Aidan immediately nodded.
“Understood.”
“Start with this inn first.”
“The inn?” Aidan was a bit confused.
Matthew said, “The innkeeper, the waiters, the people at the stables—you can ask all of them.”
Aidan thought for a moment and asked, “What should I ask?”
Matthew looked at him.
“Ask about the general situation in the royal capital’s East District.”
He spoke very slowly.
Aidan immediately put down the bread in his hand and pulled out a small notebook and a charcoal pencil from his robe.
This was a habit he had developed on the road.
Whenever Matthew’s instructions were even slightly complex, he would write them down.
Seeing this, Matthew’s gaze softened slightly.
Aidan was indeed not strong or clever enough, but he was obedient and willing to learn.
For a subordinate, that was already very important.
Matthew continued, “Find out which are the main streets in the East District, where the Chamber of Commerce District is, where the ordinary people live, and which areas to avoid at night. Get those clear first.”
Aidan nodded as he wrote.
“East District main streets, Chamber of Commerce District, ordinary residential areas, places to avoid at night.”
Matthew said, “Then ask if there are fixed patrol squads near the Gold Lion Inn and how often they patrol at night.”
Aidan continued writing.
“Patrol squads, frequency.”
“Also,” Matthew paused for a moment, “ask if there are places in the capital that specialize in selling second-hand goods, rare items, or adventurer loot.”
Aidan looked up at him.
“The black market?”
Matthew didn’t answer immediately.
He picked up his dinner knife and gently sliced a piece of roast meat.
The blade pressed through the meat, and juices slowly seeped out.
After a moment, he said, “Don’t mention the black market directly.”
Aidan felt a jolt of realization.
“Understood.”
Matthew looked at him, his tone steady. “An outsider shouldn’t ask about a place like the black market right away. The more direct you are, the more inexperienced you seem. Without experience, it’s easy for people to treat you as an easy target.”
Aidan’s expression became serious.
“Then how should I ask?”
Matthew set down his knife.
“You can ask about second-hand markets.”
“You can also ask where adventurers usually go to sell their gear.”
“You can even ask if anyone sells rare materials, damaged weapons, or old books brought back from their travels.”
“If someone is willing to say more, then follow their lead.”
Aidan lowered his head to take notes, whispering softly to himself, “Second-hand markets, places for adventurers to sell things, rare materials, damaged weapons, old books…”
Matthew nodded.
“Correct.”
Aidan asked, “Should I go see for myself directly?”
“You can go, but on the first day, only observe. Do not go deep.”
Matthew’s tone became slightly firmer here.
“Remember, first learn the roads. Don’t buy anything expensive.”
Aidan nodded hurriedly.
“Yes.”
Matthew continued, “If you see something truly useful, don’t rush to buy it. First, remember the stall, the location, the seller’s characteristics, and the price. Then come back and tell me.”
Aidan asked, “What if it’s cheap?”
Matthew glanced at him.
Aidan immediately realized he had asked too hastily and added, “I mean, if it’s just a very common, small item.”
Matthew said indifferently, “You can buy common items.”
“Like what?”
“A map of the royal capital.”
Aidan wrote it down immediately.
“Map.”
“The more detailed, the better, but don’t buy the most expensive one right away. Buy a common version first, then see if there are more detailed sectional maps.”
“Understood.”
“Then buy a few sets of inconspicuous clothes.”
Aidan was startled.
“Clothes?”
“Yes,” Matthew said. “Buy one or two sets each for an ordinary attendant, an ordinary adventurer, and an ordinary city resident.”
Aidan didn’t understand at first, but he quickly caught on.
Brother Matthew was planning to change identities for his movements.
Currently, they were staying at the Gold Lion Inn and were dressed quite decently.
If they kept going out like this to gather information, they would easily be remembered.
Changing into ordinary clothes would at least make them less conspicuous.
Aidan felt admiration while quickly jotting it down.
“Ordinary clothes—attendant, adventurer, city resident.”
Matthew continued, “And buy a few cloaks.”
“The colors shouldn’t be too eye-catching.”
“Grey, dark brown, or black will do.”
“The fabric should be ordinary, and they shouldn’t have any crests.”
Aidan nodded.
“Yes.”
“Also buy some practical small items.”
“What kind of items?”
Matthew said, “Flint, thin rope, small knives, ordinary ointment, food pouches, water skins, needles and thread, wax blocks, and simple locks.”
Aidan’s hand was busy writing.
Matthew watched him take notes and only continued after he finished. “These things aren’t expensive and won’t attract attention. But if something happens, they can be useful.”
Aidan said seriously, “I understand.”
