The guard leads him to a side room, where he is joined a few minutes later by an elderly human man and a teenage gnomish girl.
"Welcome to Muzz. We heard you needed information on the Ancient Cities. I will translate for you, and Princess Manila will decide what information is suitable for the public." The human greets him with a heavy accent. He must have lived here in the city for most of his life.
"He doesn't look all that bad. I wonder what he did the insult the guards?" The princess asks her translator, and Cain laughs.
"I may or may not have answered him in Forest Elven."
"You speak Gnomish? More importantly, you spoke hippie to a Royal Guard and didn't get stabbed? That alone is impressive."
The translator isn't quite sure what to do now that it is clear his services aren't needed, so he takes a seat off to the side and waits while they talk.
"I am on a mission to find a relic of the Ancients. So far, I haven't had any luck, but the young prince of the Demon Kingdom suggested that your city might have a lead." Cain explains.
"Aggron? Do you mean Aggron? He is to be my betrothed, an alliance between the Kingdom's Royal families." Princess Manila informs him, standing up out of her chair.
"What is he like? Is he handsome? Kind, strong, noble?"
"He is very kind, brave to the point of fearless and a bit handsome. You will love his wings. Feathered wings are very soft and warm."
"Why would I worry about the softness of his wings?" The princess asks, confused.
"Oh, maybe it isn't a gnomish ideal to be held in the strong arms of your gallant-king, wrapped in his protective embrace, safe from all enemies while he wakes and from nightmares while he sleeps?" Cain jokes, and the princess blushes a shade of red that no human can turn. It is as bright as red Goblin skin, brighter and more vibrant than even most species' blood.
"Hush, you. It is a political marriage, not an interspecies romance novel like they sell in the red light district.
"It could be both. I will put in a good word for you when I return if you like?" Cain teases, and he can see the older man hide a smile.
"That won't be necessary. But if you see him again, could you tell him good things about me?" Her voice turns hopeful at the end, and Cain smiles.
"I will write a letter glorifying all your finest points today before I leave if you have any information on the relics of the Ancients. It seems the Elder Progenitor King destroyed all of them that he could find."
"Everyone did. The only things they left behind were too dangerous to be allowed to continue existing. Dangerous things, horrific things. Can you imagine how it would have turned out if humans or Beastkin gained the ability to transform anyone into the perfect soldier at will? They would take over the world." Princess Manila explains.
"So you don't know of anything left?" Cain asks sadly.
"There are three ruins left in the grasslands that aren't fully cleared. The Ancients put a barrier around them that none can break without destroying a good chunk of the continent. We might be having water supply issues, but this would be much worse."
Not just one but three ruins hidden behind barriers? That is excellent news.
"If you could draw me a map, I will begin writing that letter for you." Cain declares, thrilled to finally get a solid lead.
"You weren't joking about that? Why would they take you seriously?" The princess asks.
"I share a special bond with them. They will read my letter." Cain announces with absolute certainty.
The old man brings them both pens and paper, and Cain begins to write his note.
[Your Highness Aggron,
I do hope this letter finds you well. Your advice led me to Muzz, and I have found myself in the presence of a lovely young Princess known as Manila.
I have shown her only as much as she needs to know to help, nothing frightening from the past. Please take her in and treat her well. She is a very kind and gentle soul.
Your Ancient Friend,
Cain
PS: Gnomes have a soft spot for romance.]
The letter probably isn't necessary. Going by the diminutive size of Aggramor's natural form, the Gnome Princess was most likely his ancestor, but it couldn't hurt.
Cain rolls the letter, then looks at the wax and wonders what sort of signet to seal it with. Short on ideas and knowing his Long Fang Valley signet means nothing here, Cain slightly adjusts the shape of his thumbprint to create a stamp in the shape of his Ancient form's head. That should be obvious enough to prove the letter isn't a fake.
"If you can have this sent to the Karrack Royal Palace for Prince Aggron, it will complete our deal," Cain announces as Manila finishes the crude map.
"I put rough distances on there. Hopefully, it is enough for you to find what you need." She agrees, looking at the signet mark on the sealed letter.
That concluded their business, and with a round of polite goodbyes, Cain heads back out into Muzz, exploring the Dark Elven sector this time.
He sits down on the benches beside the statue of the spider queen that he gathered the moss from last time he was here and notices that the legs of the statue have greasy hand prints all over them.
Most likely it is from kids climbing on the statue, and someone will eventually clean it, but Cain takes a piece of cloth from his inventory and wipes the legs down anyhow. That's much better, he decides, taking out the one-a-day hot breakfast pack and enjoying a meal in the underground park.
Seated where he is, he can't see the statue's eyes glow as it activates, nor does he notice the blessing it bestows on him.
With travel circles, the letter reaches Prince Aggron before Cain is finished eating. The boy reads it over twice, then takes it to his father.
"Look at this. The Ancient sent me a letter. He went to Muzz and vetted my bride for me. I don't know if he did anything, but she sounds perfect." The young Demon exclaims, hugging his father's leg as the King reads the letter.
"You did receive a great blessing this time. Congratulations, son." The King had worried about who would be sent for the alliance, as his son didn't want a Harem, but it appears that the problem has been taken care of.
