Elevation of Mana Chapter 54 City Tour

It took us time to get to the wall, for a wall there was.  It was perhaps twenty feet tall, and almost as wide, with an opening that was clearly a gate.  No metal though, the blockage was made of wood.  A man with a spear and a sash of red leather across his chest was watching people go in and out, examining all of them.

“Guard?' I asked Oman.

“Mmm, yeah, though they won't mess with you unless you try to bring in something dangerous.”  He was right of course, and they hardly even looked at us, as normal as our group was.

“Mind if I ask for some advice?” I asked the man with me.

“Not at all.”

“If I were looking for a place to live...”

“Depends on what you want,” he said wisely.  “Now, I've got a small place near the seashore, and it's good but for you I think another spot would be good.”

“Why?”

“You're young, and there are cheaper places.  Near the shore a lot of the fishers work, but with the power you have you won't need to do that.  I'm assuming that you'll be making copper like you were in your village right?” he asked, leaning in.

“If I can get the stones, but I've another option if I can't which might work better anyway.”

“Right, right, so a place near the market would be better.  If it were me I'd want something on the upper side, better view, and more food vendors up there.”

“What's on the lower side?” I asked curiously.

“That's where they sell beast materials and,” he said a word I didn't recognize there.  “Stinks like you wouldn't believe.”

“Beast materials and what?” I asked.

“Oh, people who were sold?  Like for debts or war.”  Slaves, he meant slaves.

It shouldn't have surprised me, though it sort of did.  There were no slaves in my village, and no need for them.  That alone was probably why we didn't have any.  I'd hoped that elves were a bit more civilized than ancient man, but it seemed that wasn't the case.

“So you can just own someone, do whatever you want with them?” I asked.

“Not whatever you want, there are rules, and contracts, and a time limit.  You don't need to worry about that though, nobody would try to take someone like you with your fire, good way to die.”

He gave me some brief explanations and it did assuage some of my worries.  While people were enslaved they never tried to keep anyone with magic, the danger of such an individual turning on their master was real and any slave that developed it was quickly given another way to pay off their debt.  There was also the fact that certain types of work had to be voluntary, and abuse was very frowned upon.  These people would one day be free of course.

“I need lunch, then to find a place,” I finally declared as we split.

The houses were also a cut above what I was used to.  The bottoms were cut stone bricks, nominally forming a base structure, with cutouts for doors and windows.  Above the stone structure was something I was more familiar with, grown roofs and second, sometimes even third or higher floors.  While they were still working with very low tech materials here, it seemed the city of Atal was pushing them to their very limits.

I stopped only for a few seconds to find a man selling roasted fish and headed towards the sea.  There weren't docks as such, since all the boats were rafts and canoes, but there was an area with an opening in the wall where you could see the people working the coast, fishing and paddling small rafts or canoes along the nearby tides.

A trash heap took the remains of my meal, which had been at the very least tasty as I continued my circuit around the city.  The wall continued up through some workshops and areas that looked like they were a bit poorer, with people going in and out of gates like the one I'd entered earlier.

As I moved into the market I watched, looking for information I wanted.  There were some major differences between this place and my home, and one was the money.  They still used beads, that seemed to be universal, but there was at least some amount of standardization.  Small shell beads were the go to for transactions, rather than the mixes I'd seen up until now.  Some of these were even put on strands, forming the base for larger exchanges.  Others were still traded, and exchanged, but these must have found the right amount of rare enough to maintain value, and cheap enough to be a standard, useful.

I found someone who seemed to be acting as a money changer and watched for awhile.  He had a few bags and a small mat on the ground, where he did his business.  I didn't have any of the currency that was most common here, something I'd have to change, but I also didn't want to get taken to the cleaners for not knowing the value of things.  Once I was sure I approached him.

“Finally stopped looking eh?  See something you like?” he asked with a smirk.

“You noticed?  How much for one of these?” I asked, pointing to a small crystal bauble he had.

“Oh, a good eye my friend, fifty-five shells, or trade of similar.  I've got two for a full strand through...”  A strand of the shells was a hundred then, and I'd learned from Oman that that was quite the sum.

