More than a dozen things were listed on the pillar and Yuriko didn't recognise any of them. She moved towards the teenage guard and asked, "What and how can I get those things listed on the steeple?"
"Huh? I don't know," the boy blurted out. "I only recognise the last one, En Shards. You can get those in any arcanatech atelier. The rest, no idea." He shrugged, "It's why the Gate cannot be opened on this side."
"Someone must know," Yuriko insisted.
"Well sure, miss, probably a librarian or a scholar."
"Thank you." Yuriko graced him with a smile, though she was frustrated at finding her way barred. Was Monica right in recommending that they go to Xotha instead? The Tower was more than fifty thousand leagues away, and even if she could fly a hundred leagues a day, which she could do if there were no problems, it would still take almost two years to get there. The Token did give a directional bump but only presented a direct route, regardless of what lay in between.
The boy reddened at her smile, and for a brief moment, she considered the boy. He wasn't as tall as she was, and he wasn't as cute as the Foster twins, but he looked like he was working on his physique…no, what in the Abyss was she thinking of? Did just sleeping last night affect her already? She gained control over the Mishala Mien as a part of herself, but that also meant that its effects weren't something she was always conscious of. But then again, she was eighteen years old and according to what was taught to them back in Rumiga, such urges were a normal part of growing up. She hadn't read any related books in Niria's library, but perhaps she should have.
She walked away from the Portal Gate and slowly made her way to the 14th District to return to the Rocklin Lodge. She needed to think and research what those materials were. She pulled out a notebook from her hip satchel and wrote down the names of the reagents, then double-checked with her Anima perception. The words had been etched into the stele so it was easy to read. Once she confirmed, she walked on.
Each district of the city was about four longstrides square, and to cross from one district to another, she had to walk a couple of longstrides through the main road, then about five hundred paces into the next district to get to the lodge. It was afternoon already since it took that much time to go through all the paperwork. The lodge had a parlour for guests to relax, so she took one of the day's newspapers, asked for afternoon tea service, and sat down to read. Not quite relaxing, considering that she couldn't read for long stretches, and doing so strained her eyes and mind, but newspaper articles were short enough that they fit well within her limits. So she could read one, rest for a similar amount of time, and then continue. Reading was not pleasurable to her, but knowledge was too important to neglect. Yuriko's self-discipline, when it came to training, was one of the parts of her that she loved and was proud of.
The parlour had a view of the park next door, so she enjoyed watching the small critters living their lives there. Not that they were out in the open. Most of the little things were hidden underneath the snow, the hedges, or burrowed into the ground. She didn't use her Anima perception to watch, but her eyes and ears. She could have focused on scent too, but the fragrance of the tea and pastries overpowered what she could sense from outside, especially when there were glass screens that blocked the cold. There were a few other guests in the parlour, but she ignored them, and they left her alone.
She felt Gwendith coming down the street and she sent a pulse of welcome through their connection. Heron was somewhere to the east, probably the docks. Ryoko and Saki were up north, probably at the bank or in the marketplace. Devotee accompanied Fluffington in touring the city.
Gwendith joined her in the parlour and took a cup of tea. The two of them didn't say anything out loud, but Gwendith made her report through their mental link, while Yuriko did the same.
'The important thing is to find out what those reagents are and where to find them.' Gwendith said.
'The guardsman didn't know but suggested we look through the library or perhaps, public records,' Yuriko returned.
'You think the palace will give us an answer to our request?'
'Unfortunately, even if they gave us permission,' Yuriko sighed. 'I doubt it would help us at all. They cannot open the Portal Gate, and I foolishly assumed that we would be able to.'
Gwendith pursed her lips. 'Have you thought of using Fri'Avgi to open it?'
Yuriko hummed. 'It hadn't occurred to me, but Fri'Avgi's ability to rend the fabric of reality isn't precise enough, I think. It would be like using a maul to crack open an egg. Besides, since I used her to escape the Guardian, she's fallen asleep.'
'True, if we used her to open the Portal, who knows where we'd end up. It might even break the Token.' Gwendith agreed. 'Think we should go over to the next nation? Xotha's Gate can be opened by paying gold.'
'That might be the wiser choice.' Yuriko agreed, 'Except, do we have enough? Do you think you can sell your loot from the expedition to make that much gold?'
'Why don't we find out?' Gwendith said with an amused tone, 'We spent most of the Elemental Cores to trade for the Token, but we do have about a hundred left from overhunting.'
'Isn't a core worth a gold coin? That's far from two thousand.'
'A beast core from the borderlands is worth a gold coin each, but an Elemental Core is something else entirely.' Gwendith said smugly.
'Should we find out now?'
'Eh? It's getting late and I'm feeling lazy.'
'You're not a cat.'
'Meow?'
Yuriko and Gwendith giggled, which caught some attention since neither of them said anything out loud. They finished the tea and pastries, then just stayed in the parlour. Yuriko finished the paper and there wasn't much there of interest. There was news of the invasion, but most of what was written painted a rosier retelling of events.
