14 New acquaintances

After several fights and the atmosphere of competition, Lee Long was hungry. He didn't go into the nearest diner. He walked between the houses and walked along a branch. Then he sat down and used the inventory. Into the inventory, he threw a bag. From the inventory, he pulled out a plate with a portion of home-cooked food. The inventory had its special useful properties. The foods in the inventory did not spoil. They strangely kept their temperature. A mug of hot tea stayed hot. A portion of ice cream stayed cold. The inventory had a drawback. It didn't look like game inventory! There were no virtual boxes with different items. When Lee wanted to open the inventory he opened his personal space in front of his eyes! An area would appear in front of his eyes and he could stack items in that area. He was picking up items with his desire. One day he put a large empty box in his inventory and obscured the book Then he wanted to see the book and the box just dissolved in front of his eyes! As long as he remembered the contents in his inventory he could always find the items he wanted.

The boy ate a delicious meal and began a new operation.

This time he decided to act boldly but without too much bloodshed.

He paid for the flight down and quietly began his walk. He stuck his hands in his pockets and even began whistling the upbeat popular tune of the song of the ferin about the brave hunter. The little sassy boy walked with the look of a street master.

And he met his troubles.

At one of the roots sat a company of young locals. One of the youngsters got up and went toward the insolent stranger. He blocked the way and stated the usual demand,

"This is our street. Do you want to pass? Pay to pass."

"I just won the contest upstairs. I have credits. Do you want my credits? Are you ready to get a few punches from me?"

"Now we're gonna find out who you are! Guys hit that greedhead!"

Lee Long didn't change the balance of his attributes. He didn't want to beat the bullies to a pulp. He didn't want to take away a lot of characteristic points from them. The fight turned out great! Five against one. But this loner had great skills and out-of-bounds abilities. Lee laid the brawlers on the ground and tried not to get badly injured. It was light outside. No one dared use a knife or other weapon.

When Lee showed his strength he showed his toughness. He applied to heal his opponents! It made a powerful impression. Lee walked over to where the company was sitting. There was a she-cat sitting at the root. It did not interfere in the fight and was watching from the sidelines. It looked at the duelist without fear,

"Did you win the contest?"

"Three Paws in the Milk made it to the semifinals. He came in third place. I fought last week's champion. I don't know the name. And the fourth place went to some jerk. He fought like a girl! We rolled around on the ground and punched each other for a long time. I'm not saying girls are weak and can't fight. You have talent. Your tail-wielding skills are awesome! But brave kitties should punch right in the nose."

The kitty laughed. Then she snorted,

"Fool."

The rest of the fights came up to them.

The boys quickly got to know each other and Lee offered to punch some competitors' noses.

"You can call me Hard and Fast. I'm from the colony. I won't tell you my real name. If my guardians find out I was down in the capital they'll punish me."

Lee did not hide his face. He decided to make good acquaintances among the little troublemakers. Little bad guys are acquainted with grown-up bad guys. Lee wanted to find his way into an illegal society. But he wanted to do without bloodshed. The credibility of a successful hand-to-hand combat master is a great strength among young men.

The duelist's proposal elicited a passionate response from his new acquaintances. Every gang has a gang of competitors and rivals. It is the law of the street. You have to fight to survive!

The boys went to an interesting place. It turned out to be a small pond. Trees and large mushrooms were coming up the bank of the pond. Lee saw someone jump off a mushroom cap into the water! The locals had their entertainment.

Several companies were sitting on the shore and near the pond. Ripped Ear told them that they had to win the right to have a seat by the pond. Their company had that right. The Dust Stick Gang took that right away. They have to beat up the gang boys. They had to do it in front of witnesses. No guns! A fair claw-to-claw fight.

"Don't use your magic, Hardy!"

Lee nodded his head. He knew the rules well.

Ripped Ear challenged his opponents to a duel. He stepped forward and stood in front of his group. The leader introduced the guest,

"This is our guest from the colony. Hard and fast. He is our guest!"

"We'll tear your guest's tail off, too!"

"He's a monkey without a tail!"

"Go back to your colony, hide in the mine."

"Dustbats! We're beating everyone!"

The fight began suddenly. The spectators had already made their bets and began to shout with emotion. Lee Long warned Ripped Ear. As soon as the fight started, the duelist pounced on the leader of the opponents. A few hard blows and the ringleader lay down on the grass. Lee paid no attention to the scratches and pain. He liked to fight. The boy would pick a new opponent and pounce on him with the fury of a wild beast. The Ripped Ear Gang had yellow cloth headbands on their heads. Lee Long had also received such a headband. He now found new opponents with ease, and he easily dispatched the Dustbats boys.

The fight was quick. The Dustbats understood dignity. They had the nerve to put up seven fighters against six. But that didn't save the gang from defeat!

The winners were jumping on the spot with delight. They were tough! They had reclaimed their place by the pond! Now no one would look at them with disdain. The company sat down in the cool. Some went to the water and washed their faces. Lee Long also washed his face. As he walked over to the rest of the guys he saw an adult cat next to the company.

"I saw you at the stadium today. You're the new 14 branch champion. Your support made this win not quite fair."

"Dear one, I'm a guest from the colony. I'm going home tomorrow. The boys are ready to defend their accomplishments without me. I'm not going to act like a big brother all the time."

"Big brother? You're kidding!" The cat laughed.

There were three kittens, two rats, and a puppy in the gang. Little Ganid received a severe blow to the nose and could not stop the bleeding. Lee softly but sternly ordered little Ganid,

"Lie down on the ground. Lie down quickly! Look to the sky."

