His village was quite far from the city. He was by himself and he had a horse and he didn't have much load. It would probably take him around seven or eight hours to arrive.
He stopped a couple of times to take care of his horse. He arrived at the city gate just before the sun was overhead.
Even though he had only ever been there once in his lifetime, there were quite a few people who went to the city to trade after the harvest period. And twice a year trade caravans come to their village. Adventurers and archaeologists had also been visiting their villages frequently in recent years. All of these people passed through Thage city.
Actually, the name of the city used to be Thagham, but after the war foreigners called the city Thage, because it was easier to pronounce.
Arsh approached the southern gate of the city and showed his identification documents to the guards. Some of the stationed guards were from Kurshan, while others were Symranian.
As he entered the city, he realized it didn't change even the slightest since he had come here as a child with his father for the first time. The streets were crowded with thousands of people, each looking different, dressed differently, and speaking different languages.
Along the streets stood two-story, sand-colored Thagham-style buildings standing side by side. Under the awnings on the ground floors, small stools were scattered about, and people sat on them in the shade. The fronts of some shops overflowed with spices, carpets, copperware, and clay pots and vessels.
The spicy aromas drifting from different shops mingled with the scent of the incense being sold at a stall a little farther ahead.
As Arsh moved deeper into the city, he noticed the silhouette beginning to change. The Symran-style buildings he had seen in books rose in the city center, their many-storied structures casting shadows over the streets and the two-story Thagham buildings.
He didn't go into the city center. He sold his horse in one of the outer districts and found an inn to stay at. After leaving his belongings and resting for a while, he went over his plan once more.
Searching for Professor Millway and his group within the city was pointless now; they had most likely left already. Even if they were still here, he needed information about them. If that was the case, only two possibilities remained: either they had taken the train or they had departed by ship.
First, Arsh had to find out where they had gone. They had probably left by ship, but he still needed to learn which city they were headed to. He had a couple of guesses, but he needed to narrow it down to one.
For that, he needed to find a man the elders of Surhamil had told him about. This man was also from Surhamil, but had moved to the city after marrying a woman from Thage. He now worked as a guard at the gates, which meant he would be able to gather information about the men Arsh was looking for.
After resting for a while, Arsh asked the innkeepers for the location of the guard office and left. The security seemed pretty high in the city. He could see that there were a lot of guards with navy blue uniforms and guns on every corner.
When he arrived at the guard office, he saw guards from his own country standing watch at the garden entrance.
"Arianna's blessing be upon you. I'm looking for a relative of mine who works here as a guard. How can I reach him?"
"What is the name of your relative?" the one with the beard asked
"His name is Nesame"
He shook his head. "He is on guard at the west gate now. Come again this afternoon."
Arsh thanked them and left.
Now until he found Nesame, he would take care of things things he needed to do. He had a lot of money with him. The elders were generous; even though he knew that wasn't his actual money, they had added more for him.
But there was a problem. He wouldn't be able to travel with this kind of money.
Before coming to Thage, a few people who had done business here before advised him to deposit his money in a bank. He was aware that such a system existed, but he knew little about how it actually functioned. They told him to go to Moneta Bank. He learned that if he deposited his money there, he would be able to withdraw it safely from wherever he traveled, as the bank had branches in many places, including Symran colonies and other countries.
When he entered the bank, he was met with strange stares from the people inside. The security guard at the door stopped him and asked why he had come. After pausing for a moment to decide what to do, he looked at Arsh and then led him to a woman sitting behind a desk in a partitioned area.
He was well aware that everyone in the bank was looking at him like he was some kind of weirdo. He understood why. He was the only person dressed like that, in his long white tunic and a tulle veil covering his face.
When the young woman saw Arsh, she scoffed.
"Yes, state your business." she said without looking Arsh in the face.
"I want to deposit money. 1,000 aurin," he said in Symranian. This time, the woman's eyes turned to Arsh with curiosity. She pulled out some papers and a pen from her desk drawer and handed them to him.
"I understand. Can you please fill out these forms?"
