After two hours of walking the streets of Olimpia, Senator Ponti told Kanieta that it would take until nightfall for us to reach his estate at this pace. As such, he acquired some of the carriages conveniently stored in his family's Market to take us across the city. I found myself inside one of the carriages with Franklin, Kaneita, and Nareta, with the scouts having to jog along around us, and the reaper riding with the senator, as they apparently had something to talk about.

I felt somewhat bad about the scout running while I didn't, but then I stepped into the wagon and found out the driver was a Knight Ignas. Do you know what the connection is between creating a fireball and cooling down the air? I didn't know what it was either, but apparently the ex-knight did, as he made the inside of the wagon ten or more degrees colder.

It wasn't as good as I was sure the Kin could do, but it was a damn sight better than being outside on packed streets surrounded by stones reflecting and radiating the hot sun. Sometimes, life just wasn't fair… People say 'that the grass is always greener on the other side,' pretending to be a wise sage as they console each other with the belief that every life is full of hardships. It's true, but you know what? Sometimes, the grass really is greener.

"So Green," Kanieta said, breaking me out of my mental taunting of the sweating Jim staring forlornly at the carriage. "What is your opinion on our first hours within the city?"

I looked at the vixen, surprised that she had asked me such a question. "Ahh, you sure you want my opinion? My areas of expertise don't extend past casting, scouting, and a bit of history. And besides…" My eyes flicked to the front of the carriage, where the driver sat.

"Don't worry about him, he can't hear us." She responded, waving me off, "And more importantly, you are still an Olimpian, while the rest of us are outsiders. Besides, Nareta and my assessment will be nearly identical, while Franklin's will be non-existent."

"What are you talking about?!" Franklin grumbled indignantly, pulling out a notepad from his shirt. "I have plenty to report! Exploratory Mission of Olimpian Cuisine, first meal on the river… No. Fifteen Ex— No… gonna have to skip quite a bit." The badger started quickly riffling through his notebook, got to the end, and pulled out another and did the same.

Looking away from the badgerkin, I continued, "Not sure I like being your first choice because I'm the only choice available… but whatever." Pausing for a moment, I mentally reviewed the last few hours quickly. "The display at the docks looked staged to spread the word of your arrival and his intentions. The walk through the street is the same, to spread the word and cause a buzz. Frankly, it seems like an unnecessary risk to me, and it shows his concern for our well-being. If he cared about our safety, we would already be at his mansion after entering the city through some minor gate… And speaking of risks, why did you put on the little show at the pier? Seems like a bad idea that could cause people to fear you."

"I have a similar view of our little outing, but I think it was more necessary that you realize. There is much fear among your people, and seeing us peacefully walk around has alleviated a lot of it. As for putting on the demonstration, I thought it was best to set people's expectations." Seeing my raised eyebrow, she opened her mouth to continue, but was cut off by Franklin as she shouted.

"Ahhah! I found it! Exploratory Mission of Olimpian Cuisine, city of Olimpia. The first few hours after arrival, Kanieta spent time with the Olimpian guy, and we walked around. Street vendors were abundant, each with their own delicacies on offer. Most had a simple selection of meat cuts, but all were accented with spices, fruits, and vegetables, giving the food an unexpected depth. As an example, the first stall I visited had meat skewers that had this yellow frui—

"Wait," I said, holding up my hand. "First off, why are you recording your meals in journals. Second, I have ignored this point for a while, but how are you carrying… what, thirty? Forty journals with you?"

Slowly looking up from the pages of his book, the badger looked around sheepishly. Flicking his wrist, the pile of books that was as tall as him vanished before my eyes, and the Kin cleared his throat like nothing had happened. "As I was saying, the sweet tang of the fruit complemented the spicy sauce on the meat, making one able to eat constantly without overpowering one's taste. Now the second…"

Tuning the badger out on what was sure to be a surprisingly in-depth account of every meal he had eaten since arriving, I turned to Kanieta, who had buried her head in one hand and was sighing in exasperation. I didn't say anything, just raising an eyebrow as I looked at the side of her head.

"Fine," Kaneita grumbled after about a minute of me silently staring at her. The Kin have some enchanters who were able to specialize in space magic. They are rare, and it takes quite a while, but they can fold space and attach the pocket to a piece of jewelry to access it. The storage devices contain the capacity of a wagon, although it is usually not much bigger than a travel trunk."

"Haa! Kanieta!" Franklin gasped in shock as he stopped eating some kind of meat pie and scribbling in his notebook, looking up at her. "How could you tell Green such things!? The Council said that we weren't supposed to speak such information?"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

The Foxkin shot an annoyed glance at the badger, who ignored it, but I wasn't sure if it was out of ignorance or simply obliviousness. Though I didn't really care, as I found the way Kanieta looked while annoyed quite amusing… so long as I wasn't on the receiving end.