Matthew added, “Furthermore, ask if there are places in the city that specialize in selling information.”
Aidan’s hand paused.
“Can I ask that?”
“Not directly.”
Matthew took a sip of soup, his voice remaining steady.
“You can ask where a newcomer to the capital can find well-informed people.”
“You can ask at taverns.”
“You can ask where caravans usually go to inquire about road conditions.”
“You can ask where adventurers go to hear news before taking missions.”
“Don’t say you want to buy information as soon as you open your mouth.”
Aidan understood.
“So, ask indirectly.”
“Correct.”
Matthew looked at him.
“You want people to think you’re just a small attendant who just arrived in the capital and wants to avoid making mistakes.”
“Not someone looking for secret channels for a wealthy person.”
Aidan’s heart tightened slightly.
That sentence made him realize that going out tomorrow wasn’t just a simple errand.
If he said one wrong word, he might cause others to notice Matthew.
His hand tightened around the charcoal pencil.
“Brother Matthew, I will be careful.”
Matthew didn’t respond immediately.
He picked up a piece of stewed meat and ate it slowly.
For a while, the only sound in the room was the soft clinking of cutlery.
Aidan didn’t continue eating.
He waited for Matthew’s further instructions.
Only after swallowing the food did Matthew say, “You don’t need to be too nervous.”
Aidan looked up.
Matthew’s tone was calm. “The more nervous you are, the easier it is to show a flaw.”
Aidan froze for a moment.
Matthew said, “Just act like an attendant asking about common information for his master. Asking for directions, rules, where to buy things, where it’s safe, and where not to go—these are all very normal.”
Aidan nodded slowly.
“I understand.”
“What you truly need to remember is not to ask too deeply.”
Matthew said, “If someone is willing to talk, listen. If they aren’t, change the subject.”
“Don’t press for answers.”
“Don’t offer more money to get someone to say more.”
“Don’t act as if you absolutely must know.”
Aidan immediately wrote this down.
Matthew continued, “Also, don’t carry too much money on you.”
Aidan asked, “How much is appropriate?”
Matthew thought for a moment.
“Carry a small amount of silver coins, enough to buy ordinary things and buy someone a drink.”
“If someone asks for a high price, don’t agree.”
“Come back and tell me.”
Aidan nodded.
“Yes.”
Matthew added, “Don’t take any magic stones.”
Aidan’s expression immediately became solemn.
“Never.”
“And don’t mention magic stones either.”
“Understood.”
“And definitely don’t mention my name.”
Aidan was slightly stunned.
“Not mention Brother Matthew?”
“Unless absolutely necessary.”
Matthew said, “You can say you came to the capital with a caravan and that your master has just arrived and wants to understand the situation first. If someone asks who your master is, say he is a guest of an acquaintance of the Fiery Lion family.”
Aidan thought about it.
“Then will they keep asking?”
“They will.”
“Then what should I say?”
Matthew looked at him.
“Just smile and say you’re just an errand runner and you don’t know.”
Aidan wrote this down earnestly.
“Just an errand runner, don’t know.”
Matthew nodded.
“That phrase is very useful.”
Aidan couldn’t help but look at Matthew again.
He suddenly felt that Brother Matthew wasn’t just teaching him how to buy things.
He was teaching him how to avoid being interrogated in a strange place.
Matthew continued, “If someone is too enthusiastic toward you, be careful of that as well.”
“Too enthusiastic?”
“Yes.”
Matthew set down his cutlery, his tone becoming a bit heavier.
“Outsiders who have just arrived in the capital are most likely to encounter two types of people.”
“The first type wants to scam you out of your money.”
“The second type wants to use you to figure out who is behind you.”
Aidan’s throat moved as he swallowed.
“I’ll watch out for that.”
Matthew said, “If someone offers to take you to the black market, introduce you to a big shot, or sell you rare items at a low price, don’t believe any of it.”
Aidan said immediately, “I won’t.”
“At least not the first time,” Matthew added. “Those people might not all be scammers, but you don’t have the ability to distinguish them yet.”
That sentence was very direct.
Aidan didn’t feel embarrassed.
He knew it was the truth.
In a place like the royal capital, he truly lacked the ability to tell who was who.
All he could do was listen to Matthew.
Matthew continued, “Your goal tomorrow isn’t to buy as many things as possible.”
“It’s to bring back a preliminary map of the royal capital.”
“To find out the situation of the three streets surrounding the Gold Lion Inn.”
“To know where to buy ordinary supplies.”
“To know where to hear news.”
“To know which places to avoid at night.”
“If you can find out the entrance to a second-hand market or a black market, that would be an extra gain.”
