79 Avoidance

"How dare you-" the bitchy woman is interrupted by time going backward. I'm back to the moment when I entered the city, and this time I go the opposite way while making sure to stick to the shadows.

I carefully observe the position I was occupying in the previous timeline and see the woman flanked by her group of guards stepping out of a shop before entering her vehicle. I sigh once she has driven away. Dealing with some haughty aristocrat isn't good if I want to lay low, and shooting her isn't going to earn me many friends in this city.

Plus, I have a bit of irrational hatred for this kind of people.

People who are abusing their unearned power, who are thinking they can do as they please and are above everyone. I want to PuT tHeM iN tHeIr PlAcE!

But let's stop thinking about her, I have better things to do. First of all, I need to gather information. Ideally, I would enter some bar, but my equipment might make it harder to communicate properly. However, the dangling coins in my pocket are sure to open a few mouths. Furthermore, I have a ton of useless jewelry back home that I can trade and sell. The only problem is that I need to leave the city each time I want to teleport back home.

I guess we can't always have what we want. I thought about teleporting a helicopter equipped with the Stealth Package, but I don't know how to drive one, and they are too big to go through a portal.

So I begin my journey by walking on the busy streets of the capital. I pull my robe over my helmet and look down so people won't notice my armor, and I also make waypoints on my Portal Gun for interesting shops. I might 'visit' them once I'm done here.

I walk for a few minutes before finding a somewhat old shop with a rusty iron sign shaped like a jug above the wooden door. It's located at the corner of some back-alley, so it's bound to have some shady people passing through here.

Entering the bar reveals that the interior is surprisingly cozy and well-maintained compared to the exterior. My entrance is hardly noticed by the few patrons who are too busy exchanging whispers or staring at their drinks. The mouse-headed bartender eyes me with a hint of suspicion, but I ignore it and sit in front of him before sliding a small coin on the counter.

"A beer please," I ask while feigning disinterest. The bartender raises an eyebrow before shrugging. A glass mug containing a weird, thick bubbling orange liquid soon slides in front of me.

*I believe that the translator fucked up, there's no way that this thing is beer.*

But it doesn't matter what it is since I didn't plan on drinking anything in the first place. I put another bundle of coins on the counter and lean forward.

"Listen, I'm in need of some information," I whisper. The bartender turns around and eyes the coins before looking at me again.

"And what makes you think I have anything to say to you? Drink your cup and get out-" the bartender snorts.

I get it; it isn't enough. I add another handful of coins to the pile, and the mouse-headed man leans forward.

"If you're asking so nicely..." he says before pocketing the money.

As usual, bribing people works wonder.

"What do you want to know?" he asks with a smile that reveals his yellowing teeth.

"I need to know how to make spatial bags," I answer.

The bartender raises an eyebrow. My request must be uncommon.

"I don't know who you work for, and it's not my problem. But be warned that poking around while asking about spatial bags could get you in trouble, particularly with the royals and their guilds." My interlocutor warns.

I wave my hand in the air, "Don't worry, I can handle myself."

I should be fine since my equipment is miles better than almost anything this planet has to offer.

"It's your life, not mine. I'm not an expert on the subject, and you can't exactly go to the few blacksmiths in the city who have the required knowledge. I may know a guy or two but I can't seem to remember their names." the bartender smirks and eyes me.

A sigh escapes my mouth as I hand him a bundle of coins.

"Now it came back to me! How weird is that, huh?" he laughs before pocketing the money. "As I was saying, I don't know anything about that. But if you want to acquire such well-guarded information, you have a few choices. The first one is to rob the Royal Vault, it must contain what you're looking for. It isn't recommended, at least if you value your life. But I do know a certain information broker that might have what you're looking for. His hideout is in the Noble District; it's under the tavern at the corner of the gate." The bartender says.

"Got it, and I suppose that I can't just waltz into the Noble District?" I ask.

"Of course. The guards guarding the District are selected for their loyalty and are from minor noble families, so bribing them wouldn't work. You could enter if you somehow get your hands on an entry pass. If you're coming to me, then I doubt you can have a legit one. You could try buying a fake one, but forging them is quite difficult, time-consuming and expensive. And I heard that the new passes are easy to discern from fakes. There's also one last option, but it's hard to remember." The man says.

