Ronan was standing on a wide street with shops and establishments on both sides. The street was around twenty-five metres wide. It was made of asphalt, the same material that was used to pave roads in Ronan’s home world. Or at least, this was what he concluded seeing the road. Wide footpaths were present on both sides of the road on which pedestrians were walking.

The road was most likely the main street of the city and if Ronan was not wrong, it would be connected with the important locations in the city and the other gates.

Given the width of the road, it did not feel crowded at all. Even the shops did not feel crowded.

But unlike his home world where eateries, restaurants and inns dominated any market, he did not spot a single shop selling food items.

There was a shop selling shoes and clothes and from their appearance they looked like adventure gears.

Another shop appeared to be an electric enterprise selling various equipment. Though Ronan could tell what were the most of these machines, they were slightly different from what he knew. And then there were machines, which he could not recognise at all.

One Shop was selling knives and Swords. He wondered if there would be shops selling firearms. If not now, maybe in the future, he would be interested in buying one.

"Welcome to Kovliar," Elicia’s voice came from behind. "How do you like it?"

"It is definitely a new experience," he responded.

"Glad to hear it," Elicia chuckled in response. "But I bet it is nothing like The Sanctuary."

Ronan remained quiet. Anything about The Sanctuary and he tried to maintain his secrecy.

"Hop on," she said, motioning towards her motorbike with a tilt of her head.

"Where are we going?" Ronan asked, instead of riding behind her.

"To my apartment," she replied.

"Since I was not one hundred percent sure that you would come ," she continued awkwardly, "I did not contact anyone about selling your goods."

"I did not want to make false promises," she explained in her defense. "You know in our line of work, promises and trust are the foundation of everything."

"I will need to find someone who is willing to buy all of this in one go and I have a few individuals in my mind," she added. "I do not want to sell the stuff individually and waste time. Though the profit might be a bit less, it will be very easy and we would not have to go through a painfully hectic process."

"What do you think?" She asked.

"It is fine, I guess," he responded. "How much time will it take?"

"About an hour or so," Elicia responded.

"Elicia," he said, "it is enough time for me to do something else."

"What?" She questioned with a frown on her face.

"Before I set up my business in this city, I want to know everything about it. About its people, its culture, how the city is governed, what do people prefer and all that. I do not want to be unaware or ill informed about the city."

"Take me somewhere where I can read all about it," he added. "Does this city have a library? Or anything like that?"

"Though there are a few more places that would do the job," she said with a grin. "But my apartment will still be the best."

"I have a few books related to what you might be trying to look at. And if there is anything else, you can look it up on the internet. And if you are still not satisfied, I will take you to the city library but after we make our deal with my contact."

"That would be great," Ronan said.

Staying close to her and in her own home was probably safer than going to any random place.

"Hop on then," Elicia said.

Ronan climbed the bike and she twisted the accelerator. Inside the city, she was driving slowly. And Ronan could look at this new land that he had arrived at.

The city was mostly similar to the cities of his own world. But there were a few stark differences which he noticed quite soon.

The first was the complete lack of wood in the buildings. Be it gates, window panels, or anything else, everything was made of metal.

Since he had entered the city, he had not seen a single piece of wood. And it did not really come as a surprise. Given the lack of vegetation, this was something he should have expected.

The second which he had obviously noticed earlier but was confirmed was lack of eateries. But it was not completely missing. He spotted a few bars and a couple of food joints. What they served, he had no idea? Getting a single glance of the joints had not allowed him to get any information.

Ronan was busy glancing at the scenery when the motorbike jerked and came to a screeching halt. He turned his head towards his front only to see a massive vehicle zoom past him. His neck instinctively craned and he followed the tail of the vehicle.

The vehicle resembled a four-by-four mini truck. But it was unlike anything he had ever seen. The tires of the vehicle were massive. If Ronan stood next to the vehicle, the tires would reach his chest. He had not been able to get a detailed look at the thing but he could tell that vehicle as a whole was massive and bulky. From behind, he had noticed the boot space of the vehicle. Two people dressed in combat uniform with rifles slinging over their shoulders were standing in that storage. He had not been able to see but a few people were most likely occupying the seat also.

The truck was driving with no tension in the world. It did not slow, did not wait for the motorbikes to slow or for the pedestrian to move aside. He wondered if someone was not quick in their reaction will the truck crush them? It seemed that there was someone powerful inside the truck.

"Asshole," Elicia’s voice snapped Ronan’s attention back towards her.

"You know him?" He questioned.

"Who does not?" She responded in a frustrated voice. "Driving a truck so recklessly in the city without any fear of consequence. There could be no one but one person."

"Who?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"How would you know anyway?" She asked back.

Ronan did not say anything. She started the motorbike and it again shot forward. Ronan again busied himself in observing the city.

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