Sitting on the wooden floor in his room, Alex thought long and hard about where he should place his mana core. This would be his true first step on his magical journey, so it couldn't be randomly chosen.
Something as fundamental as the placement of your mana core should be pondered over and given its due respect.
Technically, one can place their mana core anywhere in their body, hands, arms, legs, head, organs, and genitals. If that part is connected with the rest of your body, you can place it wherever. Of course, if the core is placed in such a vulnerable and exposed part, it would be a tragedy if you lost both the mana core and extremity.
'Someplace that is constantly protected and covered while also well-connected with the rest of my body...' Alex thought while slowing his breathing so much one would think he was breathing no more; it helped with concentration.
'Brain... or heart.'
Two organs came to mind almost immediately, and now Alex had to ponder which one was best.
'What would I want between faster mana flow through my body or better sensitivity and access to mana? Heart or brain,'
As it turned out, choosing one organ above the other proved to be very difficult. Both had pros and a few cons.
The brain would provide ample mana sensitivity and overall better connection to the surrounding mana, while the heart would allow said mana to travel faster through his body, allowing his body to grow more used to it.
However, both the brain and heart had one massive con. If either were to be damaged in any way, the core would, at best, be damaged too and outright eradicated at worst.
With that knowledge, Alex wanted to choose neither. He wanted something that checked all the pro boxes while having minor cons, something that would be perfect for him and his fighting style.
As a Recen, his body was several times stronger and tougher than a human's, which meant he could get up and personal in most fights. In this case, he would need fast mana transfer from his core to his limbs.
But Recens were also good at casting magic, which would require a better connection to the surrounding mana for better or more powerful spells to be formed.
Herein lies the problem. Recens were good on both fronts, but most would focus on only one such part. Larok placed his core in the heart, while Elder Pyrus placed it in his brain.
Alex didn't know about Geralt, as the Headmaster seemed to excel in both close combat as well as magic casting. Thus, Alex was unaware of Geralt's core placement.
'This is hard.' The young Recen sighed and opened his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he got up from the floor, looking at the mana clock slung on the wall of his room.
Even as the meditative state was slowly fading away, Alex could still hear the mana sing to him, calling out to him. With a sigh, he chose to go to the washroom to clear his mind and body.
The mana core was something in between tangible and pure energy. Its role was to gather mana from the surroundings and store it for later use. Which is what makes it so effortlessly "placeable".
But, being in a semi-tangible state also allowed the core to take any shape and form, at least in theory. Alex was unaware of people that managed to form one that was anything but a sphere.
Alex took a clean set of clothes and walked outside his room, heading for the washroom, a floor below his room.
Alex walked in, prepared to see troughs filled with water and some dividers for privacy. Well, he saw none of that.
The washroom was a large room divided in two, with the smaller part filled with hangers where one could place their clothes without getting wet.
Alex sighed and hung the clean set of clothes on a free hook before entering one of the many small pools that filled the room.
Inside the washroom were many men with various alcoholic drinks in hand, surrounded by similarly naked women who 'helped' wash the men. Laughter filled Alex's ears, making him let out a sigh.
He wanted to clean himself in peace and quiet. Now he had to deal with this racket while trying to relax. He didn't even need to look around to see some helping women lay their eyes on him.
He didn't mind the looks, so he approached a free pool, where he took a bucket of water and splashed it over his head. Only then did he enter the water as he didn't want to dirty it too much.
Not long after, he was swarmed by the helping ladies, which he expected. Soap and perfume were all held by these women, so he couldn't adequately wash without them.
Usually, Alex would've felt a bit weird about this, but seeing the looks on the women's faces -all fed up with this- he relaxed a bit. While some of the men here were having the time of their life, thinking these women approached them not because they were paid to do this but for other reasons, Alex tried to finish cleaning up as quickly as possible.
He washed his hair, face, neck, arms, chest, and legs. He tried his best to wash some spots by himself, but it seemed like the helpers around him couldn't accept this and swooped in themselves.
Alex grumbled under his breath as he could not protect his nethers from ten or so hands all at once, upset more with the fact he had to act like a shy and inexperienced young man, garnering giggles from his "helpers". It seemed like Alex had made their day with all the laughter and giggles that followed.
In the end, nothing too extreme took place, as this was a place to wash after all, and Alex got out of the water and dressed up before going to his room.
After tidying up his room for a few minutes, Alex looked outside his window before sighing. It was time he went around the city to find information about the Moonmares.
In all honesty, he didn't expect to find much, but there was no reason not to look around. And while he didn't plan to do anything with any potential knowledge, it would be better to have it and not use it than need it and not have it.
Leaving his room, Alex headed down to the ground floor, which was mostly empty. It was a small dining area with a large counter that ran along the wall opposite the entrance. There was almost no noise that could be heard, as everyone here was more interested in filling their bellies than acting like tired commoners looking for a way to relieve stress.
"Are Mr. Einar and Mrs. Hedda around?" Asked Alex as he approached the counter where a well-dressed man with a damn-well-trimmed beard worked.
"They're working in the back."
The man pointed to a door to his right, and Alex nodded. First, he planned to ask Einar where could he find such information.
Since they meet up in the slums, he figured the man has to have some connections with the underbelly of the city.