Aidan wrote these down point by point.
The more he wrote, the more grounded he felt.
Just now, he had been a bit nervous, feeling that something like “going to the black market to buy information” sounded too dangerous.
But after Matthew broke it down like this, he realized that his first step wasn’t to rush directly into the black market. It was to ask around the perimeter, learn the roads, buy ordinary items, and first get a handle on a small part of the capital.
That made it different.
While the task still required caution, it no longer felt like a thick fog.
Aidan said in a low voice, “Brother Matthew, I understand. Tomorrow, I’ll start by asking around the inn, then check out the nearby streets. I won’t go deep and I won’t buy things recklessly. I’ll buy the map, ordinary clothes, cloaks, and some small tools. When asking for news, I won’t mention the black market directly, I won’t mention magic stones, and I won’t mention you. I’ll just say I’m an errand runner who came with a caravan.”
A faint trace of satisfaction appeared in Matthew’s eyes.
“Good.”
Aidan felt a slight sense of relief.
Getting that “good” from Matthew meant that he had understood correctly.
Matthew picked up his cutlery again.
“Eat.”
Aidan only then realized that he had been so focused on his notes that he hadn’t even finished his bread.
He quickly picked up the bread and took a bite.
Just as he bit into it, he thought of something else and asked with his mouth full, “Then… Brother Matthew, regarding information, what should I mainly look for?”
Matthew didn’t scold him for asking while eating.
The question was important enough.
He thought for a moment and said, “First, the rules of each district in the capital.”
Aidan hurriedly swallowed his food and picked up the charcoal pencil again.
“Rules of each district.”
“Second, the locations of the Chamber of Commerce District, the Adventurer Guild, apothecary shops, bookstores, and second-hand markets.”
Aidan continued writing.
“Third, any major events in the capital recently.”
“Major events?”
“Conflicts between nobles, struggles between merchant groups, city-wide bans, people recently put on the wanted list, and streets that shouldn’t be approached at night.”
Aidan’s expression became grave as he wrote this.
These were indeed all useful pieces of information.
“Fourth.”
Matthew paused for a moment.
“Inquire if there is news about the circulation of ancient books, rare materials, or special potions.”
Aidan looked up at him.
That sentence sounded ordinary.
But Aidan understood that what Matthew truly wanted to find probably wasn’t just ancient books and materials.
It was likely things related to spells and wizards.
But he didn’t ask.
He just nodded.
“I understand.”
Matthew glanced at him.
“Again, don’t make your questions too obvious.”
“Yes.”
“Especially do not ask things like ‘where are the wizards?’”
Aidan’s expression tightened.
“I will definitely not ask that.”
“Asking that question would only prove that you don’t know anything,” Matthew said. His tone was calm, but the content was heavy.
“People will either treat you as a fool, an easy target, or a source of trouble.”
Aidan nodded seriously.
“I’ve remembered it.”
Matthew continued eating.
Aidan also started eating again.
The meal became much quieter than before.
It wasn’t because the atmosphere was oppressive, but because both were lost in thought.
As Matthew ate, he organized his next plans in his mind.
The information booklet Regg had given him was certainly useful.
But Matthew wouldn’t rely on it completely.
The reason was simple.
First, that information came from the Fiery Lion family.
What the Fiery Lion family gave him might not be false, but it would certainly carry their perspective.
What a noble family considered important might not be what Matthew considered important. Things a family was unwilling to write down might still exist.
Second, information was time-sensitive.
The booklet Regg gave him might have been compiled recently, or some of its contents might already be outdated.
In a place like the royal capital, shifts in power, changes in prohibitions, and market fluctuations could happen very quickly.
Third, there was often a difference between official information and the situation on the ground.
The booklet would say which areas were safe, which families shouldn’t be provoked, and which merchant groups were worth cooperating with.
But it wouldn’t tell him which alley had someone buying materials of unknown origin at night, nor would it tell him which second-hand dealer occasionally sold fragmented spell notes.
Those things could only be found by tapping into low-level news.
That was why he needed Aidan to ask.
Not to find out everything at once.
But to inquire slowly.
To break the royal capital down into small pieces.
Start with the area around the Gold Lion Inn.
Then the East District.
Then the Chamber of Commerce District.
And only then, go deeper.
Matthew never believed that a single map could show him every path.
True paths were made by walking and by asking.
After finishing a piece of roast meat, Matthew set down his cutlery and looked at Aidan.
“Don’t bring your sword tomorrow.”
Aidan was stunned.
“Why?”
“Just bring a short dagger.”
Matthew said, “A sword is too eye-catching. You need to act like an errand runner, not an adventurer looking for trouble.”
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