By the time dinner came along, the rest of the party returned. Ryoko reported that she managed to withdraw the seven hundred gold which Yuriko confirmed via her Anima perception. Dinner was a roast suckling pig dipped in gravy, fluffy rice that had been steamed in aromatic leaves, a clear broth, and buttered cruciferous vegetables baked and salted. Come evening, Fluffington stayed in Yuriko and Gwendith's bed and pretty much kept Heron out.
Ah, she did kiss him goodnight, passionately enough that his trousers pitched a tent for half an hour afterwards, heh.
Well, she only cuddled with Gwendith and a rather needy Fluffington that night, and she did feel itchy inside. But she would be the master of her body, and she would not be ruled by her lusts. No, she would not. So she'd wait for the next evening before she indulged her desires again. Yup, that should work.
The next morning, at breakfast, she was met with a surprise. A messenger delivered a letter that included her application's approval, and an invitation for a discussion that very afternoon with Dean Eva Guitierrez of Briarwin Academy, to discuss the application, ostensibly.
Yuriko penned an agreement to the meeting request and sent it back with the messenger. As for why she had not been contacted through a spell, it was plain etiquette when it came to official matters. A physical letter was proof and record while a Sending or Message spell was not.
She, Gwendith, and Heron spent the morning at leisure, taking in the sights. The district they were in contained beautiful estates that had elaborate and festive decor on their front lawns, and the ships along the major boulevard had some interesting wares. There were also street food vendors along the shopping areas, though the fare was pricey and not quite as tasty to be worth the cost. They moved over to the neighbouring district and mostly stuck to the main thoroughfares. Unlike Virtalla, Bresia City didn't use horses to pull carriages. They used Steeld carriages or mounts all the way. Each one used as public transport was identical to each other and differentiated only by their serial number painted on their flanks or the side of the carriage next to the passenger doors. They took one of the intercity carriages to bring them to the Marina district and strolled down the riverside park.
The Caelan River was too wide and deep to freeze completely, but only the biggest and heaviest ships could safely traverse through the ice floes. Still, there were several pleasure barges anchored just offshore, connected to the park with wooden bridges, that served food, drinks, and entertainment. The three of them wandered on and off these barges, watching skits or listening to musicians. There were a few storytellers who added illusions to their performances. None of it could pass for the real thing, but such fidelity wasn't needed to augment a performance. They had the bad luck of never catching a story at the start though, so Yuriko couldn't make much sense of the epics.
They had lunch in one of the barges, eating roasted meat on skewers, and afterwards, the three of them headed towards the palace district for the meeting with the dean. By the time they reached the palace district, they were about ten minutes early to their two o'clock appointment. They entered one of the side entrances meant for visitors with official business, but then again, there were side entrances all over the compound and the main gates were never opened unless it was for something grand.
The meeting room they were led to already had someone inside. Yuriko looked at the woman whose hair was a darker shade of yellow than hers. Gwendith and Heron nodded in greeting but didn't sit at the table but headed towards the armchairs near the wall. It was Yuriko's appointment, after all.
"Good afternoon, Professor Davar." The blonde woman who looked close to her fifties if she were a mortal, said, "I am Dean Eva Guitierrez of Briarwin School of Five Elements."
"Well met. So what is this about?" Yuriko asked.
"Well, I was about to ask you how you escaped Ishodir's Guardian, but today is really about the application you asked for and received a favourable response to." Eva gave her a crooked grin, "That you must have realised was pointless."
"Indeed." Yuriko huffed.
"Apologies, but you must feel quite disappointed in Bresia," Eva said.
"Hmm, not in the country, but I guess rulers everywhere have their loyalties divided," Yuriko muttered even as memories from Damien unfolded in her mind. She shook them off as soon as they started to contaminate her mind and pushed them back into her sealed memory palace. The rest of her consciousness strands focused on Eva Guitierrez. The woman was a Grand Magus but she couldn't feel the touch of her Domain.
"Well, politicians are politicians," Eva said placatingly. "Unfortunately, I and Dean Varro have our own biases. We balance each other out and ensure that the four cities remain stable. But, you know, change is difficult, especially for those like us who live for centuries, when our citizens, those who don't reach Magi level, live less than one."
Yuriko shook her head. "I'm not really here for that. I looked at the Portal Gate and it needed the sacrifice of specific reagents. Behemoth Dust and eleven others."
"Ah, and of course, that's the reason why no one's been able to open it on this side. Behemoth Carp are extinct. Or if they aren't, the Great Erithmus Lake is too big to find the remnants."
"Oh," Yuriko muttered. "What do you suggest then?"
Eva gave her an amused look, "Well, why don't you satisfy my curiosity and I'll tell you the easiest way to get to a Portal Gate. You want it to reach Dragon Fall City, right?'
"Dragon Fall? Ah, the Eternal Tower's ground level." Yuriko muttered. She eyed Eva who was grinning like a cat that got to the butter. "Alright, I'll indulge you."
"Perfect."