The large man that called for him earlier was now standing behind Snapper while smiling amicably.
They both occupied each of the empty seats beside me and Amber, and the strong scent of ale stung my nose making me recoil slightly.
The man's pungent smell and large size was making me feel uncomfortable, but that didn't compare to the way his eyes remained fixed in my direction, while he scratched his bushy red beard, which hung from his dubious visage.
"The name's Larg." He spoke in an incongruently cordial way despite his rough appearance. "You're quite a peculiar one."
"Sorry?" I replied, unable to maintain eye contact with him.
"You're a part of the Northern wolf pack, ain'tcha? I can tell from the yellow eyes and constricted pupils. It's strange that you don't actually look like a wolf, but there are still some resemblances here and there." He leaned into my face, closely examining the details hidden within my eyes.
His stench caused me to hold my breath indefinitely.
I also noticed that he was staring at my shackles, but decided not to comment on them for some reason.
"Hey, Larg. Remember what we discussed?" Fortunately, Snapper's words managed to rescue my sensitive nostrils from further torture.
"Oh, right. I apologize, mister…"
"Wolf… You can call him Wolf for now," Snapper added, "and this thing sitting beside me is Amber."
"Thing!?" she yelled, seemingly fighting the urge to knock his head over with her clenched fist.
"Ah, I see. So these are your new friends, huh...? Are they strong?"
"This one was able to dodge a close ranged attack from me." Snapper pointed at me, before switching over to Amber, "and this one was able to scare off a whole pack of black tigers."
The tension within Amber seemed to regress as she straightened her posture like she was gloating.
"Black tigers?! They were able to take on second level dungeon beasts already...? I see... you've found yourself some fierce comrades, Snapper."
Larg nodded several times as if coming to a conclusion.
"Yes, they should do well when aiding me in a battle!" he bellowed in excitement.
"Aiding you? What is he talking about?" Amber asked while facing Snapper with a concerned expression.
"We're going to be forming a party with him, and this is not up for debate," Snapper sternly replied.
I withheld my judgement as I was unsure of how much this strange man could possibly contribute to this "party" we planned to form.
"You're kidding me, right?" Amber protested.
"What did I just say?"
Amber groaned. "I was already on the fence about this whole 'becoming a Collector' thing, but now you want me to team up with some random guy who looks like he sleeps on the streets?... No offence."
"Eh? Who the hell told you where I live?" Larg replied, taking a long swig of the remaining ale in his cup.
"... Anyway, if I do decide to go along with this, what makes you think we'll be able to trust him?"
"Cuz he possesses the knowledge of an experienced Collector: something we're all lacking in. Trust me, he's someone we want to keep on our side," Snapper answered.
"Alright, let's get started, shall we?" The giant beside me leaned forward against the table, bearing a stern expression.
It surprised me that he could suddenly initiate a look of concentration despite lacking sobriety.
"If you have any questions before we begin this lesson, now's the time to ask 'em."
"I have one." I awkwardly put my hand up as I spoke, waiting for permission to ask something that had been on my mind since it was introduced to me.
"Go ahead."
"What exactly is a CCU?"
"Oh?" He turned to Snapper. "I know you said he was a complete amateur, but I didn't realize it would be this bad."
"Well, the more you know, right?" Snapper replied with his arms folded. "But this should give you an idea on how much you'll need to cover."
"So I see..." Larg returned his focus to me before answering. "CCU is the known abbreviation for 'Card Containment Unit'. It can come in different versions, usually depending on how much storage you feel you need."
So in other words, it was a storage device that Collectors used to hold their cards.
"I understa—"
"But that's not all," he added. "The most common version is that standard box unit, which people normally have attached to their gadget belts."
Larg pointed to the CCU's that Snapper distributed between Amber and I.
"Once the license process is complete, every card that you claim will be transported inside it, only to be summoned and reactivated. Your cards can also be traded if you're seriously that passionate about it. Generally, a CCU's gonna be the most essential thing you'll be needing as a Collector."
"What about the other versions?" Amber asked, leaving the device on the table in front of her.
"Well, most of them can only be found within the Black Market districts, but I don't think it's necessary to discuss these types of things here... at least not right now."
Larg's eyes nervously wandered around the room as if to make sure no one was eavesdropping on our conversation.
"That's understandable," Amber accepted.
