Chương 56: First Contact

"H-Hello, Sir!" The guard straightened up and saluted Blake upon seeing the two men scale the bridge.

"S-Sir!" The other guard, who was poking at the grass with a stick, scrambled to his feet and copied his colleague.

"Hands down," Blake commanded.

"Right away, SIR!" The two guards yanked their hands down to their pockets with incredible speed. Beside him, Graham chuckled.

"We need to start hiding our badges."

"Yesterday, a man in a top hat entered the slums, correct?" There were a lot of people who wore tophats, especially those living in Upper-Ichoris, but Blake doubted there were many people who wore top hats and also traveled to the slums. The guards shared a terrified look before one finally got the courage to speak.

"I-I'm sorry for letting him through, SIR." Blake's eye twitched.

"Stop calling me sir."

"Yes! S-s…" The guard trailed off.

"What can you tell me about him?"

"M-my friend's name here is Brad–" Blake's eyes squeezed shut as he massaged his temples, a steady stream of curses leaking through his teeth. The guard stopped talking and swallowed his words, as sweat accumulated around his face.

"No, you fucking idiot, the man with the tophat."

"H-he came here around…"

"Five!" From beside him, Brad helped out.

"Yes! Around five! We were about to finish our shift when he walked through… he said… he said something about…"

"Exploring." Brad popped in, once again.

"Yes! Exploring!" Blake took a deep breath.

"So you weren't there when he left the slums?"

"No, we probably would have left a long while before that."

"Anything else you remember?" The guard looked over to Brad, who wordlessly shook his head.

"No, s… No."

"The guards at night probably remember better," Graham explained.

"The guards pretty much only check the people entering Upper-Ichor, not anyone going to the slums."

"Yes! We ended our shift not long after he crossed!" Blake spat on the grass.

"Fuck, so we just have to wait? First, I had to fucking wait for your slow ass, next Mateo, and now for the new guards too?"

"We could go searching in the main city," Graham suggested.

"Maybe we'll find him doing some evil stuff at Laura's restaurant?" A subtle smirk grew on Blake's face. For the first time this entire day, Graham was saying something that made sense!

"Alright, move," Blake commanded. The two guards immediately moved out of the way and bowed deeply. Blake looked at them with annoyance. Graham waved goodbye. As the two men turned the corner onto the main thoroughfare, Blake was still vibrating with restless energy.

"You think Laura's in today?" Graham asked while politely smiling at passersby.

"She'd better be. If we're getting served by her piggy father, I think I'd rather starve." Graham snorted.

"Don't forget I've known you since we were kids; you're not in a position to call anyone a piggy."

"I'm not anymore, am I?" Blake countered.

"Give it a few years once you switch out your knife for a book." Stolen novel; please report.

"Man fuck off. If I don't make it, I'll make it my life's mission to make sure you don't either." Graham snickered.

"I'd like to see you try."

"Screw all that future talk, I just want to fill my stomach right now." Blake changed the subject.

"I'd kill for some of that stuffed duck right now." Graham agreed, politely nodding as a figure approached them from another direction. Thud. Blake's shoulder slammed into the stranger with enough force to spin the smaller man around.

"Watch it, you prick!" Blake snarled, not even stopping his stride.

"My apologies," a calm, melodic voice drifted back. Evel adjusted his coat, his eyes tracking the badge glinting on Graham's belt.

"It seems my mind was preoccupied, and I failed to watch my step."

"No worries, we're just passing by anyway," Graham replied, before pacing to catch up to the copper-haired man. Evel grabbed the tophat that had fallen behind him and readjusted his clothes with a sigh. I need to stop getting so flustered anytime I see a glass badge. Even now, it still felt like the glass badges were hunting him down, when in reality, he was probably yet to fall on anybody's radar. There just hadn't been enough time. Except the mayor, of course.

Putting his past behind him and getting over his fears abruptly was difficult. Yet it was also exactly what he needed to do. As he approached the bridge to the slums, he caught the eye of one of the guards. They were the same ones who had given him entry the day before.

"Hello." Evel politely greeted.

"..." The guards remained absolutely still.

"I'm going to head to the slums again."

"..." Evel raised his eyebrow. What was up with these guys? He took a step towards the bridge. No movement. Another step. No movement.

"Quick question, do you know the hours the miners work?" Evel asked. Finally, one of the guards spoke up.

