"I need protection." She said in a very somber tone.

"From who or what?" Eva asked, feeling confused. She found it strange that Vaelonea, who was strong for her level, would ask for help. Vaelonea wasn’t as powerful as Eva or Alaric, but she was still tough, especially for someone who had only reached the Flesh-refinement stage. Eva started to wonder what could scare someone like her.

If something was worrying Vaelonea this much, Eva guessed it could be a problem for everyone. But what really puzzled Eva was how much trust Vaelonea was showing in her. It felt strange, almost like Vaelonea believed Eva could handle things that even Eva wasn’t sure about yet.

"I don’t know." It wasn’t the answer Eva wanted, but she could tell Vaelonea was telling the truth. Vaelonea seemed just as lost about the danger as Eva was, only certain that something bad was out there.

"So you want protection from someone we know nothing about?" Eva replied, frowning a little. "That’s pretty risky, don’t you think?" She didn’t like the idea of defending against a threat they couldn’t even name. It made her feel nervous and unsure what to do next.

"I know you can tell if I’m lying, so I won’t bother trying to deceive you." Eva’s reputation for seeing through deception was well known among practitioners. When she began recruiting for her organization, her uncanny ability to discern truth from falsehood forced applicants through rigorous evaluations. Only those who could stand up to her scrutiny, and the promise of the organization’s rewards, ever made it through.

As a result, even though her organization offered the most lucrative positions in the city, fewer than a hundred people had ever been accepted. Alaric had entrusted the entire operation to Eva, confident that her standards and integrity would maintain its reputation.

"Ever since I was a little girl, it felt like something dangerous was always nearby. At any moment, I thought something terrible could happen. Whenever I went near a dark room or even a shadowy corner, I felt like someone, or something, was watching me closely. Imagine being five years old and feeling scared all the time, not knowing who or what was there." As she remembered, a chill ran down her back. She tried to stay calm, but her hands started shaking without her meaning for them to.

"So, do you mostly feel this way at night?" Eva asked gently, watching Vaelonea’s face for any change. Eva wanted to understand exactly when these feelings happened, hoping it might give her a clue.

"Yes," Vaelonea answered, nodding. "When I go to bed, it feels like the room is closing in on me. I can barely breathe sometimes, and it makes it really hard to sleep."

Eva wondered to herself, ’Could it be some kind of spirit, like the ones that are after me? If that’s true, maybe we can help her. I want to help her. She’s been dealing with this since she was five, and whatever it is hasn’t actually hurt her yet.’

"I will agree to it, depending on what you have to offer." She would love to help, but she still has to offer something in return; that was how trades work. If she truly wants to help without benefits, then that wouldn’t be a decision she could make alone. Her life and Alaric’s were irreversibly linked together; putting herself in danger would mean putting his life and potentially the future of this world in danger. That would be the height of selfishness, and that wasn’t a trait she possessed, nor was she willing to bear such a burden.

Without saying much else, Vaelonea took out a shiny gold card and placed it on the table. The card looked almost exactly like the ones Eva and Alaric owned. "I can give you this card. It gives you fifty percent off at the Sura Apothecary."

"If that’s your offer, then I’m sorry, but I can’t accept it," Eva said right away, her tone firm but not unkind.

"Why not? The Sura Apothecary has special things you can’t find anywhere else in the city. With the alchemist in your group, you could make a lot of money. Fifty percent off is a huge deal," Vaelonea argued, clearly surprised that Eva would turn down such a generous offer.

Instead of replying right away, Eva reached into her bag and laid out three gold cards on the table, just like the one Vaelonea had offered. She also set down several silver cards and a handful of bronze ones. After her conversation with Alaric about what made this city different from others, Eva had made collecting these special cards a top priority. With the resources and connections her organization gave her, finding them had become much simpler than it would have been alone.

Along the way, Eva learned that gold cards were very rare, while silver and bronze cards were a bit more common. A gold card gave you 50% off at certain shops, silver cards got you 30% off, and bronze ones offered a 15% discount. These cards could make a big difference for anyone trying to get ahead in the city.

Vaelonea stared at the pile in shock, her mouth hanging open. "No wonder I couldn’t find any gold cards. You must have figured out how special this city is before almost anyone else," she said, clearly impressed. "People are just starting to understand it now, but you were ahead of the curve. That’s pretty sharp." Vaelonea’s respect for Eva grew even more in that moment.

Eva smiled a little. "You figured it out, too, didn’t you?" she asked, recognizing that Vaelonea must have her own reasons for knowing about the cards.

Vaelonea lowered her voice and pouted, "It’s not the same. I was cheating," she admitted, looking a bit guilty but also playful.

Eva heard her comment but chose not to ask more. Everyone had their own secrets, and Eva figured that, in time, the truth would come out on its own.

"Since the card doesn’t seem useful to you, I’ll give you information instead, and not just once. My only condition is that you don’t ask where I got it from," Vaelonea said, sounding careful and a little nervous.

"Alright, go ahead," Eva replied. She decided she would only accept the deal if the information was actually valuable.

"You’ve probably noticed there are a lot of special cards in this city, but most people have no idea how many exist," Vaelonea explained, sitting up straighter. "There are only four gold cards, fifty silver cards, and one hundred bronze cards in total."

She paused and looked directly at Eva, hoping to see surprise or interest, but Eva’s face didn’t change.

Vaelonea went on, "There’s also a secret card that no one has ever gotten before."

Eva kept her expression calm, not giving away any hint of what she was thinking.

"It’s called the purple card. Whoever has it gets total freedom over the city while they’re here," Vaelonea said, lowering her voice as if sharing a big secret.

Eva couldn’t help but smile. "A purple card, huh? So how does someone get their hands on it?" she asked, her curiosity clearly piqued.

Vaelonea looked relieved by Eva’s interest. "You know how the city runs without a real government or a city lord?" she asked, wanting to make sure Eva understood the setup.

Eva nodded. "Yeah, my group and I have noticed that since we’ve been here," she replied.

Vaelonea leaned in, speaking more seriously. "To get the purple card, you have to become the city lord," she said, glancing around to make sure no one else was listening.

"That’s interesting. We’ve thought about the city lord position before, but never actually planned to go for it," Eva admitted, rubbing her chin, a habit she’d picked up from Alaric when he was deep in thought.

"So, how exactly does someone become city lord?" Eva asked, leaning forward with interest.

"The city lord’s job is to rule and keep everyone safe. At some point, there will be a big event, a test, where you have to protect the city and its people. To pass, you have to do it perfectly: no one can get hurt or killed," Vaelonea explained, speaking slowly so Eva could take it all in.

"Interesting, if you hadn’t told me, I probably would have tried to protect everyone anyway, but maybe not well enough to keep everyone safe," Eva said, thinking it over. "Do you know what kind of event it will be?"

"Unfortunately, I don’t know what the event will be," Vaelonea admitted.

Eva started to ask, "Where did you get..." but then remembered what Vaelonea had said about not asking too many questions, so she stopped herself. After thinking for a few moments, Eva stood and reached out her hand. "Welcome to the team, Vaelonea. Let’s hope this partnership works out," she said with a small smile.

Vaelonea stood as well and shook Eva’s hand. "Yes, me too. I hope this partnership lasts a long time," she replied, her voice full of hope.