee-length waisted skirt, revealing a pair of rugged over-the-knee boots. She also wore a hooded, travel-ready shawl cape draped over her shoulders and gripped a long-handled, wooden staff tightly in her gloved hands.
Most strangely, she was carrying a bulky, overstuffed adventurer's backpack. It was the classic, cliché look of a mage preparing to delve into a dungeon from a child's storybook.
"Princess Erin, we are just going to the commoner's residential area in the Sixth Ring. We aren't actually leaving the city walls, so there is absolutely no need for a heavy backpack," Damian reminded her, rubbing his forehead.
Erin Syl clearly possessed expensive, spatially expanded alchemical storage bracelets. She wouldn't need a mundane backpack even for a month-long wilderness expedition, let alone a simple carriage ride across the city.
"But it feels much more like a real adventure this way~!" Erin smiled brightly and shouted enthusiastically, "Let's go!"
The two of them used a localized teleportation array to warp from the Third Ring directly to the vast, sprawling Sixth Ring. Upon arriving, Erin Syl seemed utterly fascinated by the mundane, crowded surroundings.
Damian finally understood. Erin Syl had been completely brainwashed by heroic storybooks and desperately wanted to roleplay the feeling of an adventure for herself.
Because of her untouchable royal status and her father's iron-clad overprotectiveness, the officials in the Court Wizard Headquarters didn't dare assign her anything remotely difficult. As a result, the sheltered princess had rarely even visited the Sixth Ring of the Royal Capital.
"Let's rent a carriage first!" Erin spotted a bustling carriage rental hub near the teleportation point and immediately began to show off the travel logistics she had learned from her storybooks.
Damian thought about it and silently agreed. In reality, he didn't actually know the way. Although the official commission scroll possessed tracking magic to point toward the destination, the Sixth Ring spanned thousands of square kilometers. Even with magical guidance, it was incredibly easy to take a wrong turn and get lost in the endless urban sprawl.
If he confidently led the way and got them lost, he might blow his cover as a seasoned capital native. Renting a carriage with a local coachman acting as a guide would indeed save him a massive amount of trouble.
Inside the reception room of the Carriage Chamber of Commerce, a middle-aged man with graying hair was keeping watch over the ledgers.
He nonchalantly glanced at Damian and Erin. Taking in their exquisite clothes and flawless complexions, he quickly determined they were wealthy elites from the noble districts.
He immediately perked up, rubbing his hands together obsequiously. He smiled brightly and said, "Distinguished guests! Are you looking to rent simple horses or an enclosed carriage? Of course, we also have exotic Land Strider Birds and heavy Pack Beasts available for long journeys!"
Erin was visibly tempted. Riding Land Strider Birds and taming Pack Beasts were absolute staples in her adventure storybooks.
Damian didn't give her the chance to derail them. He had come here strictly looking for a discreet guide. "An enclosed carriage. We need an experienced coachman who is intimately familiar with the layout of the Sixth Ring."
The middle-aged man's smile widened greedily. "A private carriage is ten Kingdom Silver Coins per hour. If you require a coachman, it's an additional two Kingdom Silver Coins per hour."
As expected of the Royal Capital. The inflation here is truly absurd, Damian thought to himself. He distinctly remembered that a lavish tavern meal with Link and Anna back in White Stone Town had only cost a bit over a hundred Copper Pennies.
Copper Pennies were not issued by the Northern Wizard Alliance, but were minted by the mundane government of the Blizzard Kingdom. They were the smallest denomination of currency, and one Kingdom Silver Coin could be exchanged for exactly one hundred Copper Pennies.
The cost of simply renting a carriage for an hour in the Royal Capital could buy several feasts in a border town.
Due to his gritty experiences in his past life, Damian still couldn't entirely shake off his "cost-performance" mindset. When throwing money around this casually, if he converted the cost into pounds of pork ribs, the financial heartache became much more tangible.
"Fine. We'll rent a carriage," Damian said, tossing the coins onto the counter.
The two of them secured a carriage. Just as they were leaving the rental hub, Damian's expression shifted. Sweeping the area with his True Magical Perception, he easily sensed two deep, hidden "tails" tailing them through the crowds. On second thought, they were almost certainly high-level sorcerers deployed by Prince Philis to protect his precious daughter in the shadows.
