Before they were able to go and explore the west side, they needed a spot to eat and spend the night. All three of them had not eaten since they had taken off. That was almost thirteen hours prior.
Once again asking a convinient passersby, they found the location of the best lodging in town.
"Why are we selecting the best?" Alina asked.
"Because I can make money." Salem replied. "And because I don't want fleas."
"Fair." Alina responded. "I don't like fleas either."
They entered the tall wooden building and walked to the counter. "We'd like a single room with baths and a meal." The person at the counter didn't wake up. "Hello?"
He stirred. "Three silver for a room." He said. "And a silver for dinner, breakfast and baths."
Salem plopped down five silver he had just constructed in his pocket. The clerk opened one eye to check the money. Then his gaze alighted first on the curvaceous bodies of Ruby and Alina, before his sleep-muddled brain comprehended what the suits meant.
He almost fell out of his chair.
"I'm sorry! I didn't realize you were Inquisitors." He exclaimed.
"Just show us the room." Salem sighed.
'People don't change, no matter the world I am in.' He wondered at the perversity of males, despite the fact that he was male.
The room was relatively large. It had a large bed with crisp white sheets, a mohagany desk, and a bathroom attached to it.
"For those who pay for all the amenities, they get a room with an attached bath." He explained.
"Thanks." Salem said. "You may go."
The clerk hurriedly left.
Salem immediately walked to the bath. "Let's freshen up before dinner." He said. When he walked in, he felt as though he was being watched. He searched the walls but found no cracks or holes for a peeping Tom. Then he looked up.
On the ceiling was a mosaic of a phoenix in flight. It was a beautiful mosaic, except for the hole that was in the eye.
Alina saw where he was looking and shot an arrow through the hole. They heard a muffled scream and a thump. The end of the arrow stuck out through the eye of the phoenix. Salem sent a bug up to examine the area behind the hole and found a network of tunnels running in between rooms.
Consuming the corpse with nanobots, he explained what he saw.
"I'm going to plug the hole." Salem said. "And this is possibly a hub for slave trade."
"Maybe." Ruby agreed.
"Perhaps we were given incorrect information by the broker." Alina said. "Maybe they're being bribed."
Salem sighed. "Why does the world have to be so full of greed that people will buy and sell other people?" He wondered.
"That's just how the world is." Ruby said, sighing too.
Alina pressed herself against Salem's front. "As awful as the world is, we live in it." She said. "And living in this world means we need to take baths."