”It looks pretty normal,” Jake said as he looked down at the city known as Paradise. ”Very well-defended too.”

”The question is if those walls and barriers are to keep monsters out or the people in,” Peter said with a frown.

”Perhaps a bit of both,” Carmen added.

They were all currently standing on top of a cliff, looking at the city below. It was defended by many natural barriers and had tall cliffs on nearly all sides. Finding it had actually been a bit difficult due to how well-hidden the city was, and one of their defensive barriers also had a stealth component. It was pretty crap compared to what Skyggen had, but it was likely good enough to fool most people and beasts.

”Just saying, we’ve been spotted,” Jake said as he noticed a presence lock in on them. Well, to call it a presence was not entirely accurate as when Jake looked around, he noticed a crystal embedded in a large boulder not too far away. It was from that the gaze originated, and Jake assumed it came from some magical surveillance system.

Jake turned towards the crystal and looked at it to make it clear he knew. He wasn’t if the crystal could also communicate audio, so he waved at it once as he waited.

”What if they attack us?” Peter asked, a bit concerned.

”Then we show them why that would be stupid,” Jake answered with a shrug.

He did not feel any presences within the city that he felt especially concerned about. Though he had to admit, he felt far more powerful auras within than he had expected.

The city of Paradise was a well-built city with large houses and mansions of stone and wood. It had one of those mixed styles between medieval and modern, but it was clear this place was far more wealthy than most other cities. The houses were incredibly high quality, and the builders had even added many cosmetic touches to make the mansions look more expensive.

There were still a few less-than-fancy buildings scattered about. They looked a bit like apartment complexes, and Jake guessed this was where the workers lived.

In the center of Paradise was the largest of all the buildings. It was a tall stone building, probably about fifty stories high, and with far more fancy construction than any other place. It was massive and dwarfed every other building in its surroundings. It was surrounded by several other high-rises, all about twenty stories and in similar styles.

”This looks like one of the places my dad used to own a vacation home,” Peter mumbled.

”Yeah…” Carmen said as she stared, lost in thought. ”Jake, when we go in, can we try to be a bit… subtle? I want to take this slow and not raise a ruckus right away unless we need to, okay? I want to find out what is going on before my family knows I am here.”

Jake threw her a glance and nodded. ”Alright. I want to investigate this place, too, so we probably shouldn’t just start blasting. Also, incoming.”

Over a dozen cloaked figures were rapidly approaching them, and Jake at first thought they were perhaps related to the Court of Shadows due to the dark magic used by one of them, but on closer inspection, it was just regular dark magic and not the special branch of shadow magic used by followers of Umbra.

While their stealth skills were far from good enough to hide from Jake even before they entered his sphere, it was clearly good enough to fool Carmen and Peter. Sylphie seemed to have also noticed them only a bit after Jake, but he knew she had her own weird Sylphian methods.

The figures appeared around Jake and the others a moment later, with only five of them revealing themselves. Nine others spread out in the area surrounding them. They kept a safe distance and stayed in stealth, ready for if Jake or the others turned out to be antagonistic.

“Quite the welcome party,” Jake said the moment the five figures appeared. All of them wore dark cloaks and entirely black masks with only holes for the eyes. They were not that much different from Jake’s own mask aesthetically beside the color and wooden texture. Jake obviously used Identify on the man at the front right away and got a not-that-unexpected response.

[Human – lvl ???]

The man looked at Jake and the others for a moment as his eyes lingered on Jake. Finally, he smiled and removed his mask, revealing the face of a man in his thirties. “I apologize. We were not informed or aware of the Malefic’s Chosen visiting Paradise.”

Jake wasn’t surprised they knew who he was and had honestly been more busy looking at the guy as he finally got around it. There we go.

[Human – lvl 141]

It was a bit like Phillip way back in the day. Jake just needed an extra moment to circumvent whatever the person used to hide their level. Considering the guy was at a lower level than himself, it wasn’t that hard.

“I didn’t exactly announce my travel plans anywhere,” Jake quipped back.

“Understandable. May I ask your purpose in visiting Paradise?” the formerly masked man asked.

Jake tossed Carmen a glance, and she nodded as she spoke up. “He is here with me. I am looking for some people that I heard reside within the city.”

