Chapter 188: Meeting not so old friends.

Chapter 188: Meeting not so old friends.

The other spectators quickly forgave my transgression once they saw Ash welcome me. Even the necromancer that had been winning the bid knew the way the winds were blowing, because he averted his eyes. Ash, for one, had all but forgotten about the auction he was here to attend. Instead, he came over and clapped me on the back, before leading me off stage and shepherding me out of the crowd.

So what brings you here, Arthur? Not for another war, I hope.

Not as far as I know, no. Why? Should I be worried? I thought you guys had the place under control now.

Hah! We sure do, kid! You shoulda seen the look on the mayors face when the dry man gave him the eviction notice. All of the between lands belong to us now, necropolis included!

Congratulations. Cant say Ive come across a worse shithole of a city, but its something I teased with a half-smile. Ash pushed my head down affectionately, ruffling my hair.

Come on, now! Youre raining on my parade here! Besides, you cant complain that this place lacks character! I like how honest folk are around here. Nothing to hide. Hells, they dont even bury their corpses! Why let a good piece of kit waste away, am I right?

You can say that again. I came across a least a dozen on my way here, just propped up in alleyways. With the way you people auction them off, Id have thought you would take better care of them. I replied morbidly.

Tut tut. Not all bodies are valuable, you know. Some of them serve as the foundations for the city itself. Its been done this way for centuries. Anyway, what are you here for? Need help with something?

You could say that, yeah. Im here looking to get some business done, as well as ask for some advice. Its pretty personal, though. I added as an afterthought, noticing the prying eyes nearby.

Dont you worry about that, Arthur! Im sure we can help you back at the mayors office. Follow me, its just this way.Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

A few dozen minutes of walking later, Ash and I walked through the front gate of a tall rectangular building. The path here had led us through the more affluent part of the city, if you could call it that. In this area, residences werent stuck so close together. Instead, wealthy residents were given large plots of land to advertise their preferred brand of diabolical towers and castles, the shoddy workmanship held together by mana. If I focussed, I could almost feel them strain under their own weight.

The town hall, which housed the mayors office, was the worst offender on this front. Diagonal spires held the wonky tower in place, keeping half of it suspended in the air. Heavy slate hung on the tower sides like a curtain, leading up to the angular roof. The entire construction looked like it was about to collapse at any moment, reminiscent of necropolis other residences. This building in particular took that idea to a whole new level. The scale had increased by quite a bit, making me feel slightly on edge as we headed inside.

Thankfully, the place decided not to pick this very day to collapse, sparing us from a rather gruesome fate. It took a few more minutes to make our way up the shoddily arranged staircases, but we eventually made it to a large rotund chamber with a large desk at the end. The room was sparsely decorated, with a few couches and cabinets acting as its only furniture besides the desk.

Speaking of the desk, it was occupied by several small towers of paperwork, hiding the skulking figure sitting behind it.

Ash cleared his throat once, then twice, before the person in question finally reacted, taking their attention away from their work. Once I saw the familiar face of the dry man, I realised that he, too, had been drawn into an endless battle with the worst foe of all: bureaucracy.

I had grown used to seeing my uncle in the exact same predicament, but only now that I knew that even the dry lord was subject to this particular affliction, was I starting to understand that this would be my future, too, if I let it. Once was a coincidence, and twice was a pattern.

Uh not exactly, no. I was hoping you knew someone that could create an array throughout the castle and implement some defensive formations as well. I dont know the first thing about that, to be honest.

The dry man sighed, while Ash chuckled. Looking for a formation master, eh? Well, look no further! Ash proclaimed, pointing both hands at the dry man, who facepalmed in response.

Really?! Youre a formation master?! I asked in awe and shock.

Not a master, per se, but when you have lived as long as I have, you tend to pick up a little bit of every skill. Since there werent any formation masters when I first came to the between lands, I sought to learn the trade. My relevant skills are of a high enough tier to make your dream a reality, but I find myself in quite a conundrum.

How so? I asked, not willing to have my hopes dashed now that they were up.

I owe you a life debt, as I am sure you remember. Simply installing these arrays and formations wouldnt be enough of a trade, however. That being said, I cant see myself completing this task for you just because I like you, either. At least a few months of work would go into the project and I have no time to spare as things stand. Furthermore, nothing you own would be a worthy price.

I see. A favour, then. We worked with favours before, we might as well now. I tried, hoping for a quick solution.

Long-term favours are dangerous, Arthur. A favour of yours now wouldnt be worth half of what a favour will be worth a century from now.

I got the impression that he was looking out for my interests, but that wasnt enough to deter me. Through Dalius, I had gotten the chance to understand the value of a home base, especially a mobile one.

That might be true, but there are things in this world that will always be worth a favour, even when I reach a higher tier. Flying castles seem like one of them, dont you think?

The dry man brushed his fingers through his overgrown stubble, humming for a moment. Eventually, he sighed and gave me a small smile.

All right then. Just dont rescind on our agreement when youve reached my age, all right? I guarantee you that Im going to be greedy, when the time comes. For now, Ill take this mana generator and control panel. Give me three months to get everything set up. He agreed, making me do a mental jump for joy. The two items were absorbed into one of his nondescript rings, where they waited to be used.

Now then, onto the second matter you wanted to talk about.

Ah yes. Well, you see it involves my advancement to tier 4. Ive reached the right level, but Im not sure if rushing it

I got interrupted at that point by Ash, whose eyes had gone wide.

Already?! You lucky fucker!