After saying goodbye to Peter, Rainer asked around until he found the inn Mercury Plain had reserved for him.
Unlike the somewhat shabby Black Crow Inn where Peter was staying, this inn, called the Silver-Inlaid Rose, was exceedingly grand. Its reception hall alone was much larger than the Black Crow Inn's entire building. The ten-story structure stood out sharply among the surrounding low buildings, most of which were no more than five stories tall. At a glance, it was obvious that this was not an inn ordinary people could afford.
The moment he entered, Rainer quickly sensed that the guests here were anything but ordinary.
A mage hurrying past had four gold bands on his cuffs. On a sofa beside the lobby, two mages deep in discussion were also at the four-ring level. Clearly, this was an inn for mid-level mages.
Someone quickly noticed Rainer, but no one said much. There had been low-level mages before who spent large sums bribing the inn staff to stay here during the conference. This counted as a high-end form of "trying one's luck."
Of course, how effective such an approach could be was impossible to say.
After checking in, Rainer boarded a mechanical elevator operated by an attendant and arrived at his room on the seventh floor.
It was called an inn room, but it was actually more like a fully furnished residence. Besides the enormous bedroom, there was also a study. The living room was bright and spacious, and when he drew back the curtains, he could see Wagner Lake not far away. The largest freshwater lake in the southern part of the continent stretched for thousands of miles, its surface glittering under the afternoon sun. Along the lakeshore stood a luxurious estate, the venue of Mercury Plain's annual conference.
"Tomorrow?"
Rainer