Chapter 29 – Translucent Thief In Shadow

They started with the guild hall in the morning after a good night’s rest in the hotel room. The guild hall wasn’t hard to find in the Galtea city center. There was a unique feature that made it hard to miss. It was an old cathedral-like building with the lower legs of a huge statue at the top. The top half of the same statue had fallen headfirst on the ground a long time ago, leaving a small crater in the courtyard. It had since been repurposed as a water feature with several fountains.

They hurried through the main entrance into the common hall. Darya was excited to experience a guild hall for the first time. In the VRMMO, these were community spaces where players couldn’t kill each other. RLP guild hall was a bit more complicated than what she was used to. She counted six main guild counters with their own receptionists. Corresponding banners hung from the tall ceiling behind these counters, while smaller guilds had flags and spaces at the outskirts of the common hall.

Darya only recognized three guilds. The Grey Cross, Centauro, and Golavian Frontier. In the VRMMO, these three operated as the main factions with global influence in Vainfall. It seemed that the list had grown by three more now. There were no names written in the banners. They were supposed to be known by their logos.

“We should try the White Wings,” Seris said, pointing at the fourth counter. Everything was decorated in gold and white there. The logo itself was a thick circular feather. “We have good standing with them. They’re Dovarists.”

Should’ve seen that coming with the white-and-gold color palette.

They joined the queue. The receptionist was a blonde woman wearing a white fur coat over a feathery red dress.

There was a commotion at the front of the line between a short figure and a big man.

“—want to see—I was here first. Get your hands off me!” The nasally voice had to be a boy or someone with a speech impediment.

“Get out of my way, fool! I don’t have time to waste. I’ll break your teeth if you waste any more of my time,” the big man yelled, clutching his wooden staff tighter. He wore a black top hat and a sleek suit.

“Please don’t hold up the line. You have until the count of five before I call the guards!” The receptionist said, keeping her tone polite and louder than the quarrel.

She started counting off with an annoyed smile, and the short stepped aside. The big man took his rightful turn at the counter. The short figure ducked under the counter out of sight, presumably to wait for the line to finish before bothering the receptionist again.

The queue moved smoothly afterwards. The short figure looked like a child or a dwarf. Seris had already warned her about thieves. Darya made sure to keep a hand on her purse and bag as they neared the counter.

Seris turned around once they were next in line. She pulled out her silver Dovarist necklace and made Darya do the same with her Light Keys of Dovar.

“Make sure to show your earrings as well!” Seris whispered in her ear as the man before them concluded his business. Darya nodded, following Seris closely as she took her hood off.

“Greetings, ladies. How may I assist you today?” The receptionist greeted them with a pleasant smile.

Seris greeted her back with an even bigger smile. “Greetings, we’re here to buy some information. Particularly interested in auctions. A valuable dovarist artifact of ours has been stolen, and we traced it to Galtea.”

“Ah. How unfortunate,” the receptionist lady said regretfully. “Do you have a prior record with us?”

“We do. Can you lean forward, please?” Seris asked, leaning on the counter. Darya’s eyes crossed with the short figure hiding under it at the same time.

He had familiar turquoise eyes that glowed in the shade of the hood. He had been glaring at her as if he hated everything about her, and he hadn’t expected their eyes to meet. His glare quickly shifted to a more pleasant expression in a split second. He turned his face down with a smile and shrank further away, trying to pretend he wasn’t there. Darya noticed the metal bracelets on his wrists and a circular insignia on the top of his hood.

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Those eyes must be merfolk, isn’t it? Is he one of the enslaved?

“Oh my!” The receptionist lady let out a gasp as Seris leaned back. Her eyes fell directly on Darya, full of awe. “In that case, I can arrange a meeting with our best contact.”

“Thank you! We’re beyond grateful,” Seris said pleasantly.

“The foremost expert on these matters is the law enforcement chief of the inner city. He is a busy man, but we can arrange a ten-minute meeting for about twenty-eight gold,” the receptionist said with a smile.

“That was most certainly a lie.”

The voice startled both Seris and the receptionist. It was uncharacteristically deep, and it passed by like the wind. Darya wasn’t even sure if she had heard it or not.

“Pardon?” The receptionist asked, looking at Darya with wide eyes. Seris also turned, her mouth half open in surprise. The short figure hiding under the counter was staring up at her with the same expression.

Darya looked around uncomfortably. She hadn’t spoken a word yet. “Huh? What?” she was puzzled.

“Oh, my apologies. That wasn’t your voice. I thought someone—” the receptionist leaned over the counter. She saw the figure looking up timidly from below. “You! out of here. This is your last warning!”

The figure ran off, cursing angrily under his breath.

Seris concluded the booking. They only had to pay eight silver as the advance due to their standing with the White Wings. They walked out of the guild hall, and Seris quickly turned right into the shadow of the huge open door. She grabbed Darya’s right hand.

“By the light, Sarka! You almost ruined the whole thing. What did you mean? Why did you say she lied?” she asked with a deep frown on her face.