"Could we get your name, sir?" His voice was steady, but had an unmistakable nervousness under it.

"Eth, and yours?"

"Chad." Evel looked to the other guard, who finally spoke, "And I'm Brad."

"And your purpose of travelling to the slums?" Chad asked.

"Some more exploring. That isn't a problem, is it?" Evel really didn't want to make the long walk back to Albert's to take the wooden bridge if he didn't have to, nor did he want to get involved with whatever was going on in the western slums.

"Oh, not at all. We were just hoping to clear some things up in case someone asked us later."

"Why would someone ask you?"

"... Protocol." The guards are acting so strangely today. Yesterday, it was like they didn't care at all! I guess the news that I knew the mayor might have travelled from the other guards… I suppose it's a good thing. I have a certain image I need to project.

"As for your question," Brad explained.

"There are three mandatory shifts: 7 to 9, then 11 to 1, then 3 to 5. Nobody can remain working for more than two hours at once, so they usually get some time off to fully readjust."

"All seven days?"

"N-not Sunday." The guard beside Chad, Brad, added with a shaky voice. Evel checked the clock tower behind him. It was almost 1pm. In that case, I have about four hours to decide on a final spot before I can catch Mateo and fill him in on the details. That'll probably be fine. Evel lightly bowed and thanked the guards, who awkwardly stared back with no words of reply. Evel paid them no mind. Crossing the bridge, the world transformed as Evel readjusted himself in his new environment.

The cleanliness of Upper Ichoris compared to the state of the slums was just too drastic a difference. As Evel walked around, those who weren't currently working in the mines skirted around him, always leaving just as Evel got close. They're all avoiding me like the plague. Times have really changed… There was once a time when he was the one avoiding anyone who looked even a bit too threatening. Of course, occasionally he'd have to take the risk to perform a trick for coin. Evel didn't stay in one place for long.

He mapped the alleyways, noting which paths offered the easiest access, had open land, or had abandoned buildings. The hours rapidly flew by as Evel returned to his original spot near the bridge. At this point, he had two good options. One was on the eastern side. It was fairly central and could easily be navigated through many different paths. The other was toward the west and closer to the mines.

It was a spacious area, making any construction easy, even for a larger building, while still being close to shops and stores. Evel entered a few shops in curiosity and found that other than Equis's Nutripacks and a few essential items, most of the other items were actually more expensive despite the fact that the people here certainly had lower incomes. This had made Evel realize that he didn't really understand how stores and prices worked. It was just another thing he had to learn.

He shook off his trailing mind and focused back on the problem at hand. Did he prefer a more central area, or to be closer to stores and shops? It wasn't a decision he could make lightly; many unexpected problems could arise should he make the wrong decision. In the end, Evel decided he needed a local expert. Someone like Clara or her father, who had lived here for a bit longer. Unfortunately, he didn't know where to find them. At the very least, they weren't in the same spot as the day before.

Evel looked across the river, at the tall cliff holding Upper-Ichoris. Despite his angle, he could still make out the tall clock tower's reading from beyond the ledge. I guess I'll meet Mateo at his house. Even though he's only been here for a week or so, he should still be able to provide some useful information. Evel navigated the back alleys and shortcuts he'd mapped out earlier that morning, reaching Mateo's doorstep in half the time it had taken him yesterday.

He reached the house just as a familiar figure appeared at the end of the block. Mateo staggered across the road, dragging his feet behind him. His black hair was coated with a layer of thin white dust, and his eyes were hollowed out, staring at the ground as if the next step required a monumental feat of will. Evel rushed over to him, hooking Mateo's arm around his shoulder.

"What happened to you?" He asked, taking on some of Mateo's weight. Mateo weakly smiled, a small glimmer of light returning to his hollow eyes.

"Oh, hey friend, you came back."

"Did you get into a fight?" Evel scanned him, looking for bruises or blood, but found nothing.

"Me? No… I don't really like fighting." Evel helped him the rest of the way, fumbling with the keys in Mateo's pocket, eventually finding the right one and kicking the door open. Inside, he managed to place Mateo down on a worn leather couch.

"Then what happened?" Evel asked again, his eyes still unable to find the source of Mateo's state on his body. Mateo's weak smile returned.

"Ah, don't be so surprised, Eth. Practically everyone looks like this after a day in Slack Stone."