Chapter 55: Jack of all Trades.
We arrive in Marcella after flying for several minutes. Elder dragons are truly supreme beings, as I cannot think of a way to travel this much distance in such a short time. I had just seen Great Velkra's face moments ago in Diacis and now I'm in Marcella.
A kingdom that takes a month or two to get to. I'm standing at it's main gate.
"We can get in right, Willis?" asks Great Vejetar.
"Surely. We might just have to pay a small entry fee." I say.
"Okay let's go." He says.
We walked toward the long line of people that were waiting to be allowed entry. I see Merchants, Farmers, and many other civilians: kids, Adults, and old people. There is a variety of all types of people.
The air has a tinge of saltiness in it. Since this is a kingdom near the sea shore. Being on a seashore has its own advantages. Having seafood is one of them. But being isolated by other Kingdoms is also a problem for Marcella.
The line is undoubtedly long and we might have to wait a couple of minutes to get in. we might as well have flown inside but that would be illegal. Every Kingdom has its laws so it's better to enter it legally. We won't lose anything if we go through the gate.
We are getting closer to the man taking the Entry fee. He seems to be handing out something as he takes the money. I don't know what it is. This might be something new.
"How long is it going to take, seriously?" says Great Vejetar.
"Just a couple more minutes, My lord," I reply.
"We've been here for fifteen minutes already, I thought we were going to zoom in and out." He says.
"It can't be that simple, My Lord. We must follow the rules shouldn't we?" I say.
I honestly do not want to argue with him. It's not a bad thing but who knows, it might upset him. Great Velkra might get displeased too.
"I suppose you are right." He says.
He accepted it quite beautifully I may say. I suspect he was not this lenient before. Perhaps this change is because of Great Velkra.
Some moments pass by as we get to the Fee Collector.
"May I ask your name, Sir?" he says.
"Willis Dunter." I reply.
"And the man beside you? He is with you isn't he?" he asks.
"Yes, he is," I reply.
Great Vejetar looks at the man with doubtful eyes first. Then after a moment, he opens his mouth.
"Vegra. Vegra Dilemin." He says.
Vegra? Ah. If he said his name here it might cause a commotion. And he might also get escorted by guards too. Not because they'll think he;s hostile but because they'll actually end up believing him.
"Vegra Dilemin. A peculiar name it is." Says Collector as he writes down our names on a magus.
It's like a typical clipboard but it seems that what he is writing on it is being transferred to somewhere else. Perhaps to a separate place where the data of entering and exiting people is stored. It's a great tool. I might ask Lady Carmine to find out about it. She loves researching magic and Maguses.
"2 Big Copper Vezas each." He says as he tells us the entry fee.
"I see… here. This is a small silver." I say as I hand out the coin.
"Thank you for coming to Marcella." He says and allows us to pass.
We walk by several guards staring us down with inspective gazes. Perhaps our presence is strong among others. Is that the reason why the collector was exceptionally nice to us?
Well, if you judge by our clothing and speaking manners, we might as well be considered nobles.
"So Great Vejetar, do you know any place to buy fish?" I ask.
"I thought you would know about that." He says.
Ah… Dragons are shut-ins. No worries. I'll work it out somehow.
"Let's just head to the main market," I say and turn towards the road that takes us to the main square of businesses.
We walk by some peculiar stalls never ever seen in Diacis. Different and unique clothes. Several unique vegetables and fruits. Accessories that you would never spot in Diacis. I would want to buy every one of each but I don't have money and the transportation resources right now. I'm sure Great Velkra would have loved to see this.
We walk for several more moments and all of a sudden, the smell of fresh seafood strikes our nostrils.
"I guess we're getting there aren't we, Willis?" he says.
"Yes, My lord," I reply.
I'm walking a step behind Great Vejetar. We take another turn and spot the sunset in the far in the sea. The place we are standing right now is elevated from the beach that goes down as we walk. The road is lined with seafood stalls. The smell of fish being cooked, grilled, and filleted. We walk towards one of the stalls.
"Hello, mister. Can I ask what the best quality of fish here is?" I say.
"Best Fish? This is the best fish I've got. It's a Filiner Vagua. They're quite difficult to catch and I've got only five of them." He says.
"What is the rarest fish caught here?" Great Vejetar steps in front and asks.
"Even rare than this… ah! I heard Jack Merchantry came across a truly rare fish. It was… Vilari? That's the name of the fish. I doubt they will want to turn you back if you go and ask for it." He says.
"We're going to buy that. Let's go Willis. And if I may ask, where might this Merchantry be?" Says Great Vejetar.
"I'll tell you the directions, Mister." Says the vendor.
He tells us the directions and we immediately understand as we saw a big and flashy building as we walked here.
But… how are we going to buy that fish? Is it even needed to buy such expensive fish?
"Great Vejetar… I may not have the money." I say.
"No problem. We'll buy it with something else." He says.
Something else? Does he have something valuable? He might.
We walk back the way we came and spot the flashy building at once. The building was quite intricately designed as glass windows showcased unique and expensive merchandise.
We walk toward the door and were soon welcomed by one of the vendors in there.
"What would you like to buy, Gentlemen?" he asks.
