The Merak kingdom was a small nation neighboring the southeast of the Romanus kingdom, contrary to the other nations where the monarchy system prevailed, they adopted a more democratic approach.
Nobility still existed in the kingdom, but they hold no political power, instead the positions of power were occupied by 12 members selected by the public via election.
Of course, not everyone was eligible to become a candidate, one must graduate from the many specialized institutions scattered throughout the nation. Once they complete their studies, they are permitted to apply to a civil servant job or run for positions of power.
Thanks to this system, the class gap was relatively small when compared to the other kingdoms and that as visible on how well the common district of the cities looked.
Arriving at his destination, Luke disembarked from the train. Thanks to the friendly relations between kingdoms, he managed to enter without trouble.
He quickly walked out of the busy station, requesting a carriage towards the address Kane gave him.
His current location was Beyen city a medium sized town on the outskirts of the kingdom. Despite being surrounded by a dense forest, it was the main trading hub between Merak and Romanus.
The carriage walked through the wide roads, nobles, and commoners happily waked on the sides, going about their day. Most of the buildings looked well maintained and had an aesthetic pleasing design, indicating just how well the city focused on giving its inhabitants a good life disregarding the social standing.
-We have arrived sir.
Luke got out of the carriage at the coachman's call. He tossed a gold coin to him a gesture of appreciation.
The coachman left, with a wide smile on his face.
Luke turned to the building in front of him, a three-store sized hotel, and judging by its exuberant exterior, one of the most expensive.
He went through the main entrance, heading towards the reception.
The receptionist greeted him with a smile.
- Hello, how may I be of assistance?
Luke took out the royal mage badge from his pocket.
- I believe Mr. Kane booked a room on my behalf.
The receptionist looked surprised for a second but soon recomposed herself.
She reached out under the desk, pulling a key with a number attached to the keychain, and a sealed envelope.
- Please envoy our finest suite, its located on the far end of the top floor!
he took the stairs, heading to his assigned room.
'Wow, he made sure a got the best treatment'.
The room was spacious and filled with luxurious furniture and decorations, on par with a guest room in the Argenti estate.
Luke took a quick bath, switching into a robe provided by the hotel, he sat on one of chairs near the window, with the envelope on his hand.
'Let's see what he prepared for me'.
The Envelope contained a small card, it was his citizen id for his Alias.
The id was a magic item created by an unknown mage who sold the blueprint to a company in the Okeanos Empire, who popularized it's use throughout the continent. It worked by filling the necessary information on it using a drop of blood. To prevent identity theft the card would only react to the blood of the registered person.
Or course It wasn't complete foolproof, as few people could modify the information once it had been filled out.
Luke had provided a drop of his blood to Kane before departing, with it creating a fake id card was easy.
HE took a closer look at the card, it only contained his full name, place and date of birth, and a small carving of his face.
'Born in the kingdom of Nehal… interesting'.
He then took out the file in the envelope, it contained all personal information about is new alias.
'Basim Ibn Ishaq, the youngest son of a rising merchant company in the Nehal kingdom, who chose to become a mercenary after having zero knack for business.'
It also contained a fabricated record on his mercenary activities, making it easier for Luke to take requests.
'Subjugating ghoul's nests, participating in conflicts between territories… that's a decent track record'.
After finishing reading the rest of the document, he packed everything before going to bed as he was scheduled to meet the city's mayor tomorrow regarding the request.
**
Refreshed from a good night's sleep, the ate a quick breakfast departing to the city hall.
He waked instead of taking a carriage, it was a new city in another kingdom, so he wanted to do some sightseeing on the way.
The distance was short, but he spotted many different stalls and shops, selling foods and goods that weren't present in his home nation, possibly a local specialty.
As he got his destination, the streets slowly became more crowded, tour guides lead groups of people from various nation on sightseeing tours throughout the city, employees called out couples on the street urging then to vising their shops or restaurants.
In contrast the fancier establishments did not resort to such methods, as their outside decorations were enough to attract attention. What fascinated Luke was their willingness to coexist with the "low end" establishments, showing how far the kingdom had come in closing the gap between classes.
Before Luke realized he arrived at the city hall, the building had a more antique design compared to the ones nearby. Sharing some similarities with the ancient Greek architecture, its grey marbles were filled with intricate carving depicting all its past glory.
The inside was also similar, except it featured a lighter shade of brown along with more recent designs.
Luke walked towards the receptionist.
-Good morning, I am here about the catacomb exploration request
The receptionist scanned Luke from top to bottom with reluctant look on his face. The man pondered for a few seconds before using a communication orb.
- A guide will be with you shortly sir, please wait in the seats over there.
'He must have doubted that someone of my age is a legit mercenary'.
Luke simply nodded and sat down.
Few minutes later a man wearing a full black suit approached him.
- Are you the mercenary?
-Yes.
-Follow me then.
The man guided Luke towards a door at the back of the reception, opening to a large hallway. Both walked in silence until they reached a large, well decorated door.
-Enter, the mayor will be with you in a moment.