"Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Area 1 Federation. Specifically, you are on Planet Erkolls-13, Sector 79 in District 1 of the city of Telmar, home to the one and only human species of Earthlings in the tower world."
Gasps of surprise came from the successful [Tutorial] challengers.
Did that mean there were other species as well?
Katherine seemed to understand their question.
She replied with a polite smile.
"It seems this batch of challengers was summoned directly from Earth, no?"
Some nods and a few murmurs answered her query.
"Well, you will adapt to Area 1 in due course. If there are no accidents, you should be staying here on Erkolls-13 for quite some time, so it's best to get comfortable and learn all you can."
"There are a few things you should know, right off the bat."
Her voice grew abruptly solemn.
"First, some ground rules. As the Area 1 Federation is currently at war with a rogue race of beings called the Kinetice, they need all the power they can get.
Thus, it is not permitted to attack other humans, or any individuals residing in this city under any circumstances.
There are indeed other races who have come here for various purposes such as training, business, or even living.
No matter how startled you may be to see an 'alien' race, should you exhibit hostile behavior, the [Tower] will punish you in accordance with your offense."
Katherine shuddered slightly as if in fear of the punishment methods of the almighty [Tower].
Even Otto couldn't help but admire her acting chops.
She skillfully mixed in truth with lies in her words to give a false impression.
Indeed, the Federation, directed by the [Tower] was at war with the Kinetice.
However, the Kinetice existed only outside safe zones. For now.
They were certainly not an immediate threat.
Moreover, neither the Federation nor the [Tower] were at risk of missing manpower.
It was also true that it was not permitted to attack others in the city.
But that was because most of the city was a safe zone, where attacks were simply not permitted at all.
And the whole idea of punishment was utter nonsense.
Katherine likely wanted to avoid the circumstance where someone tried to attack and realized that attacks here were futile.
If these new challengers understood that they could not be attacked in the city, they would quickly figure out that they were in a safe zone.
Once Katherine brought them outside of the safe zone and they were indeed attacked by the Kinetice, they would then be much more suspicious.
Her scheme would be in jeopardy.
Otto began to get an understanding of her plot.
'She wants to bring us outside of the safe zone to steal my spatial storage ring.'
He rolled his eyes.
How stupid did she think he was?
Katherine continued,
"Well, while we do occasionally experience attacks like this, the living conditions here really aren't too bad otherwise.
Come with me. I'll bring you to one of my family's luxury hotels to rest for a night.
Be warned, it's rather far away…"
Just as some challengers were beginning to look hesitant at having to travel once again,
"But I promise, the result will be worth it. The kind of luxury we residents of Area 1 experience simply can't be compared luxury on Earth!"
Katherine gave a beautiful smile, then went on to describe some of the best luxuries available on Erkolls-13.
Hearing about the jaw dropping delicacies enjoyed by the Engalls' customers, the idea of a night's stay in this amazing location had successfully captured the imagination of the new challengers who had just come from 'hell' in the [Tutorial].
Katherine's face briefly revealed a triumphant smirk.
'They're hooked.'
But her smirk vanished when she looked at Otto's apathetic expression.
He even seemed to be looking disdainfully at her as he continued to finger his shining white ring.
'He's not tempted?'
Katherine decided to use the 'will of the group' to move him.
'Even if he doesn't care, he'll still have to follow me, the guide, in an unknown environment where danger lurks just around the corner.'
Katherine had deliberately left that impression to make it more likely for this group of people to follow her.
Since she seemed to be the only one they could rely on right now.
But once again, the boy went against her intentions.
"Er, excuse me, miss…"
"Ah! I've forgotten to introduce myself! My name is Katherine Engalls."
She gave a slight curtsy to the group of new challengers, an old Earth tradition she had been taught to perform by her grandfather.
The boy paid her no mind and continued speaking.
His tone was lackadaisical.
"Miss Katherine, thank you for your introduction. Are we free to leave at any point?"
Otto provocatively raised an eyebrow.
If she said yes, he would leave.
She wouldn't be able to get her hands on his spatial storage ring.
Not when he could simply stay in the safe zone.
If she said no, her motive would be suspicious.
It was unlikely the group of people would continue to follow her, leaving her having 'tried to grab the chicken only to lose the rice used to lure it.'
Katherine's mind worked quickly. She quickly came to a depressing conclusion.
The boy was too wary of her.
There was no way she'd be getting her hands on that spatial storage ring today.
But she couldn't answer his question immediately.
"What's your name, young challenger?"
Otto grinned, revealing pearly white teeth,
"Call me Toto."
"Toto, then. You are of course free to leave, though I don't recommend it. Um…"
Katherine hesitated and looked 'awkwardly' at Otto.
One man couldn't bear her awkwardness. He cast Otto a disapproving glance.
Then he and several others comforted her,
"If there's anything, just say it, Miss Katherine. We are all in your debt."