As Arsh began filling out the papers, he lifted the veil from his face.
"Can you read it?"
She wanted to be sure that this person could understand Symranian. Usually, she was responsible for Kurshans, since she was the only one who could speak their language in the bank. But generally, it was difficult to deal with people who had no idea how the banking system worked.
"Of course" Arsh said with a smile.
The woman smiled back. It was interesting to see a native speak Symranian so well.
But something seemed off. This guy looked so young.
"Hmm… If you want to open an account, you need to be of age. We can't open an account for a minor without a guardian. How old are you?"
Arsh looked at her in bewilderment. No one had told him about this.
"Well, I don't have a guardian. I recently lost them, and inherited this money from them. It wouldn't be safe for me to carry this much money on my own, would it?"
The woman wasn't sure what to do.
"No, of course not. Wait here for a second."
When she returned, she gave a slight smile before sitting down.
"I've spoken with the manager. Unfortunately, we cannot help you. Since you're a minor, you need a guardian or a guarantor to make a deposit."
Realizing there was no point in arguing, Arsh thanked her and left the bank.
He hadn't met Nesame yet, but perhaps he could ask him to be his guarantor. But he needed to secure at least some of the money he had with him. During his journey, this money was the only thing he could rely on.
After wandering the streets for a while and getting something to eat, he started walking toward the guard office again to find Nesame. But then he got a strange feeling. It felt like someone was following him.
'Is it possible someone saw me at the bank and is tailing me now…'
He wasn't sure if someone was actually following him or if he was imagining it. His instincts had been sharp in the desert, but the city was a different story. There were too many people, and he couldn't fully sense his surroundings.
'Whatever. I'm going to the guard office. If someone really is following me, they'll stop once I get there.'
When he arrived at the guard office, the guards at the door were different this time. Arsh repeated the same question as in the morning. After scrutinizing him for a moment, they finally responded.
"Come with me." The guard led Arsh into the courtyard and told him to wait there. A few minutes later, a man in his thirties, with a short beard and medium height, appeared alongside the guard. The man looked at Arsh with slightly furrowed brows, as if he wasn't sure whether he recognized him or not.
When they reached the courtyard, Arsh greeted Nesame.
"May Arienne's blessing be upon you. I was sent by the elders of Surhamil. Do you have a moment?"
When Nesame heard the name of his hometown, a smile appeared on his face.
"Of course, brother. Come with me."
They left the courtyard together and sat on stools at a tea shop across the street.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're not from our town. Who are you, and what brings you here? Tell me."
Arsh calmly summarized what had happened. But as he spoke, he noticed the change in Nesame's expression. A few of the people from their town had been his friends. Hearing about their deaths left him in shock.
When he first saw Arsh, his face had brightened, thinking he had brought news from his village, but now it had frozen. but now it was frozen. He didn't speak for a moment, then asked,
"Why?"
"I guess the reason doesn't have any importance now."
They didn't talk for a while, but Arsh didn't want to beat around the bush.
"Can you help me?"
Nesame looked at the young boy. He couldn't even imagine the fear he must have felt, yet he showed no emotion on his face. If it had been him, he probably would have gone crazy after such an event.
"Whatever you need, just tell me. If it is something I am capable of, I will help."
"You work at the gate. You can see the records of everyone who enters the city, right? Help me find the records of these people: their names, where they came from, and where they went."
"I can do it, but it will take time. I don't have the right to look at the records myself, but I can ask the other guards. Let's meet again tomorrow. Where are you staying?"
Arsh told him about his inn. He told Nesame every little detail he remembered about Professor Millway and his men.
After talking for a while, they went their separate ways.
…
Late at night, Arsh arrived at the inn and went straight to his room.
Inside, there was no source of light; only a thin beam of moonlight slipped through the closed curtain, illuminating a single corner while the rest of the room remained in darkness.
Arsh let himself collapse onto the bed, feeling exhausted.
A few seconds passed. He exhaled slowly, then spoke into the darkness.
"Who are you?"