We exit a hangout spot for the elderly with no new information. I take my hood off my head and let it relax on my shoulders. This is beginning to look much harder than I originally thought. I'm tempted to storm the palace now. I'm not stupid though, that'll cause way more problems than it's worth. I look towards Sally, and she is frustrated too. The elderly were even more uncooperative than the bartenders we asked. Many of them had very nasty things to say. I'm not going to repeat the vulgar stuff. "I can't believe that man called you something so rude! I get they are old and can get away with certain things, but that was ridiculous!" Anyone we talked to basically had the same thing to say. I didn't know getting old can make someone so bitter.

It might be from living longer than the people you care about. I know I'd be bitter if my loved ones passed before I did. "It's fine, Sally. In honesty, it's funny. You wouldn't think someone so old can say such things. Some of the insults made me laugh, like the one of me looking like I help elephants give birth." I chuckle to myself as I repeat that insult. "That's not something you hear every day." While not entirely accurate, still funny to hear. Try not to chuckle as someone says that to you in an old man's voice. "That was the last obvious spot we could check. I say we find another good inn and take the rest of the day off. I'm mentally beat from dealing with these people." Having to talk to so many people in the span of two days isn't something I really like.

Sally nods her head in agreement and stretches in place. As she is about to speak, someone bumps into both of us out of breath. I look at the person, and it's the bank manager. He is red in the face from running. He is on the heavier side. He looks at me in desperation, but every time he tries to speak, he loses his breath. I stand patiently waiting for him to speak. After a whole two minutes of him gasping for air, he speaks. "We need your help." He takes a big gasp after relaying that obvious message. What I'm curious about is how he found me. Was he told or something? "Mercenaries came in an hour ago and told us if we don't replace the missing money, we'll be killed...." So someone hired mercenaries. They have to have a lot of money to be able to do that.

He stands up straight now that he can speak without looking like he'll puke. "They said to send a representative to the old cotton factory on the east side of the city. What are you going to do? You promised you would help us." That's a bit of a stretch. I never said I promise. However, when a man says something, it should be a promise regardless. You shouldn't have to say the words 'I promise.'. I look to Sally, and she nods her head in agreement. The bank manager's face has relief wash upon it. I don't respond to him, and I turn and start walking away. We are heading to this old factory in the east part of the city. I wonder who it was that decided that this was the way to deal with a poor bank. It's the cities responsibility to ensure currency flow, not the banks.

It could be some noble at the Marquis level or higher. "I have no idea what we are walking into, but if it comes down to a fight, make sure that you are on guard. A person with a lot of money is capable of absolutely anything." Sally has a dark expression on her face, one ready for a fight. Almost hoping it would happen. I'm certain that during her time as a slave, she was abused and assaulted by nobles. I don't know how bad it was. I can only imagine, and if she wants to kill them, I'm not going to stop her. I would want to do the same thing if that happened to me, and I will help her if she comes to that decision. She has helped me so much already, and I can't see my travels without Sally anymore. So that means the things she wants to do become mine too.

We spend an hour trying to find the old cotton factory, and after some asking around, we find it. It's a red brick building with many chimneys coming out the roof. There are some windows, but there aren't many. I notice a pair of guards standing at the entrance looking directly at us. I guess we are expected. I walk up to the door and two guards with caution. You never know what someone might pull. "Head inside. The bosses are waiting." Bosses, huh... More than one. It's rare for corrupted leaders to work together. Unless something more is going on here, I haven't noticed anything out of the un-ordinary. Everything is starting to look more than just a noble having a problem with the bank. We walk inside and the setting sun shining through the very few windows is all that lights the giant empty room.

I hear footsteps on a catwalk coming from in front of us. I look up and see three shadows. They are just out of range for me to use inspect on them and vise versa. "We are going to get straight to the point. We lured you here using the bank. They aren't in trouble. We have heard you are looking for a crew. Do you mind sharing what you're after? It could end up aligning with what we are after." Straight to the point, indeed. It looks like I need to work on my discretion. I look at them for a moment before answering. If these were law enforcement, they would have tried to arrest me. So that rules out that. If they were nobles, we wouldn't even be meeting. They'd send assassin after assassin after me until I left.

I fold my arms and close my eyes. If I'm not careful here, all my quest go down the shitter. "I need a crew for a complex job. Before I say anymore, I'd like to know who I'm dealing with." I hear them whisper back and forth. After a couple of seconds, only one jumps down. Why risk all three when you can only risk one. Smart. He looks at me, and I look at him, he is wearing very powerful gear, and I can tell that he wields a powerful class. He gestures for me to continue. "I need an item from the palaces treasure room, The Dice of Wayland. I have an entire plan worked out for it. I need the correct crew members to pull it off." The man in front of me looks up to the other two on the catwalk, and I see their heads move in the shadows.

He walks forward slightly and relaxes. "We need to hit the palace too, but not for the treasure room. We need someone to distract the masses and all the royalty in the palace. Once that is happening, we can make enact our personal plan. We can adjust our plan and get you your item if you distract for us." So they are looking to get into the palace themselves. Their plan works perfectly with mine, I don't have to change a thing, and all they have to do is make a slight detour and get me my item. "However, we have to know if you can properly distract the royalty and guards at the palace. Do you already have any ideas on how to get that working?" I smile and tilt my head at the man. He waves his hand in a circle for me to explain.

I take a breath, and I toggle my wings on. My big golden wings appear from my back and stretch out in power. "I already have all that covered. I take it these tell you all the information you need to know." He has a surprised expression on his face, and the other two on the catwalk come down and into the light. These three guys are very powerful. I'd die if I were to take on more than one at a time. I'm glad this went smoothly. Sally has stayed quiet this entire time, but I can see she holds no malice anymore. These guys aren't nobles. They are like us—people on personal quests. "So let's discuss a plan. I already have one, but I need to hear your guy's plan just in case I need to change anything." As Cera and the newly formed crew begin to talk, many things are happening all over Gaia.

One of those things being a meeting in The Holy City. It's a meeting to discuss the monster's latest plan in the war. The exact meeting is about what the angel halo lost in ruins they are searching means. More and more is happening all over Gaia, and nothing can stop the winds of change.