The first thing to go wrong wasn't subtle. Hector felt the energetic weight hit him as he approached the tall wall bridging the gap between foothill and mountain. It was not quite so overwhelming as what he remembered, but that didn't make it any more welcoming.

The burgermeister of Toll Burgh, the one who stopped fighting in that city, had a suppression externality. If he were to judge its potency based on comparisons to the Lord Platinum, then he would guess the burgermeister to be level nine. Hector thought he could resist the effect if he put in some serious effort. Not to form cables, surely. But maybe to fly.

The second thing to go wrong was when the man jumped from the top of the tall wall to land before Hector. This fellow had a level eight soul and body enhancement almost to the same level. He wasn't someone to be messed with. The man studied Hector with an impassive gaze.

"An Amaratti hunter? I am Felix, the Chief Enforcer of Toll Burgh."

Hector gave a shallow bow. "Am I not welcome here?"

"All are welcome," the man said. "And all must obey the laws of the city. You will offer no violence, commit no theft, and speak no sedition. Abide by these simple rules if you do not wish to have an unpleasant meeting with me."

Hector hesitated a few moments. His only memories of being under suppression were of Volithur's days in the black tower and of his own days in the tournament. He didn't want to be rendered unable to use his domain or aura or externality ever again. Given the circumstances, though, this might actually be ideal. He needed to be able to recover his energy reserves and conduct research into the Mother Elixir without worrying about the spear maidens.

"I have no problem with your laws. May I enter?"

Chief Enforcer Felix grinned. "Maintain this attitude when I'm not around and you will have no trouble in Toll Burgh. Give me your name, hunter, and you are free to pass."

"Hector."

"I'll be there if you slip up, Hector. Foreigners don't receive trials." Felix stood aside to allow Hector to pass into the city through its wide gate.

Passing into Toll Burgh was like entering an entirely different world. From the outside there was a tall stone wall bridging a gap between two parallel cliff faces. From the inside, what immediately struck Hector was the height of every building. Toll Burgh had only two streets along its length – one major artery directly connecting to the gate and another closer to the foothill side that had frequent elevation changes making it suitable only for foot traffic. Alleys connected those two streets and occasionally led into the equivalent of a cul-de-sac excavated from the rock.

Along the foothill side, above the secondary street, buildings perched atop rolling hills at various heights determined by the elevation of their foundation. The blocks between the two streets were squat in comparison and looked to be mostly devoted to commerce. The mountain side, however, presented a true spectacle. Those buildings were majestic in their height, rising up to ten floors high. They were partially built into the rock face and often boasted cantilevered balconies.

Most things in the clean city were constructed from stone. Very little greenery could be found within the bounds of the place, other than what could be seen topping the foothill, held away from the residents by impressive retaining walls. This settlement thoroughly disproved the notion that Xian were inherently too war-like to ever build anything worthwhile or enduring.

The people of the city displayed an industrious spirit, walking with intention, haggling over prices in curt exchanges, performing upkeep on properties that scarcely needed it, and overall not loitering. Hector's slow, meandering walk drew negative attention. Nothing came of it as one person after another put together the clues of his existence to decide he was a foreigner. Then he found himself subject to a disregard that was as deliberate as it was false.

Everyone continued to watch him after reaching their conclusions, they simply switched to using the corners of their eyes to be less obvious about it. Though Hector didn't think the blunt national character of the Stein people meshed well with subterfuge.

He broke his extended fast at a food hall serving stewed venison with root vegetables. The workers there refused to interact with him beyond the business of selling food, responding to his requests for information about places to stay with a heavily accented 'move line forward'. It seemed that only the most educated members of Stein society could speak to Hector in his native tongue. The commoners had just enough to handle simple transactions. Hector wondered if the Lord Annihilator even spoke the language of the nation he ruled as king.

Having resumed his tour, Hector saw the manor of the burgermeister atop the highest point of the foothill side of the city, situated almost exactly halfway along the length of the streets. It was an imposing example of what would be called Gothic architecture on Earth. Tall, dark, with lots of pointy bits stabbing into the sky. Reaching the building would require quite the hike, especially considering that the thick suppression hanging over the city would make flight challenging.

He walked all the way to the other end of the city and turned around at the gate there. Signage in the Stein language failed to assist him in his search for housing during his first pass, so it was time to be more insistent in his questioning of the locals. He might not be able to threaten anyone, but Hector felt confident he could make himself annoying enough that someone would help him just to make him leave. An underrated skill from his days in management was harassing vendors when they weren't operating in good faith. Basically annoying them to the point that they either corrected the underlying cause of the complaint or stopped doing business with him – either way, the problem sorted itself out.