"Well, err, it's a bit awkward to say, but us guides don't work for free…"
She gritted her teeth and said,
"It's customary for challengers to pay for our service."
There was obviously no such custom.
Katherine schemed in her mind. This boy probably didn't know how much money was worth around here…
If he accidentally gave her a big coin, this trip still wouldn't be a total loss for her.
Moreover, now that she had his name, she could report back to her family and they could track him using their privileges once he registered at the Federation office.
When he left the safe zone in the future, they would immediately be notified!
Otto, who had been walking away, turned around at this.
He gazed at her with the emotionless eyes of a predator, scaring her so much that she found her legs shaking.
'Ridiculous! What kind of pressure is this!? I've already passed the 2nd floor!'
Otto said only three words.
"Are you sure?"
His meaning was 'are you sure you want to create an enemy here?'
But Katherine could only interpret it as Otto doubting her words.
Katherine was still a little nervous, but she stuck to her guns and nodded.
Otto just smirked.
"Very well."
He flipped a coin over to her.
It was of the lowest possible denomination on Erkolls-13, a single Pencet coin.
Barely enough to buy one serving of nutritional fluid.
Plus, now that she'd revealed her intentions, Otto also wouldn't be cordial.
He smiled, revealing two sharp canines.
"And, by the way, to the new challengers, I'll leave a piece of advice."
"You are currently located inside a safe zone. In other words, your attacks won't hurt others. Likewise, no one can hurt you."
He smirked.
"Make of that what you will."
And he was gone in a flash, leaving a bewildered crowd behind.
One bold woman quickly tested the veracity of the statement by using a skill on her neighbor.
She soon exclaimed with surprise,
"It's true!"
The challengers also weren't stupid.
A few instantly understood that Katherine must have no good intentions.
99 pairs of hostile eyes soon landed on Katherine, who shivered despite the warm temperature.
*********************************************************
Otto understood that he had likely just made an enemy of the Engalls family, who now had two reasons to come after him.
But he continued to walk leisurely down the city streets while reveling in Telmar's clean air.
He paid it no mind.
It wasn't like they could do anything to him in a safe zone, in any case.
His first stop was the District 1 Federation Office in Telmar.
Before doing anything else, he needed to officially register with the government.
This should have been the first step for any new challenger.
Since it also afforded them the right to pay for necessary goods and services.
Otto looked around as he strolled through the streets.
District 1 of any city was a district used almost exclusively by the 'nobles.'
Only, rather than any sort of inherited status, being a 'noble' in Area 1 just meant that a challenger was truly wealthy.
New money, old money, dirty money, the source didn't matter.
As long as the money was there, this kind of status was easily bought.
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His surroundings were the clearest proof of the money that flowed through this district.
Buildings that were made in various ancient styles littered the sides of the streets, each competing with one another for which looked the most luxurious, best decorated, constructed with the highest taste.
In any city, sprawling buildings like this that made not even a token effort to pretend they were in a city simply screamed 'inefficient.'
Especially so when compared to the high-occupant building designs prevalent throughout most of the lower districts.
Otto saw a miniature roman style temple, a large, two story pagoda, a few victorian era houses, and a building with gothic influences lined up next to each other.
Funnily enough, they were all decorated with such luxury and eyes to detail that none looked out of place.
In actuality, most of the buildings Otto witnessed were architecturally 'enchanted' to hold more than they appeared.
What looked like a small, decorative one-story cottage could actually be a high-rise capable of housing thousands of people on the inside.
Owners only utilized these ancient designs for aesthetic purposes.
It was a way of flaunting for the richest capitalists.
Otto felt a little out of place walking down such an ornate street wearing nothing but tattered old clothes made for peasants.
He quickly stifled his discomfort. Then snorted at himself.
Since when had he cared what others thought?
It took a solid two hours of walking before Otto arrived at his destination.
This was also one of the disadvantages of not yet being registered.
Otherwise, he would have used a small teleportation circle or called a vehicle to carry him here.
Otto entered a surprisingly modern looking building.
The building had a trapezoidal structure with huge glass windows that covered the entire first floor, and extended into the sky for at least a few thousand meters.
It looked exceedingly out of place among the small ornate cottages, cabins, and 'ancestral homes' that otherwise lined the road.
He spoke to a female receptionist,
"I'd like to register with the Federation."
This time, his right hand was tucked into his pocket.
It hid his spatial storage ring.
Otto didn't want to be treated like a bigshot.
It was too troublesome!
The female receptionist was cordial.
"Right this way, Mr…"
"Toto."
Otto did not plan to use his real name to register.
It was not really a way to mask himself, as he freely told his personal contacts his real name.
It instead served as a way to separate his private life from his business matters.
If a stranger called him 'Toto' it meant they found out about him from someone who knew him as 'Toto' and thus were there for a business-related reason.
If a stranger called him 'Otto,' it was more likely there was a personal connection.
