Chapter 4157: Valeron’s Dream (Part 2)

"You’d put you and me in trouble since I’d be the obvious suspect."

"Thanks, Fyrwal." Solus nodded. "I promise that I’ll be careful."

To avoid detection, Menadion returned to her Void Sigil, and Lith and Solus went to the mana geyser alone, returning after imprinting it quickly.

"Wow, that was fast." Kamila said after they Mirror Warped back to the Unicorn’s Pot.

"I’m still full of energy, Kami. I didn’t need to recharge." She replied. "What are we going to visit first?"

"I have no idea." Lith shrugged. "But we are about to find out. Let’s go down to the lobby."

"How can you not know?" Kamila asked as they walked out of the room. "You planned this trip, and you’re always the designated guide."

Lith usually stored everything he needed inside Soluspedia and then recited the books’ contents as he showed his guests around.

"Amrok is huge." He replied. "Not to mention full of pieces of art I don’t understand and people lining up to see the same things and eat in the same places. If we follow tourist guidebooks, we’ll have the same information as everyone else.

"That’s why I hired a professional." Lith waved at a youth who was waiting for them in the lobby of the Unicorn’s pot. "Girls and Valeron, allow me to introduce Elfiam to you. Jirni says he’s one of the best guides in Amrok.

"Elfiam, these are my wife Kamila, my cousin Solus, my Aunt Rhona, and my children, Elysia and Valeron."

"Nice to meet you again, Magus Verhen." The boy couldn’t have been older than 12, with deep brown eyes and hair. "Miladies. Milord."

He gave everyone a deep bow, even to the babies.

"Hi." Elysia and Valeron replied, surprising Elfiam a bit.

"Nice to meet you, Elfiam." Kamila gave him a polite nod. "Where are you taking us today?"

On Mogar, working at that age was considered normal. From six to eight, one would be taught how to read, write, and count. After that, whether one would continue studying or look for a job was up to their talents and circumstances.

The child of a farmer or an artisan would become an apprentice and learn the family trade. A noble would be taught everything about etiquette and the arts they needed to uphold the family honor, while everyone else struggled for survival.

Elfiam was well-dressed and his clothes and shoes clean, but they were a little threadbare, a clear sign that he belonged to the latter category.

"Since you are in Amrok, there are things you cannot miss." He replied. "The lines will be long and exhausting, and there’s no way around it. My advice is to get them out of the way first so that you can enjoy the rest of your vacation."

"Sounds like a plan." Kamila said, and the others nodded. "Where do we start?"

"From Amrok’s Great Theater." He said while leading them to a stagecoach waiting for them outside.

Once everyone got in, the coachman flicked the reins, and the horses moved forward.

"With this traffic, it will take us about half an hour to reach the Grand Theater." Elfiam said, chuckling at his guests’ surprised expression. "It might seem a long time to you, but I assure you it’s a quick trip for us magicless mortals.

"In the meantime, feel free to ask me anything you want."

Kamila had become so used to flying and Warping around that half an hour was an ungodly time to cover a few kilometers.

"Aren’t you a bit young for this job, Elfiam? How did you know Lady Ernas?" She asked.

"I meant about Amrok, not me." The youth replied with a warm, professional smile. "I never had the pleasure of meeting such a grand dame. I was just recommended to her through our mutual acquaintances.

"As for my age, Lady Verhen, it can’t be helped. My sister and I are refugees of the War of the Griffons, and we came to Amrok with nothing but our clothes. We had to earn our keep, and sadly, I was too young and weak for any well-paying manual labor job.

"The famine made everything worse since many establishments closed or had little need for waiters and errand boys. I was about to start begging on the street when I noticed that the nobles kept coming to Amrok despite the war.

"Even better, they spent their money like there was no tomorrow. The Mad Queen was on the rise back then, and the Crown’s loyalists knew she wouldn’t spare their lives if she emerged victorious.

"I like to read, and Amrok’s libraries are free, so I spent my days there and learned everything I could. I started by hanging around the most famous attractions, sharing fun or obscure facts for free with anyone willing to listen to me.

"Most people just thanked me. Only a few gave me a copper coin. I kept studying and talking until a merchant asked me to show him around the Gods’ Hall. After that, fair prices and word of mouth built me a reputation.

"Yet I would have never worked with nobles if it weren’t for you, Magus Verhen." Elfiam bowed to Lith deeply. "Your Tablet changed my life.

"I can keep in contact with my patrons, exchange runes with the hotels’ concierges, and be reached at all hours without having to rush throughout Amrok to meet a potential new client."

"Don’t mention it." Lith nodded, admiring the youth’s entrepreneurship and grit. "Does your sister work with you?"

"No. Clila’s shy and older than me. She’s also the reason for my success, since she forced me to invest my first earnings into a second Tablet to always keep an eye on me." Elfiam chuckled.

"Clila works as a housemaid for a merchant. It’s a good job and paid for our meals until my job as a guide took off. Also, she’d rather stay indoors with people she knows than talk to strangers all day."

Once they reached their destination, Lith’s and Solus’ jaws hit the floor. Not only was the Great Theater a bigger and perfectly preserved version of Earth’s Colosseum, but the line of visitors went around the block.

The Great Theater was a circular structure comprised of light brown stones. Large windows without glass were placed at regular intervals to let air and light in.

The pitched floor ensured that those sitting on the lower levels wouldn’t hinder the sight of the others.

The structure had no roof, but Lith and the others could see with Life Vision that several arrays covered the Great Theater. The magical formation could block wind and rain, heat the building during winter, and cool it during summer.

"That’s not a line. That’s a death sentence." Kamila said. "I can’t stand up for long, and it will take hours to get inside."

"That’s the entrance for commoners, Lady Vehren." Elfiam’s poker face was perfect. "I already reserved you access through the entrance for the authorities."

"Supreme Magus, remember?" Lith said.

"Thank the gods!" Solus sighed in relief. "How long will that take?"

"An hour tops." Elfiam replied. "I’m sorry, but as I said, the line for the main tourist sites is unavoidable. Nobles from all over Garlen come to Amrok every day, and access to the Grand Theater is first-come, first-served."

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