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Hector bugged three different shopkeepers before he found someone willing to deal with him. The first was a man selling trousers. Hector threw out questions about renting a room while the vendor made observations about how badly Hector needed a new set of pants. They went on talking past each other until he had to admit defeat. The shopkeeper continued to call after him, insisting Hector would get the best deals from him. That first experience made Hector question if he had what it took to out-stubborn the people of Toll Burgh.

His second stop was at a butcher shop. The woman behind the counter refused to deal with his questions at all, simply asking him repeatedly what he wanted to order. Hector attempted to annoy her, but came to the conclusion she was enjoying the competition he'd instigated.

His third stop was at a barbershop. The man wasn't busy, so he made a deal with Hector: get a haircut and receive information. Hector, eager to get on with his business, countered that he would just pay for what he wanted to know. The barber found that offer offensive. He expressed his opinion that Hector badly needed a trim and he would be paid for his job, not gossip.

So Hector's already short hair was further shortened. The shampoo and shave did a lot more to reduce his wild appearance than the trim. While conducting his business, the barber shared free information with Hector. Very few people would rent to a foreigner in Toll Burgh. No one feared outsiders all that much due to the combination of burgermeister suppression field, a zealous chief enforcer, and proximity to the nation's capital. Toll Burgh was only a day's travel from the king's residence at Kern – only a fool would cause any real trouble in the Lord Annihilator's backyard.

Of the few people who would rent to foreigners, most offered rates considered usurious. There were two individuals willing to work with those like Hector for reasonable rates. The first was the burgermeister himself, who would subsidize housing for outsiders in exchange for being required to provide daily reports. Essentially, you became an informer for the burgermeister, giving up your own privacy and spying on your peers.

That seemed like an obvious non-starter to Hector. The second option proved a little more palatable. There was a woman who operated on the margins of the law. She kept herself out of trouble by never straying too far into illegal activity and being certain to offer bribes in the right places. Everyone knew of her, everyone mildly disapproved of her, and everyone made use of her services on occasion.

Her name was Eva Spalt. Part shady slumlord, part smuggler, and part information broker. The barber warned Hector that while the woman would rent to him at a reasonable rate, she would also report all his activities to the burgermeister – all his activities that weren't part of her own schemes, at least. It sounded like she would co-opt him into her various dealings if she could.

While that might be somewhat problematic, Hector could use a shady information broker. He certainly wasn't making any progress finding the recipe for the Mother Elixir. That fact made his decision for him. Hector sought out Eva at a warehouse he'd been told she owned.

Arriving there, he found men lined up in an orderly queue and joined them. Like everything else about Toll Burgh, the line moved with deliberate efficiency. Hector quickly grew close enough to its front to see the action. Men would walk into the atrium through one set of doors, hand over their money, receive large sacks of flour, and exit through another set of doors.

The workers noticed he didn't belong among the normal customers well before it was his turn. As the person before him left, they simply pointed to a corner of the atrium with the instruction to 'wait for Eva'. That was excellent news as he didn't think he was up to another round of negotiations with Stein natives.

Hector sat with his legs crossed on the floor and cultivated to pass the time. It wasn't until several hours later that the doors closed for the day. The workers ignored Hector other than to snap an impatient 'stay' when he looked like he might get up.

Then a level five woman arrived. She gave Hector a perfunctory nod and then collected the proceeds from sales. The workers each received payment for their labor and left the building. At that point, Eva turned to him. "What do you want, hunter?"

"Housing."

"Fancy or cheap?"

"Cheap."

"One silver a week for a bed in a shared room. No guarantee for your personal property." As Hector reached for his coin purse, Eva's eyes darted to the bamboo carrier hanging from his neck. "I buy spirit pills. One silver for ten."

Hector hesitated at the offer. He didn't actually need the pills. Not when he could cultivate chaos in peace within this city. They were a novel resource to him, but that didn't mean anything about their utility. He needed money more than anything. As far as resources were concerned, every meal he ate on this world was a resource by his standards.

"I have seventeen spirit pills. Give me four silver and they're yours."

Eva tapped her chin. "Three silver."

"Three and a half silver."

"Three silver and your bed is free for one week."

Hector handed over the bamboo carrier and Eva slipped three silver bars back to him. When the pill carrier was hidden beneath her clothing, she gave him a tight smile. "You must remain peaceful in my hostel. I will be sure to let the other tenants know as well."

"Other tenants?"

"I believe you have history with them."

Hector closed his eyes and took a calming breath. "Blue robes?"

"Cultivators from the Azure Spear Maiden Sect," she confirmed.

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