As the scene of meeting the mysterious lady flashed in his mind, Caleric also remembered what she had said to him. The lady who claimed to be Thisia had warned him not to pry into things he shouldn't.
Caleric also remembered the mysterious card she had given him before disappearing. He quickly opened his drawer and started looking for the card.
How did I forget about her? Caleric kept searching, and soon he found it—a very normal-looking business card.
It read: Fine Divine, Circle of Divinations and Mystical Arts: Thisia, Seer and Diviner.
On the back, it had a catchy phrase: "The stars whisper, the cards reveal, the smoke remembers." At the corner was the address: Hall of Fine Divine, 47 Moon Lane, Moonveil District.
A divination club? Oh, it's a scam... This is new. Do these diviners now go to random people saying stuff like "fate did you wrong," and when by chance something does happen, like in my case, people think the divination was real. What a scam!
Caleric threw the card on his table and began thinking about what to do next. It was only then he remembered something—he was in a world where supernatural phenomena were common! Divination and mysticism were possible.
With this new thought, Caleric couldn't bring himself to just push the possibility to the back of his mind. After a while, he finally decided what he would do: he would visit the diviner named Thisia.
Caleric quickly got up from the chair and got ready to go outside. He had not taken a bath, as living at home for two years as a shut-in had disturbed his usual cycle. He found it better to take baths at night before sleeping.
Caleric got ready, wearing his usual clothes, and went downstairs. Cally was also dressed and heading out.
"Where are you going?" Cally asked.
"To get some fresh air, and you?"
"To Mr. Vincent's..."
With that, the siblings left. Cally did not take an arcavel as usual; she had a habit of walking to the workshop. On the other hand, Caleric walked in the other direction for a while and then got into an arcavel. Moonveil District was far.
I have to talk to Cally about the matters. I won't tell her my doubts, just the general idea. She is smart, so she should realize that our stay will be a bit longer.
I also have to get a lawyer to fight the case. According to that government official, it'll be better for me to get a private lawyer than depend on the one the government provides. The chances of winning the case will be higher. Why does this case even require a lawyer? I don't quite get the legal stuff much, but I'll keep that in mind.
Lastly, I need a job—anything that could guarantee a stable income. This is absolutely necessary for my survival. I wonder how Mom would react if she knew her son was working this hard to get his life on track. Would she be proud?
While Caleric was thinking through various different kinds of things, the arcavel finally stopped. They had arrived at Moon Lane. Caleric paid the sum of 1 Milith in two 5 Obel notes. He now only had enough left for two more such trips.
Moon Lane was definitely up to its name. The streetlights were big lampposts with circular globes, and Caleric noticed each lamppost had a different colored light. He could only imagine how it looked at night.
The houses in the area were more vibrant than the rest of the city, and the streets were cleaner. There wasn't the characteristic hustle and bustle that Upper Street had. Instead, the few people walking, minded their own business.
On his entire way, Caleric didn't see anyone talking to each other, which was very different from his own neighborhood where small talk was the norm. Overall, the place gave off a rich vibe, and Caleric could sense it.
Caleric navigated his way through the lane and finally stopped at his destination. It was a big building, and a signboard with the name "Fine Divine Divination Hall" hung above it.
Caleric entered the building through the massive double doors that were already open and was greeted by the receptionist.
"Hello sir, how may I help you?"
Caleric didn't say anything. Instead, he took out the business card from his pocket and showed it to the receptionist.
"Oh, you are here to meet Lady Thisia. Take the right corridor and then the second left, divination room number 121."
Caleric walked through the right corridor. The place was very big, it was as if a proffessional club, he was stating to think that divination might actually be a big deal.
On his way through the corridors he could hear weird noises from certain room but he paid no attention to them and walked straight for the room number 121.
He knocked on the door.
Tok Tok Tok...
The door opened, but there was no one to greet him. It seemed to have opened on its own. The room inside was completely dark. He made his way in. Only when he was deep inside the darkness did he see a candle flicker, and a face emerged from the shadows.
"Who are you?"
"All mighty Caleric."
"Who?"
Thisia, holding the candle, suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu as the scene from the previous week flashed through her mind. Recognizing her visitor, she let out a small chuckle and said,
"You sure have a good sense of humor. You're that brat from the rich family, right? Follow me. Ah, watch out—there are things scattered on the floor, watch your steps."
It was far too dark for Caleric to watch his steps, and he inevitably stomped on something soft. Whatever it was let out a shrill cry and jumped away.
"Heh, that's my cat, Chameleon."
"Chameleon?"
"Yes." Thisia didn't elaborate as they walked over to a small table. She placed the candle on it and sat behind. She then gestured for Caleric to sit in front. Taking out two more candles, she lit them and set them on the table.
After finishing all that, she finally looked Caleric in the eyes and asked:
"What would you like to be divined?"
"Did you know what would happen to me beforehand?"
"I suppose so. Why do you ask? As a divinist, why wouldn't I?"
"What exactly did you know?"
"2 Obel"
"Why is this so expensive?"
"Because I am a professional."
"Whatever. If you answer me and I am satisfied, I will give you whatever price you ask for. Answer me: what exactly did you know?"
"Let's slow down, Caleric..." Thisia chuckled. "There are a lot of things that are going to happen to you and this is merely the start of it all. Just so you know I am not swindling you, I know your foster family was killed last night."
She knows my name; that's not too difficult to figure out. But the fact that she also knows about the murder... it is not in the papers yet. It's either she got this news from some other source, or that she really knows something.
"Are you related to the murder in any way?" Caleric asked, looking into her eyes.
Thisia felt a little uncomfortable with the eye contact. She had met many people in the past, but such an intimidating presence was rare for her. Still, she somehow managed to keep her cool.
"I am a divinist. I only know about it, I am not related to it in any way."
She is not lying. Caleric could easily tell by looking at her reaction. In a way, Caleric was a walking, talking lie detector.
"So what can you tell me about the murder? Can you divine the perpetrator?"
Thisia shook her head and said, "I can only warn you of upcoming danger. I can only see that your journey ahead is full of dangers."
What a scam... Caleric stood up, took out two 1 Obel notes, and placed them on the table.
"Thank you, I'll be leaving." As Caleric turned to leave, he heard a small chuckle from behind.
"Are you sure, Caleric? Don't you need this money more than I do? Jobless... very low money..." Thisia said.
Caleric turned halfway to the door.
"I know you have a total of 2 Milith on you right now, counting these two Obel."
Caleric was taken aback for a moment. He didn't believe it. Thisia had accurately told him the amount he carried. He walked back to the table and sat down, staring directly into her eyes. He didn't bother taking the two Obel notes lying in front of him.
Thisia grew more uncomfortable with him staring like that. It felt as if he was looking directly into her soul, and she didn't like it at all. But she somehow managed to keep a calm face.
Caleric could already sense her discomfort. It was exactly what he was hoping for. He wanted to create pressure on her to get the information he needed. He opened his mouth and spoke,
"What do you want?"