“Hmm, what about these?” I undid one of my hidden braids, dropping two of the colored cremic ones from my village into my hand, the shone in the light and clinked as I put them on the table.

The eyes of the money-changer sparkled.  Ah, I've seen their like before, but only once, out from the west huh?  And good colors, better than most.  I'll give you the same as I'd have asked for the crystal ones.”  It was plain he was low-balling me.

“A strand and fifty, for them,” I countered.

We went back and forth, eventually settling on a strand and twenty-five.  That was good enough for me, and would let me trade in something that wasn't of obscene value.  I didn't even bother taking out any of my copper, for it needed to last, and would only make me a target.

Cash in hand I moved around the section of the market where the slaves were being peddled and up around the north.  With a sigh I began to head back south, hoping to find the right area that Oman had described to me, but struggled as nothing was labeled with signs on the like.  The fact that my memory was perfect the only thing that really kept me from getting lost, since I could always identify somewhere I'd been before.

The kid and I spotted each other at the same time, and I instantly knew that I was what he'd been looking for.  He stood out, a small aura pulsing around him as we locked eyes and he smiled, running off.  I'd just got onto this street, and I really considered turning off now, rather than deal with whatever mischief the child might bring, scams or the like, but I'd have to learn what was coming eventually, so I readied myself for a fight and followed after.

He zig-zagged down the road, not even trying to hide, and stopping out in front of a number of the businesses here.  Whatever he said into the doors caused a stir as I slowly followed behind, trying to work out what exactly the deal was.  The only hint was that the plants forming the upper parts of the businesses he went to were all in vibrant flowers, something I'd not seen elsewhere in the city.

As I went to pass the first of the buildings the child had alerted several women appeared in the windows and door, smiling and waving at me.  It was weird, but I just continued on.  Each one ended with more of the same, the girls clearly having been told I was here.  There were beauties and girls who were less so, tall and short and of several hair colors.  I frowned as I noticed some with the markings Oman had told me indicated slaves.

Realization hit me as I passed one of them closer and one of the workers leaned over a small balcony, parting her dress to give a full view to those on the streets.  “Come newcomer,” she cooed “Sina will help you rest.”

The world's oldest profession was alive and well and I'd wandered into the city's red-light district.  Magic was power, and everyone knew it, if I had power, I had money, and since I was new clearly I didn't already have a favorite girl.  My face began to burn as I realized that all of them probably thought I was shopping, and were keen to advertise.

I was flashed several more times before I'd reached the end of the road, and given quite a few offers that hormones urged me to accept.  That was not what I needed though, and the day didn't have infinite time.  Some of them looked after me as I passed with slightly sour faces, though many kept calling.

When I got to the end of the street the boy I'd seen was there, and he seemed most displeased that I'd passed all the way through.

“Hey buddy,” he said, marching up to me.  “Look, the girls hire me to find them good guys, you not find something you like?  I know all the girls, tell me what you're looking for and I'll find her for you right?  Then I get paid for finding you, and you get just what you're after.”

“Never been down this street before kid,” I explained.

“Clearly,” he retorted.

“Didn't mean to head down it.”

“Ah, well shit.”  He sulked a bit, my guess was he worked on commission or something, getting a cut when customers were found.  “Guess I ran all up and down for nothing then.  Don't suppose I could convince you to change your mind?”

“Not today,” I said, shaking my head.

“Bugging people again Chien?” a man said, moving beside us, he had the same red leather sash as the gate guard.  “Thought I told you not to harass people?”  He looked rather stern.

“He's not bugging me, just helping me find my way,” I answered.

“Oh?  What you looking for?” the man asked.  “Nothing here clearly, if the faces I see behind you are any indication.”

“A house,” I answered.  “Friend of mine sent me up this way, but didn't give me great directions.”

The man laughed as the child slinked away.  Chien would be seeing me again, as a kid well acquainted with the city and willing to work for cash would be an asset, but for now I'd deal with the guard.

“Ah, well, how about I take you over to our guardhouse.  Someone'll know where the house you're looking for is,” he offered.

“I'd appreciate that, the name's Justin by the way,” I said, offering a hand in greeting.

“Weird name Justin.  I'm Ian,” he said, taking it.