Tulimeir felt like a huge industrial metropolis pulled straight out of some kind of steampunk storybook with tall gss buildings crammed together to try and accommodate the limited horizontal space of the walled-in fortress city.

  Despite the dreary cold, steel-framed skyscrapers, and damp cobblestone streets, the city was alive with colors. Bright banners and signs marked storefronts, and lights shone merrily through the plethora of color-tinted windows. Most outer walls seemed to be made of stained gss rather than stone or metal.

  Phoenix thought she might get whipsh as she tried to look at everything at once. Aside from the dazzling colors among the steam that seemed to coat the streets, the smells were an overwhelming assault that she had been ill-prepared for.

  Scents that she had no basis for comparison both enticed her in one direction while causing her to recoil from another. It swirled and mixed into a dangerous concoction of fragrance that she was slightly worried might make her ill. The biggest offenders for the various smells were the street vendors peddling food she had never heard of –except the one selling sandwiches, but most of the ingredients she saw looked completely foreign to her.

  The next overwhelming factor was the sounds. Everyone was talking everywhere as they crowded the streets, calling out requests for the vendors, haggling over prices, parents scolding children who strayed too far, and a variety of animals that were either pets, strays, or Familiars roamed around her in a vibrant cacophony. She was only grateful that there didn’t seem to be any vehicles adding to it.

  The crowds caused a spike in her anxiety as she tried to follow the priest through the bustle, but he never seemed to outpace her. Phoenix noticed more than one curious gnce her way, taking in her pale human appearance. She tried to calm her nerves at the unwanted attention by focusing on retracting her aura as much as possible. Would some random person attempt to snatch her like that Magi had?

  “Um, excuse me,” she began, hoping to get a bit more information out of her newest guide, “You seemed to know who I am, but what do I call you?”

  “My apologies, Miss Fraser,” the runeforged said as he gnced over his shoulder at her, “I am Lester Ravone, a priest of the Schor.”

  “The Schor?” she reiterated, indicating her curiosity.

  “Yes, the goddess of learning, knowledge, and all that is known,” he crified. “My Lady has known of you since your arrival in our world and has shared every thought you have had since.”

  That idea was a bit disconcerting to her, but she tried not to dwell on it as they seemed to be coming to another major fork in the road. They had been following the road east across the southern prong of the star-shaped city for a while and had eventually come to another tunnel gate leading into the smaller southeastern section. They were forced to slow down by the people congesting the thoroughfare to get past as the crowds going in both directions squeezed through the narrow passage.

  Once they managed to escape the oppressive tunnel through the defensive wall, Phoenix was surprised by the change of scenery. If she hadn’t known better, she would have wondered if they had stepped through a portal.

  The area was much more open here, with buildings allowing more of a buffer between each other. These buildings were no longer the towering steel and gss structures that the rest of the city seemed to encapsute. Instead, they were an eclectic assortment of themed towers.

  The crowds of people going in and out of them, many dressed in priestly robes, and the voices rising above the din, proselytizing to whoever might listen, were clue enough to have her understand that they had reached the Temple District.

  Her guide led her to a lone pagoda-looking structure that stood out for its many curving roofs. Even though there was more space around the buildings here, they still tended to go vertical, with the height seeming to indicate their importance. This Temple of the Schor was one of the taller ones.

  The Wayfarer could sense the gazes of the crowd on her as she entered the temple, especially coming from the other followers that bore the same garb as the priest of the Schor. Phoenix felt her cheeks burn and her heart pound in her chest with every step. She was starting to regret going with the stranger who was leading her into a potential den of sycophants.

  The interior mostly felt like a library, with rows and rows of books crammed into the area. After going up many floors via a gss elevator lift and down a hallway, Lester finally stopped in front of a pair of rge doors. As he opened one side, he didn’t enter but gestured for her to go instead. She complied, and as she entered the inner cloister, she felt an odd tingling sensation as though an aura encompassed the space.

  Her attention was arrested by the adorable little girl standing in the center of the room. The child was dressed in the local garb of leather and fur, but rather than a runeforged or cinderen like the rest of the city, she looked like one of the tan humans from the very first town Phoenix had visited, albeit slightly glowing.

  Before the Astromancer could comprehend the presence of the strange girl who looked about the size of a ten-year-old, the girl turned to look at her, and the small face lit up with delight as she gave a squeal and rushed towards her excitedly.

  “Phoenix! I’m so gd you’ve finally arrived! It feels like I’ve been waiting for ages to actually be able to talk to you!” the child said in a rush, bouncing on her toes and seeming to try to do her best not to touch her.

  It wasn’t until Phoenix registered the power of the aura coming off the young girl that she recognized it as Divine like the other deities she had met and inquired hesitantly, “You’re Schor?”

  The girl giggled, “Who else? Silly Wayfarer. Now, onto more important questions that I’ve been dying to ask you: What exactly is the internet, and how does it work?”

  Phoenix’s mind almost short-circuited at the unexpected question, and she actually had to shake her head to focus on an answer as her mind raced through her memories surrounding the concept of the internet, “Oh. Um. That is… complex.”

  “Oh, you’re right,” the goddess said with slight awe before getting an annoyed look on her face, “You don’t even know the actual details. What a shame,” she added with a sigh.

  “Wait, you know everything I know, so why bother asking?”

  The child goddess seemed to almost pout as she crossed her arms, “Most people assume I know everything that everyone knows already,” she started expining, “Usually that’s true, but Wayfarers prove the assumption is false. I know every thought within my influence, which is the whole pnet before you ask,” the goddess tacked on with a raised hand, forestalling the question Phoenix had indeed been about to voice.