"You are correct, Franklin." The woman ground out with a death stare before turning to me. "I would take it as a personal favor if you would not go around spreading this information. Not only for our benefit, but also for your safety." Seeing my raised eyebrow, she continued. "Like all Kin magic, the enchantment can deteriorate under the influence of Olimpian mental energy. However, a compressed and folded area of space does not result in a simple sputtering of flame as the spell fails."

Looking at the badger, and then Kaneita, as I was sure she also had one, I suddenly felt trepidation and shifted uneasily in my seat. "And what is the result of the interaction?"

"A massive explosion," Franklin said helpfully, looking up from his scribbling.

"Not really," Kaneita added. "First, the area around the collapsing storage device is sucked into it, or absorbed as space starts to distort, and then everything is violently thrown into the world as reality twists… There is usually a fireball for some reason. The smallest one I know of destroyed everything thirty yards from its epicenter, and impossibly clean and narrow rents in the ground were found up to fifty feet out."

"Humph," Grunted Franklin, "a massive explosion with extra steps. Just what I said."

I found myself scooting into the corner of the carriage, eyeing the Kin around me, searching for the devices that could rip apart houses and walls if I happened to come into contact with them. "No, it's really not." Kanieta snapped back, "But what really matters is what are you doing with a storage device in the first place?"

"Faction Leader Barlot gave it to me." Stated the badger as he stuck his chest out with pride. "As I am the first badger to come this far south, the clans wanted a well-documented account of my journey in case they have to come this way in the future."

"All you are recording is what you had to eat." I pointed out.

The badger turned to me, giving me a look as if I were an idiot, "What else would I document?" Then he turned away without saying another word and resumed writing in his journal. I was honestly lost for words.

"Anyway~." Kanieta slowly said, "As I was saying, before this distraction, if I let the Olimpians' minds run wild and imagine what the Kin are capable of, who knows what you lot will come up with. Whatever it is, it will be far worse than what I will show them, and immediately cast me in a negative light in their minds."

I looked at her, and nodded along, then my eyes flicked to Nareta, and I said, "Except she told me that those shadows can grow to a hundred times the size you displayed and rip a person in half. I've been through a lot, and I felt a sliver of fear when imagining fighting against that spell."

"Ahh, but what the people don't know won't hurt them… so long as they don't do anything stupid."

"Mmm, yes, what a brilliant idea!" I overly enthusiastically cheered. "Nothing bad has ever happened to those who rely on the notion that an individual won't do something stupid. What could possibly go wrong with that plan?"

"I didn't say that I expected it to work out long term," Kanieta responded, flashing her fangs at me. "I just need the peace to last long enough to convey the concept that we Kin are rational beings who want peace, and are capable of peaceful interactions. The moment I achieve that, well, I then need to prove that we are not people who can be looked down upon and trampled easily. A little mutual fear never hurt anyone when it came to peaceful interactions."

"You know what? Yeah… I'm glad I'm just a simple scout."

"Not so simple anymore," Nareta said, cutting in for the first time. "Might have been what you were, but you have moved past that quite a while ago."

I had nothing to say to that, and with Franklin recording his findings and Nareta and Kaneita moving the conversation on to what devices they would present first, I turned and looked out the window, silently watching the city roll by. A couple of hours passed in such a manner, the carriage falling into an easy silence as we waited to arrive at our destination.

The surrounding buildings changed from the packed Markets to storefronts and cafes placed at the edges of the district for those who wanted a rest after long hours of shopping. Just past them were multi-storied townhouses and inns for those traveling merchants. Within a few more minutes of spotting the taverns, we passed through a wall dividing the districts of Olimpia and entered the noble district of the city.

Honestly, there wasn't much to see. The street was lined with large, manicured bushes and trees, and beyond the walkways on either side of the road were walls that obscured the estates. Occasionally, I could see the occasional building's roof, a pillar, or something else within the grounds we passed, but it was surprisingly hard. Then again, it was clear the wealthy wanted their privacy, and they were doing a good job at it.

Interspersed within the walled grounds and intersecting streets were the occasional levee and parks filled with paths and grassy fields. Places that were far from empty, as there were food vendors and the wealthy residents going out for strolls. From what I could see, it was mainly herds of men out to watch women, and gaggles of women putting themselves out for display, while both groups pretended they weren't aware of the other. Really, it just looked like everyday life, but with a few more frills.

After enough turns that I had long since lost track of where we were, not that I was trying that hard to remember, our carriage finally pulled up at a vine-covered gate that was already thrown open, waiting for us to enter. Clearing the wall, the sight of a long cobbled path lined by trees stretched out before us. To either side were grass, gardens, and ponds artfully displayed around the three-story house in the center that looked big enough to house a legion comfortably.

"First dinner at the senator's house," Franklin muttered to himself, writing in his book. "He said we will be given a feast to celebrate our arrival. I will carefully note what exactly this feast entails and if it should be exploited by any future delegations." I couldn't help but snort in amusement as I glanced at Kanieta, whose eyes were closed as she pinched her nose in exasperation.

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