"I heard that you people had a rare fish called Vilari." Says Great Vejetar.
"Ah… That. I suspect that it might be too much for… not to be rude but…" he stutters.
"Are you trying to say that we don't look like people that can buy it?" says Great Vejetar.
This is bad. Great Vejetar is letting off his aura. This could escalate quickly.
"No! Sir, I did not mean it that way! I just meant to say that it was going to be put on auction sometime later!" says the vendor.
During all of this, all of the vendors and customers there started looking at us with confused gazes.
"I demand you call your superior. I need to ask him about this." Says Great Vejetar.
"But-!" says the vendor but is interrupted by someone.
"What is this commotion, Melis?" I hear the voice of a woman behind the vendor.
The Vendor named Melis turns around,
"You see Miss Tetia, These gentlemen here want Vilari… I tried to tell them that it was meant to be put on auction today…" he says.
"Go and help the other customers, I'll handle this." Says the Girl.
The girl, her appearance of a 19 year old. Brown eyes and Mouse-colored hair. She has a prominent aura too. a kind face but sharp features. she nonchalantly talks and sends him off.
"How can I help you, Sir? I'm sorry for his rudeness." She says as she walks up to us.
She looks at me and then turns her gaze towards Great Vejetar.
"I must say that The Vilar-!"
Suddenly as her gaze matches Great Vejetar's, her eyes shoot open.
I look at Great Vejetar and see that he is smiling. What's up here? I don't understand. Her expression turned serious all of a sudden.
"Don't kneel. Keep it a secret." Says Great Vejetar.
"Understood, Great Vejetar." She says.
"And call me Vegra." He says.
Ah… I get it. It's the same thing Zanim told me about. He told me that he reflexively ended up kneeling in front of Great Velkra in an inn. Great Velkra was quite surprised and partly furious at that.
She might have a connection to dragons somehow.
"Willis. This is Tetia. She's one of the Greater Dragons under Grielda. Grielda is the current Elder Dragon of Earth element. She became one about two hundred years ago." He says.
I see. So she is one of the Greater Dragons. Why is she here though?
"I am keeping my identity as a Greater Dragon a secret right now. I would be thankful if you kept it a secret too, My lord." She says.
"I understand. You were quite interested in humans, huh? I see that business has caught your eye too." says Great Vejetar.
"I can meet every kind of person this way, My Lord." She says in a low voice.
"I suppose that is true." He says.
"May we move somewhere a bit less crowded?" she asks.
"Lead Away, Tetia." Says Great Vejetar.
"I go by Tetra here, My lord."
"I see," says Great Vejetar.
Miss Tetia moves us to one of the guest rooms used for special people. We sit down on one of the sofas and Miss Tetia sits on one of them in front of us.
"So how's life here?" asks Great Vejetar.
"It is not bad. Meeting new people and learning human knowledge is fun, My lord." She says.
"Drop the formalities, Tetra." He says.
"I… Cannot be rude, My Lord."
"I do not mind anymore." He says.
She looks at him a bit surprised and relaxes a bit. The stiffness in her shoulders fades away.
"Great Vejetar… Has something changed?" she asks.
"Why do you say that?" he asks.
"You aura… it seems much gentle than before…" she replies.
"I suppose things have changed. Times change. Sometimes people end up changing you too." he says.
"People? How so..?" she asks again.
"We have a new sister." He says.
"There is a new Elder Dragon?? I did not get the news, My lord." She says.
"I suppose you have little contact with others." He says.
"That might be true…" she replies.
I feel like I am a stranger here… Can I get introduced too, Great Vejetar? This is awkward.
"Ah. I forgot. This here is Willis. He's one of the subordinates of my new sister." He says.
Finally…
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Tetia." I say as I stand up and bow with a hand to my chest.
"Is he… a human…?" she asks.
Um… Was I ignored here?
"You see. My new sister has quite different concepts about people. Most of her subordinates are humans." He says.
"Humans?? But there hasn't been a single human in history to be subordinated by an Elder Dragon…" she says.
"He is one of her subordinates. Be sure to respect them as you respect your kind." He says.
"I was quite confused as I cannot discern whether he is a human or not. He seems to have characteristics of both species…" she says.
"I thought about that too, but I cannot come to a definite conclusion." He says.
"Forgive my rudeness, Lord Willis." She says.
What? Lord Willis? I'm not a lord…
"Please… I am not a lord, Lady Tetia." I say.
"But you are the subordinate of an Elder Dragon. Surely you are of much higher rank than me." She says.
"I am but a mere servant Of great Velkra's. I would much prefer to be called casually." I say.
"Then I will address you as Mister Willis." She says.
"I am thankful," I reply.
"So. I wanted to buy the Vilari. Can you do something about that?" asks Great Vejetar.
"I can take you to the Head of Jack Merchantry. He is the one that is holding an auction for it." She says.
"Yeah. Do that. I'll handle it from there." He says.
"I advise you to be careful around him. He is a particularly clever man. Not in a bad way but he knows how to bring out money from customers." She says.
So he's a cunning one….
"His name is "Jack Ofaltra" The Jack of all trades."
What a name.
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