“Hey, Cassor. Been a while, hasn’t it? These kids are my nephews. They just awakened a month ago, and this is their first time visiting a magical hub, so they’re acting a little out of place,” Acher said.

  Cassor’s eyes lit up in recognition, and a broad smile spread across his face.

  “Lord Acher! What an honor to see you again!”

  Luther and Aaron’s mouths fell open in surprise.

  “Mr Acher, you know him?” Aaron asked.

  “As if I would.” Acher rolled his eyes. “I only tweaked his memory a little.”

  Cassor asked:

  “So these two are your relatives?”

  “That’s right. And actually, I was planning to bring them to get their IDs made today, but I’m not quite sure where to go anymore. It’s been too long since I last dealt with this kind of stuff, and I can’t remember what’s required.”

  “You can have that done at the Civil Bureau. You’ll need birth certificates, one of the parents’ IDs, a magic test result if they’ve awakened, or a sponsor letter and paperwork if they’re non-magical creatures…” Cassor began listing off the requirements.

  “Ah, this old mind of mine really doesn’t keep up with such matters anymore. Could you help us out?”

  “It would be my honor, my Lord,” Cassor replied.

  He led Luther, Aaron, and Acher along the coastal road for about ten minutes until they reached a large building with iron fencing. At the gate hung a sign reading Mariana Civil Bureau.

  Inside, a long line of both human and non-human creatures was already waiting. They queued for more than an hour before it was finally their turn.

  The staff member who greeted them was a woman with hair that shimmered like glass under the light.

  “What can I help you with today?” she asked.

  “We need to register citizen identification cards for these two kids. They just awakened recently,” Cassor said.

  “All right, may I have their full names, please?”

  “Luther Ravenswood and Aaron Attenborough,” Aaron replied.

  ‘We can’t use fake names. Martin had said that the supernatural bureau of the Origin would run an identity check once every year, comparing it with the real-world records.’ Aaron sent a message to Luther through the covenant.

  The woman handed two application forms to the two boys so they could fill them out. Afterward, she asked:

  “Please present the necessary documents, including your birth certificates, your…”

  Acher stretched out one claw, snatching a few random papers from the stack on her desk, and passed them over. The woman took the papers, flipping through them with careful attention, as if they were genuine official records.

  “You’re impressive, Mr. Acher,” Aaron whispered under his breath.

  Luther nodded in agreement.

  “Piece of cake.”

  “You don’t make an ID for yourself?” Aaron asked.

  “There’s no need. My existence itself is justification.”

  More than an hour later, the group left the building with two brand-new identification cards.

  “Thank you, Cassor,” the raven said.

  “It’s nothing, Lord Acher. I hope you and the gentlemen have a pleasant trip. If you need anything, just come find me,” Cassor replied before turning to leave.

  Aaron fiddled with his new card. He then pressed his thumb against the fingerprint mark on the back, and a small three-dimensional projection appeared above it, showing a cheerful brown-haired boy waving with a wide grin.

  “This is amazing!” Aaron exclaimed.

  “Alright, you two can go wander around now. Just remember to watch your words so you don’t give yourselves away,” Acher instructed.

  He yawned, then tucked his head into his wing and simply fell sound asleep right there on Luther’s shoulder.

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  “He’s tired,” Luther murmured, taking the raven down and holding him in his arms.

  “Why’s that?” Aaron asked.

  “He’s weak. Only a wrecked soul. Let him rest,” Luther said.

  Aaron gave a small nod in understanding. “Let’s be more careful and try not to bother him again.”

  Then the two boys officially began their stroll through the bustling market.

  “Martin said this market was opened by the healer Mariana two hundred and seventy years ago. At first, it was just a small medical station run by her and a few assistants, and then gradually a settlement formed around it, expanding bit by bit into the size it is today,” Aaron explained as they walked.

  About a third of the shops here dealt in potions, enchanted medicine, and magical herbs. One store even displayed a large bubbling cauldron right at their doorstep, sending a warm, spicy scent, like a mix of cinnamon and mint, drifting into the air.

  “Look over there.” Luther pointed.

  “Wow! That’s so cool!” Aaron’s eyes lit up.

  At the side of the road, under the base of a stone pillar, stood a towering guy in dark gray armor, his helmet completely concealing his face. Beside him was a white horse, its long mane rippling in the air like smoke in the wind.

  On the ground next to them sat a wooden sign that read: “Just two Lypus for a picture.”

  A crowd of young people had gathered around him and formed a circle.

  “This magic level… he’s a high knight!” someone whispered.

  “Is that a mist-mane horse?” another murmured. “Where on earth did he get that?”

  The crowd buzzed with speculation.

  Some paid to stand beside the knight and pose for a photograph. A woman holding a camera took the pictures, which were printed out right away.