“Hm, I am not able to share any personal details of any residents per the law of Paradise, not even if the ones you are looking for do indeed reside there. Do not misunderstand; it is not that I am unwilling to share but unable. We simply do not collect any information as subtlety and anonymity is a cornerstone of the city and a necessity due to the clients we serve,” the man explained.

“They are in the city,” Jake just said. He could feel the mana signature similar to Carmen’s father’s wand somewhere down in the city below. Jake was unable to pinpoint where in the city due to the barriers defending the pace, be was certain he got a response from there. In other words, Carmen’s father was there.

“There you have it,” Carmen said.

“I see,” the cloaked figure sighed. “ May I know what your business is with these people? Needless to say, we would prefer to avoid any issues or disruption of daily operations.”

“No,” Carmen just shut down the line of questions.

The man looked a bit troubled as Jake just waved it off. “Are you going to show us the city or what?”

“Very well,” he finally relented as he took out two masks from his inventory. “Here, have these free of charge for your two companions. Using masks within Paradise is customary, and they assist in hiding your energy and identity. They even have an enchantment capable of blocking out most mundane Identify attempts.”

Jake swept them up with a few strings of mana. He inspected them briefly and found them working as advertised before tossing them to Carmen and Peter. Both of them put on the masks after also briefly examining them.

“May I know what kind of role the hawk serves?” the man also asked.

“What do you mean?” Jake asked, already ready to get angry at the man calling Sylphie a pet.

“Just merely if it is a companion capable of combat or a pet of some sort. I assume it is the prior due to the hawk’s power,” the cloaked man explained further. “In either case, the hawk will be bound by the same rules as everyone else, but be advised there are certain… activitiesbeasts are unable to partake in.”

Jake had no fucking idea how to respond to that as Carmen looked mortified after putting two and two together, with Peter looking a bit confused.

“Ree?” Sylphie asked, equally if not more confused.

“Nothing,” Jake just said before throwing the cloaked man a glare. He seemed to get it as he backed down and continued.

“Please follow me if you will,” the man said as they followed him down the cliffside. “Paradise offers all kinds of amenities for those willing and capable to pay. Please let me know if there is anything in particular you are interested in.”

“First, show us a good place to stay. We plan on being in Paradise for a bit,” Jake explained. This seemed to put the man at ease. Jake could see why as he was probably wondering what the hell the Chosen of the Malefic Viper was doing visiting this city so far away from Haven. Unannounced even.

“Naturally,” the man nodded gladly. “Just a few things for when inside Paradise. Murder, thievery, extortion, and violence of most forms are not allowed unless consented to. Besides that, expect liberal rules and the ability to do whatever you wish. I do not doubt the Chosen is well-off, so you will find most of the city more than willing to welcome you with open arms.”

Jake just nodded, pretty sure there weren’t that many things Paradise offered that Jake was interested in. Well… there was one thing, but that was only if they had time. He would have to discuss more with Carmen once inside as he wasn’t entirely clear on her plans. Though, to be fair, he had a feeling Carmen wasn’t either but was just making things up as they went.

Making it into the city was easy with the five cloaked figures escorting them. The other ones who had been hidden had just slipped away without revealing themselves- Their entrance did get a few glances as clearly new people usually didn’t enter through the front gate.

“I heard you had some teleportation issues?” Jake asked once inside. From what he knew, Paradise was a city sustained by visitors, so he would assume the lack of teleportation to the city would cause issues, but from the looks of it, he was a bit off.

The streets were some of the cleanest he had ever seen. People walking on the road were well-dressed, and the storefronts and large buildings were immaculate. He was sure that things were not as rosy in the poorer residential areas, but clearly, the buzz was still on.

“Heh, sure, they like to say that, and the hypocritical United Cities Alliance did cut off the teleporters… the public ones, that is,” the man said with a smile as he pointed towards a large building in the center of town squished between the high-rises. “That is the teleportation station. While many cities cut off the public teleporters, there were often back-ups placed elsewhere or simply ones hidden and reserved for the elite. Those they sure didn’t bother to cut off. It is all just empty posturing.”

Jake would lie if he said this information surprised him. People in power acted like absolute assholes, and politics was a shitshow before the system, so why would giving people superpowers change that? Shit, wouldn’t adding personal power on top just make it worse? And speaking of worse, Jake had one thing he wanted to check.

