Chapter 6: The Inspector from the Capital
The morning air in Ylmare was unusually tense.
Rumors fluttered through taverns and tailor shops like restless birds. Whispers of strange items, miracle wands, and glowing lanterns had reached even the city's upper circles. While the common folk were amazed, the guilds and noble houses were growing cautious.
No one truly understood where the merchant came from — and that uncertainty was a threat.
And so, from the capital of Elyndor, a figure was dispatched.
She arrived at dawn.
Dismounting from her sleek, obsidian-colored steed, she wore the cloak of the Arcane Division — black with a silver emblem etched in the shape of a seeing eye. Her name was Velistra Rhain, a Seeker-Rank Investigator known for exposing counterfeit mages and unlicensed alchemists.
With sharp gray eyes and raven-black hair tied in a braid, Velistra stepped into Ylmare with silent authority.
"This is the place," she said, her voice low and precise.
A young mage-assistant handed her a sealed scroll — the dossier on Farhan Rahman.
She read it wordlessly, her eyes narrowing at certain parts:
> "Claims to be a foreign merchant…
> Goods do not register on magical spectrums…
> Possible connection to lost technology or Old World Artifice…
> No known homeland. No recorded mana signature.
> Protected by House Velmont."
She clicked her tongue.
"House Velmont plays a dangerous game."
---
Farhan, meanwhile, had no idea he was being watched.
He was in the middle of installing something very exciting — and risky.
A portable solar panel, angled carefully to catch the rising sun from his rented rooftop suite.
Next to it sat a small power bank and a set of charging cables.
He exhaled with relief.
"If this works, I won't have to worry about battery anymore. The real store opens *now*."
He tapped open the Online Shopping app.
> [New Category Unlocked: Emergency Tools]
> [Suggested Products for Rural Development:]
>
> * Compact water filtration kits
> * Wind-up radios
> * Solar lanterns with USB charging
> * Basic medical drones (prototype listing)
> * Chemical-free pesticides
> * Educational tablets (offline mode)
He scrolled slowly, heart racing.
Farhan wasn't just thinking about profit anymore.
He was thinking long-term.
What if he could help entire villages? Set up hospitals? Provide clean water?
But before the dream could unfold, a knock came at his door.
He glanced up, cautious.
The knock came again — sharper this time.
"Coming," he called out.
When he opened the door, he was greeted by a woman with cold eyes and an official sigil pinned to her collar.
"Merchant Farhan Rahman?" she asked.
"Yes. Who are you?"
"I am Velistra Rhaine, Seeker of the Arcane Division. I've come on behalf of the Kingdom."
Farhan's spine stiffened.
She walked in without waiting.
His heart raced.
"Your stall has drawn national attention. You're selling goods with no magical basis — and no traceable origin."
Farhan shut the door carefully. "I'm under the protection of House Velmont. Is this visit legal?"
"It is," she replied coolly. "Even nobles must answer to the Arcane Division when the veil between worlds is threatened."
Farhan blinked.
Veil between worlds?
Velistra scanned his belongings: a laptop on standby mode, a water bottle from Earth, a flashlight on the shelf. Then her gaze fell on the solar panel outside the window.
She stepped forward.
"That device — what is it?"
"A light converter," Farhan said smoothly. "It gathers sunlight and channels it into power cells."
Velistra turned back to him. "What kind of power? Mana?"
"No. Something else."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You're not lying. That's what's frightening."
She sat down, crossing one leg over the other.
"You show no signs of being an arcanist. And yet, you sell devices that mimic spells of the Second and even Third Tier. You understand how alarming that is?"
"I'm a merchant," Farhan replied. "I offer solutions, not sorcery."
"Where do these 'solutions' come from?" she asked.
Farhan stayed silent for a beat too long.
Velistra studied him.
"You've stepped into a world built on magic and myth, and now you're rewriting the rules," she said. "Sooner or later, someone's going to want to burn those rulebreakers."
"Let me guess," Farhan said calmly. "You're the first spark?"
"No," she said, standing. "I'm the warning flame. Keep your goods under noble protection — for now. But don't think you'll escape scrutiny forever."
She turned to leave.
At the door, she paused.
"One last question: if you're not from any known continent, and not from any school of magecraft — where are you from?"
Farhan met her gaze.
"I'm from a place without mana. A world that runs on science, not spells."
Velistra's eyes flickered.
"I believe you," she said. "That's why I'm afraid."
Then she vanished down the hall.
---
That night, Farhan sat in silence.
He had risked saying too much. But lying to someone like Velistra felt like walking across ice with a torch.
Still… the cat was out of the bag now.
The word would spread.
Others would come.
He took out a notebook and wrote:
> Phase Two:
>
> * Build network of locals: scouts, vendors, messengers
> * Expand reach to nearby towns
> * Begin agricultural tool imports
> * Set up "Work for Goods" bartering system
> * Avoid further entanglement with mages
But he crossed out that last point.
Too late for that.
Instead, he wrote:
> * Monitor Arcane Division response
> * Find allies within noble houses
Farhan stood up, walked to his rooftop, and gazed out over the torch-lit town.
The stars above this world were brighter, harsher, more chaotic.
He smiled to himself.
In his old world, he'd been an invisible part-time delivery boy.
Here?
He was changing history.
And he wasn't about to stop.