I hand him the rest of my coins, "I suppose your memory's better now?" I ask with a sarcastic tone.

"You know how to cure a man, you would become a fine doctor!" he laughs at his joke and pockets the rest of the money. "The city has an ancient sewer system. It's no longer used today, and most access points are buried under the buildings and the pavements. But I happen to know where to access it. There's an abandoned bakery at the end of the street. If the basement hasn't collapsed yet, you can find a hidden cellar door that will lead into the sewer system. But be careful, the sewers are the preferred routes for smuggling. So you may encounter some thugs. And they don't react kindly to new faces. Furthermore, it's a maze so you might get lost. But if you follow a certain path, you'll arrive in the basement of a bathhouse in the middle of the Noble District."

"All right, thank you for your time," I say before Rewinding. I'm back to before I entered the bar, so I head to the bakery while feeling my full pockets with a smug grin.

*I bet he thought he was deceiving me... But you can never have the last laugh when I'm your opponent.*

I also didn't bother asking for a map. The mapping device I have will be more than enough to draw a perfect map of the sewers, so I will be able to find the exit with ease.

My eyes survey the area once I arrive at the end of the street, and I find the bakery. It's an old stone building that has seen better days. The interior is dark, empty and covered in dust. However, the door is in suspiciously good shape compared to the rest of the building. I attempt to open it, but it won't budge.

I click my tongue. I bet the bartender thought I would come back for a key that he would sell me at a 'reasonable' price.

But fuck that sleazy bastard's schemes. I ready my fist and punch the door but stop at the last second. I could undoubtedly shield-punch the door, but it would make a lot of noise and attract unwanted attention. I hold off on hitting the door and circle the building, maybe there's another entrance?

I jump over a rotting wooden fence guarding a small backyard and look around. I finally spot what I'm looking for, a barred window that's about to collapse. I look around for something resembling a crowbar and find a pile of old baking tools. I grab a long piece of metal and pry the boards open while staying as silent as possible.

It takes me a few minutes to reveal the glassless window. I throw the tool away and jump into the opening. My armor immediately adapts to the ambient lighting, so my vision isn't impaired. I head to the stairs leading into the basement.

The basement is filled with nothing but old rusted tools and cobwebs. I look around and finally find the cellar door, so I open it. It reveals a haphazardly dug tunnel leading down a steep slope. The steps are barely big enough for my feet, and the humidity of the area makes it extra slippery.

I should be fine even if I fall, but it would make a lot of noise. Not to mention the terrible blow to my self-esteem that it would cause.

So I carefully take each step. The stairway is longer than I first thought, and it gets narrower the more I go down. I'm soon forced to lower my head. I won't lie and say I'm not nervous. It would be effortless to kill me in this position, I can barely move, and I don't have enough space to draw my pistol. I should be all right if some random thug decides to charge towards me with a spear, but who knows what might be hiding in there.

I pay attention to my lifeforce detector to anticipate any potentially hidden threats. But there's no one else besides me here, and I finally reach the end. It's a tunnel with a bit of thin film on its surface.

*At least the tunnel becomes larger.*

I roll my shoulders before drawing my pistol, the sewer is still narrow, but I can move adequately now. My eyes survey the area for any potential ambushers, but I can't spot anything, and my lifeforce detector indicates that there's no one here.

Now I'm sure that I'm relatively safe, so I pull out my Interdimensional Phone and look at the updated map. The barkeep wasn't kidding when he said that this place was a maze. There are a couple of dozens of branching paths, and it looks like the ancient sewer system is multileveled, thus complicating the already complex layout. I'm glad that I have the mapping device, or I would be stuck in there for months.

I check the nearest paths, but most of them are dead ends or are collapsed, so I step forward while carefully eying my surroundings.

A few minutes pass, and I spot movement in the corner of my vision. I didn't expect anything since my lifeforce detector did not indicate the presence of any living creature, so I ready my gun and-

Oh.

I want to slap myself for being so stupid now. The origin of the movement wasn't the expected sewer monster or gang member, but rather a small weirdly-shaped spider.

*Of course, there's bound to be small insects lurking in a place like this. I'm worrying for-*

My train of thoughts is interrupted when the fucking thing hisses and tries to jump on me. My barrier stops its attack, and it falls back on the ground, where I stomp it before it can recover.

