CK looked around the interiors with an appraising nod. "Not bad," she commented.
"The Turtleshell Inn isn't as grand as the hotels in the upper district, but it's close competition when it comes to comfort," Mel said, dropping his bags by the couch.
The rooms they reserved were connected to a single waiting area and a large aquarium wall. CK's eyes sparkled as a few colorful fishes swam by.
"Pretty," she said, wondering how their fins would look like as decoration on platter. She knocked lightly on the glass walls, startling the fishes and causing them to swim away.
"How long will we be staying?" CK asked. "Two days. My contact says we'll meet them tonight at the auction. We need an alibi in case people suspect that we participated at the event so we're staying for another day," Mel answered, "Use this time to look around. But if you're planning to go somewhere, I need to know. Got it?"
"I get it. So long as you don't stick to me the whole time," CK said. "I've got work to do so consider yourself lucky," Mel chuckled, "Get settled in your room. We'll go together tonight."
"Fine," CK dragged herself and her luggage to the room opposite to Mel's. The nobleman snapped his pocket watch shut before heading downstairs, leaving his belongings at the waiting area.
A few white turtles swam by the walls when CK walked in. CK placed her luggage on the edge of her bed and stretched her arms over her head.
Afterwards, she dug through her belongings to prepare for an afternoon stroll. She found her pouch of glass vials, each of them containing questionable liquids that were best sealed away from the world. She placed them away and found a folded dress.
"Here it is," she said and put everything away. She heard a caw overhead and was not surprised when a crow landed on the windowsill. Its golden necklace shimmered under the sun.
Malphas said.
"Daemons? At the Blue Lagoon?" CK turned to him.
"But Almadel is thousands of light-years away from Kelter... Huh. The influence of daemons can be terrifying and intriguing at the same time," CK muttered thoughtfully.
"That's the plan," CK smiled mischievously. She placed a sunhat over her head, "We'll look around the main island and try some of the local cuisine."
"That won't be a problem for me. I'm sure they can spare me in exchange for some tasty magic chicken."
After a quick stop-by with Mel, CK received his (unneeded) permission to explore the places around the Turtleshell Inn. It was when they were far away when CK saw how the inn resembled a large turtle made from glass aquariums. The carriage landed long before they arrived, so she never got to see it from the skies.
The cities on the main island were full of buildings and houses made from white rock. Wind chimes were hanging from doorways and posts, swaying to the winds and never letting the air be silent. Terraces of crystal blue waters decorated the side of the roads leading up the slope.
To the locals of Never Isles, CK was a typical, airheaded tourist that wanders around without a care for security. Still, the brooch decorating her outfit and the off-putting black bird following her prevented any could-be thieves and gang members from striking.
CK stopped by a tailoring shop and observed the dresses on display. Her lips twisted and she hummed in dismay.
"The dresses are so fitted," she said, comparing the fashion trends on Never Isles with those on the mainland.
The sleeves were flowing and so were the skirts of the dresses. They wouldn't look good on her. CK shrugged it off and continued to wander around.
Her eyes sparkled when she stopped by a stall selling accessories. CK picked out a brightly colored pearl bracelet and turned to the crow perched on her shoulder.
"It looks like a cute necklace for you, Malphie. Care to try it?" CK teased.
"I'm sure it will look wonderful on your pet, young miss. Will you purchase it? I can offer a 20% discount if you buy two more accessories," the stall owner said to CK enthusiastically.
"Why not?" CK smiled mischievously. After purchase, she attempted to clasp the bracelet around the black crow's necklace. However, the unenthusiastic bird flew off before CK could do anything, causing CK to snicker.
'Aww, not fond of sparklies, Malphas? I thought it was in your nature,' CK's thoughts reached Malphas.
The rest of the afternoon was a page torn out of a slice-of-life novel. Whether it was sampling food from different establishments, visiting known sceneries, or staring in awe at the local products, CK didn't shy away and granted herself privilege to admire everything while there was free time.
She admired the frescoes at the city center. The colorful strokes depicted the story of Never Isles: from the dark side of the rivalling clans to the establishment of order under Pan. If there was one thing the frescoes never missed, it's that every wall has a painted water current surrounding the subjects of each display.
'Pan, a member of the Marchen and the deus ex machina of Never Isles,' CK thought with intrigue. They show the islands' history, but she has yet to come across information on Pan's origins before appearing in the picture.
Was he a native? Or a foreigner who intervened? Who knew? There's no record.
But these were all passing thoughts. By the time the sun was setting and the pastel skies turned mango orange, CK retraced her steps and returned to the Turtleshell Inn.
Dinner was brought to CK's room, and she got dressed for the auction. The event was going to be full of extravagant guests, so CK wore jeweled accessories that fit her dress–all so she could blend in and avoid attention.
Once satisfied with what she saw at the vanity mirror, she got up and took the black cloak folded on top of the bed sheets. She clasped the pins together and she hid away her family brooch. She looked at the mirror to appraise her appearance.
"Dressing up just to cover up. The irony," CK giggled.
"Oh, loosen your belt, why don't you? You sound more concerned about the plans more than I am," CK said.
Malphas chuckled.
"Duly noted," CK replied, taking the last ingredient to complete her outfit: the feathered crow mask resting on the vanity table. She wore it over her face and stared at the mirror one last time.
The emerald, green eyes underneath the mask swirled until it showed hints of gold. Malphas is right. CK should make the most of her time.
Melbourne was wearing a sharp-looking suit: black, white, and a silken maroon necktie. He wore a painted half-mask hiding his upper face, not truly intending to hide his identity. He heard the door swing open and shut from the other side of the waiting room, finding the masked girl in a black cloak.