"Like most devices, using the CCU requires Vision power," Larg continued. "The only difference is, it requires spiritual Vision: energy from within, as opposed to the typical power sources like Vision capsules or Vision rods."
Larg explained that by using the CCU, one can create something called a Vision field that allows them to summon and activate their cards.
"What exactly is Vision?" I saw an opportunity to ask, eliciting Larg's detailed exposition…
"Vision is the key essence of power in this world, which manifests itself in the form of spiritual energy, originating from one's mind and soul. However, it's not something that can be dominated or controlled very easily as one's mind is bound to wander while the soul always remains constant. There are certain things capable of drawing out the spiritual Vision within us, like the CCU and the cards themselves."
I unconsciously made a puzzled expression that Larg must've taken notice of.
"Think of it like this: within your average person, the mind and the soul are two completely different things, and because of that, they are always fighting one another. You can think of the cards and the CCU as their mediator: something that can synchronize the two, allowing you to see things from a clear perspective."
In other words, Vision was just an unstable form of energy that could be placated via external objects and devices such as cards or CCUs.
"I think I'm able to understand the concept now with that analogy. I'm grateful for your explanation, Mister Larg." I lightly bowed, feeling satisfied that I was able to comprehend everything much clearer than before.
"I want to emphasize that Vision isn't exactly something that everyone can just control at will..." Larg's sudden dark expression added a disturbing weight to his following words. "However, there are incredibly special cases that exist in this world."
I watched Amber's eyes shoot toward me nervously, before quickly returning to Larg.
"Wh-what do you mean by special cases?" she asked.
"I've never met one of them myself, but people nowadays refer to 'em as the Visionaries: rare individuals who possess dominion over spiritual Vision by mediating the mind and soul automatically. To be able to pull something like that off, you basically have to be some kind of monster. It's scary what those kinds of people are capable of."
A monster, huh? For some strange reason, that word eerily seemed to resonate with me.
"Could you explain what it is they're capable of, exactly? You know, just in case I happen to run into one at some point... which probably wouldn't happen since they're so rare like you said... hehe..."
"Well, I've never seen it first hand, but I can tell you what I've heard."
"S-sure, go ahead."
"Apparently, they use these strange abilities referred to as the Visionary Arts, which are classified techniques in the form of stages. In the first stage they should be able to do everything that you'd need a CCU for."
If that were true, it meant that they could not only summon the cards themselves, but store them somehow without even needing the device.
"Interesting… What about the second stage?"
"No clue," Larg confessed, throwing his hands in the air with a shrug. "Unfortunately, there's a limit to the amount of information I have on 'em, since they're so rare and all."
"Don't worry about it," Snapper said, while rapidly shifting his gaze between me and Amber. "We don't need to know anything about Visionaries since they're practically impossible to come by. Right, guys?"
At this point, I was wishing the ground beneath me would open up and swallow me whole, but I remained silent, afraid to arouse suspicion.
"Y-yeah, I don't think I'll ever be able to meet one–not even for over a thousand lifetimes, haha," Amber added with an awkward laugh for whatever reason.
I was starting to feel concerned about the way those two were excessively trying to divert attention away from my secret... emphasis on trying.
A moment later, our surroundings fell to an abrupt silence as I watched a rather elegant-looking individual glide past the station's entrance, seemingly in search of something.
It was almost as though everyone in her vicinity felt obligated to revoke their right to speak. That was the kind of presence she had upon entering this hall.
"Moving on from that, is there anything else you guys would like to—"
Before Larg could finish speaking, a gauntlet-covered hand lightly fell on the giant's shoulder, causing him to pause for a second.
"Hmm? Need something?" He casually said, staring at a young blonde woman equipped in freshly polished armor of a gold and silver-colored plating.
Realizing she was successful in gaining his attention, she retracted her hand before speaking.
"Are you the one known as Larg Loman?" Her voice had a gentle and yet condescendingly imperative tone, as though she were from a background of nobility or some other kind of authority.
"Yeah, who's asking?" He raised a bushy red eyebrow at her as if judging whether or not she was an enemy.
I then turned to Snapper, who glared at her with barely restrained hostility, while gradually reaching behind his coat. Although I considered his caution to be slightly excessive, I could understand why given the circumstance.
"Allow me to introduce myself," the woman began. "I am Princess Meleragine Melanargia II of the Melanargia Kingdom, but I would prefer if you could address me as Mel moving forward. It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Mr. Loman."