  “Wayfarers are from outside my influence. So when they arrive on the pnet, it’s not like I get to download their memories. They have to actively think about something for me to know it as well. That’s how I learn.

  “So, while you’ve had thoughts about some things that use the internet, I wanted details about the internet itself,” the goddess expined while turning away.

  Schor walked towards a desk that held stacks of paper, “You helped quite a bit, really, but not enough for me to impart the knowledge to my followers or have Mentor start teaching everyone about it.”

  Before Phoenix could voice her suggestion, Schor responded to the thought, “You’re right, but it’s not like I can just summon a network engineer out of thin air. Even I am limited to this reality.”

  She took another breath to speak but was interrupted again by the munchkin deity, “Yes, I do enjoy freaking people out by answering their thoughts. Now, ask your questions, and yes, I’ll allow you to voice them this time.”

  Phoenix was caught off guard once more by the rapid shift in the conversation, and she said warily, “You were the one who requested my presence. I assumed that meant you were the one with all the questions.”

  The goddess giggled again, her soft brown hair swaying gently around her face, “Oh, I have many more questions. I usually do when Wayfarers arrive on my world.”

  “Wait, there are more here?” she interjected.

  Schor shrugged as she replied, “Sure. Just a handful at the moment, but there have been plenty over the millennia. Now again, ask me your question.”

  Phoenix realized then that she did have questions for the deity and found herself asking, “Why me?”

  The goddess shook her head, “Rebel already answered that.”

  She frowned at the glowing girl, “Rebel sidestepped it. Answering a question with another question isn’t an answer; it’s misdirection.”

  “Misdirection can be its own answer. Perhaps you are not meant to know the answer. Next question,” the small girl commanded with a wave of her tiny hand.

  The redhead wondered why everyone she met seemed to like giving her orders, but she just sighed and complied anyway, “How do I complete my quest?”

  “Better,” Schor chuckled, “But you’re not ready for that answer yet. Come back to me when you’re at least Sapphire Caste.”

  Phoenix held back the groan of frustration before she thought of another question, “Who was the Night Witch, Morgan?”

  The goddess’s amused smile was repced with annoyance as she said, “Someone who keeps butting her nose into my world’s affairs for her own agenda,” her expression softened as she added, “Though I have her to thank for the majority of Wayfarers that end up here and the knowledge they bring, so it’s difficult to compin too much. It’s unlikely you’ll ever see her again, though, since she seems keen on remaining distant from her… potentials.”

  Phoenix wasn’t sure if she should press for more information but instead closed her eyes, trying to clear her thoughts with a steadying breath, then asked, “Why did you bring me here?”

  Schor smiled brightly at her, “There we go,” she said happily, then lifted her hands, now holding a stack of books that Phoenix knew hadn’t been there a second before. “I have some knowledge to aid you in your new life here.”

  She couldn’t stop the question from escaping her lips, “Why?”

  The goddess just smiled wider, “Because I want to,” was all the answer given as the girl gestured to the books with a nod of her head, “You won’t be able to find these particur versions here in Tulimeir, and I believe you will be here for quite a while.”

  “What are they?”

  The girl gave a wide grin and said almost teasingly, “These are called Knowledge Tomes in this world, but from what I’ve gleaned from your thoughts about video games and stories, you might know them better as ‘Skill Books’ or ‘Jade Slips.’”

  Phoenix fell silent for a long moment before trailing her eyes down to the precious treasure held before her. She almost didn’t want to jinx it as she crified, “They transfer knowledge to the user instantly?”

  Schor nodded eagerly, “I helped another Wayfarer create them ages ago. All you have to do is read the activation sentence on the first page to very quickly absorb the information.”

  “And you’re just giving them to me?”

  The deity continued smiling and said, “I’ll grant you the books and my Mark of Favor as well. I do wish for you to succeed in this world, and the tomes containing the foundations of magic will help you do so.”

  Then her [Guide Book] appeared between her and the deity to dutifully perform its task.

  New Quest: Tomes of the Schor

  The deity Schor has offered you a set of magic knowledge tomes that make up the series [Magic of Makera] along with their divine mark.

  Objective: Gain Schor’s mark of favor and use the magic knowledge tomes.

  Reward: Rare ritual material pack.

  The goddess smiled at the book and said, “I have to admit, I love the form of this particur Talent you have. Your love of books is admirable.”

  She wasn’t sure why, but what the deity had said made her blush slightly at the compliment. Phoenix took the proffered stack of books, careful not to touch the deity, put them into her collection, and then gave a simple “Thank you.”

  The feeling of embarrassment and gratitude quickly disappeared, though, as the goddess caught her by surprise and wrapped tiny arms around her in a tight hug.

  Phoenix was even more armed by the white-hot burning sensation coming from the Soul Mark on her chest as the mini-goddess clung to her. The sharp stab of pain quickly passed as the deity reluctantly released her. Schor hadn’t made contact for long, but Phoenix was instantly gasping for air, and a sheen of sweat coated her brow.

  Then the goddess cpped her hands and informed her happily, “Now, I need you to keep following Lester around a little longer. Some of my other siblings also have items for you.”

  “Wait, what?” Phoenix asked with slight arm, still trying to recover from whatever the goddess had done to her. The fatigue she was already feeling from being so close to the divine being was making her want to climb into the nearest bed and just sleep, but the contact had only made it that much worse. She couldn’t imagine having to do this even more.

  “No more questions today. Go now.”

  As if to punctuate her dismissal, the door behind her opened once more, causing Phoenix to twist to see that her priestly guide had returned. When she turned to look back at the goddess, there was nobody else in the room with her. She sighed and turned to follow the priest, supposedly, to the next temple and divine encounter.