After checking the spatial ring, Veronik was pleasantly surprised. The spatial ring was filled only to a half, and that was divided into three parts. The first was filled with money, the second with spirit stones she could use for her and the foxes' cultivation, and the third with small weapons.
Looking at all these things, Veronik felt highly confused. These things, and especially such an amount, weren't something a small suburban city lord could have. The small weapons could still be explained as there was an Artesian Tower in the city and weapons were made by artesianes, but spirit stones and spatial rings were made by inscription masters, and with so many of them meant that either a whole Inscription Tower worked together for an extended period of time to achieve that, or a high ranked Inscription Master had to be present.
Veronik quickly dismissed the thought that a whole inscription tower was in the city, and went through her mind to remember the ranks of inscription master.
The lowest was Inscription Outsider, then Inscription Apprentice, Inscription Disciple, Inscription Master, Inscription Grandmaster, Inscription Lord, Inscription Overlord, Inscription King, Inscription Monarch, Inscription Emperor, Inscription Pope, Inscription God and finally God of Inscription Gods.
In the lower realm she was in, the highest rank people knew about was Inscription Master, and they could, but with difficulty, manufacture spirit stones.
But if an Inscription Master was in the city, why didn't the city lord announce it, when it would clearly raise the city's rank.
The thoughts kept bugging Veronik, so she decided to return to the city to find out. But to not raise any suspicion, she transformed into a small child looking like a beggar and sent the four foxes back into her soul. Like that, she walked into the city and found a dark alley near a guard post. There, she secretly summoned Ariel.
[Ariel, I need your help.] She used the bond of equals to communicate with Ariel. [Attack me in a way that it would attract the attention of the guards.]
Ariel didn't want to do it at first, but after a while, she agreed and started growling. She pounced on Veronik who looked like a helpless beggar, and tore off a piece of her sleeve, grazing Veronik's hand with her fangs accidentally.
Veronik started acting like a scared child, screaming and kicking, attracting the attention of the guards. [Ariel, you have to wound me!] Veronik ordered through the bond, and though reluctant, Ariel pounced and bit Veronik into her arm. In that instant, Veronik sent Ariel back into her soul and in the eyes of the guards, it looked like the fox disappeared.
Veronik started crying in "pain" and clutching her wounded arm.
The guards quickly took her to the guard post. Usually, they wouldn't care about a wounded beggar, but since Veronik was "attacked by a beast", they needed to ask her a few things, to find out more about the beast.
The guards somehow treated Veronik's wounded shoulder and when she was no longer crying, they gave her some food to calm her down and started asking her questions. "Do you remember how or why the beast appeared?" one of the guards, probably the highest ranked one, asked, trying to sound gentle, but with his long years acting as a guard and soldier, it wasn't easy for him, and his "gentle smile" looked more like a crooked grin.
Veronik looked at the guard and sniffled a bit. "I was walking, when it just appeared... out of nothing..." she looked down at her food. "It was so scary..." She acted perfectly like a scared child.
The guard frowned when he heard her. "Do you mean, that it teleported?"
Veronika nodded. "At first... it didn't even look at me... but then..." she sniffled again. "It suddenly jumped at me..." She started crying again.
Seeing that Veronik was "crying" again, the guard started calming her down. When she was finally a bit "calmer", the guard continued asking her questions.
Then, he decided that he needed to report what happened to the city lord. He left Veronik in the care of other guards for a while and left towards the city lord's mansion.
When he returned, he told Veronik that the city lord wanted to see her. Veronik was led to the city lord mansion, and when she arrived, she was taken to the city lord's office.
When she entered, she bowed her head, looking timid and scared.
The city lord looked at her and felt slight pity for her, but that was all. He needed to talk about the beast within the city, not take care of a small beggar girl.