Isaac thought it over. The black dog ought to have a name of its own. After all, the presence it had shown when it first appeared was hardly that of a nobody, and if it had some intention in asking him to name it, he would have no way of knowing.
"You have a name, don't you? If you do, wouldn't it be better to use your original name?" he said cautiously.
The black dog hesitated, but did not insist that Isaac name it. At last, it raised a front paw and began tracing on the ground.
Its claw tips left a trail of golden flame across the ground. The flames set nothing alight, merely outlining a word composed of Hiro Script.
Isaac made out the characters and tried reading them aloud. "Fenriskul..."
As he spoke the word, the black dog's ears perked up slightly and its golden eyes lit up. The golden flames went out.
Isaac felt the name was no simple one. At the very least, it had quite a few syllables, and using it every day would be a mouthful. "Can I call you Fenri for short?"
The black dog fell silent for a few seconds, apparently weighing whether the shortened name was acceptable. A moment later, it nodded.
Isaac breathed a sigh of relief and stood up. "All right, Fenri, wait here a moment while I get ready."
Fenri sat down in response.
Isaac returned to the living room and carried the stack of books on the desk into the guest room, one by one.
Edward had quite a few books, and it took Isaac several trips to move them all. Then he went to the foot of the stairs and called up, "Boss, do you have a map of Vista?"
Carlo's voice came from the second floor. "Can't you look for it yourself? It's on the mantelpiece."
Isaac went to the fireplace and pushed aside the scattered papers. After some effort, he found a map of Vista's urban district. It showed the locations of the major streets, squares, churches, and institutions, along with a few marks circled in pencil, probably annotations Carlo had made himself.
Isaac found Red Maple Street on the map, then followed the roads outward, looking for a possible place to sell the carriage for salvage.
In the southeastern corner of the district, he first found an area marked "carriage dealers." They should be able to handle a carriage there, but places like that usually did legitimate business. They might not be willing to take his battered, nearly broken-down carriage frame.
Isaac searched some more and found an area marked "recycling station." Things wouldn't fetch a high price at a place like that, but it probably wouldn't be too picky about their origins or condition.
Isaac stuffed the map into his pocket and went out again. Seeing that Fenri was still in the harness, he simply climbed into the driver's seat. "Let's go to the recycling station first. I'll give you directions."
Fenri set off, pulling the nearly broken-down carriage along the street while Isaac checked their direction.
Unlike the neighborhoods they had passed through on entering the city, the residents here were clearly a notch higher in status. The sidewalks were paved with neat brick and stone, and a streetlamp stood every few paces, its post cast with delicate scrollwork.
The men on the street all wore suits, leather shoes, and bowler hats or top hats. They carried walking sticks and strolled at their leisure. The women wore long dresses and carried parasols, walking along the sidewalks in twos and threes.
Isaac looked down at his work jacket. It was completely out of place on this street.
Of course, the dog pulling the carriage was even more out of place.
As a middle-aged gentleman leading a hunting dog passed the dog-drawn carriage, his dog barked at Fenri twice. Fenri did not even turn his head, merely casting it a glance. The dog whimpered, tucked its tail between its legs, and cowered behind its owner.
The middle-aged gentleman tugged on the leash and gave his dog a puzzled look, unable to understand why the hunting dog he had paid so much for had suddenly become so frightened.
Isaac pretended not to see and kept his eyes on the road.
After they had gone a little farther, Isaac spotted a pair dressed like a married couple not far ahead. The woman glanced over and her steps noticeably faltered. Then she turned her head, covered her mouth with her hand, and murmured something to the man. He followed her gaze and frowned slightly.
They're not going to look down on me, are they...? Isaac wondered. After all, on a street like this, a young man in a work jacket driving a battered carriage drawn by a black dog was hardly a question of whether he fit the "elegant atmosphere." It was difficult to say whether he was even respectable.
Then he saw the man take two steps forward and stop at the roadside. He raised his walking stick across the road, signaling them to stop.
Isaac tugged on the reins, and Fenri stopped.
The man looked Isaac up and down. "How much to Glory Cathedral?"
Isaac was taken aback. Then he realized he had been mistaken for a driver-one who drove a distinctive dog-drawn carriage, at that.
It seemed the lady had probably taken an interest in the dog-drawn carriage and wanted a ride.
"Sorry, sir, you've misunderstood. This carriage of mine..."
Before Isaac could finish refusing, the gentleman had already pulled out a one-shilling note. He raised his chin. "Don't spoil my wife's fun."
Isaac looked at the note, then at the lady's expectant gaze. After a moment's hesitation, he reached out and took it. "Please get in. Uh, but the carriage might not be very comfortable inside."
The gentleman opened the carriage door and helped his wife aboard. From inside, Isaac heard her give a little exclamation. "Oh, what an interesting carriage!"
"It's just a bit run-down," the gentleman remarked.
Once they were aboard, Isaac hurriedly checked the map and found Glory Cathedral. Fortunately, it wasn't too far away. They only had to go straight down this street and turn a corner.
He folded the map, thinking that people in Vista really were well-off, spending a shilling so casually. It was practically like throwing money away.
Still, since someone was willing to throw money away, he didn't mind scooping some up. He would take it as a chance to earn a little extra.
"Fenri, let's go." Isaac shook the reins.
Fenri set off, and the lady's animated voice came from inside the carriage. Isaac couldn't make out what she was saying, but from her tone, he could tell she was quite pleased with the dog-carriage ride.
In less than ten minutes, the spires of Glory Cathedral appeared at the end of their view.
It was a grand Vista-style building, its gray-white stone facade seemingly aglow in the sunlight. Three pointed archways stood at the front, with a flourishing golden bough pattern carved above their lintels. There was also a rose window, its stained glass refracting a brilliant array of colors.
Seeing that the square in front of the cathedral was filled with pedestrians, Isaac stopped at its edge.
The gentleman got out first and helped his wife down. Once she was on her feet, she looked back at Fenri and smiled. "Young man, this is a lovely carriage."
Isaac nodded politely. "I'm glad you like it, madam."
The gentleman produced a coin and tossed it to Isaac. "For you."
"Uh, thank you, sir." Isaac caught it.
Another five pence. It seemed to be a tip. The man's manner wasn't very polite, but he really was generous.