"Cool mask. That's not the one I gave you, though," Melbourne tilted his head upon seeing CK's mask. The beak was short and curved, serving to hide CK's lips.
"Your mask does not suit my dress. I may not be fond of parties, but I don't like to dress tacky," CK humphed.
"Haha! Sorry about that. Guess I should've asked you what you were going to wear," Melbourne laughed lightly and offered his elbow, "Let's go. We're meeting the broker before the auction begins."
Mel arranged for a carriage to take them both to Blue Lagoon. As expected, all sorts of transportations were lined up and tended to by the bellboys. While there were decent amounts of terrestrial carriages, most were yachts anchored at the ports of the hotel.
Guests from both land and sea were attending to celebrate the hotel's anniversary, but no one was sure whether they'd be there for the 'after-party'.
Thanks to Mel's invitation letters, they managed to get in uneventfully and without suspicion. By the time they entered the lobby, the ball was in full swing. Guests were absorbed into the dance, the floor side chatter and gossip, as well as the intrigue of the other guests.
"So it's true! Lady Francis and Lord Thane really are here."
"Together?"
"Yes! Do you know what that means?"
"I thought it were just idle rumors, but are those two...really engaged?"
"Judging how they're so close to each other, they must be!"
"Aren't they a lovely couple?"
"I think so... I pity Lady Francis. Has she not heard about Lord Thane's–"
"Hush now! Plenty of the guests here are associates of Lord Thane's faction. Don't get us into trouble!"
The whispers did not escape the duo. However, only Mel seems to pay attention to his surroundings.
"Oh? Interesting..." Mel smirked as he stared into the distance, "I didn't expect them to make a public appearance. Out of the blue, too."
Across the vast, decorated lobby were two people magnetizing the attention of the guests: a young lady whose bronze skin was embraced by feathered specks, and the tall man of unimaginable paleness standing protectively next to her.
At first, it seemed nothing more than a couple enjoying the ball. But if one were to look closer, one would see the feathers beneath the young lady's ears and the webbed fins of the man.
"A merman and a harpy... Haha! That's cute," CK's eyes twinkled. How would that kind of couple work out?
"They're bigshots, both of them coming from prominent clans. Last I heard, the marriage between them was a set-up to de-escalate potential war between business tycoons. I didn't think they'd let themselves be this open," Mel said.
"I see. So it's all about politics. But I was wondering more about what kind of offsprings would be produced given the... circumstances of their races," CK said amusingly, "Let's get going."
It was a momentary distraction. The duo lost interest in the topic and left the lobby to climb the higher floors. Mel occasionally ran into a few acquaintances and spared a bit of small talk until they managed to get to the private floors higher up in the hotel.
They were aiming for the higher floors. The silence of the higher floors were a stark contrast to the lower floors, and so were the purposes for building either one. While the lower floors were to accommodate guests, the higher floors were built to conduct the other side of business.
By the time they arrived at the seventh floor, the doors were sealed by runes and guarded by men in suits. Yet one look at Mel and the guards allowed them to pass through. Whatever Mel did to get that kind of privilege was admirable–almost enviable to a few.
The point beyond the doors is where the real deal was. Sophisticated stalls were lined up across the vast floor, and the chandeliers were all dead. The light sources one needed to navigate came from the stalls, beckoning people to come close.
A few dozen masked people were looking around leisurely, admiring what was on display and purchasing what caught their fancy: jars of preserved fetuses, a few exotic animals in cages, or weapons of mass murder... They were there, ready to meet their owners at the right price.
CK's eyes widened as she looked around. Mel noticed the look on her face and smiled wryly. "Shocking, isn't it? Some of these things could get us into big trouble just for looking at it," he said.
"That's expected... But still," CK was in awe. "Don't worry, we won't stay here for long. Come on. What we're looking for is on the next floor," Mel said.
Unfortunately for Melbourne, CK's attention was not truly on the stalls. Her gaze fell on multiple masked people, each of them surrounded by dark energy, binding them to the shadows beneath their feet.
'People under daemonic contracts,' CK thought, remembering what Malphas told her. She smiled. These people were up to interesting things.
They ascended the staircases. The elevator could not take them any higher, for that was where the truly powerful were gathered. Those intending to get to the highest floors had to ascend the stairs, or a special elevator rumored to be hidden somewhere on the seventh floor.
The next floor resembled more of an exhibit rather than a market on the previous floor. All sorts of items were in the glass cases, ranging from cursed trinkets and jewelry, to masked fairies and malnourished dragons smuggled from beyond the Farisian Woods.
CK could sense surges of energy from a few of the items on display, most of them unkind and hostile. She was walking past the cases until she laid her eyes on a particular item.
Her eyes widened in shock, and she stopped abruptly. Mel turned to her, confused.
"Is something wrong, CK?" he asked. "That's..." CK blinked and approached the display case, "I didn't expect to find one of them so randomly."
She stood in front of a case. An astrolabe made of shining, translucent material was seated, each of its rings frozen in their orbits with no signs of functionality or use.
"I can't believe I got this lucky!" CK grinned. "What's gotten your attention?" Mel approached and looked at the astrolabe.
"Looks like a trinket to me. I wonder what's so special about it. It doesn't seem to be working at all," Mel observed the item, "Looks useless, actually."
"To you, it might be useless. But to me... Heh," CK grinned and got even closer to the display case.
'A star map; One of the fewest successful attempts to chart the star seas,' CK thought. What were the chances that she'd find one in this world?