The center of Tivian is the Royal Family City of Tivian. The Moonflow River flows through the vast City, but here it takes a few sharp turns. It is said that over five hundred years ago, King of Prit, Edward, the 'City Builder', took a fancy to the terrain here and envisioned using the Moonflow River, which bordered three sides, as a natural moat to build a great castle to protect his Royal Family power. Just like that, the Royal Family City of Tivian rose from the ground and became the beginning of Tivian.
In the years that followed, Tivian gradually urbanized. With the continuous influx of residents and centered around the Royal Family City, the City area of Tivian rapidly expanded, reaching a considerable scale today. Tivian has also become one of the most prosperous metropolises in the world.
Today's Tivian, including the Royal Family City at its center, is divided into five districts, each with slightly different functions. The central Royal Family City is the residence of the Royal Family, and many traditional great nobles live around the Royal Family City. North Tivian, on the other hand, is home to many government institutions such as courts, councils, and municipal offices. Many institutions of higher learning and religious organizations, including the Church District, are also located here.
Unlike North Tivian, East Tivian has a large port area and commercial district because it is near the sea. Tivian's financial center is also here, and many emerging capitalist nobles choose to reside in East Tivian.
West Tivian and South Tivian are much less developed than the others. West Tivian is the industrial district, while South Tivian has the largest slum area. These places are quite poor in terms of both public safety and pollution.
At noon, East Tivian.
The thin haze in the sky remained. At a bustling street corner somewhere in East Tivian, countless pedestrians and carriages came and went. Shops lined the streets, workers struggled forward carrying heavy goods on the sidewalks, while gentlemen with walking sticks and top hats strolled along, chatting and laughing with each other.
A carriage stopped by the roadside. Naifnis, dressed in a long-sleeved dress, wearing a headscarf, veil, and gloves, stepped down from the carriage. After paying the coachman, she walked onto the sidewalk and looked at the lively neighborhood around Captain.
'Sister Vanya said the address is here, right? So where is the stronghold of that organization?'
Thinking this, Naifnis began to look around carefully. After just a brief glance, she locked onto Captain target.
It was at the intersection of two roads, a towering building. This Stone building was seven or eight stories high. Various Stone carvings decorated the walls, and rows of Stone columns stood before the entrance, giving it an ancient and elegant appearance.
Above the main entrance of this building hung a large sign with the words 'Golden Contract Bank' spelled out in large letters. Below the large letters were smaller ones listing numerous services, such as'Savings', 'Credit', 'Consulting', 'Item Storage', 'Notarization'...
'A bank... Is this the stronghold of that White Stone Craftsmen's Guild? Are they using the bank as a disguise?'
Looking at the building before Captain, Naifnis thought this to herself. Then she slowly walked towards the entrance of the bank, which had a considerable facade.
Because there were still matters at the Church, Vanya found it inconvenient to come here with Naifnis. Facing this unfamiliar environment, Naifnis could only muster Captain courage and proceed.
'As long as I do as Sister Vanya said, there shouldn't be any problems.'
'However, she also said that when she usually comes here to handle matters for the Church, she has a certain degree of convenience. She hasn't gone through the normal process for individuals conducting Extraordinary transactions... I hope the difference isn't too big.'
Naifnis thought this, then she took a deep breath and walked through the bank's main entrance. What came into Captain view was a spacious hall paved with marble tiles. At the end of the hall was a row of counters separated by iron bars. Many people were conducting business with the tellers behind the bars.
Looking around, Naifnis walked forward. After a short while, she reached an empty counter and sat down. The teller at the counter looked up at Naifnis for a moment and then said.
"Miss, what service do you require?"
"I need to exchange some old coins."
Facing the teller, Naifnis said slowly. Hearing Naifnis's words, the teller paused slightly, then continued to ask.
"May I ask, what period are the old coins from?"
"The era of Edward IV."
Naifnis gave the code phrase Vanya had taught Captain. There was no King Edward IV in the history of Prit. After hearing Naifnis's words, the teller's expression became serious. After scrutinizing Naifnis for a moment, he nodded.
"I understand. Coins from that time are very rare. Miss, please follow our person to discuss this elsewhere. By the way, do you know the way?"
"Uh... I'm sorry, I don't know the way."
"I see... It seems this is your first time here."
Saying this, the bank teller behind the iron bars picked up a bell from under the counter and gently rang it. A short while later, a door next to the iron bars opened, and a young man dressed as a service attendant walked out and came to Naifnis's side.
"Miss, please follow me."
Listening to the service attendant, Naifnis got down from Captain seat. With a nervous heart, she followed the service attendant into the door, then followed him through the building. After many turns, she arrived in a room.
This was a room slightly larger than a typical living room, luxuriously decorated. It had everything: carpets, sofas, paintings, coffee tables, potted plants, sculptures. At one end of the room was a tightly closed Stone door, and sitting on the sofas in the room were five or six people. They were all sitting quietly, as if waiting for something.
"Your number is 027. Please enter through that Stone door when your number is called. Until then, please rest in this room."
"Okay, I understand. Thank you."
Naifnis replied to the service attendant. Then the service attendant turned around, closed the door, and left, while Naifnis also found a seat and sat down.
Meanwhile, the scene of the service attendant bringing Captain in was seen by a pair of eyes.
After settling onto a sofa, Naifnis looked around Captain surroundings with some curiosity, especially at the people who were in the same room as Captain.
Through observation, Naifnis noticed that these people were both male and female. Some wore suits and masks, some wore cloaks with their faces hidden in Shadow, and some, like Captain, were heavily wrapped and wore veils...
Each of them seemed unwilling to expose their appearance. They all sat in their respective seats, silent and not speaking, unwilling to communicate with others. Each person sat quietly like this, not moving their heads, not averting their eyes, and not looking around randomly. They just sat in silence, which made the atmosphere around Captain very oppressive.
Occasionally, a steady voice calling out a number would come from inside the Stone door of the room. The person whose number was called would immediately get up, open the Stone door, and enter. Then, after another long period of silence, the next number would be called from behind the Stone door, but the person who had been called in earlier was not seen coming out.
'Behind that Stone door... that must be the transaction location... And these people are also here to conduct Extraordinary transactions, just like me. Are they all involved with the Extraordinary? But none of them are talking at all, avoiding communication...'
Looking carefully at the scene before Captain, Naifnis thought to herself. Just as she was also preparing to wait silently with the others, a figure was slowly approaching Captain.
Suddenly, a figure unexpectedly sat down next to Naifnis. Naifnis was startled and turned Captain head to see a young man with a smile.
Unlike the others in the room, this young man was dressed in ordinary casual clothes and had not deliberately concealed any physical features. He had short yellow hair and looked to be around twenty years old. Facing the somewhat surprised Naifnis, he displayed a bright and cheerful smile.
"Hey, Miss, nice to meet you. You're here seeking an Extraordinary transaction, right? Are you an Extraordinary as well?"
The young man smiled and directly asked Naifnis, while Naifnis was simply stunned in place.