  “Do you want a picture?” he asked Luther.

  “Too expensive.” Luther grabbed Aaron’s sleeve and pulled him away.

  The two of them continued exploring the streets, stopping to check each shop without skipping a single one.

  They passed a clothing store selling every kind of attire, from shorts and T-shirts to luxurious cloaks, steel plate armor, and even wedding dresses.

  “Vanhersey shirt. Comes with enchantments and temperature control spells, warm in winter, cool in summer.”

  “Handcrafted wedding dress made by flower fairies. Takes two whole months to complete. Guaranteed to make you the most beautiful bride your groom has ever married.”

  Luther’s eyes widened when he saw the price tags.

  Even the cheapest plain white T-shirt cost four hundred dollars. Some of them didn’t even accept payment in dollars, like the wedding dress, which cost two hundred and ninety Aurions or seventy Rhoos.

  “Aurion, along with Socos, Ichar, and Lypus, are the most common magical currencies on Earth, while Rhoos is a coin that can be used across many worlds,” Aaron said. “Let’s go exchange some money first. Martin said there’s a bank down there.”

  After crossing two intersections and turning right, they arrived at a building marked “Plutus Bank.”

  Aaron stepped into the front hall, looked around, and approached a young male employee.

  “Hello, gentlemen. What can I help you with?” the guy greeted.

  He looked about thirty, with long black hair that reached his shoulders and striking green slit-pupil eyes. His uniform consisted of a crisp, long-sleeved white shirt without a single wrinkle, dark gray khaki trousers, and a dark tie that matched the polished leather shoes on his feet.

  Pinned to the left side of his chest was a nameplate that read “Charlie Scott.”

  Snakefolk, a branch of the beastkin race, famous for their cunning, Aaron thought.

  “Hello. We’d like to exchange some Etherstone,” he said.

  The young man smiled and asked:

  “Do you have an account with Plutus Bank, sir?”

  Aaron froze for a second, caught off guard by the question. Then he said:

  “No, I don’t. Does that mean we can’t make the exchange?”

  “Of course you can,” the clerk replied. “But without an account, the exchange fee will be three percent. Would that be acceptable to you?”

  “That’s fine,” Aaron said with a nod.

  “Great! May I ask the purity level of the Etherstone you wish to exchange? Plutus Bank only accepts Ether crystals with a purity of sixty-five percent or higher,” Charlie asked.

  Aaron took from his pocket a pale, transparent crystal and said:

  “I’m not too sure. What do you think about this one?”

  “Wha… what???” Charlie couldn’t take his eyes off the crystal in Aaron’s hand.

  Good heavens, what purity is this? Are these two kids serious? Are they some kind of young masters sneaking out with the family’s treasures?

  “Listen, boys, you’d better take that thing home. Once a transaction is complete, even if your parents storm in here to make a scene, they won’t be able to get it back. You might end up getting a serious beating,” he muttered, half in warning, half in annoyance.

  They’re lucky they ran into me, he thought.

  Charlie would receive a commission for every successful exchange over a certain amount. Even if there were some problem with the origin of this Etherstone, once it was in the bank’s possession, ninety-nine percent of the time, he would still keep his commission. And in the rare one percent of cases, he would never be the one to bear the consequences.

  Plutus Bank had absolute confidence in its ability to handle any problem that came its way. It wasn’t without reason that the bank could operate countless branches on both Blue Gaia and Green Gaia.

  Charlie avoided using any words like “scam” or “theft.” He knew better.

  He had once witnessed another employee speak dismissively to an old woman, only for the manager to come rushing out within five minutes later, bowing in apology when the woman pulled out a medal engraved with five silver stars, the unmistakable emblem of an arcane-rank spellscroll crafter.

  Only the gods know how much effort I had to pour into landing this job, Charlie thought. He had no intention of throwing it all away over a moment of foolish arrogance.

  “It’s fine, we have the full right to handle this Etherstone. I swear it upon the Flow,” Aaron said.

  Charlie let out a quiet sigh of relief. This outcome was as good as he could have hoped for; there were very few who would dare to deceive under the name of the Flow. That meant he could go through with this exchange without worrying about running into trouble or feeling the weight of guilt.

  “Please follow me, gentlemen,” he said.

  He then led the two boys into a private room, motioning for them to take a seat. Then he retrieved a silver device shaped like a hexagon. The device's surface was covered in intricate carved patterns, and at its center sat a transparent circular glass platform.

  Charlie placed the Ether Crystal right in the middle of the device. The engraved patterns began to glow, lines of light crawling across the metal like veins. Then a bright white beam shot out, passing straight through the crystal and scattering its light into every corner of the room.

  “Purewhite Etherstone!!!” Charlie exclaimed, eyes wide and voice trembling in a mix of shock and awe.