Establishing Connections I — Ambrosya

While the rest of the examinees laboured over Deuzetai's Mana Reasoning test, I was going to take this opportunity to deepen my connections with the people I've been meeting so far.

A specific target would be King. The person with a very high-end taxi.

Meeting him would be simple. I just had to find his taxi within the gigantic Aelthrie Metropolis.

Yeah... Simple.

Thankfully, I was more or less familiar with the places he frequented. As well as his driving habits when he was not driving for anyone.

So, I wandered the city listlessly. My eyes were on the watch for any high-end, enchanted luxury cars. I saw two, but they were not the ones I was looking for.

It wasn't until lunchtime that I got a glimpse of the car I was searching for.

It seemed like King had returned to his favourite restaurant. I saw his car parked outside a tall building of colourful stained glass and gleaming fountains of mana.

I confidently made my way in, awfully underdressed. The only enchanted item I had on me was my scarf. Other than that, I looked like a commoner.

"State your purpose," A guard barred me from entering with his scabbard. "Ravenwing is a restaurant for VIPs only. Do you have a reservation?"

I smiled, but the guard could not see it because of my scarf. I pulled my hood lower.

"I do," I said, "I am here with someone named King. He should be inside already."

The guard raised his brow and spoke into a telephone near him.

"What's your name?" The guard asked after a brief exchange with the person on the other end of the line.

"Tell King that it's a friend of his daughter. It's Wrial."

The guard nodded as he sent my name through. His expression eased up. He then backed off and bowed slightly, "Welcome to Ravenwing, Mister Wrial. Sir King is on the top floor."

I nodded and walked in. I took another elevator up to the 33rd floor of the tower and then I was greeted by a breeze filled with the scent of exquisite cuisine. I scanned the place until I found the visage of King, with his medium-length black hair, slicked back and adorning a wet look.

I approached his table.

"Hello, Sir King." I greeted the man before me.

King paused as his eyes scanned me.

"You're not Wrial... What do you want from me, student of Aethercaller?" He said, instantly realising who I was just based on my voice and the way I carried myself.

"What you hear for what I know," I replied as I relaxedly took the seat opposite of King. I then gestured for the waiter and ordered eight hundred grams of tomahawk steak. I requested for it to be cooked medium rare, with mashed potatoes and some mushroom soup to go with it.

I was pretty thick-faced with what I was doing, but King would not mind this behaviour as long as I had high-quality gossip.

"Oh?" King chuckled, slight disdain in his tone. "What would a commoner child like you who wastes money on an ostentatious ride to school know?"

"Quite a lot," I laughed as I leaned forward and drew a symbol on the table using my finger.

"..." King instantly froze, killing intent flashing in his gaze. This sudden change of behaviour made me grin.

What I drew was the mark of someone he hated to the core. Someone who killed his firstborn son in a manner so brutal that no one should ever wish for it to happen to another.

Seething rage leaked out of King and I shivered. Anxiety spoke to me at this moment.

Was I going too far?

But I knew that King was a professional with a good head on his shoulders. That was how I crafted him.

Just as I expected, King quickly calmed down after a series of analyses he made in his mind.

"You're not that bastard and yet you know his mark... Who are you exactly? First, you come in claiming to be a friend of Sophie, and now you almost made me think that you were one of my enemies."

King sipped on his coffee, "Reckless... Exactly like a typical youth."

I laughed.

"I'm not reckless. I simply know my limits very well."

I looked to my left, and instantly I saw the sprawl of Aelthrie spread before me. It was a busy day today, with a few airships passing by in the distant skies above. Different kinds of buildings populated the skyline and brought about a great variation.

Castles, towers, and architectural feats stood side-by-side.

"My name is Caelum," I decided to answer King's questions, "And I'm here to establish a trade route. Future events for current events."

"Future events?" King raised a brow, intrigued, "Are you someone from Hevendrone's church? What confusing prophecies are you trying to sell me?"

I shook my head. "I'm not from the church of that god."

I recalled at this moment that King had an addiction to prying into the situations of other people a lot. He had no respect for boundaries and loved knowing what he was not allowed to know.

"I just know bits and pieces of the future," I said.

King fell into thought at that moment.

"So, you're trying to sell me these bits and pieces of the future for a detailed documentation of current events? Reasonable. I will test the trustworthiness of your information as we cooperate."

King was nodding to himself now, very much interested in the possibility.

"I accept." He said, despite still harbouring a few doubts, "Your proposition sounds like fun if it does reveal itself to be true,"

I smiled and extended my hand, "Please take care of me from now on."

"Likewise, Caelum." King shook my hand, "I have this nagging feeling that what you reveal to me will be the talk of the city when it does occur."

King took another bite of his food and chewed.

"So, tell me, what have you seen, oh great seer?"

I shrugged.

"A princess will arrive tomorrow morning. That's one."