I hate this planet. Even the tiny insects are hostile and try to eat me. But let's not get distracted by yet another form of hostile fauna, I'm here to infiltrate the Noble District, not document the insects living in the sewers.

There's a fork in the path. According to my phone, the only road that doesn't abruptly end is on my right. The other one looks like a room of some kind. I ponder on where to go; I have no idea where the Noble District is. So, for all I know, the exit is on my left. But it could also be on the right.

*I should explore the left room. If it isn't what I'm looking for, then I'll Rewind to save time.*

The left path looks a bit nicer compared to what I've seen so far. Well, if you can even call a section of abandoned sewers nice. But it's suspicious when I think about it, there isn't even a hint of rubble, and the way is clear and easy to navigate. I guess I can also spot signs of repair in certain portions of the floor.

*Maybe it's a route often used by the gangs the bartender mentioned?*

I tighten my grip on my Field Pistol and proceed more carefully. I also try to make as little noise as possible in case my theory is correct.

The ten dots appearing on my lifeforce detector soon confirms my thoughts. Hints of wavering light are also beginning to become visible on a corner, and my ears pick up muffled conversations.

*Great, I had to end up facing a group of sewer thugs... I really hope that they are guarding the entrance to the Noble District.*

I freeze the timeline and ponder on the best course of action. I could frighten them all with a quick activation of my robes, but I don't know if the sewers are deep enough for this kind of action to go unnoticed by everyone. A portal may be doable, but I run the risk of being detected by someone with a high sensitivity to mana. Not to mention that the local leaders might have some mana detection device.

But, in the end, they should be easy to dEaL wItH. They are only ten of them, and they shouldn't even be able to put a scratch on me. Then I'll go with the good old standard procedure.

I'll walk into the room and shoot everyone.

The voices are becoming clearer. From the snippets of conversation reaching my ears, I can deduce that these people are planning some kind of heist on a jewelry shop. The gang members soon hear the sound of my steps, and they stop their conversation.

"Who's there?" a coarse voice asks.

I don't say anything and keep approaching their hideout, I take one last turn and arrive in a large tunnel section that has been rearranged to function as a sort of barracks. A group of people with various animal features glare at me, and a sizeable cow-headed man wielding a giant hammer steps forward with a grin.

"You're going to regret coming here! I'm-" However, the hammer-wielding man is mysteriously silenced. The bullet that went through his head might be responsible for the sudden silence, but I might be wrong.

"Boss! Who the fuck are you?!" a mouse-faced man screams while waving a thin spear around.

I smirk under my helmet, "Don't worry about me, I'm just a fRiEnDlY pAsSeRbY!" a bullet then tears the pest apart, thus painting the sewer a lovely red color. Now I need to take care of the-

The gang members suddenly start to contort and are soon forced to their knees. They all have a look of panic in their eyes as they glance at-

Absolutely nothing. The sewer-dwellers are about to shit their pants, but I guess the portion of the old wall they are staring at is particularly frightening or something. Either way, I'm going to-

A portal appears on the spot the gang members are staring at, and my jaw drops. The sudden magical construct is unmistakably one of my own, so what it's doing there?

The answer comes out of the portal a moment later. The person is wearing a standard issue Legionary uniform; the only difference is the small draconic wings embroidered near her ample bosom. And the black hair with red tips flowing out of the hoodie confirms the identity of the intruder.

"Surprise!" Mary says and waves at me with a bright smile.

"W-Who the fuck is it! Kill that woman!" one of the gang members shouts before he attempts to flee in the back.

"Stop interrupting us!" the half-dragon pouts and snap her fingers. The helpless targets all burst in flame, and they are turned into a pile of smoldering ash in an instant.

My jaw drops at the sight, and it takes a few Rewinds before I regain my composure. Why is Mary here? And how did she even find me in the first place?

"What are you doing in such a place? It stinks, and I'd rather not know what's making this weird noise on the ground..." Mary says while looking around.

"I-I... Why are you even here?" the question is the only thing I manage to say.

The draconic hybrid tilts her head to the side, "Isn't it obvious?"

I take a deep breath, "Not really?"

"Well, I was bored, so I came here to visit you!" Mary declares before turning around and pointing at me.

I need a fucking drink.