He crouched down next to the pup and held out his hand. The hand lit up and the boy began to heal the puppy's injury. The adult cat also crouched next to him and squinted his eyes,

"What an interesting guest from the colony. Did you like the capital?"

"I liked it very much. The colony is boring. Boredom makes me sick!"

"But the visit is expensive. Did you start earning credits at your hospital?"

"Yes. Got my first money and went straight to see the capital. I'm not stupid. I prepared myself. We have a family of soldiers. I've been trained in hand-to-hand combat since I was a kid. And I used to go hunting with our ferins all the time. I counted on winning the competition. Now there is money for another visit. I don't mind competing in the Mid-City contest. The outskirts proved a little weak for me."

Cat nodded his head,

"I've seen it. You have a strong and fast body. You won without difficulty. I spotted you and made two bets. You brought me good money, kitten. My name is Cracked Bone. I'll be glad to see you again, kitten."

The cat nodded his head at the boy and stood up.

When the adult cat left the new acquaintances told the boy the details. This cat was a well-known and respected resident. Lee Long was pleased with the progress of Operation Introduction in the capital.

Luck always attracts good fortune. In unfamiliar surroundings, the boy often used the skill of identification. He knew at once who his interlocutor was. He could pick out people he knew. The local criminals were not diverse. He met three types of troublemakers. A bandit, a contraband smuggler, and a thief. Some bandits had the odd Bandit/Pirate type. Probably these criminals had additional specializations related to fighting in a spaceship environment.

Lee Long behaved calmly and quietly. He did not react to the presence of police agents. The capital looked out for order and that was fine.

A familiar pussycat approached the boys. She was an intelligent and shrewd cat. This cunning feline made a bet to win her acquaintances! She earned a few dozen credits and bought a basket of snacks and milk for the boys. Everyone was delighted. It was nice to sit by the pond and eat delicious snacks.

The boys began discussing their favorite topic of conversation. Everyone began to remember funny incidents on the hunt. Lee told some funny stories. Everyone laughed and he laughed along with his new acquaintances.

Suddenly Lee Long could hardly contain a cry of surprise. Sitting next to him was a short ferin. But the boy could see the message of the system perfectly,

[Grand Dee

Race, Zagran

Type, Mage. Diversionist.

Level, 27.]

The galaxy was vast. There was an infinite number of sentient beings living in it. But some were too mysterious and strange. Even Earthmen had heard of the Zagran race.

The Zagran were known as paranoiacs who would not allow a single alien spaceship into their metropolitan star system. The Zagrans banned teleports to their territories! They accepted guests in groups of at most a hundred sentient beings. They even traded exclusively through terminals erected in the uninhabited borderlands of space. These terminals resembled paramilitary bases with at least three autonomous battle stations. These stations looked like one-and-a-half-kilometer metal pyramids.

The Galactic Alliance has tolerated this kind of behavior from a not-so-powerful race for more than a thousand years. There are some important facts.

The Zagran are warlike people with a swarming social structure, divided into sentient and semi-sentient individuals. The instincts of the Zagran are prescribed to defend their home from outsiders at all costs. Violent attempts to increase interaction with other races will lead to war or extinction of the race.

The star systems in which the Zagrans live are not unique and be not of any value. There was no benefit in starting a war to wipe out an entire people.

Every planet, every planetoid, and satellite in the Zagran systems is a fortress. An assault would require a huge military force to capture or destroy. War will result in financial costs and losses of soldiers, ships, and equipment. That said, Zagran pays regular taxes to the Alliance treasury, with no delays or attempts to hide revenues.

Since the first contact between the Zagran Empire and the Galactic Alliance, they have not tried to expand the territories they occupy. The Zagrans have strictly respected their borders and have given no reason for conflict.

The most important point is that the Zagran lives in the outer ring star systems. They seldom leave their territory and allow very few people in. The Zagran pose little or no problem to their neighbors, but they are a tough nut to crack for any invading army. The serious races have decided to leave them alone for the time being. In the galaxy and besides them many different oddities cause much more difficulties and fears.

And so in the capital city of Ferin, in front of the little man sits a representative of the race Zagran, who looks like a Ferin. And it is a mage and a diversionist. A spy? A dangerous enemy? Sound the alarm? But the boy is not a Ferin security officer.

Lee Long began to think of a way to put up a duel with this type. He certainly has a special skill. And he can display that skill! And Lee would get a chance to learn a completely rare skill.

The boys relaxed and began to rest. The rat and the kitten got into the pond. The others sat in a circle and began to play dice. It was a simple game that was known throughout the galaxy.

"This is something to check out! It might turn out to be an interesting way to duel!"

Lee Long asked the boys to do him a favor,

"You can play cards. I need a glass of dice. I want to play with our neighbor."

The boy had great intuition. It seemed to him that this Zahran was sitting next to him on purpose, gathering information. A spy and diversionist can have many assignments. Capturing a human race slave with water magic is good prey! Humans knew a useful truth. Keep your friend close, but your enemy even closer.

Lee Long approached the spy and smiled,

"Greetings to you esteemed one. I wish you a good hunt. Will you help me test my luck? Let's play a few games. I bet ten credits against three."

The spy laughed,

"Why don't you play with your friends?"

"Their luck is inferior to mine. They're lucky to have met me. And I want to be fair. I don't want to win their credits."

"You cheeky little sass. Are you so sure you're going to win? All right, kitten, let's play dice!"

Lee Long saw a notification from the system in front of his eyes,

[Do you confirm the duel challenge? Yes/No.]