Well, it was more of a habit than anything too important. Even if they mixed for one reason or another, Otto wouldn't really mind.
"Okay. The registrar will be with you in just a minute."
She closed the door behind her.
A minute later, a smiling middle-aged woman walked in.
"Hello, you must be Toto. I heard you were here to register?"
Otto nodded without expression.
"Can I ask why you're not with a guide?"
The officials here were all used to being very polite.
This was the noble's district, after all. Even if they were in a safe zone, not many had the courage to offend folks with money.
Otherwise, who knew what could happen outside?
The safe zones only encompassed 'most' parts of the city.
Most folks who wanted to travel or leave would have to venture outside the area.
Where anything could happen!
Otto replied easily,
"There were a few unforeseen circumstances."
He passed over a Smekker.
"I hope it won't be a problem?"
The woman's smile grew even brighter.
It wasn't illegal to take 'donations' as a Federation worker.
Rather, it was almost expected.
Perhaps on Earth, the practice would have been called corruption. But here, it was simply the norm.
Money got things done!
"Of course not, Mr. Toto. Let's register you immediately."
Registration didn't take very long.
The woman updated her database with Toto's information- not his attributes, just his name, race, sex, age, a picture of his physical appearance, and place of origin.
Then, she gave him the 'Universal ID card' that would establish him as an official Federation citizen.
"If you've never seen this before, don't be alarmed. These Universal IDs are provided by the [Tower] to the Federation, and can be used in every Area after this.
It stays in your body and serves as your identity for everything you need. All sorts of things can be connected to it, bank accounts, memberships, residence(s), etc.
It also allows you to be tracked down by the government, so if you're ever in danger, you can pay to get rescued."
A tiny smirk played on Otto's lips. The tracking function was certainly not limited to only this.
The middle-aged woman seemed to see this, and tried to dispel his doubts,
"Oh! Don't worry, we don't use this function for anything untoward!
The [Tower] expressly forbids such behavior, and the government would never run the risk of losing its own legitimacy.
Take it carefully, and drip a single drop of blood on the card.
It will then enter your body and bind with you."
Otto did as she requested, and felt the card enter his body.
There was no sensation, but Otto knew his Universal ID was bound.
He immediately made a request.
"I'd like to restrict access to my information and the tracking function. Could you give me a list of prices?"
The woman's eyes widened before she smiled.
"Yes, of course."
Her eyes glazed over and her fingers began to press on random spots in the air.
Otto knew she was activating the Federation's central system.
Soon, a screen showed up in front of Otto.
[Level 1 Security Restriction]
Restricts access to your identity to persons with authority higher than level 1.
Cost: 125 W
[Level 2 Security Restriction]
Restricts access to persons with authority higher than level 2.
Cost: 1,650 W
[Level 3 Security Restriction]
Restricts access to persons with authority higher than level 3.
Cost: 23,600 W
….
.....
[Level 9 Security Restriction]
Restricts access to the appointed head of government and the [Tower].
Cost: 10,754,000,000 W
[Level 10 Security Restriction]
Restricts access to the [Tower] alone.
Cost: 265,500,000,000 W
W stood for 'Wasnacht,' one of the smaller universal federation currencies in Area 1.
Looking at the astronomical cost of the Level 10 Security restriction, Otto didn't even flinch.
At the common federation exchange rate, 265 Billion Wasnacht was equivalent to 265 Million Smekkers, or 265,000 Brock coins.
265,000 Brock coins could also be exchanged for official [Tower] currency, which the Federation did not control.
265,000 Brock was equal to 2,650 G4 coins.
For reference, Otto received 8,000 G4 coins from his mission reward alone.
Not to mention the 1,000 crystals which were worth exponentially more, that he received from his 'Tower First' achievement.
But Otto also didn't intend to waste this much money.
His goal was not to completely eliminate the possibility of being tracked throughout Area 1.
It was more akin to blocking any annoying flies who wanted to catch his tail.
Flies like the Engalls family.
With that in mind, Otto took out 3,000 Smekker Coins and transferred it using his new Universal Identity Card to the woman to pay for a Level 5 Security Restriction.
The woman's jaw dropped in surprise.
Seeing how he'd casually tipped her with a Smekker coin, she'd already understood that the boy was rather wealthy.
But to be able to take out 3,000 Smekkers at once with no trouble?
That was completely astonishing, even in the 'noble' district.
Perhaps the wealth of the entire Engalls family that co-managed the whole city amounted to 10,000-20,000 Smekkers.
But the woman was still a professional. She quickly added the restriction.
Now, families and organizations under authority level 5 would not be able to see his data, let alone track him.
Even those above level 5 would be forced to pay quite the large sum.
Otto felt a little pleased.
He doubted the Engalls family had more than authority level 1 or 2, in any case.
The government worker spoke again.
"The transaction is complete. Is there anything else you'd like from me?"
Otto nodded.
"Two things. First, I'd like to find someone…"