"I need the most detailed map to the Tataat Desert," Rhaegar said to a red-haired bartender in a lively tavern somewhere on the border between downtown and ghetto, placing a few gold coins on the table, "If you can 'hand' me the map before it gets dark today, you'll get as much gold as this." ”

Said's currency is not the same as Sata's, but due to maritime trade, money is often circulated between different continents, which makes it common to see the value of a coin not by its denomination, but by the amount of gold and silver it contains. Each of Rhaeggar's gold coins is made of pure gold, and any one of them can make a middle-income family live well for a few months, no matter the continent, which is enough to buy what he wants from some underground black market.

The bartender quietly put the gold coins in his pocket, "Find a room here for the time being, you'll get it before dark." He whispered, and walked away to greet the other guests as if nothing had happened.

Although he had never been to this continent, his wealth of experience led him to find this tavern in the first place, and he knew very well that in such a city near the edge of the desert, there would always be places that were legitimate shops on the surface, but behind the scenes, most of these places were supported by officials and the city's underground forces, and often wandered between black and white. With a 'door' and enough money, one can 'get' anything legal or illegal here—and of course, sell it to the people here, and the most common of all the public identities used as a disguise in all these places is undoubtedly a tavern or inn in or near a slum.

With a map from the water demon and directions from the Explorers, Rhaegar could have reached his destination without such trouble, but as he set foot on the continent, Rhaegar suddenly found that he could no longer contact the Seekers, and the map he kept, despite its detailed description, was confined to an area of less than a hundred square kilometers, and it was no easier to find such a place in the Tatat Desert, which occupied almost a third of the area, than to find a needle in a haystack.

"Give me a quiet room," Rhaegar said to the other 'waiter', "I'm going to spend the night here." He placed a silver coin on the table as a drink money, then stood up and followed the waiter to the backyard.

"I hear you're looking for a map of the Tattata," a man bigger than a bear walked into Rhaeggar's room and sat down without the latter's invitation, "you're a mage, and you want to enter the Tatat Desert too?"

Rhaegar looked at the man in front of him, "Who are you?" he asked. Behave like an outsider who doesn't want to be known his secrets and is wary of everyone, "I don't know you." ”

"Now that we know each other," the other man didn't flinch from Rhaegar attitude, his face full of flesh was full of smiles—like butchers smile at their prey—"My name is Klat, and I belong to the Lano's brotherhood in this city. ”

The name that should have been thunderous had no effect on Rhaegar from another continent, "Good," he said calmly, "we know each other now, you can go." Dangerous flames danced in his eyes, and anyone who knew the mages well knew that at times like these, it was best not to disturb these people anymore.

But Klatt doesn't seem to understand this. "Listen," he said, "I know what you want, maybe we can work together." He scanned his surroundings alertly, then lowered his voice, "We've been preparing for this operation for two whole years, and now that everything is ready, getting there is as easy for us as walking from the city to the suburbs, but there is no doubt that the addition of a mage will make the operation more secure, and for a single mage, the protection of a group of the most 'elite' warriors is equally important." ”

"I have companions," said Rhaegar as he looked at Hel, who sat in a chair beside him with bared teeth, and who had learned how to change his appearance in the prime of life, and who now looked like an uncivilized savage orc, "My servant is worth a small army." ”

Klatt chuckled, his mouth almost reaching his ears with a smile, "Yes, he's really 'good'. He looked at the snow ape with a little awe, "But that's not enough. In the desert, you have to be prepared for all kinds of events: a sandstorm there can send a hundred orcs like him into the sky, and you can't even know when the sandstorm will come unless you have an experienced guide, there is only a few places where there is water, and there is no one to lead the way, you may not find a water source for a hundred years, there are poisonous insects hidden under the sand, even if you walk in front of them, you can't find it, and if you are bitten, no one will be able to save you. Believe me, even a mage is absolutely impossible to reach his destination with just one map. ”

Rhaegar was silent, as if considering the other man's words. Obviously, this was a great misunderstanding, there must have been something going on in the desert that attracted a lot of attention—perhaps a relic or treasure—and the Klatt in front of him regarded him as one of the people who had come for it.

"That's a good idea," Rhaegar thought, "the Lookouts have lost contact, and perhaps they have now fallen into the hands of someone in that city, even if they are only discovered and destroyed, which is likely to alarm some people, and in this case, a mage who steps alone in a dangerous desert will undoubtedly attract more suspicion." ”

Rhaegar had made up his mind almost instantly, but he didn't show it right away.

"I don't understand," he said to Krat, "why did you invite me to this event on the fly, since you've been preparing for it for so long, you know, we didn't even know each other a minute ago." ”

He stared at the other man tightly, the glint in his eyes was enough to make a beast feel the pressure, "You're trying to get a mage with terrifying power to set foot on your ship, and you don't mean to go into the details of this ship. ”

The invisible coercion made Klatt feel suffocated, and for the first time, the warrior who seemed to be indifferent to Rhaegar 'revealed' nervousness, "We need a mage. He swallowed hard, and said in a dry voice, "Although the story has been circulating in this area, a month ago, it was limited to a few cities on the edge of the desert, and almost no outsiders knew about the existence of this legend. If, at that time, our men, including a hired mage, are sufficient to handle all the challenges of the desert, yet in a month, at least a dozen groups of men have poured into the cities on the edge of the desert, and at least half of them are far superior to us, in this case, we must find foreign help. ”

He seemed to get used to the pressure from Rhaegar and began to speak fluently: "We were aware of your presence long before you entered the city - maybe we are not as strong as those outsiders, but in this city, we are the real masters, and in fact, the tavern you are in now is our business." We didn't come to you out of nowhere, at least, we all have a common purpose, and we all need help—the dangers in the desert that I just mentioned can be called pediatric compared to the explorers who are bent on getting the treasure alone, who are ahead of schedule or are entering the desert. ”

"You're a 'good' foreign officer," after a moment of deep groaning, Rhaegar finally agreed to the other party's proposal, "but first, I must know your true strength, and more importantly, I must know what I can gain from this 'transaction'. ”

Rhaegar's attitude made Klatt breathe a sigh of relief, his heart was far from being as calm and calm as he appeared on the outside, after all, for any ordinary person, mages are the most difficult to 'deal with' and the most difficult to mess with.

"Your reward depends on your strength and contribution to this team," Klatt carefully worded, "You know, this is obviously not for me to judge, my job is only to find out your attitude, and our leader, who is also the other mage in this team, will make the final decision." He observed the other man's face, "Either way, I'm sure that a mage will be paid far more than any of us—not even our leader. ”

"In that case," Rhaegar whispered, "you can go." Before Klatt could understand the meaning of the other party's words, a gust of wind appeared in the room without warning, and the guy, who weighed at least a hundred kilograms, flew out of the blown window like a rag under the influence of the wind, and half a minute later, the sound of his second floor falling to the ground was heard outside the window.

"Come in," Rhaegar shouted out the window, "since you want to work with me, talk to me yourself, and besides, let the guys with the crossbow bolts get out of here, I don't guarantee that you'll have the patience to tolerate these bugs later." ”

"As you wish. A gentle voice entered the room, and a moment later, the door opened, and a handsome middle-aged man in a mage's robe walked in through the door, "Welcome to my city." He said politely to Rhaegar .