Although Erin Syl possessed excellent innate magical talent due to her Long-Eared Clan bloodline, her personality was incredibly restless. She had never practiced her Syl family Meditation Method seriously, and she had only recently managed to scrape by and break through to become a Third-Level Wizard Apprentice.
Furthermore, a sheltered, greenhouse flower like Erin possessed absolutely zero actual combat experience. It was only natural for the acting Speaker to assign elite bodyguards to watch her in secret.
Erin cheerfully leaned out the window and called to the coachman. "Uncle, we want to go to 116th Street in the West District!"
"You got it, young miss," the coachman replied, flicking the reins.
Inside the bouncing carriage, Erin began to happily envision the upcoming adventure.
"Sister Alsha, once we find the mother of the missing pet, you have to let me handle the negotiations!"
"Do you think the missing cat was kidnapped for an evil ritual?"
"Just like in Bolona's Adventure, next we'll follow the subtle clues to uncover a massive underground cult that traffics magical beasts!"
"We'll raid their hidden base and rescue the kidnapped animals from the hands of the evil forces..."
"Maybe we'll even run into a handsome, passing Hero or something..."
"Right, right, right..." Damian muttered absently, staring out the window.
Half an hour later, the carriage arrived at 116th Street in the sprawling West District.
The houses lining the avenue were quite tidy and well-maintained. This specific street was obviously designated for commoners with significantly better economic conditions. In the terminology of his past life, the quality of life for the residents here had successfully reached the upper-middle-class level.
The two of them easily found Building 66. This particular house looked brand new and freshly constructed, sharply contrasting with the weathered, older buildings on either side. Number 66 had likely been completely rebuilt from the ground up by new owners.
The coachman pulled on the reins and said respectfully, "I'll be resting the horses over by the corner. If you two esteemed ladies need the carriage again, just come find me there."
Because Erin had brazenly paid to rent the carriage for an entire week, the coachman was exceptionally patient and willing to wait.
"Got it, Uncle!" Erin chirped happily.
Damian stepped forward and rang the brass doorbell.
A moment later, the heavy oak door was opened by a severely haggard-looking woman.
She wore a lavish, court-style long dress, but her outfit immediately struck Damian as deeply uncoordinated. She was wearing far too many heavy, precious metal ornaments, completely lacking any subtle taste or refinement.
It instantly reminded Damian of a derogatory term from his past life—nouveau riche.
Based purely on her appearance, Damian quickly deduced that this family had recently come into sudden wealth and had just moved to this upscale street.
Seeing that the unexpected visitors were two incredibly beautiful women possessing extraordinary, aristocratic temperaments, the woman asked cautiously, "Is... is there something I can help you with?"
Damian coldly withdrew Alsha's Level 5 Adjutant badge. "Are you Mrs. Wells? We are Court Wizards dispatched from the Alliance Headquarters here to formally investigate the disappearance of Ismur Wells."
"Oh! So you are the esteemed Court Wizards! I am Mary Wells. Please, come in!" Mrs. Wells exclaimed, her cautious expression instantly melting into a deeply fawning, obsequious smile.
After entering the foyer, Damian passively observed the interior decor.
The inside of the house was identical to her outfit. It was heavily decorated with gaudy precious metals, entirely lacking any cohesive design sense, making the expensive furnishings appear quite crude and desperate.
Erin quickly took charge, eager to play investigator. "Mrs. Wells, can you please tell us about the situation surrounding the disappearance?"
A sudden trace of profound sadness flashed across Mrs. Wells's face. However, she quickly composed herself, suppressing her grief to speak clearly.
"My son, Ismur Wells, went completely missing six days ago."
"After lunch that day, Ismur went out to play in the streets and hasn't been seen by anyone since."
"Over the past six days, my husband and I have frantically searched the entire West District, but we haven't found a single sign of Ismur."
"Ismur just turned ten years old this year. Because of our relative's connections, he was supposed to officially start attending the Northland United Wizard Academy next month. I... I never expected something so terrible to happen..."
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