“What kind of wares does Paradise offer? Of the more… controversial kind,” Jake asked.

The cloaked figure looked back at him and shook his head. “If you are asking if we sell slaves, then no. I cannot speak to if any slaves exist or if such deals occur under the table, but there is no public trade, and selling and purchasing slaves is officially banned. Now, If you are looking for drugs of any kind or even people willing to sell their services for special experiences, we have those aplenty.”

Jake narrows his eyes a bit at the response. Is Sultan somehow involved in Paradise? Or the people who run it?

The response clearly communicated the guy knew Jake’s stance, which he had only openly really talked with Miranda, Sultan, and a few others about. It was also possible he was just aware of the rules of Haven, but Jake had a feeling it was more than that.

Following the man, they got a quick tour of the city and were introduced to several establishments. As expected, the three primary industries in Paradise were drugs, prostitution, and gambling. Below that were the high-tier hotels and other forms of entertainment such as a circus, something akin to a theater, and even a cinema. Jake had thought the cinema a bit silly until he discovered something interesting… they had actual movies from before the system. Primarily older films.

When the system had arrived, it had wiped out most technology, but film rolls had apparently survived. Jake also learned that day that the film industry had used film rolls a lot longer than he had expected, and it was only barely a decade before the system the industry fully phased them out.

It was interesting hearing and seeing the city, and Jake didn’t know if he should be surprised or not by the lack of any so-called “fucked-up shit” so far. Sure, they had passed a few strip bars, stores openly selling recreational drugs, and plenty of casinos, but that was it. There was no one openly propositioning people in the streets or people being tortured on the streets or anything like that.

Finally, they made it to one of the biggest buildings in the entire city. A grand tower of expensive marble stone and glass. Jake could see it was expensive and extravagant just by looking at it and staring into the lobby. There were even two security guards outside, and Jake was sure this was the equivalent of a five-star hotel in the old world.

It was a hotel… and a casino. Of course it was also a casino.

“We shall take our leave here,” the masked figure said. “For transparency reasons, I must inform you that the leadership of Paradise has already been made aware of your arrival and where you are staying. The Chosen will likely be contacted during your stay.”

Jake nodded, having already expected something like that.

The cloaked men disappeared after that, and the four of them made their way into the casino-hotel hybrid. Jake actually found it a bit refreshing that his accommodations were not just given for free or covered by the leadership of the city, making him pay for it himself. He paid for them all as he booked three adjacent rooms on one of the highest floors, and they made their way up the elevator.

“This feels so… normal,” Peter frowned as they made their way up the elevator. It was far slower than just jumping or flying themselves, but hey, it was a fun novelty and reminder of the old world. Thinking about it deeper, the last time Jake was in an elevator had been the day the system arrived.

Quite a lot has happened since then, huh, Jake thought as he kept quiet.

When they made it to their floor, they walked through the well-lit and decorated hallway before making it to their rooms. Each room had a keycard, but rather than chips inside, they each had a small array and used the mana signature of the person with the card. Once more, it was kind of well-made and smart, proving the people behind Paradise had some real talents among them.

The four of them decided to enter the room Jake and Sylphie would share as they closed the door and took their seats at a table. Jake decided to swipe some bottles of alcohol from the bar in the room, knowing full well he would get scammed by how expensive it was. He ignored the pills and powder also on offer.

Carmen took out a small token of sorts and was about to activate it when Jake shook his head. “No one is listening in or observing us, and the room is enchanted quite competently.”

“Are you sure?” Carmen asked skeptically.

“Yeah. I am also a bit surprised, but it seems like Paradise at least sticks by its own rules of respecting anonymity,” Jake answered, adding. “So, what are your plans now?”

They were there for Carmen and her business, after all.

“I think I just want to look around a bit alone for now… as long as you can show me where they stay,” Carmen answered as she looked at the mask she had placed on the table. “I doubt they will recognize me, and I want to meet them without them knowing it is me.”

Jake nodded and looked at Peter, who answered after thinking a bit. “I guess I will go scout out the place a bit. I know nothing of Paradise, and I am sure my father would be more than interested in knowing how it operates.”

“What about you?” Carmen asked Jake.

Jake just smiled. “It’s gambling time.”