"Oh, Alex. Forgot to tell you, the Sky Temple's priestess came looking for you a while back." Ezek started, seeing Alex get ready to depart towards Vizin.
Their carriage wouldn't pass through the city as it was early morning and would reach the capital in the next few hours.
"What did she want with me?"
Ezek shrugged. "She said something about this estate, being handled by a new noble family, which coincidentally arrived from the Eredar Empire to seek asylum in Blackwater. She said you might find this interesting."
Alex frowned as he heard Ezek's words, then nodded but didn't get the chance to speak as Vaesa was faster than him. She leaned away from the couch so she could see Alex through the carriage's opened door.
"You sure don't want me to tell you about magic? I can keep it generic and only tell you how to use mana."
Alex smiled and thanked Vaesa. "Thank you for the help, but Larok told me a Recen should learn on his own. Unlike humans, we're more durable and can survive several magic recoils. But thank you. When I have some questions, I will surely ask you about them."
Vaesa smiled and waved, leaving the two friends some room to breathe.
Ezek raised his hand, palm up, a small ball of pure white hovering a centimeter above his skin. He looked at Alex, wearing a greasy grin on his face as if daring Alex to do the same.
"Fuck off, jackass!" Alex flipped Ezek off and walked away but was stopped by Ezek, who shouted from behind.
"Hey, Alex. I don't know much about your life, but don't do anything stupid, okay? Still wanna see you alive and kicking the next time we meet."
'Assuming we meet again.' Alex thought grimly, knowing his plan had more holes in it than fermented and aged cheese.
Nodding, Alex made his way to the city in complete silence, a deep frown marring his visage. This stop marked the first step in his plan.
Vizin was a city in its truest form. Tall and arrogant walls surrounded the almost impossibly spread-out city, with towering gates built at the four cardinal points, from where long, winding roads connected it to other major cities.
Smaller gates were built between the main ones, allowing people to enter and leave the city to work in the fields surrounding the city or carry water from a nearby river.
Guards were walking around the dirt or paved roads, carrying man-catchers and spears.
Red and yellow armor clad these guards, highlighting the large emblem hammered into the heart of their chest plates, a griffon soaring into the sky.
Alex walked into the city, garnering the attention of several curious people and some guards. It was rare to see a man as tall as Alex, especially in the Blackwater kingdom.
Some women from the sides watched Alex's face and body but said nothing while the older ones were talking to each other through winks and gazes.
Alex similarly ignored them but instead focused on the civilians that didn't seem that interested in him, as well as the guards.
The latter group looked comfortable and at ease, walking through the streets as though nothing harmful could ever happen.
The former group, though, looked tense and on edge. They were mainly men, but almost all wore displeased faces while their eyes zipped around as if expecting an attack.
'That's unusual.' It was a common thought anybody would have if they were in Alex's shoes. This city' citizens looked more like guards than the guards themselves, while the opposite was true for the peacekeepers.
Alex walked further into the city, thinking about his next few steps. Initially, he wanted to reach Eredar, his home, as soon as possible, but now...
This goal of his might be placed on hold for a little while as he gathers more information about this noble family. Unfortunately, he can't just go to a library or go to the Sky Temple to ask for information like last time.
Since this unnamed noble family has quite a large estate inside Blackwater, Alex could only assume the Royal family brought them under its wing to use them just like the rest of the noble houses.
If that were the case, it would, unfortunately, mean the Royal family would also restrict information about this house. It wouldn't be pleasant if the type of information Alex was looking for was common or readily accessible to everyone.
In the hands of a similarly sized noble household, such information was sharper than a sword and deadlier too.
Which brought Alex to several conclusions. First, he would need to search for information in the underbelly of the city, and secondly, he should expect a lot of difficulties in getting said information.
Running his hand through his hair, Alex regretted not having Ezek's connections.
Ezek didn't have any ties in Vizin as far as Alex was aware, but they would certainly help when talking to some mafia boss.
Taverns were a good place to start, but judging by the folk's expressions, he wouldn't get much information in the first place.
Sighing, Alex knew he had to start from somewhere, but this first step suddenly felt like ten.
"C'mon, Mom, let's go already. We'll be late."
Looking at the source of the sound, Alex saw a kid, barely 7 or 8, dragging his mother by her hand in an unknown direction.
"We won't be late, sweetie. I know you're excited, but please have a bit of compassion on my legs. They're not as young as yours anymore."
An old lady from the sides smiled sweetly and asked the mother with an amused glint in her eyes. "He sure is excited about the magic affinity test, huh? But isn't he a bit too young to undertake the test?"
The younger woman nodded slightly. "He is a year too young, but he's most excited about the puppet show after the affinity test."
Alex turned the conversation to static, his mind focusing on other things. 'Puppet show? Isn't that from Eredar?'
Curiosity picked, Alex followed the mother and son to a large open area of Vizin. Unlike the rest of the city, this area held only a large building, an academy of sorts, and its surroundings.
And in the center of this cleared area, right below the academy, a large crowd sat in the tiered seating for spectators, waiting for the start of the test.