Corin's Crossing bustled with people coming and going, its roads stretching in every direction.
Holding Lilia's hand, Rhode watched the endless stream of people around them. Almost immediately, he sensed several strong surges of mana among them, all from at least intermediate mages.
A faint smile appeared on Rhode's face.
"You'd normally only see something like this in a magical city like Dalaran. Even walking around Stormwind City or Lordaeron's royal capital, you wouldn't run into this many people who knew spells. Looks like a lot of people really have come."
Lilia looked up at Rhode. "Rhode, where should we go now?"
Rhode glanced up at the sky as well.
It was afternoon, almost dinnertime. They should find somewhere to rest first.
But they were strangers here, and he really had no idea where would be a good place to stay.
"Hmm..." After a moment's thought, Rhode pointed at a gnome hurrying through the crowd. "Let's follow him. Wherever he goes, we'll go."
The gnome was an intermediate mage, and he seemed to be walking with a clear destination in mind. He was probably heading to his lodgings.
"Are we playing hide-and-seek? Yay!" Lilia said happily, then followed Rhode as he trailed the gnome at an easy pace.
The gnome darted through the crowd like a fish through water. Rhode seemed to stroll along, but a brief spatial shift could carry him a dozen meters forward in an instant, making him even faster than the gnome.
Before long, they had traveled several hundred meters and reached a dark alley.
Rhode and Lilia stepped inside, only to find a short figure waiting there.
"Who are you, and why have you been following me?"
The gnome wore a pale blue mage robe and had a graying beard. His eyes, however, remained fixed